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!

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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!

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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.