Tenerife Journal

Unexpected Vegetables

2012-01-25T19:36:00.005Z

The unexpected tomato

Sometimes things grow when and where you don't expect them, because you haven't planted them and they just pop up by themselves. Here we are in mid January and I have tomatoes and green peppers sprouting in a large old pot where I was growing basil and thyme.

My compost bowl

I keep a compost bowl in my kitchen beside the sink, where I put the daily scraps of peelings and cuttings from fruit and vegetables, used coffee and tea bags, all of which goes out every evening to the old composter which has seen better days. It now needs to be emptied and fitted together properly so there are no open edges.

But my gardener, being a practical man, has tied a heavy string around the whole thing in an attempt to keep it together until the next time we empty it. In the meantime the birds are having a feast on the insects or worms which are populating the lower levels, and are scratching out the fine new soil from the cracks.

The old composter

So after I've dumped the day's collection of goodies into the composter, I put the bowl under a tap, fill it with water, and dump the water into one of my large flower pots on the way back to the kitchen.

Sometimes there are seeds and small bits clinging onto the bowl and I guess in this case there were both pepper and tomato seeds. They sprouted and have produced fruit that never would have appeared had I planted the seeds deliberately.

The pepper plant

This is the second pepper to appear. The first one is long gone into one of my salads.

And by the look of it, there are more tomatoes on the way.

And still more:

I shall have to try this throughout the spring and summer. After all if I can grown tomatoes and peppers outdoors in January without even trying, perhaps I can do mangos and avocados as well later in the year!

The winter has been mild and beautiful so far. We do need rain though. I hope we have a wet February and March so the ground has a good soaking and the water reservoirs are filled again.

Bye for now, thanks for your visit and ¡hasta la vista!

Walking Around

2012-01-17T14:04:00.002Z

It's still high tourist season and the streets of Puerto de la Cruz are full of people from more northern latitudes here for the warmth and sunshine. Seen last Sunday while out for a stroll:

Some cafes cater more to German visitors.

Still there is a mixture of European nationalities holidaying here in winter.

The news kiosks are especially busy on weekends.

Several cafes line the seawall overlooking the north coast making it a favourite route.

Misty low hanging clouds obscuring Mount Teide.

I've been told by several people now that the mouse I trapped and released into the wild was in fact a baby rat. I guess I haven't seen enough of either to tell the difference, however I think he must be the luckiest rat in the area to have been taken away for an early morning ride in my car and let loose, rather than having been killed.

Setting the humane trap again with bait has so far not produced any family members of this little creature so hopefully he was a loner!

Bye for now, ¡hasta la vista!

Feels Like Spring

2012-01-15T10:44:00.000Z

Blackbird at the feeder.

Yes they're coming around again and so I've filled the feeder trays for them and hope that I don't attract any unwanted rodents! It seems that the little fellow I trapped and released yesterday is, by the consensus of opinion, not a mouse but rather a young rat !!!!

Anyway I have set the trap again in case he has any friends or relatives wandering around the garden, looking for a good place to nest.

And although she caught a mouse yesterday, Minnie would rather sit around the garden, posing and looking beautiful.

And it really is time now to prune the roses but they always seem to bloom so well just before pruning. I can leave them for a couple of weeks more though. After a pruning at this time of the year my house is full of bouquets of roses and it's wonderful.

The petunias are still flowering too. What a warm winter we've had!

And we have TWO.....exactly two grapefruit on our tree this season. After pruning the tree very hard last spring in an attempt to get rid of the current insect plague on the reverse of the leaves, which has been devastating the citrus crops in Canaries, we now have a tree thick with very dark green leaves and no fruit........except for these two!

And this has been a tree that has year after year born so much fruit that we we've had to give most away. I hope it comes back. If not, then I would like to plant a pink grapefruit tree, as that variety is usually very juicy.

I'm off for a Sunday walk today and will be taking more photos. We still have the end of a bout of CALIMA, which has lasted for days. That's the weather condition where warm winds from Africa bring suspended sandy dust over to the Canary Islands, causing drier air and warmer than normal temperatures.

Bye for now, and ¡hasta la vista!

Mouse in The Oven

2012-01-13T15:10:00.003Z

We've had a mouse living in the warming oven at the bottom of my big oven for some time!

I haven't turned on the main oven for about a year to do any large scale baking or roasting as I have a smaller countertop oven that does the job just as well. We found bits of the insulation of the big oven laying on the floor of the warming oven (which is underneath at floor level) ) as well as dry cat food pellets behind the sofa in the living room!

Behind the stove we also found a small potato and an eggshell both of which displayed chew marks.

Minnie, the cat, who loves to jump at anything that moves, especially lizards, hadn't shown the slightest interest in hunting down the little creature, but we did see her sniffing at floor level in unexpected places, so we knew we had an uninvited guest in the house.

We bought a humane trap in the hardware shop, one of those little cages with a spring trap door and after being sure that there wasn't a single crumb of food to be found on the floor or countertops of my kitchen, I laid the trap with bits of dry catfood in a piece of mesh. Waited two nights with no luck. So I added a piece of fresh ham....another two nights with no luck. Then I bought some English cheddar and put a small chunk on the bait hook. Waited one night and then.....VOILA...this morning at 7 am I found our little intruder frightened and inside the cage.

So as soon as it was light I covered the cage with a towel, put him in the trunk of the car and drove him down to where the waste ground begins, where walkers begin the trek to Bollulo Beach, and where the wind gliders jump off the cliff over north Puerto de la Cruz.

I chose a thick bush under which some birds were scampering along the ground, bent down and lifted the trap door.

Little creature hesitated a moment until he realized the door was open.
He then ran under the bush and disappeared.

The moral of the story is .....nothing tastes as good as a mature English cheddar cheese!!!!

But also.....when you trap and release a mouse (or rat) be sure and take him a good distance away.
Two kilometers has been recommended as a safe distance, to avoid them returning to visit you again!

After checking out Google images, I take him to be a HOUSE MOUSE also known as MUS MUSCULUS.

And be careful not to leave dishes of dry food pellets around the house for your dog or cat.
But if you do, and begin to find mounds of dry food in strange places, then you know you are feeding an uninvited pet.

And if you have one of these....or similar.....they are called in Spanish:

mouse.......ratón

rat.............rata

(He looks quite cute doesn't he!)

Bye for now.......¡ hasta la vista!

I'm Back

2012-01-11T14:22:00.000Z

Greenfinch

Hello again. Here we are already in January of the new year 2012!

After a long absence I'm back on my blog.

I had a major computer crash last fall and at the same time I have been occupied caring for a family member who has been ill over the past year, so I was unable to spend the time I would have liked here on Tenerife Journal.

However the new computer has been installed and I have a new camera to try out so I'm ready and looking forward to being back here again.

The blackbirds and doves are busy in the garden hunting for stray pieces of dry cat food, and the other day I heard a black cap warbler singing. (Audio link from the web.) We've had no winter on the island, with sunshine, warm temperatures and little rain. The peach blossoms are out in my back yard and the brugmansia is in full bloom.

Canon EOS 600D EF 50mm lens f/5

This is still the time when poinsettias are blooming in our back yard, along roadsides and in many private gardens. As the weather has been mild with no wind or rainstorms, they are still looking pretty good. We usually prune them down at the end of February when both flowers and leaves are looking bedraggled.

And while walking down in the town during the Christmas holidays, there were many living statues to be seen in the streets. This one had a perpetual water flow from his urn into the dish below. He must have a hose and pump cleverly hidden somewhere!

What patience to be able to stand still for such a long time!

I'll be back very soon with more pictures from the last weeks as well as some from future walks around the town.

Wishing everyone an early Springtime full of showers and flowers!

Thanks for your visit and ¡hasta la vista!

Dia de Canarias May 30

2011-05-31T12:05:00.001+01:00

A celebration in the Canary Islands commemorating the first session of the Canary Island Parliament, which took place May 30, 1983.

It is now a fiesta day of folkloric and cultural events in all of the seven Canary Islands.

Here a display of typical Canary food samples to taste, sponsored by a local supermarket with the employees dressed in their local costumes, the 'trajes de mago'.

Fish croquettes - a popular local tapa.

Local goat cheese and chorizo.

Canary Island sweet cakes.

A sample of locally made red wine.

Thanks for dropping by....do come again and until then... ¡Hasta la Vista!

Walking Downtown

2011-05-29T18:23:00.003+01:00

A warm May morning when shops are just opening and all is fresh.

Calle Iriarte (Puerto de la Cruz)

Playa Martianez

Calle Iriarte

There is always something new to see and even a walk a day doesn't reveal all.

Thanks for dropping by. Do come again and until then, ¡Hasta la Vista!

A Day in May

2011-05-26T21:05:00.000+01:00

Our back garden early afternoon today, warm and cloudy:

And the front garden just before sunset today:

We're so lucky to have this semi-tropical green oasis on our doorstep.

May Morning

2011-05-15T12:52:00.000+01:00

After many cloudy days, the sun returned this morning.

And the house was filled with sunshine.

And Granada rose was in full flush with a strong, spicy perfume.

More Brilliant Flowers

2011-04-13T19:05:00.003+01:00

It's the time of the year when they all come out at once.

Bougainvillae, Osteospermum and Aloe

They love the warm, cloudy April weather.

More to come....

Seen while walking April 14....

It's such a pleasure to walk around and see these scenes.

Thanks for dropping by and hasta la vista!

Mme. Pierre S. Dupont

2011-04-02T19:42:00.000+01:00

Mme. P.S.Dupont

A favourite in my garden. I have the climbing version of this rose, also know in North America as Mrs. P.S. Dupont. It was bred by Charles Mallerin of France in 1929 as a hybrid tea, and later bred as a climber by Hillock in U.S.A. in 1933.

Although this is not ideal rose growing country, there are some which do well in my garden. This one is on a very sheltered east-facing wall, crowded between vigorous climbing plants which often hide the rose canes.

Things grow madly here in this climate and cutting back is a weekly chore.

I love the rich buttery colour, the dark red stamens and the dainty petals. Also the way the center petals stay tightly closed while the outer petals are unfolding, as in the middle photo.

Thanks for dropping by! Do come again soon. Hasta la Vista!

Doves and Blackbirds

2011-04-01T21:33:00.001+01:00

So many new birds have been visiting our garden lately. I have never seen this type of dove before and couldn't believe my eyes when one came to rest in the brugmansia the other day. Luckily I had gone into the garden camera in hand intending to catch Minnie the cat as she played. But then I saw a flash of white stripe on a tail flying by, and then a shock of pink and tan feathers settling down on a branch. I crept nearer and then used the zoom on my camera to catch this lovely creature.

Note...some days later:

I've since discovered that this dove is called the PALOMA RABICHE (Columba Junoniae) and it is a species endemic to Canary Islands, being found primarily in the laurel forests (bosques de laurisilva.)

PALOMA RABICHE

I showed this photo to my gardener, a local man, who said these coloured doves are quite common here in Canary Islands. I do hope this one will visit often.

We also have a pair of light tan doves who spend their time in our Jerusalem thorn tree and since a friend told me that doves mate for life with one partner, I guess this must be a honeymoon couple who have set up house in our garden with a nest nearby. I'm looking forward to seeing the little ones come to the feeder.

Just hope there are too many of them! But aren't they lovely!

Here they are in the thorn tree. Can you spot them?

Those yellow spiked flowers on the left are aloe vera.

And the doves close up...

And not to forget the blackbirds who visit every day. I haven't seen any baby birds yet from them.

I hope the nests weren't destroyed with that big wind storm we had earlier.

Here are some taginaste blooming in a street garden. They are over 5 ft tall. These are in the same family as the red ones which bloom on the high mountainous area around the Teide volcano.

A landscape on the edge of town.

And looking out of my computer room window at the masses of bougainvillea in the garden.

Have a lovely beginning of April!

Thanks for your visit and do drop by again.

Hasta la vista!

Sunshine Again

2011-03-20T13:38:00.000Z

Oh it's now a lovely Sunday morning and our sun has returned. The temperatures are warming up after that cold spell. Still plenty of snow on the mountain and the surrounding hills, but down here below it's good weather for sitting outdoors with a book, hanging out the laundry or going for a walk.

These are some of my weather photos from the last days which include the birds that come to visit my bird feeder.

Looking out with a zoom towards the Orotava Valley:

Yesterday was sunny too.

Our red trumpet vine is growing like a weed after we had so much rain.

I was recently in the Botanical Garden and again marvelled at the size of the Ficus Macrophylla.

Below is one of the many photos I've taken of the tree:

Ficus Macrophylla (Moreton Bay Fig)

Through the window:

Brugmansia this morning:

This morning there was a flea market at the supermarket.

I had a good look at the brass ornaments and was tempted to buy a gazelle. I have two lovely old brass camels which I bring out at Christmas time and have since been looking for a third one to complete the scenario of the Three Kings. But I decided the gazelle really didn't look enough like a camel.

And so I bought two little pots of thyme for planting in my garden instead.

Have a lovely weekend!

Thanks for dropping by and do come back again for a visit. Until then...¡Hasta la vista!

Chilly in Canarias

2011-03-17T13:40:00.001Z

Snow on the hills of Las Cañadas de Teide National Park

We've been having a cold snap lately as a low pressure area with very low temperatures has come to the Canary Islands and southern Spain. Luckily it is now moving away but temperatures are still unusually cold for this time of the year.

Recently there was new snow on the Teide volcano with the snow level being the lowest ever, enabling local people to see and play in the snow, many for the first time in their lives.

The Teide volcano, the highest peak of all Spain at 3,718 meters

As a weather and cloud watcher I'm taking daily photos for a local forum.

Here are some recent photos I've taken of our area.

The blackbird brings his lady friend to breakfast at my bird feeder.

And the dove also brings a friend along for some food

March rain on my back patio

A thunder storm approaches

Minnie listens to thunder

A double rainbow in a dark sky

Sun and large clouds during unsettled weather

Some brilliant sunsets after the rain

And with the sun again a blackbird sings in our garden:

Thanks for your visit..and do come again another day. ¡Hasta la vista!

Lentil Stew

2011-03-13T15:17:00.005Z

Lentils stewed with chorizo - Lentejas Estofadas

As we have rainy weather today I began thinking about warm stews and soups.

And since I haven't posted a recipe here for a long time, for a change today I'll show you a couple of dishes I make quite frequently:

One of my favourite Spanish comfort foods is stewed lentils.

Here in Canarias lentils (lentejas) and chickpeas (garbanzos) are frequently seen stewed with chorizo, potatoes and vegetables.

These are delicious starters or full meals which can be found in local family-style restaurants where Canary cooking is served. Often the wife is in the kitchen and the husband and children are serving the tables. They are usuallythe best places for trying the local cuisine before making them in your own kitchen.

Here's a good recipe that I've used for making a wholesome lentil stew:

First the ingredients:

Ingredients for making a lentil stew

Lentil Stew - Lentejas Estofadas

Ingredients:

350 grams (1 1/2 cups) of small dark lentils - put them to soak the night before in water to cover
*Note: nowadays many lentils are sold as quick cooking and don’t need soaking.
100 grams (3.5 oz) red stewing chorizo sausage - lightly pricked over with tines of a fork
50 grams (1.7 oz) salted tocino pork fat - cut into large diced pieces
1 TBSP flour
2 carrots finely diced
2 medium leeks, using only white stems sliced finely in rounds
1 or 2 lg cloves garlic (optional but I wouldn't leave it out) - pass through garlic press
2 cups beef broth (or 2 Knorr beef cubes)
1 bay leaf
fresh rosemary - small sprig
olive oil - about 1/4 cup

extra water to add after 1st hour

Method:

1. Soak lentils the night before in water to cover.
*Note: some lentils are sold as quick cooking and don’t need soaking.

2. Next day drain and rinse lentils, put aside.

3. Heat olive oil in heavy cooking pot. When sizzling, add carrots, garlic and leeks.

Lightly brown while stirring.

4. Add 1 TBSP flour and keep stirring for about a minute.

5. Add lentils, beef broth, whole chorizo, tocino, laurel and rosemary

6. Put on lid and simmer very gently for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Check after 1st hour and add more water if needed.

7. Adjust seasoning and serve.

And if you're like me and sometimes prefer it as a puré, then remove the pieces of chorizo and put the stew through a blender or hand cranked puré mill and serve it with homemade toasted garlic croutons and a few snips of flat Italian parsley.

A red Canary wine and some crusty bread make this a wholesome dish!

Lentil puré

In another world away from Canary Islands - and back to my part of west coast Canada:

If you are interested in artifacts and stories from the Pacific northwest, may I brag a little about my daughter Michelle's blog "Relics and Tales", where she has recorded some fine stories as recounted to her by her father-in-law, a man who has travelled the world on motorbike, collecting antiques and unusual items along the way. Together with Michelle's fine photography, I think they make an interesting pair, presenting some little known anecdotes from past and present.

Thanks for dropping by, and ¡hasta la vista!

A Visit to The Botanical Garden

2011-03-10T13:42:00.002Z

I've been trying to find out the name of this succulent plant which grows in several well tended outdoor planters in a nearby shopping center.

I am sure it is a Kalanchoe but which variety?

It is healthy and a clear shade of jade green, and as most succulents do here in the Canary Islands, growing to a large size in the open air.

Unidentified Kalanchoe

After browsing through my books on Canary flora and checking the web without any success I decided to head up to the local Botanical Garden to see if there was any planted there.

As always, I became involved in having a look at some of my favourite spots inside the garden, but keeping an eye out for a plantation of succulents.

The orchid and fern bower looked inviting:

Bromeliads, orchids and ferns

Anthuriums do well here in the shade tunnel:

Anthuriums

The tree with hanging Spanish moss attracts visitors with cameras:

Not really a moss, the Tillandsia usneoides belongs to the Bromeliaceae family.

Waterlily blooming on the lily pond:

And up a few steps is the koi pond, A good place to sit and rest.

I was pleased when these two ladies came and sat down to complete the peaceful scene

for my photo.

Well I didn't have any success finding that Kalanchoe in the garden, but I found that I could consult with a specialist in the office if I returned the next day. So I did that and after some checking with another colleague, the botanist told me that it could be a Kalanchoe Thyrsifolia.....but he wasn't sure.

So the search will continue! Next stop - the garden centres in case I find one there.

And to add a little more from the jazz and BBQ event in my last entry, here's Maria at Alvaro's tennis club pouring the wine for our table during the barbecue lunch:

With good music and food we all had a wonderful time!

Papas arrugadas ....those Canary wrinkled salt potatoes and the famous sauces: red and green mojos:

Papas Arrugadas con mojos

And for dessert, a flan with homemade ice cream.

I'm still on the trail of identifying that Kalanchoe so there will be more about that soon!

Thanks for dropping by. Come back again soon. ¡Hasta la vista!

More Local Scenery

2011-03-02T15:59:00.002Z

Viewpoint in La Paz, Puerto de la Cruz

Continuing to upload here some of the local scenery from this February.

The Lido downtown at Martianez Beach

Outside my window - female blackbird

Our front garden

El Duranzo and Las Arenas

Our back garden and Tigger

A good time was had by all last Sunday at Alvaro's tennis club jazz barbecue event.

I sat with friends and classmates from our Pilates group.

We had a lovely meal and the music was great.

Here's one of my photos along with a video clip of the jazz group made by John Debnam:

Abundant smoke can be seen in the clip from the BBQs cooking down at ground level!

There were papas arrugadas, those wrinkled Canary Island potatoes with mojo sauces, salads, sausages, chicken and pork steaks, flan dessert, wine and beer.

I'll post more of my photos from this day in the next entry.

Thanks for dropping by, and ¡hasta la vista!

Street Scenes and The Weather Report

2011-02-26T14:07:00.001Z

Lookout in La Paz, Tenerife

I've been doing a daily weather column in a local forum since last year and along with the current weather conditions in my area of North Tenerife I include photos taken the same morning and the previous afternoon.

The Teide in February

This is my own choice to include photos but it does give an impression of the general climate and atmosphere of this part of the island. It also requires me to get out and walk around each day, including days when I'm not in the mood for an outing, even if it's just in my own garden. So the weather report does have a beneficial effect on me as well.

The Lido at Downtown Puerto de la Cruz & Martianez Beach

But living in this wonderful climate, it doesn't take much prompting to get me outdoors walking around with the camera, or jumping in the car, driving somewhere and stopping to take photos. I really do enjoy it. So I should include some of those picture here, even though they are for the most part just casual snapshots, albeit taken with some thought.

So here are a few of my daily photos taken with my small pocket point and shoot Panasonic Lumix. I'll continue in future to include some of these daily street and garden scenes to show this lovely part of Tenerife island.

This young lady didn't know I was photographing her as she was taking a photo of the sleeping cat:

Thanks for dropping by. Do come again. ¡Hasta la Vista!

The TV Show

2011-02-23T15:57:00.001Z

It was well done. I loved Javier's camera work and the background music.
Here are a few clips from my part in Canarias Mi Mundo on TV Canarias February 16, 2011.

Beginning in La Paz, in Puerto de la Cruz, overlooking Playa Martianez

In my Pilates class

Going for coffee afterwards with classmates

Arriving at my garden

Showing off one of the brugmansias

And my classical guitar

My photo that got on a cookbook cover in Canada

Leaving my garden

Arriving in La Orotava at Casa de Los Balcones

Showing off the hand organ

Looking at the antiques floor

Admiring the local handcrafted pulled thread lacework

Saying goodbye

Thank you for your visit! Do come back again another day.

¡Hasta la Vista!

Canarias Mi Mundo - I'm On Tomorrow

2011-02-15T22:55:00.001Z

Photo taken by the sea wall in La Paz, Puerto de la Cruz

My participation in the TV Canarias program about foreigners living in Canary Islands will be shown tomorrow evening, February 16 at 11:00 pm. They are now putting out publicity photos of those participating in the show and here is one of me, taking photos of the sea for a local forum where I write about weather and scenery in North Tenerife.
I haven't seen any rough cuts of the filming we did in November so I wonder how it will turn out!

It will be fun to see how they filmed my pals in Pilates class, where the camera crew also came to visit.

My classmates are excited to be seeing themselves on TV!

More later.......

Beautiful Sunset - January 31

2011-02-01T01:29:00.001Z

After so much rain, there was a misty sunset this evening that transformed our front garden into a surrealistic scene. The light was magical. It touched the roses which had been rain soaked and head bent and brought them back to life. The distant mountains were bathed in a soft golden haze. I don't remember having seen such a beautiful light.

I had to run and get a camera.

It reminded me of a light I had seen in paintings by old masters.

Almost too lovely to be real.

The time was 6:04 pm to 6:08 pm and the camera was a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10.

Thanks for your visit. Hasta la vista!

TEA and HISTORY

2011-01-15T20:33:00.003Z

Actually, it was history first and tea later when Derek Winterbottom's new book,
"TENERIFE An English History" was presented to an appreciative audience of over eighty guests in the gardens of Sitio Litre in Puerto de la Cruz last Wednesday, January 12, 2011.

Derek, an historian and author of some twenty publications has now written a comprehensive history of the island as it has been recorded in the English language.

Derek Winterbottom

After guests were seated in the garden, John Lucas and Ken Fisher began by introducing the author, who then took the microphone to tell us about his new book.

The weather was fair and sunny.
There were ladies wearing summery straw hats, and men in Panamas.

Peter, a friend of the author

Tea and coffee were served with sandwiches and cakes after the presentation.

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves at the event and it was pleasant to stroll around the garden afterward to admire the orchids and other exotic plants.

Unlike many other publications in English about Tenerife, Derek's book takes one in a very readable manner through the island's history and development from the early volcanic beginnings, the Guanche era, the Spanish conquest, the arrival of foreign visitors and settlers, the growth of agriculture and trade, up to events of recent years.

With a detailed index of local names and places, and with photos in both colour and black and white, "TENERIFE An English History" will serve as an invaluable introduction to the island's history for those English-speaking residents or visitors who would like to improve their knowledge of Tenerife's interesting past.

Derek Winterbottom

Derek Winterbottom resides on the Isle of Man and spends winters on Tenerife.

His book is available through the English Library in Puerto de la Cruz and costs twelve Euros.

Slideshow of Derek Winterbottom's book launch in the gardens of Sitio Litre.

Have a lovely weekend! Thanks for dropping by and hasta la vista!

Arroz À La Cubana (Cuban Rice)

2011-01-13T18:10:00.008Z

I don't often post recipes since there are so many hundreds of blogs which do just that. But yesterday I met a lady who heard that I have blogs and her first question was..."do you give recipes?"

My answer was that I don't have time to experiment frequently with new culinary creations as I try to keep our diet simple and basic, with as little baked goods and sweets as possible.

But then I thought ....well, after so many years of living and cooking in Spain, there are many dishes I have learned to make that could perhaps interest others.

So today I'm filling in here with a recipe before I write about a lovely garden party I attended yesterday to launch a new book about Tenerife written by an author and historian from the Isle of Man.

Today I'm giving you one of my "lean days" menus that I learned to make while living in Palma de Mallorca, as a music teacher with two small children and very little income.
My little girls loved this dish.

Cuban Rice or Arroz à la Cubana was one of the things we ate a lot. I don't know if the recipe did originate in Cuba but it was also a dish that could be found on the menu of the more humble restaurants in Palma, and I have even seen it offered here in a popular Tenerife restaurant.

My photo, by the way, has been copied many times on the internet. You will see it when you Google Arroz Cubana or Arroz à la Cubana. It has been altered, reversed, added to and changed a little to hide the fact that it was copied. But nevertheless it is my original photo.

I guess I was lucky that the egg turned out just right without breaking and since copying is a form of flattery, I don't mind a bit that my photo of Cuban Rice has become so popular.

CUBAN RICE (ARROZ À LA CUBANA)

For three people:

3 ripe bananas

3 eggs

rice - three servings

tomato sauce or puré - about 1 cup

salt and pepper

oil or butter

1) Boil the rice until tender in salted water. Drain.

2) Split the bananas lengthwise and sauté gently in butter or oil.

3) Heat the tomato sauce.

4) Fry the eggs in butter or oil keeping yolks runny.

5) Arrange the rice in the center of each plate, with a banana half on each side, cover the rice with an egg and pour sauce over top. Add salt & pepper.

Poached eggs instead of fried are also good.

* Note: here in Spain the tomato sauce I use is called "tomate frito". It's a smooth sauce of tomato fried in olive oil which comes in tetra brik packs, tins or glass jars and is used a lot in Spanish kitchens.

See you soon! Hasta la vista.

The Blackbirds are Back

2011-01-10T08:11:00.001Z

The blackbirds are back at my tree feeder and it is a treat to watch them while sitting at my computer looking out the window. Here is one that I caught the other day..

HD video taken with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10.

I know I'll be taking more of these and the other birds as I can set up my tripod beside me on the table in front of the window and film while I'm working on my computer.

I hope I can also catch some video of the little blue tits that come from time to time.

Los Reyes Magos

2011-01-06T14:04:00.003Z

Last night the Three Kings, Los Reyes Magos arrived from the Orient to bring Christmas gifts for the children of Spain and other Hispanic countries. Known as Los Reyes Magos, or The Magi, they appear on decorated floats or riding on camels.

In Madrid they arrived amidst a spectacular parade with many floats and marching bands.

Plaza de Cibeles, Madrid

Melchoir

Gaspar

Baltasar

In the Canary Islands, they appeared riding on camels with an exotic entourage.

Melchoir in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Gaspar

Baltasar

All images above were taken from RTVC...Canarias television.

One charming custom is for the mayor of the city to present the Kings with a large golden key, which is supposedly a magic key which enables them to be able to open all the doors of the homes in the city so they can distribute gifts while the children sleep.

Before going to bed, children will leave bowls of milk and cookies in their living room for both the Kings and the camels.

Thanks for dropping by. Have a lovely Dia de Reyes, or 6th of January, a national holiday here in Spain.