Monday night dinner

Monday nights have changed without you here.  The cooking team has gotten smaller.  We went from 5 to 4 and now 2.  But last night we carried on the tradition, just the two of us.  On Saturday we went to the Farmers market and picked up loads of veggies including some brussel sprouts we found at the last booth.  We made grilled chicken, loads of grilled veggies and...our first solo attempt at "the brussel sprout salad"!  The veggies included onions, green, yellow and red peppers, mushrooms,zucchini and eggplant.  They were perfect.  Dad grilled the chicken, prepped and grilled the veggies and made the croutons.  I made the brussel sprout salad.  My thumbs still hurt from peeling the brussel sprouts!  That is a lot of work.  And although we ate every bit of the salad, it was not nearly as yummy as when you two make it.   And of course, Monday night prep would not be complete without an apron selection.  This week I chose the "Jan S" apron.

My fish lady

One great thing about living in Barcelona is the price of fish.  On our weekly trip to the market, as our confidence here grows, we try out new foods and new stands.  I have found my fish stand which is straight through the back doors and to the right.  The older woman who runs this stand always sends me away with a smile and walking a bit taller with her loving words 'guapa' and 'cariña'. Little does she know that just by saying this and her smile, I feel utter loyalty.  


Just this last week we mixed things up by buying perch instead of our usual salmon or white fish fillets.  I baked them in a pan with some salt, pepper, herbs de provence, veggies, garlic, and a little olive oil.  It was so moist and delcious. 

I think we may just head over there today and get some more fish and compliments.  :) 

sadie boo

 We have been under some major stress the past few days thinking our sweet dog had a brain tumor.  We also had a guest in town who was from our organization and working through culture adjustment with us.  She followed us around from vet to vet while we were figuring out what was wrong with our boo bear.  We had unconventional meetings in the vet offices or on the metro.  We didn't even know how much we desperately needed her here during this time.  It can get lonely halfway across the world from friends and family and with this stress happening, it was a relief to have someone to lean on.

She left yesterday morning and we found out the day before that Sadie doesn't have a brain tumor (they still are unsure of what is wrong, exactly).  We normally plan our Friday nights as 'date night' and since life has been crazy, we decided that a night in was what we needed.  On Thursday we picked up our order at the co-op and had fresh celery, carrots, onions, leeks, and potatoes (as well as cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, lemons...).  We walked to the butcher around the corner and bought a big hunk of beef, chopped up the veggies and potatoes and put it all in a big pot with some broth for a few hours.

some veggies

The end result was a delicious pot roast which I think was my first!  We stuffed ourselves and saved the bone for Sadie.

A peaceful 'family' night.

:)

Summer Salads

I love me a good steak, but during the Summer heat, a salad is JUST the thing.  I learned everything I know about salads from my mom. 

mmmm, brussels sprouts

add a little bacon and croutons...

caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzerella and basil picked from outside!

toppings for piadine

piadine!

 

 

Happy Summer eatin'!

*thanks mom!

We picked up our fruit and veggie order at the co-op on Thursday and trotted back home happily with colorful bags of tomatoes, peaches, lemons, cucumbers, spinach, and leeks!  This was the first 'Summer' order and the selection was amazing.  Jeff has been feeling a little under the weather and has had a persistent sore throat so while I was hoping to cook up some spaghetti, he begged me for soup.  

I recently came across a recipe for soup with leeks and potatoes.  I had both of these things so I came up with this: Leek Soup.  It was even better than I thought it would be and actually hearty despite it being basically just broth, potatoes, and leeks.  

I did, however, make spaghetti and meatballs last night and it was delish.  Just finished the leftovers for breakfast (thanks for the idea Kirstie!)

On a side note, have you checked out these guys and their Barcelona Photo Blogs?  (Aren't they cute!)

http://www.bcnidentity.blogspot.com.es/

http://jeffwatkin.blogspot.com.es/

'Cuarto kilo de atun, por favor'

Fresh fish from the market means you don't even have to cook it to eat it! 

Last night, I made a salad and topped it with tuna tartare.  Jeff chopped up the tuna while I put together the salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, green peppers, and goat cheese.  I also toasted bread cubes with olive oil, salt and pepper.  For the dressing, I diced white onion and jalapeno and soaked it in white wine vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juice.  I added a little bit of sriracha, chili powder, salt and pepper.  I coated the tuna with the dressing and topped the salad with it. 

This was the final result:

 

Of course I'm not a 'salad for dinner' kind of girl so I still had to walk to the corner store and get a mini Ben & Jerry's...Chunky Monkey of course!

Mexican Vanilla Love Affair

A friend recently gave me her vanilla.  It is almost impossible to find vanilla extract in Barcelona.  I guess I complain about this a lot as a friend donated hers to my kitchen.  This bottle was different from ones I would usually buy in the States.  I started cooking with it and fell in love!  It is Mexican Vanilla (how have I never heard of this before?) and makes everything taste like heaven.

One thing I have been using it for a lot lately is oatmeal.  In 10 years of marriage, I have rarely been able to get my husband to eat oatmeal.  Even my finest trickery does't work, I can't fancy it up enough with fruit and nuts and sugar.  HOWEVER, I started putting a little Mexican Vanilla in along with cinnamon and he eats it up!  I've actually named this recipe: The Only Oatmeal Jeff Will Eat.

If you find Mexican Vanilla, please send me some!  I am to my last drop.

On a savory note, I threw this delicious new salad together the other day with the remaining contents of my fridge.  I took some old bread from the freezer and made homemade croutons with olive oil, salt and pepper, crisped up some jamon serrano, cut up green peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce.  I crumbled goat cheese on top and drizzled on dressing of white wine vinegar, diced onion, and olive oil.  It was delish and filling!  I'll think twice now before refusing a salad for a meal...maybe.

*photo's courtesy of jeff watkin

-xoxo,
daughter