QUICK AND EASY...AND DELICIOUS!

It's Foodie Friday!! Thanks to designsbygollum for hosting this event.

Today, I am sharing a Spanish dish that is quick and easy to prepare. And it's delicious! It's good for a family meal...or for a company dish. This dish is among my favorites to order at our local Spanish and Cuban restaurants.

Chicken Salteado

As I have said before, I rarely use recipes so my ingredient portions are "by guess and by gosh". This is truly a dish that can be prepared according to taste. Just be sure not to overdo the salt and pepper. Chorizo has a LOT of flavor.

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

Olive Oil, 2-3 Tbsp.

Butter, 2-3 Tbsp.

4-5 Cloves Garlic, peeled and smashed (or dice, if you prefer)

1-2 Potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 - 1 medium Spanish or Sweet Onion, quartered and sliced or chopped

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Oregano, to taste (I use about 1/2 - 1 tsp)

Wine, to taste...I prefer to use a Spanish White Table Wine, but most any inexpensive wine will do.

In a large skillet (I use an electric frying pan), saute the garlic and onion in olive oil and butter.

Remove from pan and set aside. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken and saute, adding additional olive oil and butter, if needed. Remove and set aside. Add potatoes and cook until tender. Add chorizo and the chicken, garlic, and onion. Toss together. Add oregano and a splash of wine (I use about 1/2 - 1 cup wine.) Simmer until flavors blend.

Serves 4-6

*** You can substitute STEAK for the Chicken...thinly slice lean sirloin and follow the same directions as for the chicken. However, substitute red wine for the white.

Serve with yellow rice, Cuban-style seasoned black beans and Cuban bread. A crisp green salad is a nice addition.

If you cannot find the rice, beans and chorizo in your market, you can order from

www.cubanfoodmarket.com

For the wine, I use a particular wine I buy at a Cuban/Italian market....Tres Rios is a Spanish table wine...very inexpensive (under $5) and excellent for cooking or for a Sangria base. When I prepare the Steak Salteado, I use the Tres Rios Red Table wine.

Cuban Bread is the perfect accompaniment with this meal. But I know it is unavailable in most locations. For those who are bakers, there are some recipes available online. I would suggest that you look for "Tampa Style" recipes. They are the best. Otherwise, use a crusty baguette. Below is a link for a good recipe...and information on the differences of Cuban bread. Interesting reading!
www.oo.com/kitchen-warfares-cuban-bread-tampa-style/

Enjoy!

Awwww........

I cannot resist... I have to post these photos.
Today, I could not find the "small ones"...my grandpuppies, Hurley and Hannah. Now that is rarely the case...they are usually under my desk or work table while I am painting. But today, I was out in the yard...in the family room...sweeping by the pool...and the dogs were no where in sight. Panic swept through my whole body! I kept thinking that DrummerBoy and his wife were going to kill me... (that's what they get for dropping the dogs off when I am in "project mode".)

I walked through the back of the house and this is what I found...
Two little angels curled up with each other on the daybed (inspiration couch) in my studio.
Awww.........

Now if they would only remain this quiet for the next hour.....


Have a peaceful day!
Jane









Wanted to let you know about a beautiful give-away... kat@lowtidehighstyle is giving away these beautiful sea glass earrings. Visit her to see how to be added to her drawing.

Time for Lunch!

This is Bubba. He is a resident of Dunedin, FL, a quaint community along the Gulf of Mexico, near Clearwater.


Bubba is an EGRET...notice his dark legs. My husband told me how he learned, as a child, to distinguish egrets from herons. "E (for egret) = earth (meaning dark legs)" and "H (for heron) is close to G for golden". (Yes, this sounds a bit odd, but it works!

(Shellbelle wrote to tell me that Snowy Egrets have black legs, but their feet are yellow/gold. Great Egrets have black legs and black feet. So if you see an egret wandering around, you now know what kind of egret it is. Pretty cool, huh?)





While taking a short cut through the alley behind Casa Tina, a "gourmet Mexican and vegetarian" restaurant, my friend, Becky (Lace and Lures), and I met Bubba. He was walking toward the back door of the restaurant. Obviously, Bubba was quite accustomed to humans. He totally ignored our presence as he made his was to the door.

Bubba walked up to the kitchen door and appeared to "knock".










EVERYDAY, around noon, he arrives at Casa Tina for his snack. Bubba has an affinity for fried chunks of PORK! His friend in the kitchen comes out with a bag of these tasty treats. She explained that she had tried various meats and fish, but Bubba really seemed to prefer the pork.













(This is a really GOOD restaurant! Bubba has great taste!)








Bubba certainly stands out against the turquoise backdrop!

(Notice the pork in his beak... I wish I could have caught him in the act of swallowing...but he was TOO FAST for me!)




Thanks, Susan@ A Southern Daydreamer, for hosting Outdoor Wednesdays.

The Ocean

The ocean tells me
You're away, you're away.









The waves call to me
"Come play, come play."






And so I surrendered
my place in the sand









and forgot to remember
all that I planned.
anonymous




Thank you to Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for hosting Outdoor Wednesdays.

Beware ...Pirates in the House!

MY TURN to host our neighborhood Bunco...

20 Ladies plan to come...our biggest group, yet!
I need a theme...

Oh yeah... GASPARILLA is coming up. Great idea!!! Call SIL to borrow her collection of pirates, beads, and coins (Brother is a Gasparilla PIRATE. They have LOTS of stuff!!!).


Enter, if you dare...

I was unable to find the skulls I wanted for the wreath center, so I pulled out my paints and canvas...

The bow is made with 3 colors of wired ribbon...purple, green with a gold trim, and a "bronzey"-gold.




The saber is from IParty... It is attached with a gold cording, which disappears to the eye.

Hanks of beads are attached with chenille strips...otherwise known as pipe cleaners. I love using these with wreath-making. They attach so well...and can be removed easily. (I reuse the base wreath over and over again.)

The dining room table is set with 3 napkins used as a runner, my favorite cheese box, topped with a vine wreath, and adorned with hanks of beads. The center is one of my favorite lanterns. On the table are "doubloons" with the Gasparilla ship motiff, pirates, and spent shells from the guns fired by the pirates. (Blanks, of course!)












On the serving counter, a mirrored tray (I made this from an unfinished tray from Michaels and a broken mirror, mastic and grout) is the resting place for "Kermit, the Pirate Frog", "Mr. Potato Pirate", and "Pirate Troll". An unlikely trio, their colorful attire make them just the right (humorous) touch at the beginning of the buffet.

Red plates and Pirate napkins are positioned in an old cigar box (more Tampa flavor) from my collection, waiting for guests to serve themselves from the array of foods.

The Menu: Cannon Balls in Blood (meat balls in red sauce) w/ Parker House Rolls...for mini-sandwiches Seaweed Dip (spinach), She-Crab Dip, Anchor Cheese Spread (shaped like an anchor), Tropical Fruit (citrus ambrosia), 1905 Salad (recipe from the Columbia Restaurant -You can find this online or in an older post), Rum Crunch Cake, Guava Paste w/ Cream Cheese and Saltines, Assorted Crackers and Flatbreads, Hard Tack (Galletas Cubanitas...Cuban Soda Crackers)






One of several treasure chests, scattered throughout the house.
(Do you see Hannah peeking out behind the pirate?) The "chest" is from Ross...marked down to $2!

Here she is!











One of the chest displays... Large clam shells with "pearl necklaces", a "parrot's wing", and one of my crab paintings. The clam shells were in a box of garage sale shells. The parrot wing was on the markdown table at HomeGoods. It had been painted gold...an angel wing, I suppose.

Each of the tables was set with a black cloth, a center "napkin" with a skull and crossbones which had been "drawn" with a paint writer. On the table was a bright red bowl of Goldfish Crackers and mini-pirate characters. The tables were numbered with wooden numerals from Drummer Boy's wedding reception.

A fun time was had by all!!!

THE PIRATES ARE COMING!

THE PIRATES ARE COMING! THE PIRATES ARE COMING!

(photo from the files of the Orlando Sentinel)

Each year, at the end of January, Tampa is invaded by PIRATES!!! For over 100 years, these "ruthless" members of Jose Gaspar's Krewe arrive, in their replicated ship, at the Convention Center in downtown Tampa and take over the city for a full day of merriment.

Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla was formed in 1905...and the tradition was begun. These "pirates" are prominent businessmen from the area...doctors, lawyers, business owners, brokers, bankers, etc., who meet for an early "makeup session" at the Tampa Yacht Club. There they transform from "mild-mannered" men, to fierce pirates, complete with scars, beards, and swarthy complexions. Truthfully, it's difficult to recognize who they really are (I have never been able to pick out my brothers!) The "pirates" then board their ship, the Jose Gasparilla, and sail around Davis Islands to the convention center, where they dock and disembark.



The pirate ship is escorted by hundreds of boats...big and small. It's quite a sight! Once the ship docks, the pirates disembark and meet the mayor. To "avoid devastation of the city", the mayor relinquishes the keys to the city and the festivities begin.
A parade...now one of the largest in the US... is held, followed by a carnival atmosphere filled with stage acts, rides, and foods along the river in downtown Tampa. Fireworks light the sky to end the day's festivities.





























Here the Jose Gasparilla has landed, and the pirates are getting ready to invade the city. (When I was a kid, there was a tightrope walker going back and forth between the mast. It was so cool!!!)

Other parades and festivities, including the Children's Pirate Parade and the Gasparilla Classic...a half marathon and a marathon race, have been added to make this a two week celebration. The Illuminated Knight Parade in Ybor City is hosted by the Krewe of Sant' Yago. This night parade is almost as big as the day parade...but with a Spanish flavor. It takes place under the vintage street lights of Ybor. (When I was in high school, our Chiefette (dancer) uniforms were short lace dresses with mantillas, in place of the "Indian" silver fringe and rhinestones and white plumed headdresses. We all felt so beautiful!) And of course, bands played Malaguena.


Why PIRATES? And who was Jose Gaspar?

As legend goes, Jose Gaspar, "the last of the buccaneers", was a Spanish aristocrat who was quite a rogue...even at a young age. To avoid jail for his many crimes, Gaspar was given the option of joining the Spanish navy. While in the navy, he showed that he was cunning and quite brave. At the age of 27, he rose through the ranks to become a naval attache to the Court of King Charles III, in 1772.

While at court, he dallied with many ladies....including the king's daughter-in-law, who he publicly jilted. To get even with Gaspar, the jilted woman conspired with the prime minister to frame Gaspar for the theft the crown jewels. Escaping punishment, Gaspar stole the ship, the Floridablanca, and sailed to the new world. Swearing revenge against the Spanish crown, Gaspar attacked any Spanish ship who came his way.

For the next 38 years, Gaspar attacked as many as 400 merchant ships from many countries...some Spanish, some from other countries. "Gasparilla", the name he gave himself, sailed the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, around Florida and down to Cuba.

At the age of 65, Gasparilla announced to his crew that he was going to retire. However, there was just one more ship coming his way that was reported to have a FORTUNE aboard. What a great way to end his days as a pirate! This "fat merchant ship" was flying the British flag and seemed to be helpless on the seas. Unfortunately, for Gaspar and his band of pirates, this ship was actually the USS Enterprise, an American ship with a boatload of cannons, sent to wipe out the pirates preying in the Gulf of Mexico. A fierce battle ensued, and the Floridablanca was sinking. To avoid capture, Jose Gaspar wrapped the chain of the ship's anchor around his waist and jumped into the waters, never to be seen again.

There are many more stories about Jose Gaspar...some about his ruthlessness, some about his kindness and sentimentality. Whether any of these tales are true is anyone's guess. But, here in Tampa, we celebrate this pirate taking over the keys to the city...and have been doing this for 106 years.

This year's celebrations started today, with the Children's Pirate Parade. The Gasparilla Parade will be held on Saturday, January 30. The pirate ship will arrive in Tampa around 11:30. There is a brunch with the pirates at the convention center...and the parade begins at 1:30...on Bayshore Blvd. The parade ends in downtown...and the festival begins. The day's festivities come to an end with a fabulous fireworks display late in the evening.

This is a fun-filled experience. If you are anywhere near the Tampa area, and have not attended any of the parades, you really should make the time to do so. It's a true "Tampa Experience".




Sources: www.gasparillapiratefest.com, www.josegaspar.net

91 and Still Going Strong

Monday was my mother's 91st birthday. She is an amazing woman...and one of the most joyful people I know. Yes, she was thrown for a loop by my dad's death, but she has pulled herself together and gotten on with her life. Her goal is to bring joy to others...and she does!

On Sunday, we had a birthday celebration for her. All her children were there...and several of her grands and great-grands. "GreatMa" was in her element. Oh how she loves to be the center of attention! And she loved all her gifts!!! Interestingly, we all bought flowering bulbs for her to enjoy in her condo...jonquils, hyacinth, and tulips. She also received gorgeous hydrangeas, But her favorite gift of all was a calendar....with all the family birthdays and photos of every family member. My brother, P, and his wife, B, compiled this calendar and had it printed and bound for her...and for each sibling and their kids. Mom was totally speechless...for about 2 minutes, then she began to sing. She literally pranced all over the house...and of course, she sang about everything she saw...

Now you must understand...My mom has the voice of a frog! But she remembers each and every ditty that she has learned for the past 90 years. Mention the word, FLAG...and she "has a song for that". Say "GOAT" and she begins the rhyme, "A horse and a goat... No! I got a sore toe..."
(It drives all of us insane!!! But we still love her...and see the smiles she puts on other people's faces.)

Happy Birthday, Mom!!! (Doesn't she look great?!!!)