Snapshots of Spring Break/Easter Week/Semana Pasqua

Every year in Mexico spring break is during the week preceding Easter Sunday. The week is called Semana Pasqua. I wanted to go down south to the states of Oaxaca or Chiapas, but it did not work out. Instead I went to Ezequiel Montes, Alma's hometown, to spend the weekend with her and her family. It's a small town north of Queretaro that welcomes you with an overwhelming smell of manure from the farming. To me it smells more like weird dog food, hahaha! Another interesting aspect is that many of the farmers' wives dress in Michael Kors, Coach, Gucci, etc. I asked Alma's sister why everyone is so obsessed with buying designer clothes. Alma and her sister, Giulanna (sounds like Yulianna), explained that it's a competition between the women there in the town to see who gets which clothes. They told me that some of the families build houses as big as Alma's family's ranch, which is a decent sized ranch. So my idea was to pitch a show called, "The Real Housewives of Ezequiel Montes." I think it would be a hit!

So here is the week at Alma's in photos:

 So our project for the week involved lots of cooking and practicing our homemaking abilities... For this particular dish I was in charge of squeezing the limes we picked from Grandma Bele's lime tree.

 Here are a bag of tiny potatoes that are similar to our redskin potatoes, but these are a more natural version.

 Alma washed that potatoes, put them in a skillet with chiles, chicken broth powder, and the lime juice I squeezed.

 She also made Nopales Asados/Grilled Cactus. This is the edible cactus that is very common here. It's shape is very thin and looks like fins. She sliced them vertically, brushed the grill with oil, and light salted the cactus.

 They turned out great. They are very tasty. They have a similar flavor of tangy green beans.

 Homemade dressing Alma learned how to make from a salad making class, lol. CUTE!

 Veggies for the salad.

 A traditional drink here is called Jamaica. It is basically tea made of Jamaica leaves.

 I have never seen an apple corer/slicer in action until spring break! Yes, I am easily fascinated. :D

 Here chile goes on EVERYTHING! The red liquid is made of fruit and is called chamoy. Then the red chile crystals is a little sweet as well. They come in a twin pack. My favorite is the powder.

 Information/Description around the corner from the house.

 A tortilleria. Fresh tortillas!!! The tortillas here are lighter in color and weight than in Queretaro.

 Our table setting for our kitchen concoctions.

 My plate. The potatoes were beyond delicious!

 Ok...this is where the week took a drastic plunge...above is our attempt to make cookies from scratch. We did not wait for the butter to completely soften by room temperature. Alma thought it would be ok to heat it in the microwave for a bit. Bad idea. (I know a few people reading this will be seriously disappointed in me, haha, sorry guys)

 Our dough that is way too sticky because of the butter incident.

 Later in the evening we went to the town square where they started the reenactment of Christ's last days.

 Alma and her nephew Emiliano (Guli's son) in the town square. I love this kid. He's 8 months but wears 18 months clothing. HUGE!

 The main church (1 of 2 in town).

 Guy cooking up tacos, burritos, hamburgers, etc.

 Me and Maria Paula (Guli's oldest) at the restaurant.

 The restaurant is called Maclonos, a play on McDonalds, haha.

 I ordered a burrito...My first burrito here in Mexico. I'm glad I waited to have one in Ezequiel Montes. I was skeptical at first because of the salsa verde/green salsa, but it was so tasty!

 My main man Emiliano. I think I made a rap for him after we were done eating.

 Next time in the kitchen we attempted to make homemade, marshmallow fondant. Our guidance was a YouTube video.

 Coloring the fondant.

 Pretty colors.

 Pictures of the family ranch. These pools are non chlorinated and filled with natural well water. The large pool has the natural algae on the bottom and the water is very hot because of the water coming from way underground. The smaller pool they scrub and keep clean and the water is much cooler.

 This is the best swimming pool experience I've ever had in my life! So relaxing and natural.

Poolside luncheon with Alma's family from her mom's side. Alma brought our salad, we made more potatoes, and I made Middle Eastern salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, white vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper...My salad was a hit and the ladies asked me for the recipe.

Emiliano with Alma at the ranch.

I really enjoyed being with Alma's family that week. They were so welcoming and made me feel like I was a part of their family.