Mistress of Spices

Once you get a spice in your home, you have it forever.

Women never throw out spices.

The Egyptians were buried with their spices.

I know which one I'm taking with me when I go.

(Erma Bombeck)

-Star anise.

. Cinnamon . Star anise. Clove.

 

Escalivada anyone?

Hi guys!

I have been down with sore throat, cough .... etc. It seems like it comes in a package.  I have no appetite to eat, but last night I cooked Escalivada, which I enjoyed very much  

Escalivada is a typical preparation of Catalan (Spanish) cuisine that consists of several types of grilled vegetables, such as eggplants (genus Solanum), sweet red peppers (genus Capsicum), red tomatoes (Solanum esculentum), and sweet onions. Once well cooked on the grill, those vegetables are peeled and sliced in strips, the seeds removed, and seasoned with olive oil and salt, and sometimes with garlic as well. Escalivar means to cook in hot ashes. Typically the vegetables in an escalivada are grilled, and the dish is served with grilled meats. Mountain shepherds were adept at packing their rucksacks with some cheese and wine and building a hardwood fire near a revetment of their sheep's pasture where they could grill a medley of vegetables. (Source Wikipedia)

Last night I used aubergine, pumpkin, bellpepper (capcicum), tomatoes, garlic , and of course olive oil to brush the vegetables and finaly sprinkle some cumin.

This is how it looks like after the vegetable are cooked and before I peeled the skin of the vegetables:

 And, this is after the skin been taken out and it's ready! Yum yum ... You can add more olive oil, black pepper and salt.

Sometimes I replaced pumpkin with potatoes. You can just use any vegetables that you like. I tried using fennel bulb once (as suggested by the original recipe) but I don't quite like it, I don't know what such a big deal about fennel bulb. Maybe I haven't acquired the taste :)

Helloo!

Hi guys,

Sorry for not being here much. Busy with works and sometimes spend my times on Facebook :)

Herb been to Malaysia recently for holiday and had flew back to England.

Have a productive week ahead and take care!

Love - Larra & Herb

 

Take care!

Wishing you

Happy Friday.

Take care

of you

and your loved ones.

Have a lovely weekend!

Another beautiful Saturday

I went out jogging this morning.

Came accross dragonflies and damselflies that were having fun

Just for info:

Male damselflies use claspers at the end of the abdomen to grab females at the front of the thorax. When ready, the female curves herbody forward, holding on to the abdomen of the male with her legs while copulation takes place.

And the butterfly too ....

Have a fun Saturday people!

Love - Larra

July moon ....

The morning moon .... represents my heart

Sunset on my window ....

Sunset on my window makes me happy :)

[Picture of sunset taken from a balcony of my old apartment]

Ah, that reminds me of John Denver's song "Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy" :))

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
...
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry

Sunshine on the water looks so lovely

Sunshine almost always makes me high

If I had a day that I could give you

I’d give to you a day just like today

If I had a song that I could sing for you

I’d sing a song to make you feel this way

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy

Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry

Sunshine on the water looks so lovely

Sunshine almost always makes me high

If I had a tale that I could tell you

I’d tell a tale sure to make you smile

If I had a wish that I could wish for you

I’d make a wish for sunshine all the while

We remember moment ...

We don't remember days ..... we remember moments.

View of Picos de Europa (Peak of the Europe)

from Mirador del Fito (Asturias, Spain)

 

The walks .......

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.  (John Muir)

Ah, I am missing walking in the mountains ..... in the woods ..... around the lakes ..... yet, I am here at my table in front of my computer ... starring at the screen  There days when I feel like I just want to go out and walk ... walk with nature. I think my mind works best when I am with nature

Well, while I am stuck here at work for another 8 hours, let just do what Soren Kierkegaard says:

"Above all, do not lose your desire to walk.  Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness.  I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. "

And I'll share with you some of the walks that herb and I did during our recent holiday in Picos de Europa:

I enjoyed this walk from Bulnes to Poncebos, where we took a furnicular to Bulnes and walked down to Poncebos about 4 km. We walked about 15 minutes in Bulnes village before decend down for another 20 minutes. From above we saw the valley and small stream/river and decided to have  picnic there

The book says it will take about 1 hr 30 minutes but we took longer than that because we will normally stop for photos, picnic or chatting with the sheep/goats :)

 .

  

I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least - and it is commonly more than that - sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements. (Henry David Thoreau)

But Herbie enjoyed walking to Pico Mosagre where there wasn't actually a walking path, we followed the instruction written by the owner of Posada del Valle hotel where we stayed. It invloved a lot of climbing over a locked gates and walking along the trail made by the horses and cows   And not to mentioned the prickly brambles and gorse!

There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken at the right tempo. Even a bicycle goes too fast. (Paul Scott Mowrer, The House of Europe)

But the view when we reached the top were superb!

 

 

As usual we will have picnic, either lunch picnic or just drink.  Here we have 'teh tarik' and picture below is our 'kettle' for boiling water for making tea. Herb bought this portable cooking set which comes handy for boiling water or cooking something in the pot.

Making 'teh tarik'

Now shall I walk
or shall I ride?
"Ride," Pleasure said:
"Walk," Joy replied.
~W.H. Davies

Perspective ....

If you do not raise your eyes you will think that you are the highest point. 

~Antonio Porchia, Voces, 1943, translated from Spanish by W.S. Merwin ~

If you are a flower ....

 

I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
~Edna St. Vincent Millay

Flowers always make me happy. No matter the colors or the scents. I am just happy when my eyes set on any. They are God most beautiful creation .... And today I am even happier because it's FRIDAY! My weekend is just around the corner!

The nose knows

 

I was reading the May issue of Readest Digest while on the train to work this morning and came accross a short article on how certain aromas have the power to stir up strong emotions and even change our mood.

A new study of 4000 people in the UK looked at the scents that appeal to us most. Here's the results of TOP SMELLS THAT MAKES US HAPPY:

1. Freshly baked bread

2. Clean sheets

3. Freshly mown grass

4. Fresh flowers

5. Freshly ground coffee

6. Fresh air after rainfall

7. Vanilla

8. Chocolate

And here's the list of the aromas that makes me happy

1. Fresh air after rainfall - this reminded me so much of the village where I grew up. Not just it smell fresh I has a vivid memory of chicken running around catching little 'kelkatu' (I do not know the name in English)  which normally will come out from underground after heavy rain. And also the adults/children standing by the riverbed ..... fishing or just hanging around :)

2. Clean sheet - ohhhhh, nothing can beat the smell of clean sheets.

3. Freshly ground coffee - I just love the smell of freshly ground coffee (even though I am not such a heavy coffee drinker), especially in a cold damp day ....

4. Vanilla - who doesn't like the sent of vanilla?

5. Freshly baked bread - as an Asian, we don't live on bread. BUT I started to like the smell of fresh baguette when on holiday in France. Love the aroma ever since ...

6. Freshly mown grass - this reminded me of my school days .....

7. Fresh flowers - to be specific fresh roses and jasmine! And I am also try to recall how the almond blooms smell like ...

8. Chocolate - If I can only choose 8 aromas, I would prefer caramel as no. 8.

 

So, what are the scents that makes you happy or that can affects your mood (positively)?

Have a productive week ahead!

Love - Larra

 

It's all about food :)

Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside. 

(Mark Twain)

If I were to use Mark Twain quote it should have been more than a success when it comes to food during our holiday. We didnt't just eat what we like, we also eat what we didn't like (at least the look of it)  . Knowing Herb, our holiday normally will involves tasting local food - Herb like to try what the local eat. He even like to eat where the local eat, not where the tourist eat!

So, here are some pictures of cuisine that we tried during recent holiday in Picos de Europa (Peak of the Europe);

1. Churos (batter stick)

You should try churos dip into hot chocolate for breakfast! We tried both, churos with chocolate and with cafe con leche.  

2. Cider (Sidra)

Cider is the regional pride in Northern Spain and joy that permeates drinking and eating customs. Cider pouring is the national sport. Always served from a bottle, the cider is 100% natural apple juice that has completed its fermentation process. There is no gas added, and the bottled product is “flat” and receives its carbonation from the pouring process. It is typically the waiters and bartenders (“escanciadores” = cider pourer) who ritualistically pour behind the bar or next to the table, bottle held high overhead into glasses held at a slight angle as close to the ground as the arm will go. A wooden splash guard is optional equipment: there is a lot of splashing, as even the experts do not seek to pour all the liquid into the glass.

I enjoyed watching them pouring the cider, even tried once while we have lunch in Llanes  Of course more goes into the wooden splash guard than into the cup.

3. Asturias known for its beans. And I had 'fabes on clam', which I enjoyed.

 

4. Seafood:

Mejillones relera (stuffed mussel)

- Centollo (crab) .Herb love this fellow but I find it difficult to eat due to the hard shell of the crab. Even though neccessary tools were provided, I feels like it disturb my eating tempo :)

Of all seafood lunch, I enjoyed this one the most!  A plate of grilled seafood that consists of 3 types of fish, 2 type of prawn (which has different name too, one is called gambas and the other one .... ops, I forgot!), squids, navajas, mussel

This is called gambas.

This is navajas (razor shells). I love navajas and we have it twice but the second time we have it wasn't as good as the below.

This is the second time we had navajes

Varieties of fish:

5. Dessert

- Flan

- Natilla

 

6. Being Asian, I live on rice so when paella is on the menu, I feel like I am at home :)

7. Herb taking picture of his noodle soup in Potes.

 

During our holiday Herb will eat fish most of the time so that we can exchange our meals. I can't eat meat because it is not 'halal' for me. But sometimes Herb will go for meat - it is not fair for him not able to try those tasty Asturias/Cantabrias lamb.

8. This is another cuisine that Herb wanted me to try. It looks like ordinary pepper, but it is not. It's called pamiento de pedron - it is girlled and u can add salt if you want. Why is it famous? Out of a plate of pamiento de pedron that you munch, you will never know which is going to be very hot! So it is always a surprise waiting for you while eating pamiento de pedron :)

9. And, the most interesting one is this 'creature' called Percebes (Gooseneck barnacles) ... I save the best for last :)

(Percebes are a shellfish with a long, soft body like the neck of a goose, hard shells at the top, and a 'foot' at the bottom that attaches them to rocks. They only grow on rocks exposed to heavy surf, and only grow in several parts of the world. They are highly sought after as a rare delicacy, savoured for their lovely texture and flavour which is somewhat like crab or lobster. In Portugal and Spain, they are a widely consumed and expensive .)

Herb is showing how to open the Percebes after being showed by the restaurant staff.

 And this is how you eat Percebes ....