I Ate the Whole Thing -- Dragonfruit

Dragonfruit

Dragonfruit or Pitaya was the first fresh fruit I met when I arrived in Merida. It was growing on a vine in the backyard of the house where I rented a room.

I was fascinated by the fruit. It was uniquely strange and beautiful. The fruit itself has a mild sweet taste which I liked. You eat the fruit and the seeds.

 

(Dragonfruit or Pitaya, Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitaya)

(By SMasters [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons )

After washing the whole bulb, I sliced off the end.

Then, I made a slice through the skin with the tip of my knife and cut the skin to the top of the fruit bulb. I peeled away the skin and cut off the tip, pulling the whole skin off. This left a bulb of fruit. I cut the fruit into thin slices and ate whole thing.

Estética de Belleza Princess - Beauty Salon

Estética de Belleza Princess

C 41 x 66 y 64
Centro, Mérida, México

99 923 37 74 telephone

Just got my usual Pedicure with a French Gel nail polish for $280.00 Mx.

Bistro Cultural Cafe and Market

Bistro Cultural Cafe

Situated on Calle 66 x 43, in Centro's Santa Ana Colonia, Bistro Cultural is a true community cafe. Bistro Cultural opened in January 2013 in Mérida, Yucatán, México.

The Bistro serves breakfast, lunch and an early dinner, seven days a week, featuring omelettes, quiches, chicken and fish specialties, soups and sandwiches, cafes, frappes, fruit juices, postres, and more. Most meals come with a small salad and vegetables.

Plus, there's free wifi.

Bistro Cultural is a community cafe. If you go frequently, the staff know you by name. While a lot of expats frequent the Bistro, tourists and locals also enjoy the Bistro.

The Bistro also hosts and promotes a variety of cultural events including yoga classes, music nights, movies, arts and craft fests, and art exhibits. 

The Cafe also supports local artists and authors with art and book displays.

A variety of seating is available. Besides seating inside the main rooms, there is a large, shaded garden seating area as well as an air-conditioned, dining room.

Bistro Cultural has been featured on Trip Advisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g150811-d4112684-Reviews-Bistro_Cultural-Merida_Yucatan_Peninsula.html  

and in Yucatan Today http://yucatantoday.com/restaurant-month-bistro-cultural/?lang=en.

Recently, Bistro Cultural opened a market across from the cafe. The Bistro Cultural Market offers fresh fruits and vegetables, and a variety of food items including jams and sauces made by Bistro Cultural.

Bistro Cultural Market

Bistro Cultural Cafe

8:30am - 5:30pm Lunes - Sabado/Monday-Saturday
8:30am - 4:30pm Domingo/Sunday

Bistro Cultural Market
7:00am - 2:00pm Lunes-Viernes /Monday-Friday

Calle 66 #377 x 41 y 43

Mérida, Yucatán, México 97000

999 923 2013

Facebook

 https://www.facebook.com/Bistro-Cultural-480869411971096/

The Star of My Kitchen -- the Mabe Refrigerator

 III.
ROUGE ET NOIR.
Soul, wilt thou toss again?
By just such a hazard
Hundreds have lost, indeed,
But tens have won an all.
Angels' breathless ballot
Lingers to record thee;
Imps in eager caucus
Raffle for my soul.
--Emily Dickinson
     via Project Gutenberg

The Star of My Kitchen
The Mabe Refrigerator

I rent an apartment. It came furnished. But, I don't have an oven. I am on my fourth two-burner hot plate and it doesn't always work right.

I have few fancy gadgets.

(Manufacturer: Mabe)

But I love my Mabe Refrigerator. Without a refrigerator, I would be lost.

While I rely heavily on canned goods and my pantry, I marvel at the invention called a Refrigerator.

Where would we be without refrigeration?
Plus, ice cubes!

I try to freeze a lot of leftovers, homemade desserts and chopped vegetables. Plus, I keep some spices in the freezer as well as crushed crackers and cookies for casserole toppings, dessert crusts, and more.

When people say "fresh" fruit or vegetables, those items would have a short-shelf life without the refrigerator.




Source of interest:

Food Storage: Cupboard, Pantry, Refrigerator, Freezer -- University of Nebraska - Lincoln
https://food.unl.edu/food-storage-chart-cupboardpantry-refrigerator-and-freezer

The History of Refrigeration, Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigeration

Peg Bracken -- I Hate to Cook Book -- 50th Anniversary

"I Hate to Cook Book" by Peg Bracken

I remember when I saw Peg Bracken's "I Hate to Cook Book" because it made me feel like I was not alone in my dislike or inability to cook.

While I never mastered her bulk cooking methods, I still appreciated her approach.

I had her book in mind when I wrote "Recipes from the Kitchen of a Frugal Non-Cook" knowing there had to others who struggled to cook healthy meals for themselves and others.

So, I was sad, I was late in seeing the revised I Hate to Cook Book for the 50th Anniversary of her first cookbook.

(Source: Barnes and Noble)

So, better late than never!

Thanks Peg Bracken.

 

Apple Salsa

Apple Salsa

(Adapted from: https://www.farmflavor.com/recipe/apple-salsa/ and https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/apple-salsa/) 


Ingredients: 

2 Small to medium Granny apples, cored and diced

1/2 Medium white onion, diced
1/2 Cup pepino*, or cucumber, diced
1/2 Bell pepper, diced
1 Jalapeno pepper, diced
1 Capful lime juice concentrate
1 TBspoon olive oil
1/4 Cup Apple cider vinegar
1 Teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste.

To make this recipe GERD-Friendly, do not use the onions and Jalapeno pepper. Remove or reduce amounts of olive oil, cider vinegar.

*A pepino resembles a cucumber but has a lighter green skin and milder taste.

UPDATE: I changed the picture. This is blanco pepino which is similar to the cucumber.

Add ingredients to large bowl. Mix well.

Other reference: U.S. Apple Association

Apple Slaw

Apple Slaw
(Adapted from: USDA What's Cooking Recipe and http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-apple-cabbage-slaw/)

 Note: I try to give credit to the real cooks I go to for help. While I have collected recipes from various sources over time, some of the recipe sites have changed. For example, the USDA What's Cooking recipe site has been revised. I can no longer find many of the recipes I referred to in the past.


Ingredients:

1/4 cabbage head, sliced thinly (julienned)
1 8oz carrots, julienned
1 medium apple, cored, and sliced thinly
1 Yellow bell pepper, sliced thinly (Any color bell pepper is fine.)
1/2 red onion, thin slices
1/2 large jicama, julienned

To make this recipe GERD-Friendly, do not use the onions. Use the yogurt dressing or other mild dressing.

Process:

After slicing the vegetables. Add ingredients to a large bowl. Mix well.
Make Mustard or Mayo Dressing. See below.

Mustard Dressing
In a separate bowl, mix the following -
1/2 Cup Apple cider vinegar
6 TBspoons olive oil
1/4 Cup sugar
5 dashes of red pepper sauce
2 heaping TBspoons of yellow mustard


Alternative Mayo or Yogurt Dressing
1/3 Cup Mayo or half Mayo, half plain yogurt*
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 TBspoon vinegar or lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix well.
*Options: Use low-fat varieties of Mayo and Yogurt.


Pour dressing over slaw mixture. Toss ingredients, mix ingredients to coat the mixture.

I choose the mustard dressing, so with the yellow bell pepper, the slaw looks yellow which is not a bad color. I am glad I choose the mustard dressing. I have concerns about a mayo dressing. It may not keep well over several days.

This recipe made so much slaw, I am going to take some to a neighbor.