A Jeanne in the Kitchen

Before heading out to Palma we visited the little weekly farmer’s market in Santa Ponca (Ponsa) first. Our hotel manager said it was “no big deal really”, and for the most part I would agree with him. However the foods were amazing. Once we saw all the fresh foods for sale, I was completely salivating, but we had already eaten a small breakfast and were pretty full. We were also on our way to Palma, so we had no way of storing anything. The foods all looked so good. I wish we had a way of enjoying it and taking some of it home. Needless to say, we did not get a chance to enjoy any of this scrumptious food. 😦

Just look at these HUGE heirloom tomatoes. Each one was well over 1 lb or a couple of kilos.

And all these different kinds of fresh olives, pickles and capers.

And fresh baked breads.

And of course a wide variety of meats, hams, sausages and chorizo.

I wanted to sample a little bit of everything. My mouth was just watering. And all of this was set up before 9:00 AM. This is put out every week too. Man! I wish they did that here. We do have farmer’s markets, but nothing like this and ours are only seasonal. Unfortunately, our season has already ended.

It was also market day in Palma, or at least this part of Palma as well. We were down by the marina and the Cathedral, waiting for our tour of the city to begin. Here it was mostly restaurants and people selling their wares, but there was some food too.

I enjoyed one vendor making his large pan of fresh seafood paella. Doesn’t this just look fabulous????? Any idea how much these huge paelleras, or huge paella pans cost? They go for around 4000 Euros each. As always, there is just too much good food and not nearly enough time, or tummy space, to enjoy it all.

We actually made a big pan of paella like this, but this will come much later in my Barcelona/Mallorca series. 🙂

I am still on just day one of our trip too. I have oh so much more to share. So hang on. We’re just getting started. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Tapas, or small plates, were what we mostly feasted on for this trip. We love tapas and often eat this way at home too. We would order a few different items and share them between us. It’s a great way to try a variety of different things without getting huge portions of everything. It is also one of the favorite ways to dine in Spain. We dined al fresco most of the time, which we do at home all as often as the weather allows. The weather was perfect and we could watch the world go by as we sat and enjoyed our delicious foods.

This little place call El Rocio was our first of many stops for tapas dinners for the trip, both in Mallorca and Barcelona.

Many places will start you off with olives and/or bread with aioli before the rest of the meal. So many olives are grown here, and such a wide variety of delicious olives too. And of course, I had to enjoy my meal with some good Spanish wines as well.

We ordered Patatas Bravas, or spicy, crispy potatoes, at a lot of our stops. Patatas Bravas are some of our favorites. This time we enjoyed them with calamari and chorizo too, also some of our favorites. It was a great way to start off our Spanish dining experiences.

Everything was muy delicioso, just as we had expected it would be.

Life is short. Enjoy all the delicious foods you can. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Getting to Mallorca from Denver is a LONG haul for sure. We flew non-stop from Denver to Frankfurt, Germany and had a 4 hour layover. Then from Frankfurt, we had about a 2 hour flight directly into Palma. Plus there was an 8 hour time difference. Once we rented out car, we headed out to Santa Ponca where we were staying. That was about another 30 minute drive. By the time we landed and got to our new “digs” we were exhausted. But that doesn’t stop me. No, no. We were up early and out and about. We had lots to see and explore.

This is our first “home away from home” and where we stayed while in Mallorca. It was a cute little holiday resort filled with little apartments. Ours was a studio apartment, but they must have bigger units as well since there were a lot of families, mostly from Ireland, staying there too. This is the view directly from our balcony. If we had done Barcelona first, this place would have been closed for the season, along with a lot of Mallorca, since the bigger tourist areas are mostly summer holiday resort areas.

Our apartments did not have parking on the premises, so we had to hope to find a spot at the local pubic parking area about 2 blocks away. There were only a couple of times we had to sweat it, but we always managed to find a spot in the end. By having to walk a couple of blocks away every time we got into the car, we got to know the local area pretty well. We were also right by the beach, so we didn’t mind the walk at all, which was very good, since we did A LOT of walking on this trip. Larry and I differ on the amount we ended up walking. I say we walked over 80 miles total, and I have the blisters on my heels to prove it. Larry doesn’t think we walked that far. And so much of the walking was really hiking up and down very steep hills all over the place, and up and down a ton of stairs. This was EVERYWHERE we went too.

Apartment living is how the overwhelming majority of people live in Spain, as well as in most of Europe. The only single family residences were in the rural farm areas, and even then, most people live stacked up upon each other.

Here are some of our local welcoming committee. They did a great job. We felt very welcomed indeed.

No, this is not the car we rented, though it would have been fun to drive around in.

We were headed down to get something to eat. There were lots of good eats on this trip too. We ended up eating a lot of tapas, which is perfectly OK with us. More on that following next.

I am back from yet another magical vacation in Spain. It was actually 2 little mini-vacations in 1. The first part of our trip was to the island of Mallorca. We spent 5 days in Mallorca and 5 days in Barcelona. The second part of our trip was to Barcelona, with a one-day trip to the separate tiny country of Andorra.

I just finished editing all my Mallorca pictures. I took a ton of pictures on our trip; well over 1200. NO, I am not going to bore you with all of them, but I certainly will share the highlights to give you all a feel for what life in Spain is like.

Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Mallorca is known as the pearl of the Mediterranean. It is easy to see how it got this name, since it’s seascapes that surround the island are absolutely breathtaking.

Mallorca, as well as the rest of Spain, has a very old and rich history with influences from all all over, dating back to before the times of the Ancient Romans. Before Mallorca was conquered by the Ancient Romans, it was inhabited by the Foners. These people were very skilled at weaponry, especially mastering the art of the slingshot, or the fonda. The Romans conquered Mallorca in 123 BC and reigned over the area until it was sacked by the North Africans. In 554, it was under Byzantine rule and remained so until 902, when the Moors conquered the island. The Moors remained in power for over 327 years, before the island became “Christianized” in 1228, and has remained a Christian/Catholic region ever since. Mallorca was annexed to Spain in 1492 when the country was unified under the reign of the Catholic Monarchs. Mallorca is part of Spain, but it is also Catalan. The Catalans have a different language and are technically a separate people than the Spanish, even though their cultures have a blended history with a lot of similarities. Right now there is a battle taking place for the Catalans to regain their independence from Spain.

This is a depiction of the transfer of powers from the defeated Muslim Moors to the Spanish, led by King Jaimie the 1st (James the 1st).

The island of Mallorca might be one of Spain’s most historic islands, but its capital city of Palma de Mallorca, which is also the largest city by far on the island, is best known for its beaches and bustling modern and cosmopolitan lifestyle. The island as a whole is known for its secluded coves, limestone mountains, Spanish architecture, wineries and fresh produce farms, and oh so much more. Mallorca is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe, for both celebrities and normal working people alike. Since the mid 20th century, tourism has been is main economic force.

I saw Mallorca from both above the sea and below. I took my scuba gear and did some diving as well. Larry only did 1 dive, but I did a few more, and definitely would have done more if Larry had let me. 🙂 The diving was much better in Mallorca than it was in Southern Spain, around Malaga, Marbella and the Costal del Sol area. The water was much clearer, with better visibility, it was warmer, and there was so much more marine life to see. There were lots of big schools of fish swimming in big circles, something I don’t normally see, even though many of the fish species were the same I see elsewhere. I will most definitely dive in Mallorca again, given the chance. It’s NOT Cozumel, but it was still nice diving indeed.

We rented a car while in Mallorca, and we literally saw most of the island. It is amazingly beautiful. We did so many things and saw so much. There is plenty more coming your way. This is just the first of many installments. Enjoy or disfutar! 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Hey Everyone. I’m back from Barcelona. Did you miss me? I missed all of you. We just arrived home late last night, and as usual when we get back, I have a bazillion things to do to try my best to get things back to “normal”. So it will be a few more days before I am back on some kind of a “schedule” again, but I will have lots of fun things to share with you once I’m back. So hold tight just a little longer. I promise, it won’t be too long. 🙂

The smell of things roasting in the oven is just so inviting and welcoming to me. As soon as the roasting aromas hit you, the just say “welcome, come on in, stay for dinner”. This was certainly the case when I roasted some potatoes mixed with red onions, rosemary and yellow peppers.

It was one of our recent cooler days, so it felt kind of nice to have the oven on and to be roasting again. We were still trying to get rid of our leftovers, to clean out the fridge before we leave for our trip.

Larry’s family was in town recently and I had bought a whole bunch of brats to share with everyone, but there was a miscommunication, and they didn’t come over for lunch, which meant Larry and I had a lot of brats to eat. That also meant I needed different side dishes to serve with all these brats too. These roasted potatoes were the perfect pairing for them.

Roasted Potatoes with Peppers, Onions and Rosemary

You can use either onions or shallots with this recipe. I had some red onions that needed to be used, so that was what I used this time. But shallots are very good too. I LOVE both and use both all the time. This is a simple recipe with simple, basic ingredients we all have on hand. But don’t be fooled by the simplicity of it all. They taste so good.

Preheat the oven to 400* f or 205*C.

1 1/4 lbs small waxy or new potatoes

1 onion, sliced very thin or 12 shallots

2 yellow peppers

2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped

1 TBSP garlic

olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

fresh ground black pepper

Par boil the potatoes for about 5 minutes then rinse and drain. Allow them to cool for a bit then cut them in half.

Toss everything together and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender. Toss them a couple of times while they are cooking to make sure they cook evenly. Serve them alongside your favorite grilled meats and voila! Dinner is served.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well.

We are leaving for Spain tomorrow. You will not be hearing from me for a couple of weeks. But have no fear. I will be back before you know it, with all our fabulous Spanish experiences. So don’t touch that dial. I’ll be back soon enough. ‘Til next time.

The weather is slightly cooler than what is was earlier. Even though we had a mild summer to start with, it quickly changed, and the temperatures were soaring and became unbearable. But now, the mercury has lowered some, and it is quite comfortable outside.

The flowers are dying off and are retreating back to their dormant state. The wild grasses are in full bloom though and their plumes are dancing in the breeze. The fall colors are starting to show up and more and more. I love fall. I am ready for changing of the season.

By the time we return home, fall should be in full swing. I can hardly wait. 🙂

Our Bible study group started up once again after the summer break. Our group likes to “break bread” together and we all enjoy bringing food and eating together before the sessions start. I was assigned a main meal this week. I fed everyone some rustic Italian chicken with vegetables. In part, it was inspired by what did I have in my fridge that needs to get used before we go. And it just flowed from there. 🙂

Chicken is always a good thing to serve since a lot of people are opting out of beef these days. And you can’t go wrong with Italian food either. We all love Italian.

I started off by marinating the chicken in wine for about 2-3 hours before cooking it. I also added some onions, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, olives, garlic, herbs and seasoning to the marinating mix.

When everything was ready, it was time to preheat the oven to 400* F or 205* C. I roasted everything for about 30 or so minutes, then added the more delicate vegetables, like the tomatoes and artichoke hearts, as well as a little provolone cheese to top the chicken pieces after I flipped them over, then put it all back in the oven again for another 20 or so minutes.

Right before I covered it to take with me, I added some chiffonade basil to the top. And Voila! Dinner was ready to go. It was yet another big hit that was enjoyed by all. AND …. I was able to use up a lot of the items in my fridge that would not make it until we return home. In my book, this is a win/win. A delicious one at that too. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

We are leaving soon, for another trip to Spain. Last time, a few years ago, we flew into Madrid and drove the southern route. We covered about 1500 miles. We fell in love with Spain. So we are going back again. This time we are going into Mallorca first, then Barcelona, with a day trip to Andorra (yes, this is how our Andorra/Dorrie got her name). That being said, I am trying my best to get through all the leftovers and food we already have without having to buy or prepare anything else so nothing will go bad while we are gone.

I had a half cucumber and some beautiful ripe, red heirloom tomatoes that I combined with some red onions and simple seasonings to make a little quick, impromptu, simple salad.

I served it as a side dish to steak, but it would also be good on top of a bed of lettuce as part of a main steak or chicken or shrimp salad too. It was cool, refreshing and a perfect summer salad.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

1 English cucumber sliced thin

2-3 large tomatoes, preferably heirloom, chopped

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1-2 TBSP basil, chiffonade

a dash of salt

1-2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP lemon olive oil, optional

2 TBSP Prosecco or white balsamic vinegar

2 TBSP lemon balsamic vinegar, optional

Toss everything together and chill before serving. This salad is best served cool. For best results add the dressing right before serving so the vegetables aren’t swimming in sauce.

The fresh goodness is experienced in every bite. YUM! Simple and simply good. That’s what I’m talking about. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

We get bunnies in your yard all the time, and ’tis the season to start seeing quite a few hopping all around. Yesterday morning, while we were waiting for Mike and Lauren to pick us up for our grape harvesting, The Grape Harvest I was busy taking pictures of the bunny who was visiting us in our front yard. He/she was having fun posing for the camera.

Have a “bunniful” day.