Hanna's Chocolate Wows

I still have 2 more days in my 7 day stretch. Going away on vacation is lovely, but coming back can be hell.
I've been feeling so exhausted. Tonight I had dinner with the family, my mom's birthday was Sunday (#68, she looks fantastic!). Since I've been back from Mexico, I haven't gone grocery shopping, so I have none of the usual fridge items, nevermind snacks...My brother subtley inquired about any available baked goods. He even offered his assistance:) You know he must be desperate...So, I whipped up a batch of Hanna's Chocolate Wows. Anyone in my family knows all about their chocolately goodness. I'm testing their brownie versatility. Some modifications may have to be made. (An extra egg, maybe some extra baking powder) This time I kept to the original recipe using the best chocolate money can buy, Guittard bittersweet and Guittard Semisweet chunks. John seemed so appreciative, he did the dishes :)

Mexico City

Home Sweet Home. I just arrived home craving Chinese food. It's good to be home. My first trip to Mexico is officially over... too quickly. It was a great 9 days spent with Pippette, Sabrina, Steve and the animals. Every morning I would feed Jasper some Temptations chicken treats I brought with me from home, that cat has me trained. Most of my days were spent hanging out with Pip and Sabrina and the dogs. Sabrina is such a good, happy baby. The weather was warm and sunny. Beautiful. We tried to bake, a challenge considering Mexico City is 7300 ft above sea level. There are so many adjustments to make for baking and cooking based on the altitude. Evenings, we would go shopping, grocery, Costco for dairy pills(not available at any other Farmacia) a beautiful outdoor mall, or out to eat at various restaurants downtown in Polanco. I was able to do quite a lot of sight seeing. We went to the Anthropology Museum, toured the historical city sites on the Turibus, had lunch overlooking the Town Square via the Holiday Inn Zocalo. We even checked out the Canadian Embassy to apply for Sabrina's citizenship and passport. Across from the Embassy, Sabrina had her passport and citizenship pictures taken by some gentlemen in a "Foto" red van. Classic. We walked around quite a bit more than I expected. Granted we spent most of our time in the wealthier areas of town, but apart from keeping my money scattered in different pockets, never in the same spot, I felt pretty safe. Pip and Steve had suggested leaving the city for a long weekend away but I wanted to stay in the city and explore. The time just flew by too quickly. They will be in Mexico City for another year, hopefully I'll be able to visit them again before they come home for good. In the meantime, I wait until the beginning of April when I can cuddle with Stinkerbum on her first visit home.

Mexico City and the Oscars

So I am in Mexico. It's a little cloudy but warmish. Around 20C.
After a little panic at the airport in the morning (I went to the wrong terminal), it went perfectly smoothly. Mexicana at T1 has their own international security gate. Only 1 person ahead of me. It was a breeze. Relaxing flight, they served us breakfast and booze ( I had my customary diet beverage) and customs and security in Mexico was smooth. My first impression was how poor some areas were, very slummy, and how congested and narrow the roads were. Major highways are so tight there is maybe 3 inches of space on either side of the cars. Big SUVs have even less. Every vehicle has damage on it's bumper from constant contact from highway driving and the side view mirrors all have chips and dents. Pippette lives in a nice area. The kind with high level security, drivers and armed guards. Very high walls around the house, at least 2 stories high. The house is huge with white marble floors and 5 levels not including the basement. A beautiful garden and pool in the backyard. Very light and airy.
Baby Sabrina is so beautiful. A little blond haired blue eyed girl. Very good baby. I've got some great photos I'll post later.
The Oscars. That was probably one of the most brutal shows I've ever seen. I don't know if it was coverage here but the announcer sound was completely inaudible, throughout the whole ceremony. Someone will never work in that town again. Some of the jokes absolutely brutal. The music interrupting the award winners very rude. Then some of the comments made, like Mo'Nique about people being brave enough to vote based on performance rather than politics was so classless...This in one of the award shows I look forward to watching, after last years wonderful show with Hugh Jackman, this was a complete letdown. I'm moving on.

Almost Vacation Time...

It's been a rough week. Visual changes this week means 6am mornings...Ugh. I feel tired just typing it. I should be more excited about my vacation, or more panicked because I haven't even done laundry yet, but physically I can't muster the energy. (Although my first load of laundry is on the agenda for tonight) My flight to MEXICO CITY is Sunday at 7:45am. I'm finally going to visit Pip and Steve and baby Sabrina for the first time. I've never been to Mexico before. I can't wait to finally see Sabrina. Baby smell, mmm. I still have to get through the next few days. Lunch with Pippette's mom friday (picking up some clothes for Pip since she's shed her baby weight already,...bitch:P) more laundry and packing my bags for my trip. Work at 7am Sat. Dinner at Wah Sing for chinese lobster...my mouth waters just thinking about it, yum. A little sleep and airport by 5am. Hopefully I make it.