beer cooler

flower

Entrance to Medano Beach

Cabo Wabo

It's time to vacate! The blog is now officially on vacation and will return to this same channel on or around March 28.
I leave you with some assorted memories of Cabo San Lucas, and look forward to having many more to share upon our return. Until then, with the approaching outdoor season almost upon us, keep in mind the single most important rule of thumb when dining alfresco: Never eat anything larger than your head.

Horse bite

A very painful condition, of course, considering that each horse tooth is the size of Aaron Neville's mole. We spent some time at a horse ranch, run by the King of Spain's former head horse dude. He looked like he was well on his way to become Gabby Hayes like.

Who is that man in the gold ball? Amusing myself as Suzanne shopped, wishing for more beer and wretched excess, then I saw myself in the amazing golden balls. See if you can find the Freddo's.

The flowers flourish down here when properly watered and cared for. Most hotels and villas have magnificent gardens, and this is where I found this stunning example.

Finally, I really don't know why this buzzard kept following me around, but it was starting to make me nervous. An omen from a Brujo? No, more likely the beef jerky in my camera bag.

Obligatory
El Arco

Yes, even I have succumbed to the tourist attraction, natural wonder, curious beauty of El Arco. It's one of the major highlights of scenic Cabo San Lucas. It is known as a distinct rock formation and is always somewhere within eyeballing range if you are in downtown Cabo.
Next is a happy little snorkeler ready to do another lap, then pound back some serious tequila with her husband Juan Jose Calvo DiDios.
Finally, it's another tourist location: The pottery and glass factory down the corridor, a short drive outside of Cabo. This kid is very skilled at his craft. He is a glass blower. He must concentrate on not inhaling at an inappropriate time. The countdown continues.

Postcards from Cabo

A few days and counting until the big excursion south of the border. Temperatures in Los Cabos this time of year are in the mid 80's daytime, and mid 60's overnight. I wonder if Mexicans coming to the United States can drink the water? One of the many features of the Baja are the playa, or beaches. We wandered around a playa several miles from our hotel and were the only two people for miles. I thought it curious that a large bird was following us where ever we went. I remarked about how I thought the bird was tame, and was being a ham because he was everywhere I pointed the camera. I later learned that the bird is a vulture and was waiting for someone to drop so he could eat. It's always about food, isn't it.

Leaving Dodge

As the mercury soars to near 70 degrees here in Chicago, we anxiously await the weekend and the low 30's. This is why we're packing and heading to Cabo San Lucas, the tip of the Baja Peninsula in beautiful Mexico.
It's costly, trendy, and doesn't have to be that way if you know your way around. The most difficult thing to find is a decent bottle of wine that doesn't cost a mortgage payment. Oh, you'll find a few places with great cellars, but count on outrageous dollars. Restaurants spread the gamut from a to z. From a seafood taco joint on Medano Beach, where you can watch the world parade by, to Charlie Trotter in the very posh, one-and-only, Palmilla.
It is a great time to vacate Dodge for the hospitality, Sol Beer, and relaxation of Mexico!
Cabo San Lucas is the newer city and Cabo San Jose is the old town where most of the locals, who run the thriving touristo business reside. The lengthy road between them is called the Corridor and is a vast expanse of seaside hotels and condos for miles and miles. Los Cabos is the number one fishing destination in the world with their world famous derby running in the fall every year.
Getting in the spirit of Cabo, I delved into some captures made in 2001. They'll be running until it's vacation time in just a few short few days.
I took this shot inside a galleria in downtown Cabo San Jose and was captivated immediately upon entering. At first, I thought it may have been the tequila based cocktails enjoyed at lunch, but never mind that. This is one of my favorite shots taken down there.

not a skunk

El Segundo

Residents in this southern California city are finding out that development stinks. That's because as more houses go up, more skunks come out. The city has seen 1,398 housing units built in the past six years, and with it came an increase in the black-and-white smelly creatures. "We're seeing more of them because their habitat is being destroyed," said Jeff Rudolph, El Segundo's animal control officer. The city's animal control supervisor, said that the department is dealing with more skunks lately than anything else. "We're constantly getting calls about skunksThey're under houses, they're getting hit on streets." One area skunk even gained international attention when it crawled into a rubber hose and got shipped to Canada. The stowaway skunk, nicknamed Dorothy, wound up hitching a ride in a delivery truck for a 7 day, 2,200 mile trip.

Want fortune cookie?

EAT

My Chili appeared in grocery stores in the Chicagoland area during the 80's and 90's. It is no longer available in retail outlets but is being manufactured for the food service industry nationally. I still get E Mails and letters from my radio listeners about the product, and when I do personal appearances people always say how much they've enjoyed it. Fred Winston's Chili is a labor of love from my kitchen to yours and I hope you and your family enjoy the recipe. Good eating, good living, and stay well. Fred

Fred Winston's Chili

Spices:
2 Tbl ground Ancho Chili’s or chili powder
1 Tbl paprika
1 tsp Greek oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp hot pepper (optional)

Other:
1 large onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
3 cloves garlic smashed and minced
1 stalk celery chopped (optional)
1or2 Jalapeno peppers chopped (optional/will make dish very hot)
1 Tbl Worcester sauce
1 dash hot sauce
2 cans beer (opened the night before so it is flat)
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1 large can (28oz) tomatoes (drained)
4oz beef stock
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 cans beans (red or black) drained and rinsed
2 lbs ground chuck, round, turkey, or meat of your choice. (Seasoned over night with Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Cajun Magic)

Instructions:
Blend spice mixture and set aside. Preheat Dutch oven and add oil.
Add chopped vegetables and saute over high heat adding garlic last so that it will not burn, about ten minutes.
Sprinkle spice mixture on top of vegetables and stir in until it appears to be pasty. Deglaze with about half a can of beer so that the mixture won’t stick. Add more beer if necessary.
Add tomatoes and break them up with your spoon. Then add the Worcester sauce, hot sauce, tomato sauce, and beef stock.
Stir, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover.
In another pan, brown the seasoned meat in small batches. Drain and add to chili mixture in the Dutch oven.
When all the meat is added, stir, add the beans, the remaining beer (reserving the other can for later if needed), stir again, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook covered for one hour stirring occasionally. Open the cover a bit, stir, and add more beer if it needs more liquid, and simmer for another hour or hour and a half. You may serve it at that time, but it is recommended that you let it cool and refrigerate overnight.