Posts in category: Newsletter

Life in Mexico

Club Santiago is a wonderful place to live, nestled between a beautiful beach that stretches for several kilometres along Santiago Bay and the environmental reserve surrounding Juluapan Lagoon.

Unfortunately, even paradise has pests, and these take the form of racoons. Known locally as mapaches, these nocturnal creatures make a habit of breaking-and-entering in search of food; the last time I forgot to lock my patio screen, I found Coco-Puffs scattered all over my kitchen.

Even when you’re careful, they still make a mess. Club Santiago supplies big plastic barrels for residents to place their daily garbage; resourceful racoons then knock them over every night and nibble at will.

My neighbour Mike got fed up with shoveling the mess back in and sought my help. We came up with the idea of screwing a large hook into a light-pole and drilling a hole into the lip of the barrel so that the mapaches can’t tip it over.

What we forgot is that they have very sharp teeth. The following morning, we went out to check on our brainstorm only to find they had chewed through the bottom of the barrel.

Once again, outsmarted by nature.

Movie Review

There’s a pivotal scene in Love Actually where Bill Nighy, playing washed-up rock star Billy Mack on a quest to top the Christmas charts, utters his most famous line; “Hey, kids, don’t buy drugs… Become a rock star and they give you them for free.” According to The Mirror, the award-winning British actor reckons it will be ‘etched on my tombstone.’

Love, Actually, is without a doubt the schmaltziest Christmas movie ever made. Set in London, it features an ensemble cast of some of the finest British actors (and one or two Americans), in a series of intertwined story lines.

Bachelor David (played by Hugh Grant), has just been elected Prime Minister and is moving into 10 Downing Street. He becomes infatuated with Natalie, a potty-mouthed, working-class girl. Meanwhile, Daniel (Liam Neeson) is suffering depression after the tragic loss of his wife, Jamie (Colin Firth) discovers his girlfriend is cheating on him with his own brother, and self-styled sex god Colin is running off to America to find his true lust!

You get the picture.

While it sounds terribly complicated, director Richard Curtis does a stellar job interweaving each story line so that they build to a heart-warming finale that will have you clutching the extra-large Kleenex box. This is a big holiday treat, one that the whole family will enjoy!

Buy The Hotel Seamstress on Amazon!

“We are all aware of WWII, the atrocities and the outcome of the war, but Cope goes deeper into the struggles of the Parisians during this time…there is compassion, love and understanding.”

Amazon Five Star Review

The year is 1944. Paris has been under German occupation for four years. The French Resistance knows that an Allied invasion is imminent.

Veronique Grenelle is growing up in an impoverished inner-city neighborhood, scrambling to feed herself and her family.

The Resistance recruits the vivacious young woman to befriend Lieutenant Gunther von Clause, an aide-de-camp to the German Army’s Military Governor. She gradually gains his trust and affection.

James Gallagher, a lieutenant in the US Army’s Military Intelligence unit, frequently parachutes behind enemy lines to deliver funds and instructions to the Resistance. He meets and befriends Veronique, who falls madly in love with the dashing American officer.

D-Day approaches, and Veronique finds herself in a bind; should she pursue her heart or her duty? In the end, her decision will not only determine the fate of Paris, it will reverberate down through her family for generations to come.

TV Series Review

Blindspot

Streaming on Netflix

A naked woman is discovered in a duffel bag in Times Square. She has no memory; the only clue to the identity of Jane Doe (played by Jaimie Alexander), is the name of FBI Agent Kurt Weller tattooed to her back.

You gotta admit, that’s a nice start to a mystery thriller series.

It gets better; she is literally covered in tattoos, each one a harbinger of some malevolence against the US. As the FBI races to stop the bad guys, they are also trying to figure out who the mysterious woman is, and why someone would wipe out her memory and completely ink her exterior.

This NBC series ran for five seasons, so there’s lots of fun and action. If you like well-written mystery thrillers, then this worth a binge!

Recipe: Mussels in cream sauce

Bivalves (clams, mussels and oysters), first appeared on ancient reefs 500 million years ago. They’ve been gracing tables in the finest Cambrian era seafood restaurants ever since.  Here’s a great meal that’s easy to make and tastes fantastic! You can buy frozen mussels at La Comer.

(Serves two mains or four appetizers)

1 kg mussels (thawed)

1 clove garlic, chopped

3 shallots, chopped (or ½ white onion)

2 Tsp butter

½ cup white wine

1 tsp salt

1 cup cream

½ cup of chopped parsley

½ cup of fried lardons (chopped bacon)

Garlic toast

Directions

Melt butter in a Dutch oven or pan with lid and fry garlic and shallots.

Pour in white wine and add salt. Let simmer for two minutes.

Turn off heat and let cool for a minute before pouring in cream.

Add the mussels, return to simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes, covered.

Pour mussels into bowls, sprinkle with parsley and lardons, and enjoy!

Life in Mexico

We’re back in Manzanillo after a summer sojourn in San Miguel de Allende, and we’re looking forward to seeing all our friends at the Mujere’s luncheon, being held on Wednesday November 3 at the delightful Oasis Restaurant!

In addition to the delicious meal and guest speaker, we’ve got a few treats of our own!

Laurie Austin Brown will be selling her brand-new line of coconut bowls – excellent for soups, stews and other delights (see the red curry shrimp recipe below).

I will also be doing the first paperback signing for The Hotel Seamstress!

You can also order the Kindle version here!

A story of love, and war,

And how one person can change the course of history.

Recipe; Red Curry Seafood

Oral traditions date the first servings of this delightful meal to the legendary kings of Siam in the Iron Age. But the basic recipe has remained the same down through the ages; spicy, fresh and delicious on rice!

Ingredients

1 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined. 

1 lb of white fish, cut into cubes

10 mushrooms.

½ cup of snow peas

1 can of coconut milk

1 tsp of red curry paste

1 tsp of sugar

¼ cup of fish sauce

1 lime peel, grated.

8 leaves of basil.

Cooked Jasmine rice

Heat the coconut milk and add red curry paste, sugar, fish sauce and grated lime in a covered pan.  Throw in the chopped fish, snow peas and mushrooms.  Cook on medium (covered) until fish is white. 

Add basil and serve in rice.

Enjoy!

Book Review; The Lincoln Highway

By Amor Towles

The premise is simple; a group of young people set off on a post-WWII journey across the country in search of their future.

The celebrated author of A Gentleman in Moscow, however, gives depth and profundity to the book by creating a pantheon of unique characters. The main protagonist is a young Nebraskan farmer by the name of Emmet who has just been released from juvenile detention for manslaughter. His traveling companion is his eight-year old brother Billy, recently orphaned by the death of their father. Joining then are two juvenile home escapees, Duchess, the son of a former vaudeville star, and Woolly, the scion of an Eastern Seaboard magnate.

Emmet and Billy’s quest to go to California in search of their mother is quickly derailed when Duchess steals their car and heads to New York to help claim Woolly’s inheritance. They meet all sorts of eccentric characters along the way, each one piling one complication after the other on their ultimate mission.

The story begins slowly; it took several starts before I warmed to the characters, but I’m glad I persevered, as the book is a delight.

And importance of The Lincoln Highway to the story? Here’s the author’s own words.

“When I conceived of the story, I had no idea that it existed. I stumbled across it as I was mapping out the route that the characters were going to take out of Nebraska. Once I learned the history of the highway—and that it extended from Times Square to San Francisco—I couldn’t believe my luck. Almost immediately, the Lincoln Highway reinforced or reshaped a number of the book’s themes and events.”

I highly recommend The Lincoln Highway!

TV Series Review; Seinfeld

Streaming on Netflix

Boy, this one takes me back. When Seinfeld first aired in 1989, they still had TVs with tinfoil wrapped around the rabbit ears and phone message machines with tape cassettes.

But the premise of the series – a show about nothing – holds up today as well as when it first aired. Some TV series date poorly, but the casual insanity of each Seinfeld episode (a bet on who can hold off masturbating the longest, for instance), simply defies pigeon-holing.

I had also forgotten that the original seasons featured Jerry Seinfeld doing his stand-up. It’s a joy to watch him take the most mundane topics and turn them upside down. (“I’m watching TV and they’re showing me commercials about how to get out blood stains – if you’ve got a T-shirt with blood stains on it, maybe laundry isn’t your biggest problem.”)

Each one of the principle actors – Michael Richards as Kramer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine, Jason Alexander as George  – have long gone on to other endeavours, but it’s a delight to see them all so young and full of vitality.

And the series? Once it hit syndication, the real money started flowing in, to the tune of an estimated $4 billion; it’s been reported that Netflix paid well over $500 million to stream all 180 episodes. Seinfeld is, by far, the most successful TV comedy ever.

There’s nothing like new ear buds!

I’ve worn hearing aids for many years, but when my last pair gave up the ghost, I was at a loss as to where to replace them.

Costco in Queretaro has a hearing clinic, but it would take at least six appointments to get tested and fitted – I didn’t want to be driving almost a thousand kilometres!

Then I saw Guillermo Sanchez’s ad in the Atención newspaper. He runs a clinic in the Jolla Hospital on San Miguel’s ring road every Saturday and Sunday – easy to reach in 10 minutes!

Guillermo, an accredited audiologist who speaks English, has been running the clinic for over 20 years. He is a very accomplished and dedicated professional.

I was able to purchase state-of-the-art hearing aids (Starkey, made in US). They have many new features, and have tremendously improved my ability to hear. While good hearing aids cost money, it works out to a few bucks a day in the long run – an excellent bargain for restored hearing!

If you have trouble hearing your love ones, I strongly recommend you check out hearing aids – they make a world of difference. And, if you’re lucky enough to live in San Miguel, I recommend you contact Guillermo!

Guillermo Sanchez, Audiologist, Texas Board of Examiners

centrodeaudicion1@hotmail.com

Cell 415-138-3696 

Life in Mexico

We’ve had a great summer in San Miguel de Allende, but it’s time to head back home to Manzanillo. There are so many wonderful sights to see and places to eat in SMA; here’s a few of our favorites;

Antigua Trattoria Romana.

Located at the north end of Ancha de San Antonio (the main road running north-south through town), this restaurant features some of the best Italian food in the city. Our favorite dishes include Insalata de Funghi (fresh mushrooms with celery, Parmesan cheese and lime juice), and the Pizza Capricciosa (artichoke hearts, black olives, prosciutto and mushrooms).

Fabrica la Aurora.

This 19^th century cotton mill has been converted into an amazing mall filled with art galleries, jewelry shops and restaurants. Take in an exhibition of contemporary art or stroll through the amazing collections – all for free!

Park Juarez.

An oasis of green in the middle of the city that attracts lovers, joggers and nature enthusiasts. Artists sell their works here every Sunday morning, or you can take in the special flower bed that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds year-round.

Recipe: Chicken Phyllo with Tzatziki Sauce

This classic appetizer recalls lazy days spent in the Greek Islands! Easy to make and freeze ahead of time!

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, deboned and cut into finger-sized pieces.

3 sheets of phyllo pastry, layered and cut into 6-in squares.

½ cup of mayo

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 Tsp of lemon juice

1 tsp of tarragon.

¼ cup of butter, melted

¼ cup of parmesan, grated

Directions

Set oven at 400 F.

Mix mayo, garlic, lemon juice and tarragon.

Dip each piece of chicken in mix and wrap it in phyllo. Brush with butter and lay on a baking tray. Sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Tzatziki Sauce

½ cup grated cucumber

1 cup plain yogurt

1 Tsp of sour cream

1 Tsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp chopped fresh mint and/or dill

1 Tsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Squeeze the grated cucumber between your palms over the sink to remove excess moisture. Salt the cucumber and place on a paper towel.

Put the cucumber in a medium bowl. Add the yogurt, olive oil, sour cream, herbs, lemon juice, garlic, and salt, and stir to blend. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Serve tzatziki immediately or chill for later.

Enjoy!

Order The Hotel Seamstress Here!

A story of love, and war,

And how one person can change the course of history.

The year is 1944. Paris has been under German occupation for four years, its citizens ground beneath the jackboot of fascism.

The French Resistance knows that an Allied invasion is imminent. They do not know how the Germans will react, however. Will they retreat from Paris, or burn the city to the ground?

Veronique Grenelle is growing up in an impoverished inner-city neighborhood, scrambling to feed herself and her family. The Resistance recruits the vivacious young woman to befriend Lieutenant Gunther von Clause, an aide-de-camp to the German Army’s Military Governor. She gradually gains his affection.

James Gallagher, a lieutenant in the US Army’s Military Intelligence unit, frequently parachutes behind enemy lines to deliver funds and instructions to the Resistance. He meets and befriends Veronique, who falls madly in love with the dashing American officer.

D-Day approaches, and Veronique finds herself in a bind; should she pursue her heart or her duty to the Resistance? In the end, her decision will not only determine the fate of Paris, it will reverberate down through her family for generations to come.

TV Series Review

Sex Education

Streaming on Netflix

Sex Education is a British production filmed in Wales about a typical American high school, only with a lot of hanky-panky.

Creator Laurie Nunn wanted to create an homage to John Hughes teenage angst films, including The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. Of course, three decades of cable TV has led to a contemporary mashup where who-is-taking-who-to-the-prom is replaced by should-I-wear-a-condom-during-anal-intercourse.

The premise of the story revolves around Otis, the teenage son of famous sex therapist Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson). Otis is smitten with goth-girl Maeve, who has a bit of a cash flow problem. Maeve convinces Otis to offer sex advice to class mates in an abandoned washroom.

Otis turns out to be a hit, and soon everyone is beating a path to his (toilet) door. In the meantime, hormones are raging out of control as adolescents discover the joys of lust.

Sex Education is fun, light-hearted and tremendous entertainment for both teenagers and adults.

Movie Review

Worth

Streaming on Netflix

Worth is a biopic that tells the story of Kenneth Feinberg, a lawyer who was appointed by the Bush Administration as Special Master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Based upon his memoir, Worth follows the efforts of Feinberg (played by Michael Keaton), to convince the majority of thousands of claimants to agree to compensation based upon a complex actuarial calculation.

This is not a high-action film bursting with dramatic rescues or falling buildings; rather, it is an intense emotional journey. As Feinberg races against a deadline to complete his work, we learn the devastating impact the tragedy has had upon a score of ordinary people.

Backed by excellent performances by Stanley Tucci and Amy Adams, Worth is a poignant retrospective of the consequences of the most lethal terrorist attack ever to take place on American soil.

Book Review

Apples Never Fall

By Liane Moriarty

I’m a big fan of Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers), and Apples Never Fall is one of the best novels I have read from the Sydney-based writer.

Stan and Joy Delaney have been running a tennis academy in the Sydney suburbs for 50 years, but now it’s time to sell-up and enjoy the good life. Unfortunately, retirement doesn’t go well, and, when Joy suddenly disappears, the police focus their attention on Stan.

The problem for the Delaney siblings – Amy, Brooke, Troy and Logan – is should they cooperate with the police, or not? They know Stan has a short-temper; did he really kill their mother and dispose of the body? Each one has their reasons to both support and condemn their dad, and their ambivalence fuels the story as it whipsaws back and forth between guilt and innocence.

Moriarty has a gift for mining the drama that lurks beneath the shady suburbs of her home town in a manner that is unparalleled! I highly recommend Apples Never Fall!

Life in Mexico

The first thing you notice as you approach Pork Belly is the exquisite aroma of meat cooking slowly over hardwood logs, a seductive siren that pulls you in.

Pork Belly is the creation of Erick and his wife Carmen. Erick trained as a chef in Europe for several decades before returning to his native Mexico with a dream; “I just love the taste of smoked meat.”

The restaurant is located in a converted home on Stirling Dickinson, a few blocks west of the Minas Real hotel. The tiny patio gives way to a series of minimally-decorated salons arranged around the central open kitchen. A black-iron smoker adjacent to the kitchen puffs away, cooking the slabs of brisket, ribs and pork belly for several hours.

Although Pork Belly features a full menu catering to all tastes, I invariably order the brisket, which has been smoked for 8 hours. The moist and tasty meat, served on a fluffy French brioche bun, melts in your mouth. Linda enjoys the signature pork belly, which has been lovingly-prepared over three days for an amazing combination of succulent smoked meat with a crunchy crust.

I highly recommend Pork Belly!

Address: Stirling Dickinson 10

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10 am – 8 pm

(Also serves cocktails and tacos at it outlet on Cuna Allende 15, adjacent to the Parroquia).

TV Review

This is a wonderful TV Series produced by Masterpiece Theatre (Downton Abbey) for Britain’s ITV network. It tells the real-life story of the Durrell family, who moved from England to live in Corfu in the 1930s. It is based upon The Corfu Trilogy memoirs written by acclaimed naturalist Gerald Durrell.

The series features widowed mother Louisa trying to raise her four children under trying financial difficulties. Her eldest, Lawrence, is an aspiring writer, second eldest Leslie is obsessed with girls, Margo is fighting her way through teenage hormones and Gerald, the youngest, is besotted with anything that flies, crawls or wiggles.

They retreat to a decrepit villa on the shores of Corfu where Lawrence sets out to write the next great novel, Gerald creates a zoo from local creatures and Louisa tries to keep home and hearth together amid penury.

The appeal of the series arises from the idyllic setting amid Ionian seas, the warm and eccentric natives and the compelling interpersonal stories. Scriptwriter Simone Nye leans heavily on Durrell’s memoirs as well as his own gift for narrative to create a chronicle of lust, drama, heart-ache and prat-falls. It is in equal measures heartfelt, witty, reflective and charming. We were enchanted throughout all four seasons, and sorry when it finally ended.

I highly recommend The Durrells!

Check out my latest book on Amazon!

A story of love, and war,

And how one person can change the course of history.

The year is 1944. Paris has been under German occupation for four years, its citizens ground beneath the jackboot of fascism.

The French Resistance knows that an Allied invasion is imminent. They do not know how the Germans will react, however. Will they retreat from Paris, or burn the city to the ground?

Veronique Grenelle is growing up in an impoverished inner-city neighborhood, scrambling to feed herself and her family. The Resistance recruits the vivacious young woman to befriend Lieutenant Gunther von Clause, an aide-de-camp to the German Army’s Military Governor. She gradually gains his affection.

James Gallagher, a lieutenant in the US Army’s Military Intelligence unit, frequently parachutes behind enemy lines to deliver funds and instructions to the Resistance. He meets and befriends Veronique, who falls madly in love with the dashing American officer.

D-Day approaches, and Veronique finds herself in a bind; should she pursue her heart or her duty to the Resistance? In the end, her decision will not only determine the fate of Paris, it will reverberate down through her family for generations to come.

Recipe

Lamb Curry

This is a great comfort meal for those cold fall evenings – easy to make and very delicious!

Ingredients

1 kg of lamb, cut into pieces.

Three carrots, chopped

1 white onion, chopped

8 mushrooms, chopped

1tsp curry

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried coriander

1 Tsp garam masala

½ tsp clove

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp turmeric

1 tsp of ginger, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of pepper

1 chili pepper, chopped

3 Tsp of olive oil

1 cup of broth.

¼ cup of fresh coriander, chopped

Fry spices in olive oil for one minute. Add lamb and onion and fry until onion is translucent. Add carrots and mushrooms and broth. Cook on low for 2 hours. Add coriander just before serving.

Movie Review

Cinderella

Streaming on Amazon Prime

This campy musical, filled with both original and classic rock songs, is definitely not your childhood fairy tale.

Cinderella (Camila Cabello) may still have two ugly stepsisters and lives in the basement, but she isn’t searching for a prince to rescue her. Her way out of the proverbial ashes is to become a dress designer (albeit with the help of a trio of mice).

The kingdom is in a pickle because the young, handsome Prince Robert (Nicholas Galitzine) doesn’t want to marry the fiancée arranged for him by his father, King Rowan (Pierce Brosnan). The latter puts his foot down and demands his son pick out a bride at the annual ball.

When word gets out, Cinderella could care less if she is invited; she sees the fete as an opportunity to highlight her couture apparel.

Evil stepmom Vivian (Idina Menzel), is having none of it, of course, and bans Cinderella. Fabulous Godmother (hey, we said it was camp), comes to the rescue and she is off to the ball in a fantastic frock.

You know what happens next. Cinderella and the prince fall hopelessly in love, but she has to flee at the stroke of 12.

After that, everything goes off the rails (SPOILER ALERT!) Cinderella makes plans to head for Paris and tells Prince Robert if he doesn’t like it, tough.

In the meantime, everyone rocks to Queen’s Somebody to Love, Ed Sheeran’s Perfect, and Rhythm Nation by Jane Jackson. This is a wonderfully fun and rollicking movie that the whole family can enjoy. I highly recommend Cinderella!