Love in the Time of Cholera with Empanadas

It was my turn to host our Book Club for a discussion of Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to turn this into a full gastronomic celebration, so I made Colombian Empanadas with a little help from Liz, Joyce and Joann.

And while in frying mode, we added some yucca to the mix, with chimichurri sauce for dipping.

Shrimp and avocado salad and Colombian cole slaw rounded out the menu. Passion Mimosas proved to be very, very inspiring.

Here we are, in full discussion mode. 

The moon made a guest appearance.

A bite of Dulce de Tres Leches and fortified by a little red wine gave us the strength to forge our discussion long into the night.

Four Little Monsters at Play

The torrid sea of June made us wonder if there'd be hell to pay come September when the sweltering Sahara winds barrel westward feeding on hot ocean currents. Metereologists like to call these "favorable conditions" for hurricanes.

Here's NOAA's satellite imaging of this morning, showing four little monsters at play in the Atlantic:

Earl brought us tropical storm winds and lots of rain. We almost lost a flamboyant tree on the hill. Here's Vincent the Gardener cutting down some branches before righting it.

Happily, we gained 34 mangoes from the Robinson mango tree. These babies are huge and rock hard. I'm glad I wasn't standing beneath that tree when it was throwing mango projectiles all over the yard.

Fiona tiptoed by us, and we barely noticed the splash of her tail. We'll wait for the mangos to ripen as we brace for Gaston's visit sometime next week.