Fragrance

I bought a small bottle of fragrance oil at Wal-Mart the other day. It's made by Elegant Expressions - that's the brand. When I got home and put it in the warmer, I also started a pot of coffee, but just by pure chance. The fragrance I purchased is called Lavender Vanilla. The aroma that resulted from the combination of brewing coffee and this particular fragrance oil was absolutely, astonishingly, unbelievably adorable - to die for. Try it and see. You won't believe your nose. 

Popcorn and tortilla chips

I was hungry for a snack the other day and I had nothing handy - nothing ready-made, that is. What I did was grab some tortilla chips - I don't remember the brand but they were the pricey kind - not the dollar-store brand - and some (real) butter. I put three dabs of butter on top of the chips and threw the mix into the microwave and about 30 seconds later tasted something that resembled popcorn - not the shape or form but the taste. I shouldn't have been surprised since tortilla chips are made from CORN. The only thing missing was the beer. 

Cuban Cuisine

I know next to nothing about Cuban Cuisine but I do know it is quite different from other Latin American Cuisine - its dishes are not Argentinian, nor Bolivian, nor Mexican, nor Panamanian, nor Brazilian, nor Chilean.  Its dishes are Cuban! I just hope they're tasty. If they are anything like Cuban Music, I know they must be. 

Mexican flavors

I have discovered that by simply throwing in some tortilla chips into a soup mix, the thing will taste like a Mexican dish. The higher the quality of any chips you toss in, the better the flavor. The amount you throw in is up to you. I myself do not put in too many because, after all, if what I'm eating is a broccoli soup, I want some broccoli taste in the soup. It's not rocket science.

Flavorless

I thought I'd be smart and experiment with a bean soup to end all bean soups - the mother of all bean soups. What I did was mix lima beans, pinto beans, black beans, and lentils, using equal portions of each type. I also threw in the usual onions and tomatoes. Well, in case you want to know, the result was a flavorless soup. This experiment didn't use too many cooks, it used too many basic ingredients. Let that be a lesson to you.

Best Coffee

I believe McDonald's now has the best coffee in the world - at least coffee that you buy in a fast food establishment. It is better than Starbucks and Luby's coffee. Luby's used to be my favorite but the quality has dropped considerably since about ten years ago. Don't ask me why because I really don't know. This does not matter to people who don't drink coffee but for those of you who do, ...well, consider it my opinion. I have been a coffeeholic for about thirty years. By the way, Village Inn has the most atrocious coffee around.

Lentil Soup

I was going nuts trying to come up with a lentil soup that would be close to how my mother used to prepare it. I had the lentils, the onions, the tomatoes, and a little salt ready but I knew I was missing something. After making it several times, it simply did not taste the same as my mom's, the way I knew it should. I finally called my sister Fifi and she told me that what I was missing was the cilantro. I would never have guessed. I am ok now.