Tortas with a side of Kayak

No one loves tortas like Laura and I do, but the Agua Verde Cafe & Paddle Club here in Seattle comes close! In the daytime, the cafe opens a walk-up window for breakfast and lunch orders, with a dining room open for breakfast and lunch. Oh and p.s. that breakfast is a traditional Mexican one! The prices are reasonable and you can rent a kayak to work up your appetite! Tortas are sandwiches, traditionally found in Mexican cuisine, served on an oblong crusty, white bread roll that is filled with anything from carne asada, al pastor, carnitas, jamón, or any other sort of protein, really. (One of the most popular tortas is a Cuban sandwich.) Here at Agua Verde they serve tortas with tortilla chips and a fresh salsa bar. We like to have our with a side of creamy chile mashed potatoes that makes a perfect condiment, smeared inside the torta! Trust me...you'll love it. 

I know you want a close up! The bread is crusty, the tomatoes are fresh, and the beef is juicy and flavorful! Go celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by sinking your teeth into a torta!

Props to Laura's co-workers over the University of Washington College of Education who introduced us to this tasty spot. My taste buds thank you!

Hispanic Heritage Month: Arroz Con Pollo

National Hispanic Heritage Month began September 15th and ends October 15th. Why does it start on the 15th, you might ask. It is meant to celebrate the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, which all fall on that day (Mexico, Chile, and Belize, independence celebrations follow close behind). I realize it's September 27th...so we're a little behind,  but only on the blog posts! We definitely have been celebrating and will catch you up as soon as we can get on top of it all. I felt like it would be best to start with one of the most basic Hispanic foods I could think of...rice and beans. I took it one step further by cooking one of the most traditional Latin fares served all over Latin America with a lots of versions: arroz con pollo or rice with chicken.

The photo above is my rendition of arroz con pollo that Laura and I enjoyed for dinner tonight. I adapted it from a recipe for Arroz Rojo con Pollo y Frijoles Negros by Rick Bayless from his cookbook, Mexican Everyday. Go get this cookbook! It has so many great Mexican recipes beyond the Mexican varieties you may be used to. There are so many great recipes out there for arroz con pollo and so many ways to make it your own! It will definitely become a "go-to" dinner at my house!

Pumpkin Spice is Back!

GREAT NEWS: Pumpkin Spice is back at Red Mango. I love it swirled with Original, Tangomonium, Madagascar Vanilla, or straight up! 

You can also got a $1 off any pumpkin spice order until 11/7/2010. One coupon per customer per day. Works for me! Contact me privately if you cannot get one yourself! Don't forget to join Club Mango for rewards! It's free!

Amazon Fresh

As some of you may know, we have just relocated to Seattle and have definitely picked up on a lot of fresh food trends. Seattle is the home to a lot of fresh food such as Pike's Place Market that offers fresh catch, produce  and flowers coming in from all over Washington state and Oregon. Lucky for us, Seattle is also home to Amazon.com. As we were driving around, getting to know the neighborhood we saw a delivery truck marked: Amazon Fresh. We immediately started researching, when we got home. As it turns out, this Amazon subsidiary is a pilot home grocery delivery service. Pilot, in this case, means the delivery service area is restricted to certain zip codes in the Seattle area, ours being one of them!

We were overjoyed and quickly put together an order large enough to fulfill the free delivery service. Although most of our readers will not be able to take advantage of this service, the use of it by Seattleites (me!) will hopefully close the gap between Amazon Fresh and your front door! I could try to explain how it works, but it would probably be clearer to read this page explaining each step!

Since we placed our order before midnight we could request the pre-dawn doorstep delivery option, and jumped at the chance to have our groceries waiting for us when we awoke. However, for some reason on the night before the delivery, I could not sleep. I was still awake when the delivery arrived at 2:30 a.m.! Below are a few things that I observed:

1. The delivery man turned off his truck engine when he arrived! He was so quiet when he set the bins on the stoop that if I had been asleep he would not have disturbed my slumber!
2. All the grocery items came in zip-tied shut bins! If they had been tampered with, the zip ties would be broken and I would know immediately! 
3. The refrigerated items were packed with ice packs inside of soft insulated bags. 
4. We received a "Welcome" bouquet of flowers to thank me for trying the Amazon Fresh service. 

I would definitely try this again and cannot wait to see what items they add as the service grows!

Thank you Amazon (and Amazon Fresh)!

L'Shanah Tovah!

...or in other words "for a good year!" Sunset today marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah (literally meaning the head of the year), also referred to as Jewish New Year. This holiday is the first of the high holidays during which Jewish observers set aside time to focus on repentance, concluding on Yom Kippur.

I love Jewish holidays because they involve traditional dishes that I attempt to replicate in my kitchen. I really had a tasty success last Hanukkah with my sufganiyots. A Rosh Hashanah menu traditionally calls for apples and honey to symbolize a sweet new year. Whole fish is also often served, as the head of the fish represents the "head" of the year.  Since we have just moved into a new place we do not have any of our kitchen items unpacked, meaning you all will have to do the cooking for us. I have included some sites below that have put together menus for the high holiday.

Food Networks 16 recipes to ring in the Jewish New Year
Joan Nathan's French Rosh Hashanah Dinner

Luckily, my local Whole Foods has a Rosh Hashanah spread in their prepared food section that will appease my holiday cravings. We cannot wait to get back into the kitchen! New recipes to come soon!

New City. New Eats.

These bloggers have just relocated to...SEATTLE!!! We're very excited and cannot wait to share our new culinary adventures with our readers, so stay tuned!

P.S. Please suggest any Seattle spots we can make our new favorites!