Costa Rica Cooking and CNN at Rancho Margot

Talking sugarcane with a worker from Rancho Margot.

 Costa Rica Cooking was at Rancho Margot the same day CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta was there doing a story on Rancho Margot's owner and founder, Juan Sostheim.

*Not sure where or what Rancho Margot is?  Rancho Margot is located about a 40-minute drive from La Fortuna to a little town beside Lake Arenal called El Castillo.  Ranch Margot says this about themselves:
  

"At Rancho Margot, we make choices everyday to achieve greater and greater self-sufficiency with the ultimate goal of living sustainably."

 And they're doing this by such means as; generating their own electricity, creating biogas and using compost ovens to heat water.  But that's just the tip of the iceberg at Rancho Margot, they also make their own soap, furniture etc..... well I'm sure you get the picture.  For more info on Rancho Margot.  Or better yet, watch the video below and it will tell you everything you need to know about the Ranch.


Hey Everyone!  It was so COOL to be part of the bigger picture that is Rancho Margot.  I had contacted Juan a few weeks before to tell him my idea about doing a cooking video using the beautiful Rancho Margot as the backdrop.  Juan was all for it.  It was only coincidence that we were out there the same day as CNN.  But I have to say, it was exciting.

We had a great day filming with michael alan & D'Angelo, at Rancho Margot and if you watch the video, you see Juan and Elizabeth really LOVED the food... which is really what it's all about.  The second video was put out by the folks at CNN about a week ago and is a great overview of Juan and his vision that is Rancho Margot. Enjoy both videos. Pura Vida.

Here's me cheffing it up at Rancho Margot:

And here's CNN's story, which is very good I might add.

Until next time. Pura Vida from Costa Rica.

Costa Rica to California Our First Successful Dog Adoption

SUCCESS! One of our dogs straight off the streets of La Fortuna, Costa Rica has been adopted in California.

First, a little background.  When you're as passionate about dogs as I am, you often meet others with an equal passion, which is  exactly what happened with Shannon, the owner of LA's, Bark n' Bitches. 

From Shannon's website:

"Not only do I have this amazing Dog Boutique in the heart of hip L.A., but I created "Jimi's Angels Rescue" to continue my work to support the homeless dogs of Los Angeles."

Shannon said she'd love to help us anyway she could and now she's instrumental in helping to rescue not only LA's homeless dogs but the homeless dogs in Costa Rica as well. With our fingers crossed, we  began sending a few of our 'street dogs' to Shannon  in hopes of finding them good homes, because as you can probably imagine, it can be hard for dogs to make the transition from a life on the streets to the boundaries of a home.  But great news for 'Reina', one of our first dogs to make the trip to Cali, she's been adopted into a loving home.  *That's her above with her new owners.  

Our first report on how Reina is adjusting-

 "At first the transition was a little difficult for Reina as you might have guessed.  But now she's bonded with our family and she's turning into a great dog who loves to give kisses".

This is great news and hopefully will be the first of many more successful adoptions to come.  Thanx so much Shannon, we truly appreciate your help and support.

 Until next time- Pura Vida!








Reina has found her forever family. She turned into a great dog. It defin

itely took her some time to really bond with humans after living on the street. At the beginning she would barely tolerate people butnow, she just loves people and gives plenty of kisses.

The couple has another dog that Reina will be playing with and she will be very well cared for! http://www.barknbitches.com/

costa rica dog rescue - doggie meatloaf recipe

Hey Everyone. I like to say my BIG three passions in life are: Costa Rica, dogs and food.  This video is a TWIST on my Costa Rica Cooking Class where I decide to actually cook for the dogs- rescue dogs to be exact. Right now I have about 50 dogs in my care that I will eventually adopt out to loving families, but for now, I think they deserve a treat from their everyday dog food.  Check out this cute little video where the dogs are actually allowed in the kitchen while a chef them up some doggie meatloaf. This is a must see for dog lovers.

Hey guys! We love taking Costa Rica Cooking on the road and cheffin' it up in beautiful and interesting locations. This day, we're in Rancho Margot, a self-sufficient, organic farm about 40 minutes from La Fortuna and just outside the little town of El Castillo. Every ingredient used in the recipe was grown or produced at Rancho Margot. If you're interested in staying at Rancho Margot or even volunteering at the farm, good NEwS- you can. Check out this video and see a great Costa Rica recipe in beautiful surroundings.

Dog Adoptions in Costa Rica!

Hi guys,

Here again to talk about some dog adopting in Costa Rica. I know you all know that dogs are a big part of my life, so when we were asked to participate in the first annual pet expo for San Carlos Costa Rica, I jumped at the chance.

Of course, to be able to raise the money to help more dogs, it was a no-brainer right! So we decided to sell hot dogs (lol) and sodas as well as street dog t shirts. Well the whole thing was a big success!! We made a little bit of money to put towards the care of some of the dogs were caring for, but more importantly we were able to adopt out 10 puppies to some really good local homes. That was awesome!!  The hardest thing about rescuing dogs is the caring for them, until they get adopted , hence the new name of my dog association is Costa Rica Dog Adopt. I really like the idea of focusing on the adoption part, because that's what we really need to do a lot, so if you or anyone you know wants a dog, check out our website or FB and you can get your very own Tico Dog! Thanks for checking in, see you next time.  Here's a short video about this event:  YouTubeChannel

Pura Vida, Scott

Videos, videos and more videos!

Here's a pic with me and some of the smaller dogs

I'm having a blast making all of these cooking videos and wanted to share them with you!  Here are just some of the top ones that I thought you might enjoy!  The videos done at the Mirador property by Rio Fortuna Waterfall is where the Street Dogs Costa Rica Headquarters are so you may hear a bark or two in the background.  Hope you enjoy these videos and look out for a new one coming soon which is all about the Street Dogs!

Costa Rica Cooking:  Shrimp Taco w/ Grilled Papaya

Costa Rica Cooking:  Garlic Fried Yucca

Costa Rica Cooking:  How to make Patacones

Costa Rica Cooking:  What is a Plantain?

More videos are available on YouTube so check them out!  CostaRicaCooking

Pura Vida!

Scott

The Spices of Life

Hi guys, Chef Scott Alan for Costa Rica Cooking here in La Fortuna by the Volcano Arenal!  I'm here again on a very “rainforesty” day in the tropics of Costa Rica, which is a fun way of saying it's raining cats and dogs!! Oh well what can a person expect when Costa Rica is where you call home. If that sounds like I'm complaining, I'm not, I wake up grateful every day!

I was reflecting on why I love Costa Rica so much and I have to say that one of the reasons is the close and practically year-round availability of fresh ingredients, both well-known and more rare and exotic fruits and vegetables. The reason I like cooking with fresh ingredients is that you rarely need more than salt and or pepper to add to your cooking. It's amazing really, I used to think being a good cook was having a great spice rack with everything in it. Of course, I'm not saying you have to throw away your spices  (though have you checked them lately, they somehow seem to stick around for years) but I am recommending using fresh everything in your cooking and you won't need your spices, therefore creating room for another cool kitchen utensil or appliance, now how's that for motivation??

My point is these days, in a lot of places, we have more access to fresh spices like garlic, basil, coriander, rosemary and so many more along with produce departments offering everything from around the world in terms of exotic fruits and veggies.  Here in Costa Rica I cook with a lot of fresh fruits, as I love to spice up a dish with flavor rather than spicy-hot. Exotic fruits are a great accompaniment with grilled meats and baked rice dishes, though we tend to think of them for breakfast and lunch only. Check out some of my videos and see how I use the fresh ingredients I'm finding here.   See you in the jungle!!

Pura Vida, Scott

http://www.CostaRicaCooking.com

http://www.StreetDogsCostaRica.com