gulfporter

I never have. I tuck a kitchen towel in my waistband.

WOW!!!

There is nary a city, town or village Plaza in Central Mexico that is not lined with Indian Laurel trees. And all are trimmed in this fashion. Should I snag a few leaves to dry when I walk through my Ajijic Plaza???

This recipe. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025277-gochujang-shrimp-pasta My tweaks were to grill the shrimp then add to reheat, and I used pappardelle noodles.

Hot Italian sausage patties. Topped with grilled onions, red bell peppers and poblanos.

I made ersatz pulled pork sandwiches today from leftover chamorro (pork shank in a guajillo sauce). I pretty much turn ANY leftover cooked pork into "pulled pork" sandwiches. As I was assembling them, I remembered a friend who came to lunch decades ago and said (in mock horror), "You put cole slaw IN the sandwich?!?" It reminded me of my first trip to Virginia to visit a college boyfriend (now mi esposo of 53 years). He took me to Three Pigs BBQ. I had never been to a bbq joint before (grew up in NE Pennsylvania). He order two pulled pork sandwiches and coleslaw. When they brought the food, I said, "Jeez, they put the cole slaw ON my sandwich!" What a greenhorn I was! When I started working in 1973 there was a snack bar in my government building. In addition to bbq pork with slaw, they served a decent meatball sandwich and it also came with cole slaw on it. I never really got jiggy with that.

Grilled shrimp over veggie medallions (from frozen package) over creamed baby spinach (homemade).

Another dinner, another plate of grilled sausage and white beans (alubias). This is lamb sausage; I mixed a bit of jarred chimichurri into the beans to marinate. I grilled some lemon wedges to wake up the beans at serving time.

Chicken, apple, cranberry, pecan salad over baby spinach. Dressing was mayo with chipotle, thinned with the 'juice' from the water in which I rehydrated the dried cranberries.

Blackened grilled salmon over Spanish white beans (alubias). Beans marinated with fresh rosemary, olive oil and a whiff of balsamic. Dusted with pimentón.

Chicken and Cauliflower in a Pumpkin Coconut Curry.

Ceniza = Ash Found this on AMZN MX https://www.amazon.com.mx/Karai-Mx-Chile-Habanero-ceniza/dp/B0DC8YXJXJ/ref=sr_1_9?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jnVlt_alJfm_gMugIIrzGi5C0ydRmV3tahytUwCSbKI7Vjaw1T_zVOc8C5gAAaljmgwTlYXR-54TBCqNfA1vWzNTC1aRPa0fJBWSppurypda6mlISEQMWuIqkv2Ak9w3kPYFhmJpZobov3leHkoB9Fbpzg1hSXiQAzW6zsLI39vCyqfDIlf0IXLvhy7sCtyHiCoVnh8iTKVehYdJWBcDfDRHUogmAA5pOY2wjozpYMGJHD6OdiHa_puwXCgI_tNAGOAedDlvQG82BnHMVu3TC_rmfzvuRjlYvZmRPtyTeMfWeWiO1ngBtcrkS_oMAbS0FKMyaEl1IIrFa6DbJ8CAqAJiwE_aBQBvEod9HlrLsXq910GFjmzkhoXfxAQ3vdQd0i4xpXivCxcn2A14cVtoV5HbpHqr7qTYuQsEI0zzoJDWb0REjGQmLWs8c670_P0p.Itp8F0M2oiijBedVIngdpCL0qMfSvzIUIgC1Q2-u77s&dib_tag=se&keywords=chile+habanero&qid=1736687063&sr=8-9&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.de93fa6a-174c-4df7-be7c-5bc8e9c5a71b

Tortas Ahogadas (drowned sandwich) is THE dish of Guadalajara and nearby communities including ours. There are at least 7 torta stands within a 20 minute walk of my home. A few make them with shrimp during Cuaresma (Lent).

We live in a little village on the shores of Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake. We are less than an hour from the Guadalajara Metro area with a population of 6.5+ million. When we first visited here in 2007 Guadalajara did not have much of a restaurant scene; it now rivals CDMX for inventive eateries. At the Lake in 2007, there were a few gringo-owned places serving American foods, one or two decent Italian restaurants, a couple of Argentine steak places. but mostly it was local fare. Mexico's middle class has exploded in the past 15 years. And similar to the US in the 1970s and 1980s, they have disposable incomes that allow them to sample different foods in restaurants; this demand has caused an explosion of a variety of international eateries, both in Guadalajara and here at the Lake. Tapatíos (as residents of Guadalajara proudly call themselves) have always come to the Lake on weekends; some day trippers, some upper class families that have owned homes on its shores for generations. Without their business, most of the better restaurants here would not survive. More and more properties in my village (Ajijic) are being sold to Mexicans, reversing the decades long trend of sales to expats from US and Canada.

Chile ash cream sauce is divine! They mix the charred remains of toasted chiles into the sauce. I could (and do) drink down the last drops! Here is menu we ordered from; it's a special the chef makes about once a month.