What Lurks Around Corners…

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There has been so many things I have wanted to write about the last few weeks, however my brother has been in town, and between starting ’round 2′ of Spanish lessons and sight-seeing around the city – I just couldn’t find the time.

However, something unfortunate happened to us the other day and I have been battling with the idea of whether or not I should write about it – but this is after all a blog that is meant to record my experiences of living in a new city and sometimes the bad comes with the good! Keep Reading

Casa Colonial Bed & Breakfast in Oaxaca

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During our stay in Oaxaca, we stayed at Casa Colonial – a hotel/B&B that was recommended to ‘C’ by one of his colleagues. Casa Colonial is owned and run by an American woman who has been living in Oaxaca for almost 20 years. She and her husband bought the casa from another American couple and have obviously poured their heart and soul into the place – tragically, her husband was killed in a car accident a couple of years ago on his way back from the States to Oaxaca – and she decided to continue running the hotel on her own. 

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Oaxaca – my thoughts

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Over New Years, ‘C’ and I decided that we wanted to get out of Mexico City for a while and have a bit of a holiday (needless to say my life at the moment is a constant holiday, but ‘C’ works damn hard and needed a break!). We decided we would drive down to the city of Oaxaca (don’t be fooled by the spelling, as its pronounced more along the lines of Wah-hak-ah) as its meant to be one of Mexico’s most interesting cities. Keep Reading

Coq au vin

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So, I’m on a bit of a roll today in regards to blogging – I’m feeling really inspired, plus there has been a lot of cooking going on in my kitchen recently, which has produced some really great outcomes, and I really just want to share these successful recipes.

For Christmas Eve ‘C’ and I decided to just be on our own and celebrate our first real Christmas together. We wanted to make something special for dinner, but neither of us felt too inclined on any of the usual Christmas fare – really, making a turkey is just too ambitious (and too gluttonous) for the both of us!

I was flipping through my recipe notebook and came across my mother’s recipe for Coq au vin – sold! This is one of the most simplest dishes to make, yet it sounds quite complex (possibly due to its French name!) but most importantly it’s incredibly delicious! If you think about it, there is no way it can’t be delicious…its a dish based on bacon, chicken, mushrooms and wine!! Keep Reading

Flying high – Airlines in Mexico

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Before I moved to Mexico City, I honestly thought that ‘C’ and I would be traveling all over Latin and South America. A weekend in Costa Rica, pop down to Argentina for a week and explore Buenos Aires…or even attempt the Inca trail…

However I have quickly come to realise that this will not be the case – for two very valid reasons. The first is that Latin and South America are huge…yes, yes I know that is an incredibly obvious statement to make – but I never realised how big it and what exactly the distances were like. Living in Singapore, South East Asia is at your finger tips and a weekend trips to Bali, Bangkok and Thailand was a reality. Keep Reading

Christmas away from family

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In my 28 years of existence, I have only ever spent one christmas away from my family and that was last year. ‘C’ had just moved to Mexico from DC and it was the only holiday time I had from work to come and visit (Singapore to Mexico is a long and expensive journey, so I wanted to stay as long as possible). Although feeling guilty my family understood, and I was incredibly excited about seeing ‘C’ again after four months so it was easy to push my guilty conscience aside. 

 This is going to be my second Christmas away from my family, and I must admit it feels awful knowing my parents are going to spend Christmas alone. Christmas in my family has always been exceptionally important. We are a family who travel extensively, but no matter where in the world we find ourselves we have always made it home for Christmas there was a time when all four of us (my parents, my brother and myself) were all living on different continents let alone different countries. Keep Reading

Casa Portuguesa – Polanco

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I have been so excited about writing this post since Saturday, and have been meaning to do it all week- this is my first restaurant review – and what a review to start with!

 I have two words for you – Casa Portuguesa!
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Tomato Soup with Chevre

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It’s amazing how good food can put you into a really good mood! Or does that only happen with me? If you haven’t noticed by now, I LOVE food! I love thinking about it, talking about it, making it and more importantly, eating it! Growing up, my dad used to joke that the three words he would hear the most from me was: “Daddy – I’m hungry!”

Even poor C has learnt that my mood directly correlates with my hunger – unfortunately he has learnt the hard way. I like to think of my self as pretty even-tempered, I don’t get angry often, however when I am hungry and there is no food in sight it is almost a guarantee that you will see a really unpleasant side of me!

Anyway, back to the reason for this post. Tomato Soup with Chevre!  Keep Reading

Quick & Easy Puttanesca – My Version!

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It was one of those evenings where ‘C’ was out of town for business, so I didn’t really feel like making a huge meal, but at the same time wanted something substantial to eat for dinner. I had walked home from Spanish class and was freezing (someone forgot to inform me that it actually gets cold in Mexico!) so I was in the mood for something hot and comforting!

Putanesca is one of my all time favorite dishes to make when I’m coming home late (because it is so quick and easy), or even if I have nothing else in my cupboard, I know I will ALWAYS have tomatoes, capers and olives and some kind of fresh and dried herb kicking about my cupboard or fridge. Throw all these ingredients together – and you have made a fantastic sauce be it for pasta, grilled chicken, a firm white fish or even grilled Portobello mushrooms!

However if you happen to have some anchovies at hand – you have yourself a sensational pasta sauce!!  Keep Reading

My First Bull Fight

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Yesterday I went to my first bullfight. The decision to attend a bull fight was one that I did not take lightly – those who know me, know I have an immense love of animals and detest cruelty in any form (I even have a hard time killing insects!) so the decision to attend a bull fight may come as a surprise. However, I had three motivating reasons that in the end swayed me.

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