Nochevieja (New Year's Eve)

 31 December 2020

This year I was invited to spend New Year's Eve with the family of my flatmates, just a few blocks away. I didn't take many photos as it was a family gathering. I have spent all of the holidays with them due to quarantine here in Madrid; gatherings are limited to 6 people and the holiday curfew is at 1:30AM. It was really kind of them to invite me; back in the US, I would probably spend New Year's Eve in bed, wake up for a few minutes at midnight, then go back to sleep when the noise died down.

People usually dress up for New Year's Eve here, so I dressed up too. It was the first time I've worn a dress since summer; this is actually a summer dress to which I added a black jacket and wool stockings, as I only brought two dresses with me.

At all of the holidays, at least in this particular family, there is a huge amount of eating and drinking. We had typical Spanish appetizers of charcuterie, cheese, and pate. Once those were mostly eaten, out came prawns, cooked in a savory broth and then served cold, peel-and-eat style. Following that was another course of prawns, this time "a la plancha" (grilled), almejas (clams) cooked in the shells in garlic and butter, and "tigres" (Spanish style stuffed mussels). We finish eating all that, and there is yet another course, the "pulpo" or grilled octopus, plated in bite sized morsels on top of bits of potato. By this time I'm so stuffed I can hardly eat. But there is more! A seafood soup with fideo noodles, which included mussels, clams, and fish. This woman is an amazing cook - I am not accustomed to eating seafood and am not usually very fond of it, but everything was absolutely delicious.

Here in Spain, there is a tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight, one with each stroke of the clock. By the stroke of midnight, you end up with all 12 grapes stuffed in your mouth while frantically trying to chew. (If I am still in Spain next year, I have GOT to videorecord this.)

All the main TV channels have pre-midnight shows the hour prior with celebs in elegant clothing chatting and musical acts. The TV shows helpfully show a "grape counter" at midnight, counting off the grapes with each chime.

 Last year, the grapes I was given were enormous and had seeds. This year, the grapes were smaller (what I would consider normal sized in the US), and we all cheated and took the seeds out while we were waiting for midnight to arrive. It made it much easier to keep up with the chimes, but still ended up with quite a mouth full. 🍇

After midnight, the location of the apartment was such that we could see various fireworks displays happening around Madrid, some of them were really spectacular. One of the 3 doggies present was terribly scared, which was sad. Even an hour and a half later heading home, there were still fireworks happening in the neighborhood.

It was a lovely evening and I was happy to be in bed (even though I had to sit up for a while due to my overly full stomach).

Feliz Año Nuevo!

Last Full Moon of 2020

30 December 2020

This afternoon I decided to check out the food court at the nearby Madrid Sur shopping mall before doing my grocery shopping, because going to a huge supermarket when I'm hungry never ends well for me. In the mall are the usual types of fast food: KFC, McDonald's, Don Tortilla, and this bar/restaurant, Casa Garcia, which despite the mall furniture, serves up a bocadillo (baguette sandwich) to rival any I've had here so far. 

 Here in Spain, most bars will bring you a complimentary tapa (small appetizer) when you order a beverage. This can vary widely depending on the bar/restaurant, from a handful of potato chips or tiny slice of stale bread and cheese, to a whole serving of paella. This was one of the better ones, as they brought me a whole dish of really good mixed olives, which was a pleasant surprise given I was sitting on a plastic chair in a shopping mall just a few meters across from the McDonald's. 

This sandwich was hot, fresh, and flavorful, definitely in the top five bocadillos I have had here in Spain. Nom!!!

On to the supermarket... The liquor on the lift, Crema Catalana, is supposed to resemble the flavor of a particular dessert which looks to be a kind of creme brulee based on the picture I saw. Which, for some reason, when mixed with milk, makes it taste exactly like eggnog. No more faffing about with eggs and blenders for me, thank you very much!

While walking home, I got a glimpse of the full moon rising behind the buildings. This photo makes it look like I don't live in a concrete jungle, but the buildings vastly outnumber the trees.

I am really pleased with this because I like the way the moon and the globe lamp in the foreground are in harmony. Good job, little phone! (Motorola Moto G8 for those who might be curious.)

Parque de las Siete Tetas

 28 December 2020

There is a park here in Madrid which is named Parque del Cerro del Tio Pio (Uncle Pio's Hill Park), but which the locals refer to as Parque de las Siete Tetas (Park of the Seven Titties) because it has seven little hills clustered together. As far as parks go, it's not very remarkable in terms of landscaping or anything, but it does boast one of the best views of the city. It's also just a 15 minute walk from my apartment, but I didn't realize it until today.

So here are some views of Madrid as seen from my neighborhood (Vallecas). 

 

What's a public park without a piece of mysterious modern art? (Perhaps I should take up welding, this thing probably cost the city a small fortune.)
 

It was chilly, around 46 degrees F / 8 degrees C, and so windy at the top of the hill that it was hard to hold the phone steady to take photos. 

 

 

 The TV tower in the below photos is called the Torrespaña. I can see it from my bus stop in the mornings and it's one of my favorite sights because it looks different every day depending on the various weather and light conditions. The four skyscrapers behind it are the tallest in Madrid and can be seen even from the mountains in the distance.

 

I really like the panoramic photo feature on my new phone (Motorola Moto G8, I got it in August but there is already a newer model).

I look forward to a day clear enough to see the mountains in the distance, especially now that there is snow on them.

Post-Holiday Cooking: Soup and Cake

 27 December 2020

I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my flatmates and their parents here in Madrid. Madrid is still observing quarantine rules, so gatherings were limited to 6 people. There was an incredible amount of food, it took several hours to get from appetizers to dessert both days. While I love eating, and everything was delicious, I did miss participating in the cooking. So here I am, doing my holiday cooking after the holiday is over.

Today I made a potato leek soup, which turned out delicious and the perfect easily digestible comfort food to recover from a two day Christmas eating marathon. Unfortunately, it is not very photogenic. And no, I don't have the patience to put it in a bowl with fancy garnishes and photograph it. This is not that kind of blog, this is my life as it goes along.

It was super easy: several potatoes, one leek, three cloves of garlic, water, vegetable bouillon cube, some leftover fresh parsley and rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cook until it's all soft, then blend it up. (Remove the bay leaf first!)

I am also in the process of making Jamaican Rum Cake, using a recipe from the blog RockRecipes. I don't have a bundt pan, so am using two loaf pans. The oven in this apartment runs hot and has a very vague temperature knob with four little post-its stuck on it with numbers. I haven't mastered the temperature adjustment yet and almost everything I make is overbaked, even though I lower it by at least 25 degrees Celsius. I wonder if it's possible that because the oven is smaller than I'm used to, it reflects more heat from the walls.

Anyway, here is how they came out looking. Once they are completely cooled, I will make the butter rum syrup to drizzle over and into the cake. 

 
I have just done a little searching online and the reason for the giant crack is as I suspected, the oven was too hot at the beginning of baking. Always good to learn something new.

Why did my cake crack? – BakeClub, Aug 27, 2018

The oven temperature is too high. If the top crust forms and sets before the cake has finished rising, the middle will try to push through the crust as it continues to bake, causing it to crack and possibly dome. Check your oven with an oven thermometer and reduce the temperature accordingly if it is running hot.

I don't imagine the cakes will look very different after the syrup, so here's hoping they taste good!

፨ ፨ ፨

UPDATE: Taste tested with a Jamaican friend and they pass the test! However, as a disclaimer, he does not recall ever eating this type of cake in Jamaica, but rather a dark dense fruitcake with wine-soaked fruit. So its Jamaican authenticity may be in question, but it definitely tastes rich and yummy!

፨ ፨ ፨

UPDATE 2: I've been searching online to try to find the origin of this cake, and from the available information, it looks like this recipe is "Caribbean" because the recipe was originally published in the 1970's by the Bacardi company to promote their rum.
Also, it occurred to me that different flavored liquors could be substituted, such as Kahlua, Bailey's, Amaretto, flavored Schnapps... this could be fun.

Spanish Tortilla (omelette)

 10 October, 2020

Today I made my first ever Spanish tortilla! 

For my USA friends, in Spain "tortilla" is a large, thick omelette, traditionally made with potatoes and onions, but there are many variations. It is then cut in slices and served with bread or on a baguette.

Inspired by this Spanish cooking video, I used zucchini and cherry tomatoes instead of potatoes. I had the heat a bit too high, but other than being a bit too brown, I am proud of my first effort as it came out all in one piece and was tasty! This should last me the next 3 days.

 

Yesterday I went to officially register my new address. The appointment was pretty efficient and painless, and unlike most government offices, it was in a residential area with a lovely little park on the grounds.

We started school this past week and it was quite intense, due to COVID schools have had to limit classes to 20 students which means dividing up the classes. Madrid is having difficulty finding enough certified bilingual teachers to cover all the classes that are taught in English, so this past week I was teaching English, Natural Science, and Social Science to three different grade levels. Next week (fingers crossed) they told me I would be able to go back to my usual duties as a Language Assistant, which means I won't have to spend every evening preparing lessons. We all have to take one for the team sometimes.

And for my teacher friends, check out this awesome teaching tool for kids, being modeled by one of my colleagues who teaches first grade! All the parts attach with velcro so they can take them off and put them back on. Isn't it the cutest thing?

DECEMBER UPDATE: Having now seen this anatomy apron in action in the 2nd grade classrooms, I can tell you that the children absolutely love it. It's very visual and fun for them and can be used in different ways such as just showing the digestive system or the respiratory system. 

My New Lanikai Ukulele

07 July, 2020

As my graduation present to myself, I bought a new ukulele! I'm so excited! It's a Lanikai tenor size ukulele, solid mahogany with maple inlay, walnut bridge and fingerboard, and mother of pearl dots.

The grain of the wood is so beautiful, it just glows, I don't know how to capture this in a photo but if you zoom in you may see more of the depth. The decorative details are lovely; I particularly like the chevron shape at the base of the finger board.

And for those of you who are unfamiliar with ukuleles, a concert size ukulele is significantly larger than the most common soprano sized ukulele and has a deeper, richer sound.

Here is a picture of it with my hand holding it so you can see the size, approximately 66 cm / 26 inches long. (I have no idea why my forearm looks like a deep sea animal, clearly my photography skills need a bit of work.)

I have missed playing the ukulele since I left my little red Makala Dolphin in California with a friend. The ukulele is an instrument which is hard not to be happy when you are playing because the sound is just so bright and cheerful.

Since it looks like I won't be doing much traveling this summer due to COVID-19, I can enjoy the long summer days sitting at home reading Spanish novels and playing music (although the neighbors might not call it that...).

(If anyone has been out of touch, yes, I am still in Spain.)

El Escorial and wildflowers

09 June, 2020

A very nice Spanish gentleman took me by car to visit El Escorial, a former monastery and sometimes summer palace in the foothills of the mountains north of Madrid. Unfortunately, it was still closed due to COVID-19 and we were one day early for the reopening, so we weren't able to tour the inside or the grounds.

Although we couldn't go inside the monastery, we were lucky in that the wildflowers were in full bloom and we took a short hike in the hills behind it.

This is a really interesting suspension bridge over the highway on the outskirts of Madrid.

It was so nice to have a day out of the city.

El Olivar

06 May 2020

The COVID quarantine has been de-escalated here in the Comunidad de Madrid, and we are now allowed to go out for walks at any time of day. Previously there were different times for people with children, elderly or high risk, and adults (anyone who didn't fit in the other categories).

There is an abandoned olive orchard near the house I am living in here in Rivas which is currently sporting lovely grass and wildflowers, where I love to go for my daily walks. There are a lot of people who walk there, especially dog walkers, but it rarely feels crowded because it's pretty large.  

Olive trees have a unique color and shape that I find really lovely.

There were a scattering of red poppies here and there, a brilliant contrast to all the more subtle colors.

  The occasional patch of thistles also provided color spots.

 I kept trying to capture the way these poppies looked to my naked eye and failing (although they are still pretty. Seen with the sun behind them, from this angle, they were translucent. Looking at them from the top, the petals looked as though they had been dusted with a fine opalescent glitter.