Caldo de Res: My Father Makes the Best!

February 5, 2011

The weekend is here, and the snow has stopped…the temperature is rising…and pretty soon, sunny days are just around the corner J But until then, I’ve been finding warmth in the comfort of a comfy blanket…hot Abuelita chocolate…and even in chunky, hot soup. This particular soup, which is my all time favorite, is called Caldo de Res. And it is the inspiration for this blog.

My father makes the best Caldo de Res! Yes, I know, I’m biased. But so far, I haven’t come across a soup so hearty with large chunks of vegetables, and meat so tender it melts in your mouth. It’s so amazingly beautiful too…picture perfect…unfortunately, this girl didn’t take a picture of it…I finished eating it before I thought of taking one *chuckle* J I’ve had this soup at restaurants or made by others, but they always lack the variety of vegetables I’m accustomed to, the meat is hard and rubbery to chew, and the chunks are better described as small cubed bits.

The ingredients that make up this good for the soul soup include: medium to large red potatoes or regular potatoes, palm-sized corn on the cob pieces, thick carrots, celery, cabbage, yellow squash, green squash (Summer or Mexican squash), tomatoes, hand-sized bones rimmed with thick chunks of meat (it’s called cariso/carriso/carizo?...very unsure of the name of the meat in Spanish...and in English! I’ll find out later). And last but not least, the chayote. Green chili, lime and corn tortillas compliment the soup well.

Just like chicken soup is good for the soul, I’d like to say that Caldo de Res is good for the Mexican soul J The soup is easy to make. The ingredients sound normal, nothing exotic. But time and time again, I’ve been asked “what is a chayote?” Apparently this gourd is a mystery to many. On to my next blog J

The Not So Mysterious Chayote

February 5, 2011

What is a chayote? Other than my immediate family (parents, grandpa, two sisters), I’ve only met one or two people who know what it is or have eaten it. I remember being in training class at a former job, talking with my class of about 10-15 people and I mentioned the chayote. I received a chorus of “Chayote? Do you mean coyote? What’s that? Are you sure you know what you’re talking about?” Needless to say, it’s been brought to my attention time and time again that what I eat is different. *Shrug my shoulders* Ok. But now I get to tell you a little bit about it.

The chayote is a light green, pear shaped gourd. The best way to describe the taste is like a summer squash, but it stays firmer when cooked in the soup. Unlike the summer squash that has a bunch of seeds in the middle, the chayote has one seed in the middle that has a nutty-like flavor. It has a thin skin that doesn’t need to be peeled off when cooked in the soup. One can actually eat most of the skin. The tougher skin to avoid is usually on the top and bottom.

My favorite way to eat a chayote is in this soup. But like a baby pumpkin, it can be cut up and heated, and smothered in butter, and eaten by itself. The root and leaves can be eaten as well. It’s also used in salads and salsas. And it’s a good source of amino acids and vitamin C.

I’ve eaten chayote for as long as I remember eating the Caldo de Res soup. Since so many people have asked me about it, I found the perfect site for additional information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote The above picture is also from that site. This is my tribute to the not so mysterious Chayote. For those that love to try new foods, Enjoy!

A Gem in the Rough…

February 3, 2011

Like many things, I don’t overly proclaim my love for El Paso. More often than not, I complain about this place and make fun of it, even if it’s in “good nature”. My favorite name of endearment for this city is Hell Paso. How lovely is that?! J But honestly, after several years, I’ve finally planted some roots. It’s a very comfortable lifestyle here. To the naked eye, there really isn’t much to do for entertainment around here. In my experience, the typical classmate or co-worker may suggest bar hopping and clubbing as their main form of fun. Unfortunately, I’ve never been that type of person that enjoys the bar or club scene only. I actually remember the moment I realized that scene wasn’t for me.

Memory Flashback: My high school graduation trip was approximately a weeklong stay in Cancun! I was already 18 then, but it really didn’t matter…I was traveling to Mexico! J I remember my 3 roommates…one of which I went to school with since 6^th grade, I believe…and the other 2 girls were just crazy and from some other school in Cali. Well anyway, I remember going to various clubs each night. After the 2^nd or 3^rd night, I was already tired and bored of that “scene”. However, I remember telling myself to enjoy it while I can, because it’s going to be a looong time before I do that again! Imagine that…18 years old and I already made up my mind about bars and clubs! 10 years later, I’ve only been to a couple of bars and clubs no more than 10 times…combined. I have a sixth sense which can be surprisingly strong, and in this case, it was.

There have been a lot of events that have come and gone. And there have been too many events that I didn’t even hear about until it was over. This city has been known to keep the same billboard advertisements on display for days, even weeks, after the event. Such a lazy town you are J

A Gem in the Rough Continued…

February 3, 2011

I have tried to make the conscious effort of checking out websites for upcoming events, or getting the monthly free edition of El Paso’s What’s Up Newspaper/zine which has events in El Paso and the surrounding area. The following are some sites which I find very useful in my search for some good, family oriented entertaining events:

www.theplazatheatre.org The Plaza Theatre is such a gorgeous theater. It has a touch of elegance. The scenery that borders the sides of the curtain and stage is reminiscent of being outside of a villa of sorts, and the ceiling displays tiny shimmery lights for that “under the stars” feeling. I’ve seen Moscow’s The Nutcracker Ballet, the opera La Traviata, and last year I saw Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. It was the 50^th anniversary tribute with a guest speaker, and this was my first time ever seeing that movie!

Upcoming events and musicians in 2011 include:

All Shook Up (Feb.13), Boz Scaggs (Feb.20), In The Mood (Feb.21), Joe Bonamassa (Feb.24), George Jones (Feb.25), Legally Blonde (Mar.14), Tejano Legends (Mar.19), Blue Man Group (Apr.27)….and in 2012: A New Musical Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of OZ (Feb.1-12)!!

www.nps.gov/cham The Chamizal National Memorial is rich in history between Mexico and the United States. This is a large, beautiful park which hosts one of my favorite outdoor events – Music Under the Stars! This event is held during the summer for several weeks. Every Sunday, different musicians play different styles of music like salsa, meringue, and more. Last year, they wrapped up the event with a Sunday filled with Mariachi music! There are several other events and performances that are held outside as well as inside the auditorium.

http://www.visitelpaso.com/ This is a great site to get information on upcoming events from all these locations: The Convention Center, Abraham Chavez, McKelligon Canyon, Plaza Theatre and other venues!

Abraham Chavez events include: Legacy of Floyd Cramer (Feb.10), Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan (Feb.18), and El Paso Symphony Orchestra Young People’s Concerts (Feb.23-25).

Convention Center events include: “Safari Nights” presented by El Paso Safari Club (Feb.18-19), and various Expos and Conferences – like Mary Kay!!

El Paso County Coliseum – I Googled it and didn’t find an official website. Further research will be done. However, many ticket sites came up with lists of upcoming events that include: Tuff Hedemans Championship Bull Riding (Feb.12), Stone Sour with Avalanche Tour, Theory Of A Deadman (Apr.17), Ricky Martin (Apr.28), Trans-Siberian Orchestra (May5), and Lil Rob (Jul.9).

Some other great things to check out are the El Paso Zoo, the museums, Licon Dairy…and in Sunland Park, which is the border between Texas and New Mexico, there is Western Playland and the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.

There is so much more, and I may have to write additional blogs! But in a nutshell, El Paso really does offer a plethora of events and activities to entertain everyone of every age! “There’s nothing to do!” is an old mindset…just look for the gems that make this a truly exceptional city!

When Hell Paso Freezes Over…

It is February 3, 2011, and it’s colder than a walk in freezer! The weather has been as low as 2 degrees Fahrenheit. My grandpa, who watches the news constantly, said that these are the lowest temperatures reported since the 80’s. Since I’m not a fan of watching the news, I haven’t bothered to double check the resources. All I know is, it’s cold! Brrr.

Unfortunately, I don’t care too much for the news. It’s ignorance, I know. And no, I don’t believe it’s bliss. I’m just the kind of person that takes everything to heart. The majority of the news is sad or bad, or boring with statistics about the economy and recession that’s going on, or isn’t. They say one thing...and then another. Life is already hard to live…why do we need to hear bad reports on a daily basis? I’m definitely not the Go To Girl when it comes to finding out about the latest news, but I do find out. For example, I found out on Tuesday that it was going to snow on Wednesday J

In El Paso, Texas we do get at least a couple of days of snow almost every year - maybe it is every year. It doesn’t really snow like you may imagine in Lake Tahoe or Alaska. We get these little flurries. And when it sticks to the ground and actually stays – not melt right away – then we’ve got snow! It’s the same thing with rain…if it sprinkles more than 5 minutes – then Lord behold, we’ve got rain! I wish this was an exaggeration. It’s not.

Well, the difference is that while we may have had snow in the past…the temperatures have never been this low. It snowed for one day, but it’s been at least 2 days that we are dealing with “extreme” temperatures. The whole city has gone crazy! And I love it! This is definitely El Paso J

An example of some El Paso craziness: My sisters haven’t gone to school for the past 2 days…they’ve closed down the schools, and even the community college and university. I found out that they aren’t going to school tomorrow either! A lot of government buildings have closed down….but I hear they are going to be back open tomorrow. There are warnings all over Twitter, Facebook and such to stay home if you don’t need to be outside. Lots of main roads were closed yesterday, but some opened today. El Paso was definitely not built to endure some hazardous weather conditions. We are experiencing rolling black outs! The last time I remember experiencing rolling blackouts was 10 years ago when I was living in California! And if the electricity isn’t going out in various parts of the city, then it’s the water not working. I’ve read (on Twitter) about pipes bursting all over the city too. So, see, I do read the news…sometimes J

I told someone earlier, it’s like we are experiencing a micro chaos! But honestly, now that I think about it, I’d rather hear about this kind of chaos versus drug related crimes and deaths, and unnecessary killings from Juarez, Mexico that seep into our everyday lives in El Paso, Texas. If it’s not one type of chaos…it’s another!

Since I’ve written my blogs, the power has turned off and on twice already. Aaahhh El Paso…what a crazy city you are…and me for loving every minute of it! Be safe everyone! And stay warm! Please take care of the elderly and the children. After Hell has freezed over, and life returns to normal, our memories of this weeks’ frosty days will be the colds and flues that are bound to follow.

The Heart on My Sleeve: Born To Be A Blogger…

February 3, 2011

It’s amazing how, in my head, I always know what I would like to write, what I would like to say...but I don’t make the time…I don’t allow myself to make the time…to write it down. I’ve always been a fan of keeping diaries and journals. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, but somewhere in the chaos I call my room, I know I have my diary from when I was about 10. What I’ve been doing for the past several years is making To Do lists. I have To Do lists for everything imaginable…chores, projects, goals. My lists are unique, as I also include my feelings as a side comment of sorts. Ok, so, why resort to expressing myself through a To Do list as opposed to actually writing a journal or as the girly side of me wants to say…a diary? The answer is simple: I wear my heart on my sleeve, and when I write, it becomes a tangible piece of evidence to the inner workings of my mind. I don’t know if it’s a sense of pride, I don’t know if I’m just a bull and stubborn in some ways…maybe it’s a combination of the above mentioned. However, when I write, I become vulnerable.

But I’m also dumb. I’ll admit it. Sometimes I forget how therapeutic writing can be. The best way I can describe my thought process is it’s constantly running…It’s like a train going 100 miles per hour, and it rarely stops or slows down. Whenever I have a problem or I’m dealing with any situation, I have fictitious mental conversations on how the problem can be fixed, or how the situation can be dealt with, or the What If’s. Honestly, I am not a fan of What If’s or the Could Haves, the Would Haves, or the Should Haves. And a lot of times I forget that simply writing and expressing myself is the meditational tool to living a “less stressful” life. So ultimately, it’s funny how the fear of being vulnerable to write is a bigger fear than I imagined. Well, now that I have that clear and straightened, I can begin. Sometimes I simply can’t stop writing once I start. I’ve always been a writer. With my heart on my sleeve I’m going to move forth and write until my happy little heart is content as it can be. God Bless all. And happy reading.