Saturday, December 24, 2016

Cook a tradicional Xmas Mexican Tequila Turkey

Cook a tradicional Xmas Mexican Tequila Turkey

   In México, Christmas dinner is the most important family gathering celebration of the year. It takes place the night of Christmas eve, this is likely due to this night is the ninth and last of "Las Posadas", an old Mexican tradition with  catholic roots consisting of nine days of praying and singing as a previous preparation for celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. It is also a clever excuse to have a new gathering right on Christmas day afternoon and end the leftovers. 

Families enjoy around the table with traditional dishes, which recipes pass from generation to generation. Some traditional plates stand since pre-Hispanic days such as "los romeritos", "los tamales" or "el ponche" which is rather a concoction of fruits mixed with a strong sugar cane distillation. Some other dishes witness our Hispanic heritage as "el Bacalao a la Viscaina". Roasted pork, pozole, fish and other many regional dishes are the mainstray at the table of many families; however, above all, Christmas day is pretty much Mexico's turkey day.  This is why I would like to share with you, the recipe to prepare "Tlahuanki Ueixolotl" which stands, in ancient nahuatl language, for Drunk Turkey; a savory tequila soaked roasted turkey.

 Important Notice: Read thoroughly and throughout instructions before setting and buying anything.

 Ingredients:
·         A family size turkey (calculate about a pound per person)
·         2 to 3 tequila bottles of your selection. I would rather prefer a young white tequila instead of an "añejo" (aged) one but it is up to your taste.
·         Lemon and salt at will
·         Italian seasoning and butter if desired

Method:
1.       Cut several lemons into wedges and sprinkle some salt over, reserve. Gently pour tequila in a double shot glass up to the rim.
2.       Whip up the tequila and swallow it, then immediately squeeze a salt sprinkled lemon wedge with your teeth and make a funny "sour pickle face" (Arney, B., 2000).
3.       Set oven in 365°F. and follow maker’s safety instructions
4.       Have another tequila shot.
5.       Rinse the turkey thoroughly.
6.       Have a couple extra shots of tequila.
7.       "Oven the Light up" …BUM!
8.       If still around, glass another tequila of drink.
9.       Get the oven into the turkey. If too much hassle and struggle, hand a bottle to the unruly bird and have a drink you both. Cheers.
10.   Repeat former step until turkey is tender enough.
11.   Telaqui another have
12.   Insert the turkey into the meat thermometer several times. Easy, "we all go a little mad sometimes" (Bates, Norman, Psycho, 1960)
13.   Turkey the oven for hours
14.   Make sure the turkey is still inside. End the bottle. Take a nap.
15.   Take the oven out of the turkey
16.   Floor the turkey up off the pick
17.   Turk the carvey
18.   self your get another tottle of bequila
19.   Tet the sable and sace gray
20.   Blackout…………….

Ho, Ho, Ho, hope you liked it, have a MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Three winter tropical cocktails to cool you off in Cozumel


Picture this, it is you, by the beach, warm Sun, caressing breeze, a shady palm tree, a comfy lounge chair and an addictive IPad (use to be a book B.J.)( Before Steve Jobs). What could it be possible missing? 

  1. Your teddy
  2. your boss
  3. Your Probation Officer
  4. A tasty, icy, colorful Cocktail

If you choose "d",  Bingo! That's it!, it is missing nothing but a delicious and refreshing mix. Whether your favorite spirit is, there is a mix for it to fulfill your taste. This time I would like to share with you the recipes of Playa Mia's 3 best seller cocktails, just to spoil the little barman within you. cheers!



Margarita

I'm going to start with this world-wide-known iconic booze. It couldn't be any other way as The Margarita is atop the list of the best sold drinks. We might never really know where this mix saw the first light; several cities in Mexico claim to be its home town, even one in America.  It is believed the legend was born around 1940. A woman, of course, hides behind its name. A margarita is the perfect drink for a hot day as only a rated
 R lemonade can be. 



Here, its secrets:

Ingredients for two:

1 1/2 oz. of fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 oz. of a tequila of your selection (I personally prefer a "white" Agave Azul  tequila)
1 1/2 oz. of triple sec orange liquor such as Cointreau® or Controy®
A spoon of sugar or up to an ounce of sugar syrup
Lemon. Two round slices for garnishing and a wedge to moist the rim of the glass
Couple spoons of salt to rim the glass
Ice
A plate.

Preparation:
Poor the salt on the plate and make it flat even. Moist the rim of your glass with the wedge of the lemon, squeezing a little bit. Dip the moisten rim into the salt for it to stick to the rim. Set your glass apart. Now, mix triple sec, tequila, lemon juice, ice and syrup all together in the blender for a frozen Margarita or if you prefer it, chill the mix in a shaker and poor it into the salt rimmed glass. Decorate with a lemon slice.  Voilá! (excuse my actual French) Taste it, just a little sip, mmm, yummy… that salty, tangy and refreshing taste is a bless. Cheers!!!



Piña Colada

The history of this drink is in fact a tale of pirates.
Roberto Cofresí, a famous Puerto Rican pirate, use to cheer up the morale of his crew with a potion of rum, pineapple and coconut water. The recipe went lost after his execution in 1825.; since, the drink evolved, as many attempted to replicate the formula, until the one we enjoy nowadays. Well, here it comes the "treasure map", ahoy!:

Ingredients for two:

1 cup of pineapple juice
1/2 cup of crema de coco as Calahua®
1/4 cup evaporated Milk  as Carnation®
2 oz. Of rum (you can also use Coconut rum as Malibu® instead)
2 cups of ice cubes
Cherries and pineapple cubes or triangles for decoration

Preparation:
Mix altogether but the cherries and pineapple pieces, in a blender for a few seconds until you get an even frozen mix. Serve. Decorate using a toothpick as a skewer to thread a cherry and a piece of pineapple, perform a little cut  in the pineapple piece to set the skewer to the rim of your drink. Taste it….. Wow!!!.... No mercy, arrrr! 



Michelada (mee-sheh-lah-dah)

You know the wise saying: "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade" but, if you are in Mexico and life gives you lemons "AND" Mexican beer you better make a Michelada, definitely a favorite. Here is the recipe for this Mexican concoction to cool you off:

Ingredients for one
1 oz. Lemon juice
1 teaspoon of Maggi® liquid seasoning (or any other similar soy based liquid seasoning)
1 teaspoon of Tabasco® sauce
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire® sauce  
1 12 oz. Mexican Beer as Sol® or XX®
Two round lemon slices for garnishing
A small wedge of lemon
1 spoon of salt
1 spoon of unsalted ground red pepper
A plate

Preparation.
Mix and spread flat even red pepper and salt on a plate. Have the lemon wedge to moist the rim of a beer tankard and dip it into the salt and red pepper. Mix lemon juice with the Maggi, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces within the tankard. Then add a very cold Mexican beer. Decorate with the round slice of lemon. Aaaahhh! If later on you feel like having a tequila, have it "compadre", life also gave us tequila!

Monday, December 19, 2016

Christmas at 80°F. Cozumel Winter Weather Forecast 2016-2017

UNNOFFICIAL WINTER WEATHER FORECAST
SUNNY, WONDERFUL COZUMEL ISLAND!

THIS WINTER WEATHER FORECAST COVERS  'TIL THE END OF THE WINTER...OFF COURSE…

* SNOW ACCUMULATION…CERO INCHES TO NONE AT ALL.
* POTENTIAL OF HIGHEST SNOW RATES… NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT...
* HEAVY WET SNOWFALL … NOPE …  ACTUALLY NO SNOW STORMS, NO SNOW SHOWERS, NO FLURRIES AND NO FREEZES 
* WINDS...MILD WARM BREEZES FROM NORTHEAST.
* TEMPERATURES…  27 °C AVG. (TAKE IT EASY, 27 CENTRIGRADES ARE ABOUT 80 FARENHEIT)
* DIFFICULT DRIVING CONDITIONS…. UNLESS THAN DUI…. NAH!
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...  BRING SUNSCREEN, SUN GLASSES AND SWIMWEAR….

 I hope I draw a smile out of your face. The naked truth is we enjoy a terrific warm weather most of the year down here. In general we expect for this winter some very mild cold fronts; yes, in winter, the weak remaining of the cold fronts  from the pole die right here after freezing Canada and the States.  Following you will find the actual:

WINTER WEATHER SUMMARY: 2016/2017


December
January
February
Average Rain in inches
1.5''
.5''
.82''
Temperature in °F
80
77
77

This winter season will be "colder" than normal, rating almost the 80° F avg. with the coldest periods in mid-December, through most of January, and in early February. Precipitation will be a .05" above normal. "Rainiest" periods will be in early  mid- to late December, mid-January, and early to mid-February.

As a resident I actually thank to heavens the wind becomes a little bit fresher as temperature declines specially after a particular hot summer, fall didn't help too much. Activity on the island increases as northerners runaways escape from freezing. It is excellent time for seasonal shopping, sun bathing and sailing. For us here the winter is as sunny as usual with a few rainy and windy periods. If you ever coincide with a "cold" day on your arrival, a light sweater or light wind breaker will make it for the day; otherwise, if is too warm and you become in the mode for a freeze,  check on my 3 tropical cocktails entry.

Happy Holidays!