Costa Rican Quinceañero and Other Celebrations

Nowhere does the old adage "Time flies" apply more aptly than with children, as I was reminded last evening when I attended the Quinceañero celebration for Melanie, a young Tica lass we know. As you may know, the Quinceañero is a special birthday in Latin culture. Held on the fifteenth birthday, it marks a girl's passage from childhood to young womanhood and is celebrated with a grand party. But I had no idea just how grand my young friend's festivities would be, nor did I realize what a beautiful young muchacha she has become.

Beautiful Melanie, now 15 years old

Layne and I met Melanie three years ago when we lived in Barrio Los Angeles where her mom Cidia was our weekly housekeeper. On occasions such as holidays when school was out, Cidia would bring 12-year-old Melanie along with her for the few hours she spent cleaning our house. At the time Melanie was just a cute little girl, shy but friendly, with stunning dark eyes set off by a creamy tan complexion. She would watch TV or read and when I learned she liked puzzles, I would give her ones I had finished. Although neither of them spoke English, we became friends with Cidia and got to know little Melanie. When we needed to communicate beyond my Spanish, Melanie's older sister Karen could translate with her excellent English skills. When we moved from that house to Santa Eulalia two years ago, Cidia, Melanie and her dad gave us good-bye gifts they had made, earrings for me by Cidia, a wooden tray the father had hand-crafted and a decorated bottle made by Melanie. We treasure their friendship even though we have few opportunities to see them now.

The doll matches Melanie's dress!

A three-tiered cake marks the occasion

Melanie and Cidia

Mom, Dad and Melanie

But by chance Cidia saw me at the feria last Friday and invited me to Melanie's Quinceañero to be held the very next day. And what a fabulous event it was! Held at a large hall in Barrio Los Angeles with tables and chairs along both sides of the building, profusely decorated with purple and white balloons, with colored balls covered in hearts and butterflies hanging from the ceiling, matching table decor, throbbing lights and pounding music, it was a bigger party than I expected. When Melanie made her grand entrance through the balloon archway in her amethyst ball gown, sparkling tiara in her dark hair, jewels around her neck, walking with her mom and dad, I got choked up. How had the little girl we knew grown into such a glamorous and elegant young woman in only three years?! Well, time flies, I guess.

First dance with Dad

Unfortunately, I couldn't stay for much of the party because Winston was at home alone and he is still young enough that being alone at night is scary for him. According to our neighbors, he howls. So after Melanie's first dance with her dad and the toast to her Quinceañero, I made my excuses and taxied home. But it was a joy and an honor to be included with the extended family for this very special occasion.

Tomorrow night will be another special occasion for me -- Layne is coming home from Oregon, almost two weeks early! The sad reason for this good news is that the family finally had to find a memory care facility for his sister due to the inexorable progress of the Alzheimer's. Since the home care Layne had been helping with was no longer required, he was able to leave Portland early. We were again fortunate to find a flight using the airline miles we had so with just a small change fee, he got a flight. Winston and I are very excited.

And since I know an update on little Winston is probably in order for his many "fans," I made this rather bumpy video the other day; it's hard to keep up with the little rascal. 

As you can see he is growing like the proverbial weed and greatly enjoys running like a raving maniac and playing viciously with his toys. Layne will hardly recognize him from just two weeks ago, but I know Winston will be overjoyed to see Layne, as will I.

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," now available for FREE at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. A great read! Pick up your copy here --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 

Chef Chris and his "Loco" Hot Wings

July 22, 2013 -- an auspicious date: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth to a baby boy, heir to the British throne (poor kid); the Pope arrives in Brazil (yawn); there is a full moon and my Tarot deck worked its magic for me. I was all ready to write a blog, complete with photos, when I discovered that the transfer cable for my camera was not in its storage place. How could that happen when I only use the thing here in my office and always put it back in a small bag full of other cords? Where could it be? I looked high and low literally, on shelves above, in cabinets below. I even called Layne to ask if he had moved it somewhere before leaving on his trip, but he had no clue.

The Six of Wands, Trust

Finally, in an act of metaphysical desperation, I did a Tarot reading on the issue, asking three questions: How did it go missing? Where is it now? And how can I find it? The three cards that came up were mysterious and vague, as Tarot often is, but the last card, the Six of Wands, seemed to offer a clear message: Trust, the card said. Trust the Universe and trust yourself. So... trusting that indeed I do not remove the cable from my office, I came back in here with a fresh eye and almost immediately spied the black cord peeking through a plastic container where I keep bagged spices. I had apparently scooped it up with the herbs when I put them away. As Layne put it, "'Woo' strikes again!"

So lucky for you, I have photos to share of the last outing of the Santa Eulalia gang, plus a couple of new groupies, Joni and Mike, and occasional gang members Darlene and Glynn. Of course, we were missing my darling Layne since he is on an emergency trip to Oregon to help care for his sister Annie, who is struggling with a number of health issues. The toll on family members as they share the load of caring for her reached a limit and they had called asking him to come. He left two days later and will be gone another three weeks, leaving me and Winston to take care of each other.

As you may have deduced from reading our various culinary adventures, the Santa Eulalia gang has 

Chef Chris and his sauces

several excellent chefs among its members, one of whom is Chris, whose cooking skills are top-notch. When he learned that Bar Las Brisas near his and Sue's home had a big grill available, he got the inspiration to treat his local neighbors to some of his Hot Wings and in the process get better acquainted, become a real part of the barrio. But, as these things often do, the idea grew to include the Santa Eulalia bunch and why not throw some of Marcial's sausages on the grill as well.

Chef Chris offered three different homemade sauces: the mild, the picante and the "loco." All were outstanding but I really think they mislabeled the loco. Seidy and I had already agreed that the medium level, the so-called picante, was over-the-top hot. She and I were slugging beer, tequila and ice water to cool our poor burning tongues. How could we possibly stand to taste something even hotter? But when we finally broke down and decided we owed it to ourselves to taste the loco, we found it milder than the medium. Chris assured us that it was just our palates having gotten accustomed to the intense spices, but I... don't... think...so.

Hot Wings comin' up!

But no complaints from this quarter! It was a very fun afternoon with Sue serving plate after plate of the delicious morsels. As Chris and Sue, Stephen and Marcial offered samples of hot wings and Italian sausages to the locals sitting at the bar, I told Marcial he was trying to "go viral" at the barrio level. If Ticos learn how good his sausage is, they will no doubt flock to his booth at the feria.

Two Cute Bald Guys

Joni, Stephen, Bonnie & Mike

Bonnie & Joni share a laugh

All afternoon Las Brisas' dance music inspired our lovebirds Marcial and Seidy to put on a little floorshow for us. Joni and I both took videos of the couple and when she showed her footage to Marcial, he said that was the very first time he had ever seen himself dancing. The wonders of modern technology arrive belatedly in Costa Rica.

Poor Winston had to stay home alone while I was gone and needless to say was overjoyed to see me when I returned about an hour after dark. The next day my landlords/neighbors mentioned that he howled miserably while I was away, so I guess he made his feelings quite clear on the subject of my being gone at night. Since their dogs bark incessantly whenever they leave the house, I'm not too concerned for their sake, only for Winston's. Pura Vida as applied to dogs!

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," now available for FREE at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. A great read! Pick up your copy here --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 

Cookin' Up A Stew

One of my (many) unfinished projects is a recipe booklet featuring Marcial's great sausage printed up for him to hand out free with each purchase. Since Marcial uses no additives in his Sperone products, no MSG, nitrites or nitrates, only his unique package of spices, his sausage lends itself to a multitude of different healthy recipes that accent the rich pork flavors of the meat or lend a subtle Italian flavor to other ingredients. In particular, we suspect that Ticos are somewhat unfamiliar with the many delicious ways to use Italian sausage. For the most part, what you see in Costa Rica by way of sausages are the chunky links of spiced pork or beef, usually called chorizo or salchichon, split open and fried as a side dish alongside a breakfast of Gallo Pinto, the ubiquitous national dish of rice and beans, and fried or scrambled eggs. Papas con Chorizo (potatoes with sausage) or perhaps empanadas, small filled pastry turnovers using chorizo can be found but by and large, Italian sausage is not much used in Costa Rican cooking.

  

2nd Place Team Sperone in 2012

When we first met Marcial a couple of years ago and tasted his scrumptious sausage, I immediately thought it might be helpful to him in marketing his product to give out a little recipe brochure with each kilo of the tasty meat. We happily helped him develop a chili recipe using Italian sausage that won 2nd Place at the 2012 Atenas Chili Cook-off and 5th Place at this year's event, giving Team Sperone satisfying recognition in a world full of beef chilis. But of course, time passes and as regular readers know, Layne and I do manage to keep a full dance card around here, so the notation "recipe booklet for sausages" remains on my "To do" List, still lacking the critical checkmark indicating "completed."

Seidy, Marcial and Yours Truly in 2013

With nothing in particular to write about today, and being long over-due for a blog post, I thought I would offer here a dish I recently made which uses the Sperone sausages and chayote, one of many inexpensive local vegetables, a native Central American squash sometimes known as vegetable pear. The chayote has a crisp light texture that picks up flavors readily so it's a great companion to the distinct Italian taste of Sperone sausage. So without further ado, I offer you Chayote and Chorizo Stew! Bon appetit!

Chayote and Chorizo Stew

Ingredients:

         3 Sperone Spicy Italian Sausage links, casings removed

         1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

         1 onion, chopped

         1 chili dulce (or red bell pepper), chopped

         3-4 cloves garlic, minced

         1 lrg. or 2 med. chayote squash, seeded and chopped into ½ in. cubes

         1 -2 jalapeño peppers, finely diced (taste for hotness and use as much as you like)

         1 - 15-oz. can diced tomatoes or better yet, 2 -3 medium organic tomatoes, diced, including juices (use fresh tomatoes, if possible, to avoid BPA in the white-lined cans of tomatoes)

         1 - 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed well and drained

         1 cup frozen corn or 1 small can of whole kernel corn

         ½ tsp ground thyme

         1 tsp (or more) chili powder

         ½ tsp cumin

         salt and pepper to taste

Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat; cook the sausage in the skillet until browned, breaking it up as you saute; remove from pan and set aside. Add the olive oil. onion, chili dulce, jalapeños and garlic to the skillet; cook and stir until the onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Return the sausage to the pan along with the chayote squash; cook and stir until the squash begins to soften, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, corn, thyme, cumin and chili powder; season with salt and pepper. Cook until it has all become well acquainted, about 30 minutes more. 

(Variation: Try using basil and oregano in place of chili powder and cumin. For less spicy dish, use Sperone regular Italian in place of the spicy Italian sausage.)

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," now available for FREE at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. A great read! Pick up your copy here --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 

   

Health Fair in Atenas

Just quick heads-up for my readers in and around Atenas: Macrobiotica Vida Natural is having a cool little Health Fair this weekend and running through Monday. I stopped by today and picked up a bag of Himalayan Salt, the kind with all the minerals in it. So much salt in Costa Rica has added floride, I was delighted to find this pure product. I was also tempted by a number of other goodies displayed on tables in the plaza outside of the shop. Some folks up from Parrita on the Pacific Coast were there with homemade Austrian bread made of hearty whole wheat, full of sunflower and flax seeds, peanut and oatmeal cookies, alongside homemade organic jams and jellies, some made with sugar cane itself and others using unrefined cane sugar. Also offered were a couple of spicy salsas, one named Salsa Fuego, which I was warned was hot enough to merit its name. Another table offered fresh coffee and green tea, while another was giving away samples of a medicine for arthritis. There was even a beautiful set of stainless steel cookware and utensils on sale but priced a bit beyond my budget. Samples of some of the foods were being given out to visitors.

Seidy and Stefanie greet Health Fair customers

Located in Plaza Central across from El Rayo, Vida Natural is my favorite health food store in Atenas, not only because of the good selection of quality products they offer but also because of the friendly style of the charming proprietress Seidy and her lovely daughter Stefanie, both of whom speak perfect English. My Spanish just doesn't stretch far enough to discuss health care issues and the pros and cons of this skin cream over that one so I greatly appreciate their bilingual abilities.

Seidy has recently enlarged her corner space to make room for new products including organic ginger, chia seeds and fresh herbs, as well as a private room for massage. Her current inventory includes some products I just cannot do without such as low-salt soy sauce, tahini and rice wine vinegar. In addition to the normal vitamins and food supplements, essential oils, face and body creams and lotions, she also sells high quality (glass bottled) extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, jasmine rice, quinoa, tofu, aloe vera drinks and lots more.

The Health Fair will continue all weekend, with a physical therapist present on Sunday and other health care specialists around on Monday. Stop by and tell them Kat sent you!

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," now available for FREE at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. A great read! Pick up your copy here --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 

Blame It On Winston!

If I have been delinquent in posting to this blog, it's all Winston's fault. He's just so darned demanding! Always wanting a pet, or a walk or needing to go out to pee or poop (house-training is going very well!) or just looking so cute, I can't resist laying down on the floor and snuggling up to him. Then there are the hilarious puppy moments, such as today when Layne brought home a new toy for him. As soon as he figured out that it was "his," he ran proudly through the house and out into the backyard with a mouth full of plush plaything where he proceeded to thrash the little Santa Claus doll mercilessly, as only a puppy can. 

The new dog Frisbee he's yet to figure out but we have hopes for great fetch games as soon as he understands how to pick the disc up. So doggie duties are my excuse for the delay in blogging, ok? I'm sure all you dog-lovers out there understand completely.

Sit. Stay ... OK, we got Sit.

Then there's the training. Today while Layne went alone to the feria, Winston and I took a walk along a deserted road nearby where we worked on "sit," "stay" and "heel." As you can see from the photo, his "sit" is coming along nicely and he's very good on the leash, although I'm not sure if he has fully grasped the whole "heel" concept or if he just likes walking next to me. "Stay" is another matter altogether. When I tried to lay down the leash to take a better picture, he took that as permission to come over for a pet. After all, he had "sat" for a full thirty seconds, hadn't he?

Of course, he's also required some medical attention this week since he went in for the dreaded neutering on Tuesday. All went well but he was one drunk puppy when he got home that afternoon and one hungover pup the next day. By day two, he was back to his happy little self, especially so since I figured out how to bury his antibiotic pill inside a little chunk of raw hamburger. Oh, baby! Is that good!

He is now officially famous, with people at the feria last week recognizing him on sight and friends driving by hollering "Hey, Winston Churchill!" At the feria, one lady actually was so excited to meet him, she exclaimed to Layne, "Wow, I've met a star today!" Such is the power of the press, I suppose. Next thing you know they'll be asking him for a paw print.

On a completely different topic (who needs a segue?), this beautiful Turquoise-browed Motmot landed in our mandarina tree last week and I hurried to the doorway to sneak a few photos. 

I love these stunning birds and was thrilled to have one in our yard. I'm told that they are called "bobos" by Ticos, which means stupid because they nest near the ground in an earthen bank or a quarry, for instance, where their eggs are an easy target for predators. Whatever their I.Q. may be, they certainly get an A+ on the beauty thing.

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," now available for FREE at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. A great read! Pick up your copy here --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 

  

Oh, When the Ants Go Marching In...

When friends from the States ask us about life in Costa Rica with lots of bugs and other tropical creepy-crawlies, we say, hey, we have bugs here that eat the other bugs, so no hay problema! Little did we know just how apt that phrase really was. But if we needed any confirmation, we got it recently when our rancho was literally invaded by ants. Not just a few ants, not just a bunch of ants, but thousands and thousands of ants! And they showed up in no time at all. We had done a load of laundry that morning in the rancho where our washer is located and there had been no sign of ants, just the normal iguana skittering away at our approach. But by mid-afternoon when Layne went out to get the barbeque grill for me, the place was swarming with them, great huge lines of mid-sized brown hormigas, busily trooping along the bottom wall, up the sides, under the cabinet. It was downright spooky!

Since we were uncertain whether to be concerned about this, we turned to our friend and neighbor Marcial, our go-to guy for all things Costa Rican. Even though it was Father's Day, he soon arrived at our gate to take a look. After studying the creatures up close, he assured us they were not only harmless but were actually "cleaning house." According to Marcial, this particular type of ant comes en masse and in the space of a few hours carries away the eggs of other ants, cockroach eggs, dead ants, wasp nest eggs and the larvae of all manner of other unwanted critters. Drawing our attention to one or two which were toting little white balls on their backs, he assured us those were eggs of some undesirable insect. He did say they carry a mean bite so avoid getting stung but he also said they are not out to get you. And sure enough, within a couple of hours, they had disappeared completely. Who knew?

We did have to keep little Winston, our new foster puppy, out of the rancho while the ants did their thing as he seems to relish nibbling on ants. With their reputation for a mean sting, we didn't want him getting a mouthful of those guys. Winston, of course, is getting a reputation of his own; you might even say he's world famous. (After all, this blog has readers in lots of other countries, including Russia, China, Germany, France, Japan, Latvia, Australia, as well as the U.S. and Canada!) This morning as we were breakfasting at Natural restaurant, friends Joni and Mike drove up and immediately recognized Winnie from having read my last blog post with his photo. It's not surprising that he makes friends everywhere he goes. For instance, at VGym this morning, as he was waiting patiently (well, sort of patiently) by the door while we did our workouts, everyone stopped to give him a pet and rave about what a pretty boy he is. Naturally, we agree. In fact, as some friends predicted, we have decided to adopt him. Big surprise, eh? He's just too nice a dog to let go, a real find, we think. We look forward to many joyful years with him in our lives.

With all the attention, Winston was pretty tuckered out by the time we got to Natural for breakfast so he fell dead asleep by Layne's chair while we enjoyed another fabulous meal at this new eating place. If you haven't made your way there yet, you'd better go soon before there's a waiting line to get in. The food is so delicious -- fresh, wholesome, much of it organic and beautifully presented. My new favorite is the House Special fruit, natural yogurt and homemade granola dish. Today I asked for extra granola and then learned just how carefully it is prepared, using coconut oil and honey instead of vegetable oil and sugar. The extra care really shows in everything proprietress Maria prepares. The fact that she herself is so charming and sweet is icing on the cake, so to speak.

By the way, she is looking for a new house to rent, nothing fancy but comfortable enough for her, her two children and her mom. Of course, we hope to find her a place here in Santa Eulalia, but if you know of a nice low-cost Tico home near Atenas with a yard for the kids, please let me know and I'll pass it along to Maria. Or drop in for lunch and tell her yourself!

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," available for only $2.99 at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. Sample or purchase at --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 
  

Going to the Dogs!

The big news around here today is named Winston, or Winnie for short, and he's a Chocolate Lab mix puppy with amazing golden eyes. I saw him at the feria today, offered for adoption by the Animales Abandonadas, a local foundation that works with private foster homes. They called him Tomi but we decided he needed a more distinguished name. (Plus, Layne happens to be reading a book on Winston Churchill at the moment. Thus, the name.)

Introducing Winston 

Winne's only about three months old and has apparently been on the street for a while as he is pretty thin. But for a little guy who has had such a tough start in life, he's very calm and sweet; he just looks up at you shyly and wags his tail hoping for a kind word or pat on the head. Layne and I are only fostering him for now since we have plans to spend a couple of months in the U.S. later this year but we will give him a loving home and some much-needed nourishment while we find him a permanent home. If you've ever thought about getting a dog and if you know the joys of owning a Lab, which are wonderful loving and loyal dogs, please consider adopting Winnie.

Besides trips to the States, Layne and I also feel we should not adopt a dog permanently right now because we are away from home so much, both on local outings with our Santa Eulalia friends as well as trips around Costa Rica exploring the country in my role as a travel writer. Although a dog could certainly join us for our local hikes, it's not so easy to bring one along on our trips to the beach. Most hotels are not very welcoming of pets.

Rancho Coral gardens

As it happens, however, we were at a pet-friendly hotel only last weekend, charming Rancho Coral in Esterillos Oeste, on an outing with our friends Marcial and Seidy and Chris and Sue. But the two-hour bus trip would not have been so pet-friendly; indeed, getting there would have meant renting a car, another drawback for us in dog-ownership. Once we arrived at the beachfront motel owned by Marcial and Seidy's long-time friends, Wilburth and Eva, it was wall-to-wall dogs -- well, maybe only six or eight -- a few cats and lots of chickens as well. So for pet lovers, Rancho Coral is the place to go for a warm animal welcome.

It's a great place for humans as well, especially humans who love playing in the ocean, surfing the waves or just walking on a long empty beach. Rancho Coral is just a few steps from the high-tide mark, its lush gardens strung with hammocks perfect for lazing away an hour or two meditating on the endless rolling surf. Sue and Layne and I took good advantage of those comfortable swinging sofas to enjoy the balmy weather and light breezes. Unfortunately, Sue warned me a moment too late to avoid flipping over backwards onto the sandy ground as I tried to seat myself in my hammock. Nothing was hurt but my pride.

Marcial, Chris, Sue, Seidy and Layne

Later in the afternoon, at the insistence of our strong-minded exercise coach Marcial, we all took off for a long walk down the beach toward the tide pools formed by ancient lava flow and adorned by a fascinating sculpture of a mermaid perched on a concrete base, known as La Sirena or The Siren. With the tide out, she reigns supreme on her dry pedestal and when the tide comes in, she rises above the waters to serve as a sentinel offshore. Taking a rest, we watched some young men kicking a soccer ball around on the shore as the sun began to set in the western skies.

Heading out for a beach stroll

La Sirena

La Sirena and tide pools at low tide

Seidy, looking like a tropical princess 

That evening, we enjoyed a wonderful meal at the hotel prepared by Tomas, one of the family members who run Rancho Coral. Most of us chose grilled snook, with its firm, white flesh, accompanied by vegetables,

A great fish dinner!

rice and tasty little mussels alongside two excellent sauces, one spicy, the other a Thai peanut flavor. We all raved!

It was a short weekend for most everyone, as they all caught the Sunday afternoon bus back to Atenas. But Layne and I decided to hang out one more night to give me my beach "fix." If the weather weren't quite so hot and humid ocean-side, I'd surely choose to live there!

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," available for only $2.99 at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. Sample or purchase at --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570