This is the long-promised recounting of our culinary adventure while vacationing on Isla Mujeres.  Puerto Moreles is a ferry trip and then a taxi ride away and even though it is hard to budge us from our precious Isla once we arrive, the promise of a new adventure involving food and beverages, was hard to resist.  This first installment is written by Sister #3.

When you think of enjoying a nice cold one in Mexico it is likely a cold Corona or a salty lime margarita come to mind?.  Mexico is a hot country and it is important to stay hydrated, and liquor, while refreshing, is not the answer.  If you are looking for a delicious alcohol free beverage while south of the boarder, there is a plethora to choose from.  

I never drink pop at home but I must confess I’m a bit addicted to Mexican soda.  Sure you can find the standard cola, lemon-lime and orange flavours but you will also be treated to some very unique taste sensations.  Jurritos is a popular brand and I am pleased to say they are now readily available for purchase at Latin markets around our fair city. Mango, guava, pineapple, watermelon are all fruit flavours that I can’t believe no one in North America is producing in soda.  They also make tamarind, which is a lovely sour taste, and one called Jamaica, which I have not tried, made from hibiscus stamen. I have eaten hibiscus and would say it is a bit perfumy for my taste.  My very favorite flavor is Manzana, which means apple, and it is harder to find. Lift, a coca-cola made version, is everywhere in Mexico but I love Sidral Mundet, which, like the Jurritos, comes in a glass bottle with a pop top. 

On our last visit to Mexico, my sister Kathryne and a friend and I took a day trip to experience The Little Mexican Cooking School in Puerto Morelos.  Besides learning about the food of Mexico we had the opportunity to try some of their homemade “soft’ drinks. 

We started our morning with a chocolate making demo and then this delectable hand made chocolate was used as the base of our first beverage. By adding water and ice our cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, and cacao seeds, AKA artesian chocolate, we had a light and refreshing, and might I add, caffeinated beverage.

Our next break featured a frosty jar of melon agua fresca, which translates to fresh water.  To make agua fresca fruit is pureed and then strained through cheese cloth.  Water, lime juice are added and voila!  Another kind of fresh water was our treat at the next break.  Horchata is made by adding water to ground rice, cinnamon, sugar and a little lime zest. The mixture is strained and the flavourful rice milk is the result. 

We ended our day with a cold corona, followed by a glass of sangria and a shot of really good tequila with our main meal. OK old habits are hard to break, but it was great to have the chance to enjoy other traditional Mexican beverages that day.

Kath’s quote: “The correct order of beverages is starting with the most temperate and ending with the most heady.” –Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Love-that is all.

Can you tell that I am in blogging catch up mode?  There were so many things that I wanted to have written about before the summer came along and here I am, still getting caught up on food and travel adventures from April!

D has a diverse range of music tastes.  I would say considerably more far- reaching than mine.  The truth is, that I find it hard to concentrate when music is playing and often choose to have the house silent when I am working.  When I am in the kitchen, I often have the TV news on or maybe Ellen, which I really enjoy.  In the car, I listen to a single station and typically hear the same favourite songs quite frequently.  D is constantly attempting to broaden my horizons and this spring he purchased two tickets to see his favourite band- Airborne Toxic Event in Minneapolis and asked me if I would like to tag along.  With the promise of some shopping and good eating, I was happy to do so.  Little did he know, that I would love the band as much as I did and now find myself absolutely hooked on their ballads.

With so many dining choices, all within walking distance of our downtown hotel, it was very hard to make a decision.  We decided not to venture to Murray’s , even though there is something about the place, that draws me back again and again.  Could it be the turquoise tiles on the façade?  I love the authentic, retro décor and as I recall, the food was excellent too.

The night of our arrival we happened upon a downstairs restaurant known as Hell’s Kitchen.  The promise of “damn good food” was just too tempting to walk away from.  Although we were offered up some tasty dishes, they were very heavy-handed with the salt shaker.  In fact, most places that we dined in Minneapolis we found the same thing.  I love salt and know that its addition enhances almost every food you eat, but this kind of salty was when your mouth gets sore from eating.  I have only encountered this once before and that was the day that I decided to skip lunch and only consume sunflower seeds on the beach instead.

We started off with State Fair Cheese Curds.  D and I had attended the State Fair when we were first dating which was so long ago that Kenny Loggins was the headliner that evening.  Our remembered supper of cheese curds has stayed with us until this time and we longed to try them again.  The inside was hot and creamy and the coating crispy and crunchy (just way too salty).

As soon as I saw that they had Walleye on the menu, I did not have to take any more time to decide.  Walleye (Canadians call it pickerel) is my favourite fish, bar none.  When tossed into a mixture of Parmesan coating, the flesh came out perfectly cooked (just a slightly bit too salty-ok, I’ll stop now). D opted for a Ham and Pear Crisp Sandwich.  We shared nibbles with each other and enjoyed the upbeat servers and the funky décor.

D photo bombing my picture.

Before the concert the next evening, we found a spot a bit closer to the venue at First Avenue.  The Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurant was just our cuppa tea.  We started this evening with a beer flight so that we could inch ourselves up the beer palette ladder to one day equate J1’s (who is currently studying for his brew masters credentials).

The fish tacos were recommended from the appetizer menu by our server.

It was happy hour and all appetizers were on special, so we just had to oblige and also ordered an oey goey cheesy shrimp dish, that we dunk lovely baguette pieces into.

Unfortunately by this time, I was done in with food consumption.  I ordered a salad for dinner but my valiant husband managed to force (for the purpose of research, doncha know) the meatloaf extravaganza!

So much fun in such a short space of time.  Thank heavens the Twin Cities are just seven hours away.  A quick couple of days getaway, is always such a lovely break.

Kath’s quote: “Don’t smoke too much, drink too much, eat too much or work too much. We’re all on the road to the grave — but there’s no need to be in the passing lane.”-Robert Orben

Love-that is all.

Do you know the difference between gelati and gelato? In Winnipeg most of the little shops that serve Italian ice cream have gelati in their names and then many years ago, Eva’s Gelato opened almost at the corner of our street.  The owners, as opposed to having of an Italian heritage were from Argentina and so I concluded that gelato was a Spanish version of gelati.  Perhaps I was even guilty of having perpetrated that Winnipeg rumour. In those days, Eva’s was a a narrow little store front with not much room for more than the freezer and a hard-working employee.  The frozen treat was scooped from a big white plastic pail into a weeny brightly coloured bowl with a “Barbie-doll” sized spoon.  My eyes were always pulled to those translucent bowls but I was a sugar-cone fan from a way back and so even though my eyes wanted one thing, my tummy desired another.

Now, of course I know that gelati is simply the plural version of gelato, or maybe it is the other way around.

I have had my fair share of gelato experiences in between our original taste of Eva’s and the “new” Eva’s sensation.  While D and I traveled along the west coast of Italy from Sicily to the Italian and French Riveria, gelato fixes were the primary motivation for an evening walk after long train rides or a day of hiking.

We have our favourite spots too on Isla Mujeres where coconut gelato is my fav and D’s is pistachio.

Eva in the mean time had also been busy, moving east on Corydon into expansive new digs.  The quality of her product did not diminish with the move.  Nor did its popularity.  By then Eva’s was available at other retailers in carton form.  I even enjoyed it recently at the inaugural Bomber game at Investors Group Field.

We decided long ago that Eva’s made and served our favourite gelato but I needed a recent photo of their new locale.  So I sent J2 (aka Daughter #3).  Many of you know that she is days away from giving birth to our first grandbaby and when I asked for the favour, she was quick to oblige.  What is it about pregnant women and ice cream?

When I was expecting my first baby 28 years ago, it was the summer that Dairy Queen came out with Blizzards.  D and I would often walk in the evening with DQ as our destination.  J2 has gained just the right amount of weight and even though our grandbaby is sticking way out in front, from the back, you wouldn’t even know that she was pregnant.  I on the other hand, gained some 70 pounds when I was pregnant the first time around, and I can definitely equate that weight gain to the Blizzards.  During my third pregnancy when I craved ice chips and celery, my weight gain was 22 pounds.

Kath’s quote: “Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn’t illegal.”-Voltaire

Love-that is all.

One of our 86 year old Mom’s favourite restaurants is Dessert Sinsations Cafe.  Her criteria for a great restaurant is surprisingly different from yours and mine. She likes that Rich, the owner is an old friend of mine and that he comes over to our table to be reacquainted. This makes her feel very special.  She enjoys that even though the restaurant is located right in the heart of downtown Winnipeg, there is plenty of free parking and easy access into the cafe with no steps or ramps.  Mom appreciates that the tables are nicely spaced out so that she can maneuver around with ease and that there is a spacious wheelchair accessible washroom that is not down a complicated route of hallways.

You may be wondering, does she enjoy the food?  Mom is a fabulous cook in her own right and religiously watches the Food Network with Jamie Oliver being her favourite Chef.  But her tastes have really simplified as she has grown older, eating small portions of a few of her favourite things for example she loves chips and gravy.  Years previously, when we use to rent a neighbour’s cabin at Grand Beach, Mom found a hamburger stand called Jo-Anne’s which prepared a rich mushroom gravy to have with fries.  Jo-Anne’s is long gone now but that summer, we found any old excuse to have her savoury gravy and fries as our dinner.

Her tastes have broadened to the extent that she does enjoy sweet potato fries and this is what she had her heart set on when we assembled for a girl’s supper out recently.  She was not shy about telling Rich’s daughter who was our server, that she really likes gravy and to make sure that the portion was a hefty one.  Our server smiled and indicated that she would do her very best.  Mom was sheepish when she couldn’t get anywhere near finishing her mound of fries or the gravy that she frequently dipped into.

The 3 Sisters had salads, as well as Daughter #1 who was invited to join in on this day.  The Quinoa with Chicken, Thai Steak and Taco Salads were all abundant, delicious and cleverly prepared.

Mom also appreciated that we could leave our cars in their parking lot, while we headed next door to view the 100 Masters exhibit at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.  By the time we returned to our cars, the place was humming even though it was pleasantly unbusy when we enjoyed our early supper.

Kath’s quote: “I come from a home where gravy is a beverage.”-Erma Bombeck

Love-that is all.

Is it hard for you to pull off something different and unique for a loved ones’ birthday?  In a family of culinary and wine fanatics, this sometimes is problematic for us.  I typically let the person celebrating decide whether they want me to cook for them, order in or dine-out.  Recently though for Daughter #1’s birthday, we had the perfect solution.

Nine of us assembled in the private dining room at the Winehouse at #110 – 1600 Columbia Drive (Kenaston Commons) where we were the first guests of Susan Kapilik

and Patty Black who are hosting private wine pairing dinners called Savoir Faire.  The goal of these special evenings is to take the intimidation out of cooking and wine pairing, using an interactive, relaxed and fun approach.

Both hosts are an expert source of culinary and wine knowledge offering practical instruction without using all those fancy terms that you then have to use your smart phone to look up.  J1 knows a great deal about wine and was the most enthusiastic participant at the table-hanging on Patty’s every word and jumping up to assist Sue in the kitchen and absorb her skills and knowledge.  I know less about both than the hosts, but I felt invited just to sit back, relax and have a fun time surrounded by my family.

Our beautifully selected menu included Chili-rubbed Shrimp on an Avocado Corn Salsa appetizer

and Peach, Prosciutto & Mozzarella Salad paired with Zeta Cava Brut Sparkling from Spain.  We detected grapefruit and apple notes in the aperitif which went beautifully with the seafood and salad.

J1 assisted in the preparation of the salsa and Daughter #2 with the plating and serving of the amazing dish.   The uncooked corn and creamy avocado were the perfect ways to offset the subtle fire from the shrimp.  The latter were huge, meaty and still crunched on the tooth.  The salad-oh the salad!… Imagine every taste you crave in one bowl and on each forkful- sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and umami!  I am officially addicted to this salad.

Daughter #1 helped piped the Duchess Potatoes that were served alongside the Chicken with Port and Mushroom Sauce.  Everything was perfectly cooked, right before our eyes.  The tastes were magnificent especially when enhanced by the Clayhouse Adobe Red and Cameron Hughes Chardonnay.

What turned out to be the biggest surprize for me, was that my favourite new wine of the evening would be the dessert wine.  I enjoy Concha Y  Toro Chilean Merlots frequently, but never thought to expand my horizons with their Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc.  I drank more than my own tasting glass and loved the honey tones with the Apple Galette and Salted Caramel Sauce that concluded our dinner.  Dessert was such a hit that three family members had seconds (I rarely serve dessert-perhaps this too, was motivation).

I can’t say enough about the pairings, that we all agreed, were thoughtfully selected.  The dinner itself was perfection and so very satisfying.  Not only did we gain an abundance of culinary tips and knowledge but in helping with the various courses, we knew the satisfaction that a well-prepared food offering can bring.  Best of all, we enjoyed an “as comfortable as home” dining experience without having to partake in the dishes and clean up (worth very single penny, in my mind).

Patty from the Winehouse is a joy and so knowledgeable about her product.  Best of all, she shares her insights about wine in such an accessible manner-not with the arrogance that you might sometimes detect from a sommelier.  Patty teams up so well with Susan who is a professional cook that received her training at Red River College.   Her years in hospitality certainly shine through her skills in the kitchen and her easy, engaging manner.  But I knew this would be so, because Susan is Sister #3-my very own baby sista!

Suze (to me) specializes in Group and Individual Cooking classes in a variety of themes and techniques.  When teamed up with Patty wine pairing dinners are also offered.  The next time you are planning a corporate or charitable event and want to offer up something unique or want to assemble your family for a special celebration, contact Susan at 204-452-2212 suekapilik@mts.net.  Our dinner that evening cost $75. per person and private appetizer parties start at $65. per person.

Kath’s quote:  “Cooking is an art and patience a virtue… Careful shopping, fresh ingredients and an unhurried approach are nearly all you need. There is one more thing – love. Love for food and love for those you invite to your table. With a combination of these things you can be an artist – not perhaps in the representational style of a Dutch master, but rather more like Gauguin, the naïve, or Van Gogh, the impressionist. Plates or pictures of sunshine taste of happiness and love.”-Keith Floyd

Love-that is all.