La Fiesta Cafecito is owned by Jose and Sonia Valdez who are from El Salvador.  Since Daughter #2 travelled to El Salvador to do humanitarian work a couple of years ago, we were happy to learn more about their regional cooking.  Pupusas are at the top of the list of their signature platters so we knew that would be one of our selections.  But because we love to try little tastes of lots of things we decided to order a combination platter that included two Pupusas, one chicken burrito and one beef enchilada.  The meal started with a chicken tortilla soup which satisfied my craving for a comfort food because I was nursing a cold. 

We are accustomed to this recipe with lime, chiles and cilantro but this was a savoury alternative.  We detected a sprinkling of Tajin Classico in the bottom of our bowl which is one of our regular purchases on trips to Mexico. 

We were quite sure that Jose indicated that we were getting one Queso Pupusa and One Chicarrones y Queso (pork and cheese) Pupusa but when we forked into the non-Queso one, it was definitely filled with Frijoles (beans).  I preferred the Queso one and my bean-loving (and deprived) husband preferred the Frijoles.  The chicken burrito was stuffed with a savoury mixture of onion, rice and chicken.  The beef enchilada though was unusual with a ladle of a “beef bolognaise style” sauce on top of a flaky pastry shell style base.  On top of this sat a wedge of hard boiled egg!  When in Rome….  Daughter #2 returns from South Africa in the next couple of weeks and we plan to return to La Fiesta to recreate her El Salvadorian adventure.

Kath’s Quote: “This recipe is certainly silly. It says to separate the eggs, but it doesn’t say how far to separate them.”-Gracie Allen

Sister # 3: “While the traditional regional cuisine on Isla Mujeres is amazing, there is also a huge variety of fare available because people from around the world have discovered this little Island and now call it home.

March 2010

Olivia’s Israeli owner/operators offer a nice variety of good Mediterranean food including moussaka and kebab.” 

Added by Kathryne: We were so excited to try Olivia’s in March 2008, that we accepted a table right in front of the restaurant’s open kitchen.  The result was that we were engulfed by the smoke from the open fire.  This did not dampen our appreciation of their well made mojitos or carefully prepared food.  We tried their spanakopita, moussaka and Moroccan fish on couscous.

Moroccan Fish

In February 2009 we were fortunate to make a reservation for the best table in the house.  There is a beautiful, large square table at the rear of the restaurant which is under a thatched canopy where enjoyed another  lovely dinner .

Sisters 1-3 Under the Palapa

On my next visit, I intend to try their Shawarma.  This was one of my favourite meals when I travelled to Israel a decade ago.  I still recall the glistening juices as the meat portion was shaved off of the rotating spit.  We had stopped at a roadside diner outside of Jerusalem.  Their version was served with crunchy veggies and a variety of sauces-the memory of the taste is still very vivid.

Kath’s Quote: “Don’t take a butcher’s advice on how to cook meat.   If he knew, he’d be a chef.” -Andy Rooney

Last evening on my husband’s favourite food show-Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives was the demonstration and recipe for Arancinis.  The literal tanslation from Italian is “little orange” as that is what they resemble in appearance.  These delectable food balls are said to have originated in Sicily in the 10th century (if its not broke-don’t fix it). The version we saw demonstrated last night, was from Di Pasquale’s in Baltimore (you can find the recipe on this link to their site) and were stuffed with cheese, ragu and meat along with the mandatory peas.  Of the two versions we tasted-one was filled with a ragu meat sauce and the other with ham and mozarella. 

We were in Calatafimi, Sicily the morning we purchased them for a later meal.  They would make the perfect “to go” lunch, but I understand that they are commonly eaten as a snack.  We enjoyed them later in the day with a a taditional Sicilan soup of Pasta Fagioli.

In Calatafimi the roads are steep and the view of the surrounding mountains, exquisite.  We climbed to the highest point near the main church and found the ruins of another ancient church. 

If Jesus had not been born in Bethlehem, I think that it would have been here

We had gone to the village not far from where we were staying in Castellammare del Golfo, to “market” shop.  The outdoor market travels the area so that if you miss market day in one village, you can catch up to it in another. 

By happy accident, on the way out of town,  we came upon the Guido Brothers who ran the community grape press and the mule who actually still “motorizes” the job.

If you are ever considering a visit to Italy-go to Sicily:  full of ancient history, fascinating modern history, beautiful vistas and hard-working people who love their land and celebrate living with food. 

Kath’s quote: “The trouble with eating Italian food is that 5 or 6 days later you’re hungry again.”-George Miller

The Don is a little place at the base of an apartment block at 120 Donald St. near Broadway Ave.  There are extra tables by the grocery store as well.  It would be ideal if you worked in the area.  Daughter #1 and I had breakfast there on a recent Sunday and the place was filled with regulars.

They serve Farmer’s Sausage in a variety of ways.  I had mine with eggs and hash browns. You could request the hand cut hasbrowns with onion and to be crispy-cooked (the mark of a fine breakfast establishment in my opinion).  Farmer’s Sausage is a local treat.  It is also called Mennonite Sausage because of its origins.  If you have never tasted a barbequed Farmer Sausage Burger you absolutely must.  I understand that the sausages (or patties) are made from smoked pork.  They contain little or no fat and stay together obediently on a grill.

Sister #2 has been making this super easy Farmer Sausage dip for years.  It is great to have when watching a football game or on the deck at the lake with ice cold beer.  Don’t be scared off by the processed ingredients-once isn’t going to hurt you (and in this case it is worth it!)

Place 8 oz. of Velveeta cheese, 1 can or cream of mushroom soup, 1 c of salsa, 1 Farmer’s Sausage that has been browned and crumbled and 1 can of pork and beans into a crock pot and heat on high heat until melted through, then keep on low heat all afternoon.  Serve with a sturdy taco chip.

If you are interested in more ways to cook with Farmer’s Sausage check out “Mennonite Girls Can Cook”.  I discovered this site when I was looking for a Blueberry Platz recipe.  I always wondered if the title is meant to be a declaration or a surprise.

Daughter #1 had a veggie burger which was made from scratch and had a cottage cheese base.  I MUST find out what else is in the patty because I love cottage cheese and the texture combination of creamy and crunchy.

Kath’s quote: “A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future.” ~Author Unknown

This entry was made by a dear GF who celebrated her first wedding anniversary with dinner at this St. Boniface restaurant.  Chef Randy sent her the details of the menu that night which I have included below.  She selected the corresponding pics as she did wish to diminish the specialness of the evening with photo taking.

“The whole evening was AMAZING and the atmosphere was casual yet romantic. The staff were incredible making you feel more like family rather than customers. Definitely would recommend this restaurant to anyone wanting a nice evening out with amazing food and company! ”