gulfporter

@Nancy in Pátzcuaro The Chapala gobierno started a recycling program in 2014...like your experience it was just separate bags hanging off the garbage truck. A new administration in 2018 spent a lot of money on handouts and meetings, asking residents to use 3 different colored bags for varying recyclables collected different days of the week. It was too expensive and confusing to the average resident. Never got off the ground. In 2019 in our village a few gringos started a private recycling program. They provided corner recycling bins and it caught on pretty fast with expats and locals. Enter the pandemic, and it was halted. It started up again about 4 months ago but the truck that picks them up is hit or miss, but we have high hopes. They have a 'recycling center' for sorting items. In addition to volunteers, expats are encouraged to ask their gardeners to go a few hours a week, and pay them their hourly wage for time spent there. I asked my jardinero if he was interested and José looked at me as if I asked him to leave his family and go fight the war in Ukraine. Dealing with trash is not glamorous in any country.

In Alicante, Spain. I have mastered boning charred/grilled sardines.

Our first morning in Alicante Spain, at their Mercado Centro. Much larger than I expected. Separate floors for meats, seafood, produce, flowers. We bought unlabeled vinos from casks; giant white beans to take home; coffee for our apartment rental and a bunch of super fancy desserts.

Blackened grilled salmon; green bean salad with cranberries and toasted pecans; cherry chipotle sauce.

Seared sesame crusted tuna. Avocado. Pickled red onions and wasabi mayo.

Gracias! Our VRBO hosts recommended Lienzo https://www.restaurantelienzo.com/ for my 70th birthday on the 27th. Will look into Salita as well. Mi esposo's BD is the 26th. It's a weeklong celebration for us 🍷💣🥂

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/153876-gardening-2016–/?do=findComment&comment=2359359 This is a 3 1/2 week update to my post above. The plant is starting to bloom from the bottom up. My gardener says that in Veracruz (where he is from) they call it an elefante (je je). He does not think it will die after the bloom. Vamos a ver.

Agree with Bayless and Kennedy. Kennedy more traditional; Bayless will sometimes update recipes a bit. Equally good.

@Duvel One of the best love stories I have ever read.

I hate baking. Saw this on Cooks Country the other night and decided to try it. Blueberry Biscuits. Came out fine. I will not bake again for at least 3 months. https://wskg.org/cooks-country-blueberry-biscuits-ep-1505/

Easy lazy Shrimp over (instant) Grits.

Hot-smoked salmon, goat cheese, sautéed onions/peppers/poblano with squirts of chipotle sauce. Pictured pre-fold and grilling. We are lucky to have a Canadian here who smokes salmon for sale. Really intense smokiness with a touch of sweetness.

I make these 2 simple ones regularly for cold plates. Chipotle--Chipotle, mayo and top with cilantro leaves and picked red onions. Mediterranean--Dijon, capers, and as little mayo as possible to bind. Top with halved Kalamata olive.

Grilled pork tenderloin with fresh corn and black bean salad. Served with cherry-chipotle jam.

Tuna here, too. Tuna poké.

It's our 1 year delayed 50th Anniversary trip. We have made reservations for that night in Alicante at https://stekirestaurante.es/ which will be our 1st ever Michelin starred eatery. We prefer tapas and small bites to heavy meals. Any all suggestions in either city appreciated!

The crispy bits sorta did. But wouldn't most 'shrooms fried till crisp get that way?? Next time I have portobellos I will fry pieces until crisp and see.

@Paul Bacino Beautiful cook on that halibut. When we lived in AZ we got halibut from AK snowbirds....I found it difficult to cook without drying it out.

Sautéed pink oyster mushrooms over pasta. Too bad they lose their pink color when cooked.

Did a quick sauté with a shallot and garlic. I had read that if cooked till crisp they taste like bacon. Decided not to do that with all of them, but the smaller bits in the pan did crisp up and were a nice contrast to the softer ones. They were tasty and as with most mushrooms, a good meat substitute. I tried them raw and they were awful--many sites said bitter, and I agree!

Saw these at local market not known for many culinary prizes...wasn't sure if they were a delicacy or a mushroom-gone-bad. Señor Google says they are pink oyster 'shrooms. Some sites say they taste bacon when cooked. Vamos a ver.

Been in this house for 5+ years and this is first bloom (and sadly likely the last) of this agave. Impressive! It's bloom is 6 feet tall. Not sure how it will progress. It threw the bloom literally overnight!

The brand is Granoro made in Bari, Italy. We liked it a lot, soft and creamy.

Gnocchi (store-bought Italian import) with grilled asparagus and a good quality Black Forest deli ham. Mostly olive oil and pasta water for sauce, two pats of butter to finish. Ton of fresh ground pepper.

I bought aged rum to make my backyard bananas into Bananas Foster.