An Evening Stroll Down 5th Avenue

This past winter, I took the Ranting family on a vacation to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. For those unfamiliar with the location, it is on the east coast of the country on the Yucatan Peninsula, about 30 minutes drive south of Cancun.

Our typical vacations involve a lot of activity. It is not unusual for not only each day to planned with activities, but for us to be staying in different hotels as we drive through a part of the county. This vacation, however, was designed to be one that involved a lot of sitting in a beach chair and drinking a tropical drink (with out without umbrella).

We chose a resort that was not only a full-inclusive (a first for us), but right in the heart of The Playa (it’s nickname). The resort was right on the water, but also just a couple of blocks from the main shopping district (5th avenue). We found that every evening, a nice walk up and down 5th Avenue (about a half mile in length) was a great form of entertainment.

Besides the stores (a few high-end ones and many others selling trinkets to tourists like us), pharmacies (many things were over-the-counter that required a prescription in the US), bars and restaurants, there were street performers and other oddities that caught our eye. Here are a few:

• As it was during Hanukkah, we saw several very large Menorah’s. Being such a Catholic country, I would have never thought Mexico having much of a Jewish population. (Wikipedia estimates 0.034% is Jewish).
• A 2x life-sized Homer Simpson walking around that you could take a picture with.
• Other people dressed up earning tips for pictures: someone in traditional maya dress; dressed in a gorilla suit; dressed in a sic-fi metallic armor complete with laser gun.
• Animals were also used as bait for pictures: a real life leopard cub, a monkey and a lemur.

Mexican Rice

This rice matched any Mexican rice at the resort. It is easy and delicious.

Only a few ingredients.

The key is to toast the rice.

This gives it a deeper flavor.

With the liquids.

Awesome!

Mexican Rice

Prep Time: 5 M | Cook Time: 25 M | Servings: 4 servings 

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth or vegetable for vegetarian

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.

Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

PREP 5 mins

COOK 25 mins

READY IN 30 mins

Nutritional Info: Calories 291 kcal 15%
Carbohydrates 42.4 g 14%
Cholesterol 2 mg < 1%
Fat 11 g 17%
Fiber 1.2 g 5%
Protein 4.8 g 10%
Sodium 1096 mg 44%

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mexican-rice-ii/