Thank you, Mrs. Hallow for introducing me to plain yogurt and so many other foods. My favorite afterschool snack was original Fritos with plain yogurt then I tried flaming hot Cheetos with plain yogurt..... I am still eating and making yogurt about the only dairy I do eat.  The dips in the attached file are the ones I do most often. If you haven't noticed I am a firm believer in easy, no recipes and all from a base that is always in my refrigerator or pantry. Spending time shopping for ingredients for recipes is something I really don't do much of anymore (we won't discuss my walls of cookbooks...inspiration). When I make a recipe it is because more than 90% of the ingredients are in my kitchen. I have cooked my whole life and now I am letting the restaurateurs make me the ethnic foods I don't have all the ingredients handy such as Ethiopian, Chinese, Japanese and more. We have reinstituted our weekly eating out adventure and this week it is to Sunnyvale to The Falafel Stop, it is the made-on-site pita bread that pulls me so far north plus we have to go to a Doctor's appointment.

As I sat down to write this the reference below popped into my email about the decrease in hip fractures, the study points to a decrease in "smoking and drinking"  which supports the education about foods that support a healthy skeletal system and increased walking in some groups and improved lifestyle.  Studies have also shown that in some overweight individuals there is increased bone mass, not a good reason to be overweight or obese as with time other bone ailments appear in the knees and hips and cause havoc with adulthood and aging. 

Swayambunathan J, Dasgupta A, Rosenberg PS, Hannan MT, Kiel DP, Bhattacharyya T. Incidence of Hip Fracture Over 4 Decades in the Framingham Heart Study. JAMA Intern Med. Published online July 27, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.2975
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​or click this link
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2768887

Last thought! Skip all the flavored yogurts.... pick a great preserve; add overripe mashed fresh fruit, and more! I make a bagel spread inspired from a local bakery, chopped candied ginger, chopped dates and chopped walnuts or pecans. To one cup of yogurt cheese, you only need 1-2 dates, half teaspoon of ginger and nuts. Best of made the day before but even minutes before it is great.  If adding honey or nut spreads warm slightly to blend in then cool again not much is needed. 

Welcome to my ramblings about central coast summers: foggy mornings, sunny lunches and windy afternoons followed by more fog.  Sometimes we can see the moon and the stars and those nights I bundle up and sit outside to take it in. We also drink hot chocolate in the winter as we tend to have fog then too and rain. If you love the four seasons, this area is not for you we have spring or fall (without the stunning leaves) all year round. Below the recipe variations and history are included. Buen Provecho!
 
 
Mexican Hot Chocolate
  
1 wafer of Mexican chocolate (Abuela, Carlos VI, etc.)
1 cinnamon stick*
1 11 oz. can of evaporated milk**
2 cans of water (about 4 cups)
 
(If you can’t find Mexican chocolate, boil together 3 Tbsp cocoa powder, 6 Tbsp sugar and half the water as a first step making sure it boils and then simmers for 5 minutes to produce a syrup from the sugar chocolate mixture.)
 
In a double boiler or in a saucepan while stirring constantly, heat water with the chocolate and cinnamon until the chocolate melts.  Add the milk and heat to serving temperature.
 
*Can be rinsed and reused. The price of cinnamon has increased and the smoothness this adds cannot be replaced by powdered variety.
 
**To use milk alternatives, omit the water and use only the soy, almond, etc. It will be thinner and not as creamy. Not all non-milk creamers will work, I would add them later, so make it more chocolatey so you can add creamers. A lactose enzyme works too just before drinking it.
 
By melting the chocolate in water the chance of scorching is much less because it doesn’t take long to heat the milk.  This makes a rich chocolate drink.  I sometimes add a little more chocolate. This recipe is a Ramirez Family favorite. It is much richer than the hot chocolate served in Northern California and less rich than many served in Mexico and Spain.  I developed the coco powder version for Girl Scout Camping trips the Mexican Chocolate bars can get pricey for large groups. I was a leader and trainer during college and economy was necessary. Also, I am not tempted to eat the bars as chocolate. Especially Carols VI!
 
Category: International, Childrens Favorites & Young Adult Favorites
Las Abuelitas Recipe Collection

Giant! ooops! The title on my last blog post is wrong! This is it not Bread.....all year long! I will try to fix but in the mean time go to Dec 5 and you will see a great recipe for Quinoa Tabbouleh, Buen Provecho, Elsa

You might have noticed that the slide show is from our anniversary trip to Italy. The food was wonderful. The one thing I have added to my kitchen is making fresh vinaigrettes. It is really easy, 1 part olive oil, 1 part water and one part vinegar (wine or balsamic or a combination) plus a few leaves of fresh oregano, fresh thyme and fresh basil. I am playing around with the amounts of each spice. The spice proportion was 1 basil leaf per tablespoon of olive oil with an equal amount of oregano and thyme. I also add garlic cloves sometimes.