Tagged with " Spain"

10 reasons I like Spain

Apr 30, 2012 by     1 Comment     Posted under: Blogroll, Spain


Isn’t it great to like where you live? Or.. at least see the best in your surroundings and to look on the positive side? One other thing… I think a lot of people these days might use the word ‘love’ instead of like. I’m learning to be careful of my use the that word. I want a ‘fuller’ meaning to be the definition of ‘love’…eg; I love God, but I like hamburgers.  Love people …like things…

10 Reasons I like Spain:

  1. the Spanish culture
  2. our wonderful church
  3. the Spanish food~ cocido, paella, tortilla de patata … etc
  4. the style of homes they build
  5. the history & ruins
  6. the weather/sun
  7. the Mediterranean diet
  8. the beautiful Castellano language
  9. the use of round-abouts (rotondas) instead of all the stop lights in the USA
  10. a ‘good’ Rioja wine

Day #21 of my grocery challenge & the benefits of saffron

Dec 2, 2011 by     1 Comment     Posted under: blessings, Blogroll, food, Grocery Challenge, saving money, Spain

December 2nd, 2011~Friday

Only 9 days left! I can do it!! I was reading about saffron the other day and here is what I found:

Spain one of the largest growers of saffron, well known for it’s high cost and one of the key ingredients of the Spanish Paella. Here are some of the interesting things I’ve found out about this special spice:

  • Anti-Depressant ~Saffron tea has been used to treat depression. Ingesting large amounts of the tea and spice has been reported to cause feelings of happiness and joy. Some days I may need to take 2 cups! HAHAHAHA!
  • Saffron has traditionally been used to improve blood circulation and cure bruises in Chinese medicine. The active ingredient Crocetin may also lower blood cholesterol and triglycerides in the body and help in the treatment of atherosclerosis and arthritis.
  • Antioxidant Action Safranal, a constituent of saffron, is a good antioxidant and free radical scavenger.
  • Eye care~Studies show that saffron improves vision and is an effectual weapon to prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the commonest cause of blindness in the elderly.
  • Saffron is the most expensive among spices. It is highly prized for its rich color and aroma it imparts to oriental cooking. In India, there is another popular use of saffron. It is believed that if pregnant women had saffron-mixed milk at bed time, the new born baby would have a fair complexion. So saffron is usually gifted to pregnant women by friends and relatives. Saffron is also used in many cosmetic preparations for enhancing and lightening the skin.
  • Anti-Cancer Benefits~Research has indicated that Crocin, Safranal and Picrocrocin from saffron may be involved in anti-cancer activity by inhibiting the growth of human cancer cells in vitro.

I always have saffron on hand in the house to make paella or just add it to rice as a side dish, but I think I’ll start brewing the stuff for John and me!  It’s a lot less expensive here in Spain.

Nine more days on this grocery challenge to only spend 10€ for 30 days.  The benefits:

  1. one months grocery money SAVED
  2. I’m using what I have in the freezer & pantry
  3. I have more space in my fridge having used several jars of condiments
  4. I am more organized with food prep
  5. I have challenged myself which encourages and stimulates me

What I’ve spent: 7,26€

What I have left: 2,74€

We’re in the ‘village house’ working this week.

I’ve used up:

butter ~though I still have some in Madrid.

Also in Madrid, I’ve realized that I have no more nuts except for a handful of almonds. I’ll have to wait until after this challenge to buy some walnuts because they’ll cost more than the couple of euros I have left.

..

A Visit from Mom & Sue

Apr 19, 2010 by     No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Family, Spain

Here are some photos of the visit from our family. They will actually leave tomorrow morning. The Lord has blessed us with this visit.

Jalapeño Peppers

Feb 2, 2010 by     No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Gardening, Grocery Challenge, recipes, Spain

New Seeds to plant

It´s time to start my Jalapeño peppers indoor! Our friends Tom and Jeanne, sent me this fantastic seed catalog and offered to send me seeds. I chose 2: peppers and kale (see photo). These peppers are extra large and good for canning, which is my intention. Since  hot peppers and not available in Spain, I would like to can them and also can enough Mexican salsa to last 1 year.

Our Thanksgiving

Nov 26, 2009 by     4 Comments    Posted under: blessings, Grocery Challenge, saving money, Spain

We scrimped and saved for this meal to share with our friends and it was worth it! Here are some photos below. It was an American Thanksgiving with a few splashes of Spain added.

15 of our best-est Spanish & Brazilian buddies came to the house.

Using This Site

Apr 7, 2008 by     No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll

pdrm2204.JPGThank you again for logging on to our website. I thought I would tell you a bit about it so you can familiarize yourself with some of the cool functions that Neil added for me. Here are some of the things you can do:

  • Check the weather in Madrid
  • Look at the value of the dollar in relationship to the euro.
  • Click on the link to “Neil and Anita” to see their blog
  • Check out the other links listed
  • Click on the DiggJesus icon to go to a most interesting website where Christians share interesting stories, help and resources with each other.
  • Notice that the photo banner at the top changes as you navigate the sight. These are all photos of Spain.

We are just getting started but we hope to make improvements in the months to come. With us, it is definitely, “poquito a poco” (little by little)

 

Kids Celebrate 1st Anniversary in Spain!

Apr 7, 2008 by     No Comments    Posted under: Family

pdrm2247.JPGYep, Rebekah and Dave celebrated their 1st anniversary as a married couple in Spain. It’s always a blessing to have our kids come to our house and it seems “right” to have them here.

They had a good time seeing the sights of Spain and were able to take in a flamenco show, try some Spanish tapas, go to the Prado Museum, the Royal Place and even  visited a day with Anita (Rebekah’s sister), Neil + the kiddies: Elijah and Ana. We were there too of course and we loved every minute with the kids and “grands”. We hadn’t seen Neil and Anita + fam since Christmas and they live just 9 hours away by car! John and I are hoping for at least quarterly visits with them.

Rebekah and Dave were kind enough to bring us goodies from the States and to take back mail for us. The difference for us is:

U.S Mail- .41 cents

Spanish Mail- $1.27

and that is for each letter! We are always thankful when folks can help us in this way.