Considering that the world did not end on December 21, we have continued to create festive martinis that bring fruit, sweet and vodka to your holiday party and dinner. Jamaica is a favorite flavor that is a great compliment to any turkey, ham or lamb dinner. Check your grocery store for dried jamaica flowers so you can make your own Jamaica syrup for these Holiday drinks or find a jamaice syrup that you can use for this sweet but no flowery martini. Be prepared to make more than you thought! Read about the health benefits of Jamaica and why this juice made from local flowers is so popular in Tulum.

Jamaica Martini’s for the Holidays

2 ounces of vodka

1 ounce of jamaica syrup

Mix both ingredients into a martini shaker with ice and shake. Pour into a martini glass, garnish with either a red edible flower (nasturium) or mint and watch the smile on any guests face who decides to bring in the holidays with this great drink.

From all of us at Casa de las Olas, we wish you the best over the holidays, with lots of family joy and fun! We will tip a glass to you as we watch the sun rise on Christmas day over the Mexican Caribbean….

Looking for additional Mayan martini recipes? Check out our Spiced Mayan Chocolate martini or Chamoy Martini.

Chamoy is a unique flavor to Mexico that can be addictive due to the combination of sweet, salty, sour and spicy. Sold as a bottled or jarred salsa, Chamoy is fruit based and used for dipping or as a condiment on foods. In Tulum, many homemade chamoys are made with a mango base, making local chamoy a super treat. If you use a store bought Chamoy, the fruit base could be mango, plum or apricot making each chamoy a bit different in flavor but no less of a flavor party.

Mayan Chamoy Martini Recipe

Try this martini recipe during your end of the world parties, or holidays and see what your guests think.

2 ounces of vodka (unflavored)

1 ounce of Cointreau

Dash of lime juice

1 ounce of mango puree

1/2 ounce of Chamoy sauce or to taste

Dash of Agave syrup

Mix all ingredients in a martini shaker or blender and mix with ice. This martini is best blended with ice or with a few rocks to keep it cold. Pour into a martini glass and garnish with lime zest.

Check out our free Tulum guide and discover one of the most interesting and diverse cities in the Mayan Riviera.

Participants in the OH! Food workshop got more than just a great dinner, great cocktails and a great kitchen when they spent the week with James Greenfield, the Director of Sustainable Possibilities and Eric Werner, Chef and creator of Hartwood Restaurant in Tulum. Participants had a view, relaxation, an insiders look at how cook with local foods using sustainable cooking techniques, while cruising around one of the greatest beach cities in the world, Tulum, Mexico. This was 5 days full of sustainable ideas, chilling, flavors and fire as the first group cruised through a wonderful time with two guys who believe deeply in sustainability, so much so that their businesses get deeper and deeper into sustainable practices that nurture not only the earth but hearts as well.

OH! Food workshop in Tulum, Mexico prepared people for the holidays

If you are looking for sustainable holiday recipes or just a new way of looking at how to cook, the OH! Foodworkshop fits the bill. Participants hung at Casa de las Olas for a taste of sustainable living and touring, while they spent time in the Hartwood Restaurant kitchen learning Eric’s secrets to sustainable cooking. Osbaldo, the sous chef joined in on the fun, while the Hartwood bartender served up local potions in his mixology lab to keep people hydrated. Hartwood is the home of the pineapple Habanero margarita so you can imagine the sweet/spicy mixes that keep people on their cooking toes.

Oh! Food Workshop 2013 dates released and ready for booking!

Save the date for the next OH! Food workshop in Tulum put on by Casa de las Olas and Hartwood Restaurant, two sustainable businesses in Mexico that want to share what they do and the joy of living a sustainable life!

Check out the line up for the OH! Food Workshop running May 25th to May 29th 2013 in Tulum, Mexico. Join the Director of Sustainable Possibilities for an overview of sustainable living, James Greenfield and the man all about sustainable cooking, Eric Werner and his staff at Hartwood Restaurant for 5 days of sustainability you can eat in Tulum, Mexico.

Not sure you know Tulum? Check out our Tulum guide that will have you vacationing like a local in this unique historical village just south of Cancun, Mexico.

Christina Holmes photography 2012

seeing these beautiful photos taken by Christina Holmes in Tulum, I am not sure if tortilla making, hand-made tortillas is an art or a food, or both. Few Tulum restaurants are making handmade tortillas any longer, machines and tortilla shops now supply homes, restaurants and businesses as the demand for this staple Mexican food has forced the industrialization of tortilla making. There are families that still make tortillas by hand, and when you place a machine-made tortilla beside a handmade tortilla, the difference is night and day. It is like eating cookies out of a box verses handmade cookies we made at home. The flavor, the texture, the love is all different and in our world the handmade tortilla is the one to eat!

Tulum Tortilla lady – making tortillas as an art form

Christina Holmes photography 2012

We recently visited the tortilla lady, a name we have attached to this wonderful Mayan elder as she is….the tortilla lady. This is her work all day long, making tortillas by hand, on a wood fire with the basic tools needed for tortillas, a tortilla press and grill. She grinds her corn by hand, she does not use store-bought corn flour, she hand kneads the dough and gets to making her art, tortillas for any one who wishes to buy.

We don’t expect anyone to hand grind their own corn, so look for the corn flour in your local international or Mexican grocery store. It is called Masa and there is one particular company that exports the masa needed for corn tortillas, Maseca. We are surprised every time we venture up north how available Mexican products are in main stream grocery stores in the US and Canada. 10 years ago, Mexican products were almost impossible to find, now in the US, Mexican products from Mexican brands (not US brands) are mainstream staple products in grocery and convenience stories. Viva Mexico!

Tortilla Recipe for handmade tortillas – A Tulum treat in your home

• 1 3/4 cups masa harina

• 1 1/8 cups water
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together masa harina (corn flour for tortillas), salt and warm water until thoroughly combined. Turn dough onto a clean surface and knead until it feels smooth and soft. If dough is too sticky, add more masa harina; if it begins to dry out, sprinkle with water. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 30 minutes. (this step is important for great tortillas)
2. Preheat a cast iron skillet or griddle to medium-high.
3. Divide dough into equal-size balls. Using a tortilla press, a rolling pin, or your hands, press each ball of dough flat between two sheets of plastic wrap, parchment paper or wax paper. The tortillas should be thin, using a flour tortillas as your basis for a good thickness.
4. Immediately place tortilla in preheated pan and allow to cook for approximately 30 seconds, or until browned and slightly puffy. Turn tortilla over to brown on second side for approximately 30 seconds more, then transfer to a plate. Repeat process with each ball of dough. Keep tortillas covered with a towel to stay warm and moist until ready to serve. Tortillas should be served immediately for best results.

For more Tulum information and some unique local suggestions download our free Real Tulum Travel guide for an in-depth view of Tulum for all visitors.

Photo Credit Christina Holmes 2012

If you want to contribute something a little bit different this year to a Halloween part, think about making some Pan de Muerto for your guests or as a Halloween party gift. This is a historical sweet bread recipe (pan = bread) and is only served during Day of the Dead rituals. The bread is cooked for families and offered on the Day of the Dead alters that are set up for any visiting dead relative spirits that are invited into homes through these celebrations. Day of hte Dead is a party and time of honor for deceased relatives that have long since left this earth, but are invited back into their family homes for Nov 2. Pan de Muerto is a staple for this day and easy to make.

Pan de Muerto recipe – Day of the Dead bread recipe

• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons anise seed

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F after you have prepared the bread mixture.
2. In a medium saucepa, heat milk and butter together , until the butter melts. Remove from the heat, add warm water and check that the temperature of the liquid is 110 degrees F (43 degrees C).
3. In a large bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, yeast, salt, anise seed and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Mix  in the warm milk mixture then add the eggs and orange zest and mix until well combined. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour and continue adding more flour until the dough is soft.
4. Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
5. Place the ball of kneaded dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, approx. 1 to 2 hours. Punch the dough down and shape it into a large round loaf with a round knob on top. Place dough onto a baking sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
6. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven let cool slightly then brush with a himemade glaze and regular sugar. To make glaze: In a small saucepan combine 1/4 cup sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 2 minutes. Brush over top of bread while still warm. Sprinkle glazed bread with white sugar

You can seperate the bread dough into smaller loaves and create miniture breads or you can make one loaf. The sides of the Pan de Muertos are to represent bones so be as creative as you like when creating these decorations with the bread dough.

This is a fun recipe that brings a cultural aspect to your Halloween party. We for sure will be having Day of the Dead bread on the beaches of Tulum for our own spirits, our live spirits as we watch the sun rise, watch the sun set and just hang on the coast of the Mexican Caribbean Nov 2. If you want to switch your Halloween plans and have a different experience for November, know that Casa de las Olas has a last minute discount for November 2012. If you have flexible travel dates, get 20% off our November rates when you email us to book your November vacation. Yup, 20% off your stay with few spots left but still some spots. Email today at info@casadelasolas.com and get in on the last minute Flexible dates = flexible rates sale.

Fun and easy holiday recipe that take minutes to prepare – bring a taste of Tulum to your parties

This is an easy and fun recipe that you can prepare as an appetizer, a canape or as a snack. To make this fun and eclectic we have built the recipe in three parts, bottom, middle and top.

To create your bottom you can choose any of the following ingredients:

1. French stick bread

2. Cucumber

3. Gluten free breads

4. Locally baked bread in your neighbourhood

5. Beefsteak tomatoes

To prepare your bottoms. No matter which bottom you have chosen, cut the bread or veggies on an angle so that your final bottom is oval in shape, or close to oval. If you are using bread, toast both sides lightly. All bottoms can do with a slight drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. all of the bottoms can be stored in air tight containers until you are ready to prepare your recipe.

To prepare our middle use the following ingredients:

1. Avocado – Haas avocados can be found in most grocery stores and should be ripe

2. Fresh limes or lime juice

3. Ground pepper

To prepare your middle. Mash your avocados, fresh lime juice and pepper together in a bowl. This is done with a fork so that the avocado is slightly lumpy. You will want a bit of texture to your avocado so that it remains on your bottom. Prepare this right before serving as avocados tend to turn brown when left open to the air.

To prepare your tops. This is the fun part! Use all of a select few or just one of the following ingredients:

1. Sliced radish

2. Organic greens – arugula, sprouts, baby spinach, beet root leaves, kale, parsley, cilantro or any organic green of your choice

3. Roasted garlic peeled and mashed

4. Marinated red onions in orange juice ( a great mayan salsa)

5. Roasted nuts – sunflower, pepitas, cashews, sliced almonds

6. Fruits – papaya, oranges, pomegranate, roasted pineapple, apple

Prepare your toppings in advance by washing, cutting, roasting or chopping and put in an airtight container. When you are ready, open up your containers and start decorating your bottoms that have been spread with your middles.

Putting it all together! Bottoms, middle and tops!

Lay out your bottoms on a cookie sheet, cutting board or on wax paper that is placed on your counter. Whether you are using breads or veggies or a combination of both, the same is done for all the bottoms to make the middle and top process easy!

Spread all your bottoms with your middle. Spread lightly and cover as much of the bottom as you can without making the bottom sloppy or too heavy to pick up.

Start adding your tops! place organic greens or spread some roasted garlic, or sprinkle your mayan onion salsa or add some nuts. This is where you take over and make the apps, the canapes or the snacks your own.

Listo! as we say in Spanish. You now have a great holiday app that is a reflection of Tulum, Mexico, a great holiday treat that takes minutes to prepare and if you need more they are easy to make pronto if your guests are gobbling them up.

For your gluten-free friends, use the veggies and gluten-free breads. For your vegan friends, veggie bottoms, for your alkaline diet friends use the veggie bottoms. No one needs to be left out on the holidays and this recipe from the beaches of Tulum will make sure of it.

Love this recipe? Check out our OH! Food Workshop in Tulum Nov 30 to Dec 5 2012! There is much more where this came from!