Travels in Andalucía, Spain .. The Costa del Sol & Granada

We have been very lucky the last few years to travel quite a bit throughout Europe. Some of our travels have been strictly for pleasure, and some have been mixed with business. Whenever there is business involved, we always take the opportunity to combine it with a little vacation time, and I would suggest that everyone do the same and extend your time on either end to make the most of the long trip from the US.

So with that being said, my husband had been invited to be the keynote speaker at a conference in Marbella, Spain on the Costa del Sol. Never having been to that part of Spain, it was a good opportunity to turn part of the trip into a little vacation, and enjoy some tapas along the way.

Hotel Villa Padierna

We arrived the day before the conference and spent the night at the Hotel Villa Padierna, just outside of Marbella.

Although far out of town, Villa Padierna is a beautiful property located atop a hill with vistas overlooking a golf course, lake and rolling hills sloping down to the sea. Pretty great place to land and recuperate after an awfully long trip.

Hotel Villa Padierna Terrace

Since we had been up for about 30 hours straight, we decided to stay at the hotel and relax for the evening.  We had cocktails and a wonderful seafood dinner on the terrace while watching the sun slowly set across the great vista, not too hard to take. This is where I first used the words that my cousin, Pat, had told me would be invaluable while in Spain, "uno mas" ... one more ...

In the morning we enjoyed a breakfast buffet that included just about anything you could possibly imagine, and then some. It was all so relaxing, sipping morning coffee in what looked like paradise. We hated to leave this tranquil oasis, but had to head over to the conference hotel in Puerto Banus.

What a disappointment, especially after staying at such a lovely hotel, to arrive at the H10 Andalucia Plaza. We found the reception staff to be disinterested, the hotel to be tired and worn, and the location - across the highway from Puerto Banus - to be inconvenient. Although just a few blocks away, the only way to get to town by foot was through a creepy, dark tunnel. As this was the conference hotel, we had no choice but to stay here, so the only thing to do was to make the best of it.

Old Downtown Marbella

We took a cab to old downtown Marbella. We walked along the beach on the seafront promenade passing boats brimming with sardines roasting over makeshift grills. We then headed up the hill to town through narrow, winding cobbled streets as we discovered a new delight at every turn ... a plaza, a café, a beautiful church, a whitewashed home adorned with colorful window boxes. After a very long walk, we settled down at an outdoor café for some wine and tapas of Serrano ham and Manchego cheese. Once again I practiced those treasured words ... uno mas, por favor, uno mas!

The next morning my husband headed off to give his presentation. While he spent the day in sessions, I got up the courage to head through the creepy, dark tunnel to explore Puerto Banus.

Puerto Banus

This is the place to shop for Louis Vuitton and Carolina Herrera, or, if you have no money (like me), ogle fabulous luxury yachts while sipping a drink at one of the many open air restaurants and bars. After walking along the water for a couple of hours, I returned to town and settled down at an outdoor café in front of a big yacht to practice my uno mas ...

Hotel Macia Plaza

The following morning we hopped a bus to Granada, traveling from the Mediterranean Sea through hills laden with olive trees to the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We landed in the heart of Granada at a little hotel called the Hotel Macia Plaza in the middle of Plaza Nueva. Our room had a small balcony right on the plaza with a view of the hills and the Alhambra. It was perfect.

We spent the rest of the day wandering about the streets of Granada, exploring nooks and crannies, touring churches and other sights, eating tapas (we ate so much ham and cheese throughout our trip that I didn’t know whether to oink or to bleat) and drinking wine. We had a late dinner, as is the Spanish custom, of gazpacho and seafood paella and strolled back to our gem of a hotel.

Early Morning View of the
Plaza and Alhambra

The next day we had reserved tickets for the Alhambra, an incredible palace and fortress of the Moorish monarchs perched on a hill overlooking the town. We found the buildings and grounds to be both fascinating and absolutely beautiful.

After touring and walking around for hours we stopped by the Parador of Granada, a small four-star hotel in a fifteenth century convent, which is part of the Palace of Alhambra. The Paradors are hotels, often housed in historic structures, run by the Spanish government. We wandered out to their patio and enjoyed sturgeon tapas, the best tapas of the whole trip, and, of course, uno mas.

Alhambra at Sunset

After a little more walking we caught one of the red mini buses that speed around town, and headed over to Plaza St. Nicholas in the Albaicin area across the river from the Alhambra. The view from the plaza of the Alhambra and the city below was magnificent. We took in the vistas and listened to impromptu music performed by locals and visitors alike. We then discovered a café next to the plaza to watch the light dancing across the hills and the Alhambra as it slowly drifted away into evening. Awe inspiring, and a chance to practice more uno mas!

The wonderful food and wine throughout our trip, from the Costa del Sol to Granada, was not only very tasty, but reasonably priced as well. A glass of wine that would cost from 9 to 15 dollars in our area of the world costs only 3 to 5 euros. The food was also much less expensive, especially considering that one can easily create a varied and satisfying meal from an assortment of tapas.

View from Our Room of the
Parador de Malaga Gibralfaro

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Granada and view of the plaza and the hills, leaving early morning to head back to the Mediterranean and the town of Malaga. I selected a Spanish Parador for our last hotel stay. The Parador de Malaga Gibralfaro is quite pretty. It lies in the old quarter of Malaga overlooking the town and the port, next to the Alcazaba Citadel, which was built by the Moors. 

We wandered around the Alcazaba and continued our walk down the steep hill to town.

As Picasso was born here, there is a fine museum devoted to his works. After touring the museum, strolling through the park and the old town area, we stopped for tapas and the best sangria of the trip.

A Final Spanish Meal at the
Parador de Malaga Gibralfaro

We made our way back to the hotel where we, much like we began our trip, enjoyed a delicious final meal on the hotel's terrace overlooking the town and sea. We feasted on scallops, fried sardines and fresh fish, then raised our glasses to a wonderful trip and to uno mas ...

Adventures in Culinary School

As I mentioned in my first posting, I attended culinary school while living and working in the Los Angeles area. I was one of those people everyone knows that loved to cook and entertain; the one that people always say should open a restaurant or catering business.

Knowing I was going to be forced to make a job change, as my division within a large aerospace company was being moved to Canada, I decided to take the opportunity to explore something completely different. Maybe I should go into catering I thought, everyone tells me to. So I took a test, passed and started culinary school at night.

The first semester I took two courses, a catering course and Principles of Cooking I. It was the latter that practically caused me to have a nervous breakdown.

At the first class we’re all a study in white; properly dressed in our starched-white chef coats, aprons and side towels, waiting to meet our instructor. We are all different … backgrounds, ages, reasons for being there. In walks the Chef. Without a smile or a hello, he somberly lays down the rules. You are not allowed to miss any classes or you fail. You must be on time, at your station, and prepared to begin work promptly at 6:00pm. If you are over 10 minutes late to his four-hour class, the class does not count and you must make it up, even if it means having to wait until the next semester. This is serious business. Got it?

He snarls as he asks each student why they are in his class. He doesn’t hide his contempt of some answers, especially when a young girl responds that she wants to learn to cook. This is, after all, a professional course; we should have already achieved a certain level of cooking expertise. After four hours of hell, we file out of class. I’m wondering how many people will return. Will I have the stomach to get through the semester? Is it worth it?

Having worked in restaurants through high school and college, I knew it was a tough industry, but I wasn’t expecting school to be like this.

Only about half the students show up for the second class. I’m one of them. I begin to slice an onion when all of a sudden The Chef storms down, grabs the onion out of my hand, and slams it down facing a different direction, yelling at me all the while.

Trembling, I managed to mutter the words “thank you.” Yes, thank you Chef for manhandling my onion and for making me a nervous wreck, I really appreciate it.

I couldn’t sleep, I developed a constant pain in my neck and shoulders, I was a mess. All of this for what, what did I really expect to gain from this? Did I truly want to work in an industry full of Chefs?

Somehow I made it through the semester, even got an A-, it was to be the lowest grade I received during my year and a half of culinary school, but I was delighted. Delighted I didn’t fail and delighted to be finished with the Chef. 

I switched teachers for Principles of Cooking II, using vacation days so I could get into the day course and away from the Chef. I was so happy to be with the nice, female teacher. Her class was so much more relaxing, what a relief. Then to my horror, at the end of the first session, she announced that there were not enough students to warrant two classes, so we were all being transferred to the night class. I wanted to cry. Not only was I going back to the Chef, but I’ll return with him knowing I wanted out of his class, I’m doomed!

It’s the second session, my first back with the Chef. I enter the kitchen with a big ache in my stomach. He looks at the students that transferred from the day course. He looks at me, the defector. He smiles, didn’t know he could do that, and welcomes me back. The class was completely different. He was much friendlier and even fun at times. By the end of the semester we had a little rivalry going between our alma maters’ - my Boston College and his Michigan State - football teams. He was a real person after all, who knew?

The Chef was hard on us that first semester because he wanted to separate the wheat from the chaff. He worked hard to get where he was. He graduated from Michigan State’s restaurant management school and then from the Culinary Institute of America. He paid his dues working hard in a variety of restaurants. He knew what the culinary world was like, and that it wasn’t a place for people that weren’t disciplined and dedicated. Nor was it a place for those with thin skin.

I went through three semesters with the Chef and grew to like and respect him. I received a culinary certificate in catering and event planning. In the end though, I decided that catering wasn’t for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and met a lot of great people along the way. I use the knowledge I gained every day in one way or another, and would do it all again. I have the greatest respect for those that have honed their skills and practice their craft in the culinary world, bringing us wonderful, creative food and spectacular events.

The Crab Cake, Maryland's Delicacy

Seafood is my favorite thing to cook at home and to order out too. Maybe it’s the Maryland girl in me, but out of all the seafood swimming about, I believe my favorite is the Chesapeake Blue Crab. It is a luxurious food, not the same as caviar; but when those moist, flaky jumbo lumps bring that gentle touch of the sea to the mouth, well it is obvious that this is a special indulgence.

Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes

Its delicate, slightly salty flavor is never too strong and, like the popular girl in school, it always blends well no matter the occasion.

The casual crowd prefers it to arrive dressed as a crab cake; the homebodies prefer it to hang out with corn in chowder; the trendy set invites it to sit on a potato galette; and the sophisticates insist it make itself at home in a fine terrine.

I love to serve it just about any way. My preference changes with my guest list. When my brothers visit, I think I would be drawn and quartered if I didn’t serve crab cakes with coleslaw and French fries. I only use jumbo lump crab and never use filler except for a quick roll in bread crumbs before cooking.

When hosting a more formal dinner party, I like to raise the level of style by serving something a little special like a layered crab timbale or terrine as a first course. For the entrée, I might create a roulade by rolling some sole or flounder around crab that has had an addition of sweet cream and a little seasoning. Crab imperial, served in scallop shells, is always scrumptious and makes an impressive presentation. Dinner for the two of us on a chilly autumn weeknight may consist of a large bowl of hearty crab and corn chowder and a crusty baguette.

Unfortunately crab, unlike shrimp and scallops that can be bought frozen, isn’t something that is easy to have on hand. It is incredibly versatile though, and it adds elegance wherever it goes … much like that popular girl back in school ...

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These crab cakes are the real deal from Maryland's Chesapeake Bay to you.

Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes
(Serves 4 - makes 8 crab cakes, 2 per person.)

• 1 pound crabmeat, cleaned (best to use lump or jumbo lump)
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup fine, dry bread crumbs (can substitute gluten-free breadcrumbs, for a GF meal)

Mix together until well blended, egg, mayonnaise, prepared mustard, butter, parsley, dry mustard and seafood seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

Gently fold in crabmeat, being careful not to break up crab lumps.

Shape into 8 crab cakes. Roll in breadcrumbs.

Either broil or sauté crab cakes until lightly browned. Serve with tartar sauce or lemon wedges.

30 Minute Pantry

Trends show the consumption of convenience frozen food products will continue to grow at a fast pace. This is an unhealthy trend, as most frozen food products contain large amounts of fat and salt and are void of important nutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables. With a few key ingredients on hand, a fresher and healthier alternative meal can be whipped up in very little time.

Kitchen Staples: Onions, Shallots and Garlic

We all have favorite items to keep on hand in the fridge and pantry. Those foods that I always like to have at the ready are those that are the most versatile. With busy schedules being the norm, having a few key, fresh ingredients in the house makes it easy to whip up a quick and easy, yet healthy and tasty, meal.

Mushrooms, tomatoes, celery, carrots, garlic and onions can always be found in my vegetable bin. These ingredients can be tossed with almost anything; adding flavor and texture to sauces, soups, stews, grains and pastas. In culinary school, it seemed we started everything with a ‘mirepoix’ – two parts onion, one part carrot and one part celery. It was practically the first term we learned, after ‘mise en place’ – having everything in its place – before beginning to cook.

I think of mushrooms as a blank slate and love to sauté them with onions and garlic, add salt, pepper and parsley and watch them as they soak up all the flavors, turning brown and handsome. I toss them with rice or pasta for side dishes and use them raw, along with sliced tomatoes in salads.

Lemons, limes, oranges and apples are also handy flavor boosters. Use lemons to make a vinaigrette and seafood sauces; limes to toss with avocado, tomatoes and fruit to make salsas; oranges to stuff in a chicken cavity with onions, garlic and herbs for lots of extra flavor. Apples go well with pork and can easily be made into applesauce or chutney. For a quick dessert, what’s better than an apple crisp?

My favorite main dish foods are poultry and seafood, and out of these I find chicken and shrimp to be the most versatile. I always have a bag of shrimp and boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the freezer. They both cook up quickly and can be tossed into salads and pasta dishes, rolled in eggrolls, added to soups as well as prepared into a variety of dishes on their own.

Quick Ham and Egg Salad

Ham steaks last a long time in the fridge and, since they are already cooked, can also be added to salads and pasta to make a complete meal. Toss with chopped hard-boiled eggs, chopped celery, a little mayonnaise and mustard, and salt and pepper for a change from tuna salad.

I buy fresh cheese tortellini in bulk, package it in zipper plastic bags, then freeze it so I can grab as many as I need for a quick dinner. They can be topped with warmed spaghetti sauce, or with a simple basil sauce with diced tomatoes and red onions for a really quick meal.

With a little planning and a few fresh items in the house, along with a variety of grains and pasta in the pantry, there is no need to buy fast food or prepackaged frozen foods for those busy weeknight dinners. Remember what Julia Child said: "You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients."

The Beginning

I love everything food … the planning, looking, gathering, chopping, cooking, breathing in the aromas, pairing it with wine, savoring each bite, and most of all, presenting it to my friends and loved ones.

It’s funny how I came to love food, as it wasn’t always so. I remember being the last one at the dinner table every night, forced to sit there until I had eaten every miserable morsel (or at least hidden every miserable morsel in my napkin). My mother was an Irish meat and potatoes kind of cook. She cooked everything into submission. Meat was cooked until every drop of juice had been drained from it, more resembling my leather sole than a steak. It would be years before I realized roast beef wasn’t supposed to be grey and tough. To be fair, she had to cook for my father, my four older brothers and me, and it was an era not known for sophisticated food and palates.

She was a wonderful baker though, and that is how I began my culinary adventures. Dragging up a stool so that I could get my little, grubby hands in everything, most likely driving her crazy. A drop of cookie dough here, a roll of a pie crust there, I soon became an accomplished baker, not fancy, but good.

It wasn’t until high school that I ventured into cooking. My best friend and I needed an idea for a French class project. We decided to make a French dinner for our teacher. A trip to the library later, we were pouring over Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I remember the menu to this day: French Onion Soup, Beef Bourguignon, and Tarte Normande aux Pommes (Custard Apple Tart) for dessert ... quite an undertaking for two sixteen year old girls that had never prepared an entire dinner before. Each course was tastier than the previous … it was delicious, we got an A, and I was hooked.

Through my college years and beyond I took pleasure in hosting dinner parties and experimenting with new foods and cooking techniques. A few years back, while living and working in the Los Angeles area, I went to culinary school at night. There my eyes were really opened … balsamic vinegar, porcini mushrooms, risotto … what fun! I learned so much and went from preparing good, basic food, to creating wonderful dishes.

I earned a culinary certificate, but decided to keep my day job. I do teach cooking classes and do some event planning on the side. But mostly I just enjoy preparing wonderful food for my family and friends, and appreciate a fine culinary adventure whenever I get the chance.