"Adventure Before Dementia": Cozumel Dive Trip

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Cozumel Dive Trip

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I just returned from a four night/5 day dive trip to Cozumel with my girlfriend, Pam Tynes from Fort Worth. We had a great time and enjoyed staying at Casa del Mar in Cozumel. We flew out of Dallas on Aeromexico, a very nice flight. I had the opportunity to get in four dives with "Dive with Cristina", a first class dive operation. Her boat "Nena" is spacious, with lots of shade and room to relax during your surface interval. Cristina's knowledge and love of the underwater world is contagious. My divemaster, Jaime shared his diving skills and gave me some great tips on underwater photography. Just take a look at my pictures, some really great ones.

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Pecan Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

1/4 cup apple cider
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup chopped pecans
Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Combine apple cider and pork in a zip-top plastic bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 400°.

3. Remove pork from bag; discard cider. Combine sugar and next 4 ingredients (through garlic); rub over pork. Roll pork in pecans. Place pork on broiler-pan rack coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.

Chicken Florentine Pasta

Prep Time:: 10 Minutes
Cook Time:: 20 Minutes
Difficulty:: Easy
Servings:: 10

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound Penne
4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Salt And Pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
3/4 cups Dry White Wine
3/4 cups Low-sodium Broth, More If Needed
1 bag Baby Spinach
2 cups Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
4 ounces, weight Parmesan Cheese, Shaved With Vegetable Peeler

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions in lightly salted water. Drain and set aside.

Cut chicken breasts into chunks and sprinkle on salt and pepper.

Heat butter and olive oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add chicken chunks in a single layer and do not stir for a minute or two in order to allow the chicken to brown on the first side. Turn the chicken and brown on the other side. Cook until done, then remove chicken from the skillet.

Turn heat to medium. Add garlic and quickly stir to avoid burning. After about 30 seconds, pour in wine and broth, stirring to deglaze the pan. Allow the liquid to bubble up, then continue cooking until it's reduced by at least half (most of the surface of the liquid should be bubbling at this point.)

Turn off the heat. Add spinach, tomatoes, chicken, and cooked pasta to the skillet. Toss to combine; the spinach will wilt as you toss everything. Add plenty of Parmesan shavings and toss to combine.

Serve with extra Parmesan shavings.

Cranberry Jalapeno Salsa

Chicken Boudine

Ingredients

2 cups cooked egg noodles
2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 cups chopped cooked chicken
3 cups grated sharp cheese, your choice, divided
1 (2 1/4-ounce) package slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup drained, chopped pimentos
1 (4-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss together the noodles, soup, broth, and sherry. Add the chicken, 2 cups of the cheese, the almonds, pimento, mushrooms, and salt and pepper, to taste, and toss gently to combine. Transfer the mixture to a greased 13 by 9 by 2-inch casserole and top with the remaining cup of cheese. I change it up by adding one bunch of green onions chopped, one container of fresh sliced mushrooms instead of canned and extra chicken and the whole container drained of pimento. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (17-ounce) package frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 large avocado, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1/8 to 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Directions

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Cover and chill overnight. Taste and add salt, pepper or more lime juice as necessary. Serve with tortilla chips as an appetizer, or with grilled chicken breast as a meal.

Yard Egg Blender Frittata

Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

Gather fresh eggs (8)
3 cloves peeled garlic
1/3 medium sweet onion
1/3 bag fresh baby spinach (2-3 cups packed)
Sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Dash cayenne
½ block cream cheese (softened)
1 tablespoon of olive oil for the pan
Handful fresh basil, plus a sprig or two more for garnish
1 ripe tomato
1 cup fresh grated parmesan or asiago

Directions

Seriously toss EVERYTHING, except the tomato and ½ cup of the grated cheese in the blender. Whir until well blended and fluffy. Pour mixture into a well oiled 14” cast iron skillet.

Bake at 400 for approx. 15 minutes.

When frittata begins to set, remove from oven.

Sprinkle liberally with cheese. Arrange tomato slices and thin slices of onion. Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.

Crack a little pepper on top. Finish in oven until firm.

I like to broil the top for a few minutes when it is almost done.

Garnish with a little fresh basil.

Coconut Cranberry Bars

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup cold butter

Topping

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped pecans

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and sugar in large bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press onto bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Combine all filling ingredients in large bowl; mix well. Spread over hot, partially baked crust. Continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. Cut into bars.

Corn Cheese Chowder Soup

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons 1/2 Stick Butter
1 whole Onion, Chopped
3 slices Bacon, Cut Into Pieces
3 whole Bell Peppers, Finely Diced (red, Yellow, Orange)
5 ears Corn, Kernels Sliced Off
1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
3 cups Chicken Stock Or Broth
2 cups Half-and-half
1 cup (heaping) Grated Monterey Jack
1 cup (heaping) Pepper Jack
1/3 cup Sliced Green Onions

Preparation Instructions

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook onions for a couple of minutes. Add bacon and cook for another minute or so, then add diced bell peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Finally, add corn and cook for a minute.

Sprinkle flour evenly over the top and stir to combine. Pour in broth and stir well. Allow this to thicken for 3 or 4 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Stir in half-and-half, then cover and allow to simmer/thicken for 15 minutes or so.

Stir in cheeses and green onions. When cheese is melted and the soup is hot, check seasonings. Add salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately.

Colorado Green Chile Frittata

10 eggs, beaten

½ cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 pinch salt

1 (7 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained

1 (16 ounce) container low-fat cottage cheese

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the green chile peppers, cottage cheese, Cheddar cheese, and melted butter. Pour into the prepared baking dish.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F, and continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool slightly, and cut into small squares.

Elkwood Manor Warm Curried Fruit Compote

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

16 oz can	Peach Slices

16 oz can	Pear Slices

15 oz can	(or 2, 8 ounce cans) apricot halves (you may cut halves into slices

15 oz can	Pineapple Chunks

1 cup	Golden Raisins

¾ cup	Light Brown Sugar

½ cup	(unsalted) Butter, melted

3 tsp	Curry Powder

3 Tbsp	Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Directions:

Drain all fruits and place in a 2-quart ovenproof casserole with the raisins. (Save fruit juices for another use, if desired.) Mix last four ingredients and pour over fruit. Bake covered, about 1 hour at 325 degrees. Serve warm.

Rocky Mountain Monkey Bread

Ingredients

3 cans Buttermilk Biscuits (the Non-flaky Ones)
1 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons (to 3 Teaspoons) Cinnamon
2 sticks Butter
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 chopped pecans

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Open up all three cans of biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters.

Next, combine the white sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon. (3 teaspoons of cinnamon gives it a fairly strong cinnamon flavor. If you’re not so hot on cinnamon, cut it back to 2 teaspoons.) Dump these ingredients into a 1 gallon zip bag and shake to mix evenly.

Drop all of the biscuit quarters, raisins, and chopped pecans into the cinnamon-sugar mix. Once all are in the bag seal it and give it a vigorous shake. This will get all those pieces unstuck from one another and nicely coated with cinnamon-sugar. Spread these nuggets, raisins and pecans out evenly in the greased bundt pan.

At this point, you’re going to want to melt the two sticks of butter together with ½ cup of brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. This can be light or dark brown sugar. Cook butter/sugar mixture, stirring for a few minutes until the two become one. Once the brown sugar butter has become one color, you can pour it over the biscuits.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the crust is a deep dark brown on top. When its finished cooking, remove it from the oven. If you have the willpower, allow it to cook for about 15-30 minutes before turning it over onto a plate.

Cherry Sherbert

Ingredients

3 cups Fresh Or Frozen Cherries, Pitted.
1 cup Sugar
1-1/2 cup Whole Milk
1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream
1 Tablespoon Cherry Booze (such As Kirsch) Or Clear Rum
Juice Of 1 Lemon

Preparation Instructions

Add cherries to a saucepan with sugar. Bring to a slow boil and cook until cherries are soft and liquid is syrupy. Cool to room temperature.

Add cherries and juice to a blender or food processor. Blend until smoooth, stopping short of totally liquefying it if you'd like a little pulp. Add milk, cream, booze, and lemon juice and blend briefly.

Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions, then transfer to an airtight freezer container and freeze for at least 24 hours before serving.

Texas Shrimp Creole

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced green bell peppers
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 (14-ounces) can tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon white sugar
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp
Green onions, for garnish

Directions

Preheat crock pot on high.

In fry pan, heat olive oil. Add peppers, onions and celery. Cook until softened. Add chili powder and saute until caramelized. Remove from heat and pour into crock pot. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, hot sauce, Worcestershire, white sugar, salt and pepper.

Cook for 3 hours. Add shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes. Serve over rice. Top with chopped green onions.

Life

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.
Mother Teresa