Mexico City 2018

It's been two months and I'm still thinking about my trip to Mexico. It was full of surprises and adventures, and I took so many photos that I need to split them into two posts.

I spent my first week in Mexico City; I could have honestly stayed another week because there was so much to see, do and eat. I coincided my trip with Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and the festivities were underway. Marigolds were sold everywhere, especially at the markets, because they are believed to guide the souls of the dead to the ofrendas (altars) lovingly decorated by family members.

Did you know that Mexico City has more than 150 museums? I visited two during my stay, barely put a dent in it. I missed some must-sees due to ill-timing on my part, but my favourite way to explore the city was to wander.

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Sneak Peak: Mexico

I've been itching to visit Mexico for ages and I finally made it happen this year. I had such an amazing time that I wonder why more people don't visit (all-inclusive resorts not included).

Unfortunately I succumbed to a really bad cold near the end of my trip and I'm still recovering from it. Photographic evidence of my adventures to come.

Maple Roasted Delicata Squash with Quinoa

Move over, peaches and tomatoes, we're deep into apples and squash season.

I'm a huge fan of delicata squash because the skin is edible, hence no peeling required for people who are lazy like me. I wish they were more readily available at grocery stores.

Roasting squash is my go-to technique, as the squash gets caramelized in the oven. I love tossing grains right onto the baking sheet of the roasted vegetable because it takes on the flavour of the caramelized squash.

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Pasta with Eggplant Puree

I've spent the last month or two doing very little cooking and have mostly been gorging myself on grilled corn and caprese salad. Is there anything better then tomatoes and corn at the height of summer?

However, this means that other in-season vegetables are woefully being ignored. In attempt to add more variety to my diet, I picked up an eggplant at the market.

I'm still a novice when it comes to cooking eggplant but it always turns out lovely when roasted. This particular eggplant was roasted with cherry tomatoes, then blended together to make a sauce. Because there's a high ratio of eggplant to tomato, the eggplant is the star of the dish.

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Peach Shortbread

'Tis peach season. Is there anything better than a ripe peach, so fragrant and juicy that you have to eat it over the kitchen sink?

I purchased a 10 litre basket of peaches to make jars of jam. Fortunately, I had leftover peaches: some were eaten as is, others stirred into yoghurt, and I even made a peach caprese salad.

As I'm often inspired to make dessert with in-season fruits (I made a killer strawberry ice cream last month), I started searching and came across this peach shortbread recipe.

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