Chef Angel Leon's seafood magic

Last week we had an amazing opportunity to attend a cooking presentation by one of Spain's top chefs: Angel Leon. The base is hosting a series of "Foodie Tours" to sample Spanish specialties, and it kicked off with an evening of food and sherry, prepared by Angel Leon and his staff from Aponiente. Of course my husband and I, amateur foodies, jumped at the chance to attend. His staff prepared and plated food in their "kitchen stadium" while he showed us a PowerPoint demonstrating the philosophy behind his cooking. He presented in Spanish, with an American translator.

 I had heard that Angel Leon was a seafood specialist, but I had no idea that there was so much science and philosophy behind his cuisine. He was born and raised in this area, Cadiz, and believes in showcasing the seafood that is caught locally. In fact, he opened his flagship restaurant not in Madrid or New York, as he could have, but instead right in El Puerto de Santa Maria, the town just outside base, because that is where his cuisine experience is rooted. (And because Spaniards are ridiculously faithful to their home province!)

His entire menu is seafood, because he has found ways to replace any part of a pig, sheep, or cow with different varieties of sea life.   But not just famous, well-known fish. Instead, he prefers to find creative ways to use fish that are often rejected because they are not widely recognized at market. Or he uses unique ingredients--like olive pits--to impart a smoky, unusual flavor to the fish. His anchovies smoked over olive pit flames were delicious!

So, for example, he makes fish sausage, and a fish pate that tastes just like chorizo with the smoked pimenton flavor. They were different from anything I have ever tasted, and had a strong fishy flavor, but once you accepted that, the food was delicious!

His philosophy is to use the entire ocean food chain, beginning with plankton. So he served us plankton risotto, which is the one dish that is never taken off his menu. It was smooth, tasty, perfectly rich... and green. He said that most people complain that plankton tastes like fish, when, in reality, it is fish that tastes like plankton. Plankton is apparently a great source of oils, vitamins, and nutrients, but his restaurant is the only one in the world that serves it! He learned to grow his own plankton in a laboratory because it is impossible to harvest enough to cook with.

The final picture, above, is a raw crab leg marinated in beet juice. I enjoy sushi, so have no aversion to raw fish, but this was much more tender, juicy, and flavorful than any sushi I have had. Even the green leaf decoration was carefully selected to match the beet flavor-- it is a local vegetable with a high acidity, almost citrus-like. When eaten after the crab, it was a fresh burst of flavor that cleansed the palate. Very enjoyable!

We had a wonderful time and enjoyed trying food that is certainly outside our typical fare. It was very interesting to learn about Angel Leon's philosophy and some of his seafood magic tricks. And it was certainly enjoyable that different sherries were served with each course. But more about sherry in my next post... :-)

Chipiona beach picnic and sea glass hunt

Easter is here, and with it the promise of hope, and spring! Winter has been challenging in Spain, because it is never THAT cold, but it is still chilly and windy and rainy enough to keep the kids inside many days at a time... or risk dealing with a month of coughing and runny noses. I tried to take them to the park whenever it was sunny, but there were enough rainy Saturdays to destroy some of our daytrip plans, and give me cabin fever. So when March brought some warmer weather, I took advantage and started making plans on weekdays after school with some other preschool moms. If we couldn't get a good day to go exploring with my husband, then by golly I would have some adventures on my own!
A few weeks ago, I finally made a visit to Chipiona, the town a few minutes North of Rota on the Atlantic coast. One of my friends is living in Chipiona, and we were able to walk to the beach from her house. So we packed some snacks for the kids, zipped up the jackets, and had a picnic on the beach!

The beach wind was a little chilly, and the water was even colder. For the first time, I managed to take all my children to the beach during the off-season without anyone getting their feet/clothes/hair wet. The older two were deterred by the reminder that they would have to walk back in wet clothes if they went into the water... but the baby just wanted to walk headlong into those waves! So I had to carry him, while the others enjoyed walking on the beach, looking for sea glass.

Sea glass is a new phenomena to me. At first I thought it was sand that had been struck by lightning and turned into glass, like in the movie "Sweet Home Alabama." It is still beautiful, but the origins are much less romantic. It is just pieces of old glass bottles that have been tossed in the waves until they are frosted and smooth. So pieces are typically brown, green, or clear. I wonder if we have less of it in America because glass bottles aren't allowed on most public beaches? They seem to be allowed here, and on some beaches you can find many pieces of sea glass. The kids had a great time looking for it, and I'm sure we will expand our collection this summer!

Chipiona is a unique town, with a similar style, but different flavor, from Rota. There are fewer Americans, since it is a little farther from base, so it feels more authentically Spanish, even though it is still a seaside resort town. We were not in the downtown area on the main paseo (boardwalk), but there is still a very nice boardwalk and beach on the north side of town. From here, you can see the Chipiona skyline, particularly the famous lighthouse. It is the tallest lighthouse in Spain and, I believe, the 3rd tallest in Europe! The beach was quiet and empty on a Monday afternoon in March, but it will be crowded with tourists from many countries when summer is here. So I want to learn my way around as much as I can before the busy summer season arrives.

We had a lovely afternoon, and even got to purchase some fresh hot bread from the panaderia (bakery) on the walk home, which the kids promptly devoured for their dinner. :-) We will certainly go back to Chipiona and enjoy some more beach picnics soon!

How to make Easter Resurrection rolls

Hello strangers. I know my blog has not been very interesting lately. During Lent I tried to focus on fewer electronic things, and more quality time with my family. So I have over a month of pictures that will be turned into blog posts soon. But I wanted to share this as soon as possible because it is a great Easter activity, and Easter is this Sunday!

Resurrection Rolls are an easy activity that is perfect for sharing the Easter story with young children. My children (ages 4, 3, and 1) go to church with us every week, so they are starting to learn some of the basics of our faith. However, they still ask all kinds of interesting questions about Easter, and no matter how often I remind them that it is for celebrating Jesus, they continually respond that they can't wait to get chicks (marshmallow Peeps). So I knew this activity would be something we would all enjoy.

To make Resurrection rolls, you only need:

tube of Pillsbury crescent rolls

large marshmallows (1 per roll)

melted butter (I used 1 Tbls. for 16 rolls)

cinnamon (I used 1-2 teaspoons)

book with the Easter Story

 Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees, and reading the 1st part of the Easter story to your children. It can be from a children's Bible, or a condensed version from the Holy Bible. I found that my children pay much more attention when I read from a book rather than when I just talk and tell them a story. We read about Jesus's trial, crucifixion, and burial.

For each roll, take 1 marshmallow (which represents Jesus in His purity and innocence from sin) and roll it in melted butter, then cinnamon. These represent the embalming oil and spices used for the burial.

 Then wrap the spiced marshmallow in a triangle of crescent roll dough, making sure to seal all the edges. This represents the tomb, with the stone sealing the entrance. Once they were all wrapped, the kids said goodbye, just as Jesus's friends said farewell to Him, and we put them in the oven: 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

While they baked, we read the second part of the Easter story: the account of Sunday morning. I told the children this was the part with the surprise. Jesus was not in the tomb because He had risen from the dead! When the rolls came out of the oven, they were golden, and still had the same shape of the tomb. But the marshmallows had melted into sugar, so when the rolls are cracked open, they reveal... an empty tomb! Jesus has risen!

These are delicious as an afternoon snack, but they would also be good for breakfast, since they taste like cinnamon rolls. You could still see some white marshmallow bits oozing out of the corners of some of our rolls, but the kids told me those were the angels in the tomb, haha. They enjoyed making and eating them, and I hope you will enjoy them too!

Getting to know me

I have been thinking a lot about friendship because, well, I would like to make some new friends. It took me a year to make friends in Jacksonville, NC and they all turned out to be amazing people who helped me through 2 deployments and the births of my 2nd and 3rd children. I miss them all, and try to stay in touch... But realistically, I will be living in Spain for the next 3 years, and need to make friends here.
As extroverted as I am, I have a hard time opening up to people and getting to know them. It's not that I have many deep dark secrets. It's just that I don't know what people will think of me, and I believe most people are much more interesting than I am... So I just wait to be invited to things, and wait for someone to discover that I can actually be a pretty good friend. Once someone reaches out and acknowledges me, we're friends. I just don't know how to make that first move.
So, to speed that process along, here are some essential facts that all my friends will learn about me sooner or later. These are the same discussion-starting questions that I have been answering ad nauseum since we got here. This is who I am, take it or leave it. If we have something in common, let me know! If you want to hang out and ask me about something, please invite me!
- I have been married for 5 years, and have 3 children
- are we done having children? I don't know about permanently, but I know that 3 is plenty for now, and I am enjoying having a 'break' from pregnancy for a few years
- we are a Marine Corps family, and since marriage we have lived in Quantico, Camp Lejeune, and now Rota. Most days, I like our military life.
- I have been a stay at home mom since we moved to North Carolina, when my oldest was 8 months old. Then we just kept having children. So I earned my Masters, and now I am 'done' with education and trying to enjoy the kids' early years. Eventually I plan to go back to work, but my family will always come first.
- what kind of mom am I? Well, pro breast feeding, but no co sleeping. Steady routines, but upbeat energy and fun. Organized, but not always a clean house. I expect obedience, but I'm not the disciplinarian. I see myself mostly as their teacher: I have been educating myself my whole life, and now have to teach them everything from manners, to faith, to science, to morals. I read to them every day, take them to church, try to answer their questions, and try to keep calm. It's not easy, and there is currently more yelling than I would like, but we also have a lot of fun.
- I grew up on an apple farm on the Pennsylvania/ Maryland border. No, not Amish, just apples.
- I am the 2nd oldest of 5 children, so I have 2 sisters and 2 brothers
- I am Catholic, born and raised. I went to Catholic school all my life (including college!), and still take my whole family to church each Sunday. My husband converted to Catholicism after dating me for 3 years. It's a central part of who I am, how I think, and how I see the world... But I like to think I am open minded and not judgmental of people practicing other faiths, or Catholics who choose not to practice their faith.
- I am an overachiever, a list-maker, a 5-year planner, and someone who is constantly trying to improve myself.
- my undergrad majors were in English and Theology, with minors in Philosophy and French. I love to read, but don't get to do that much these days, unless you count audiobooks.
- I have a Masters in Business Administration, but haven't used it professionally yet.
- my former jobs include life guard, waitress, secretary, and Youth Minister.
- I spent a semester living in Paris, and learned to speak French almost fluently. I travelled to Spain once in high school, and my family had some exchange students. (None of this makes learning Spanish any easier!)
- I like to cook, sometimes with my husband. We enjoy hosting dinner parties, making appetizers, trying new recipes. I also like to bake, especially with 'help' from my children. I just prefer sharing the goodies with someone else, since we are kind of health conscious.
- I also like to work out, although it has only been a hobby for the last 2 years. I run, with or without my kids in the stroller. I go for bike rides pulling all 3 kids. I go to the family room at the gym. And sometimes I do videos at home. I love the new strength and energy I have discovered, and the fact that it has become so peaceful I can pray, or think, or listen to a book, while running. It's my 'alone time,' but I wouldn't mind some occasional company.
- I am currently weaning myself from a Diet Coke addiction. I drank more with each kid, until it got to 3 cans a day. I gave it up for Lent, and it's going pretty well... But not sure if I will start again after Easter!
- I also gave up chocolate for Lent. I love chocolate. I have not been a very pleasant person lately.
- pets: I always had dogs growing up, but we haven't gotten one because we keep having babies instead. We won't get a pet while in Spain because it is too expensive to transport them back to the States, and we would not abandon it here.
- I don't consider myself very crafty. I don't use Pinterest, do much home decorating, or do clever things with my kids. That's just not me, and I find it frustrating when I make attempts. But I can rally myself to host craft events and play dates, as long as other moms are helping me out!
- I enjoy photography. I took a class in high school, and another in college, but don't have a fancy camera anymore. I would love to get one and take better pictures of my children and our travels. I keep pretty good photo albums for the children, because they look through them often and talk about the people and places pictured, so it's my way of preserving these young memories for them.
- I'm funny! Once I get comfortable, my sarcastic zingers start coming out. I like making people laugh, and don't mind making fun of myself.
- I actually like my in-laws. They welcomed me from the beginning, and I love being part of their family.
- I like action movies more than romantic comedies. My favorite actor is Jason Statham. :-)
- I have come to like almost all kinds of wine. I used to stick with sweet whites, but Spain has opened my eyes to sangria, dry reds, and even sherry, which I am still trying to acquire a taste for. I don't drink beer, just don't like the taste.
- my husband was my first and only boyfriend. Neither of us has ever slept with anyone else. We dated for 7 years, and didn't have sex until marriage. We have never used birth control. Since Alex, we have successfully used Natural fertility charting methods to prevent pregnancy. I realize this all puts us in a 'special' category, but it has worked out very well, and I am proud of our choices.
- while in Spain, we plan to do some day trips, and maybe 1 big trip per year. But it is exhausting with our children, so we are not trying to set any records or compete with other families on base. We just want to have fun and make some good memories together.

I hope that gives you all a pretty good taste of who I am! I want to meet other ladies, moms or not, who can tolerate my kids for play dates, take me shopping, show me around town, enjoy coffee together, etc. I can't wait to get to know you a little better, too!

Lent is like weeding

Some say the soul is like a many faceted gem. I prefer to think of it as something much more alive- like a garden.

I recently had to do a ridiculous amount of weeding in our yard. Quite a few weeds had sprung up during the winter rainy season. We noticed them, but thought they were merely clover and dandelions, so we left them alone. Then, when we were ready to mow the grass, we realized how extensive and damaging the weed bushes had become. I spent a week pulling and digging them up. Each plant spread from a central root, but put down more roots as it grew, so each one required a lot of pulling and digging to remove it. What I thought would be a small task quickly piled up - literally- into a mountain.

While I was weeding, I had plenty of time to think, and I started to realize how much the process of weeding is similar to the process of fasting and making sacrifices during Lent. (Lent is the 40 days of preparation for Easter.) We all have weeds that creep into our lives. Often, we don't even recognize them at first. I left the ones in my yard because they had pretty yellow flowers! But when we ignore bad habits, bad choices, or bad influences, they grow and spread until they overtake huge portions of our lives, and start choking out the time we have for other things. When we finally do own up to some of our vices, we are often shocked at how deeply rooted they are, and how difficult to remove. That's what Lent is for. I actually look forward to a new chance every year to look at my life, my relationship with God and my family, and see what needs to change. Everyone makes their own journey through Lent, but I actually enjoy self-improvement, and inviting God to be part of my life and help shape me.

So what am I weeding out this Lent? Well, that's personal, but I can say that I am fasting from chocolate and soda, which are my 2 biggest addictions. I am also taking steps to make prayer a much more constant and conscious part of my life. By Easter, I look forward to celebrating a soul that has a lot less weeds and is a much more beautiful garden.

Saving money with friends Part 2

A toy exchange is a brilliant money-saving idea, not only at Christmas time, but throughout the year. Parents are always looking for new toys as their children outgrow old ones and develop new interests. And we all know that used toys are much cheaper than new ones. But combing thrift stores and yard sale websites can be time-consuming and frustrating. So here's a better idea--exchange toys with your friends! You probably have children around the same age or with similar interests. Your odds increase if you invite a whole play group or classroom to participate. Here are the rules:
1. Everyone brings toys that are clean, working, and have all pieces included
2. For each toy you donate, you may select one new one from the pile.
3. Leftovers will be given to a predetermined group or charity

We hosted one with the Little Tykes play group in December, and it was a huge blessing to us. I feared people might be stingy or greedy, but instead everyone welcomed the chance to clean out their closets, and I was really impressed by the quality and quantity of the toys. Most participants came with a large box, and only wanted to walk away with a few items to give their children for Christmas. I donated a box of mostly baby toys, and was able to choose from plenty of cars and trucks for my 3 year old. Of course, we all had extra stuffed animals and leftover baby toys, so those items were donated to a local charity. We ended up with a few new toys for each of our kids, so we didn't buy them anything for Christmas this year!

A toy exchange can also work for birthdays, if you and some friends have children with similar birthdays. Or you can always make a direct exchange with a friend. I recently heard a friend complaining about how many tea sets her daughter had. I was actually thinking about getting one for my own daughter, so I traded her a toy her children had been admiring at my house. No one has to pay any money, and all the kids are happy to have something 'new' to play with. You can also do a book exchange, if you have extra copies that are in good shape, and then everyone gets something fresh to read at bedtime. Try it out, and let me know if a toy exchange works for you!

Saving money by sharing with friends (Part 1)

We would all like to save a little time and money when we can, and I have learned that one of the best ways to do that is by sharing resources with friends. This post will tell you how to participate in (or host!) a batch cooking exchange. If you have ever done a cookie exchange, this is the same concept, except with dinner food. Each person prepares 1 recipe, but they make enough for every other person participating in the exchange. Then you meet together and exchange your meals. So you show up with x number of one meal, and walk away with x number of other meals to store in your freezer and use when it is most convenient.
To make it successful, it is important to choose a meal that freezes well, and will be easy for the recipient to thaw and cook in the oven, crockpot, or stove. You also want to choose something without too many different ingredients or much chopping and dicing, since you will be doing it in such large quantity. There are plenty of ideas online on recipe websites or Pinterest. I recently joined an exchange with 4 other people, and I decided to make a Turkey Meatball Stew. So I put one complete meal of stew into each gallon ziplock bag. I made 5 bags total--one for myself, and 4 for the other participants. You can also choose to make an extra bag to donate to an expecting mother or a sick family. As you can see, it used a lot of cans of tomatoes and chicken stock! There were also green beans, meatballs, and carrots. I combined all the ingredients except the pasta in one large bag. Then I measured out each person's pasta in a small bag, and sealed them all together in a large bag with the recipe and instructions. So all the recipient had to do was thaw the entire package, heat it on the stove, and add pasta during the last 10 minutes of cooking. I received in exchange some cilantro chicken tacos, peanut chicken satay with rice, minestrone, and a chicken/bean casserole. They all look delicious! It was hardly any extra effort for me to make more than one meal, and now I have a week's worth of meals that are all different and would take hours to prepare individually. Because we all made similarly-priced meals, everyone bought their own ingredients. but if one person contributed steak or seafood, you could distribute the money evenly. I would do this several times a year, and recommend it to anyone!