Simply irresistible!

It’s taken me awhile to get used to staying hydrated in a way that’s necessary here – the intense heat and subsequent sweating day after day makes the advice to “drink lots of liquids” more than just an empty refrain. I’ve actually become quite creative in my drinking habits (I’m talking non-alcoholic, folks!) to the point that my discovery of ice cube trays that make thin, rectangular ice that fits into the opening of a water bottle (!) filled me with, yes, joy.

So here we are again on the cusp of another long, hot summer; already the days are hot enough that I’ve dug out the aforementioned ice cube trays and they’re sitting filled and ready in the freezer. I’ve also begun to scout out my favorite drink vendors, who thankfully also appear on various street corners along with the advent of warmer weather.

There are things in life that just shouldn’t be missed: opportunities to travel, champagne for breakfast, hugs from a child, the chance to laugh.

To that list, I would humbly add Garapiñados Leal’s.

The lowly potato takes on new life as a “papa loca”

How a baked potato could take on such mythical qualities eluded me until I experienced my first papa loca here in Mazatlán. Of course, I had heard-tell of big baked potatoes with all kinds of “stuff” on them before, from Mexican friends in California. But as is rarely the case, the reality of these scrumptious, foil-wrapped, fire-baked, carne-asada-filled, sour cream-and-butter slathered, guacamole-salsa-and-grilled-onion-topped taters far surpassed my expectations

Melt-in-your-mouth creamy and delicious, this flan is what you’ve been waiting for

Playa Norte, with its gentle curve of white-sand beach, dozen or so beachfront palapa restaurants and tranquil view of Las Tres Islas, is a postcard-perfect location for, well, just about anything. Swimming, walking, playing, eating, drinking and just all-around being merry all work well here. To add dessert – and a consistently fantastic, made-from-scratch-from-a-secret-recipe dessert, at that – is just, well, icing on the cake (pun intended).