sun, snow, and chili

Ah, back in the snowy cold of an Iowa winter. The Boy, his family, and I returned from Mexico last Friday evening. I had a lovely, relaxing week full of food, sun, beach, and tequila. It was beautiful and refreshing for all the senses. We stayed at an amazing timeshare/resort called Fiesta Americana, and I spent my days lounged out on the sand, listening to the rolling surf, and reading trashy magazines and not-so-trashy books. The Boy spent his time exploring rocky crevices and small pools of water at low tide, periodically bringing me bits of the ocean to look at – sea urchins, tiny hermit crabs, rock crabs, etc.

The deliciously hot weather was reflected in the much lighter fare we all elected to eat during mealtimes. There was a lot of seafood, ceviche (I’ll throw up a recipe for that when I’m more inspired), citrus. All in all, my tongue and stomach were extremely happy.

Once we got back to IA, things were immediately different. The temperature dropped about sixty degrees (it’s now sub-zero, actually), and soft, blinding snow blew across the highway the entire way home. The contrast was as stark as the blank, white landscape.

The cold, sparkling glitter of snow and the close warming of a down jacket, inspired me to cook up something that would be rich and warming from the inside all the way out. It might not be as wonderful as a luxurious week of sun-tinged skin and basking in heat, but it’s pretty delicious nonetheless.

Chao Bella

This past Wednesday (9/10) was the Boy’s and my three-year anniversary (crazy, isn’t it?). To celebrate, we went to Chao Bella, an Italian restaurant that we had gone to once before with some people from school. I thought it was so good that I wanted to return on this special occasion.

Truco 7

Ah, Truco, how I adore thee. The Boy and I visit this restaurant almost daily. I went through a brief phase where I kept saying that we should go to other restaurants, and the Boy would indulge me in this foolish endeavor (it’s how we went to La Oreja). And then I would realize the error of my ways. You just can’t get any better than the cheap, delicious, authentic food of Truco 7.

a generic update – the past week or so

All in all, this past week has been rather uneventful. The Boy and I have simply been going to school and wandering around and souvenir shopping (curious?). We found some pretty neat little items that I think some people *coughcough* will appreciate. But in terms of sightseeing and doing all that good stuff, we’ve been a little lax.

La Oreja de Van Gogh

On Monday, the Boy and I decided to try the comida corrida, a set meal that many restaurants serve starting at around two in the afternoon, at La Oreja de Van Gogh, a restaurant recommended by our guidebook. I was very much underwhelmed by the whole experience.

brief rundown – last saturday

I’m finally going to give you a brief rundown of what happened last Saturday. A mostly food-centered rundown because, in all honesty, those are the parts I remember most clearly.

This past Saturday, the Boy and I hit up four museums in Guanajuato. We wanted to make up for lost time (stupid illnesses), so we pulled out our (not-so-)trusty map and decided that we would simply make our way down the main street (Av. Juarez), stopping at the museums that looked interesting along the way.

But first we had to gather our strength, so we went to our favorite cafe, the Cafe Conquistador, and had some coffee and brunch.