One place I take friends who visit me in Madrid is a flamenco bar called El Mes贸n de la Guitarra. The bar is a dimly-lit cave carved out of the wall of Madrid鈥檚 most well-known square, Plaza Mayor. On any given night one or two men with guitars will strum their chords while older men […]
Read more »These little potatoes are probably the most traditional tapas food in Spain. They can be found almost everywhere. I usually order a plate of patatas bravas when I鈥檓 out for tapas with friends because they鈥檙e cheap, they鈥檙e vegetarian (there鈥檚 usually at least one herbivore in the group), and in a country where most food is […]
Read more »While putting on prawn puppet shows for your friends is possibly the most fun part of cooking with prawns, a close second is sitting around a table enjoying good conversation and eating a plate or two of sizzling prawns with a bowl of bread. This is an art form you鈥檒l learn well if you spend […]
Read more »I spent the weekend in Morocco. I took the bus from Madrid to Algeciras, then the ferry to Tangier. Ten hours and I was in Africa.
I’m sure it sounds belittling to say one of the highlights of the weekend was a cup of tea, but after my introduction to Morrocan Mint Tea the […]
I’m a sucker for Cheesy Christmas songs. That’s right. Give me Bing Crosby. Give me Mahalia Jackson. Tune in to my apartment in December and you’ll find my place is the sappiest around even before we sticky our fingers trying to get the Christmas tree through the front door.
A favorite of mine is Peggy Lee’s […]
The story and the recipe.
THE STORY:
Yesterday was my birthday. I made myself a German Sweet Chocolate Cake. It’s been a cake in the making for over a year now. Last Christmas when I was in my home town, Sioux Center, Iowa U.S.A., I made a special trip to Hy-Vee Grocery Store to pick up one […]
I can’t in all good conscience continue writing about life in Madrid without including a recipe for Tortilla Espa帽ola. Tortilla Espa帽ola is one of the most commonly eaten foods in Spain. It is a favorite appetizer served at cafes and bars and at home. It can be eaten warm or cold at […]
Read more »My parents left today. They’ve hopefully landed in Chicago already. My dad and I played a lot of frisbee in the park these last couple of weeks while they were staying with us. I still remember the frisbee advice my dad used to give me as a kid. “It’s all in […]
Read more »I want to introduce you to my preferred drink of the summer. It’s called tinto de verano. The name literally means “summer wine”. It’s a very basic drink, only two ingredients really–wine and ginger ale. You can use almost anything to substitute for the ginger ale as long as it has […]
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