Was recently introduced to a Canadian dish called  “seafood chowder poutine” via the food truck Fresh, Local, Wild, in Vancouver.  The traditional version of this Quebecoise dish is gravy & cheese curds on fries.  Guessing this is the French-Canadian version of nachos?

But, the Couvies of British Columbia, Canada, add seafood creativity to the recipe.  Think rich chowder & chips.

Here in the REAL B.C., I decided to add my EnseNADA blend to the Couvie presentation.  Chowing just 1,500 miles down the road from my Canuck friends, why not create a Baja chowder and chips version?

The occasion was the small thrill of achieving a January fitness goal.  What better way to celebrate health than butter and french fries?

While your fries are doing their thing in the fryer or oven…

Start with a medium roux (mushroom soup works).  Add Worcestershire sauce, garlic, celery, onion.  Add butter.  Do you like how I specify the precise measurements in my recipes?  Gotta go with the flow.

Now comes the naughty “Nadie” influence.  Add cumin, oregano, sage, several dollops of Doña Chonita mole  and 2 large Anaheim peppers, diced.  Yes, I use Anaheims a lot, because they add plenty of flavor, but, don’t overwhelm the recipe with heat.  Hey, if you want to climb  Wilbur Scoville’s ladder , GO4IT!  Just keep those chopping hands away from your eyes.

Your fishies should be prepped and ready to swim.  Last night I added shrimp and scallops to the caldron.

What recipe couldn’t use a little pork?  Bacon could be an interesting additive for this creamy caldo.  But, we’re not cooking an Iowa chowder.  For Baja,  chorizo de cerdo(pork) is the way to go.  I microwaved the chorizo to get rid of some of the grease then sliced it into thin medallions before adding to the stew.

A perforated pizza pan works well for fries in the oven.  Before heating I throw the fries in a bag, add some peanut oil and shake to coat.  Spread flat on pan, bake to golden brown, then add a few minutes  color for the proper crunch level.  Recommend this medium-well texture of frydom, because they are going to soak up the gooey goodness of your chowder.

Use a large, flat soup bowl or pasta dish for individual servings.   Lightly salt the fries, then add to bowls, just like a pasta presentation.

Liberally ladle the sloppy sopa onto the papas.  Cheese is always an option, but, I went without it.  Make hot sauce available.  Lime garnish adds color and another south of the border flavor element.

Vino Bandito recommends the $10 2009 Les Charmes Chardonnay Macon Lugny as a perfect pairing.  Negra Modelo also goes especially well with chowder and chips.

Make plenty of chowder, because you and your guests will want second servings of this heart attack in a bowl.  ¡Buen Provecho

baja chowder and chips

When I moved into my home here, on the hill, in 2007, I adopted “Fool On the Hill” as my theme song.

Sergio Mendes‘ pop bossa nova sound combined with vocalist Lani Hall’s sultry style introduced U.S. fans to something a little more complex than the pop syrup of Jeannie C. Riley or Bobby Goldsboro.  I prefer Mendes and Hall’s recording over the songwriter’s, Paul McCartney.

My music awakening began thanks to CKLW radio in Windsor, Ontario traveling all the way across Lake Erie to my home in Cleveland and my brother’s and sister’s beginning music collections.

Your interpretation of “Fool on the Hill”, like my peaceful and adventurous life, may vary.

As a keen observer of the human condition, I am also an observer and fan of physical conditioning.

Most do not exercise over fifty years old, because they have given up on the idea of improving their health.  “When I was young…”, “Not too many years ago, I could beat most 20 year-olds at…”, “Beginning next week, I’m going to…”.  zzzzz

Here are the lifelong  incremental stages of fat acquisition for Americans waddling toward their hibernation, also known as “retirement”:

• The freshman five weight gain signals the beginning of the end of youth.  Expect 10+ pounds in your twenties.
• Thirties Thermostat: By age 30, mate, make babies and sit at your “career”, setting the lifetime trajectory of your caloric thermostat.  The 20-30 lbs you have gained since age 18 assures increasing fat futures.  You and your mate grow together.
• Forties Flab: divorce, corporate stress and little food discrimination earn you the official USDA stamp: FAT.  The average bodyweight fat is 25% for men and 40% for women.
• L is the roman numeral for 50.  Your fifties are also the age of LARD/LARGE.  The bodyweight fat statistics don’t alarm many until you tell a 22o pound male and a 160lb female that they are carrying FIFTY+ POUNDS OF LARD.  Wowzers.
• X is for the Ex-patriot communities of XL+ sizes in Mexico that focus activities on food, beverages and sedentary lifestyle choices.  Q: “Hey, Doc, that’s not very fair and who the heck do you think you are, #@%!&*>!?”.  A: I’m bitch-slapping you into G.O.Y.A. and encouraging you to get healthy and have more fun.

Many ex-pat retirees have set themselves up for the severe health consequences of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, arthritis and more.   These will cost you money, time and enjoying a quality life.

How many pills did you take today?

Life is about choices.  What’s yours? 

1. Any exercise is better than nothing
2. Regular(3-5 days per week) exercise beats occasional whims.  Five days per week is better than three.
3. Most do better with the encouragement and social benefits of a group, class or workout buddy.  Find one… or two.
4. “I don’t know how” is an okay start.  Get some decent walking shoes with cushion and flexibility and start walking.  Good shoes start at $50, but, their cushioning and flexibility will save you pain and injury over the $15 WMart cheapies.
5. EZ does it when starting any new exercise program.  Pain, little/no results in first days and discouragement are easy excuses.  Become an incremental exerciser.  Try a 5% increase in effort or intensity or duration each week.
6. Back to ENCOURAGEMENT, hang with others with similar goals.  Exchange website information.  Challenge one another.  Make a bet.
7. It takes a month of effort simply to get your body ready.  Your real successes won’t appear until month two.  And we all know that most exercise efforts die in their tracks by WEEK TWO!  Why do you think every gym thins its January crowd by week #4 and is virtually empty after Valentine’s Day?  Pass the chocolates.
8. Nutrition.  Add fruits, veggies, fish.  Remove white starch, sugar, pastry.  If you don’t know this by now, start reading.  Experiment with new recipes to keep your food fun.
9. Try turning up your workout INTENSITY.  Adding some resistance exercise(light weight lifting and bodyweight training), which is especially beneficial for anyone over 50.  Resistance exercise builds muscle and bone density.  Most over 50 RESIST resistance exercise due to education, lack of equipment and fear.  Will write more about this next week.
10. Back to ENCOURAGEMENT,  Reward yourself for every success, no matter how small.  Give yourself one day each week to “cheat” on your diet.  Please, don’t eat the whole bag of chips or entire tray of brownies that day.

Editor’s note:  after a lazy year between 2010-2011, I am happily back to my exercise discipline.  Best wishes to you on your health and happiness pursuits.

Proturismo Ensenada Events calendar highlights the major annual fiestas in Ensenada.  The Ensenada Gazette calendar provides a few more details on additional events.

Some of my redneck friends(“los intolerantes”) have a hard time with any humor poking at Uh-MYRR-uh-kuh.

Me?  I’m as lucky in the gene pool(thanks Mom & Dad) as I am in my birth location in the universe.  Cleveland?  Ummmm…backstroking that thought.

But, those of us USA baby boomers may have had the best economic and social ride ever.  I am thankful and hope more is in store.

As this caricature of USA hubris displays, how can you claim NUMERO UNO, when you haven’t even visited your competition?  USA citizens have little international travel experience compared with the rest of the developed world, per my April 2011 post.

Consider this post an invitation to Ensenada.  There is a lot more jardinería here than you might guess.

The video shows the new Garita El Chaparral entry into Tijuana.  Looks like a less complicated route may be available to get to the Scenic Road(Highway 1).

Since the San Ysidro border expansion plans were publicized two years ago, I have yet to find any information or discussion on the new southbound inspection areas on the U.S. side of the border(see red highlights on completed 2015 plan below).

I’m guessing that the Garita El Chaparral story of improving southbound crossing efficiency into Mexico is an attempt to obfuscate the expansion of Homeland Security’s powers.

Homeland Security now takes its lead from the efficiencies of the Department of Motor Vehicles.   Today, you get to wait in a long line and are treated poorly by clerks(with guns) to get back in to your country.  In 2016, you will have to wait in line to pass inspection making certain you are fit to get OUT of the USA.

• “What were you doing in the USA?”
• “How long were you in the USA?”
• “Where are you going in Mexico?”
• “What are you bringing across the border?”
• “Show me your receipts from WalMart, Costco, Home Depot and Trader Joe’s!”

Morning music stimulates and encourages my brain cells for something special every day.  I’ll remember to include some music every week.

Today’s stimulus comes from a kid who grew up in Jalisco and Tijuana, Baja California.  These are softer “licks” than most of his work.  I would Love to see him Live at a Little venue.

“Noone sings a better song and he does it without saying a word.”  ~ anon

Carlos Santana told Mojo magazine November 2008 that he felt that this was his first recording when he was truly able to express himself. He explained: “I remember being alone one evening- until then when I heard my records it was like seeing myself in the mirror and there was no me there, only a lot of other guitarists’ faces: B.B., George Benson, Peter Green. That evening I heard Samba Pa Ti on the radio and I looked in the mirror and it was my face, my tone, my fingerprints, my identity, my uniqueness. – source

The 2011-2012 Gray Whale migration in the Eastern Pacific is beginning with more whale sightings than in any of my previous 5 winters here.

I see their spouts and occasional breaches during my daily hikes in my Punta Banda neighborhood.  Though I have not done a tour of the whale lagoons of Baja, 300 miles south of me, it is on the list of many future adventures.

GRAY WHALE HISTORY

The evolution of marine mammals began 60 million years ago, when the first land mammals took to the water in search of food and a safer habitat. They have slowly evolved to adapt perfectly to their aquatic lifestyle, exchanging their fur for an insulating layer of blubber. The forelegs transformed to pectoral flippers and is used for balance and steerage. The hind limbs shrank to only a small remnant bone fragment and was replaced by powerful tail flukes that propel them easily through the water. The mouth has enlarged to be able to take in hundreds of pounds of food required to sustain them and teeth were replaced by baleen plates which efficiently strain out sand and mud. Their nostrils receded to the top of the head to facilitate breathing.

For centuries, humans and whales have happily coexisted on this planet, the indigenous peoples often relying on beached whales for food. The Ma-ac (gray whale) was greatly revered and respected. Hunting from dugout canoes was done only with great ceremony. Hunting parties prayed and fasted in preparation and only the chief was permitted to throw the first harpoon. The whole whale was utilized and divided among the community with great thanks offered to the creator. One whale would feed whole villages so the takes were minimal, unlike modern commercial whaling fleets that have annihilated entire populations in a very short period of time in their relentless quest for valuable oil, meat, blubber and bone.

In 1850, there were about 25,000 gray whales on the Eastern Pacific coast, until the New England whaler Charles Scammon discovered the calving lagoons in Baja California, where a full scale slaughter of the animals was easily carried out. By 1939, with only a few animals surviving, the grays were offered partial protection by the International Whaling Commission and finally granted full protection in 1946.

It’s the second week of January.  That may mean that you are already discouraged, downcast and depressed about your new year resolution and fitness level.  Need a spark of motivation and encouragement?

Our new Sex Gym is now open in Ensenada.  Highly motivated female clients only.  Hours are 0615AM – 0001AM.   Click here  for contact, membership application and reservations.  Our unique features:

1. Quiet, rural location with panoramic views of ocean, mountains, night stars and city lights
2. Foam bed, water bed, air mattress, leather furniture, cooling granite countertops and saltillo floor surface options
3. Ceiling suspended rings available for advanced students
4. Indoor, outdoor and private beach venues
5. Music, aroma and position therapy menus and accessories
6. Fantasy therapy modalities
7. Experienced sexercize therapist with competitive athletic background in strength and endurance
8. Olympic weight set, barbells and bench for strength improvement
9. Full-time bartender and chef on premises to provide post-workout nutrition and hydration
10. Bar, fireplace lounge and two ocean view decks for post-therapy meditation/reflection sessions

International clients can fly to San Diego airport, 75 miles north.  Our limo will provide safe transportation across the US/Mexico border to our facility.   Limo service is also available to local clients within 100 miles.