It has been a beautiful week. The sun has been shining and I am considering changing from boots to sandals. It may seem strange but I get excited whenever this footwear change occurs. I don’t care if we are going from sandals to boots or boots to sandals. I welcome the change twice a year. We had a pool party this week. I may have been pushing it, as it wasn’t quite that warm yet. I heated the pool to 89 degrees. We swam and hung out in the sun. I like the pool to be to a temperature where I don’t feel even an inkling of shock as I enter the water. I want to walk right in and smile. My cousin brought over fruit, French bread, cheeses and crackers. We sipped Proseco, ate snacks and swam all day.

This was a sharp contrast to the following day when I ate more than I thought I could. Have you ever had one of those days where, by the end of the night, you cannot believe how much you have eaten? We started out by having a Mexican brunch. Mexican food is my absolute favorite. I have a hard time choosing what to order when we go out because I want everything on the menu. I always fill up on chips, salsa and bean dip. Also, I have to have the sopa de fideos. This is the most delicious tomato based noodle soup. By the time I have eaten chips and salsa, I am full. So, every time my meal arrives, I can barely eat it. This day was no exception. I don’t even know why I order the meal. I had to wrap up my tamale to take it home.

After the Mexican food, I had a hankering for cupcakes. I rarely like desserts. For some reason, I have been craving cupcakes lately. I think it is because these high-end cupcake bakeries keep popping up. The cupcakes at these places are so delicious. I can’t stop eating them. I find it difficult to decide on a flavor. This time, I bought a carrot cake cupcake with cream cheese frosting and a strawberry shortcake cupcake with strawberry frosting.

After the cupcakes, we decided to go to the movies. I love movie popcorn but thought it was crazy to get some at that point, just after the Mexican food and cupcakes. I walked by the concession stand knowing I would be back. I sat through half of the movie when I couldn’t take it any longer. I ran out to get some popcorn. I asked for butter half way through the bag and more on the top. That is the only way to order movie popcorn. Nothing is worse than getting halfway through and all you have left is dry popcorn.

When the movie let out, my cousin texted, telling me he was at the sushi restaurant right next door. He didn’t even know I was at that theater. So, we stopped in. I tried the sake and it was delicious. Then, I had to taste the salmon collar. I had never heard of this portion of the salmon. Apparently, it is quite common to eat salmon collar in Asian countries but here it is usually thrown out. This restaurant is bringing it into style. I dug in with my chopsticks. It was so moist and tender and delicious. I think this will really catch on. While we ate sushi, we talked about a new fondue restaurant, which opened in downtown Las Vegas. Fondue sounded so good.

We decided to do a fondue night that very same night at my house. We looked up different recipes. We needed Swiss cheeses. Dry white wine was important too. My cousin said he would bring the cheeses and wine. I ran to the store to get French bread, apples and grapes. I was really excited.

I cannot believe I have never had a fondue party at my house before. It’s so easy and so incredibly fun. Who doesn’t like anything dipped into cheese? My cousin and a couple of friends arrived and before we knew it, we were dipping everything into this delicious and creamy cheese. By the time the fondue and fruit was finished, I had decided enough was enough. I was done with food for the day. It was an incredible journey though, and an international one too: Mexico, America, Japan, and France all in one day of eating. I enjoyed every single bite.

Fondue:

Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

pound Swiss cheese, shredded

pound Gruyere cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 cup white wine

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon cherry brandy

teaspoon dry mustard

pinch nutmeg

2 apples, cut into cubes

2 cups grapes

1 loaf French bread, cut into cubes

In a small bowl, coat cheeses with cornstarch. Rub the inside of fondue pot with garlic. Over medium heat, add wine, lemon juice and bring to simmer. Stir in cheese. Once smooth, add brandy, mustard and nutmeg. Serve the apples, grapes and bread on the side with skewers for dipping.