Spanish potato salad

Also known as Ensaladilla Rusa.  (Not sure if it's called this in Catalan.)  This was one of my favorite things I ate while in Barcelona.   

Lonja de Tapas (Placeta Montcada) was "our tapas place".  It was about a 10 minute walk from our apartment, around the corner from Santa Maria del Mar, a beautiful gothic church, and a few doors down from the Museu Picasso.  The first time we ate there, I ordered the "potato tuna salad" off the English menu.  I was smitten after one fresh, flavorful, delicious bite.  We also had cod croquettes, tortilla patata (Spanish potato omelette), and pa amb tomaquet that meal (this tomato bread will receive more blog space, as it so rightly deserves, at a later time :-)

That was our first dinner.  We ate very well during this trip and the food was exceptional everywhere we went.  Before we knew it, we were planning our activity for our final days.  We decided to have a last meal together (not on our actual last day) at Lonja de Tapas.  (Our third meal there.  The second time we went specifically for the paella.)

I had thought about this potato salad a number of times in the interim.  I loved it for its simplicity and its heartiness (light on its feet, though).  It also had a je ne sais quoi that I wanted to explore just a little more.  So I ordered it again.  I didn't photograph it because it's not a dish that "looks" good, necessarily, especially in the low light of a restaurant in the evening.  But, man, it tasted great.

This afternoon, I poked around the kitchen in my dazed jet lagged state and discovered that I had what I thought I needed to try to recreate the dish at home.  I googled and learned that the "je ne sais quoi" likely came from the roasted red peppers called for in this recipe which I ended up using as a guide.

I didn't have the peppers, I chose to follow the recipe and not add salt (I noticed a distinct, and of course relative, under use of salt in the Catalan cooking I enjoyed during my trip), I used frozen corn and peas (would like to use carrots at some point though) and fiddled with the amount of potato and mayo (didn't use as much as called for in this recipe).

It's a satisfying potato salad.  It's not the same, and it probably never will be (which is completely okay), but making it at home will be a wonderful way to connect back to my time in Barcelona.  And who knows, next time, when I use the roasted red peppers and add some salt and maybe a bit of acid...as I tinker with the recipe, the chemistry of the ingredients and flavors, I may hit upon something equally sublime.

Barcelona :: chapter 1

I hesitate to write because words just seem...no, I am incapable of using words...to confidently or competently express the incredible flow...the outpouring and rushing in...of emotion, imagery, connection, flavor, color, sound...everything that Barcelona was.

I am in a haze of jet lag, too.

I will begin with some photos.  And some words.  Know that it was amazing and that I highly recommend a visit if you can swing it.  Part of me was stunned that I hadn't made it there before...it felt so vital...but a bigger part of me knew that I was there at just the right time and that I got out of the experience what I did because of who I am now.

Thanks for stopping by...I am happy to reconnect.

I flew from Newark to Madrid.  During my three hour layover there I refueled with a bocadillo of tortilla patata (Spanish omelette with potato).  I thought of Julia who once told me about these traditional Spanish sandwiches.  She also taught me how to make tortilla patata.  This was the best airport food I've ever had :-)  I was bummed that the airport did not have free wifi.  As it turned out, I would not find "free" wifi anywhere during my travels.

The light in Barcelona was bright and powerful.  In the 12 days we were there, it only rained once, in the evening.  At mid-day the light bore down on us hot and white, but as the sun began to set around 8 o'clock the breezes (always prevalent) became cooler and the evening cast its cooler shades of purple and charcoal.  Our apartment had these beautiful and very functional wooden shutters.  Wonderful design and engineering abounded in Barcelona.  These shutters were fitted with cast iron pulleys and hooks to close up tight at night.  The apartment was like a cave once it was shuttered up.  We still could hear street noise (this is a city that makes noise), but it was dark.

The whole apartment had tiled floor.  I've always thought myself a hard wood floor kind of gal, but I can get behind this tile floor thing.  Cool (literally) and organic in its own way.  Plastic suffers when dropped on this kind of tile though.  Cracked the back of my iPhone it did.

One more shot from the apartment.  These were the light switches.  So nifty!  Loved them.  They made me happy every time I turned them.

Spain had some elections a couple of days before we left.  In the days leading up to the elections we saw a number of peaceful, passionate, joyful demonstrators expressing their dissension against budget cuts to social services and programs.  These shots were taken on three different occasions.  Only the last one seemed likely to result in arrests (they were standing in the middle of the street blocking traffic).  It was inspiring to see so many folks gathering in unity and protest.

These El Bicing bikes could be seen all around town.  Clearly a system that is being used and one that facilitates Barcelonans being kinder to Mother Earth.  We walked a lot during our stay.  A few miles most days.  We used the city's extensive Metro system only occasionally.  We didn't rent bikes (Bicing is available only to Barcelona residents) but if I lived there I would!

There are many more pictures...off to hang with the kids and ride out this jet lag.  More to come soon.

Game ball

The coaches on the kids' baseball team gives out game balls at the end of the game.  Usually three.  I don't know if they do this after every game, or just the ones where the team was victorious (the Thunder are undefeated).

I've been wondering how my kids were going to receive game balls.  They are perfect as they are, but they are not shining stars when it comes to baseball.  Their greatest strength thus far has been their ability to get on base by walking.  (The other great strength being their ability to be very much in the moment about this whole experience and enjoying it.)

Gem received his first game ball last night,  He was absolutely thrilled and Sag was a tiny bit jealous.  Turns out, getting on base is an important skill.  Because then you can be the game-winning run coming across the plate in an exciting walk-off single with the bases loaded and two outs (right after your brother was hit by a pitch!)

I don't think I will ever forget the look of pure wonder, joy and pride on his face.  I'm glad I didn't have my camera...my eyes took in everything I needed in that moment.

Just in case

I am leaving tomorrow for Barcelona.  Barbra is taking me on a dream vacation.  The city of Gaudi.

It feels strange to be leaving the family for 10+ days.  I haven't been to Europe, or to a country where I don't speak the language, in over 10 years.  I said to Cap yesterday, "I feel like I am forgetting something big."  A touch of anxiety settling in.

As long as I have my passport, some Euros (the US dollar is so weak!), and my debit card I should be all set, he said.

My camera, my iPhone (which is functionally an iPod Touch), an outlet converter, my Keens, a new Spring coat...my imagination and my appetite...these too, I'll have on hand.

I have no idea how much I'll be posting to the blog.  I have a feeling it won't be too often and may be not at all.  I won't have access to a laptop.  If you're a Facebook friend, you may see me there.  Facebooking is more conducive to the smartphone interface.

A long ago acquaintance, an upperclasswoman from high school, will meet me as I step off the airport bus into the main city plaza, on Friday afternoon.  We reconnected on Facebook and she has been living in Barcelona for over 10 years.  Isn't that something?  (My flight is a red-eye and will be followed by a three hour layover in Madrid.  My return flight will be non-stop :-)

Love and light to you...and in case I don't post till after my return...enjoy the silence ;-)

The science of it

A local homeschooling mom shared this and I loved it. It made me smile and I learned something, too!

Had a lovely day yesterday thanks to the three boys, mostly Cap. He made me a Finnish spinach roll and a yellow layer cake with lingonberry jam and orange-lemon frosting (GFCF). And, he washed every last plate, glass and pot, all freakin' day.

Cello-tastic

Thanks to my sister who sent this my way.  Some day, some day, my cello will come...

Alas

How'd that happen?  Days passing with no blogging is a rarity (and I'll be taking a two week hiatus starting end of next week...internet connection in Barcelona is going to be much less than what I am used to).  My apologies.  This took me by surprise.

The addition of baseball into the family activity rotation has shifted my time-space continuum.

And we are working, slowly, on preparing the kids' room for the hoped for debunking of their bunk beds.  (Things need to be moved out, preferably permanently, to make more space.)

And a friend from high school invited me to join an Old School Music group on Facebook which has been totally fun...wonderful, really.  I've been listening to old tunes and adding some of my own.

In between there are the usual playdates and appointments (Vinny made a lump in my armpit disappear yesterday with some very painful massage that traveled from my pit down to my ribs...anyone here remember my Springtime woes in the rib/lung area of years past?)

An eye exam yesterday which resulted in a prescription change.  I am hoping my new glasses will be ready before my departure.

Staggering fatigue at the end of the day recently which has sent me to bed early.

Here are two oldies...one from the Old School Music group, the other a shot of me and my incredible mom who has taken such good care of me for so many years.

Listening

The Explosions in the Sky song which was excerpted for the Friday Night Lights theme song.



Our brief foray into looking for a new apartment is now over.  We looked at a place around the corner from our current place and it had definite things going for it, but was not perfect.  I was most disappointed to find a just okay kitchen rather than the great-looking "eat-in" kitchen shown in the ad.

Afterward, we drove around town looking at other rentals from the outside as we whiled our way towards Rita's for celebratory cold ones (a local ices and frozen custard place) to mark the start of the kids' baseball season.

Before I went to bed, I asked Cap to conversate with me (one of Sag's words that I love).  I like change and changing things up.  The excitement gets my brain chemistry going.  That feeling of lighting up is yummy.  But, I hate waiting.  And being in limbo.  And, frankly, change and waiting come hand-in-hand (way too much for my liking :-)

So, we talked to help assuage my mild sense of anxiety.  And decided that we are not going to pursue moving this Summer.  Between my going away for two weeks in May, his going away for two weeks in June, and his working to finish his book somewhere in between...it would be stressful to add looking for a place and then actually moving, into the picture.

Life is funny this way: once I saw how something that seemed so perfect "on paper" (in this case on a website) was, of course, not perfect, I began to see our place from a shifted perspective.  The things I've always liked about our apartment began to shine brighter than they have in awhile.  The things I don't like I began to see as problems that have workable solutions.

My points of focus are becoming clearer as we head into the heart of Spring:

• Barcelona.

• I have been reenergized by this book, particularly the intro, to make our kitchen and home entirely gluten- and casein-free.  Gem cares now (and he honestly never did before) about gluten- and dairy-full foods that he sees us eating.  These foods have started to smell good to him and he is experiencing inner conflict that is new.  I want him to feel that we are with him, because we are (Sag is completely on board).  It is the loving thing that we want to do.

• In addition to the GFCF thing, CSA starts in June and I will be more active around food making, decreasing meat consumption, and exploring juicing.

• Keeping our place clean is a thorn in my side.  A deep clean and declutter is in our future.  Refreshing our space...renewing it, will be almost like moving...but better :-)

• Continuing with our homeschooling as we work with boys whose needs are changing.  Their intellectual curiosity continues to grow...how they use their minds, how they learn, is streamlining as they mature.  I am excited by, and up for, this challenge.  There is no "summer off" for us lifelong learners :-)

What is blossoming within you these days?  What new growth are you nurturing with your Sun, Rain and Air?

I am off to the Holy Name MS Fashion Show fundraiser today, a seasonal, family affair.  My SIL's (Lisa) aunt is the chairwoman and I've been going for years.  Aesthetically, it is a far cry from the song I started this post off with, but it's all me :-)

Play ball

The kids played their first ever organized baseball game today.  They had fun and their team (winless last year) won!  I have been thrilled to witness the blossoming of their interest in baseball and feel great joy that they are achieving their dreams of playing on a team.

They both walked twice and struck out once.  Gem got to cross home plate.  Sag stole second base once but was left stranded there, unfortunately.  They played a variety of positions during the game and saw no direct action while fielding.

It was a wonderful start to the season!

Spring craft fair

The kids and I spent a lovely couple of hours at the semi-annual homeschool craft fair, this afternoon.  The boys played and I hung out and admired the creative crafts.  It is such a gift to watch these kids grow up...as well as, meeting the new babies who just keep coming :-)

a breezy Spring day.

 free with purchase...my favorite item of the day.

I bought a purple sleeping one.

 Bridget (the teru teru bozu and save the word cards crafter) and Shannon.

 Kelly's latest baby, Albert.

 Tiina making an Earth Day kite at Bridget and Leo's table.

 Ada and her beautiful paintwork (she did Bridget's tiger face...see above).

Melody's baby, Asher.  I got to hold him today, how lucky am I?

Lucy made this bird.  she's my go to artisan...we share a sense of aesthetics :-)

Starting

What he wanted to do this morning...Gem and I have been helping.  

Repair on the first floor hall ceiling has begun.  

After a quick lunch we are off to the Spring Homeschool Craft Fair.

Endless

I wish I could bottle this crisp sunny breezy morning.  Riles me up with joy.

My heart goes out to the souls departed and the ones who are surviving the tornadoes and storms in the South.

Soothed by this piece:



The rhythm of qigong grounds me as the creaks quiet and the energy flows.

I dreamt last night that a vampire came close and I discovered I was one of them deep down inside...

A rabbit's story

I read this book a couple of years ago and found it quite arresting.  I started reading it aloud to the kids this week and they are mesmerized.

My first

I'm already calling today a wash...between menstruality, a tornado warning and the ceiling incident and subsequential thoughts of moving and all that would entail...oh and being nasty to the kids who do not deserve that...

Taking a breath and enjoying my first butt text.  Smile.