Quién quiere Mexican Hot Chocolate?

One of the guilty pleasures of fall/winter is enjoying un chocolatito caliente just because it’s cold and just because you feel like it.

I have yet to have my first hot chocolate of the season, being that it has been a little warmer than usual in LA this week. But when I do, I know exactly what I’m having. El Chocolate Abuelita tendrá que esperar; this year I’m trying a new chocolate brand that I found at the lovely M Market on Holly  Street in Pasadena. It’s called TAZA Chocolate and it’s made in Massachusetts of all places! ¿Quién iba a decir?

I have to say, at first I fell in love with the packaging. I am such a sucker for visual stimuli, that anytime I see good design and nice fonts, I’m sold! But truth be told, I am very curious to see what these chocolate discs taste like and I have a feeling I am going to owe you a segunda parte on this blog post, once I make it and taste it.

I was going to do the step by step chocolate boiling and whisking con todo y the molinillo, but I went to Taza’s website and they already did this for us, so I am just going to redirect you there to see the pix and the how to… (Ando muy práctica el día de hoy que tengo el tiempo limitado.) So click HERE to see the process and learn more about this brand, parece que son gringos los dueños, pero gringos con muy buen gusto! They even have other sweet and savory recipes going on.

Their flavors sound very tasty: Salted Almond Dark Chocolate, Vanilla Dark Chocolate, Chipotle Chile 70% Dark Chocolate, Orange 70% Dark Chocolate, and  Salt and Pepper Chocolate.

This is not your Abuelita's Hot Chocolate: Taza flavors are Salted Almond, Vanilla, Chipotle Chile, Orange and Salt & Pepper.

If you want to try Taza yourself, it’s sold in several places in LA: Susina, on Beverly in LA; Erewhon Natural Foods, in LA; Cacao Mexicatessen in Eagle Rock (LA); and The M Market on Holly in Pasadena.

My first choice is Salted Almond. A ver que tal me sale. It’s $4.99 for 2 discs, so hopefully it’s good.

Love the packaging!

 

 

 

 

Dando el rol por el “LA Auto Show”

The Honda display at the LA Auto Show.

I love my car, a beautiful VW. But… I hate driving in LA, for obvious reasons.

I think every angeleno has a special relationship/bond with their car. Or their imaginary car they will someday own and remains on their wish list. You know which one I’m talking about. Es el carro de tus sueños que ves que otra persona al lado tuyo va manejando mientras estás atorado en el 405…y de repente te vas en tu daydream driving off into the sunset.

But I digress…

This week every car maker and brand in America had their annual big “dog and pony show” which is appropriately called “The LA Auto Show.”

You still have this weekend to go see it at the Convention Center. The entrance is $12 dollars (parking is another $20 or so) and it’s open until 10 PM. If you’re a car aficionado, then this is something that’s totally worth your time. Get up close and personal with every new car on the market. You can even pretend it’s yours as you slide into it and sit in the driver’s seat, since most of the cars are open to get a sense of what they feel like on the road.

A few things really stood out. The trend this year is to finally convince us, the regular people, that the fuel efficient, eco-friendly, gas saving, “small is the new reality” vehicle is here to stay. It’s no secret that we are all minding our dollars and cents, and oil ain’t ever going to be free, so we might as well start thinking that “smaller is better.”  At least that’s the big push by most of the companies, including the luxury brands. Every brand has some sort of hybrid, electrical or fuel efficient option. Everybody is reinventing itself. The future looks like it’s here when you see the electric plug enchufando al carro en el garage. Could it be that we all drive electrical cars some day?

There’s still many models of gas guzzlers and big ass trucks, so don’t despair. (A los latinos nos gustan mucho los big cars todavía.) It all depends what you like and how much you are willing to spend on your next car. Even if you are of the idea that an automobile is just something that gets you from point A to point B, I think there’s never been a time when the driver has had so many options to choose from.

Go visit the LA Auto Show before it ends and have a little pipe dream yourself. Total, soñar no cuesta nada.

Here are a few images from the show. I had so many I wanted to post, but made a brief selection for browsing purposes.

Germans do cars right. Here are a few Audi pics. They have a beautiful line and are quite popular.

An electrical BMW "Active" can be yours if you lease it for $499 a month, plus deposit.

Looks like the future arrived. The BMW i8 (concept) cars are all electrical. And they are amazing to look at.

The new 5 Series BMW. No wonder it's the ultimate driving machine.

Concept cars by Chevy will be here in 2013. Already sold in Europe.

The Chevy Volt is one of the more popular electrical cars. But I'm not crazy about the design.

Cool display by the new CODA cars. But the car design is so boring, I did not post a picture. It's all electrical and just a basic 4 door sedan.

Mini Cooper: still a very expensive toy car.

The new VW Beetle is amazing. Loved it!

Even Land Rover is going smaller with the Evoque and their new concept cars.

The Mercedes Benz G Series is BACK!! If I had an extra 100 thousand dollars, I would buy this car in an instant. My absolute favorite thing in the show. I don't care if it's big and boxy, this is it. They had stopped making them a few years ago so I wonder if it's back by popular demand.

I could also get a Fiat Gucci. So cool, so hip...so now. Too bad J-Lo endorses it!

Even the inside of the Fiat has the Gucci branding. Nice!

You can also get the Gucci accessories to go with you car, so you'd be all Gucci'd out. Qué fresas!

More people are embracing the new electrical vehicles. Here's the Nissan Leaf, which are now on the road. You hook up this baby through the front outlet and charge!

UPDATE- SATURDAY: A petición de X, Chucho:  Here’s a photo of the X1 car I took and some others that just had to make it to the list. Había muchísimo y quisiera poder subir más. Sorry if the pictures are small, they have to be optimized for the site.

Para X:

Yes, there were Formula 1 models.

I actually took a pic of la moto with my name on it (my initials, always have loved the CBR) but there's a peek of the Target F1 Model in the back.

I know you like the Audi Spyder!

 Para mis sobrinos-ahijados:

Life size Mario Kart model was a big deal!

Me encantó el display de Hot Wheels.

Para mi Papá, que le gustan los Bentleys…

Fit for a king...or a famous hip hop artist.

Save Thanksgiving! Let’s celebrate it como Dios manda.

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. It’s a time for family, friends, good food and to take a break from our “regularly scheduled programs”so we can meditate on our blessings and say GRACIAS A LA VIDA QUE ME HA DADO TANTO.

The Pilgrims had that idea in mind when they feasted with and thanked the Native Americans back in the 1620′s.  They were grateful for all their help in surviving the first tough seasons in their new found land,  and for getting their first harvest. That was the same idea that trascended 100 plus years later, when the founding fathers, specifically George Washington, proclaimed it as a national day of gathering and giving thanks during the autumn season of 1789. ( I read this here if you want more details on the subject.)

But flash forward to 2011 and seems now that all the emphasis is on Black Friday and stores opening at midnight to grab all the crazy shoppers who want to take advantage of “door buster deals.” I’m sorry, but when did shopping for stuff become the focus of this holiday? Don’t employees of retail chain stores deserve a full day to celebrate with their families as well?

I applaud Nordstrom (the store) who sent out a letter with their catalog explaining they would be closed on Thanksgiving and open for regular business hours the following day. They want to give their employees the time off to enjoy their holiday and “each coming holiday at a time”. Seems we all need to remember that it’s about taking time to BE with family. Even if there’s a recession and you want to beat your competitors. There are more important things.

Besides, it’s just stuff and it’s not worth being crushed for in a crazy stampede at Wal-Mart at 10 pm on Thanksgiving. Who started this crazy madness anyway?

If you really want to take advantage of the sales, then go on Friday. Don’t leave your family at night to go buy a digital gadget. It will still be there in the morning. I promise you.

As for me, el Black Friday yo me voy a poner a hacer otra cosa and also have a second helping of the Costco Pumpkin Pie. Have  you tried it? It’s the best!

I sincerely hope all of you have a great  and Happy Thanksgiving. I am so grateful to my (few) readers who read me and to the fabulous WordPress who gives me a blog for free. Gracias! Gracias!

Gracias Diosito por todas mis bendiciones.

En serio que “Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto…”

Saturday Night Quinceañera Party

La quinceañera está de vestido largo, aquí con todas sus friends.

I went to the best quinceañera party EVER last Saturday night. Of course, I am not even remotely close to the quinceañera festivities age but rather a generation above la quinceañera (no estoy yo para contarlo ni ustedes para saberlo) and I still had a fabulous time.

I think this is the first party in a long time where everyone from the baby sobrinita, to the padrinos, the tios and couples, as well as el abuelito y la abuelita, had a blast and danced the night away. Ya sabemos que a los latinos nos gusta divertinos “en bola”.

Here’s what I learned from attending the party:

• ALWAYS have a theme and stick to it. This was a Havana nights themed party, and EVERYTHING matched the theme: the invitations, the decor, the beautiful quinceañera dresses she used, the MUSIC (at least during the dinner phase, Pérez Prado ruled the ambience) and of course, the food.
• Girls will be girls and boys will be boys: I don’t know if this was a very “wholesome” crowd, but the kids were respectful and well behaved, and they genuinely had fun without thinking that partying with their parents was boring. Although on the dance floor the girls stuck to their all female group and the boys were “echando su desmadre” over at their corner, making funny faces and jumping up and down. Give them a couple of years…
• Rihanna Rules. As soon as the dj played the first beat of her new song “We Found Love”, the kids went NUTS. I mean, they were screaming and singing every word of the song verbatim. (They did NOT play Katy Perry, thank God!)
• Ditto for PitBull and LMFAO “Party rockers in the house tonight“….(Both a los chavitos y a los grandes nos gusta mucho.)
• Salsa and Cumbias colombianas still makes us all dance. Esa música pone a bailar hasta las piedras.
• Have a dessert and candy table in addition to the birthday cake. At the end of the night, chicos y grandes had their own “bolsita de dulces” to make and everyone left happy.
  

  Los chavitos baile y baile. The guys "dance" by jumping up and down and making a huddle. Girls are much more elegant!

  

  Hey! A los grandes también les gusta bailar. Here's a group dancing to Pitbull's "Tonight".

  

  The candy bar was a hit! This was just one of MANY cool and unique details that made this quinceañera party above and beyond the rest. It's all in the details, people.

Fall movies que quiero ver

Are you all getting ready for Thanksgiving next week? I am looking forward to the food, the family love, and the pumpkin pie. Also, the long weekend is a great chance to catch up on all the fall movie and new releases at my local Arclight and Laemmle theaters (los mejores cines en LA, if you ask me.)

Here are a few clips of recent and upcoming releases that look like my cup of tea.

THE DESCENDANTS- Directed by Alexander Payne and starring George Clooney. This is the latest release by the director of Election, About Schmidt and Sideways,  and it’s been getting wonderful reviews. Este es un director que me gusta mucho por como maneja las emociones y los dramas de la vida diaria con mucho dark humor pero sin hacer juicios.

THE MUPPETS- Directed by James Bobin and starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams.

This movie is for the kid in ALL of us.

I grew up in Mexico watching The Muppets and they were just as equally famous over there as they were here.  It was called “El Show de los Muppets” y lo pasaban en español.  We would watch them every Sunday nights on Canal 13 (which no longer exists) and it was a BIG deal.

Jason Segel (who also wrote the movie) recently tweeted that he was in Mexico promoting the film and he didn’t know why the female reporter was getting all emotional about it. Well, that’s because we loved it too. Ask anyone who grew up with them and we can immediately time travel back to the late 70′s/ early 80′s and start signing the Muppet theme while visualizing the Theater opening…. “It’s time to play the music! It’s time to light the lights…” (Or as we used to sing it “Ta ta ta ra ta ta ta…Ta ra ta ra ta ta”) Here are the Trailer and the Original Theme song from the TV Show.

The Muppets Movie

The Muppets Original Song

HUGO- Directed by Martin Scorsese. Just by looking at this trailer, I immediately know I want to see this film. It looks amazingly beautiful.  Don’t you love the cinematography and 3D animation? The fact that Mr. Scorsese directed this movie makes me want to see it even more.

Wordless Wednesday: Random moment at a bar.

At the Traxx Bar at Union Station. 3 pm. Looks like someone needs a drink.

Found! A Spanish newsstand in LA.

I was driving along the heart of Boyle Heights today when -lo and behold- que se me aparece este letrero.

ALL kinds of Spanish magazines? Surely you must be joking.

This magazine stand has been around for years on 1st and Soto, but this new sign- no, this STATEMENT- was beckoning for an investigation. So naturally I had to turn the corner and park the car.

Zoom out from across the street, on the corner of 1st and Soto in Boyle Heights (LA).

After approaching the newsstand, I did see a few periódicos from my fronterizo home state in México (BC).  They had a few critical-left wing political publications, like Proceso magazine, and the more central (but boring) Contenido. So that aspect is covered. There’s the frívolos-upscale-primer mundo en México examples, like Caras and Hola (México), but no Quien magazine, which was  surprise. Then there’s the comic strips en español de todos colores y temas. They still make them, but I wonder who reads them?

And of course there’s the typical churro reading entertainment junk, like TV Notas y TV y Novelas, not to be confused (although sí se pueden hacer mix up) with the pornographic stuff. It’s very hard to tell from these covers, since everyone is practically naked, and it’s mostly women. (Que novedad…)

Oy vey! Can you believe Playboy next to Brides en Español, next to libritos de historia next to knitting and hobby books, next to libros Cristianos.

Culture for the masses. Looks like something for everybody.

El Vanidades nunca falla, está en todos los puestos de revistas, al lado de las TV Notas con mujeres en poses sugestivas en la portada.

Material de lectura para el fresa-pseudo intelectual: Proceso 35 años de imágenes, Revista Caras y OK Mag en Español. Además un anuncio para tomar clases de "Naturismo" en LA.

So when they say “ALL KINDS” of Spanish magazines, they really mean it.

There was no Vanity Fair en español in site, however. You may remember I raved about it last week. This was a little disappointing.  But I’m quite pleased with the fact that this puesto de revistas exists and that it provides lecturas en español, a little something for everybody who craves reading material that you may not find at Barnes and Noble. Who am I to judge if you feel like reading Condorito? More power to you, amiguito.

The “All Kinds of Spanish Magazines” newsstand is open from 8 to 5 Monday through Friday and 8 to 4 on the weekends, at 1st and Soto in Boyle Heights. There’s a Metro station next to it, fyi.

Pedro Almodóvar Forever! A night @Taschen Beverly Hills

This week, gracias a mis amigas Lucia y Martha, fuimos al book signing de Pedro Almodóvar’s book “The Almodóvar Archives” at the beautiful Taschen Book Store in Beverly Hills.

A few lucky fans got a chance to meet and greet the film maestro, and he is a lovely, funny and charming man. Se me hace que es una persona que se ha de divertir mucho con sus ideas y su creatividad. Imagine what his mind looks like! All those colors popping all over the place, all those stories and visuals of the movies he creates.

As an added treat, también estuvo Antonio Banderas, one of his first actor discoveries all the way back in the late 1980′s, and apparently still a beloved friend after all these years. They had a brief Q&A session which was initially done in English, but as Mr. Almodovar got more animated, he asked for a translator, para poderse expresar agusto. Banderas is currently starring in the latest film, the dramatic thriller “La Piel que Habito” (The Skin I Live In) which is getting rave reviews.

Here’s a few pictures from the event. Truly a memorable evening I shall never forget.

Even after all these years, they still love each other. Pedro Almodóvar and Antonio Banderas had an animated and funny Q&A session for the fans who attended the book signing.

The man, the film genius! Almodóvar was happy to sign copies of his book for his fans.

Two of his biggest fans, Martha Coronel and Lucia Peraza pose with their friend, Pedro Almodóvar.

Here it is, a book signed for a Very Important Person!

Lucia admires the book as they specially package it. The book weighs all of 12 pounds and has all sorts of pictures and memorabilia from all of Almodóvar's films.

The actor Carlos Leal starred in the Almodóvar movie "Abrazos Rotos" with Penelope Cruz. ¡Es muy guapo! Además saludó a Almodóvar muy efusivamente y compró su libro.

This is the carrying box of the book. Only 1,250 copies were made of this special edition.

Charlotte Taschen, one of the Taschen family daughters, flew in from London to present the book.

Todos queriamos "say hello." The Taschen bookstore in Beverly Hills, California. Almodóvar fans crowd the store for a chance to meet him.

At Taschen they have the most beautiful and original books on art, lifestyle, travel, and photography.

My kind of place.

Arte en el techo. One of the many fabulous art collages hanging from the ceiling.

Wordless Weds: New stamps honoring Latino Music Legends

At the post office yesterday, loved these stamps: Selena, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Carmen Miranda, and Carlos Gardel. Nice way to adorn your regular mail, if you're still sending any.

Vanity Fair España, lo máximo

If you’re looking for a smart pop culture magazine for these times, may I recommend Vanity Fair en Español, published en España by Conde Nast and sold here in the US at Barnes and Noble.

Ever since I found out it existed en español, I’ve been kind of obsessed with it. And I came late to the game, because it has been published since 2008 but just started reading it recently.  I’ve read the English version since 1989 (era una bebita leyéndola, hehe) but now I’ve transferred my affections to the Spanish version. No offense, Mr. Graydon Carter.

Yes, it may be trivial, a little fanciful, and out of my reality, but it is so addictive to read about interesting people in the arts, entertainment and cultural/political realms. Some of the articles are translated from the English sister mag, but mostly they do their own features and photoshoots.

Recent covers have had the Carolina Herreras (mother and daughter), Antonio and Melanie, la Reina Noor, y la Duquesa Cayetana de Alba que se acaba de volver a casar a los 85 años, so there’s definitely an aire de chisme to it as well. However, this is not your typical chisme from the  revistas en español that you find all over the place, like the overly public relations infused People en Español and the naquisima for the nac0-masses TV Notas. Nooooo, este es el chisme for the rest of us. (Yes, I’m a snob!)

You can find Vanity Fair at some of the Barnes and Nobles around town (it will set you back $10 bucks so you just may want to read it at the store) or in my case I’ve been lucky because my sisters and Mom buy it for me across the border where it costs 65 pesos.

Or you may want to browse their fabulous online version at http://www.revistavanityfair.es/ and read it for free. But you should try to support good magazines if you can and buy one every so often.

Here’s a great article on Mario Vargas Llosa, one of the most fabulous and gifted writers there is, and a recent Nobel laureate. He was voted as the “Personaje del Año” by Vanity Fair just this month:

“Mario Vargas Llosa, el hombre que nunca se rinde”  (Click for the link.)

¡Felices Lecturas!

Four recent Vanity Fair en Español covers from 2011.

¡Esa mi Cayetana! La Duquesa de Alba on the cover, when she confirmed she was getting married again at the age of 85. Why not?

The editorial work is lovely and the photos are cool. Here's a recent photo with Ewan McGregor.

Ahi va mi colección de este año. Las cuido como oro molido!

Que buena foto!! Foto de Mario Vargas Llosa tomada del artículo online de www.revistavanityfair.es

Wordless Wednesday: Time flies

Oh God...Ya es hora de ir thinking about 2012. At least let's get a good calendar like the Lucha Libre one, on sale at the LAPL Central Library Gift Shop.