Tortas, Timeshares & Tequila

The Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean meet with a bunch of North Americans

Tortas, Timeshares and Tequila

Ola. Beverley and I just got back from Los Cabos -southern tip of the Baha- and I have to say, if you've never been, you gotta go! Los Cabos is a beautiful little gem sitting at the tip of the Baha Peninsula where the Sea of Cortez meets the mighty Pacific, and though the ocean was cold (and rip tides dangerous) the locals are very inviting, hospitible and downright ... nice.  The weather was fabulous (no clouds), the sites remarkable, the 5.5 hour flight was worth it, and the all inclusive resort (Riu Santa Fe) was every bit of the 4.5 stars posted.

A wide assortment at the buffets allowed us to try something uniquely different with every pass and there was no shortage of good old Mexican culinary delights. The fruit is always fresh and the grill always hot, and the XX Dos Equis' cold! In addition, with 4 a la carte selections the Italian Restaurant at the Santa Fe is by far the most popular, however don't underestimate the Asian Restaurant as this proved to be our favourite. 

Now we can't come back from Mexico without bringing you a recipe or two. By the way, when attempting to speak Spanish while in Mexico do not confuse Buenos Noches (Good Night) with Buenos Nachos, which means ... Good Nachos.

Talking about 'Nachos', I bet you'll like this Mexican Torta recipe.  Takes about 10 minutes to put it together (not including grilling time for chicken) and serves up for four.

The Tortas  (this is the digesting theme)
A torta is a Mexican sandwich, served on an oblong 6-8 inch firm, crusty white sandwich roll, called a bolillo, telera or birote. "Telera" is soft, round bread; also commonly used is the Bolillo, a torpedo-shaped French roll with a thick and crunchy crust. Tortas can be served hot or cold.

Here's what you need...                   
1 cup (light) mayonnaise 
4 soft sub rolls
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo

4 plum tomatoes, cut into thin slices 
8-10 ounces thinly sliced monterey jack pepper cheese
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into very thin slices 
4 boneless, skinless grilled chicken breasts
Marinade Ingredients
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp crushed garlic
pinch salt 
1 tspn paprika 
1/2 cup olive oil 

Here's what you do ...with what you need.
Combine marinade ingredients add chicken breasts 2 to 24 hours.
Remove chicken breasts from the marinade and grill.
Preheat oven to 360 degrees.
Blend the mayonnaise and chipotle chiles until smooth.
Spread (generously) the cut sides of the rolls with the chipotle mayonnaise.
Cover the bottom half of each roll with 1 thinly sliced chicken breast, overlapping the slices.
Top each portion of chicken with 5 slices of tomato and 4 slices of avocado.
Cover each sandwich with 2 slices of cheese.

Place assembled sandwiches open faced on a sheet pan and bake until cheese is melted, about 8 minutes.
Remove from oven, fold over tops, slice in half and serve immediately.

'Buen provecho !chao!'

The Timeshares  (this is the investing theme)
As with many of these southern destinations there is that age old (worn out) sales pitch on the advantages of 'Timeshares'. Personally, I have never understood that benefit of committing several thousand dollars a year to a Timeshare for the next 20-30-50-99 years! You still have to purchase your airfare, groceries, entertainment AND you may not always get to go where you want , when you want. Before committing to a Timeshare in Mexico or anywhere else in the world, be sure to weigh out the benefits very, very carefully and NEVER buy on impulse and NEVER accept the free cocktails during the sales pitch.

HERE IS WHY!
A few days after our return I was talking to a friend of mine and the topic of Timeshares came up. He informed me that his brother and his wife were in Los Cabos in January, met a couple from New Jersey who were trying to sell their $50,000 Timeshare investment for ... $5,000! You see, many owners of these units are now realizing that they are locked in to the monthly service fees, maintenance fees, repair/upgrade fees etcetc and they just want out!

When my friend's brother advised this other couple that they were not interested the other party advised that if they took over the ongoing financial obligations they could have the Timeshare ... for free! Now they are considering.
If you are keen on the Timeshare story I strongly encourage you to first look at eBay and/or Craigslist/Kijiji and investigate the Timeshares for sale. You will save yourself a tonne of dough and you could be helping someone out at the same time. Need more info on this topic? Google 'timeshare for sale' . 

And finally ...

The Tequila (this is the ... tequila theme)
Tequila is a type of mezcal; specifically, a Blue Agave-based spirit made primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands (Los Altos) of the western Mexican state of Jalisco.

When in Los Cabos it is worth your while to walk around town visiting the various tequila (tekillya) bars. The shots are free (as long as you keep tipping) and the brands are limitless. Or at least a few hundred times more than you ever safely consume. Be sure to visit at least one (but not more than two) and be sure to go with a few friends.

Bartenders (Entertainers) at Riu Santa Fe: Mike Tyson, Tony Montana and Francisco Lopez
If you happen to visit the Riu Santa Fe and you happen to be out at the bar in the main theatre section, you have to elbow up and ask Mike Tyson for a good old 'Prairie Fire'! Now Mike, Tony and Francisco are the Titans of Entertainment and I am sure that before we showed up they thought they had heard of everything, but you should have seen the look of shock on their faces when I advised them that a Prairie Fire was a shot of Tequila with a healthy dose of Tabasco!
Ask for a Prairie Fire and one of these three amigos will probably ask if you know a guy named Jeff?

Thanks a tonne for stopping by! Until next time...

Ciao!
Jeff and Beverley
      

UNDERSTAND YOUR INVESTMENTS & Understand That These Turkey Wraps Are Pretty Darn Tasty!

Invest Only In What You Understand

It's tax time again and many of you will be hustling out to top up your retirement plans before the end of the month. Though many of us understand the short-term benefits of contributing to a retirement plan and applying that deduction to our 2010 income, many do not fully understand the long-term benefits of understanding the investment options they deposit those funds into.

Remember, the more you know about an investment before you invest, the better prepared you'll be to make a wise decision. Consider carefully whether prospective investments meet your personal needs and are consistent with your personal risk tolerance.

Mutual funds, for example, differ as widely as automobiles.When purchasing an automobile you may select a family sedan, flashy sports car or a rugged four-wheel drive SUV. Though they are all automobiles, they are quite different in design and performance.

Similarly, mutual funds may have varied investment objectives and varied degrees of risk. The name given to a mutual fund does not always accurately reflect its actual investment objective so don't be misled by terms such as "income" fund or "government bond" fund. All investments carry some risk, including the possible loss of your principal. Keep in mind, with any potential investment,  past success does not guarantee future performance. And remember, this year's 'top-rated' mutual fund may become next year's 'dog'.

Once an investment is made, it's too late to change your mind so don't hesitate to ask questions or seek different opinions if you're unsure about anything. Remember, it's your money that is at risk! You can also compare what various experts say by sifting through the wealth of valuable information available at libraries, bookstores and the Internet. But, if you subscribe to the services of a full-service financial advisor, he/she should have all of that independent data available. That's just one of the reasons why they get paid to take care of you.

http://www.idealadvisor.blogspot.com/

As a 'Rule of Thumb', if you don't get it ... don't get it.

That's a Wrap! (nice segue to Beverley's recipe, eh?)
Jeff
                                                     

Thanks Jeff. Now, I know that you find all of this financial stuff really interesting and helpful (though I find it a little boring like many of us do) but that's where I come in to add yet another of our quick n' easy dishes to that weekly menu. And the truth be known, I used to find meal preparation more tedious and challenging than the financial stuff.

Today I'm going to toss together our Turkey Wraps which are great for lunches and can be whipped together for a quick dinner. I prefer using turkey because it is a Super Food (and my personal preference) but you can use chicken instead.

Tasty TURKEY Wraps
This will feed 5 (trust me, 3 teenagers will eat 2 each) so you can halve the ingredients for 2-3.

8 - whole wheat 9" tortillas
2 cups - finely shredded iceberg lettuce (add bit of chopped cilantro/kale/arugula if you like)
2/3 cup of finely sliced/chopped celery
2/3 cup of finely sliced/chopped red onion
2 1/2 cups of chopped roasted turkey
2/3 cup of raisins (kids may not want these so you can eat theirs too)
1/3 cup of toasted almonds 

The sauce consists of;
1/2 cup of cranberry sauce (cranberry jelly is optional)
1/2 cup of light sour cream
1/2 cup of light mayo 

The finale:
Mix the cranberry, sour cream and mayo in a large bowl.
Spread 2 tbsp on each tortilla (leave about 3/4-1" around the edge)
Mix all of the remaining ingredients with the remaining cranberry/mayo mixture
and mix it up well, then spoon the mixture evenly across the tortillas, folding
the sides over the filling.
Roll up from the bottom.
(I let the kids add their own raisins and almonds)

These wraps are not only quick 'n easy but the family finds them kinda fun!
You can add a simple salad (tomatoes,cucumbers,red onion, olive oil, basil) in no time.

As Jeff has pointed out in the past you should educate your kids/teenagers on the basics of money management. However, you will serve 'em well by educating them on the benefits of a healthy diet, too. The long term benefits are 'priceless' and it teaches them the basics of  future independence.

Thanks for stopping by.
Until next time.
DIG IN !

Jeff & Beverley

TAX FREE SAVINGS ACCOUNTS & A Hearty Cabbage Soup

Tax Free Savings Accounts (TFSA) would yield a far greater 'bang-for-the-buck' if they were paying 5-6% or more to those who seek to shelter their

savings from their taxable income. But they're not paying 5-6 %, in fact, they're paying virtually nothing, so where is the benefit?

Recently I had a buddy of mine ask me what I knew about TFSA's as he was wondering if he should add more money to his account to shelter it from taxes. Upon review, we discovered that his TFSA was paying him 0.25% (that's POINT 25%) on the $8,000 that he had accumulated in this account.

So I went through the math and took $8,000 and multiplied it by 0.25% and it didn't matter how many times I re-entered the data the answer still came out the same: $20.00!. Now if you are in the top marginal tax rate and would claim that $20.00 as income at the end of the year, you would pay ... $10.00 in taxes. Hmmmmm.

My buddy poured himself another cup of java, (thankful that he wasn't outside in the - 26C deep freeze) and asked if it would be better to put the dough from his TFSA onto his mortgage (Personal Line of Credit / PLC)?

So, I went through the math (again) and took the $8000. that he currently held in his TFSA and multiplied it by the 3.5% interest rate on his existing mortgage (PLC) and it came out to $280.. In short, he would save $280 in interest on his mortgage by simply taking the cash from his TFSA and depositing this on his PLC. A bit of a 'no brainer', eh?

Now I went on to explain to him that because he has a PLC he also has access to that money in the event of an unanticipated financial crunch, much like the flexibility offered by his low yielding TFSA.

Not all situations are exactly the same but if you have the opportunity to save $10.00 in taxes or save $280.00 in interest costs, well, I think you can figure it out.

Hearty Cabbage Soup

With the New Years Resolutions in high gear (they still are aren't they?) I have been making a point of exercising daily, eating breakfast and eating healthier. Yep, even I have had a tendency to sneak a few choco chip cookies at 9-10 pm ... but not now!

Beverley and I have been out cross country skiing several times since December and even took up snow-shoeing recently to mix with my regular power walk/jog. The sub-zero weather of late has made this extremely challenging.

On the theme of eating healthy, keeping in shape, reducing cholesterol and staying warm I pulled out an old Cabbage Soup recipe from years gone by. Cabbage is in the Super Food group, is low in fat/calories, fills you up quick and can be kept in the fridge for several days. All of this said, don't confuse this recipe with the 'Cabbage Soup Diet' http://www.cabbage-soup-diet.com/

You will need a big soup pot or Dutch Oven for this, along with:

1/2 head - thinly sliced/chopped green cabbage

1 - 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

4 - cups of H20

2 - cups of beef broth (prefer over poulette but you can use either)

2 - tablespoons of tomato paste

2 - medium sized carrots - sliced

2 - medium sized onions - chopped

2 - stalks of celery - sliced

2 - garlic cloves

2 - bay leafs

chili peppers (optional) or your favourite hot sauce(also optional)

pepper to taste

The neat thing about this recipe is that you can zing it up by adding lentils, chick peas, kidney beans or any of your favourite soup ingredients.

Put the 4 cps of water into the pot and bring to a boil, while chopping up your cabbage

and remaining veggies. Once boiling, add the carrots and reduce the heat to medium and

pour yourself a glass of wine.

After about 5-7 minutes, add the beef broth, onions, celery ... ahhh, toss everything in

and leave on medium with the lid on for about 20-25 minutes (or 2 glasses of wine, whatever

comes first) But DO NOT put this on the stove for an hour or two as this will eliminate the benefit of the natural vitamins in the vegetables.

This soup will fill you up fast and goes great with a big slice of whole wheat bread and glass

of cold milk ... or chardonnay.

Thanks for stopping by and the best to you and your family throughout 2011.

DIG IN!

Jeff & Beverley