If you are at all like me, you sit and think about what you would do if you won the lottery: how you would buy each of your family members a beach house, tell the kids that they could finish university at whichever university they wished to attend, support your favourite charities and travel.  Ah travel.  There are so many places to see and taste! This is the stuff of many of my daydreams but because I never ever buy a ticket, it will never be.  I always talk myself out of making a purchase because I know that my odds of winning are miniscule at best.

Well, here’s a contest that you would really have a good shot at: Sobeys West Tastes of the World Contest is ONLY available in Sobeys Stores in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and BC!  All you have to do is visit our local Sobeys store to pick up game board and pieces.  The contest started this week but there is still plenty of time because it runs until May 16th.   There are a number of instant prizes and ways to win but shoot for the stars and picture yourself in one of these amazing culinary destinations:

Paris, Rome, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Cancun or Bangkok!

We’re having a twitter party on Tuesday, April 16th at 8pm (in Manitoba) with more prizes to be had.  I’ll be tweeting from Thompson! RSVP below the heart at the end of this post.

For more information or to pick up your passport and game pieces, please visit your local Sobeys Store.

Kath’s quote:  “You’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So… get on your way!”
― Dr. Seuss

Love-that is all.

All of you, my lovely readers know that I am especially ga ga over two world cuisines-Italian and Mexican.  I have exciting news to share with you about Italy but unfortunately, you are going to have to wait just a wee bit longer.  As far as Mexican cuisine is concerned, when the Winnipeg entourage was recently on Isla Mujeres, Jackie, Sister #3 and I traveled to Puerto Moreles for the day to attend The Little Mexican Cooking School.  I am bursting with all the nuggets of info that we are going to share with you.  Sister #3 and I are going to collaborate on at least three posts: 1) chocolate 2) chilies and 3) beverages.  We actually learned how to make chocolate from a raw cocoa bean and “stone” soup.  The day was absolutely fascinating and delicious.

The world of taste is such an enormous place.  We learned that there are seven culinary regions of Mexico and even though we were in the region of the Maya, we studied about the foods native to Oaxaca.  There are another seven moles from different areas of the state of Oaxaca.  Omgosh-there is so much in this world to learn and see and taste!

I have been pinning my Isla Mujeres pics for the last couple of weeks but I would love to one day travel to other culinary regions of Mexico including Oaxaca and so I am creating a new pin board of my “Dream Destination”.

In the mean time, memories of the wonderful day that we spent under the guidance of handsome and talented Chef Christobal will be pinned to my new board.

In celebration of spring and Mexico and the tastes of the world, I (along with the rest of the Sobeys Love Food Ambassadors) am announcing a special contest.  Anyone who creates a pinboard, tagging their repins with #LoveSobeys, is entered to win one of 12 $100. Sobey’s gift cards.  You will be able to use the cards for delicious Mexican items like Roasted Tomato Chipolte Salsa, Black Bean and Corn Salsa, Salsa Verde and Extra Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce.  D and I are heading to Sobey’s right now to pick up some Friday night supper because it has been to long without the taste of Mexico.

Kath’s quote: “Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood carving, or music.” -Julia Child

Love-that is all.

On Day 5, I did something I rarely do when I am vacationing on Isla: I voluntarily left the island.  Jackie, Sister #3 and I headed to Puerto Moreles to the Little Mexican Cooking School.  Sister #3 and I plan on collaborating on a number of posts about our cooking adventure, so I am going to skip right over the day at this time.  That evening, I didn’t even venture out for dinner as we were still too stuffed from eating the results of our classes.  I stayed in that evening and ate a peanut butter and banana sandwich (I didn’t photograph this).

On Day 6, the inclement weather that began the day before, continued.  We hung around our hotel and Sister #3 picked up Rotisserie Chicken for our lunch which we ate around our little plunge pool with the gang.  I did do a wee little wander around Centro.

That evening, we braved the elements and ventured to El Veradero.

At our first table, the wind was whipping us all about but the expertly-made mojitoes occupied us until the staff sympathized with our suffering and moved us to a more sheltered table, where we had a wonderful dinner.

After all the years that I have heard about this place that is tucked away and right on the water, I felt right at home. I loved everything about it, but especially the rustic décor.

Our server pulled in the English expertise of an interpreter.  When we chatted with her later she indicated that she helps out in order to enhance her English skills.  What a resourceful woman and a win/win situation for us all.  There was a bit of a debate about who would get the last two orders of the fish special.  She carefully steered us to the shrimp which were prepared with the same topping.

There was a bit of a surprise later when the bill came to see how much more expensive the shrimp was than the fish (if she knew this too-then she is VERY good at what she does).

Sister #2 and Paula ordered the garlic shrimp and there were oohhs and aahhs coming from their end of the table.

I felt like I had struck it rich when my shrimp ceviche arrived (with a side of fabulous papas fritas). The flesh of the shrimp was still plump and firm and there was just the right amount of lime.  Even though there was way more shrimp in my dish than the other dinners, mine was priced more affordably.

Kath’s quote:  “When the waitress puts the dinner on the table the old men look at the dinner. The young men look at the waitress.“-Gelett Burgess

Love-that is all.

While I was on Playa Sol, a lovely and rare thing occurred on North Beach-Hortencia took time away from her dress shop, to visit our gang with her gorgeous grandchildren.   Even though her family lives on one of the most beautiful islands in the world with one of the most exquisite beaches, an afternoon swim is a rare treat for her grand-kids.

Waiting for them on the beach was a whole pack of would-be grandparents to play catch, frolic in the water and buy them treats from the ice cream man.

The little angel depicted below has my heart.  I think that she must looked exactly like Hotencia when she was this age.

The kids were so polite and appreciative and I think that they had almost as much fun as my family did entertaining them.

Later, I met up with everyone, back at Case el Pio,

The sun was just about to set on another gorgeous day.

I love to be on the beach for sunset but it is as beautiful in its own way, from anywhere you watch it disappear.  Sister #3’s guacamole and ice cold Dos Equis, make the whole experience….complete.

I was really looking forward to that evening’s dinner and not just because we were dining at our old friend Fredy’s, but because we were finally meeting up with Jackie (a new friend from Winnipeg who is now a true Islaholic) and her traveling companions, Julie and Evelyn!

But to the food!  There were Fredy’s famous two-bone pork chops requested by many.

Sister #3 is totally hooked on Fredy’s Mexican platter.

My beloved Sis-in-law loves Fredy’s chicken bruschetta.

Paula chose the chicken enchiladas (what an amazing presentation).

Sister #2 couldn’t resist the garlic shrimp.

Last but not least, Evelyn tucked into Fredy’s shrimp.

You know, I am having a revelation as I write this.  My family and I say that being on Isla is like coming home;  I always thought as if it was the island itself, that made us feel this way, but I realize just now that it is the people!  When we are on Isla, we are surrounded by the locals that we have come to know and love as family and this day was one where we had the pleasure of spending special time with them.

Kath’s quote: “Best things in life: Friends that are like family, and family that are like friends.” –Unknown

Love-that is all.

Today’s post will be more of a pictorial than a literary accounting.  Day four started with another colourful walk around Centro.  I get such a kick out of the way Islanders use colour to freshen and preserve their homes.  The salty sea air must take its toll after a while and regular paint touch ups seem to be a fairly regular occurrence.  Interestingly, the painters don’t seem to enjoy the clean up (neither do I) but they have discovered an easy solution-they simply abandon their rollers, brushes and paint trays where they completed the task.  I have seen this occur a number of times in some of the most scenic places on the island.   There is a stretch on the uninhabited west border of the airport property along Rueda Medina, where you can spot discarded paint gear amongst the tropical plants.

I wondered if this variety of colours were planned or if there was a sale on small cans of paint.

Isn’t this house, fresh and clean looking?

And I love, the peeling turquoise paint on this corrugated metal wall!

The sky had cleared and made way for another beach day but the humidity was a little higher and there was no breeze.  I attempted to spend some time with the gang at North Beach but just couldn’t mange staying put.  I was craving the breeze of Playa Sol.  So I packed up and relocated around the corner.

This solitary palm was the perfect place for me to plunk my stuff and I quite obviously had the beach to myself.

Or did I?  There was a constant stream of beach vendors getting a work out, trudging through the gorgeous white sand.

Turns out that the Islanders selling their beach ware wasn’t my only company.  At one point, I looked up from my book to see my brother in law paddling by in his kayak.  He has a inflatable type that he can easily transport wherever he goes.  He and Sister #2 like to stay on the southeast end of the island and by the time I spied him, he had paddled a considerable distance.  He still intended to navigate around the northwest point of the island to visit the family assembled on north beach.

Then, of course, he had the long ride home.  When I saw him later that evening, he confessed that once he got out into the bay, the breeze, the waves and the wake from the ferries crossing back and forth, gave him more of a work out than he had bargained for.

Well I suppose 20+ photos is enough for one post.  Stayed tuned (soon, I promise) for the rest of Day Four.

Kath’s quote: “One of the best gifts we can give ourselves is time alone with God.”-Unknown

Love-that is all.