Learn

Black and White Ball with Midnight Chicken Hash

July 20, 2020 by Akiba 2 Comments

Truman Capote threw “a little masked ball” for 540 of his closest friends on November 28, 1966. When Capote summoned his pals for a night of dancing (and chicken hash at midnight), he was as famous as he would ever be, and flush with the profits from his critically acclaimed best-selling nonfiction book “In Cold Blood.”

I was always intrigued by Capote’s selections for his midnight dinner at such an extravagant affair which included the very all -American and very homey, chicken hash. It may give us insight into the genius of Capote. This is a beautifully balanced dish that is surprisingly like nothing I have tasted. The red peppers along with the tomato paste are the stars that makes this dish zing. Capote was on to something when he placed it on the menu.

Ingredients

2 whole (4 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on (see Note below)

16 basil leaves

Olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Six T unsalted butter, divided

2 lbs boiling potatoes, peeled and large diced

2 red onions chopped

2 large red bell peppers

3 garlic cloves minced

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp paprika

1 T tomato paste – Note: I used 2 T

4 minced scallion, white and green parts

1/4 cup chopped fresh leaf parsley

Sour cream, cheddar and sliced lemons for serving

Note: I used 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and baked them for 12 minutes at 425 F.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers, leaving one side attached. Place 4 basil leaves under the skin of each chicken breast. Pull the skin over as much of the meat as possible so the chicken won’t dry out. With your hands, rub each piece with olive oil and sprinkle very generously with salt and pepper. Bake the chicken for 35 minutes until the skin is lightly browned and the chicken is just cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones. Cut the chicken in large dice pieces and set aside.

Note: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and baked them for 12 minutes at 425 F.

Melt 4 T of the butter (saving 2 T) in a large saute pan. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes and then add the potatoes, 1 t salt and 1/2 t pepper and saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes until evenly browned and cooked through – but not mushy.

In a separate saute pan, melt the remaining 2 T butter and add the red pepper, garlic, thyme, paprika, tomato paste, 1 t salt and 1/2 t of pepper and saute over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, until the edges of the peppers are seared.

Add the chicken and pepper mixture to the potatoes and heat through. Add the scallions and parsley, toss together and place on a serving platter. Finish with sour cream, cheddar and sliced lemons.

My version of the Black and White Ball Chicken Hash

GOAN CURRIED FISH STEW

April 29, 2020 by Akiba 3 Comments

While we are in our homes during these uncertain times, we find ourselves cooking more than ever but we are also finding a sense of comfort and accomplishment.

This super flavorful ultra-comforting fish stew should keep everyone in the family happy. An added benefit is that you can prepare the whole recipe in advance except for adding the fish. Then reheat the stew and add the seafood minutes before you sit down to eat. I made it twice in the same week because my husband, Fay, raved about it. Also this stew goes great with Naan bread to soak up all the wonderful juicy flavors. For the one bowl homemade Naan bread recipe see:
http://bajabeat.com/homemade-naan-bread-just-like-you-find-in-real-indian-restaurants/

Goa is on the southern coast of India and is tropical where coco palms and fresh seafood are abundant. Goans use a local flat fish called pomfret, similar to sole. Because I live in Los Cabos, my fish of choice is Perico, a beautiful white snapper that is so clean tasting. I purchase it fresh from my local fish monger whenever it is in season. This stew is flavored with hot peppers, lime juice, coconut milk, ginger, spices and garlic – all good for our immune systems.

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds fish fillets cut into 1-inch pieces (Shrimp would also work for this dish)

¼ cup fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon salt (divided in two parts)

2 cloves garlic

4 teaspoons of chopped fresh ginger

1 can unsweetened coconut milk

½ Tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon brown sugar

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon cayenne

3 Tablespoons cooking oil (I like grapeseed)

1 large onion chopped

1 large tomato chopped

1 serrano minced – seeds and ribs removed Note: If you like spicier foods, add more serrano to taste

¼ cup of water

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: In a glass container, combine the fish, lime juice and ½ teaspoon of salt. Let marinate at least 20 minutes.

Step 2: In blender puree the garlic and ginger with the coconut milk, coriander, cumin, brown sugar, black pepper, turmeric and cayenne.

Step 3: In a large saucepan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and serrano: cook stirring occasionally until golden – about 5 minutes. Add the tomato and cook stirring occasionally until soft, about 5 more minutes. Add the coconut mixture, water and ½ teaspoon of salt and bring SLOWLY ALMOST TO A SIMMER, stirring frequently. Note: At this point you can turn it off and add the fish when you are ready to eat. Just bring it up to a simmer before adding the fish.

Step 4: Add the fish and the lime juice it has been marinating in. Bring to a simmer until fish is just done – about 2 minutes

I like to serve over rice.

Expat 911 Smart Phone App that Covers all Types of Emergencies Utilizing GPS in Los Cabos

November 13, 2018 by Akiba Leave a Comment

Expat911: The English Speaking Emergency App Now Available to Us in Mexico

https://www.expat911.mx/ref/Akiba2062488366/

Expat911 is a smartphone app that covers you for all types of emergencies when at home, on the road or out for a night on the town. It utilizes GPS location services which allow the operators to target your exact location. Many of us may have the capability to say our home address to Mexico’s Spanish speaking 911 operators, but what happens when we are in an unfamiliar area? How can you explain where you are when you have no idea what the names of the streets are in the area during your emergency? Also, how will you explain in detail about the type of emergency you are having?

Expat911 is an app that works on Android and iPhone devices. Within the app you have a profile with information that will speed up the process when reporting an emergency. You have a basic medical profile which has your blood type, allergies and sicknesses. There is also a contact area where users can add 1 US/Canada contact and 2 Mexico contacts. Expat911 will immediately and simultaneously notify your contacts after your emergency has been reported to Mexico’s 911 on your behalf. This way your family back home will know about your situation and so will the people that you trust here in Mexico. The Mexico contacts can be neighbors or local doctors that speak English. Many times our neighbors can come to our aid while we are awaiting the emergency services to arrive. The Mexico contacts can also be used for our insurance agents or medical air evacuation plans that we may have in place.

So how does Expat911 work during an emergency? You only have to click on one of the 3 emergency buttons. There is a button for Police, Ambulance and Fire. Within seconds an English speaking operator will call your phone and verify the emergency. If you do not pick up, then they will assume that this is a serious emergency and report to Mexico’s 911 on your behalf. If you answer, they will verify some quick details about your emergency and then call Mexico’s 911 to report the emergency. Once the emergency has been reported, they will then confirm this with the user. At this time they will stay on the phone with you if you request them to, or they will start calling your emergency contacts. So it is very simple to use during an emergency and all you have to do is click a button. They will take care of the rest. They also record all calls so that there is a record of the emergency being reported to Mexico’s 911 and the call with the user as well.

Expat911 does have a cost to use their service. It is important to understand that this is a 3^rd party service who worked directly with Mexico’s C4 and C5 offices around the country. C4 and C5 are the agencies that handle all 911 calls in Mexico. Expat911 has a direct line of communication with all local C4 and C5 offices nationwide.

Expat911 was asked by C4 and C5 to open their services to Mexicans because of the GPS factor. Since they do not have those capabilities, they explained that Mexican Nationals may be interested in Expat911 services as well. They mentioned that the Expat911 app was far beyond the technology of their state used apps. Expat911 is now signing up Mexican Nationals for this same reason.

It is also important to realize the value of this service. An alarm in your home has a cost of thousands of pesos to install. Then we pay an average of 250 pesos per month to have the service in case the alarm goes off. So the yearly fee of an alarm in Mexico is 3,000 pesos on average. This alarm system will only cover your home and you while you are at home. There are no translation services included with your alarm company and you are only covered for police emergencies. This is why I see the huge value in Expat911 which has a cost of $99.00 per year. That cost is close to 2,000 pesos per year and will cover you everywhere within Mexico as long as you have a signal on your cell phone. Plus Expat911 has the added benefits of being 100% English spoken and contacting your friends and loved ones during your emergency.

Expat911 has recently implemented a couples plan (or family plan). The first user pays the full amount upon registration. They will then contact Expat911 to ask for a coupon code which will be used to set up their spouse or family members. The user will be provided with a 50% off coupon code for any other family members that wish to use the service. So it is not just limited to your spouse and can also be used for your children, and brothers and sisters who may also be here in Mexico with you. All additional accounts have a fee of $49.50 which is 50% of the original rate.

Expat911 is already serving a large number of people in Mexico. They have active users in 11 states and are growing daily. It is a great service for those of us who have not been able to develop a strong command of the Spanish language. It is also great for those of us who do speak Spanish well enough but might worry about the stress during an emergency hampering our ability to speak another language. It is also a great aid when we are traveling to an area that is unfamiliar to you.

I spoke to Management about the possibility of using the Green Angels Roadside Assistance and this is their response: ” We have told clients that we would help them with roadside assistance. However, we would deal with local 911 offices who would then report to the Green Angels. The Green Angels use 078 for calling and we do not have the local numbers for each Green Angels office. With 911 we do not call 911, we actually call the local C4 and C5 offices directly. With the Green Angels, we do not have those direct local numbers as we did not work directly with them. However, if we report to the local C4 and C5 offices, they can pass the report over to the local Green Angels offices.”

If you are interested in using these services supplied by Expat911, I highly recommend reaching out to the company.

You can visit their website here: https://www.expat911.mx/ref/Akiba2062488366/

If you have any questions about the registration process or require assistance, you can email them directly at info@expat911.mx. You can also request a call from them by sending an email and setting up a time to speak with a representative.

Step by Step Instructions with Links for Expat911 Set Up

Please follow these steps in order to properly set up your Expat911 Application and Services for your smartphone. At the bottom of this step by step guide, you will also find links to tutorial videos should you need any assistance with this guide. The videos show every one of these steps visually which may help you if you come across any issues.

Download app. Click here to download Android App. Click here to download iPhone App.
Install Application which will create a logo for Expat911 on your smartphone home page.
Click logo for Expat911 on homepage to open app.
Click on Sign Up link on App’s Log In page when App opens.
Enter First Name, Last Name, Email and Phone Number. Then click Next.
Enter Date of Birth, Street and Number, Town, Colonia, State, Zip Code and Password. Then Click on Sign Up button to finish registration within App.
Check your email that you used for registration. You will receive an email from info@expat911.mxwhich has an activation link. The email should arrive within 5 minutes. If you do not find it by then, please check your spam or junk mail folder. Click activation link within email to receive a notification that your email has been successfully activated.
Now you will have to complete the payment process on our secured website at www.expat911.mx.
Visit this link Expat911. Use the same information to log in that you used when registering your account on the app.
Now click on Orders which is shown on the left side of the page. Then click on the Go Shop button. Now choose Add To Cart which is right under the $ 99.00 subscription for our services. Now please click View Cart. Then you will click on Proceed to Checkout.
Please enter your billing information on the next page.
Please read the Terms and Conditions and tick the box that says I have read and accept these terms and conditions.
Now click Continue to Payment. We use Stripe to process our payment securely for our clients. We found it better than Paypal because you do not have to have an account with Stripe. You will just enter your credit card information and click submit.
Now that the payment has been processed, please open the app and log into the app with your information that you used to create the account. You may receive a pop up at this point which says “Allow Expat911 to access this device’s location?” Please click allow as this is very important for when you report your emergencies.
Now you will finish your profile so that we have all of the information necessary on file when reporting your emergency. Click on the top left corner of the app to open up the menu. Now click on My Profile. Now click on the top right of the page to edit your profile. Please fill out any information that is blank such as Medical Information and Emergency Contacts. When finished, please click Save Changes at the bottom. Now review all of the information in your profile to be sure that all is correct. Also, a quick tip while filling out your contacts. If you are using an iPhone, there will be a small plus sign next to the first contact. If you press this plus sign, it will allow you to add two more contacts.
The last step once finished with the profile is to send two tests.
The first is with the chat. At the bottom of the home page on the app, you will see a chat box. Click on the chat box to open up the keyboard. Now type the word “test” into the chat box and click the arrow on the right side of the chat box to send the chat.
Now click on Police and then click Send. This will send a test police alert. We will respond within the app with the word confirmed.
Once we have confirmed these two tests, you will be added to the main network. We do this to ensure that our users know how to use the app during a real emergency.
In a real emergency, you would just press the corresponding alert button and send. We will take care of the rest.

All further chats and alerts will go directly to our emergency operators. So after the test has been confirmed, please only use those features for real emergencies.

If you have any questions, email them at info@expat911.mx. They were really responsive and helpful while I was setting everything up and they followed me by email through the whole process answering my questions as I went along.

Also, if you have any issues during this setup, please use the links below to see a step by step video tutorial to go along with this guide.

Android Tutorial Video iPhone Tutorial Video