THE SHOPPING IS SO GOOD IN ARUBA

Here I am in 1991 49 years old in Aruba with my hubby filling my oversize bag with touristy sorts of items. I took an extra bag on this trip for some indulgences. I brought home hand made linens and hand embroidered and cutwork items a specialty of the women on this island. I also tucked in a few pieces of hand painted dishware, some silver and woven items and best of all luxurious creams and lotions with aloe and lime reminiscent of the island breezes. All items were amazingly priced and these items you will not find in the states. When I returned home and applied the body lotion I would close my eyes and was there on that island once more. This was one trip that held my soul for many days after returning home.


Aruba is blessed with gracious beaches their white sand sparkling for miles along the turquoise Caribbean. The other side of island faces Venezuela really just a stones throw of fifteen miles. This side of the island is riddled with cactus, goats and rocks. It's very rough terrain and the sea is wild as it is the windward side of Atlantic ocean. We rented a jeep and made good use of it driving through boulder strewn dirt roads. Quite an adventure and I could write volumes about this trip as well as our other Caribbean trips. But enough this is a cooking blog.

Well I did not make the spaghetti with red clam sauce last evening as I had forgotten I had pre-made a container of cucumbers, tomatoes and onions marinated in a vinaigrette. This would not have been a complimentary side to the pasta dish. So I regrouped and took a large rib steak from the freezer. So we enjoyed a juicy charred rib steak, small bakers and the tomato vinaigrette salad. So on the docket for tonight is the spaghetti with red clam sauce and a crunchy boule.
As I bought a variety of peppers at the farm and then my husband bought more I need to use peppers. So today when I make tomato sauce I am going to toss assorted peppers into the roasting pan with some garlic and shallots. This will make a tasty pasta layered with many flavors. I will put this sauce into smaller jars so they will be the right amount for one meal while we are RV-ing.

I had a busy morning. I was up early to help get my hubby out the door to the job site. I then read the paper and had my tea and then tied on my walking shoes and away I went. The neighborhood was barely waking as I walked through it early. Folks were stepping out their doors to fetch the paper or let their pets to their duty. All was very quiet and it was an enjoyable forty-five minute walk. Then home to pull a few weeds, sweep the sidewalks and water my plants and pick a basket of tomatoes. As it is to be 88 degrees today the earlier you take care of outdoor chores the better. I also cleaned up one of my husbands work benches. When he is so busy things get cultured and messy in his garage as he has no time to tidy. Then it was on to my housework. I have also ran a load of laundry and did some necessary office work.
So what a busy woman I am today.

So now I will go to the kitchen and get started on roasting tomatoes and peppers. 

Have a great Saturday. Oh and the weather is divine with deep crisp skies, a soft summer breeze and a big smiling sun. Love.
Ciao.