The Gift of Guayaba = Guava Punch!

The Gift of Guayaba!

One of my favorite things about living in Costa Rica is the giving nature of the people.  One of our sweet Tico friends surprised us with a visit and handed us these interesting green fruits.  In his beautiful Espanol he told us it was "dulce" meaning sweet and that it made a delicious drink when mixed with agua.  So I began my research to determine just exactly what this interesting fruta  was and what yummy something I could mix up with it.  After studying on it for a while we decided that it was indeed Guayaba, known as guava in North America.  Guava jelly is actually one of my favorites and I was thinking about making some but it was Sunday and we were getting ready to head down to the playa for another Sunday Funday and we decided that we would mix up a fruity pitcher of Guava Punch!  I found this recipe in my SABOR cook book which is a guide to tropical fruits and vegetables which includes recipes for each one.  It was pretty tasty and according to the sources of information it is loaded with vitamins and antioxidants and has many medicinal uses!  So if you one day find yourself with a bounty of guayabas mix up a pitcher of this delicioso punch and enjoy!

GUAVA PUNCH

2 1/4 cups unsweetened pineapple juice (we used fresh pinas)

2 cups guava juice, nectar or puree

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

3/4 dark rum

4 dashes Angostura bitters (of course we did not have this)

Mix all of the ingredients and chill well.  Serve on the rocks in tall chilled glasses.  Garnish with chunks and slices of tropical fruit.  

Serves:  5

(We usually have a pretty thirsty crowd for Sunday Funday so we doubled the recipe!  ... and it was just a little tart so we sweetened ours with a little sugar)

It was delicioso!

"Pura Vida"

Pura vida ~ Pronounced POO-rah VEE-dah literally means "pure life", but the meaning is closer to "full of life", "purified life", "this is living!", "going great", or "cool!" It can be used both as a greeting and a farewell, to express satisfaction, to politely express indifference when describing something or even to say "thank you". The phrase has become widely known; this highly flexible statement has been used by many Costa Ricans (and expatriates) since 1956.  Some foreigners view the phrase as an expression of a leisurely lifestyle, of disregard for time, and of wanton friendliness. 


However, Costa Ricans use the phrase to express a philosophy of strong community, perseverance, resilience in overcoming difficulties with good spirits, enjoying life slowly, and celebrating good fortune of magnitudes small and large alike.  It is true that life can throw you some curve balls that you were least expecting but you can choose how you will let that affect your happiness.  Of course you should treat those unexpected obstacles with the respect they deserve as they are part of the process of forming who you are and how you are going to move forward in your life journey.  It is obvious when you arrive in Costa Rica and spend some time here you realize that these wonderful people, no matter what their lifestyle, are blessed with a pure happiness that when shared uplifts your spirits to share in their "Pura Vida".  You see how much they value their quality of life over material possessions.  A quality of life that is abundant with friends, family, good health and spiritual growth.

According to an article published  last month in International Living, Costa Rica tops the Happy Planet Index as the happiest place on earth!  International Living has been covering Costa Rica as a great retirement haven for many years, thanks to its eco-conscious policies, lack of standing army, relatively low cost of living and world-class health care system. The country is a favorite with retirees and second-home buyers from the U.S. and Canada, and is also a hotspot for medical tourism. Last month, International Living named Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula as one of the healthiest places on earth to live in its Health Index.

So are YOU ready to experience some Pura Vida?  Would YOU like to become one of the happiest and healthiest people on earth?  Does the idea of a kinder lifestyle living in a wonderful gated community surrounded by tropical beauty where you can enjoy chatting with the neighbors, community pot-luck dinners, gathering with friends on the beach to cook out and watch the sunset or going on eco adventures appeal to you?  A place where you can spread some Pura Vida of your own ....Come On and try it.....It truly is a great feeling!  

 Pura Vida 
"Living the Good Life" in Costa del Sol!

The definition used in the post for Pura Vida was taken from wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Costa_Rica

J.C. Starts a Family!

One of the joys of living in a rain forest is having a pet lizard. J.C. Superstar is our Jesus Christ lizard that has been residing in our gutter for about a year now.
To catch you up a bit you may want to visit my previous posts about how J.C. came to live with us! 
J.C. Superstar and JC Superstar has become part of the family!


Well....now that you have met J.C. let me continue with my story about her new family!
While we were away in the states it seems that J.C. found a boyfriend and decided he was "the one"! And oh my, what a looker he is! He is graced with the most attractive fin like crest on his head,  back and tail and he struts around like he is the king of the mountain, well I guess I should say rain forest! This hot and steamy love affair has produced "Baby J.C." which is the cutest little lizard you will ever see! This morning while I was enjoying some hot Costa Rican coffee and a crispy pastry Baby came scurrying around the corner of the kitchen cabinet and skipped out the door! I think that her mother has been teaching her the fine etiquette of how to solicit food from the gringo family!


So now that you are up to date on the life of our lovely lizard family please enjoy some of our family photos!

 This is J.C.!  

She just loves to lounge by the pool in the sun after dining on fresh mango and taking a dip in the pool!

This is J.C.'s babydaddy!

Isn't he handsome!

 

This is Baby!

The picture above (taken by Amanda) was soon after she was born 

and the one below is this morning.

Isn't she the cutest thing you have ever seen!?!

Ahhh Yes.....Living the Pura Vida!

Come and join us!  We would love to show you our lizard family!