Roasted Red Peppers are a love affair of mine. It feels like I’m getting caught in the act of hijacking cookies secretly from the cookie jar when I eat them…yes…straight from the container. It “feels” like I’m doing something wrong because how can such a delicious treat be SO good for you!?
When the peppers are roasted it brings out their sweetness and lends a wonderful charred flavor to them which also makes them a wonderful addition to any sandwich, salad, tapas or antipasto plate, pasta, humus, dip, need I go on?
I decided that it was best to read up a bit before jumping in and ruining 5 wonderful red peppers and I was SO surprised by how easy the process was! The roasting process is painless, the hardest part will be the options of what to DO with the peppers once you’ve roasted them. You can use them right away, put them in a jar to eat through the week, freeze them or can preserve them. The thought of freezing them makes me a little skeptical, I feel like they’ll be mushy when they’re thawed out again. For this recipe I made enough for two weeks(ish) so I didn’t need to do any sort of preserving but this afternoon I’ll get another batch of peppers and a few mason jars (which I also have a crush on) and giving this Marinated Roasted Red Bell recipe from Simply Recipes a try.
Tips:
CHAR the peppers! Not only does this create the smoky flavor but it will also help you pinch off the pesky and indigestible skins.
Once out of the oven, place in a paper bag for 20-ish minutes (or longer if needed) to help steam the skins apart from the pepper. You can also use large bowl and cover with saran wrap or place in a large Tupperware. If you don’t let them char OR steam long enough and it is a PAIN in the rear to pinch off all the skins! So, make sure you char and steam them long enough!
There are SO many recipes that I want to try with roasted peppers! I’ve listed a few of them below. Please feel free to post comments with your favorite red pepper recipes! I’m always looking for more!
Ingredients Red Peppers (Yellow or Green work also, I just prefer red) Reynolds Wrap Non-Stick Aluminum Foil Cookie Sheet
Large Tupperware container or bowl and saran wrap for steaming the skins off
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450F then change to it to broil.
Wash and dry the peppers.
Core them from to remove the seeds. My method is the cut off the stem and cut around the top stem area like you would if you were coring a tomato. Pop out the core and chop them in half to remove all the seeds and white membrane inside.
Place the red peppers on an aluminum lined baking sheet with the cut side facing down.
Place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven and broil until the outer layer of the skin has blackened, about 20-25 minutes. Check them at the 15 min mark just to see how they’re charring…everyone’s oven is different.
Place the peppers in a the Tupperware or in a glass bowl covered with saran wrap and let them steam and cool until you can handle them, about 20 minutes.
Pinch off the skin from the peppers and place directly into jar or your preferred method of canning/preserving/freezing.
We LOVE Portland! Don’t get me wrong… Seattle is my home but Portland is my stomachs home! Thankfully, not only do we have family there that we LOVE to visit, but he’s a FOODIE and has taken us to some really wonderful places! Portland has a way with food unlike any other city I’ve been to yet. It’s like Manna from heaven… delicious restaurants, pubs, taverns, bistros and bars just laying around on the streets waiting for you to walk in!
This last trip ended on a WONDERFUL note. NOT the ending part… that always sucks…but the restaurant we had Sunday dinner at was just… INCREDIBLE! It’s my FAVORITE place we’ve been to in Portland YET! Grain & Gristle has a laid back, rustic modern tavern feel, as you can see from the picture, excellent service, and an incredible menu! They also have an EXCELLENT Bloody Mary which you can order “dragged through the garden”…“kick the vermouth in the side with a pair of steel-toed boots” anyone?…and this is coming from a Woman who doesn’t particularly like Bloody Mary’s. Their AMAZING pickled cauliflower simply furthered my recent budding obsession with pickled veggies and you’ll see some post on those, let’s call them “adventures” as soon as I find a few mason jars!
Ordered:
Daily Special: Roasted Carrots with Salsa Verde…and another once we finished the first
Grilled asparagus, soft egg, butter leaf, herb vin
Beets, fresh chevre, mint
Mussel frites, Belgian style, aioli
Braised pork shoulder, smokey baked beans
Everything was just… divine! The Salsa Verde was so delicious and fresh, the pork aficionado himself said it was the BEST braised pork he’s had yet (and he orders it WHENEVER it’s on the menu!), the frites were freakishly delicious and my grilled asparagus salad….was….just… DELICIOUS!!!
When we were leaving we saw the table next to use get their order and Currywurst with chopped egg and fries….I’ll be back for you!
Roasted Carrots with Salsa Verde
Yep... the SECOND Plate!
Grilled asparagus, soft egg, butter leaf, herb vinMussel frites, Belgian style, aioli
Last Saturday’s weather was just delightful! We were still recovering from our jet lag and getting back into the usual routine. So, abiding by my weekend “stay-cation” ritual of heading down to Pike Place market I grabbed my market bag and tootled down to meander around the market for a while. My first class griller had decided that he/we were tasted up for some grilled Bratwurst and we needed some Uli’s Famous Sausages and a few amazing potato rolls from Macrina Bakery to build our delicious dinner. Recipe posted here and I, and my stomach, are proud to report that they turned out completely AMAZING! We’ll be making that recipe a grilling staple this summer!! Bring on the sun Seattle, we’ll grab a keg of Georgetown Manny’s Pale Ale and give you a run for you money!
But back to my story! There I was, strolling home on a Saturday afternoon, enjoying the sunshine and still on a vacation hangover from our two weeks gallivanting around Spain so I had no sense of urgency or duty. Then I happened upon the Lost River Winery tasting room. They have a lovey open space nestled into the north side of Pike Place Market that I had walked past dozens of times and a noon wine tasting on a lazy stay-cation sunny Saturday sounded like a marvelous life choice!
Ram greeted me as I walked it and invited me to a wine tasting… YES PLEASE! I chose my seat at the bar while he masterfully started me down the journey of tasting some truly wonderful wines! The list below was included in my $5 wine tasting and I have to say it was a delightful line up! Featuring a wide array of their wines, from red to wine and dessert wine the tasting truly showcased the flavor and style of the Lost River wines. The well-stocked tasting bar and knowledgeable staff (Thanks Ram!) of their Seattle tasting room is a delightful oasis from the hustle and bustle of the market.
For being a staunch red wine drinker and dessert wine averse, it might surprise you that the only two bottles I took home were a white and a white dessert wine! That’s how delicious they were!
My review: Light and refreshing. No lingering taste and a clean finish
In their words: “A great cocktaip wine and paired with spicy food! 100% Pinot Gris, A bright, crisp and refreshing stainless-steel tank aged Pinot with just a touch of sweetness and packed with a zesty green apple , mellow, lime and white grapefruit flavors.
My review: The Semillon give it an interesting twist. It was described as a “food wine” which is apparent in it’s simple yet complex flavor and flow letting food enhance and highlight different flavors.
In their words: “A fine chardonnay alternative. 40% Sauvignon Blanc/ 60% Semillon. This light-oaked, dry, white Bordeaux-style blend is named in honor of the magnificent North Cascade Mountains that block rain from Washington’s coastal storms making the eastern part of our state arid, warm and the perfect climate for growing wine grapes.
My review: Spice forward with a balanced full finish.
In their words: 92% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc. This wine exhibits notes of black currant and cassis, cherry, and licorice. 2008 represents a near perfect vintage for Washington Merlot. This wine will improve with an additional year in bottle, and, with proper cellaring, should age well until at least 2015.
My review: Slight slice, drinkable with any type of food. Not as smooth but lingering with a nice finish.
In their words: 75% Merlot/25%Cabernet Franc. Western Red is a Bordeaux-style blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc that celebrates the Western Red cedar trees that surround our winery along the Lost River in the upper Methow Valley.
My review: Jammy yet simple with red berry notes and a very smooth finish.
In their words: 100% Syrah. This wine exhibits a blend of terroir expression between the cobbly gravels of Stone Valley Vineyard (the famous Walla Walla “Rocks”) and the deep wind blown silt “Loess” soils of the Les Collines Vineyard. The wine displays distinctive black pepper and cherry notes with a strong character of bitter chocolate, coffee and smoke. The aging in barrel and restrained use of new French oak lengthens the wine’s finish and enhances its fruit aromas.
My review: Rich tannins, silky and soft with a lingering tail. My taste buds DANCED with this one!!
In their words: 45% Cabernet Franc/55% Merlot. A complex and rich Bordeaux style blend featuring a medley of bright, fruity Merlot flavors intermingled with the dark and earthy underbrush flavors of Cabernet franc- commonly known as our hedonistic fruit bong. A very versatile wine in the kitchen.
My review: Smooth and full flavor, robust taste finishes delightfully with a light tannin forward flavor that lingers delightfully on the tongue.
In their words: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon/10% Merlot/5% Cabernet Franc. This robust yet elegant cab-based blend is aged in French oak barrels for two years then bottle aged for 1 year prior to release. If you enjoy a hearty red wine with more oak, tannin and acid then this your best bet.
My review: Smooth, sweet but NOT syrupy as most dessert wines are. Incredibly crisp finish without a sweet linger. Resides on the fruit notes. Would LOVE to pair with a vanilla cookie or biscotti!
In their words: Semillon is used to make the greatest dessert wines in the world! Ours has flavors of pear, honey & citrus with silky texture in the mouth.
“The big yellow one’s the sun!” (From stand-up comedian Brian Regan…if you haven’t heard him he’s HYSTERICAL! Check him out here)
That big blinding thing in the Seattle sky.. what IS it!? This past weekend in Seattle was gorgeous and dare I say it…it’s getting to be “that” time of year. You know which one I’m talking about…the birds chirping while the sun comes up at 5am, blinding white legs are peeking out from shorts, sunglasses sales shoot through the roof because no one knows where they placed any of the 5 pairs they used last time it was sunny in Seattle. Baseball is in season and it just seems downright American to drink beer and grill on the roof! After last years extended snowpocalypse, all of Seattle seems MORE than ready to get out and enjoy a little much awaited and MUCH deserved sunshine!
What better way to enjoy than to channel our German roots and grill up some Bratwurst! We’re spoiled to have the most delicious Uli’s Famous Sausages right down the street in Pike Place Market and Macrina Bakery two blocks away for amazing fresh Potato Rolls but I’m sure you can find your local version of each and make an equally tasty meal! Not to mention, with a few short minutes drive we can grab a fresh keg of Georgetown Manny’s Pale Ale.
This is the perfect weekend meal! It’s so easy to prep and forget while you go about your weekend chores! Then when you’re hungry you can fire up the grill and have an amazing and rewarding meal! We LOVED this meal so much we made enough for four and had leftovers the next night! Added bonus: the whole house smelled of incredible German brats and beer all afternoon while we cleaned! Talk about motivation!
Grilled Bratwurst
2 40oz cans of Miller Light
1 large onion, chopped
4 Uli’s German Bratwurst
4 Potato rolls from Macrina Bakery
1 package Sauerkraut (I use the German imported style sold at Uli’s, it’s authentic and already prepared!)
4 ear of corn, husked
Ketchup/Mustard to taste
1 keg of Georgetown Manny’s Pale Ale (okay… I guess you can use whatever you’d like but if you’re Seattle local, this is the PERFECT beer with this meal!)
Meat and Onions
To marinate
Chop onion and place in large pot on the stove
Add both 40’s of Miller Light and add the delicious brat’s
Marinate on low for 4 hours
Husk the corn and set aside
1.5 – 2 hours before you want to eat
Soak the corn for a half hour then place each ear in foil. You can place whatever seasonings you like. I simply do salt and pepper but some like butter or oil and that actually helps it char up on the grill much more evenly and swifter. Bake individual corn foils in a pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes then transfer and grill directly on the pre-heated grill. Corn takes a while so start this a good 15 minutes before you want to finish the dogs on the grill.
Remove the dogs from pot and place in foil to grill.
Set aside to onions to pan cook or you can also wrap them in foil and do this on the grill itself if you’d prefer to not use a stove.
Miller Light
Wrap the Sauerkraut in foil and grill (or you can pan fry them but this stinks up the house a bit so I usually just warm them in foil on the grill).
At this point you should have oven cooked corn still in the foil, foiled sauerkraut, foiled brats, and be ready to either pan fry the onions or foil those bad boys
Heat up your grill as hot as it will go and cook the corn for 10 minutes, turning frequently to get an even char. Also put the foiled sauerkraut and onions on the grill to cook up (for these pictures I pan fried it since everyone in our building seemed to be using the grills and I wanted to reserve space).
Once the corn has a good char on all sides, place the brats on the grill and char those puppies up.
Toast your buns, set out your condiments and get ready to enjoy one of the most incredible meals you’ll ever set taste buds on!
Enjoy your delicious and easy meal!!!
The Full Meal Deal
Another amazing part of this meal… if you’re cooking for two.. this gives you leftovers to enjoy the next night like we did!!!
Well, after what seems like weeks away, endless airports, taxis and train, we’re finally home from our two weeks of gallivanting around Spain! The house is buried under piles of laundry to be done, the camera is glaring at me with thousands of pictures to sort and days of e-mail to catch up on, we’re home! I’ve posted a quick preliminary write-up on our two weeks in Spain which you can read here.
A Byte of Life featured as the Blog of the day on Foodista
BUT, the point of this particular post is to announce that A Byte of Life was featured as the Blog of the Day over at Foodista last Thursday! I didn’t have time to write a post in time since that was our 20 hour travel day home but I was HONORED to be included as a featured blog! Foodista is great for recipes, pictures, community and inspiration! You can also follow them on Facebook.
We discovered Elote on a recent trip to Arizona. Since our scheduled flight to thaw out occurred during this years snow-pocalypse our flight was canceled! How DEVASTATING when you’re at the airport, suitcase packed with shorts and bathers while your body is clad in thermal long underwear and a ski jacket. Snow can’t hold us down so we rescheduled a flight for mid April and thankfully the snow was nowhere to be seen as we taxied off the runway, bound for warmer weather and no work e-mail! Time to THAW OUT!
Seafood Scallop Tacos
Thanks to some last-minute planning on our wonderful hosts part, a trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon was in order so last-minute overnight bags were packed and off we went! We stayed in Sedona and upon checking in, decided that Mexican food was the general “tasted up” status of our group so we asked the front desk concierge and immediately she said that we HAD to go to Elote. “You’ll want to get there right when they open at 5pm otherwise you’ll be in an hour plus line to get in. Regardless, I promise you it’s worth it! The food is worth waiting for!!”. She didn’t need to twist our arm any further, Elote it was! Thinking that we were going to beat a line, we tootled down and found parking and headed to the entrance that had.. gasp… a line of at LEAST 30-40 people in it! But… I… HOW!? It’s 15 to 5pm!!Thankfully they open the bar and efficiently shuffle you in to get drinks to enjoy while waiting. We started with a round of a few Margaritas and house Sangria’s (the house red Sangria was truly AMAZING!) and posted up in line. By the time we got to the front and got our name on the list, we were on the second round and headed to the side shaded patio that they have set aside for people waiting. Second round came and our table was ready!
Guacamole
To start we ordered two table appetizers: the Guacamole and of course the namesake dish Elote, which is made of fire roasted corn and spicy mayo and garnished with lime and Cotija cheese. Both dishes were absolutely stunning!! I grew up in California with an avocado tree in my back yard so avocado and guacamole dishes are somewhat a specialty of my family, and this truly earned my seal of approval!! The Elote was SUCH a wondrfully charred and creamy dish… I regret that I have only one stomach and had actually ordered dinner. The entrée’s were equally as picturesque and tasted wonderful! The table ordered (therefore I was able to sample) the Carnitas, the Lamb Adobo AND enjoy my own absolutely delicious entrée of seafood scallop tacos. They served a black bean puree on the side and it completely changed how I will eat and cook black beans forever more!
Since it was a birthday trip, I was surprised by a trip to our table by the wonderful Chef, Jeff Smedstad, who signed my personal copy of the cookbook and took a picture at the table! This recipe for Elote, the namesake of the restaurant, was THANKFULLY included in the recipe book and we can’t WAIT to cook it up! Pictures to follow once we cook it up ourselves!
Elote
Serves 4-6
6 ears of corn, husks intact
1 c. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. Cholula hot sauce
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp sugar
1/4 c chicken stock
1/4 c cotija cheese, ground or crumbled for garnish
2 tbsp chopped cilantro for garnish
pure-ground red chile to taste for garnish
crispy tortillas for scooping
Over a medium-hot grill, roast the corn until the husks are well charred, about 5 minutes turning occasionally so as not to burn the side contacting the direct heat
Set the roasted ears aside until cool enough to handle, then shuck them and cut the kernels off the cobs
Mix the mayo, hot sauce, lime juice, salt and pepper, sugar and chicken stock in a saute pan over medium heat
Add the corn kernels and cook until corn is warmed
Pour into a bowl and garnish with cheese, cilantro, and ground chile
We just arrived home from our two weeks in Spain and amid the piles of laundry to be completed, the thousands of pictures to be sorted and the jet lagged shuffling around a home I haven’t seen in what feels like ages I’ve tried to take a first stab at recounting our trip! There are SO many wonderful experiences, sights, sounds, smells and tastes to write about I feel like it will take me weeks to get anything complied that would do the trip justice! I didn’t even know where to start until a friend of mine posted on my Facebook this morning that he’s thinking of visiting a few cities in Spain that I had just seen and wanted a review. Nothing like a kick in the pants to get you started hey!
Below is my VERY rough trip outline of what we did just so I can get some order to the days. The most wonderful thing about vacation is that you just loose track of the days! If it weren’t for train and cathedral ticket entry times I would never have known what time it was either! I’ll be going back and filling in more about the little places we saw, providing pictures and recipes for the amazing dishes we experienced and now will be cooking straight time at home!
I’ll be posting pictures and updating with more detail, hyperlinks and information once I get the time to sort and sleep! 🙂
Two Weeks in Spain: The road… VERY traveled!
It was delightful to spend two whole weeks and I have to say we saw QUITE a bit of the country! Traveling by plane, train and automobile we were able to experience both the modern Madrid, the historic sights, cities, towns, highways, streets that a smart car could barely navigate,
El Rastro Market, Madrid
Madrid
4/25- 5/1 Leave Seattle/ Arrive Madrid in the afternoon. We saw: Royal Palace (€10 + €3 audio guide , took about 1-2 hours), Plaza Mayor, Naval Museum (€free, 1 hour), El Rastro, Museo del Jamon (great cheap eats and drinks), Tried to see a Bullfight, Mercado de San Miguel, Churros con Chocolate at Chocolateria San Gines.
4/30 Train to Toledo for the day to see the Cathedral (€10 includes a trip up the Bell Tower and sold in the shop across from the cathedral. We spend a 2-3 hours wandering around gazing at the detail and grander!! This is a MUST see. The Cathedral was just breath taking and literally the most incredible cathedral I’ve ever seen! We used the Rick Steves book as our guided tour and it gave great info and background to what we were seeing. The extra €3 to get the ticket that included a trip up to the Bell Tower was SO worth it! The Cathedral took more than 250 years to build and is an incredible mix of styles which include Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical aspects. It was so interesting to see all the different styles built upon and into each other over the hundreds of years it took and multiple architects and designers working on such a masterpiece. TRULY breath taking!
In all, Madrid was nice to see and for hindsight purposed I’m glad we flew in here first to give us some perspective on how different each part of the country can be! This was actually my least favorite city of all that we visited. Even though they are officially in a recession and you would think that outside tourism would be a good thing, everyone seemed quite “in inconvenienced” to have to deal with foreigners even though we spoke Spanish to them. If you wanted to see the city, rent a flat instead of a hotel since there are so many great little Supermercados (bodegas/corner markets) that you can get food at and all flats have small kitchens with fridges. We made most breakfasts at home, snacked through lunch and would grab a few bites and sangria at various tapas restaurants we passed. If I had a do over, I’d stay 3 days in Madrid. This would give you enough time to get a feel for the city and see the sights.
Eme Cathedral Bar Rooftop, Seville
Seville
5/1 Train Seville (2.5 hours ride). Check in at the apartment. 10pm Flamenco Show at Los Gallos (€30 ticket includes one drink, 2 hours long), Drinks at the roof top bar on the EME Cathedral Hotel (€10/drink but the view and experience is just incredible)
5/2 Explore Seville. We saw: Cathedral & Giralda Bell Tower (€8, took us 1 hour-ish), Alcazar (€8.50 +€3.60 audio-guide, took us 3 hours), lunched at Antiguedades Bar (very inexpensive, great location, excellent service and English menu also)
This is a MUST SEE city in my book! We had a day and a half but I could have done two full days or even a leisurely third. The sights and history are wonderful to leisurely take in. We stayed more on the outskirts of the city but it was such a delightful 25 minute walk through the narrow streets into the heart of the city. We also found a cafe, Antiguedades Bar, located half a block from the Cathedral which served THE BEST ratatouille I’ve EVER HAD! We wound up eating lunch AND dinner there! There’s an incredible roof top bar at the EME Cathedral Hotel that overlooks the cathedral there and it’s seriously stunning views! You will feel like you are on a New York rooftop bar, yet you’ll be gazing at a historic cathedral! The Flamenco Show at Los Gallos was a perfect way to spend our first night in Seville. Great seating, smaller venue which made you feel like you were truly part of the show! It was a full two hours and each “act” showcased a new set of performers which was so much fun to see the different types and styles of dance. VERY quality show!
Gibraltar
5/3 Check out of Seville, pick up rental car at train station and drive a few hours to Gibraltar and hang out with monkey’s for the day! Since this is a British Territory, the Cable Car to the top was £9.75. We didn’t do any of the nature walks or caves, but those included supervised interaction with the monkey’s. In light of time, we opted to simply explore and while we didn’t hold them, we got MIGHTY close! Lunch at The Cannon Bar, awesome English pub serving up truly authentic dishes with a great staff!! Wish I’d gotten my mushy peas, but the bar tender was so sweet to throw in some extra chips for us and let me know where to pick up my mushy peas! Great lunch spot! Then, back in the car for the 2 hour exit due to traffic leaving Gibraltar. Lovely drive for a few hours up the coast to Granada.
Seeing Gibraltar was fun and if you have the time to see it and the weather is nice, I suggest making the trip. It was nice to get a different perspective from the car versus taking a train, also I don’t think that this part of our trip would have been possible without renting a car. You’d better be quite comfortable with a manual since that’s all they drive over there but the roads were not hard to navigate and we had our iphone with international data so we used the turn-by-turn map feature and it was a great asset to us the entire trip.
Granada
5/3 Check in, find food then fall into bed
5/4 Toodle around the city until our 5pm check-in at Alhambra. Get ticket ahead of time! We got the “General Daytime Visit” (visita diurna general) which cost €13 and enabled us to see the Palacios Nazaries. Also saw the Cathedral (€3.50, one hour), Royal Chapel (Capilla Real) where Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand are buried (€3.50, hour), San Nicolas Viewpoint (Mirador de San Nicolas) which is a free lookout point accessible from the city via footpath. That night we had a 10:30pm departure for the overnight train to Barcelona.
This is a must see stop if you have a day or two. The city is great; it’s got a fun, younger vibe and the Alhambra is a must see sight. I didn’t really feel like this was a “foodie” as the other places we visited, not a downer just an observation. If you get a chance to get to the other side of the city and see the look out point it gives you a GREAT view of the city and the Alhambra and there are awesome steps winding down through the city to get you back downtown. (Thanks for the tip Rick Steves!) Also, this is the city where I discovered Bimba & Lola! They have wonderful clothes, BAGS, and jewelry!
Barcelona
5/5 – 5/6 Arrive at 9:30am, headed to where sister/brother-in-law were staying and happened upon the ApartmentsinBarcelona.net office and booked the next two nights lodging at the Tiradors Studio apartment which turned out to be fantastic! We saw: La Boqueria Market, Maritime Museo(€10, one hour guided audio tour of the Titanic exhibit, Columbus Monument (€free, at the waterfront), W Hotel Rooftop lounge at Sunset, Casa Mila Exterior (Gaudi), Parc Guell (€free, excellent walk from Las Ramblas, took about 2 hours to walk, see park and meander back, Sagrada Familia (€12.50, GET TICKET AHEAD of time at most La Caixa ATM branches. You can get advance tickets and it’s only about €15 with the printing charge and will save you HOURS in the line, plan on spending an hour here),
The overnight train was an “experience” but a pretty efficient way to travel! DON’T cab from the train station to the city, you’ll get the foreigner price double! The subway is SUPER easy to take and will drop you ANYWHERE in the city quickly and price efficiently. I would suggest 3 days for Barcelona. If you wanted to see MANY sights and tootle around the city longer you could do up to 5 days but I feel like you’d be able to see sights and get the feel of the culture in 3ish. If you’re there a few days and plan to se all the sights get the 10 trips card which will give you a discount. We have an AWESOME group we worked with to get a last minute reservation for an apartment to rent. (can get you their contact info) They have a bunch of locations, all of them are really nice and so affordable and the people were just great to work with! I will NEVER go to Barcelona without building in a trip to Sitges… read on!!!
Sea View Room in Sitges from Hotel Platjador
Sitges
5/7 – 5/9 Leave Barcelona on afternoon train (€3.50, 30 minute trip) to Sitges. Arrive, walk three blocks to the amazing Hotel Galeon, check in, use the drink cards they gave us for a complimentary two glasses of Cava (Spain’s Prosecco) at their sister location, the beach front Hotel Pltajador where we spent the next two nights in a water front AMAZING room!
5/10 Get up early, and sadly prepare to leave an INCREDIBLE COUNTRY!!!! If you’re heading straight to the airport like we were, there is a convenient bus that cost €5.60 and takes a direct 30 minute trip to the airport. One bus departs per hour.
Sitges was a GEM to find! We happened upon it in the Rick Steves book and a few days at a beach town sounded like a perfect way to end our vacation time. MAKE time to visit!!! It’s an AWESOME little city right on the best. Think old town charm meets ultimate beach destination: Venice/Manhattan Beach California esque. It’s sleepy, incredibly welcoming, clean, relaxing, and the people are JUST wonderful! Thanks to reading up on Trip Advisor reviews, we booked our first of three nights at the Hotel Galeon then moved to their sister hotel (which was #1 on TripAdvisor), the Hotel Pltajador and enjoyed an AMAZING and so affordable water view room for the remaining two nights of our beach town getaway. We didn’t see any sights since this was our relax and decompress time of the trip. The boardwalk hugging the beach the water provided a delightful 3 mile walk to stretch our legs and enjoy the weather. Incredible little city!!!
Sitges: Lux Restaurant Review
We also discovered an awesome little bar which had just opened three weeks prior to our visit named Lux. After wandering Sitges for over an hour, sight seeing turned into the walk that was fueled by a NEED to find food. We are what you might call detailed eaters. We know what we like and we’ll wait until we get it which happened in this case! Passing up multiple little bars and restaurants that just didn’t quite “draw us in” Lux was the the ultimate gem to find! Martin, the young and very entrepreneurial owner, was the only one working when we walked in. The menu really cinched our decision to stop and even though he wasn’t serving food at the time, he happily “whipped” us up a few salads and some small plates that were JUST divine!! While we loved tapas and can’t get enough, it was nice to see a menu that was traditional but very different offering fresh salads, inventive small plates and an array of drinks and beverages. Upon walking into the modern yet comfortable space we loved the atmosphere. First order of business, ordering a pitcher of sangria and let me tell you, that sangria was GOOD! We ordered guac and chips (which were playfully served with nacho flavored tortilla chips), the traditional Bread with tomato the tropical salad (served with lettuce, pineapple, salmon, tomato, sweet corn) and the tuna salad (served with (lettuce, tuna, tomato, cucumber, onion, olives, boiled egg, carrot, asparagus) that I still DREAM about!! The ingredients were SO fresh!!
Bread with tomato
Sangria
Grilled Eggplant in Tomato Vinaigrette Recipe – Berenjena con Vinagreta
Pimientos de Padron
Tortilla de Pata
Anchovies Marinated in Vinegar Recipe – Boquerones en Vinagre
Spanish Onion Relish Recipe – Salsa de Cebolla
Pisto Manchego (Spanish Ratatouille)
Pickled Anchovies w/Stuffed Olives
Tuna Salad (Lux Style)
Piquillo Pepper Stuffed w/ White Tuna
Spanish Mushrooms, Peppers and Garlic Recipe – Champinones, Pimientos y Ajo
Jamon y Pan
Mushrooms with Garlic and White Wine (Setas con Ajo y Vino Blanco)
Pasta Elias: Olive Paste Spread with Garlic (Tapenade)
Olive Tapenade: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/BLACK-OLIVE-TAPENADE-1240439 Travel Suggestions:
Learn the following of the native language before traveling: Study menu’s to learn the words (especially if you have food allergies) and become familiar with the cuisine, numbers, study their currency, how to order your coffee or tea
Research any local festivals or events before you book your travel, this could be either wonderful to see or a hassle to find lodging
If you have an iphone, get intl. data and use it for maps and info
Take a tour book! We used and loved the Rick Steves’ Spain 2012 and LOVED It!! These will provide background, history, walking tours, lodging and dining suggestions
We live in a such a fast paced society which focuses on and prizes instant gratification. Fast food restaurants, online access to everything, twitter and four square to keep track of our friends and iphone to make sure we have 24/7 access to everyone and everything we could possibly need.
Do you ever wish you could just “simplify” life? Do you look forward to the weekends to just “do” nothing because it’s a tuesday and you’re already worn out from the week and thinking about what’s ahead? Read this quote and sit with it for a moment…
“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.”– Lin Yutang
“Leaving things undone”… what a foreign concept to many of us! We are always so focused on “getting things done” that we sometimes forget what the essentials are! The guilt of not completing can drive us to keep adding to our lists. Just stop for a moment and look at your “to do” list and see if there is anything that is a “non-essential” and… are you ready? Prepared for this? JUST… SAY… NO!!
Shocking!? YES I KNOW! 🙂 Just say no to events, people, commitments and chores that infringe on your plans for your life and your relaxation time.
Creating the life you desire means taking charge how you spend your time. Make decisions about what matters to YOU!
This excerpt was passed along to me by my sweet mum and have some great wisdom! How often do you do any of the below? How can you in the next week choose to apply even one of these thoughts into action in your life? Have you faced any situations where you wished you would have responded in a more positive or constructive way? There are quite a few situations where I can think of in the past few weeks where, hindsight being 20/20, wish I would have responded in a more constructive and mature fashion.
The best part of life, is that you will have another chance and you hold the ability and opportunity to respond in a different way. Think now about how you wish you would respond to situations, prepare yourself and in the moment be the change you wish to see!!
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“…what it means to be whole, balanced, sane, and able to cope with life.
The FIRST mark of maturity is the ability to deal constructively with reality, to face facts, to resist covering, or calling reality something else, to deal with is at it is.
The SECOND mark is the ability to adapt quickly to change. We all experience change, whether it be physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, relational, or vocational. Immature people resist change; it makes them nervous. But the mark of maturity is to adapt to change because change is inevitable.
The THIRD mark is freedom from the symptoms of tension and anxiety. The worried look, the frown, the ulcers, the palpitations of the heart- all come from anxiety and worry and lack of trust.
FOURTH, maturity is being more satisfied with giving that receiving. When you find greater joy in the thoughtful planning of gifts and surprises for others, anticipating their happiness rather then your own, it is a sign you are growing up. You are discovering the true values of life.
The FIFTH mark is the ability to relate to others with consistency, helpfulness, and mutual satisfaction. Maturity is learning to get along with other people, to be a help not a hindrance, to contribute to the solution and not always be a part of the problem.
Finally, maturity is the ability to sublimate and redirect anger toward constructive ends. Maturity is the ability to use the adrenaline created by anger in a positive way, rather than loose your temper and add to the problem.
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Excerpt from “Waiting for the Second Coming: Studies in Thessalonians” by Ray C. Stedman
Available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Second-Coming-Studies-Thessalonians/dp/0929239148/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281658811&sr=8-1 ——————————————————————————————————————————
I love to learn from others, both through their successes and from the ways that didn’t “quite work” the first, second, third + time around. Everyone has such different experiences with different ways to respond to situations and one of the joys of living with an open mind and a hungry spirit is sharing and learning from others journeys. A few years ago, I started collecting quotes. Now, I must tell you that I have a very minimalist personality and haven’t “collected” since I was young and had my very own and quite expansive rock collection, which my parents kindly and wisely refused to box up and move from LA to Seattle. I recovered from the “loss” of my rocks, which a short attention span helped me to forget, and realized that collecting friends was much more fun and exponentially more rewarding.
So, I have realized or more accurately hoped that there may be others out there such as myself that sometimes need a little reminder, guidance, laugh, wisdom, pick me up, grounding, encouragement or _____ (you fill in the blank). While I would be overjoyed to share my friends I’ve collected (let me know if you’re ever in my neck of the woods!) so what I can share with you is my quote collection. This will be an ongoing project, and I would be DELIGHTED to have input from you, my dear friends, with additions to this list. Let it grow and spread that little ____ that’s needed!!!
Invest in the possibility of enriching those around you!
I also curate the Pinterest Board: “Well Said…” which is an on going collection of inspiring and funny quotes and I’m always adding more!
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“Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same. ”
-Francesca Reigler
“Life isn’t about finding yourself, Life is about creating yourself.”
-Unknown
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Life the life you’ve imagined.”
-Thoreau
“Live the rest of your life in possibility”
-Benjamin Zander
“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”
-Winston Churchill
“Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.”
– Jean-Paul Sartre
“I can change. I can live out my imagination instead of my memory. I can tie myself to my limitless potential instead of my limiting past.”
– Stephen Covey
“Change. It has the power to uplift, to heal, to stimulate, surprise, open new doors, bring fresh experience and create excitement in life. Certainly it is worth the risk.”
– Leo Buscaglia
“Don’t go through life, grow through life.”
– Eric Butterworth
“Happiness will come to you when it comes from you. Success will be yours when you choose to take responsibility for making it so”
-Unknown
“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a [wo]man’s determination.”
-Tommy Lasorda
“People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives.”
– J. Michael Straczynski
“To try is to risk failure. But risk must be taken because the greatest hazard of life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, live, and love.”
– Leo Buscaglia
“Be not afraid of changing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.”
– Chinese Proverb
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
– Gandhi
“The highest reward for a man’s toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it.”
-John Ruskin
“Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.”
– Stephen Covey
“The Meaning of life… is to give Life meaning”
-Ken Hudgins
“Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create that fact.”
-William James
“If you do not change direction, you may end up heading where you are heading. ”
-Lao Tzu
“Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.”
-John F. Kennedy
“It is never to late to be what you might have been.”
-George Eliot
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
-Mother Teresa
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
-Marcus Aurelius
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
-Thomas Edison
“Eagles may soar…but weasels never get sucked into jet engines”
“We have the need to be accepted and to be loved by others, but we cannot accept and love ourselves. The more self-love we have, the less we will experience self-abuse. Self-abuse comes from self-rejection, and self-rejection comes from having an image of what it means to be perfect and never measuring up to that ideal. Our image of perfection is the reason we reject ourselves the way we are, and why we don’t accept others the way they are.”
– Don Miguel Ruiz
“Your fears are not walls, but hurdles. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the conquering of it.” — Dan Millman How do we conquer fear? With action. Millman says that action is the ONLY way to move through fear. Fear aims to stop us in our tracks. When we step forward anyway, our anxiety eases. We begin to pay attention to what’s actually going on instead of being trapped in fearful speculation. When we’ve done it once, we can do it again. And again. And again. “Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.”
– Brendan Francis
I have the simplest of tastes, I am always satisfied with the best
-Oscar Wilde
My only regret in life is that I did not drink more wine
-Ernest Hemmingway
The ornament of a house Is the friends who frequent it.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Stick around. I may need someone to blame.
-Oscar Wilde
