I totally swiped this from Shannon :)

Hey guys,
I'm just killin' time here. I found a wordle on Shannon's page who found one, in turn, on Jenna's page. Awesome.

Just one question: Why is the word bread SO big? hahahaha

Planning this Vacation is going to Kill Me

Okay, it¡s been about two weeks since I last posted. I've been so busy trying to tie up loose ends and trying to plan my upcoming vacations. Vacations, FINALLY!!!! I haven't had any vacations in 12 years. I'm not kidding. When I was a kid, my parents, sister and me would go to Alberquerque, NM every summer. But when I came to Chile, the fun stopped along with the vacations. My one and only vacations were in 1995 o 1996 with a friend and her family. Let me just tell you by experience that no vacations is NOT the way to go.

Anyways, I'm stoked and at the same time stressed out!!!!! My parents always did the planning, and I just went along for the ride. Now I realize all that vacationing entails: reservations, checking schedules, itineraries, money and millions of other details. I still have to buy a memory card for my camera and shampoo! Should I take warmer clothes or just a heavy jacket? We're traveling by train and bus, so picking the right things to not have to carry too much weight is essential. It all so daunting.

On the upside, our vacation spots are most definitely some of the most beautiful places in Chile. We have a road trip planned, kinda sorta backpacking but with swankier lodging. :) We're planning on hitting Concepción, Valdivia, Puerto Varas, Frutillar and then onto Chiloe.

Chiloe is an island and as such has a particular cultural. The churches that were built all over the island are all wooden. No nails if I remember correctly. And they were declared world heritage a few years ago.

We leave Sunday to Santiago where we'll take the train to our first destination spot, Concepción. We get back Nov 2 or 3. When I get back, I'll be posting about the trip, hopefully city by city. Until then. Bye! :)

How to Make Chilean French Toast

Okay, I'm back. Sorry about the disappearing act, but I'm trying to get a lot of work done before I go on vacay (yea!!!!!!!!). But, more about that later.

During my absence from blogging, I got a craving for one of my favorite foods in the world: French toast (thank you Denny's for making me an addict;)). Let me just tell you that there is NO French toast in Chile :(...at least not around Valpo. So several years ago I "created" Chilean French Toast.

Since this is a fusion dish, I couldn't just use the same old bread that comes pre-sliced (yes, that I can find in the grocery store) or the typical syrup (also in the grocery store, although it's a little pricey for plain, old maple syrup). So, I tried using bread from the local bakery.

In Chile, there is a bakery or small store selling fresh bread on every other block, even Santiago. Therefore, you are never far away from fresh, crispy bread. You will find several types of bread at any one of these stores, but the most popular types are hallulla (ah-yu-ya) and batido (literally whipped, but I'd go with kneaded. it's also called marraqueta in some places). In the first type, the dough is rolled out to 1/4" thickness and cut with round cookie cutter-like things. In the second, the dough rolled into the shape you see below.

So, here goes the recipe:
Have the whisked eggs ready with a little bit of milk in them. Take your day-old batido and slice it to about a 1/4". The bread can't be too fresh cuz it will turn into a glob of mush. I suggest discarding the slices from the top and bottom crusts.

Dip the slices into the egg and milk mixture and let them get soaked through. The milk will help soften up the bread, which can get a bit dry and hard. Then, throw the soaked slices onto a hot, greased griddle or non stick pan. Once they are golden brown, serve them warm with coconut palm syrup or your favorite jam. And that's it. Simple, fast and tasty, my favorite type of food.

I tried to get a picture of the finished product, but the vultures beat me to it! They were gone in 5 minutes. :D