Kayaking La Jolla Cove

What a beautiful day in sunny San Diego. Our time is coming to an end here, and one of the activities on our "to do" list was to go kayaking. I have been kayaking several times and really love it! What a great upper body workout, plus you get to enjoy being on the water! We gathered up a few friends and family and made it to La Jolla by 1pm. Apparently the early bird does get the worm [or kayak in this case] because we asked around at several rental shops and all had a wait of a couple hours. No importa. We sat outside at The Shores Restaurant happy as can be with our beers and bloody marys. (thanks again Tavo!)Our wait was not a nuisance in the least bit, but if you have a schedule to stick to, I would advise an earlier start time for the kayaks , or even calling ahead for a reservation. The prices can vary greatly we found, so it's worth it to walk around and get some price quotes. We were told by OEX Dive & Kayak that there was less wait on the double kayaks, and the price was good. $45 for 90 minutes. (we were quoted $38 for a single at another shop)

My first experience kayaking was in La Jolla about 9 years ago. What a difference 10 years can make. I remember being out on the water with no more than 5-10 other kayakers, but this is the scene if you go today.

People and groups and tours and more tours. Crow-ded! You have to use some major maneuvering skills to get where you want to go. Which is the cuevas or caves. Ernesto and I shared a kayak and had a great rhythm going.  Its about a 15 minute paddle from the beach to the most popular spot for kayakers and snorkelers. Here, in front of the caves, the leopard sharks swim, the seal and sea lions bake in the sun.  The water is so blue and is speckled by the bright orange California state fish, the Garibaldi.

A dive instructor told me that the fish must know they are protected because they swim right up to you.  No fear.  The seals and sea lions also seemed accustomed to the many people around them, not only in the water, but on the cliffs too.  You can get very close to them. 

People were snorkeling and swimming close to these huge mammals.  Ernesto was trying to go close to them too, and I had to counter paddle to get away! 

After we turned in our kayaks we drove to the cliff side and took these pics, unfortunately I don't have a waterproof camera, and I although we didn't tip over, I couldn't risk it with Nester. 
On these cliffs there is a dirt trail that winds in front of these million dollar homes overlooking the water. Oh. My. God.  There were huge ridiculous homes and then there was this.

I fell in love.  No don't let the front deceive you, it had a huge side courtyard with glass walls.  I'm sure there was a pool there and the glass doors were slid open to combine indoor-outdoor living.  Yes, I'll take it please!  We sat on the cliff in front of this house and pretended it was our front yard.

We were tempted to knock on the door and ask "Excuse me, rich ass, what do you do for a living?"

Introducing Viva la Cocina Blog!!

I have had this idea for months, and finally I would like to introduce you to my new blog:

Viva la Cocina

On Viva la Cocina, [translated: long live the kitchen] we will be documenting our cooking adventures, mostly Mexican style, of course! You will see a lot of changes with VLC in the near future as I am still working on the banner, sidebars and colors. I wanted to go ahead and put it out there because the recipes are ready to go! Please have a look. I would love to hear any feedback you may have!

Thanks everyone and I hope to see you around mi cocina!

Viva Cindy on Coco + Kelley

When I read that Cassandra from the awesome blog  Coco + Kelley was asking for "summer fun" posts from her readers for the month of August I threw together my own and she posted it today.  Thanks Cassandra! 

Take a look here to read it.

A Night Out with the Padres

Ernesto is a big sports fan.  Buckeyes, Chargers, Padres.  This is why I was surprised that we waited all this time to go to Petco Park to see a baseball game.   The fact that they suck this year must have something to do with it.  The good news is that on Friday night they pulled through for us.  It was a really exciting game.  They were trailing 7-2 and came back to win against the Brewers!  I  actually turn into a sports fan with the excitement of a live game!  Since I was driving (ahhh, that is why they let me come) I only had a few beers at the b-ball game. Beer and popcorn with baseball!  I  love summertime!

As you can see I ruined the "brothers night out" .  After the game the four of us (Tavo and Jorge) walked over to the restaurant [during the day] turn club [at night] where Pepe works in the Gaslamp District.  We spent the night dancing. 

Other weekend activities:

Did a little shopping at TjMaxx 

Worked in the garden

Writing furiously for new food blog (coming very soon)

Checked out the Home & Design Show at the San Diego Convention Center

Worked on sewing a tote bag-so cute (I will post pic)

Ate a fat juicy steak at Outback

What about you? Do anything exciting? 

Ernesto's Shrimp Ceviche

Peru is said to be the birthplace of ceviche. This statement will be disputed, I know. It seems every country in Latin Amercia has their own claim to fame & their own style. One thing is true: It was the birthplace for me. The first time I ever tasted ceviche was on a beach south of Lima, Peru about 10 years ago. I was visiting a friend and he ordered fish ceviche and it came with yucca fries and corn on the cobb. It was love at first taste! In Panama, they served it in little pastry shells, in Ecuador I ate it with corn nuts, in Costa Rica with fried plantains, and in Mexico with crackers or on tostadas. In my house we eat it with good 'ol tortilla chips.

Back in 2002, I wrote in to the Atlanta Journal Constitution about Ernesto's cooking for their Thursday food section. A few weeks later Ernesto was featured in the paper. Re-reading the interview really made me smile. A few things are outdated, but the ceviche recipe he chose to share the is still the best I have ever tasted. If you have ever tried it, you know what Im talking about. If you look at the original article you will see that they advised cooking the shrimp because they did not want to recommend uncooked shrimp to the public. I took that part out below and want to clarify that by NO MEANS should you cook the shrimp for this recipe. There was a great picture that the newspaper took of Ernesto in our tiny tiny kitchen, but unfortunately it's not posted online. So I added this one from a cookout a couple weeks ago.

I posted Ernesto's shrimp ceviche recipe about a month ago on my non-food blog Viva Cindy, and I was amazed at how many people were searching for one. Well, not amazed, I guess, I mean it is one of the best foods in the whole world! Of course people are searching how to make it. I am a bit biased, but this recipe below is my favorite. Please let me know what you think!

Ceviche is raw fish marinated in citrus juice. Though the fish is not technically cooked, the acid in the marinade turns the fish opaque and firms it up. Serve with tortilla chips or as topping for tostadas.

Ernesto's Shrimp Ceviche|

(Preparation time: 20 minutes of chopping , plus 1 hour to marinate)

1 pound large raw tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 roma tomatoes, diced

1 small white onion, chopped

3 serrano peppers, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon clamato juice

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

6 limes

Peel, devein and cut shrimp into 1/4-inch pieces. In a bowl, combine shrimp, tomatoes, onion, peppers, cilantro, Clamato juice and olive oil. Season with garlic salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze lime over combined ingredients and mix well in large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Drain excess lime juice before serving.

Dreaming of Mexico...My Lonely Planet Purchase

No plan in my life is ever carved in stone but it is still our intention to go to Mexico in mid-August and stay a couple of months.  We aren't sure where we are going and if we will be traveling or renting an apartment.  Either way, I couldn't wait any longer, I had to get my hands on the  Lonely Planet Mexico  guidebook.  This would help us, right?

WRONG!  Mexico is so big, beautiful, and so varied in food & traditions, how can we narrow it down?   I am a longtime fan of LP guides and I've been flipping through this book for a couple weeks, and the one thing I have decided is that we need more time in Mexico.  

Unfortunately there is a time limit.  We will be working on the Christmas Light Pros in October in Atlanta.   I tried to narrow down an itinerary of 10 places I'd like to see:  

1. Mexico City - Ernesto has never been there, and I definitely have more to see.  We have starwood hotel points, so this will be our starting point.  I also have an idea that we will eat only from markets/street food while we are there.  Don't you think that would be so cool?

There are a couple things nearby Mexico City that I want to check out while we are there too: 

* Teotihuacan - ancient ruins

* Taxco - old colonial silver mining town 

* Tepotzlan - a smallish city in a lush valley surrounded by mountains, one of which has a 700 year old Aztec pyramid built on it.  Also, Aileen (an aquaintance from my Habitat India Trip lives there with her husband and she has invited us to visit. 

2. San Miguel de Allende- beautiful colonial architecture and cobblestone streets make this artist town quaint and picturesque, but I have heard that the 10,000 foreigners living here makes it very commercialized.  This could be why it's said to have the best restaurants, art galleries and schools.  This maybe where Neto takes some cooking classes and I take a photography and/or jewelry class. 

5. Guanajuato- Once a rich silver and gold mining town, Guanajuato was a declared a Unesco World Heritage city in 1988.  Just from this picture I was hooked. The grand colonial buildings, tree-filled plazas and brightly colored houses build onto the steep slopes make this city so attractive to me. 

3. Zacatecas- I cut this picture out of a travel magazine (over 8 years ago) of the Quinta Real hotel in Zacatecas.  It is the country's oldest bullring and  it was reconstructed as a luxury hotel.  Must see.  

4. Durango- It seems to be a cool cowboy town with mountains and sand dunes,  but more importantly, Ernesto has family here.  I have met several people who live there and were visiting San Diego, so it should be great fun.  Also we are planning to do the 200 mile bike race from there to Mazatlan on the Pacific coast in mid- September.

6. Guadalajara- Another city where Ernesto has family, Guadalajara, I have read, is a cosmopolitan city, that has kept its colonial charm.  I can't wait to explore it! The shopping is going to be great with many markets, food and artisan.

I mapped it out for you here, and I think we will go counter-clockwise from Mexico City.  

The three T cities near Mexico City can all be day trips.  Then we will head north to San Miguel de Allende and continue the circle, flying home from Guadalajara.  I guess you can call this a "plan".  Besides Mexico City, I have never been to any of these cities, so I am really excited to explore new territory.  

Do you know any of these cities?  Please leave [in the comments] any suggestions you may have, I would love to hear them.  Viva Mexico! 

This post is shared with the Inspired Room and Hooked on Fridays!  I am Hooked on Mexico!

Listy-List -The Weekend Wrap-up

This weekend I:

- took a 45 mile bike ride

- ate fish tacos at Rubios

- made this p. chops recipe from Sunday Suppers 

- climbed Cowles Mountain

- met w/guy who's making new wedding ring

- spent hours landscaping the front yard 

- ate cow tongue tacos

- drank a beer at the Lamplighter

- drove to Tijuana for a paella cookout**

** pictures and a the paella recipe will be coming your way! This paella had been planned for a couple weeks, I even bought a Mexico dress to wear! We arrived at tio Mario's house and to my horror, I realized I left my camera battery charging in the wall at home.  Very very disappointed.  I was able to capture a few photos on someone else's camera and I'm patiently waiting for those to appear in my email so I can share with you!  

Did you guys have a good weekend?  what kind of fun things did you get into?

Hablamos de Chiles

If you are a chile eater, you have probably seen or heard of the Scoville Chile Heat Chart. The Scoville scale measures the hotness of a chili pepper, as defined by the amount of capsaicin (a chemical compound that stimulates nerve endings in the skin) present. In other words the amount of burn you are going to feel. The scale is named after its an American chemist named Wilbur Scoville. He developed a test for rating the pungency of chiles.

(If you'd like to learn more about this test, click here)

I found this chart on a great website called Eat More Chilies. Apparently the site grew from one chile pepper writing assignment in Arizona to a huge chile handbook. There are recipes, event info and a lot of chile facts. Some of which I thought quite interesting:

Did you know...?

• Chiles are healthy! They are low in sodium and calories and are cholesterol free. Chilis are a good source of vitamins A, B, C, and E, folic acid, and potassium.

• Eating chiles can help with digestion. The capsaicin in chiles increases gastric secretions and the flow of saliva, combining to ease the digestion process.

• In 2007, salsa surpassed ketchup as the most widely used condiment in the United States.

• A Chile’s heat or intensity is commonly, but incorrectly, said to come from the seeds in the chili. The heat actually comes from capsaicinoids - the combination of capsaicin (the active component of a chile) and a few other related chemicals - that is found along placental tissue in the center of the chile where the seeds are found.

• The color of a chili pepper actually has nothing to do with its heat level. Rather, the color typically signifies the maturity of the fruit.

• Birds are not affected by the heat or pungency of capsaicin because they do not have a receptor to detect it. This allows capsicum plant seeds to be dispersed through avian travel.

Afternoon Cocktails and Ceviche

A sunny afternoon of cocktails & ceviche with a view.  Yes, have some.

He said Ceviche...and we said, we'll be right over!

Ernesto's brother-in-law Pepe invited us over to his house for a leisurely afternoon.  He and Veronica live in Bonita in the ultimate party house.  The deck, complete with pool and hot tub, overlooks a golf course and the mountains of course.  

Pepe has been in the restaurant business forever and although he is not a chef at his job, he is a wonderful cook.    He is the king of ceviche! 

 As a mater of fact, Ernesto learned how to make ceviche from Pepe years ago, although he made a couple modifications.  (see  recipe)  I love how Pepe added cucumber and used habanero chiles.  wow! It was spicy.  He made a batch with shrimp and one with fish.  

The drink to the left is a Michelada.  (Beer, clamato juice, black pepper, tabasco, worcheshire sauce, lime, salt).   A perfect complement to ceviche tostadas.  Trust me. so good! 

Palomitas o Popcorn

We usually eat dinner between 9 and 10pm. My parents always give us a hard time because we eat dinner so late. I could say it's because we don't have kids so we can prepare dinner at our leisure. This is true. But I think the real reason is because we are snackers. We probably have the snacking thing backwards, but it works for us. For example, most of my family and friends prepare dinner when they get home from work, and then snack later in the evening. We, on the other hand snack immediately upon arrival to the house, then head to the grocery store to buy our ingredients for dinner that night.

Our snack, 99% of the time, is either salsa or popcorn.

Not just any popcorn. Spicy popcorn. Because everything has to be spicy according to Neto. My brother Tim, who is also crazy about spicy food, shared this recipe with us years ago.

With the invention of microwave popcorn, you may never have even made popcorn the "traditional" way. But trust me, it is worth the 5 extra minutes (and more healthy too)!

Pepper Popcorn

1Tbsp canola oil

2-3 hot peppers

Leave on high heat until charred.

Add 3/4 cup popcorn

Shake pan every 30 seconds until pan is full

Snack then dinner. I think it makes sense. What time do you guys eat dinner?