My Club Med EXGO Reunion ~ Club Med Ixtapa Pacific, Mexico ~ June 2013

My son won a Club Med 'medal' for being part of the pool kayak race, he was thrilled!

I went to my second Club Med EXGO Reunion in June, this time to the Club Med Village of Ixtapa Pacific.  I took my son with me this time, and we spent two weeks soaking up the hot and tropical weather that is Mexico.  It was his first experience with Club Med, and I think I have planted the seed for him becoming a GO when he is old enough.  Ixtapa was my first village, waaay back in 1992. (see my original post about working for Club Med & the last reunion ~ HERE) It was so great to come back and see all the changes that 20 years brings!  The trees are bigger, the landscaping more lush, the room decor is better...but the same GO spirit is still there.  :)

I've put together another photo collage blog post, of food and fun, to show just how much Club Med still means to me.  To see a certain collage better, just click on it to enlarge.  Enjoy!

J & I had a blast hanging out with the Chief of Circus, Patrick, and his super fantastic Circus Team.  J got to fly on the trapeze, he climbed the rock wall, he bounced on the trampoline and he walked on the tight rope.  Doing circus tricks, under the palm trees, on a beach... Yeah, you could say he liked it...A LOT!  :)

La Playa ~ you get the picture!  All the kids loved playing, boarding, sailing and swimming at the beach.   Not to mention the treasuring hunt, the beach fiesta, the sandcastle contests... The fun just went on & on!

The Main Pool was a big part of our day.  Juan, the GE (local employee) pool bartender/beach boy was just wonderful!! He was sincerely friendly, he always had a big smile for all the guests, and he made the BEST Sangrita ~ EVER!  He gave me pointers on how he makes his secret recipe.  This Mexico City-style recipe is similar to his.  This juice chaser is my new way to drink tequila.  I can't say enough good things about Juan, he is such an asset to the Club!  Juan ~ YOU ROCK!  :)

One afternoon, Chef Saul presented a cooking class.  He showed us how to prepare the freshest shrimp ceviche I've ever had.  His secret is to use a splash of Clamato juice to enhance the dish.  Genius!  I'll be making it his way from now on.  Thanks so much for the class, Chef!

The food was excellent, as always.  So much to choose from!  The seafood was exceptional, as was the service from the chefs. 

The Restaurant Manager, Hugo, and his staff, do a fine job of presenting three colorful and enticing food services a day, with an abundance of food and flavors to choose from.  I don't know how they accomplish it ~ but I'm so glad they can!!  There is a great terrace, just outside the main restaurant, where you can enjoy your meals al fresco.

The Pastry Chefs just kept the beautiful desserts coming, meal after meal...

The Main Bar is colorful and at the center of the village.  My favorite GO Bartender, Basti, is just amazing!!  He can mix drinks like no other, he dances like Michael Jackson in the evening shows and he's just so friendly ~ to adults and children alike.  He takes just as much care with a child's fruit smoothie, as he does with an adults order ~ now, that's service.   Both my son and I just love him! Basti, you are truly the BEST!!  :)

Me & Hoshi (top left).  She is a Mini Club GO and she was with my son's age group for the 2-weeks we were there.  She is so beautiful ~ both inside and out.  She has the old-school GO spirit that I remember from my days of working for the Club.  I can't say enough nice things about her, I sincerely hope we may meet her at another village in the future, both J & I just LOVE her!!  Hoshi, thanks so much for all the fun and care that you gave J & for making me smile!!  The Mini Club Chief, Tom-Tom, & his team helped us celebrate my son's 9th birthday.  We had a special cake, balloons, songs & gifts ~ all you could ask for.  :)  Thanks to all the GO's that helped to make his day extra special!  ~~  Some photos from around the village, having fun in the sun!

More beautiful views from around the village...


EXGO Family & Friends Reunion ~~~ Club Med Ixtapa Pacific, Mexico ~~~ June 2013

If you're ever looking for a great family vacation, check out Club Med Ixtapa Pacific.  Trip Advisor loves it as much as we do!  It's their #1 ~ Traveler's Choice 2013 Award Winner ~ for best hotel for families in Mexico.  I couldn't agree more!  :)

Homegrown goodies from Cheryl's garden ~ Meatless Monday

Our neighbor, Cheryl, has been kind enough to share the bounty of their backyard garden with us.  She gave me a few bags of homegrown veggies the other day, and I copied how she prepares them.
   

Cheryl likes to take whatever veggies are ripe and turn them into a ~ Fresh Chopped Salad ~ tossed with Italian dressing.  Sometimes her husband, Bill, will find a salad dressing recipe online that sounds appealing and he will made her a homemade salad dressing to use instead.


She also sometimes likes to simply cook the green beans in a little water, with onions and a few spices until they are just tender, and then toss them in a little butter. YUM!  Super quick, super simple and super tasty.


Add your favorite meatless protein, some homegrown veggie side dishes, some buttered noodles and you've got the perfect Meatless Monday summertime meal!



Pineapple Upside-Down Oat Bran Breakfast Cake


I was looking through my copy of ~ The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure ~ and decided to make the recipe for the Pineapple Upside-Down Oat Bran Muffins.  After reading the recipe, I opted for the 'cake' version instead, which includes pineapple rings and maraschino cherries.  Below is my adapted version, with a few changes/additions to the recipe...I used just one egg instead of two egg whites, 2% milk (it's what I had on hand) instead of skim milk and I added vanilla extract and cinnamon for a little extra flavor.



When it came out of the oven it looked like a traditional pineapple upside-down cake ~ but it tasted more like a super thickened, cake'ish baked oatmeal to me.  Not surprising really, since it is made mostly of oat bran.  I was thinking I had a pretty flop on my hands.  I refuse to let food go to waste around here, so I decided to serve it anyway.  I decided to tinker with it, and when I presented it to my family as a 'pineapple-oat breakfast cake' (served warm, in a bowl with milk and a small drizzle of maple syrup) ~ it was an unexpected hit with both my husband and son!  My hubby liked it so much that he also ate it for dessert ~ this time chilled, with a scoop of light ice cream and a splash of milk.  So, with a bit of creative embellishing, it works as both a breakfast and a dessert.  Cool, score one for Mom!

Pineapple Upside-Down Oat Bran Breakfast Cake
makes 8-12 servings
adapted from the book ~ The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure

Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 cups toasted oat bran  (I used Trader Joe's toasted oat bran)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup milk (low fat or skim)
  • 2 - 8 oz. cans crushed pineapple in its own juice (unsweetened)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 7 pineapple rings, drained
  • 7 maraschino cherries, drained 
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 F.  Spray a round cake pan with Pam, place drained pineapple rings in a single layer on the bottom, add one maraschino cherry in the center of each pineapple ring and set pan aside.  Mix the oat bran, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Mix the milk, 1 can of crushed pineapple with juice, egg, vanilla extract and oil in a blender for 10 seconds.  Combine the wet and dry ingredients in the bowl and mix thoroughly.  Drain the second can of pineapple and stir into the bran mixture.  Pour oat bran mixture into cake pan.  Bake for approx. 30 minutes or until cake is cooked throughTurn out the cake pan onto a cooling rack or a large, flat plate and allow to cool.  Cut into wedges and serve warm or cold.  Serving suggestions ~ warm ~ eat it plain or with milk and a little maple syrup for breakfast; and ~ chilled ~ with milk and light ice cream or with a little whipped cream for a dessert version.  Store in fridge.



Jiffy Mix Cupcakes ~ super cheap & cheerful baked goodies!


Nothing beats a box of Jiffy cake mix for making a dozen cupcakes, they make for a super cheap and cheerful sweet baked treat.  And at only about 50 cents a box, you can't get more economical than that!  I decided to jazz up the basic yellow cupcake recipe with some vanilla extract, a dash of cinnamon and a few chocolate chips.  The cupcakes turned out good ~ but...I did not expect the chocolate chips to take the express elevator to the bottom of the cupcake batter.  They sunk right to the cupcake liner...Sigh... See what happens when this challenged baker starts to color outside the lines! :)

I found a can of white frosting hiding in the pantry (left over from Christmas baking), as well as some leftover Wall-E birthday cupcake liners (from a few years ago) ~ so these were truly cheap, quick and easy to throw together.  Making faces with more chocolate chips was a silly way to add more chocolate...more chocolate is always a plus in my opinion!  These little gems were just the right ending for the impromptu summer evening's barbecue we were invited to.

Good friends, playful kids, hot dogs, sausages, homegrown salads, drinks, cherry pie, cupcakes, a sultry summer evening with fireflies lighting up the night...all the things that make summertime so special.

Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas & Kale ~ Meatless Monday


This recipe for Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas and Mustard Greens popped up on my Facebook feed yesterday.  The recipe said to change up the greens if you like.  Well, I had some kale that needed using up...and an open can of chickpeas in the fridge...and a bottle of balsamic vinegar in the pantry ~ all the things I needed for a superfood Meatless Monday meal!

I made this today for my lunch and I was really happy with how it tasted...and used up the odds-and-ends in my fridge.  Real-time cooking in my kitchen this afternoon.  Check out FatFree Vegan Kitchen for LOTS of other wonderful meatless recipes.


Bill's Easy 3-Minute Microwave Fresh Corn on the Cob


Woo Hoo!!!  It's now farm-fresh corn season!  Last night, we purchased our first bag of sweet corn, fresh picked from our neighbor's corn field.  (see my last summer's post on their sweet corn/field ~ HERE)  This corn is so sweet, it really just needs a quick dunk in boiling water and it's good to go.

As a few of us were chatting over the pile of corn for sale, picking our ears (heehee, that sounds so funny!) our neighbor, Bill, told me how he likes to cook his corn. His way of cooking corn sounded so quick and easy, and perfect for lunch at work, or when you want just one ear of corn...or, maybe even for dinner.  It was getting late...we were hungry...I didn't want to wait for the pot of water to boil...so I tried his method.  Happy to report, Bill's way of making corn has to be the easiest way ever to prepare this golden veggie of summer ~ I'm a convert!  Thanks so much for the corn cooking tip, Bill!!

Bill's Easy 3-Minute Microwave Fresh Corn on the Cob
cooks up to 4 at a time

Ingredients
  • fresh picked corn ~ shucked, prepped and washed 
  • butter, salt/pepper
Directions
Wrap each of the prepped/washed corn on the cob in its own wet paper towel.  Place up to 4 ears on a microwave safe plate and microwave on high for 3 minutes.  Repeat if more ears (heehee) are wanted ~ just wet/reuse the paper towels each time.  Top the cooked corn with butter, salt and pepper.  *(my hubby wanted me to mention that you should not put the corn picks in the microwave, add them to the cob when you're ready to serve ~ so here is that note for all those who might not know this bit of info :)  Enjoy your super-quick-to-prepare corn on the cob!

Last summer at the corn field...



Cherry Cordial Ice Cream Coke Float ~ a fun spin on the classic ice cream drink


It's been sunny, warm and humid today.  After going for a walk this afternoon, we got back to the house looking for something to drink.  Roy came up with a refreshing, cool, yummy beverage that really hit the spot.  He was going for a root beer float kinda drink, but since we only had Coke and Cherry Cordial ice cream in the fridge (sugar free & lower fat) ~ so, that's what he used.  He threw in some ice cubes too, so it looks like a bigger treat that it really is.  It was an unexpected hit!  We really liked the flavor combo of the Coke with the cherry ice cream...I think it might be my new favorite way to enjoy a 'cherry' coke.  More real-time creating in our kitchen.  Thanks, Dad!


Vitamin C Zing ~ fresh from the juicer, with oranges & ginger




I enjoy playing around with my Hamilton Beach juicer.  This recipe from their manual is quick, simple, easy and great tasting.  That little bit of ginger really wakes up my morning orange juice. (maybe I'll try it using tangerines next time they go on sale)  Hello, liquid sunshine!

Vitamin C Zing
serves one

Ingredients
  • 3 juice oranges, peeled
  • 1/8" slice of peeled ginger (or more if you like the spicy taste ~ I do!)
Directions
Push all ingredients down the shoot to enjoy your frothy breakfast beverage!


Oat Bran "Polenta" with Mexican Beans ~ Meatless Monday

Giving leftover oat bran the 'polenta treatment' ~ what a great way to eat more of this superfood!

Ixtapa, Mexico
I've recently returned from a 2-week long vacation and I'm slowly easing back into my routines, both around the house and on the blog.  I went to another Club Med EXGO Reunion (read about my first EXGO reunion here) and this time I took my son.  This latest reunion was at the Club Med village ~ Ixtapa Pacific.  We met lots of new people and became really good friends with a lovely family from San Francisco. :) 

Since I've been busy working on editing our trip photos, I've been thinking a lot about our vacation and all the different types of Mexican foods they served ~ as well as some interesting new spins on old classics.  They served polenta a few times on the dinner buffet and since I happened to have some cooked, leftover oat bran in fridge  that looked a lot like chilled polenta, (once I took it out of the round Tupperware container) I decided to give it the 'polenta' treatment.

I sliced the cold oat bran 'polenta' into a few discs (just like you would from a tube of precooked polenta), sprinkled on some zesty spices and then 'fried' the discs in a little oil.  I topped the 'fried polenta' with home cooked pinto beans, some Mexican fixin's (chopped white onion, cilantro, sofrito and chipotle hot sauce) and salt/pepper from my cool new shakers (Thanks, L!).  It made for a marvelous meatless lunch that would be good for breakfast, brunch, or supper, too.  I just love finding new and unusual ways to enjoy my oats!

The cooked oat bran really tastes a lot like polenta when you slice and cook/fry it after it's been chilled overnight in the fridge.  It would be easy to adapt this for an Italian version, just by switching up the spices/toppings.  All the more reason to make some extra oat bran in the mornings ~ now I can eat it for a quick lunch or dinner, too.  :) 
  



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...