Around this time every summer, BOOM, an explosion of tomatoes! My plants are slow to produce, (with the exception of my cherry tomato plant that currently has about 20 green tomatoes hanging from its tiny branches), but my more green- thumbed friends are gifting me with bushels of tomatoes. At the moment I have three romas, two hearty beefsteaks, and a 2 quart basket of heirlooms that are bigger than cherry but not quite the size of romas. 

Growing up, I was never a huge tomato fan. I would occasionally have a slice on a burger, or on toast with some bacon and melted cheddar, but those were rare occurrences. My mom was a big tomato lover. While my Mom was living in care she would often pass up the PCH meal in lieu of a toasted tomato sandwich. Well, since my Mom has passed I have acquired an uncontrollable desire for tomatoes! Like her, I love a toasted tomato sandwich with mayo and salt and pepper. I pretty much have one a day, all summer.

That’s the thing about tomatoes, they need to be fresh from the garden to show off their true flavour. Unfortunately, here in Manitoba we have to tolerate hot house tomatoes for much of the year as we have a very short growing season.  

One of the many reasons I take off to Mexico every winter is pico de gallo. I can’t get enough of it!

Here is my recipe:

Pico de Gallo

3 tbsp finely chopped white onion

3 large ripe tomatoes (seeded and chopped)
1/2 small Jalapeno pepper (finely chopped)
2 tbsp minced cilantro
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

salt & pepper to taste or Tajin which I buy in Mexico

Last summer, I discovered the perfect way to turn my tomatoes into a yummy appetizer for happy hour. I rolled out and baked a sheet of puff pastry, being sure to pierce it with a fork, (except around the very edges) so it does puff too much. Once cool, I spread cream cheese to which I had added some chopped fresh herbs. Next came the tomatoes. The bigger the variety, the better. Top it off with salt and pepper and voila, the perfect summer appy. 

Last fall my sisters and I had the pleasure of visiting Malaga Spain. The October tomatoes were sweet and juicy. We were staying in an Airbnb and didn’t have a lot of groceries, but we had some staples. So I decided to make “Pan con Tomate” which translates to bread with tomato. It’s a traditional dish that Spaniards eat for breakfast. I brushed sliced baguettes with good olive oil and toasted them in a pan. I used a box grater to break down the tomatoes, skin, seeds, and all. Next, I drained off some of the excess liquid, then adding some more olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. To eat it, you cut a clove of garlic and rub it on the crostini, then top with a healthy spoonful of tomato. Wow, que rico!  

So the moral of the story is, when life gives you good tomatoes, eat them!  Just keep it simple and enjoy these red orbs of sweet juicy perfection. 

Kath’s quote: “A world without tomatoes, is like a string quartet without the violins.”-Laurie Colwin

Love never fails.

Let me take this opportunity to introduce myself to any of you who may not know me.  I go by “Sister #3” on this blog, which belongs to my eldest sister Kathryne, who you are more likely to know. A while back I was at our family cottage making my mom’s blueberry pie with some wild berries two of my nieces picked for me in the Belair forest.  An activity my mom and I did often when we were both still nimble enough to walk great distances in the heat in order to squat in the forest and collect these precious purple gems.

Although I pretty much have the recipe memorized I had brought a copy of it from a cookbook I had started writing many years ago, just in case I had a particularly brain foggy day.  Under the recipe was a little story that related to the pie.  My sister Kath noticed the paper and suggested I consider publishing some of mine, and our family’s favorite recipes to Food Musings.  

While I had almost completed the above mentioned cookbook, I had found it far to cost prohibitive to print.  Perhaps I’ll tidy it up one day and save a PDF to share with my immediate family members.  But in the meanwhile this is a way for me to share some stories and recipes with them, and any of you who might find them interesting.  

I hope you enjoy the posts and please drop us a line if you have any questions about a recipe.  While they are all tried and true, I don’t profess to be the best recipe creator. More than anything I hope you are inspired to try a new recipe, or pull out some of your family favourites.   

Mom’s Wild Blueberry Pie

3 cups fresh blueberries                       

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tbsp flour                                          

dash of lemon juice  

Pinch of salt

Pie crust made using the recipe on the side of the Tenderflake box. 

Pre-heat oven to 425ºF. Mix together sugar, flour and salt, toss blueberries in mixture. Place in pie crust, drizzle with lemon juice. Cover with pie crust top. Cut slits in the top crust with a knife so that steam can escape while baking.  Bake for 10 minutes at 425º, turn oven down to 350º and cook for another 40 minutes. Let the pie sit for a while before serving. 

WAS YOURS A CAKE FAMILY OR A PIE FAMILY?

It seems like an odd question, but I often ask my friends this.  I don’t think that there is a big difference between a family who ate cake and a family who ate pie.  All I know is that most families were either one or the other. We were definitely a pie family.  We didn’t eat dessert after every dinner, but likely once a week we would have something sweet.  My mom had a talent for finding a sweet treat, even when there was nothing in the house. She and I would often spend an afternoon listening to a record, whether it was Walt Disney’s Dumbo or Mario Lanza’s  we would eat a small dish of peanut butter and maple syrup. Sounds crazy but you should try it sometime!  Mom has passed but I still remember her deep frying donuts at Grand Beach, making Chocolate Puffed Wheat square and delicious cinnamon buns but I don’t recall her ever baking a cake. Pastry on the other hand was my Mothers forte. She made every kind of pie, Rhubarb, Apple, Blueberry, Saskatoon, Lemon, Chocolate, Yummo!  I don’t make very many pies myself, but whenever I do I think of my Mom.  

Kath’s quote:

“Our hobbies include eating pie and thinking about the next time we‘ll be eating pie.

Love never fails.

As I mentioned, I hadn’t slept well that first night so on this morning, I got up, took a glance of the sky just before sunrise, and went back to bed.

The pool and area surrounding the pool was quite lovely. With turquoise every where, I knew we had come to the right place.

The view from the pool was perfection.

By the end of our stay, we got to know many of our neighbours really well and are keeping in touch now that we are all home. But that first day. we whispered to each other because one couple didn’t speak at all and the other pairs, just amongst themselves. We wondered that day, if this would always be the case.

We enjoyed our sunset and then walked down the street to Pizza Mikes. Since we had not seen our friends IRL for a number of months, the day was filled in with a shop at Chedraui and catching up on each others lives.

This pic was another of my favs from the trip. Being a lover of everything Italian and especially Italian food, it is a glimpse of what heaven looks like to me.

Speaking of heaven, Mike’s garlic knots were divine!

We love mussels and order them often when dining. Mike’s were supposedly from Chile so we definitely had to check them out. Steamed in white wine and more garlic, they were sensational! I could see walking to Mike’s for another bucket in our future. The mussel meat was plump and juicy and the spinach and parmesan the perfect garnishes. We were off to a great start.

We read on the menu that Mike’s stuffed crust pizza was award winning, so trying one was a must.

The pie was absolutely amazing. Stuffed with so many good tastes, it was surprisingly light and crispy! Having never experienced Mike’s except for his pizza delivery, we were absolutely smitten with his offerings.

A stroll home, took the edge of our consumption before heading to our books and sleep. We were grateful anew for our good friends and the great blessings of being together again.

Kath’s quote: “I want to live in a world where the need for pizza belittles that of war.” – Jason Barnett

Love never fails.

My last sunrise from the Malecon in Centro. It was moving day!

I had intentionally been secretive about where we were staying while we were still on the island. That was because, Punta Piedra is so popular and we hadn’t received confirmation that we could return to the property in 2024. Sorry, not sorry. The 2 bedroom second floor unit was so perfect for D and I, and our best friends from Toronto that were arriving that evening, we didn’t want to take any chances about not securing it for the 2024 season.

The primary bedroom had a fold out couch, to sleep an extra person or have some privacy while reading or scrolling your phone.

There was a King Sized bed in the primary bedroom with a walk in closet and en suite. We wanted our friends to enjoy the space.

We brought our hammock from home and it stayed almost permanently in this location. When the sun was high, it was a lovely place to catch the shade.

There was basic wooden furniture that was reasonably comfortable. The view from here was so mesmerizing that we really think about our butts.

Looking in from the balcony, there were two loveseats in the living room.

We ate many breakfasts and a couple of restaurant delivery meals in the dining area.

From the living room to the balcony.

Our room was spacious too with lots of storage in the hutch. It was right next door to the second bathroom. The first night we left our window wide open but I couldn’t sleep because of the crashing of the waves. The next evening, we left it open an inch or so and I slept like a baby.

In the kitchen was a hotplate corner to cook omelets, a microwave, coffee maker and fridge. The toaster needed replacing but that was our only suggestion. The fridge was full sized and that was a good thing as we kept it well stocked. In my mind it was made perfect with the window over the sink to catch a breeze when we did the dishes.

D cracking his first beer and enjoying the hammock.

Around the corner from the main balcony was a whole other stretch of space which caught the sun, all day long as well as being the perfect spot for sunsets.

The view from our bedroom window.

We put out a snack and waited for our friends. My BIL M was in Centro with his golf cart, so he agreed to meet and deliver them, which meant no one had to pay for cab rides. They were a long time in coming due to the busyness of the airport and being met by the shuttle. A fellow passenger barfed in the via en route. Needless to say they didn’t use CARM, which is our favourite transfer company.

The extra time meant that D and I could kind of decompress from our stay in Centro. It was like being on a totally different island at our new digs.

We caught the changing colour of the sky and knew that sunset was imminent.

While looking west across the island, we would sometimes see what appeared to be a moving telephone pole-it was the mast of yacht on the other side of the island!

Over the course of the next 2 weeks, there were many glasses of wine enjoyed while watching the setting sun.

And then the little crescent of the moon came out.

Once our friends arrived, they dropped their luggage and we walked to Green Verde for a late supper. There are pics and descriptions of the evening in the link.

As the last half of our vacation began, we were blessed anew by the pleasures of Punta Piedra.

Kath’s quote: There are some people you meet where it’s never awkward, no matter how much time has passed. The friendship is so deep that time makes no difference. –Authour unknown

Love never fails.

Another sunrise when I couldn’t pick my favourite photo. I loved this one because when the sun peeked from behind a solid line of cloud it made a reflection in a solid line.

I always love to capture what my kids (when they were little) called God clouds.

Speaking of God and miracles (see how I just snuck that in there?) This was a grand niece we had never met. We were in love instantaneously! The miracle of her conception had taken place via a fertility clinic in Cancun although a second miracle occurred, when she was born early in Canada. Her parents and grandparents (D’s oldest Brother’s family) were holidaying in Cancun but wanted to come and check out Isla, fascinated by what we loved about the island.

After waiting for them at them at the ferry dock, they texted us to say that they had just disembarked. How could that be, since we were at the gate? Turns out they took the car ferry over!

By the time we fetched them it was nearly lunch. Where would we take them for an authentic taste of the island? We headed to Alexa & Giovani’s Loncheria. They were very impressed. In fact, we were all blown away by the food quality, presentation and affordable prices!

Sorry about the pink tinge. All of my pics from the Loncheria turned out this way. This was the gorgeous shrimp ceviche,

the coconut shrimp

and the shrimp tostadas ordered by the female side of the table.

Porkchops,

and fajitas were selected by the males. All were proficiently prepared and delicious!

From there we headed to Hortencia’s to introduce family to family. By this time it was time to cool off for a swim. The water was the perfect temperature and we enjoyed dipping in and out, sometimes with the baby in tow.

After a brief visit at our apartment to change out of suits, we headed to El Patio for Happy Hour. The drinks were flowing along with some great snacks of

more coconut shrimp,

calamari

and nachos.

We were having a grand old time. This was caught of me, loving the generous wine pours at Happy Hour.

But all good things have to end, including this wonderful visit. We walked them back to the car ferry, with the hope that they will join us on Isla in 2024. Just as we paused to enjoy this sunset, my side of the family pulled up in their golf cart. The guys got out and the girls hopped in and D and I joined them for a night cap at Lola Valentina where they were headed for dinner.

I didn’t get a chance for many pictures but I couldn’t pass on a shot of this gorgeous burger. Lola Valentina’s does a great many dishes, very well.

As I struggled to sleep that night (yes Carnival was still going strong), I couldn’t get the image of our beautiful niece out of my mind’s eye.

Kath’s quote: “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” — Margaret Thatcher

Love never fails.