Properties in Costa Rica Blog

Monthly Archives: June 2020


Costa Rica’s Iconic Bird El Yigüirro

Costa Rica’s Iconic Bird El Yigüirro

June 15, 2020

Properties in Costa Rica

El Yigüirro, also known as the clay-colored thrush, was declared the national bird of Costa Rica on January 3rd, 1977 and has become an emblem for Costa Rica’s nation. It has also been known to play a significant role in Costa Rican literature and traditional music, celebrating the importance of this bird with The National Day of El Yigüirro taking place on December 16th.

Admittedly, this bird might not be the most beautiful or colorful, but its constant and melodious singing is what sets it apart from the other birds. This bird may go unnoticed due to its small size and plain brown color, however, if you were to closely pay attention, you would be hearing the bird’s friendly singing. El Yigüirro’s song consists of low-pitch cries in a steady tempo and slurred manner. Interestingly enough, this song is composed of different tonalities due to the fact that El Yigüirro uses sounds it has previously heard.

The reason this bird has been appreciated and praised so highly by Ticos is due to its tradition to indicate the rainy season, or planting season for many of Costa Rica’s laborers. According to popular tradition, one of the reasons why this bird is considered to be special is because it’s presumed that it’s the bird’s singing itself which attracts water and thus joy for the agricultural laborers. Another reason why this bird is considered to be noteworthy is because of the fact that the bird doesn’t reject any form of contact with humans; although discreet sometimes, it is always present and nearby.

El Yigüirro’s mating season usually lasts from April through June, which is why as we come into the end of this season, I invite you to go to your backyard in the morning and see if you can identify this iconic bird.




How has Costa Rica dealt with Coronavirus?

How has Costa Rica dealt with Coronavirus?

June 5, 2020

Properties in Costa Rica

One of the reasons Costa Rica has been one of the top countries when it comes to dealing with the Coronavirus is due to their extensive and strict protocols, throughout the nation.

Here are a few of the many measures Costa Rica has taken to combat the virus:

  • Since March 18th, Costa Rica officially closed their borders to any foreign travelers, only allowing Costa Rican citizens and residents entry to the country. In addition to this, Costa Ricans that arrive in this time period will have to complete a mandated 14-day quarantine, where any violation of this quarantine is found may be penalized with Jail time!

 

  • A telephone hotline (1322) dedicated to Coronavirus inquiries were set up on March 13 in an attempt to reduce congestion from 911 services.

 

  • As of March 15th, the Costa Rican health department ordered the indefinite closure of all bars, clubs, casinos, and amusement parks.

 

  • Costa Rica has also set up daytime and nighttime vehicle restrictions as counteracting measures to the spread of the virus, thus restricting vehicle transit from 10 pm to 5 am during the week, alongside other daily restrictions based on ending license plate numbers.

 

  • The Ministry of Health issued new guidelines for supermarkets and commercial stores. These guidelines emphasized specific sanitary procedures and also offered specific hours for elderly customers.

 

  • Hospitals have developed rigorous protocols to deal with patients who show symptoms with regard to the virus. Additionally, a hospital dedicated to just treating COVID-19 patients has been set up in the San Jose area.

These numerous measures have allowed the government to contain many cases of COVID-19 and minimize the spread of this virus. If you want more information about how Costa Rica is dealing with this crisis, you can visit the Ministry of Health’s Website for official live updates. Remember to stay safe, wear a mask if you go out, and wash your hands!




9 Amazing Food Ideas For Guests

9 Amazing Food Ideas For Guests

June 2, 2020

Properties in Costa Rica

There is a certain period when you have a house full of guests, right? It would be the holidays or just a long weekend. And planning meals for the guest is the biggest part. Often, you spend almost half of the day prepping. The guests come on time and still you are zooming in the kitchen.

Don’t worry, there are recipes you can prepare for your guests would take to be on the table in just 30 minutes or less.

You can make dishes to serve all of your favorite folks including grilled entrees, roasts and braises as well as vegetarian main dish recipe. Now, dissert should be your only concern to make the party mind-blowing, right?

 

  1. Taco Pull Apart Bread – A Yummy, Tasty Bread

Ingredients:

¼ cup finely chopped Cilantro

¼ cup sour cream

2 ½ cups shredded cheese

1 lb lean ground beef

1 Sourdough loaf

1 package Taco seasoning

 

Directions:

  • First of all, preheat your convection oven to 350 degrees.
  • Slice the bread into strips (near the bottom of your bread). Now move the bread 90 degrees and cut it again. You can also make the bread in your bread machine if you want a freshly baked bread.
  • According to the directions – Prepare the ground beef in a skillet and taco seasoning.
  • Now, place shredded cheddar and seasoned ground beef into the bread.
  • Use aluminum foil to wrap the filled bread and bake it for 20 minutes. And to make it crispy – bake the bread around 5 to 10 minutes more.
  • Now remove it and place on the table to top the bread with sour cream, tomatoes, cilantro, and other extra cheese if you want
  • Now serve the bread immediately to enjoy a better taste.

 

  1. Grilled Lamb Chops with Rosemary-Theme

This is one of the great meal ideas for guests. It’s a perfect dish as the herbs compliment the richness of the lamb greatly. And Dijon provides a zippy flavor to the meal. It’s the perfect main course for get-togethers as well.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary

½ tsp pepper

¼ tsp salt

1 tbsp minced fresh thyme

3 tbsp Dijon mustard

3 minced garlic cloves

8 lamb loin chops (3 ounce each)

 

Directions:

  • Use a small bowl to mix rosemary, thyme, mustard, and garlic. Sprinkle the chops of lamb with pepper and salt.
  • Place the lamb chops on an oiled rack, cover, and grill the chops on over medium heat for 6 minutes.
  • Now turn the chops and spread herb mixtures on them.
  • Again, grill the chops for 6 to 8 minutes. You can use a thermometer that should read 135° to 145° to be accurate in cooking.

 

  1. Saucy Beef and Broccoli with Rice

Ingredients:

½ cup water

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup chopped onion

½ cup red bell pepper, diced

¾ lb lean ground beef

3 cups of hot (without salt) cooked white rice

1 can low fat cream of broccoli soup

 

Directions:

  • Preheat the non-stick skillet at medium-high heat and brown the beef and onion on it.
  • Now, place the mushrooms, broccoli, and pepper on the skillet and cook them for 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Add Worcestershire sauce, water, and the mixture of soup. Heat to make a boil. Now, decrease the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
  • Here it’s ready to serve with rice.

 

  1. Red Thai Curry Shrimp Linguine

Ingredients:

1 ¼ pounds peeled and deveined medium shrimp (uncooked)

1 can light coconut milk (13.66 ounces)

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, minced

3 tsp curry powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 package linguine (16 ounces)

 

Directions:

  • According to the directions – cook the linguine. On over medium heat, toast curry powder in a large skillet for 2 minutes.
  • Now stir in the salt, pepper, and milk.
  • Place the shrimp after it starts boiling. Now cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink.
  • Drain linguine; add cilantro and shrimp mixture to it.
  • Now you can serve the dish quickly to taste.

 

  1. Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken

Ingredients:

2 tbsp honey

3 tbsp butter pieces (unsalted)

Kosher salt

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 half chickens – (1.5 lb each)

3 jalapeno peppers – thinly sliced

2 limes juices

1 fresh thyme

4 cloves smashed garlic

 

Directions:

  • Use a small bowl to whisk honey, cumin, lime juice, and mustard. Loosen the entire skin of the chicken carefully.
  • Now, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On the roasting pan, place the breast side upon.
  • Place ½ cup of lime juice mixture under the chicken skin by using a turkey baster.
  • Hold and tie the drumsticks so that they stay together. Over the chicken, pour the rest of the lime juice mixture.
  • Now roast the chicken for 2 to 2 ½ hours and a thermometer should read 170° to175° when it’s inserted in the thickest part of the thigh.
  • Before you carve, let it stand for 10 minutes. And if you want – remove the entire skin of the chicken.

 

Well, these are not the only amazing food ideas for guest but they are very good in taste and time saving as well. One of the common things, when guests are coming, you never can finish the cooking in time. It takes longer than you think, right? And here at this point, these recipes help you. And they allow you to spend more time with your guests as well as finishing the cooking before your guests arrive.



Google+ Facebook Linkedin Youtube Twitter Blog Instagram