Obleas Con Cajeta (Milk Candy Wafers)

Earlier this year, my niece that resides in San Diego, came up to Palm Springs to visit us with her family while we were on vacation. It was a nice beginning of the year vacation to get away from the cold and nasty weather we've been having this winter. She brought with her a ton of Filipino goodies and local treats that we don't necessarily have available to us in NYC. One such treat was this amazing Mexican milk candy wafer Obleas Con Cajeta made by Aldama.

Upon taking my first bite, I fell in love. The thin layer of dulce surrounded by a thin film of white wafer is light in weight and compact, but definitely packs a punch in volume and taste. Yes, it is very sweet and the carmel is just enough so that it's not too strong and takes over.

When we arrived back in NYC after our lovely and warm beginning of year vacation, my niece mailed us more Aldama and another brand for comparison, but Aldama is definitely my favorite brand. The other one I did not care for as much. She also included this marzipan treat that reminded me of Halva, a Middle-Eastern dessert and Polvoron, a Filipino dessert. It's basically the same thing but the Mexican version of it, I suppose. It's basically flour and white that is in powder form and very brittle that when you bite it it breaks apart quite easily. It's very delicate that sometimes it can be annoying to eat it if it's not handled or transported carefully.

I'm very happy to have a favorite new candy that I decided to go on Google to see if I can find it local, but I still haven't come across a local store through my online research. I'm sure if I go to Jackson Heights in Queens or somewhere with a strong Mexican community in NYC I'll find it, but for now I can shop online or have my niece mail me more. Thanks, Sarah!! Oh, and they even have it in bigger sizes too. Twice the greatness!

Lastly, here are some pics of the house we stayed at Villa Fontana in the Movie Colony section of Palm Springs. It is a 3-bdrm house with a beautiful exterior and interior, but the back of the house is really where it's at. We definitely enjoyed it and booked it through Oranj Palm Vacation Homes. There were a few glitches, but we would probably stay at this property again unless we buy our own.

Obleas Con Cajeta via Amazon: Website

Kit Kat

At least once a month we head over to our favorite Japanese mega store in Edgewater, NJ., Mitsuwa, a Japanese specialty store with a food court and imported goods and groceries mostly from Japan. It's our go-to place for everything and anything Japanese. I've mentioned this place before in a previous post and vowed to do a separate blog post and I will do so this year.

One of the many reasons why I love coming to this store is the Kit Kats. They feature different flavors each month, but sometimes they go months without featuring any Kit Kats or have the same flavor so it's hit or miss never consistent. This month they carried vanilla bean Kit Kat. So far I have only been able to have the following flavors: vanilla bean, green tea, strawberry, and passion fruit.

Vanilla bean: I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was a little disappointed because the flavor tasted nothing like vanilla bean nor white chocolate. It tastes bland, but I knew I wasn't going to like every flavor, so this is definitely one that I probably won't buy so many bags of.

Green tea: oddly enough it tastes like green tea with a chalky after taste and very sweet. It is definitely one of my favorite all time flavors so far. It's definitely an acquired taste.

Strawberry:  there is a hint of strawberry flavor not overpowering at all, but I think I would've wanted a stronger flavor.

Passion fruit: it was a delightful surprise to bite into this Kit Kat. Passion fruit is one of those exotic flavors that is very strong and unique that it's hard not to miss. Just like the green tea flavor, this definitely is an acquired taste. Having grown up in Hawaii and drinking this everyday, I am quite familiar to pick up on the taste immediately.

I would love to go to Japan where they make these and import them from. I hear there are so many more flavors and blogs dedicated to reviewing each one such as this blog: Snacktaku Review. In this blog, they mention such unique flavors that seem like it should be illegal to create these flavors such as edamame soybean, brown sugar syrup and wasabi to name a few, but I want to try them all!

I came across this article yesterday in the LA Times about Kit Kat being one of the worlds most influential candy bars in the world. Click here for the article: Kit Kat and Chicken Dinner among most influential candy bars in the world.

Kit Kat: Website

Georges Blanc

Happy New Year! A little late, but better late than never.

It's always a good day and sign when I come across a menu not in a restaurant, but in the trash. As I was headed to our storage in the basement, I passed by our trash bins and I occasionally rummage through it for discarded magazines and catalogs. I know, gross right? I spotted a sturdy Prada box then quickly turned my attention to what was below it. Lo and behold, a menu! I was excited beyond belief!

The menu is from a restaurant called Georges Blanc named after the chef. The food sections are in French only, but the history and bio on Georges Blanc is both in French and English. Upon visiting his website, I learned that he also has a small chain of hotels (some with a spa), an online gourmet shop, his own wines and a village you can stay at that has been in his family for generations. I'm glad that I stumbled upon this menu and learned a lot about his passion and enthusiasm for food and for life.

Vonnas, France, is located in Eastern France in the Rhone-Alpes region. The Wikipedia page barely has any info about the town, but did mention that the town has a world famous restaurant, George Blanc restaurant, with 3 Michelin stars, and in 2008 the population was around 2,681. The reviews on Trip Advisor were mixed. However, I would still love to go and have my own review.

Georges Blanc, Place du Marche

Vonnas, France

Website

Georges Blanc

Thanksgiving Dinner & La Zaragozana

For over a decade, we have headed down south to Roswell, GA., for the annual Thanksgiving holiday feast with the Littman family. Sometimes we run the annual Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving day to burn off some calories only to put it back on later in the day, but every bit helps. Everything is homemade by the master chef herself with very little help from anyone, and fancy dishes and silverware are used for this special occasion. Sadly, this past Thanksgiving meal in Roswell, GA., may be our last.

During the week of Thanksgiving, we always leave NYC on Tuesday and stay through Saturday avoiding all the holiday congestion and allowing us some time to settle in and relax. This has worked so well for us for so many years. Our dinners throughout the week have been routine as well. Tuesday night is pasta with meatless lasagne and ziti accompanied with green salad and garlic bread. Wednesday night is broccoli pie (my fav) accompanied with green salad. For lunch during the week, we'll have egg and tuna salad, bagels, bread, pineapple chunks, assorted cheeses and gefilte fish for those that choose to eat it (not me). Then there's Thanksgiving dinner, which I'll talk about shortly, and Friday dinner, which is usually reserved for ordering pizza, having leftovers or going out to dinner. Oh, and I must mention the endless supply of baked homemade brownies and honey cake on hand during our stay.

I can't express how grateful I am to be a part of an annual family tradition and just how much work goes into planning Thanksgiving dinner. Yes, after awhile it becomes easier year after year, but it's still hard work. Anita has been doing so without the help of any of us and making everything from scratch. It's amazing! She has everything timed out perfectly, and if you're a cook, and love cooking meals for large parties, you know it's very hard to do, but she does so with ease or at least she makes it look easy.

Thanksgiving dinner menu always includes: stuffing, pot roast, green beans with slivered almonds, cranberry sauce, cucumber salad with sliced onions, sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, and of course, turkey! We started a new tradition a few years ago having someone prepare a new side dish, so this year we had brussel sprouts made by Bill. There was also a new side dish (Aunt Rita's recipe) that had butternut squash, apples, dried cranberries and sliced almonds that was delicious! It could have made a good dessert too if topped with vanilla bean ice cream.

 

Oh, I did not forget dessert, oh no! Anita makes the best desserts. This year she made her traditional apple and pecan pie and delicious lemon cake smothered in whip cream. The lemon cake is so delicate and fluffy and the lemon flavor is outstanding. The next door neighbors usually join us for this part of the meal and brings some kind of dessert to share, but this year they were invited to join us for the entire meal. We also finish with coffee, tea and good conversations to end the night.

After dinner Friday night, Anita found an old menu from their honeymoon trip in Puerto Rico in 1968. The menu is from La Zaragozana, which was located in Old San Juan back at that time. She took it because of the black bean recipe and surprisingly it has become a WWW sensation. I saw it posted on several food websites. Click here for recipe: Cuban black bean soup or see below. It's also fascinating to see menu items for less than $5.00.

After doing some online research, it seems like the restaurant may have been around since 2012. I'm not sure, but I did across across someone trying to sell the menu for $35. Click here for more info: La Zaragozana menu. Also, there was another restaurant with the same name located in Havana, Cuba, but it looks closed too.

I will miss Thanksgiving in Roswell, GA., but it doesn't matter where I have Thanksgiving, really, all that matters is that I am happy, healthy and alive to be able to have it wherever and with people I love. Thank you Littman parents for the many years of hosting and having us. I look forward to future Thanksgiving meals wherever that may be.

Gobble, gobble!

La Zaragozana
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
*CLOSED*

La Zaragozana

Amtrak Cafe Car

For one whole academic year 2007-2008, I lived in Philadelphia (Philly), PA., to attend the University of Pennsylvania to obtain my second master's degree in Nonprofit Leadership. I traveled to and from NYC/Philly every weekend via Amtrak just so I can be home and spend the weekend with my true love. Of course it would have been cheaper to take the Bolt Bus or Megabus at that time, but these busses weren't as popular and frequent back then. The difference in time between the bus and train is usually a range from 30-50 minutes, but I preferred the train anyway because it was much quicker and less ghetto.

While it was exhausting at times traveling back and forth every weekend, and while I never really felt like I lived in Philly, taking the Amtrak became a way of life that I had everything down pat. From knowing where to stand to be the first one at the gate to which car to sit in so I can quickly exit, the one thing I never really took advantage of was the cafe car. Not sure why, really, but I guess I just never needed to. So imagine my surprise this past weekend when I boarded the Amtrak once again after so many years at 3AM to run my very first Philly Marathon, and plopping in my seat only to find a cafe car menu in the seat pocket. Obviously the cafe car wasn't open, but I decided to take the menu anyway as a sign of good luck! Oh, and I was the first in line at the gate. Yippie!

I decided at the last minute to run the Philly Marathon, but initially I wasn't because I have been dealing with a strain issue on the inside of my lower left leg just above the ankle. The injury began right after an 18-mile training run in Central Park in September. Yes, I've had it since then and haven't really rested or dealt with it, so I just take Ibuprofen and it relieves the pain temporarily, but I said to myself that if I do run the Philly race that I would go see a specialist to find out what is wrong right after. I have no more marathons scheduled for the rest of the year and I am taking the month of December off from running races.

Arriving in Philly at 4:30AM, I walked to the start which was a good 20 minute walk, and arrived at the security check point at 5AM. Met with some friends and decided that I would begin with them in the last corral. We crossed the start at 7:30, and mind you, the race started at 7. While I spent the first half of the race weaving in and out and passing so many runners that were doing the half marathon, it wasn't until mile 13 where we split off and I had the freedom to run about. Somehow I still managed (barely) under 4 hours to finish at 3:59:13. I was pretty happy.

After the race, I went to the massage tent, but the line was so long that by the time I got to the front I had to leave to take the 1PM train back. Phooey! And while I was trying to flag a cab to take me back to the train station, because I just ran 26.2 miles, I freaking couldn't! My tired, but feeling accomplished ass, had to walk all the way back and it felt like the longest 20 minutes of my life.

Thank you to the entire city of brotherly love. It was good to be back.

Amtrak Cafe Car
Serving the entire United States of America
Website

Amtrak Cafe Car