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A Puerto Rican Food Story
Home of Plantains and Pork Warm tropical breezes, friendly, smiling people, amazing history and no need for a passport. These are all things that describe Puerto Rico but I have to say one of my absolute favorites is the food. The unbelievably, fantastic food. Although Puerto Rican cooking is often compared to Spanish, Cuban and Mexican cuisine, it is a unique tasty blend of Spanish, African, Taíno, and American influences, using such indigenous seasonings and ingredients as coriander, papaya, cacao, nispero, apio, plantains, and yampee. Locals call their cuisine “cocina criolla”. Coccina Creole (Créole cooking) can be traced back to the Arawaks and Tainos, the original inhabitants of the island,…
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The Spiritual Side of San Juan.
Puerto Rico, an island inhabited for over 3000 years, millions have lived and died on this tiny island in the Caribbean. So it would stand to reason that it has its fair share of things that go bump in the night. On my recent trip to San Juan I marveled at the history and culture and lush forests of this beautifully bright city but what goes on at night in these fabulous old structures and moonlits paths . While we stare at the thousands of years of history. What stares back? Our first tale is of an animal that has its roots firmly on the island. While stories and sightings…
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Wine and Waterfalls, A Day Trip From Toronto
Being from America I’ve always had this picture of Canada being this wild wilderness type place. After spending a few days in Toronto I was second guessing this belief. So I thought I would take a trip out of the city. Lucky for me AirBNB has a wonderful selection of day trips led by locals who really know their stuff. I chose a trip that took you to see waterfalls and wine.. Who doesn’t like waterfalls and wine??? Well me… Waterfalls I’m good with.. Wine.. mehhhhh… not really my thing… or so I thought. The day started with the meet up at a local Mcdonalds, there I got to meet…
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The Art of Poutine and Other Tasty Treats From Canada
Even though I’ve never thought of Canada as a foodie paradise I have to say that on my trip I did find some authentic Canadian food and it was pretty tasty. If I had to say there was a stereotypical Canadian food it would have to be Poutine, pronounced Poo – Teen. Some would immediately go to Maple syrup but while extremely yummy it’s not an everyday staple like Poutine. You see it on every corner and in almost every restaurant. Poutine was originally started in Quebec but now can be found almost anywhere.. Even in some places in the US. The makeup of Poutine is pretty simple. Its basically…
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Electric and Eclectic Kensington Market
I’ll start this blog with a little bit of honesty…. Kensington Market is not a market. What it is, is so much better. What it is, is a crazy cool, offbeat, charming, eclectic, extremely diverse neighborhood set in Toronto. It’s very much like one of my grandma’s crazy quilts. Bright and colorful with the only cohesiveness being the edges drawn together with hard work and love. To give you a little history of the area. In 1815 George Taylor Denison bought a 100-acre plot and built his estate on it. Then in 1850-1860, the land was divided up into plots for the British and Irish immigrants. As the influx in…
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Toronto’s Own Mystical Magical Bookstore
While on my flight from Omaha to Toronto I did a little research. Being a confirmed book-a-holic I was instantly drawn to a bookstore called The Monkey’s Paw. After arriving and getting a good night’s sleep I start my trek to find this mystical place. I decide to walk because on the map it didn’t look that far…. Note to self never trust me when looking at a map… I’m very bad at judging distance. Approximately 2 hours later I arrived and I have to say it was definitely worth it. This little unassuming bookstore is chock full of interesting used books. I’m a huge proponent of buying used books.…
