You're making me hanker badly for a Mexico dive trip--though all of my experience is Yucatan peninsular. I'd love to hear more about where you're diving and what it's like. And I love a good eel tale--plus, I think morays feel like oiled velvet. I've enjoyed your winter's postings. Have a safe trip north.

Ethan. I grew up eating mamomcillos in Miami so I like them a lot better than rambutan, longan and lychee. I could eat 20 genepas in one sitting the mexicans put the chilli powered and lemon on them. Here are some more pics as I promise. notice the sapodilla this one was grainy but very sweet nevertheless. I did not like the custard apple too sweet. I dont know the mango varieties the green one taste like the namdocmai. weaving straw hat me with a sombrero de guana (straw hat in Chichen itza or Uxmal) coconuts and fishing( Mero, Pargo, and Boquetin, or something like that) in Hotbox preparing it and eating itin Merida

thanks Carol - thank goodness I guess - that I only have one tomato plant - lol. I only got 3 small tomatoes off of it, and I don't think they made much difference. Well, the problem I had was that i could only find the 2 lbs of tomatillos. I didn't have enough salsa verde and it was a little dry - but then again, if I had had more we probably couldn't have eaten it due to the heat - LOL. BTW, of all the baking dishes I have, I didn't have an 8 x 8 - so I used an 11 x 7. And I used muenster cheese. what is that orange stuff on the outside of muenster cheese and why is it there? The taste was good, and I will try again - when I can make the full amt of salsa verde. And I will start with smaller amounts of jalapeno and add until it's right. Or better yet, I will use AnnT's recipe - which I forgot I had until now.... Stacked Enchiladas -Ann T ================== Source: Southwest Cookbook Here is the recipe Helene for the Stacked Enchiladas. I see no reason why you couldn't layer these over lapping in a lasagna pan and then slice to serve. You will have to double the ingredients for the sauce as well as the fillings. Vegetable oil for frying 12 corn tortillas (6 inches) 1 1/2 cups (12 fl ounces) green Chili Sauce (recipe on page 195) 2 cups (8 ounces) grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese 3/4 cups finely chopped onion Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour vegetable oil into a medium , heavy skilled to depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium high heat to 375°F, or until a strip of tortilla browns in 60 seconds. Soften the tortillas, one at a time, for about 5 seconds per side in the hot oil and drain on paper towels. Heat the green chili sauce in a shallow pan and dip each softened tortilla into the sauce. Place 1 coated tortilla on an oven proof plate and top with 1 tablespoons green cili sauce, 2 tablespoons grated cheese and 1 tablespoon chopped onion; repeat twice so that 1 serving contains 3 layered tortillas. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 4 tortilla stacks. Bake the stacks for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts. NOTE: Add cooked chicken and or pinto or black beans between layers. Green Chili Sauce 1 Jalapeno chili seeded and diced 1 garlic clove crushed 1/4 cup chopped green onions 4 tomatillos, husked and diced (or use canned) 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 2 new Mexico green or Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled, cored, seeded and diced. 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon heavy cream salt and freshly ground pepper to taste In a medium saucepan, place the jalapeno , garlic, green onions, tomatillos and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat' reduce heat and simmer until theliquid is reduced to about 1 cup about 15 to 20 minutes. Pour the chicken stock misture into a blender or food processor. Add the Anaheim chilies, cilantrol and lime juice; puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper. Add the cream and mix again. Serve warm. Keep 1 to 2 days refrigerated. Servings: 4

Thanks for all the info! We will have to do some additional planning before we leave - I will definitely read the blogs. Annie, I remember when Ashley went to CR - I probably will look for some wooden items to buy. I already have a large woven shopping bag that friend from Costa Rica gave me, but I do not expect to find the shopping as interesting as Guatemala or Mexico, which have more folk art. I also like Guanabana - especially the juice and the ice cream. I have a similar tree, Cherimoya, which is just now having ripe fruit. I actually like the Cherimoya better than Guanabana, but the flavor is similar. Cherimoya is sweeter. So far, the best coffee I've had was on Maui and in Antigua, Guatemala, but what I had in Cordoba, Mexico was also very good. It's always better where they actually grow it, and so I will be having some coffee there, even though I do not normally drink it. It looks like the meals will be like what I had in Guatemala and Belize, although in Belize there was a Caribbean Creole flair. Someone told me that Costa Rican food is similar to Cuban, and I've been to quite a few Cuban restaurants here. Kevin doesn't like them as much as I do, but they do tend to serve black beans and rice with every meal. There is a lot more variety to Mexican food, which varies greatly from region to region. I understand that the population in CR is mostly of European descent (except on the Caribbean coast), and so that may make the food a bit more bland. As I said before, I'm not going for the food, but I do have to eat while I'm there. I will definitely shop for unusual fruit and see what I find. Now I'm wondering what they put in their black beans! Lars