Why, hello there, amigas!
As badly as I’d like to take this chica’s tweetvice (that’d be advice obtained via Twitter) and resume blogging as though I’d never left, I have this moral inkling that a one-and-a-half month hiatus warrants an explanation.
So here goes nada: Over the past month and a half, I could not uphold my blogging duties because I was undergoing extensive plastic surgery as part of my contract to appear on the new season of Extreme Makeover.
Ok, fine. That was an absolute mentira. But I felt the need to resort to a little “creative writing” because the truth is an utterly anti-climatic medley of mundane excuses. They go a little something like this: Took a long holiday vacación to Florida. Returned home to a broken computadora. Jetted off to spend New Year’s in D.C. before fixing la computadora. Waited almost a month for computadora to be returned.
Muy interesante, I know.
Oh, and there was one more thing that contributed to my fall off the blog-wagon.
Hermana was home for an entire month.
(Our interpretation of this old classic.)
Sí, hermana y yo were muy busy embracing sisterhood. By embracing sisterhood, I, of course, mean spending every waking moment together, cuddling on the couch/spooning in my bed, watching trashy television, meticulously managing our Netflix queue and baking.
Mucho, mucho baking of the Betty Crocker variety.
You see, hermana was a little thrown off by my recent revelation that I like chocolate. And by thrown off, I mean she compulsively seized the opportunity to have a chocolate Eating Partner In Crime.
I don’t have a final tally of how many batches of brownies we made during her month en casa. But I will say that, on multiple occasions, we made brownies at night, finished them by the morning, realized we wanted brownies for breakfast and whipped up a desayuno batch.
So therein lies my excuse for my absence: brownies. Embarrassing.
Without further adieu, I’d like to:
- apologize for my unannounced, lengthy hiatus one last time
- profess my love for all (or, uh, any) faithful readers who’ve not yet written me off
- plea that you invite me back into your lives (or Google Readers, same difference…)
- dive headfirst back into this blog game with a recap of recaps.
Now, about that recap. I have over 1,000 foodie pictures on my camera. So, if I were into pulling all-nighters in order to relay everything I’ve been eating over the past month and a half, I’d take that approach. But, lucky for both you and me, I retired my all-nighter jersey when I graduated college. So, this recap of recaps is going to focus on the most memorably delicious part of my little blogcation.
Brace yourself, mis foodies. I am about to introduce you to the happiest place on earth. Donde might this be?
LA CASA DE NANNY Y POPPY!
La familia y yo took a Hannukah vacación to Florida, where my beloved abuelos reside. We visit them pretty frequently because (1) we love them, (2) we love el sol and (3) la casa de Nanny and Poppy pretty much equates to foodie heaven.
Familia amor + sol + comida = the happiest place on earth.
Let us embark upon this casa de Nanny y Poppy eatventure.
First up, desayuno.
Breakfast at la casa de Nanny y Poppy looks a lot like breakfast at home. This is mostly because it’s the only meal we (we being la hermana y yo) prepare for ourselves. You see, Nanny and Poppy are quite the fitnessista/os, and they wake up at the crack of dawn (read: 8 a.m.) to start their day with un poco exercise. Poppy’s been a pool boy (and by that I mean he’s been doing water aerobics), but Nanny’s into speed-demon walking. In any case, they’re done with their exercise and breakfast long before hermana y yo wake from our beauty slumber.
When we rise, we throw together the usual suspects and eat as quickly as possible so we can get out to the pool and get our tan on.
Café. Greek yogurt + berries + syrup. Fresh fruta.
Whole wheat bagel con veggie cream queso.
AB & J greek yogurt.
Honey Sunshine + Publix dried cherries (EL MEJOR).
Más café con fresh fruta.
Atop that café is whipped crema because that’s how Nanny y Poppy do café.
And that’s just one more reason why la casa de Nanny y Poppy is the happiest place on earth.
Let’s move along to almuerzo because it’s really the main event.
Shortly after concocting and consuming breakfast, hermana y yo throw on our bathing suits, grab upward of 2382938243747749 clementines for poolside snacking, bronze ourselves and wait for the call.
The call to which I refer is the happiest call on earth: Shirl’s happy hour call. Like clockwork, approximately three hours into our sisterly skin-baking, either my or hermana’s phone rings. It’s Shirl, summoning us to happy hour almuerzo.
In the magical land of Nanny and Poppy, lunch is not a meal, but rather a spread of deliciousness. Deliciousness y vino.
Let’s commence le tour de “lunch.”
Mediterranean delicacies are always abundant.
In the form of giant Sabra tubs.
And marinated Greek olives.
But los abuelos make sure to embrace my latin obsesión, too.
In the form of mexicana 7-layer dip.
Y giant tubs of salsa.
Y, of course, guac.
Other happy hour spreads include spinach, artichoke and parmesan dip and veggie cream cheese (mi amor).
And crab cocktail. Fresh crab + cocktail sauce? ¡Sí, por favor!
Dipper options come in the form of amazingly fluffy flatbread.
Or, for crunchy carbage, chips:
Of the tortilla variety…
…which are bueno, but pale in comparison to…
…my dearly beloved FSTG multigrains.
There was also a nuevo addition to Shirl’s standard snack pack.
Blue Ginger Multigrain Black Sesame & Sea Salt chips! These might be my new favoritos (lo siento, FSTG). They’ve got a soy crisp/thin Popchip texture going on, but they’re made with brown rice and pack SO MUCH flavor. I haven’t been able to find them in NYC, but when I do, I’m purchasing a life-supply. Rumor has it they’re only available in Costco and BJs. If you’re a member to either, buy them immediately. (And send some my way 
.)
There are also, of course, crudités. For carb-baby-minimizing purposes.
Endives are the best dippers because you can create little boats filled with endless dippage combinations. My go-to endive filler is hummus + salsa + olives.
And, as previously stated, happy hour always includes vino.
Nanny says vino keeps her young because it keeps the blood moving through her veins. If her fountain of youth can be uncorked and consumed on a daily basis, I fully support Shirl’s staple Shiraz sippage.
Of course we can’t have vino without queso.
Munster, Jarslberg (best swiss ever), Wensleydale cheese with cranberries (my and Nanny’s favorito) and a newbie, White Stilton cheese with spiced fruit. This was increible. It was the same creamy Stilton base as the cranberry queso, but the spiced fruit took it to a new level of cheesy perfection. If you’ve never tried the cranberry Stilton, do so immediately! And if you can find the spiced fruit Stilton (I haven’t been able to!), I promise it will change your vida.
Nanny added another newbie to our happy hour repertoire: fig cake with almonds.
She knows I adore figs and Espana, so she snatched this up when she saw it. Further proof that she is la mejor Nanny del mundo.
It was muy interesante—and I think I would have loved it, except for the fact that it had anise. If there is one flavor I cannot tolerate, it’s licorice. So that sort of rained on what could’ve been a deliciously figgy parade. Ah, well…
And there you have the base of Nanny’s happy hour. I say “base” because what lies above, astonishingly, is not the whole almuerzo sha-bang. On different dias, Nanny improvises and throws in nuevo additions.
Sometimes that meant surprise Edible Arrangements.
(Chocolate-covered manzanas are insane.)
Sometimes that meant an impromptu quesadilla fiesta.
Con mango salsa.
Sometimes that meant balls.
Of the falafel variety.
Other almuerzo additions included fruity ensaladas.
Con pomegranate arils, strawberries and other colorful delights.
Egg white quiches!
Broccoli and cheddar.
Spinach and artichoke.
And while we’re on the topic of spinach and artichoke, let’s take a look at this lovely lunch addition.
Spinach, artichoke and parmesan-stuffed shrooms!
And on dias when Nanny was feeling fancy, she busted out baked mussels.
Fun fact: Nanny’s favorite way to eat mussels is con vodka—in a shooter. Since we go a little heavy on the vino during happy hour, she figured we should skip the shooters. It’s all about moderation, people.
Let’s move along to cena.
Dinner always proves to be our most legitimate meal of the day because Nanny just may be the best cook en el mundo (though I’m sure every Jewish granddaughter says that about her Jewish grandmother). We’re often not hungry come dinnertime due to a hefty happy hour, but there is always room to be made for Nanny’s cooking.
First up, her famoso brisket.
I don’t eat beef—but when I did, this was the only beef I ate. Nanny’s brisket sauce is seriously the best thing I’ve ever tasted. It’s sweet and savory, and delicious enough to make Little Sarah The Beef Hater go back for seconds. These days, I spoon out the sauce and put it on top of whatever else is on the table.
Like pollo.
Nanny’s a doll and made a separate chicken and gravy dish for me on the night she served brisket. I rarely love chicken. Especially simply-prepared pollo. Nanny’s is the exception. Seriously, the woman is a culinary prodigy.
Alongside those meat dishes, we had some patatas.
Half standard wedges, half sweet patatas porque hermana hates cheetahs and I fantasize about them. Further proof that Nanny is la mejor.
Otra noche she threw together an improvisational spicy sesame seafood stirfry with calamari, shrimp and scallops.
It was TO DIE FOR.
On le side was my personal favorite Nanny dish: peanut jasmine rice.
Spicy, coconut-creamy, profusely peanut-y rice. Es ridiculo.
She also made a simple rice side dish, likely anticipating that I’d make a considerable dent in my dearly beloved jasmine rice.
More on the seafood front: baked salmon with mind-blowing mystery sauce and mind-blowing mystery topping (I know it involved olives, and I believed sun-dried tomatoes).
Oh, we also eat veggies at la casa de Nanny y Poppy.
Delicioso, but comparatively lame considered all of Shirl’s more elaborate creations.
This last meal can’t be accredited to Nanny, but it must be noted porque it was Poppy’s 78th birthday dinner!
We went to an amazing Greek restaurante in South Florida. I forget the name, but it was fantastic.
My foodie familia (yo included) devoured the ridiculously fluffy pita wedges and hummus prior to picture-taking.
We started with ensalada y sopa.
I actually hate restaurant salads. I’ve gotten so used to making my own pimped-out ensaladas that restaurant starter salads never seem appealing. The veggie and bean sopa, however, was spot-on.
Other appetizers included a Mediterranean antipasto plato.
And escargot con eggplant.
I can’t remember what this was, or by whom it was consumed for that matter, but I liked the plate 
.
Same goes for this guy. I’ve no idea what’s hiding beneath that pool of cheese and sauce.
I do know that this was Poppy’s birthday dish: lamb.
The man adores his chops.
I went with a white snapper with an olive, caper and tomato sauce, which was heavenly. I’m mildly obsessed with any seafood dish that features capers. Throw olives into the mix, and this chica’s salt tooth is sufficiently satisfied.
Gah, now I want to go back to Florida so I can eat this.
Hermana ordered a delicioso chicken Madeira with feta and sautéed shrooms.
Dessert was flourless chocolate cake.
It was ridiculously rich, in a bueno way, and its texture was sort of a brownie-pudding-cake hybrid. Muy feliz that I discovered my likeness for chocolate prior to this vacation.
Oh, I also discovered the most delicious tea ever. Stash’s Vanilla Nut Creme. I haven’t been able to find it anywhere, but it was A-MAZ-ING. I’m determined to hunt it down.
That’s the last of my Floridian meals, but while we’re on the dessert topic I’d like to share this late-night combo I grew fond of during my stay at la casa de Nanny y Poppy.
Ice cream + kettle corn.
Best. Dessert. Ever. I think I may have found a way to appease both my veteran popcorn addiction and my newfound sweet tooth.
On that note, I’ll conclude this monstruo post. But not before I remind you all, just one last time, how much I’ve missed blogmundo and how ridiculously elated I am to be back!
1.5 months-worth of amor,
Sarah
54 Comments
February 1, 2010 at 10:06 am
Ahhh! You’r back with a bang, girl. Back with a bang.
I can’t really believe how much insanely good looking food you managed to squeeze in during that month and a half. Tell your nanny and poppy that I love them.
February 1, 2010 at 10:14 am
I AM SO EFFING HAPPY!!!!!!!! YOU’RE BAAAACK!!!
Seriously, I’ve missed you so much. I see us traipsing about NYC together very, very soon, and now I’m thankful I can have mucho better contact witchoo!! Holla to computadoras!
Your nana y pop’s lifestyle is amazing. That spread for lunch? Yea, that’s called SnackFacing. LOVE!!!
Popkurn and ice cream? Amazing. This is why the blog world NEEDS you!!!
Love you so much and beyond stoked that you’re back!! xoxoxoxo
February 1, 2010 at 10:24 am
I am so glad you are back! I hope you are hear to stay.
And why I am so glad? You are a FREAKING GENIUS. Popcorn and ice cream together? That sounds incredible!
February 1, 2010 at 10:40 am
SO glad you are back! The hole in my heart is filled!
February 1, 2010 at 11:18 am
Yay, you’re back!
You have such a beautiful family!
February 1, 2010 at 11:24 am
WHEW!!!! You’ve been living quite the foodie life while away
Look at all those chips, dips, cheese, and FIG CAKE YAHM!!!!!
You’ve been misssed chica!
February 1, 2010 at 11:24 am
Welcome back, dear. Looks and sounds like you had a fabulous time with your fam!! All your eats looks scrumptious.. UH I am LOVING that popcorn/ice cream combo… yes please!
February 1, 2010 at 11:25 am
Welcome back
Holy amazing foodie trip. Your g-rents REALLY know wassuppp! If they ever consider adopting more g-kids, I’ll put in an app!!
February 1, 2010 at 11:28 am
i am very glad you are back!! the blog world just wasn’t the same without you
i totally understand your little haitus!
xoxo
shelley
http://findinghappinessandhealth.wordpress.com
February 1, 2010 at 11:49 am
yayyyy can i just say so glad ur backs! love the catch up post..totally made me mucho hambre! popcorn and ice cream–ok u totally just made my day
Lena
February 1, 2010 at 11:57 am
YAY! i am so glad you are back, mama! missed you much, but it looks like you have been living life to the fullest and eating yummy stuff along the way
love you!
February 1, 2010 at 12:25 pm
i totes remember nanny’s jasmine rice…oh and does this mean we are back to our strictly tech relationship? communication via 3 technologies? blog, bbm, twitter?
February 1, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Glad you’re back! I thought you maybe decided to leave blog world!
Your grandparents know how to make a spread. Dayum! I don’t even know where to begin! Would you happen to have a recipe for that peanutty jasmine rice? Because I cannot resist peanut/peanut butter ANYTHING!
February 1, 2010 at 1:43 pm
your backkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!! omg so many foodie pics I cant deal. I had to take a break, grab some coffee and return to reading! flourless cake? popcorn and ice cream? calamari? salmon and sun dried tomatoes? gah. feeeed me seymore.
heart u mucho and missed u lots!
xoxo
lolomon
February 1, 2010 at 1:45 pm
The food in this post is GLORIOUS. I need to adopt this version of lunch, immediately.
Have I mentioned I’m glad you’re back? I was wondering what the HALE happened to you.
February 1, 2010 at 2:15 pm
glad your back! looks like you have been having an amazing time! Your food pics are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and have made me VERY hungry!
February 1, 2010 at 2:35 pm
um heellloo are we food twins? I’m pretty sure we went to costco together. Santa barbs peach mango salsa makes a daily scratch that hourly appearance in my life. Along with the huge ass tubs of sabs and those crispies!! I looove them. Popcorn? Girl I’m the popcorn qaaaaaueeeeeeen! Looks like you had an amaze time. Brownies is the perf reason for a blogging hiatus! Glad you’re back mama!
February 1, 2010 at 2:55 pm
i haven’t read the post because i had to come down and comment….YOUUURRRREEE BBBBAAACCKKKKKK!
off to read the post now…
February 1, 2010 at 3:00 pm
So happy you’re back girl!! the bloggie world just was not the same without you! beautiful pictures, looks like your month-long hiatus was totally worth it
February 1, 2010 at 3:13 pm
I discovered your blog during said hiatus and am so glad you’re back. I started hyperventilating when I saw the giant Sabra tubs. And falafel. And brownies. And seafood stirfry. Can’t wait to read more!
February 1, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Yay!!! So glad you’re back! Sometimes a long hiatus is entirely necessary. I have missed your insane and abundant food porn posts though. So, stick around awhile
February 1, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Welcome back, Chica! We missed you terribly! I’m so glad you enjoyed your time away. It looked as if you had a blast con tu hermana y tus abluelos. Tu comida looked phenomenal! I want your grandparents – they seem so amazing and so much fun. BTW, I love how you took time off to bond con tu hermana. I would have done the same! Glad you’re back and tu computadora no es broken anymore
Happy New Year, too!
February 1, 2010 at 4:39 pm
i was so incredibly happy when you popped back up in my google read
love all the delicious eats! you and your sister are so beautiful!!! i hope you’re hear to stay for a while
lol
February 1, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Chica bonita, welcome back, I missed ya, Sarah my dear girl! I think your excuse is just that you’ve had WAY too much fun to think about us. lol.
February 1, 2010 at 4:48 pm
No wonder it’s the happiest place on earth… those eats look PHENOMENAL.
Glad you had fun
bec xo
February 1, 2010 at 4:55 pm
can nanny and poppy adopt me? i will convert, start eating beef, lick chocolate bowls and do whatever i need to do! por favor!
mi clase de espanol comienzo la semana pasada y ojala que mi espanol mejore mucho! te amo mi amor!
adios!
February 1, 2010 at 5:03 pm
Welcome back love. I’ve missed your posts. Looks liek you had a great break though and had fun with family!
February 1, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Hey Sarah!! I’ve missed your posts so much!! So glad you’re back!! Looks like you’ve been having lots of QT with the familia and lots of delicious comida!!
February 1, 2010 at 5:55 pm
There are so many wonderful things going on in this post that I don’t know where to start. Basically, I’m glad you’re back, and if there was ever a reason to take a blogging hiatus, brownie baking and sister bonding is a pretty legit excuse! I’m pretty envious of your grandparent’s culinary expertise – did you eat anything NOT foodgasmic while you were visiting?
February 1, 2010 at 8:24 pm
OMFG. Sarah. Sooo I didn’t know you were ever GONE?!! Apparently I missed that post.. because I’ve been driving myself crazy with “where the eff is foodie diaries?!” and i guess i was too lazy to go look at your old posts, i think i thought my google reader was malfunctioning??
but anyways- you did come back with a bang. and i’m sure the blogosphere missed you so much! i know i did. love you babe! everything on this post looks aaahmazing. i’m in love.
February 1, 2010 at 9:09 pm
aww SO GLAD YOU ARE BACK!
um, you are absolutely beautiful girl, seriously, you def look like a model!
what a GREAT time w. your grandparents! makes me wana go to the beach!!
February 1, 2010 at 9:53 pm
welcome back!!! I just happended to pull up your blog today and voila!! There you were!!!
February 1, 2010 at 10:29 pm
[...] J’adore le green (yeah, French isn’t my forte). Let’s try it again. Me gusta la verde. Whatever, close enough, right homie? [...]
February 1, 2010 at 11:26 pm
glad you are back! and wow – that is quite the foodie diary.
February 1, 2010 at 11:44 pm
I thought you were done forever! Welcome back, glad to see it
February 1, 2010 at 11:51 pm
LONGEST RECAP EVAHH!!!!! I LOVED THIS.
Okay, where to begin?? Umm, firstly your poppy & nanny are just the cutest things ever! And your relationship with su hermana menor is just adorable! Makes me miss my mom–since we eat together, watch endless episodes of tv together and basically do everythangg together when i’m home! You two are seriouslyyy tan. MAJOR JEALOUSLY OVA HERE!
Okay…onto la comida? Veggie cream cheese sounds amaze. Bagels sound amaze. Looove the kashi honey sunshine– working on a box of it right noww!!
Please let me stay with you and the sis next time you visit the happiest place on earth!! That spread is BECKONING me (did i use that correctly?? hahaha)! I can’t handle all the sabra goodness & flavors I have yet to try!
So glad that the past 1.5 months have been lovely but i’m even happier that you’re back! Hopefully you’ll be blogging next time i’m home so i can actually steal many-a-yo’ ideas!!!
besos chica! let’s catch up soon!
February 2, 2010 at 12:03 am
Welcome back! It’s so cute how you had a fun time with your family!
February 2, 2010 at 12:12 am
I really did not want this post to end, so much food, one better than the other!
Glad to have you back!
February 2, 2010 at 2:03 am
Oh. Em. Gee.
This post made my life. Seriously, you have been LIVING and it has inspired me in ways I could never see coming! I’m so happy for you…and even happier to see you posting again!
I believe this was hands down my favorite quote:
“Atop that café is whipped crema because that’s how Nanny y Poppy do café.”
They know how it’s DONE! I see visions of Coffee Cocoa as I head off to sleep now…and it’s all thanks to you. This is ppuuurrrfeect
YAY x INFINITY! Your comment, your post, your presence just brightened my mood.
February 2, 2010 at 2:10 am
I was seriously wondering what happened to you…Obvi I knew you were young, having fun, and really, blogging…well, it’s not as fun as living life and so glad that you were doing Just That!!!!!! And you look hot as ever in your pics
xoxo
February 2, 2010 at 4:05 am
Great to see you back! And to see such delicious eats, Sabra hummus and nice pictures of Florida (been there many times on holidays from Europe!)…
xxx Julia (Taste of Living)
February 2, 2010 at 6:42 am
welcome back sarah! OMG where do i begin with the food on this post? first of all love the pic of your familia, you are all so beautiful!
you and your sis look so much alike too!
ice cream and kettle corn?!?!?! HELLO mouth gasm right there, what a unique combo of flavors, salty sweet crunchy creamy cool hot WOWZA I must try that soon!! thank youfor the idea!
this is one serious foodie diary
February 2, 2010 at 9:32 am
welcome back! and what an update ! so many beautiful eats!! and you are totally making me wish i had a stocked fridge here in India!! ooooof two meals a day and no snacking is kinda lame!! even if they are 2 WONDERFUL and large meals!!
February 2, 2010 at 12:27 pm
Hi! I’m so glad you stopped by my blog! Thanks for saying hi.
And I LOVE how loooong this post is…I think it is quite possibly the longest post I’ve ever seen, hehehe. Impressive! Loving all the delicious foods as well!
Hope you have a wonderful day! xo
February 2, 2010 at 1:13 pm
i should not have read this before lunch. i’m now starved thank you very much!! oh my gaWd everything looks absolutely divine!!!!!
soo glad to see you’re back
xoxo
February 2, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Damn girl! You came back with a bang. Delicious looking long food list : )
Miss you and glad to have you back!!
xo
Jocelyn
http://peacelovenutrition.wordpress.com/
February 2, 2010 at 2:41 pm
WELCOME BACK!! I don’t even want to know how long it must have taken you to get that grand return post up
. Very happy to see you back in the bloggie world.
- Beth @ http://www.DiningAndDishing.com
February 2, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Hi hi hi! I missed you! I’m glad you were off having fun and not getting Extremely Made over (although I believed that for a milisecond). Yay for fun with your family and being in Florida and dipping your grahams in hummus (…?)!
February 3, 2010 at 8:12 am
Soo happy that you are back to blogging! I adore reading every day. You and your sis are so cute!! That flourless chocolate cake looks amazing as does the other eats! Welcome back girl!
February 3, 2010 at 4:02 pm
[...] lies my next “who am I?” moment. My café always features creamer, almond milk or whipped cream, and I usually sweeten it with azúcar or stevia. Yesterday, I took it negro. And it was the best [...]
February 3, 2010 at 5:47 pm
glad your back posting!
that mexican lunch fiesta looks great!
popcorn and ice cream?! interesting combo!
jenna
February 4, 2010 at 5:19 pm
[...] mis foodies! La hermana is coming home tonight, so I won’t be back ‘til lunes. You know, brownie duty [...]
February 12, 2010 at 1:23 pm
[...] I go, in an attempt to avoid another unannounced hiatus, I wanted to give you a head’s up that I’m not sure what my posting schedule will be like next [...]
February 16, 2010 at 2:08 pm
What Rahm said was bad. What Rush said was not bad, because it was satire. Family Guy is satire and what they said was bad. My head hurts.