Where we stayed: The Weary Traveler, roughly $10 USD a night. Offers free breakfast, free purified drinking water, WiFi, air conditioned private rooms or dormitories, free shuttle to the beach- approx. 10 minutes away.

Where we ate: El Camello, Antojitos La Chiapaneca (order the tacos all pastor for 50 cents each)

What I thought of Tulum: This isn’t a place I’d revisit. Though the beach is beautiful with white sand and pale turquoise water, it’s not as magnificent, as picturesque, as the waters of Cancun or Isla Mujeres (the best). The Mayan ruins on the beach are interesting to see, but other than that, the town offers little in the way of nightlife and activity. Day trips from here are what make it worthwhile: I recommend one to Chichen Itza to see the ruins of the Mayan mega city ($55 USD for tour of city, swim in the cenote, and lunch. 9am-6pm), and another to snorkel and swim in the cenotes (fresh water pools)- $55 USD for 4 hours.

Below are photos from a day trip to Chichen Itza.

Last summer, my best Seattle friends threw me a paella party to celebrate my book deals. An incredible Spanish-style cookout. And of all the deliciousness, Barnaby’s sangria was my favorite part. Spanish tapas and brandied cherries followed closely behind.

This is my inspired spin on his fruited, fizzy wine. I like to let it sit chilling in the fridge for 24 hours before serving to be sure all the flavors mingle and intensify. It’s summer lovin’ in a [hopefully bottomless] glass.

Easy Summertime Pineapple Sangria

• 1 bottle red wine- Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1 cup fresh berries- a mix of raspberries and bluberries
• 1 cup diced pineapple
• 1 lime, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 orange, sliced into thin rounds
• 3 cups club soda

Combine all ingredients except for club soda in a large pitcher or jug. Let chill for 24 hours to allow the flavors to marry and intensify. Add club soda before serving. 

One month ago, Camille and I found ourselves, for the four hundredth time in a week since we’d arrived stateside from our Costa Rica and Panama travels, on the phone retelling- for the four hundredth time, no doubt- all of our favorite Central American adventures. They ranged from stories of torrential tropical downpours on secluded beaches to Mardi Gras-style all night dancing bashes to painting our toes on our one full size bed in a shack in the middle of the jungle while trying- quite unsuccessfully- to stream an episode of The Bachelor.

By the end of the conversation, all of our dramatic cooing about ‘those amazing days’ left us high on nostalgia. We craved another adventure. In a matter of three days Camille had designed us an itinerary with travel and accommodation costs that barely reached what I spent to live at home in Seattle, with rent, a car, a Target habit, and all that jazz. The plan: Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica once more.

So here we are.

We touched down in Cancun on Tuesday at noontime. Expectations of meeting Las Vegas on the beach were all we’d packed. Those and a carry on full of sundresses and flip flops and bug repellent.

And what I’ve discovered about this crazy beach metropolis is this: yes, it is absolutely a tropical Las Vegas with high rise resorts and clubs and all manner of show. But that aside, lovely in its own wild right, Cancun is stunning. Beaches with sand like pure baking flour. Water so turquoise, so teal, I’d thought my sunglasses had photoshop. That water is transparent all the way through. So clear that I feel confident I’d be able to spot my fallen earring without straining my eyes. I’d call the whole place pure paradise if it weren’t so developed, so touristy. Truly, it’s bliss.

We spent our first two nights at Hostel Quetzal in the downtown section of Cancun. For $25 each, we had a private air conditioned room with two twin beds, a bathroom, and a balcony.

Our stay included breakfast and dinner as well. But the real find here was the people. In a matter of hours Camille and I had a group of friends to go out with at night. The best part about hostels, other than their unbeatably low prices, is the travelers you meet. They’re interesting, eager, and outgoing. Perfect companions for adventuring.

On day one, after beach bumming it for four hours in the blazing sun, we headed to a swanky beach club, Playa Cabana, for a massive pool party.

$45 dollars per person for all night spent outside in beautiful tiled pools, smack dab on the ocean, with music and unlimited cocktails. Very fun with the only snafu being Camille’s now-sprained foot from a spill on slippery stairs.

She’s a trooper, still busting moves on the dance floor every night since.

On day two, we explored more of the white sand beaches and then glammed ourselves to head to what is called the best night club in North America- Coco Bongo. There, you dance and watch a Cirque du Soleil quality show with the best array of music- oldies, new Pop, hip hop, classic Beatles hits, and show tunes. Camille about died when songs from Chicago were performed. All the while, it’s open bar. The entire experience, $55 per person, was outright fantastic. The performances, the acrobatics, the lighting and music and dancing- worth every penny for nearly four hours of hysteria.

I took away from Cancun that it was much better than what I anticipated. It’s clean and stunning, and while I do think it’s worth a trip simply for the immaculate beaches, it’s more a place I’d recommend going if you want the crazy nightlife as well.

If you travel this way, and Cancun isn’t your speed or style, Isla Mujeres may be. This is where we traveled next, a thirty minute ferry ride from Cancun.

I am certain I’ve never seen any place more exquisite. It’s small- perhaps 8km in all, fairly quaint, and the beaches are postcards.

If I thought Cancun was wonderful, this place has eclipsed it. Camille and I have fallen deeply in love with the island. In less than twenty four hours here, we’ve committed to returning many more times. There’s a quieter, less raucous nightlife with even better beaches than Cancun.

The place we’re staying- Hotel Maria del Mar- costs roughly $45 a night for a room with two double beds, air conditioning, and breakfast. After walking through the town yesterday afternoon, Camille and I have decided this hotel is in the best location- directly on the beach and five minutes of walking to shops and restaurants.

We will spend three days here before heading to Tulum, Mexico. Posts to come will share all the delicious street food we’re grubbing, typical breakfasts in Mexico, and how we try to eat healthfully while traveling.

I hope you’re having a great week

Have you been to Mexico? Where are your favorite beaches and places to stay?

To start, this is not pasta and will not ever be pasta. It is lovely and light and beautifully summertime, but really- there’s no fooling ourselves in the delicious department. None of us will eat this thinking we’re at our Nana’s house being nurtured by meatballs and garlic bread.

So here’s the reason why using thinly grated zucchini and summer squash as your faux-pasta is refreshing: It’s just the vehicle, the SUV in size, for your favorite sweet tomato sauce. It’s a way to ensure that your sauce is drenching a heaping pile of something rather than one cup of cooked spaghetti.

For us volume eaters, it’s satisfying. For those of us who want a bowl of sauce and meatballs more than any.

Try subbing thinly stranded zucchini and summer squash for spaghetti once in a while when you’re looking for a lighter, lower calorie meal. Spaghetti squash also works, though I find it can be a bit more watery.

To prepare:

Soften the strands by gently steaming them in a covered pot filled with half an inch of water for two minutes, just until they’ve begun to wilt and are warm to the touch. Drain well before adding your sauce. Alternately, you could lightly saute the zucchini in a pan with a little olive oil and minced garlic for better flavor. Eating the vegetable strands raw with hot marinara sauce is also perfectly fine if you’re into that slightly crisp texture.

Top with your favorite marinara or try my family’s famous sauce and meatballs: PJ’s Meatballs and Sauce

Thoughts on pasta alternatives? Worthwhile or weird?

Sweet mango slices. Smoky barbecue beef. Sharp cheddar cheese.

Melted.

Slow Cooked Beef and Mango Quesadillas

2 lbs top of the round beef roast

1 cup barbecue sauce

4 large whole wheat tortillas

1 large mango, peeled and thinly sliced

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Combine beef and barbecue sauce in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 6 hours. When done, shred the meat by pulling against the grain of the meat with two forks.

2. To assemble the quesadillas: On one half of each tortilla, spread 1/2 cup beef, 1/4 of the mango, 1/4 of the red onion, and 1/4 cup cheese. Fold the empty half over the filled half and either place on a lightly oiled grill or frying pan for 2-3 minutes per side, until the cheese melts.

makes 4 quesadillas

Friends,

In the past week, I’ve moved my parents from one town to the next. A lifetime of stuff packed in classy things like trash bags and dresser drawers and Staples boxes. 

All of these pictures to show you just how much of my mother’s exquisite decorating we had packed up in our arms, shuffling up and down two flights of stairs. When all was said and done, I’d only called her a hoarder twice.

Long story short, we were without internet, showers, and civility for a few days. I’m sorry to have been out of touch.

Let’s reconnect now that my arms have stopped throbbing.

Love,

Andie

Could not be easier. Combine equal parts of these three ingredients and slather the mixture onto beef, chicken, or pork. Marinate for at least 1 hour before cooking.

1/4 cup barbecue sauce  +  1/4 cup teriyaki sauce  +  1/4 cup brown sugar

Friends,

If you live in or near San Francisco, or if you’ve always wanted to visit the Bay Area, this is the time. One of my very favorite friends, Andrew Scrivani- food photographer for the New York Times, is leading two photography workshops on the weekend of May 19 and 20.

Tell me you’ll be there.

I die.

Andrew and I met last year at one of his workshops, so I can assure you that both he and his photography lessons are incredible. His photography, all moody and nuanced, is simply the best I’ve ever seen in the world of food. No pictures make me salivate quite so viciously, make me hungry as immediately, as Andrew’s do. In fact, I think I’ve roped him into photographing my upcoming cookbook.

I die again.

very, very dead at this point.

Details about the 5/19 & 5/20 Workshops in San Francisco, California:
In this 6-hour workshop, Andrew will be covering the basics of food photography such as composition, lighting, propping, and food styling. Class size is limited, so you will have the opportunity to work with Andrew both in small groups and one-on-one.

Start the morning learning about Andrew and his craft (lecture and Q&A); then spend the rest of the morning and afternoon practicing your photography skills with Andrew in a “photography set” environment (plated dishes provided by Contigo, the beautiful host restaurant). Finish the day with a group review and critique session.

This is an amazing opportunity to learn from and practice with one of the best in the field! Register below.

When
Workshop 1: Saturday, May 19, 10am-4pm
Workshop 2: Sunday, May 20, 10am- 4pm

Where
Contigo Spanish and Catalan restaurant
1320 Castro Street in Noe Valley

Cost
$250 per person (per day), including lunch.

REGISTER HERE

About Andrew:
Andrew Scrivani is a New York based freelance commercial and editorial photographer, food stylist, writer and blogger. He has been photographing for the New York Times Dining Section since 2002 as well as the Recipes for Health column by Martha Rose Shulman on The New York Times on the Web Fitness and Nutrition section since 2008. He most recently completed the photography for ABC TV’s The Chew Cookbook and the Crazy Sexy Kitchen cookbook by health and wellness guru Kris Carr. Andrew will also be the featured photographer for Eating Well Magazine’s 10 Best issue due on newsstands this July. You can read his columns on Food & Photography at The New York Times Diner’s Journal blog and his own personal blog makingSundaySauce. In August, Andrew will be leading a 3-hour hands-on photography and styling workshop with Allrecipes’ FoodWishes Chef John Mitzewich at the International Food Blogger Conference. Andrew frequently speaks and teaches nationally on Food Photography and Styling, which is a natural extension of his life before photography, as a high school teacher and coach.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @AndrewScrivani
Find him on Facebook!

All photos belong to Andrew Scrivani

Breakfast

1 bagel 300 (preferably whole grain, but whichever you love most)
3 tablespoons full fat cream cheese 100
2 cups fresh fruit 100
500 calories

Lunch

Loaded lunch salad- see this post
400 calories

Snack

Apple (or any fist-sized piece of fruit)
100 calories

Dinner

Vegan Black Bean Burger on a whole wheat bun with toppings 400
(toppings include: lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard, pickles)
2 cups cooked vegetables (grilled, roasted, steamed) or salad 100
500 calories

Dessert

2 pieces biscotti 300
Chamomile tea
300 calories

Breakfast

1 cup whole grain cereal 100-140
1 cup lowfat milk 100
1 banana 70-100
300 calories

Lunch

Loaded lunch salad- How to Make a Delicious 400 Calorie Salad
400 calories

Dinner

3 ounces Simple Poached Salmon with Pesto and Feta
2 cups cooked vegetables or roasted broccoli
300 calories

Dessert

1 scoop frozen yogurt on a small cake or sugar cone
200 calories

Friends, don’t ever eat below 1200 calories. Or I should say- please don’t. This is the lowest calorie budget I will post because anything less compromises health and happiness.