Ensalada de frutas.

Brian has been wishing to have a fruit salad for a while and he wanted to get pineapple for it but I insisted we should get some new things like “chirimoya”. We will eat the pineapple in another occasion, I promise Brian!!!
The entire bill for this wonderful salad was $38.80 pesos, you do the math… By the way, we only used half of the items we bought for this salad.

Ingredients:
Oranges (Naranjas)
Guabas (Guayabas)
Kiwis
Bananas (Plátanos)
Chirimoya
Lime (Limón)
Sugar

To go with it you can get some sweet bread (pan de dulce).


Preparation:
1) Wash and cut all the ingredients in reasonable pieces.
2) Sprinkle some sugar and lime.
3) Enjoy!!!

-Market place Pino Suarez in Mazatlan, Sinaloa-

-Pan de dulce-

Sopa de verduras.

This soup is really really simple and nutritious. It is also inexpensive, the bundle of veggies only costs $12 pesos in the market and the piece of chicken $5 pesos. I guess I should remind you that $1 Canadian dollar is equal to approximately $11 Mexican pesos, so we can really eat well under budget or on target… but well. Prices are fair in Mazatlan (Sinaloa) but I know prices will get better as we head South; the North of Mexico was expensive… EXPENSIVE!!!

Ingredients:
1 Bundle of veggies
1 Piece of chicken
“Caldo de tomate” Knorr (in cubes)
1 Jalapeño
Rice
Salt
Lime

Preparation:
1) Boil the piece of chicken with a little bit of salt.
2) Once chicken is ready add rice.
3) Add half of the bundle of veggies or as much as you consider is appropriate along with “Caldo de tomate” and 1 jalapeño.
4) Let it cook, preferably al dente.
5) Serve with a piece of lime.

-Bundle of veggies-

The kitchen sink.

This dish was fantastic; I am still sweating from the spicy flavour. We called it the kitchen sink because it has everything “but” the kitchen sink…

Ingredients:
Carrots
Onions
Jalapeños
“Carne machaca” (dehydrated meat from Sonora)
“Caldo de tomate” Knorr (in cubes)
Noodles
“Chiltepín” pepper from Sonora
“Bolillos”
Cooked sausage
Lime (if desired)

Preparation:
1) Boil water and once boiling add carrots, onions and jalapeños.
2) After 2 minutes add “Carne machaca”, “Caldo de tomate” and noodles.
3) Spice the soup with “Chiltepín” pepper previously ground.
4) To accompany the soup prepare a “Bolillo” (Mexican bun) with cooked sausage.
5) If possible relax your muscles with “Barley therapy” = BEER!!!
6) Enjoy.

Traditional findings from Sonora, Mexico.

These are some of the best memories from Sonora.

Sonora is a big producer of beef in Mexico and tacos made out of this meat are delicious. You have to order “Tacos de Asada” if you want to get the good stuff. In this specific place where my friend Lizbeth took us in Hermosillo (capital of Sonora) they had a “Salsa bar” where you could condiment your tacos in any way you like, you could add from any type of salsa to cucumbers or pico de gallo.
I am not a lover of beef but these tacos were AWESOME!!!
Prices range from $11-$20 pesos depending on the establishment, a little bit expensive in comparison to the South of Mexico but 1-2 tacos will be enough.


“Coyotas” are a type of traditional cookies in Sonora; they are made out of flour, vegetable oil, sugar and “piloncillo” (by-product of the sugar cane process). They are not the healthiest but sure they are sweet and enjoyable with a cup of coffee at any time of the day. Price: $5-$10 pesos/each.


Hot-dogs, yes… In Hermosillo we found excellent hot-dogs, not only they have a “Salsa bar” too but you do not pay until you finish and you can wonder around the park without being asked for immediate payment!!! Brian and I had one hot-dog for the two of us because they are huge (two wieners), for only $28 pesos…

The unforgettable.

Out of anything in the world who would think that the nasty Christmas recipe of Brussels sprouts would be a fantastic meal, only if cooked by Robert.
It was delicious… I cannot stop thinking about it and in fact Robert made this dish twice for us. Really simple!!!
I thought to share this recipe with you because it has changed my life!!!

Ingredients:
Brussels sprouts
Garlic
Olive oil
Teriyaki sauce or Worcestershire sauce

Preparation:
1) Fry some garlic in oil and when it is brown add some Teriyaki sauce or Worcestershire sauce.
2) Cover the Brussels sprouts with this mix and bake for about 15 minutes at about 350 oF, then turn the Brussels sprouts around and leave them in the oven for another 15 minutes.
3) Once crispy take out of the oven and enjoy!!!

Don't touch it.

He is sweet… and he likes to touch before is even finished. This dessert is also sweet, light and lovely and it took some effort to keep Brian from eating it before I finished.

Ingredients:
Crackers (baked are very nice)
Peanut butter
Jam
Banana
Coffee

Preparation:
1) Add some peanut butter and jam to the crackers.
2) Eat this while having a banana blast.
3) Accompany with some coffee.

Scary night.

It was scary to have her going around our tent with a big flashlight but it was a pleasure to meet Gertrude, a Canadian lady who has lived in California USA for a long time and at 77 years old travels everywhere with Rascal her lovely dog in a camper. I totally appreciated the lesson, it does not matter the age to do the things we suppose to do. She introduced me to a great meal that I will cook from now on.

Ingredients:
Spaghetti squash
Pasta
Tomatoe sauce
Olive oil
Onion
Jalapeno
Cheese
Seasoning salt
Salt
Pepper

Preparation:
1) Boil the spaghetti squash.
2) Boil a little bit of pasta to add some weight to the meal.
3) Cook a piece of onion with jalapeno in a little bit of olive oil.
4) Once everything has been cooked mix it all together and add the tomatoe sauce. You may want to add some spices like seasoning salt or simply salt and pepper.
5) Serve with cheese on top.

Note: For those who never have used spaghetti squash, once it has been boiled you need to scoop the noodles out. It is better when baked but camping does not allow for that unless someone assists you with this part of the operation.