mylifeinspain

july 4th macaroni salad

Hey, happy 4th of July to all out there celebrating! Our family, both in the US and at the satellite residence here in Spain, always includes this macaroni salad as part of its holiday menu. I think the recipe probably came from one of those great old Dutchie church cookbooks (I am sure my mother can confirm this) because it doesn't include any, should we say "exotic" ingredients. And I suppose on some level that is why I like it so much. Sure there are times when I crave artichoke hearts and arugula with my pasta; but for the good old-fashioned picnic, this simple, easy receta is our favorite.
All you need is cooked macaroni (I used about half a pound), grated onion (I grate until I start tearing up, usually about a tablespoon or two, i.e., half a decent-sized onion), a couple grated carrots, three chopped celery stalks, two diced hard-boiled eggs, enough mayo to make you happy (my mother only ever uses Hellmann's, but shhh, I think some of the Spanish mayonesas are better), a little freshly ground pepper, and a couple shakes of celery salt.
I always make the salad in the morning, allowing the flavors to meld. However, the danger here is that Big Jim and I have been sneaking spoonfuls ever since---it really is that more-ish. Fingers crossed there is still enough left for our little family cookout tonight! :-)

Yum..........

hasta mañana,
mylifeinspain

4 years ago: Happy 4th/almejas al ajillo
3 years ago: No entry.
2 years ago: Another happy 4th/kitty problems
1 year ago: No entry.

pink food

It is still stinking hot here, which means it is cold soup time. Of course when one thinks cold soup and Spain, gazpacho immediately comes to mind. I LOVE gazpacho, but sometimes a girl needs to mix things up a bit, and that's when I turn to beets and whip up some summer borscht. There are probably more opinions on how to make borscht than there are on what constitutes proper gazpacho---and thus many, many, many recipes are available on the Internets. But the basic ingredients are a few cooked beets, some sort of creamy fatty goodness (i.e., sour cream, buttermilk, Greek yogurt, or crème fraîche), a little lemon juice or vinegar, and then a whole host of garnishes: hard-boiled egg, dill, chives, cucumbers, chopped ham, more of the creamy fatty goodness. I prefer the apparent Lithuanian tradition of straining out the pureed beets, but there are many others who fancy a chunkier, thicker soup. Regardless, it is a perfect easy meal for when the thought of even getting near the stovetop makes you sweat! :-)

hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain

4 years ago: "Is the village turning into a sh*tty place?"
3 years ago: No entry.
2 years ago: No entry.
1 year ago: Dating, mountain village style

comfort food

When the town crapper decides to back up under your house AND the insurance company offers less than 25% of the value of your car as a settlement (for an accident that was not your fault AND dude who caused the accident has forged the claim, which the insurance agent doesn't seem to think is a very big deal) AND the Mac shop in Málaga says it will take 7 to 10 days just to figure out what exactly is wrong with the precious MacBook (don't ask), I crave serious comfort food. Recently, my preferred gastronomic security blanket has been the noodle, usually pan-fried with other assorted goodness.

Today I added garlic, fresh ginger, carrots, red pepper, tofu, fresh cilantro with a tiny bit of Tom Yum paste and a little olive oil. And suddenly not only is my belly happy but also the world seems sunnier and slightly less unfair. :-)

hasta mañana,
mylifeinspain

4 years ago: Gazpacho recipe
3 years ago: Happy Friday
2 years ago: No entry.
1 year ago: No entry.

home #5

For the past almost seven years, here has been my home. It has been a fascinating experience, and after all this time I can still be bowled over by the region's natural beauty. But indeed Big Jim and I are ready to move on and are in search of home #6. And if we needed yet another sign that it's time to leave, the town sewage pipes are apparently backed up and a huge pile of smelly goo has been sitting beneath our house since early this morning (Oh, did I mention that the temperature has been well over 90 for the past 10 days?). Buster Bubba keeps checking around to make sure he hasn't had an accident anywhere. LOVELY, I tell you.

::Sigh:: But at least there is mañana and a new topic from NaBloPoMo that appeals to my sensibilities---food! :-)

hasta luego,
mylifeinspain

4 years ago: My "glamorous" life (HA!)
3 years ago: No entry.
2 years ago: Foto Friday
1 year ago: No entry.

big jim's monday "to do" list (and more)

1. Go to insurance company and find out what is going on with our car. Also discuss with insurer the fact that the dude at fault has noted on the claim that his father was driving, even though he was alone in the car. Hmmm....

2. Take my Macbook to the Mac dealer in Malaga for repairs. Don't ask.

3. Return the coffee grinder that we bought yesterday because this morning when Big Jim plugged it in, no funcionó.

But despite the fact that we are clearly stalled under a very slowly moving technological black cloud, none of that matters at the moment because of this:

And thus the party has just started in the village and all over Spain. What an awesome and exciting finale to this year's Euro Cup!

hasta mañana,
mylifeinspain

home recommendation from afar

If you have no plans for the coming July 4th holiday and fancy a visit to the PA Dutch countryside, may I highly recommend a trip to my hometown. When I was in Paris a couple weeks ago, we had lunch one afternoon with a client of M. and T.'s. She was originally from Pennsylvania as well, but has lived in France for years and years. However, when I told her where I was from, her face immediately lit up as she once came to the 9-day festival and of course bought a couple quilts. And how could one not be tempted to do the same: check out some of this year's winners!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain

next, germany!

In case you haven't heard, Spain ha ganado, 3-0, in an awesome match. :-D We old folks are back home, but the party in the square has just started....

And now the final is set for Sunday night, versus Germany. Needless to say, we've already booked our table. :-)

hasta manana,
mylifeinspain

blogiversary

Four years! And wow how much has happened to me, Big Jim, and the assorted menagerie of critters that share our home in the four years since that first tentative post!

While Big Jim and I anxiously prepare for this evening's big match (I am even wearing my official Spain Campers today :-), why not kill an hour browsing the archives and sign the guest book.

And be sure to check out the soccer/football action later today. We may not have a pretty team (see here and here) and one seriously wonders who does their hair (here and here), but they sure are some scrappy dudes with big hearts. Besides, they broke the June 22 curse, which says something about their fortitude.

Off now to dope up the dogs because if Spain does pull off a win tonight, this village is going to go CRAZY!

hasta mañana,
mylifeinspain

4 years ago: Hola
3 years ago: Blogiversary quiz
2 years ago: Second blogiversary
1 year ago: No entry.

home #4

hasta mañana,
mylifeinspain

superbusy at home....

so just a quick foto from Big Jim's archives.....

hasta mañana,
mylifeinspain

3 years ago: TGIF/garden shots
2 years ago: No entry.
1 year ago: No entry.