Listen to this

AmericaValencia

I want to play, too!

Rosemarie, I got so excited that you posted that I'm doing this instead of my personal blog AND my work blog AND washing dishes. And there are a lot of dishes because it rained all afternoon so I cooked instead of going outside to exercise.

Make these NOW.

Mushroom Risotto: Kind of like this one.

Swiss Chard and Polenta: Cook the chard, or any greens on the stove with a little oil and add vinegar at the end.

This is one of my new favorite things ever: 101 Cookbook's Black Bread

Okay that was really easy. I should do this more often. But I'm going to sleep now because I spent 2 hours jumping on trampolines last night (Austin has so many wonderful things) and I am sore.

Cultural Curiosities

I feel like every time someone in Spain asked me about about American culture or Americans, I was constantly replying with the phrase "hay de todo" (a bit of everything). From the varied times they eat dinner, to the array of shoes they sport on the street (regardless of the weather), Americans definitely embrace the concept of freedom of expression.

So for my first blog post I'm going to share a mix of American cultural curiosities that have caught my eye since I've been back.

1. Rob Drydek

One morning my sister got me watching Fantasy Factory reruns and I was instantly hooked on the entreprenurial, innovative, and crazy genius that can only begin to describe Rob Drydek. Professional skateboarder at age 16, who was smart enough to invest in his own sponsorship, Drydek has built a skateboarding empire. He is probably most known for pulling crazy stunts, but he also gives back to the community and has a foundation that opens skate parks to give kids safe spaces to skate. What I respect about Rob Drydek is that when he wants something, he just goes for it, no matter how impossible it may seem.

photo credit

2. Demetri Martin

Smart comedy. Hilarious and quirky. I've been watching his comedy show called Important Things with Demetri Martin. Just watch.

Again, recommended by my sister.

photo credit

3. Teach Me How to Dougie

It was at a Halloween party this past October that I fully realized that even though I tried to keep up with American pop culture from abroad, there are some things that just don't travel well. In this case, I'm talking about dance moves and songs with lyrics that really have no meaning.

At the party, there was a point when people started doing different dance moves. I knew most of them, but when everyone started to Dougie, I was lost. I had no idea what to do. This was a strange sensation for a girl usually found tearing up the dance floor. I went home and looked up the video. Now I know how to Dougie. You can learn too:

Get More: Cali Swag District, Teach Me How To Dougie, Music, More Music Videos

This brings up a related curiosity about American culture. Songs set to catchy beats with lyrics that have very little meaning are what make it to the top of the charts. People like to blast those fresh, fly songs while cruising around town, getting their hair done, doing it big in the club, you name it. I will admit one of my car radio dials is set to LA's #1 hip hop station. Ya heard.

4. Spanglish

In Spain, the majority of people speak Spanish. In America, the majority of people speak English. many languages. In Los Angeles, I would argue that the majority of people speak Spanglish. Now my definition of this hybrid language includes everything from English speakers who think saying burrito and taco constitute as speaking Spanish, to Spanish speakers who think saying jes and yob constitute as speaking English.

It has been interesting being surrounded by this mixture. I constantly hear people starting off a sentence in English and finishing it in Spanish or vice versa. On the one hand, it sounds a bit strange, especially because I just spent the past year trying very hard not to mix these two languages. But, it also shows that language is constantly evolving as a means of communication.

A great example of Spanglish right now is the hit bachata single, Promise by Romeo Santos and featuring Usher. It showcases the sweet Spanish of the Latino culture and the smooth rhythms of American R&B. (These guys sure know how to win over the ladies.)

5. Baby monkey

Backwards on a pig.

My first post-Spain Spanish dinner

I think cooking is my number one favorite thing to do!  This past year in Valencia, I took a cooking class with Valencia Club de Cocina. I treasure my little booklet of recipes as though its the holy grail of cooking guides. So today I whipped it out to whip up one of my favorite recipes. I chose a fish dish because my mother is a strict vegetarian and I am an ex strict vegetarian (vegetarian is not a word that goes over well in Spain). Here is what I made:
Bacalao a la Vizcaína over white rice
Asparagus with Aioli
Ruben's Tarta de Carlota

Aioli (from my Culinaria SPAIN book since America doesnt sell it premade!)
3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4- 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup- 1 cup Olive oil
Lemon juice

With a mortal and pestle, combine the garlic and salt until a smooth paste is formed. Try really hard to get rid of all the lumps. Then slowly add olive oil. I drizzled a little at a time to give myself time to sufficiently mix it all. Add lemon juice to taste. Refrigerate.

I drizzled this over roasted asparagus (lightly oiled, salted and peppered and baked 375 degrees for about 8 minutes)

Bacalao a la Vizcaína (serves 4)
Ingredients: 
1 - 1.5 lb Cod fish (if not available use halibut or haddock)
olive oil

sauce:
1 medium yellow onion
1 clove garlic
4-6 "fancy pimientos" or pimientos choriceros. Basically, jarred or dried pimientos. Can be found in the international aisle.
3/4 cup tomato sauce (fresh or canned)
white wine (to taste)
flour (to taste)
375 ml vegetable/ fish stock (sorry, i dont have the conversion on this one!)

Begin by cooking the cod in olive oil over a medium flame. Remove when finished and keep to side.
Using the same olive oil, add the onions until translucent followed by garlic. Then add the pimientos.  Add white wine to taste and reduce it.  Add tomatoes and let sit for about 30 minutes so the flavors are well blended. Then remove some of the water, and add the contents to a blender and mix until well blended. After, return to the pan and add fish. Once the fish is warm, serve over a bed of white rice. Be generous with the sauce!

The next recipe is not your average carrot cake! The first time I had this was at a very Valencian restuarant. it is one of Rubens favorites and he has tried to perfect the recipe after only being given the list of ingredients (not including proportions). This recipe is not exact to Rubens because a) i forgot all the exact measurements. B) we do not have a specific liquor, and c)he uses metric because Spain makes sense. So here is Ruben's version of a restaurant's carrot cake with an American twist

Rubens Tarta de Carlota (Carrot cake)
Ingredients:
1 pound carrots, peeled
2 cups of sugar (more or less!!!... Ruben calls for 500 grams)
1 cup shredded coconut- again, depends how much you like coconut!
1 tbsp Vanilla extract (or you can use cuarenta y tres, a liqor, but I am not sure of the quantity recommended)
Chocolate sprinkles or melted bakers chocolate

Place carrots in boiling water until SUPER tender. Use hand blender or blender or masher to puree the carrots. Then add sugar, coconut and vanilla. Blend until smooth. Pour into individual casuelas or whatever you want to serve it in. Sprinkle sprinkles or chocolate or whatever your hearts desire! Let cool, and refrigerate! Serve chilled!

Hello, America

Having retired from semi-successful years as English teaching assistants in Valencia, what better way to stay in touch than a blog! The original idea was for recipes, but anything goes...movie reviews, book recommendations, musings on re-adjustement to American or madrileña culture, or just links to your favorite websites. And if interesting things develop, feel free to share with family and friends, so I guess keep it PG-13, just in case?