I know for some this will be controversial, but that makes zero difference to me.
As a child I remember a school trip, where we walked up all the stairs to the top. For a while it was almost impossible to even stand next to her. Now you can make plans to visit her.
I tell people the reason New Yorkers can see her so well is because she is on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. Of course, my friend Chela knows the technical details of the Supreme Court decision establishing jurisdiction, something about underwater or dry land was involved in there.
Where do you stand? Is she a Jersey girl, a New York landmark or (fill in the blank)?
You may not be a “free hound”, maybe that’s just me searching for deals. I can admit without hesitation that if something is no charge, gratis, zero dollars, I always want to try.
I have had the strawberry lemonade, even paid for it, and there is no bad time to have one. On a hot day .. it cools me down. On a cold day, it reminds me of warm tropical weather.
Today only, McDonald’s restaurants of the New York /New Jersey /Connecticut tri-state area issued a coupon for a free drink on Twitter. Print it here, and enjoy! I think it will go nicely with a Southwest salad.
A few weeks ago, McDonald’s of the New York /New Jersey /Connecticut tri-state area issued a coupon for a free drink on Twitter. Today they posted another one.
Print it here, and enjoy! Might I suggest an Asian salad with that?
I don’t have a written recipe for you this week, but some family memories and a link for a how-to video. Get a napkin now, and keep reading!
In June my mami visited New Jersey. She was here for a few weeks, but with end of school for the kids, my college schedule, my sister’s schedule we only had one big family outing , with my sister and her two kids.
It started out innocently enough. Lesli and mami were playing dominoes and talking slowly – mami in Spanish, Lesli in English, to help each other practice. My phone rang and it was my sister saying she was on her way to pick us up. She had a craving for mofongo and wanted me to steer her in the right direction.
We piled in the minivan – all six of us, for a road trip. We debated over prices, locations, parking, until finally ending up at a restaurant nowhere near our original destination.
Mofongo
I forgot what my niece, nephew and mami ate (sorry) but there was laughter and love as we thought about how our day had turned out. We survived “are we there yet”, drizzle, scary servers at overpriced restaurants. Finally, we were all comfortable at a place place that has fancy in the name but feels like home.
The dishes were so big, I mean the PLATES were so big, that when my sister and I got our food it was brought out on butcher blocks.
Lesli ordered “mangú con tres golpes” (mashed green plantains with fried salami, fried cheese and a fried egg – top right corner). My sister had mofongo de pollo (chicken mofongo – bottom right) and mine was mofongo de camarones con jugo de parcha (shrimp mofongo and passion fruit juice – bottom center). Now every time I think of mofongo, it makes me miss my mami.
If you want to try making mofongo, follow what Daisy Martinez does in this video. As usual, she breaks down the process to make it less complex than you might think. I had to smile when Daisy finally takes a bite of the finished product!
This post is part of the Sabroso Saturday blog hop created by MsLatina. You will find links to recipes from bunches of bloggers recipes at her site – grab a napkin now, because when you start reading all the recipes you might end up licking the monitor!
In case you couldn’t tell from the general tone of my food posts, I really like mozzarella cheese. I mean, I really, really like mozzarella cheese. Fresh mozzarella is soft, almost spongy, mild. Smoked mozzarella is firm, dense and rich. Melted mozzarella is springy, tender and chewy in the best way. I could go on but by now the cheese people are drooling!
Earlier this week (Tuesday?) I was at our local market and spotted the display of mozzarella. I looked around quickly for lettuce, tomatoes and a short line. Yes, express checkout! I called Lesli, gave her the goods and went off to run errands. When I got back she had made one salad for herself using fresh tomatoes, and one for me using sun dried tomatoes. My sun dried tomatoes came from a jar, with olive oil. Before I took my first bite, there was a drizzle of fancy oil – a hostess gift from Chela, when she came to visit us in New Jersey a few months ago.
Caprese Three Ways
Wednesday, I went out for prosciutto. Lesli got inspired and made salads again. This time she used prosciutto in mine, and still kept hers the same.
If you want precise measurements, you’re about to be disappointed. You should know by now, in our house whatever looks good ends up on the plate. Recipes are suggestions.
So here’s what Lesli did for her salad – which was almost a traditional Caprese salad. For truly traditional Caprese salad, check out what Pioneer Woman did – it’s an amazingly beautiful salad, with ingredients that are easy to find.
Lesli used
Romaine lettuce (chopped)
Fresh juicy tomatoes (sliced and chopped into half-inch cubes)
Mozzarella cheese (sliced and chopped into quarter-inch cubes)
Rinse and dry lettuce. Top with tomato and mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, red pepper flakes – or if you’re lucky, red-pepper-infused oil.
What else can a girl want? Friends to share it. Or maybe a second plate. I have to properly thank Lesli for making that second salad the next night, with prosciutto! The salty tang and texture of prosciutto make it another favorite of mine. But that’s a story for some other time. Maybe next week?
This post is part of the Sabroso Saturday blog hop originated by MsLatina. Check in at her site for links to recipes from other bloggers across the country, and from all corners of the internet. There’s no telling what everyone will cook!
When Lesli and I were walking around West New York after our feast at Ranchito Victoria, we walked slowly. Mostly me walking slowly, because I needed to ease back into movement.
I can’t remember which house it was, that had this sign. I laughed and then took a photo before any pets could come out to prove whether the sign was accurate. Wouldn’t you? In any case, I want to share this for Wordless Wednesday.
I have to clarify, best compliment ever – from a stranger. At the time it happened, the incident did not seem so important. But now that spring is turning into summer, I think back. I see boys on the street, trying desperately to catch the attention of any passing female.
“Excuse me miss.”
No response.
“Hey sexy.”
No response.
“Hey mami.”
No response.
“Mami why you gotta be like that?”
I say boys, because to me these lines are not how a man would get my interest. These lines are not even the best way I can think of, to get a smile from a woman.
Picture this … Years ago, back when Lesli was shorter than me, we left home early one Saturday to meet someone at Penn Station in Newark, New Jersey. It seemed early, anyway. I had jumped into the shower and then left the house with my hair still wet. This was no big problem though, because it was summer. The weather was warm.
I held Lesli’s hand tightly and looked around for our person. Trains and buses unloaded. People flooded the hallways. I slowly walked backward until we were against a wall. As I spotted our person and stepped forward, someone crossed my path. A tall, distinguished looking man in a suit. He nearly brushed up against me but kept a respectable distance as he uttered one syllable. Mmmmm. As he walked away and went about his day, I didn’t turn to follow his voice. Just looked up calm and smiling. The time, place and manner in which this all happened made it the best compliment ever. Truth be told, this man may have been thinking about his lunch date but I took it as a compliment.
Since that day, Lesli has said some amazing things about my mothering skills, creativity and even my cooking. Those compliments were more significant. Still, from a man who didn’t know me, and didn’t try to “spit game” about being my Mister Right, who could ask for more?
A couple of weekends ago, as Lesli and I were walking and wandering the streets of West New York, New Jersey. As we made our way to Ranchito Victoria, we had to stop and stare at some unusual things. The transmission in the back of a truck caught Lesli’s eye. Then I pointed out, the truck was parked in front of a garage so it might be a potential replacement. Every so often we found another surprise.
One of the things that made me stop, stare and bring out the camera was this box. Don’t go thinking it’s a mailbox. Notice although the shape is exactly the same as mailboxes everywhere, the writing on this one tells you “NO MAIL”. And that’s why it’s my ww – Wordless Wednesday photo.
It was an unusually nice evening in April – clear skies, no rain or snow – when I met Sal at the Latism tweetup in New York. He wasn’t the only person I met (there was Angry Latino {who smiles}, and Corazon Tierra {who blogs and tweets about healthy bodies and self-esteem}, and so many others that escape my memory right now). But Sal told me his family owns a Mexican /Salvadoran restaurant and bakery. You may have guessed by now, it doesn’t take much convincing for me to try a new food, or food combination. The idea of a multi-Latino meal was enough to get my interest.
When Mothers Day weekend rolled around it was time to make this a reality. Lesli and I left home on a sunny Saturday and made the trip to West New York, New Jersey. Yes, that’s really the name of the city. We walked along quiet one-way streets, and found Sal at the door of Ranchito Victoria. He had expected us earlier, but there were some wardrobe issues (mine, not Lesli).
Sal greeted us with a smile, let us pick a table and asked us some questions. I like spice, Lesli likes chicken. Sal knew the latest batch of jalapeño peppers had been hotter than usual, and he asked our waitress Araceli to bring over Mexican tamales in a range of spice levels. My plate had three tamales: tamales de rajas, salsa verde, comino. I unwrapped the corn husks from my tamal de rajas (jalapeño wedges surrounded by firm corn masa), ate about half and looked up for hot sauce. Sal got me the fresh-made salsa from the cooler. Made fresh that morning, just as the breads had been baked and everything else for that day was prepped. Lesli was busy with her tamales – mole and comino if memory serves. We didn’t talk much but made yummy noises while we sipped our champurrados – hot chocolate, just sweet enough to take the edge off the spices.
Sal sat with us, asked more questions and guided us toward Salvadoran pupusas. I don’t have pictures of the pupusas because it got messy. Once I grabbed my pupusa revuelta, my hands were full. The pork and cheese inside the pupusa were warm and gooey, then I added curtido and salsa de tomate. To a non-Latino they might be called slaw and ketchup, but if you taste them you can tell this is no ordinary slaw or ketchup. The slaw was crispy, crunchy, sweet and tangy. The salsa de tomate was smooth and creamy. The perfect bite was a mix of contrasts in flavors and colors. Once I got started I just reached for my fork to get more curtido and eat my pupusa. Incredibly, as we sat and chatted afterward Sal asked if we wanted to try one more dish.
Lesli and I had no clue what to ask for. Somehow the idea of eggs for lunch floated over the table. Lesli decided on a Salvadoran desayuno tipico – typical breakfast. Eggs, beans, cream and cheese. She swiped beans and cream onto her fork before scooping up the scrambled eggs. Picked up the maduros to dip into cream or beans. The salty bits of cheese were a bit tangy for her but that was the only item on her dish not made on the premises, so it barely even counts.
My dish was chilaquiles. Tortillas cut into sections, then served with spicy salsa verde, beans, rice, avocado wedges, radishes and eggs sunny-side-up. I kept switching – avocado, beans, rice. Radishes, salsa verde, beans, rice. Fried egg and beans. Finally with about half of my dish staring at me I surrendered. We had the dish wrapped up, and Sal threw in an assortment of their fresh baked breads. There was a swirled cinnamon thing, that was delicious as part of Mothers Day breakfast. I need to go back and find out what it’s called. Who wants to come with me?
NOTE: If you ever visit the area, stop in. For the locals, Ranchito Victoria does deliver. I would only do delivery (or pickup) for date night in front of the TV. Otherwise, come as you are, sit at a table, and watch the world go by while yummy smells drift over from the kitchen.
RanchitoVictoria
If you made it this far, you might be wondering about the recipe for this week. Well, I don’t actually have a a recipe for you. I have several mouth-watering links though. Tracy of Latinaish shared videos on her blog about how to make them, and how to eat them. When you see her adventure eating pupusas with her son, you’ll understand why I didn’t get pictures of my pupusa. On Tracy’s blog you can read how to make curtido for your pupusas.
How to make pupusas by Tracy of Latinaish
NOTE: If you ever visit the area, stop in. For the locals, Ranchito Victoria does deliver. I would only do that for date night in front of the TV. Otherwise, come as you are, sit at a table, and watch the world go by while yummy smells drift over from the kitchen.
Tracy’s recipe for curtido is after her video at this post
How to eat a pupusa by Tracy of Latinaish (dialogue is in Spanish – who would believe she is Latina by marriage?)
I hope you enjoyed this Sabroso Saturday post. MsLatina started this at her site so we could share recipes. Go check who else is sharing a favorite recipe or even a story about their favorite food.
DISCLOSURE: Sal did not tell me when he mentioned his family’s restaurant, but he surprised us by picking up the tab for our feast. I left a tip for Araceli, because she was amazingly patient, gracious and knowledgeable about the food. My next visit I plan to pay for the meal, and maybe video the whole thing to better jog my memory.
