Don’t you just love small towns?/Oviedo,Florida

Posted in Chicken, Soups, Travel, U.S. South, Uncategorized by leannacrowley

On a recent visit to Oviedo, Florida to see my childhood friend, Thelma McFarland Taylor, we went into town. And what a fun little town is it. Beautiful feathered chickens of all colors run around everywhere. The reason I’ve been told is that when they tore down an old building that used to be a restaurant in which they used its own eggs it distroyed the little chicken coop too. Well, they all felt so bad that the leaders of the town allowed the chickens to remain as honorary citizens and the eggs they lay are in lieu of paying taxes, I guess. So roam they do. Oviedo has antique shops, second hand stores, tea rooms and even a Panera Bread. So our afternoon was full of shopping and eating. We came home with bright red dishes that were so cheap I couldn’t pass them up! Thelma and I neither one need more dishes, but how could we resist!! Well, we didnt!

Here is a recipe from one of the Tea Rooms there.

PS. Maybe I shouldn’t have chosen the chicken soup off the menu but I’m sure they didn’t use any of the chickens that walk around town!! 😳

What I’ve learned about living in Spain

Posted in Europe, Uncategorized by leannacrowley

Savoring The Last of Summer in Spain

Posted in Europe, Spain, Travel, Uncategorized by leannacrowley

Madrid, the capitol of Spain, has castles, the most museums, the largest Plazas and the busiest streets. We found out quickly that the roundabouts work well here because when you make a mistake which is easy to do and you need to turn around you just go to the next roundabout and go the other direction. The parking under the streets works well too to get you where you want to be the closest to. They have shopping for everyone except gun enthusiasts since Spain has a law against owning guns.

One of the restaurants that Natalie showed us was one her father in law said was his favorite. He travels to Madrid a lot so we took his suggestion. And we are so glad we did. It is called Las Cuevas De Luis Candelas and it is under the main square in a cave. The sangria was filled with different kinds of fruits, the salmon was grilled to perfection, the salad was cold and crisp and the ice cream was just enough to share. At the end of the meal they brought us a small cup of strong black hot coffee and that was perfect to end the afternoon with. We just added a lot of sugar and cream.

Merida/Ice Cream

Posted in Uncategorized by leannacrowley

Merida, Spain, my home away from home for the past two months. Luckily I have an adventurous family that has been willing to come stay with me at different times so I’ve had people to explore with and suffer through the lack of understanding Spanish with. These translator apps on your phones are amazing and help you get through. I still have brought home from the grocery store the wrong things and had to throw some of it away. The people here are so friendly and helpful and we’ve found out that using your hands to talk works pretty well. To live like a local you need to pay attention to what they do. For instance, they get up early and walk or ride bikes and take their kids to the playground because by noon it’s too hot and you need to go back inside. Have lunch or go to lunch because they soon close the shops for siesta time. This is a very important part of their culture. How can you eat your dinner at 10:00 pm and still be walking the streets and enjoying your friends at midnight if you don’t get a good siesta in the late afternoon? Kids and older people alike enjoy these dark and cooler evenings. And the way they conserve on energy, the lights are not bright leaving a very romantic glow. Time is the most important ingredient in the making of a good wine, reading a good book and getting to know another culture and country. I’m so thankful I’ve had this precious time to spend here. Muchas Gracias Espana!

Home Spa Day/Cucumber Sandwiches with bean sprouts

Posted in Uncategorized by leannacrowley

After all the wonderful traveling we’ve be doing to see this spectacular country of Spain it was time to stay home and have a spa day! The sun is so hot you need to drink plenty of water and wear good shoes. 👠👠(ha). We used a stress reliever mask with minerals from the sea, put cucumbers on our eyes and covered ourselves in an olive oil based lotion. For lunch we ate cucumber sandwiches (not the same ones we used on our eyes, my husband said that would be taking recycling a bit too far) with cream cheese and bean sprouts on white bread that comes here with the crust already cut off. I added the bean sprouts because years ago when my sister and her husband George used to take us sailing in the Pacific Ocean she would pack our lunch and add bean sprouts or alfalfa sprouts to our sandwiches and I remember the crunch would enhance the enjoyment of our sandwich. To our water we added cucumbers, lemon and mint. The cucumbers are excellent for rehydration and contain anti-inflammatory properties. The lemons boost your immune system and help with digestion and the mint aids the stomach as well but also add sweetness without adding sugar. They are good together or separately.