Suddenly fall is upon us, with crisp mornings and leaves beginning to color. And before you know it, the holidays will be gearing up.

I keep hearing about this incredible gefilte fish loaf recipe, which is a mainstay at the family get-togethers, so decided to try my hand at it.

It’s a little difficult, because I’ve never actually eaten gefilte fish, so I have no comparison point. We did go to United Bakers’ specifically to get me some, but theirs wasn’t done yet, so I had to make do with split pea soup (which I highly recommend) and kasha w/bows & friend onions.

What a place; they call it the “yoo-hoo” restaurant because half the time is spent saying hi to old friends. The walls and ceiling are lined with mirror so that you don’t have any excuse for missing anyone. This was my premier visit, so I was vetted by Ruthie, who co-owns with her brother.

So far I’ve had 2 thumbs up on the gefilte fish loaf from the MIML (man in my life) and another family friend, and they should know, so I’ll post the recipe here, in case you’d like to give it a try.

Note that in Toronto, you just call ahead to Nortown & they’ll have your ground fish waiting for you. If you’re not in Toronto, I guess you’ll have to catch, clean, de-bone & grind your own fish. Have fun.

Gefilte Fish Loaf

• 2 lb ground mixed fish
• 2 carrots, chopped into 2″ chunks
• 2 large onions, in 2″ chunks
• 1/4 C mild oil
• 3 TB matzoh meal
• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 TB sugar
• 1/2- 3/4 C club soda
• 3 eggs

Line a loaf pan with lightly oiled aluminum foil. Make sure foil extends above the rim. Put loaf pan on jelly roll sheet to catch any overflows.

Grind the carrots, and then the onions, in the food processor. They should be in bits, smaller than if they were grated. Saute in the oil until most of the moisture evaporated. Cool this mixture down.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and add matzoh meal and seasonings and mix thoroughly.

Add fish and carrot/onion mixture. (I found this easiest to do w/hands.) Gradually add the club soda. Be careful- you don’t want it soggy. 1/2 C was plenty for mine.

Put into prepared loaf pan. Place pan on rimmed cookie sheet to catch drips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hr and 10 minutes. When cool, wrap and store in refrigerator.

Before serving, unmold & allow to come to room temperature, slice and serve with strong red horseradish and a pepper grinder on the side. Accompany with challah, rye or during Passover, matzoh.

Rosca de Reyes, originally uploaded by sbmilagros.

Epiphany or Dia de los Tres Reyes (the 12th day of Christmas, when the Wise Men showed up) is a big deal in Mexico.
The special sweet bread these little boys are selling is called a Rosca de Reyes. There’s a lot of tradition associated with the roscas, and here’s a recipe.
It’s also when Mexican children traditionally receive their “Christmas” presents. In my old n’hood of Colonia San Rafael, they’ve shut down the main avenue & it’s now a tarp city selling all manner of gifts for children.
Here are a few photos of what’s going on.

Pink potatoes, pineapple pop, tuna cheese, originally uploaded by sbmilagros.

Yes, Mexico is a little… different. Here are some things I picked up on a recent expedition: Magenta potatoes, tuna cheese, pineapple soda and cilantro in the background.

Tuna cheese (queso de tuna) is not cheese, or tuna as you know it. It’s the brown hockey-puck thing in the bowl. It’s actually a sort of traditional candy made from cactus fruit puree (tuna!) I asked it there were any in guava or pineapple, but no dice. It was still pretty good, but kind of an acquired taste.

The pineapple soda… yeah, no. Although I do really like the apple sode- tastes like Martinelli’s & is good for an upset stomach (well, we all knew that was coming, didn’t we?)

I absolutely love the little pink potatoes. They turn more to reddish when cooked. I’m wondering if they’re similar to what my mom calls cranberry potatoes?

Let’s see… here are some links for your amusement:

• Looks like I’m not the only one becoming sara. (This was the biggest belly-laugh I had all week!)
• Shetland Grand National- Ran into this one courtesy of BN
• Igudesman & Joo- Mozart meets Bond

Breakfast at Fonda Dona Raquel, originally uploaded by sbmilagros.

So last year, you may remember that I came down with all kinds of good intentions of learning to cook authentic Mexican food. I did take a couple classes- my favorite was the market tour at Sazon.

But it became rapidly apparent that the whole exercise was a lost cause; I could buy better food more cheaply than I could cook it.

Case in point- this was my breakfast at Fonda de Dona Raquel in the San Juan de Dios market this morning. For about $4.50 I got: a chile relleno (the real thing- big blistered, battered & stuffed w/Oaxacan cheese), potatoes, beans, rice, salsa over the whole thing and tortillas plus a mug of tamarind agua fresca.

Now why the heck would I shop, cook, & clean up?

Check out my latest photos…

tequila 101, originally uploaded by sbmilagros.

Due to popular requests (OK, it was Brad O), I’m including a primer on tequilas.

Here’s the best explanation I’ve found. But I beg to differ on a couple points. “Silver” “Gold” and “Reservo” are for suckers. If you want to mix, go for Blanco. To sip, you want either Reposado (my favorite) or Anejo. Mixto is for idiots. If you want Mezcal, order it. (and don’t say I didn’t warn you.)

To get an idea of what’s going on w/tequila, if you’re in Seattle, get yourself to the Mission Bar & Grille in West Seattle, and order a “flight” of tequilas. You can get a flight of Cazadores, which would include a shot each of Blanco, Reposado & Anejo & decide for yourself. I have to say, my sons introduced me to Mission, which proves I’ve done something right.

As I’m on a budget, and can’t afford Warren Hardy Spanish School, I get my Spanish lessons from taxi drivers and Don Juan de la Boca. His lesson on tequila & margaritas is not to be missed. Although, I’ve heard more swearing in a CA schoolyard recess than 3 months in San Miguel. Maybe they swear more on the coast?

I did nearly use the “P” word today when I couldn’t find a taxi & some Mexican cutie nearly hit me in her LandRover… Luckily, I had some reposado & sangrita waiting for me when I finally reached the casita.

Sangrita makings, originally uploaded by sbmilagros.

I had never heard of sangrita (no, not Sangria) before coming to Mexico. Having tried it for the first time, at the Cafe Iberico in San Miguel de Allende, I knew I had to try to duplicate in the casita.

“Sangrita” means little blood. Probably the closest relative would be Bloody Mary mix. But in Mexico, sangrita is consumed three different ways:

• On its own, as a spicy tomato drink
• Mixed with tequila, it’s called a completo
• The most common way, sipped alternately with a glass of fine sipping tequila (try Cazadores Reposado- expensive, but worth it.)

So, yesterday, I found a recipe to tamper with (from a newsstand cookbook- Better Homes & Gardens Ultimate Mexican) and came up with what I think is pretty darned good.Yes, I know the grenadine is weird, but it works- trust me.

Sangrita
2 cups tomato juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 TB grenadine syrup
2 TB Worcestershire sauce
1/2 TB San Luis hot sauce
1/2 tsp chile-limon powder

Stir and chill. Sit on your patio in the sun & consume whichever way seems best to you.

Juan’s cafe, originally uploaded by sbmilagros.

Today after visiting the Library’s Bodega de Sorpresas (kind of a Thurs garage sale fundraiser), I headed across the street to Juan’s Cafe (its real name is Cafe Etc.), one of the other centers of culture in San Miguel.

Rest assured, he’s still offering the full breakfast special: latte, OJ, choice of entrees for 60 pesos and all of the other wonderful things we know and love. I personally credit Sr Juan with saving my sanity in last year’s  unusually rainy cold winter, when all there was to do was hole up in the casita with a dvd. (Or snag a last-minute trip to the beach w/Vagabundos, which I did.)

It’s early enough in the season that Juan actually had a chance to chat as I made my selections & he ground my (fantastico!) Chiapas coffee.

I’d heard this summer about the terrific conversational Spanish classes offered in his side room by Sr Jose Roque. Last year, they were only for advanced Spanish speakers & involved reading accounts from newspapers & conversing- things of that nature.

This yr, there’s also an intermediate group, so I’m going to see if maybe (maybe!) I can keep up with that.

The suggested donation is 30 pesos (which is incredible for a 2 hr lesson), and here’s the schedule:

Advanced: Mon or Fri 10-12 & 12:30-2:30

Intermediate: Wed 10-12

One of my biggest finds this summer has been POUTINE! Pronounced poo-TSIN in Quebec. I’ve been trying it all over, from Seattle to New Hampshire. My favorite so far has been at Boomer’s Cafe in Stratford, ON. Basically, it’s french fries with gravy & cheese curds. Sounds simple, but done right, it can be divine.

I’ve seen a lot of variations on the theme, including Italian poutine (with red sauce) and sweet potato poutine (not sure what they use for gravy.) I’ve been experimenting myself, and so far my favorite is Mexican poutine. I make oven baked fries, top it with chorizo & cheddar cheese. Yummm…

Sorry I’ve been AWOL for a couple weeks. A certain señor has been visiting, and I’ve been showing him all the sights in beautiful PT & Seattle. I think he liked it, although the ferry waits were a bit frustrating. Part of life on the peninsula, though. It’s great hanging out with someone who likes good food as much as I do!

Here are some links to kick off your weekend!

• Best Condiments in the world! (I’d add Boss Man Hot Sauce from Louisiana, but can’t find a link- what are your faves?)
• Another case of “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”
• Pencil Crayon Jewelry- This is fabulous!
• Web Site Warning labels- What a great idea…
• Jellyfish- Who needs ‘em?
• Looks like I missed International Minimalist Day. That’s ok, I’ve been celebrating all year. (and yes, I still use shampoo!)

eggs of many colors, originally uploaded by woodleywonderworks.

Once again… sigh.

I’m lucky enough to have a friend who raises free range chickens. So when I eat eggs, they’re the kind with the deep orange yolks that only come from eating a variety of chicken-chosen goodies. Bugs, weeds- good stuff.

Battery-raised chicken eggs are, IMHO, a (very) poor substitute, and the recent salmonella outbreak makes that only too clear. Just reading the distribution list makes me shudder. 450 MILLION eggs, distributed from two “farms” in Iowa to 14 states?

Rebekah Denn has put together a reading list, if this is your wake-up call and you choose to do something more than moan about the current state of our food supply.

Boudin and Cracklin's. It's what's for dinner.

I confess, until I pulled into the Boudin place, I did not know what a boudin was.

Check the link- we’re talking boudin blanc, because this is Arcadia. It’s very very good, but the cracklin’s… Oh my. Like chicharrones (pork rinds), but cut small & individually spiced.  And tasso is another kind of sausage that I like even more than boudin. It’s a very good thing I don’t live here, or I’d start to look like Paul Prudhomme in a matter of days.

Also stopped in a cute little town outside New Orleans, called Covington. Very quaint, and they had all kinds of cute little shops. Unfortunately, every one (including moms of the headband/minivan type) think that they are NASCAR drivers, & go racing up & down the cute little streets. Kinda scary. But I did get a new blouse, a double Americano (after I explained what it was) and a really good curry chicken salad.

Let’s see… I skipped New Orleans. Not the kind of place I want to go by  myself- at least not this time. I did manage to get to Baton Rouge during rush hr, which isn’t as dumb as it sounds. I got to cross the Mississippi very slowly & really take it in.

I went over lots of bridges today, including a very long piece of highway built above a bayou. So a little of everything. Tonight I’m in a weird little place called Sulphur, LA that seems to be huge oil & industrial facilities. I’m about 50 miles from Beaumont, TX. Heading for San Antonio tomorrow. No, I never did find Tupelo honey!