Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

Every time we drove down south, around the Punta Sur area, we would pass by Gustos’s Restaurant. We kept seeing their signs for lobster pizza, and since we saw so many huge lobsters on our dives, we just had to give it a try. We even ran into some of our dive buddies as well. 🙂

Gusto’s was a beautiful tribute to all things Cozumel. It was fun and quirky and full of personality, but the food was delicious. It has a limited menu of primarily seafood dishes, but don’t let that stop you. We thoroughly enjoyed what we ordered, and so did our dive buddies.

I LOVE all these stained glass windows depicting life in Cozumel. These are definitely labors of love. A lot of hard work went into making these.

We did order lobster, just not lobster pizza. We ordered lobster ceviche instead and then a shrimp pizza to go with it. We didn’t intend to eat so much pizza on this trip. It just happened that way. But it was all different and all good.

Both were loaded with lobster and shrimp. Once again, couldn’t finish it all and took it home for later.

Gusto’s has a charming little wood burning oven to make the pizza too.

For the most part, when we travel, we just kind of pop into restaurants that speak to us. We don’t really plan where we are going to eat, we just drop in. Usually we are very pleased with where we go too. I love living on the edge and flying by the seat of my pants. Larry is the planner. So some things we plan, and other things we just wing it.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe, stay well, and eat deliciously. ‘Til next time.

No trip to Cozumel would be complete without seeing some of the local, wild residents, like iguanas, lizards and geckos. We even saw a crocodile. He was a resident of the crocodile farm, but he looked like he was just hanging out in open space. I wouldn’t want to get to close to him, that’s for sure. I made sure to keep my distance.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Chocolate, or more explicitly, the cacao beans that make the chocolate, was sacred to the Ancient Mayans and Aztecs. Cacao is the name for the earlier stage, where the beans have not yet been roasted, while cocoa is the name used once the fermenting begins. Cacao beans, like coffee beans, are roasted to perfection before they are consumed.

Early evidence for chocolate consumption is found among the Maya, dating back to 600 BC. They used it for many things, and it was not just a sweet treat to enjoy. Chocolate was used in official ceremonies and religious rituals, at feasts, weddings, and festivals, as funerary offerings and for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Cacao beans were considered a symbol of wealth and status. The Mayans and Aztecs believed that chocolate was a gift from the gods.

Cocoa had a vital place in Mayan mythology. The Mayan creation story tells us that humans were created from a mixture of the divine blood or the gods, and cocoa pods. Cocoa was part of the birth of humanity, but the cacao tree, which grows in shaded areas, was also associated with death. From the ancient Mayans and Aztecs who considered it the food of the gods to its modern-day consumption, chocolate has been imbued with spiritual meaning, symbolizing everything from sacredness and transformation to love and luxury. Cacao beans were so valuable to the Mayans that they used them as a form of currency and traded chocolate, or cacao beans, for other goods, such as woven cloth and maize grain. They also buried cacao pots with people, possibly as part of funeral ceremonies. Cacao was also used as a medicine and in cosmetics by extracting oil from the seeds to flavor food and made ointments to treat skin conditions, burns, and other ailments.

Maya religion states that cacao was originally given to the people by the god Hunahpú, and thus of sacred value, only second to maize (corn). Later records show Ek Chuah, the god of chocolate – and it also appears that the goddess of fertile land and successful harvests was named Ixcacao in its honor.

The Mayans called the drink chocolhaa (bitter water) and Aztecs called it Xocolatl. From those words eventually evolved the word “chocolate.” The Mayans were the first to drink chocolate on a large scale. They made the drink from ground cacao beans, water, and chilies, and called it xocolatl, which means “bitter water”. 

The Mayan Cacao Company is a place to discover the origins of chocolate in the same land of its creators: The Mayas. It is not a museum, but is an interactive place in which you become in an explorer of the history of the most popular food in the world. The Mayan Cacao Company was yet another discovery from our trip to the Museo de Isla de Cozumel, and another post diving activity. We learned about so much of the Mayan culture from our visit to the Museo. We are so glad we went to the Museo de Isla de Cozumel, which led us to other fun and interesting Mayan discoveries as well.

Once again, Larry and I had a private tour with just the two of us. I could easily get spoiled to these private tours. 🙂

Eduardo was our guide extraordinaire. Here he is (at the end of the tour) offering Mayan chocolate as it has been prepared for centuries. He was so knowledgeable and truly loves what he does. He is also very proud of his Mayan ancestry.

We started the tour with an introduction to an actual cacao plant, still in it’s early stages of growth and delvelopment.

Then we went into a little Mayan hut for the first presentation and brief overview of the history and significance of Mayan Cacao. Here is a list of the value of the beans as currency, along with the goddess of cacao, Ixkawkaw (pronounced “ess-ka-kow”). She is the Mayan fertility goddess of chocolate.

After leaving the cacao hut, we were welcomed with some fresh mole sauce and tortillas, made by Maria. It was so good too.

The next stop was into a typical Mayan hut. A lot of people in Cozumel still live in very similar conditions, though more in houses than huts. Eduardo said he had never slept in an actual bed until he went off to college. He had slept in hammocks all his life, and there are many Mayans today who still do.

Honoring the dead loved ones is a sacred tradition of the Mayans, Aztecs and all people of Mexican heritage. Offerings are still a part of most of the homes. Some large like this, but most are smaller offerings.

The final part of our presentation was a demonstration by Eduardo on how the Mayan chocolate was made.

We had a private tour, with Eduardo, but there was a large tour from one of the cruise ships that came in for the chocolate presentation too. After they all left, I also tried my hand at making some Mayan chocolate.

You could even enjoy a chocolate margarita after leaving the presentation if you wanted, but Larry and I just decided to take a swing or two on the swings.

And of course, we couldn’t leave without going through the gift store. We tried all kinds of the Mayan chocolates too. They are completely different, and more bittersweet, which I love, than most of the chocolates we are familiar with. Larry is more of a milk chocolate fan.

I love all the decorative tiles found all over the place too.

Going to The Mayan Cacao Company was yet another fun, informative and interesting find. I would recommend going here to anyone who is a chocolate lover. You will learn so much about chocolate and the traditional Mayan way to make and use chocolate. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. I hear dark chocolate is healthy for you, so eat some chocolate too. ‘Til next time.

There was a restaurant called Toro’s Place, that was just down the street from where we were staying, that Larry wanted to try.

This was our dining view.

Toro means bull, which is a cow, which = steak. But we eat steak at home, quite often too. We were by the sea and wanted fresh seafood. And fresh seafood we got.

Once again, we started with another version of fresh ceviche, and a cool refreshing bebida made with peaches and coconut rum.

Then we ordered the seafood platter. It was loaded with calamari, shrimp, lobster and grouper, with rice, vegetables and guacamole on the side. !Todos estuvo delicioso!

Once again, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, and once again, we took it back to our hotel to enjoy again at a later time. By taking home our leftovers and re-eating them again later saved a considerable amount on our food costs. We just mixed all the seafood that was leftover together, added more lime juice and made a BIG serving of ceviche for later.

Yet another very delicious seafood platter and meal(s).

Tequila, the well-known Mexican spirit, has been around for centuries.

1000 B.C. to 200 A.D.: The Aztecs Ferment Agave

Tequila didn’t start out as the partier’s shot of choice. It didn’t even start out as the tequila we know today. The Aztecs prized a fermented drink known as pulque, which used the sap of the agave plant (this technique was also likely used by the Olmecs, an even older civilization dating back to 1000 B.C. that was based in the lowlands of Mexico). The milky liquid was so important to Aztec culture that they worshipped two gods known for their relationship to booze. The first was Mayahuel, the goddess of the maguey, and the second was her husband Patecatl, the god of pulque. Though the first documentation of pulque—on stone walls, of course—appeared around 200 A.D., the drink really caught on centuries later when the Aztecs received a surprise visit from the Spanish.

1400s & 1500s: The Spanish Distill Agave

While there are multiple theories on the beginning of agave distillation, a common telling involves the Spanish invasion and primitive mud stills. The parched Spaniards couldn’t be without their brandy for too long, so when supplies began to run low, they improvised with mud and agave, essentially creating what we know today as mezcal. (Remember: All tequilas are technically mezcals, but not all mezcals are tequilas.) In the mid-1500s, the Spanish government opened a trade route between Manila and Mexico, and in the early 1600s, the Marquis of Altamira built the first large-scale distillery in what is now Tequila, Jalisco.

1700s to 1800s: Modern Tequila is Born

The Cuervo family, who everyone now knows and loves, began commercially distilling tequila in 1758, followed later by the Sauza family in 1873 (and, we’re sure, a few other small producers in between). According to Salon, Don Cenobio Sauza was responsible for identifying blue agave as the best for producing tequila—and by this point what we now know as tequila was likely being produced at these distilleries.

1974: “Tequila” Becomes the Intellectual Property of Mexico

In a move to take ownership of the term “tequila,” the Mexican government declared the term as its intellectual property in 1974. This made it necessary for tequila to be made and aged in certain areas of Mexico, and it also made it illegal for other countries to produce or sell their own “tequila.” The Tequila Regulatory Council was additionally created to ensure quality and promote the culture surrounding the spirit.

Tequila is a large part of the Mexican culture. We had to do our part to learn and appreciate the culture more. We were more than happy to do some tastings, in the name of higher learning of course. 🙂 There was a Tequila Museum, with a couple of locations on the island. We did not know they were part of the same family owned business until later.

At the first place we went to, we were told the tour was free, but we were expected to buy at least one bottle of tequila for at least $60. We declined and almost left, but then we were told we could visit the grounds up to the house, but we could not go any further, and we could not take pictures inside the house. We agreed to that.

Larry is hard at work.

After “hauling around the bases of the agaves”, Larry needed a break and is sitting on the head of the snake. In Mayan culture, the snake represents life, rebirth, renewal, and a connection between the gods and humanity.

As you all know I am NOT a fan of snakes, at all, so I chose to sit by the fountain instead. The house in the background is the museum.

One of the tequila gods.

Horses and burros are an integral part of the tequila industry, even today.

This was all we could see at the first place without the mandatory purchase of an expensive bottle of tequila. But a couple of days later, we found a place where we could taste the tequilas, with no expectations of making a purchase. That is when we found out they were part of the same family.

This lovely lady gave us the history of tequila and the tastings for free.

They were all good, and we each had our favorites. My favorite was the aged, sipping tequila. Of course. That was one of the more expensive options. Larry liked one of the lighter tequilas. We tasted, but did not purchase any. I love my wines, as you all know, but neither of us really drink much hard alcohol at all. So a little taste was all we really needed.

!SALUD! Cheers!

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well, and don’t let the tequila take over. 🙂 ‘Til next time.

We were hungry, but not famished. We strolled around and looked at a lot of menus, before we decided upon Los Nopales La Quinta. It was a new restaurant to us. We went after diving and a beach day.

We ate outside in their beautiful garden patio area. The place was hoppin’.

There were beautiful succulents all over, and the owner took such good care of them. He had a lot of pride in his plants, and when one table had a dying plant, he looked through his garden until we helped him find a suitable replacement, that he placed on our table.

Our hotel offered a deal to get free beach chairs, and snacks, so we weren’t hungry enough for a big meal. We decided it was a pizza day. We decided on a Mexican pizza. Once again though, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, and we took it home to enjoy at a later time.

Before our pizza arrived, we had our first introduction to the delicious cosolitos drinks or bebidas. Cozumel – More Than Just Trompitos

We were entertained by the resident gatos while we were waiting for our pizza to arrive.

When we were ready to leave, we gave little bits of the pizza crust, or pizza bones as we call them, to the kitties. They liked it so much, one came right up to the table asking for more.

Los Nopales La Quinta was a pleasant and enjoyable little find. We had never been there before, but the food was delicious and the servers were very friendly and helpful, even though they were running all around because they were so busy. That is a very good problem to have. We would definitely go back again. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

While visiting the Museo de la Isla de Cozumel, we learned about the importance of the Mayan bees and the Mayan Melipona Bee Sanctuary. We decided to pay it a visit as one of our post diving activities. It was really informative and very interesting.

The Mayan Bee Sanctuary is place where you will learn about the importance of stingless bees as well as learn about all the benefits of Melipona honey. You will also learn about the importance of honey in the Mayan world.

Beekeeping with stingless bees (meliponiculture) in Mexico is an ancient tradition. Ah-Mucen-kab, the honey god of Mayan mythology. As far back as 3,000 years ago, the ancient Maya practiced beekeeping. Their cultivation of sacred stingless bees—still emulated in the Yucatán Peninsula today—provided both pollination for their crops and honey to use in food, rituals and medicine.

Larry and I got very lucky and had a private tour. Our tour guide and bee expert Jocelyn, was very knowledgeable and knew all about her beloved bees.

Before we started the actual tour, however, there was a Mayan prayer ceremony that took place, with a Mayan Shaman blessing the bees.

After the prayer ceremony, our tour started.

There are over 600 types of stingless bees in the world, with 46 different types found all throughout Mexico, and 16 different species found specifically in the Yucatan region of Mexico. The Yucatan bees are known as Melipona bees, and are significantly smaller than the European bees. Small and unassuming, this stingless apidae is a native to Central America and has been cultivated by the Mayan people for centuries. They can be found in the Yucatan regions of Mexico, Belize, Guatamala, El Salvador and Columbia.

The Melipona Bee Sanctuary focused on three types of bees that are specific to Cozumel – The Beechi, the Nannotrigona and the Scaptotrigona. They all have very distinct personalities and differences.

The Beechi are the largest of the three bees, and their main job is to act as the guardian of the hives. The Nannotrigona are very shy and are not often seen. Their close cousins, the Scaptotrigona are very gregarious and can be more aggressive, though they cannot hurt us, because none of them have stingers. All three of these bees are tiny, and are only a fraction of the size of the European bees. Because the Melipona bees are so much smaller than the European bees, their honey production is considerably less as well. Europeans bees can produce up to about 30 liters of honey per hive per year, whereas the Melipona bees only produce about 1 liter of honey per hive per year.

They make their hives inside of trees, in their honey pots.

There are Scaptotrigona bees on the outside of this log.

I got lucky and got to see some of the shy Nannotrigona bees before they retreated back into the safety of the tree.

At the Bee Sanctuary, the hives are all protected by “moats”, though this isn’t always the case in the wild. One of the worst predators for the Melipona bees is the termite.

These are actual honey pots after the honey had been removed. The honey is usually removed from the honey pots with a syringe.

The inside of the hive is called a Jobon, and just like all bees, all the bees have their specific jobs and duties to perform, and yes, they too have a bee hierarchy, with a queen bee who is the ruler.

The Melipona Bee Sanctuary is located in jungle territory, with many other jungle inhabitants. The only other critter we saw, besides the bees, was a hooded lizard. We actually got to see him run , with his hood up, running on his hind legs. He looked so funny running like that. I tried to get a picture of him running, but surprisingly, he ran pretty fast and I was unable to get him running. I was able to capture him at rest though.

At the conclusion of the tour, we got to sample and compare the honey from European bees and the Melipona bees. They are completely different. Because the Melipona bees produce much less honey, the honey collected from them is very expensive and tends to be used more for medicinal uses rather than eating, though you can definitely eat it too. It is very good.

Jocelyn was a wealth of information. We learned so much from her. She asked if I was going to make her famous. I am doing my best. 🙂 We had a great time and learned a lot about The Melipona bees and the honey making process. If you are in Cozumel, looking for something a little different, I recommend this very interesting tour. Not only will you learn something new, but you will also be helping the local bee farmers and the preservation of the bees.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

The name Cozumel means swallows nest, but ironically we didn’t see many, if any swallows, at all. We did see a lot of other beautiful birds though. You all know how I love my birds. 🙂

The Great-Tailed Grackles are very common, and we see them all the time. They are cousins to our Common Grackles I see here at home all the time too.

There were lots of Brown Pelicans flying all about. They are slightly smaller than our American White Pelicans who frequent our lakes in the spring.

There were Mexican Vultures.

Sand Pipers or Sanderlings

Parrots

He’s eating his apple, but he doesn’t like the skins. He spits the skins out.

Yellow birds.

Gray and yellow birds.

Tropical Meadowlarks.

Ibis.

And the biggest birds – the planes flying in, with some frigates guiding them to the airport.

Have a great day and make everyday great. I still have plenty more fun things from Cozumel, so stay tuned. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Yesterday I presented you with our discovery of trompitos. Cozumel – Part 3 – Time For Trompitos But we made oh so much more than trompitos. We had a full menu, including trompitos, frijoles charros, pico de gallo guacamole, sikil p’aak, Mexican squash, and grilled plantanos con crema para los postres, or dessert, as well as the cosolitos para los bebitas. As you can see, we made way more than just trompitos. We made a Mexican feast. Everything was mui delicioso!

The silik p’aak, we had made before at Ix-Kool. Ix-Kool It is a sauce made with roasted, or in this case, boiled tomatoes, ground pepita seeds, garlic, salt, pepper and either jalapenos or habeneros. As with anything, there are always many different variations. All of the recipes and dishes we made were handed down to Tanya from her abuela or her grandmother. So they have been in her family for generations.

For the Mexican squash, we cooked it with oil, garlic, onions, salt, pepper, and then topped it off some Mexican cheese that was similar to Parmigiano cheese once it was cooked to perfection.

The frijoles charros or charred beans are very similar to cowboy beans. We made them with bacon, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, achiote paste and beer. We used pinto beans with their juice.

First we sauteed the bacon, garlic and onions together, then added the peppers and achiote sauce. Once those were softened, we added the beans, brought everything to a boil and let it boil for about 10 minutes, then added the beer and brought it back to a boil again. After it was done, Tanya grated some of the cheese and put it on top.

For the cosilitos, Tanya added 1 shot each of fresh grapefruit juice, orange juice and lime juice, then 2 shots of tequila, a dash of fresca and soda water, and something else, that was her secret ingredient.

These were so cool and refreshing and just perfect for a hot day. And they were very tasty too.

And for dessert, we had grilled plantanos con crema.

From starting at the grocery store until the time we finished eating as much as our tummies would hold, it was about 2-2 1/2 hours. It was a very fun experience with delicious food. And Tanya is a true gem. She was fantastico! I highly recommend cooking with Tanya. It is a great way to immerse yourself into the world of Mexican cooking. I will have to get the information from Larry if you are interested. It was listed as a private Mexican cooking class on Trip Advisor, or something like that.

Que tengas un gran dia y haz que cada dia sea grandioso. ‘Til next time.

Our post dive activities were both our fun and entertainment and our meal for the day. We took yet another cooking class, but unlike the one we took at Ix-Kool a few years ago, Ix-Kool, this one took place in someone’s home. Both were great, and totally different experiences. I would highly recommend both.

We met Tanya, our trompito chef, at the Super Aki, supermercado or supermarket. She and I were buying the ingredients needed for the day and she was explaining everything to me as we bought them.

Once we got everything we needed from the supermercado, we went to a tortillaria for some fresh, hot tortillas. Then we were off to the kitchen Tanya uses for her classes. The house belongs to her boss. It was a very nice house with a big kitchen.

I had never heard of trompitos before, but now I definitely know what they are and I know how to make them. They are delicious too. Trompitos, also known as trompos, have a long history, dating back as far as 4000 BCE. It is believed they first originated at the banks of the Euphrates River. There is also evidence that both the Ancient Greeks and Romans ate trompos as well. Trompitos are a variation of al pastor. Lebanese immigrants first created tacos al pastor in Mexico in the early 1900s. These immigrants brought their shawarma-style cooking techniques, which included rotating meat over an open flame—the method still used today to make tacos al pastor.

One of the main differences between al pastor and trompitos is the way the meat is cooked. For al pastor, the meat is roasted over an open flame. Trompitos are slow cooked and then shaved off into very thin slices. The name trompito is derived from their “trompo” or semi-tubular shape. These are very popular street tacos in Mexico, and in the Northeast. Creating al pastor tacos involves a gigantic spit—the trompo—piled high with succulent pork and pineapple, slowly spinning next to an open flame until the meat’s ready to be sliced off and tucked into a tortilla.

Before making the actual trompitos though, we had to make the red sauce or salsa roja. Tanya hasn’t sent me the actual recipes yet, though I mostly remember how to make it from memory.

Tanya and I rinsed and cleaned all the vegetables, then put a few tomatoes and a jalapeno in water to boil until softened.

As the tomatoes and jalapeno were boiling, we got everything else prepared for the sauce, such as fresh garlic, peppers, and the seasonings. Once the vegetables were ready, we blended them together and strained the sauce. The sauce was then the marinade for our thin pork slices.

We let the pork marinate for about 30 or so minutes, and while it was marinating we got busy making all the accompanying dishes. I will give you the recipes for those later. We made pico de gallo Pico de Gallo, guacamole Holy Guacamole, Mexican style sauteed squash and frijoles charros for the main meal. Then some grilled plantanos or bananas with crema for dessert and some cosolitos, or tequila with fresh grapefruit, orange and lime juice as our bebidas to go with our meal. But today, I just focusing on the trompitos.

When the meat was ready, we sliced some pineapple and onions, which were used to stack the trompitos. Nothing goes to waste. The pineapple peels were our base. We stuck skewers in the pineapple peels then added a layer of pork, onion and pineapple, and repeated until the skewers were full. Once ready, we put them in the base of the air fryer, added the sauce, more onions and more pineapple and let it all cook for about 30 minutes. If you don’t have an air fryer, no problema. I do not, just roast it in the oven, and that will work too.

Larry was busy cooking too. We put him to work as well.

Tanya was great. She and I clicked right away, and it was like we had been cooking together for years and were old friends or viejas amigas. Everything was excellent o todo fue excellente. Tomorrow, I will give you more of the recipes we made. We had a great time. Even Larry enjoyed himself, though admittedly, he lost interest after awhile and was more interested in the dog and cats. 🙂

This was so much fun, and I highly recommend it to everyone who likes to cook. Que tengas un gran dia y haz que cada dia sea grandioso. ‘Til next time.