Thanks for stopping and reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food-centric blog. There are numerous ways to find and acquire ready made food and ingredients for meals at home. Today Cathy will share a couple of those ways along with sharing a bit of a quick Road Trip from San Diego. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are relaxing today.
The Mister and I woke up late yesterday morning. It was 4:45 a.m. and the dogs had to be fed and let out, we dressed quickly and were out the door at 5:07 a.m.. There was a low fog overhanging the freeway the entire drive. We got to the Red Hill exit from the 5 (in Tustin) around 6:25 a.m. and stopped at the Starbucks for coffee then drove up the street to Cream Pan and picked up three hot, fresh pastries. The cinnamon pecan roll ($3), which is filled with crispy, whole pecans; a raspberry bottomed cheescake in a paper cup ($2) and a ham and cheese croissant ($2.50)...light breakfast to eat in the car. The freeway entrance is just around the corner.
In about 45 minutes, we were in Pasadena, parked, crossed the Metro tracks
and the Rose Parade float Road Test was already underway.
The eHarmony.com float (the first dot com float ever in a Rose Parade) was going to be tested with people on board. (During the parade, Natalie Cole will be on the float, singing along the parade route).
What will end up being the last float in the parade was also being tested- it looks like a football...and it looks like two GIANT screens will be inserted into those frames...we don't know, but speculate may be playing highlights of either prior Rose Bowl Games (2014 will be the 100th anniversary of the Rose Bowl Football game) or of prior parades (2014 will be the 125th Tournament of Roses parade). We'll have to wait and see...
This VERY large float will be one of the first you will see in the parade- it is by Honda, the sponsor. we suspect it will look somewhat futuristic, because
it will be preceeded by these five smaller (powed by Honda motocycles and one driver, no 'viewer' inside) floats, depicting various "Dreams Come True"-the parade theme-along time... The famous WWII poster (and some sort of circular float behind it).
A sort of Model T vehicle.
A construct of the Spirit of St. Louis.
There's also a small diorama depicting Man landing on the moon.
Other floats tested were in their basic stages...
The City of Beverly Hills will be celebrating 100 years as a City and will have a float in the 2014 Rose Parade.
The RFD-TV float looks like a large barn-like dance floor will be on the front of the float, with smaller buildings behind. I'm interested in seeing how this ultimately will appear. The front piece, made with heavy steel beams (instead of rebar) is unique.
We left the road testing area, and had no plans for breakfast, drove up to Orange Grove Boulevard and stopped at Baja Ranch Market, which I only mentioned slightly in another float road test post last November. We wanted to grab another quick bite.
When you first walk into this medium sized Mexican/Latin American Market, you are in the Bakery area.
It is right around the corner, next to an extensive steam tray area.
We picked up 1/2 lb of those fresh chicharron from the end tray.
and also asked for one of each flavor of the empanadas- the ham and cheese and the ground beef (which is made with corse ground hamburger, hard boiled egg, olives and raisins; a very traditional and wonderful flavor combination), sometimes called 'picadillo'.
We also picked up a few other items, went to the car and started driving East while munching on an empanada.
Baja Ranch Supermarket 475 Orange Grove Blvd, Pasadena 91101 website
Parking on a side street, we had a short walk to the Saturday Pasadena Farmer's Market on Sierra Madre Boulevard (see Pasadena High to the right? The set up of booths is in the parking lot of the school.) This is the street where the Rose Parade floats line up at the end of the parade route.
I have become enamoured with young, small, tender jicama ever since I bought it here. It is so good, a bit sweet and easily a craving without needing to be mixed with other foods or topped with Tajin.
The autumn vegetables and fruits are in abundance. This Farmers market is central to so many farms and really is the nicest one I've encountered other than the one I went to when I was young..
I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!
That looked like a fun day!
Posted by: Soo | Sunday, 27 October 2013 at 01:01 PM
Another excellent "behind the scenes" post. Can't wait to see what those floats will look like once complete. This year, I'll wake up early enough to watch the parade, haha! i want to see that bear in the trashcan, Natalie Cole singing and the "We Can Do It"/Rosie the Riveter float!
Gorgeous pix of the market and the beautiful produce (wow, what an abundance).
Posted by: caninecologne | Sunday, 27 October 2013 at 02:44 PM
It was a really nice day, Soo.
Thanks, cc. I am still trying to figure the Trader Joe's Relish Tray...such an old fashioned (1950's) idea. The Honda folks do go all out for their floats, since they are the parade sponsors. The Markets (both of them) were waiting for the crowds; it all looked so good.
Posted by: Cathy | Monday, 28 October 2013 at 06:24 AM