A BOY!
Tripp Tiangtam Taylor is due December 1st!
He’s ready to spar!
Everything looks good, Baby Tripp is right on par for size and weight.
A rather scary picture of his skull and arms but we think he’ll be a cutie!
We are very excited for his arrival!
Filed under: Baby Dot, Family, Moron de la Frontera, Spain | 1 Comment »
It seems I’ve been out of contact for quite some time and the past few weeks have been crazy. One day Joe and I started talking about possibly moving to a new house. It came up rather causally but as we started to think more about it we decided that it would be a good idea. Our house was so large and old that I was having a hard time cleaning it, not to mention how hard it is to heat and cool with the 15 foot ceilings. We also wanted to be closer to friends and the base since the baby is coming soon. Well, within 2 weeks, we had decided to move, looked at 4 houses, decided on one, packed and moved. It was crazy! I felt like I was packing for a natural disaster, throwing things haphazardly in boxes. Moving in 100 degree weather while 18 weeks pregnant is not the easiest thing to do. I packed all I could and let the guys do the heavy lifting while my friends yelled at me when I even so much as picked up a broom. We are currently settled in our new home and loving it. It’s much smaller, which I am actually grateful for. A 3 bedroom, 2 bath, with a large kitchen/great room and a gorgeous backyard. While the boxes still loom, we’re getting slowly unpacked (since I can’t lift anything heavy) I only have pics of the outside of the house. Oh, and the plus - central air (a rarity in Europe). Our new landlord owns an HVAC company, how lucky are we?
The front of the house. Don’t be fooled we don’t live in a dangerous neighborhood. All the homes in La Ramira have gated/walled exteriors for safety and privacy.
The front yard, complete with turtle pond/fountain. The owner’s daughter had 2 turtles so they left them in the pond for us. They’re quite cute! We named them Leonardo and Donatello, of course!
The back patio, a perfect spot for breakfast. The door on the left leads to the pool bathroom/laundry room. The sliding glass door leads into the kitchen/great room.
The pool and the backyard. On the right and behind the wall at the back are fruit trees: apple, pear, peach, lemon, orange, plum, pomegranate, persimmon, grape and tomatoes.
The BBQ area, perfect for outdoor entertaining!
We love our new house! I love cooking without breaking a sweat, the pool is a welcome break to the 100+ degrees we’ve been having here and we’re close to all our friends. Whenever you want to come visit let us know, we have a spare guest room waiting to be used.
Filed under: Moron de la Frontera, Spain | 2 Comments »
Well summer is in full swing here in Spain. With temps reaching 110 degrees, and light lasting until well past 10 PM we have been doing a lot of swimming, BBQs and laying in the air conditioning. 2 weeks ago my parents came to visit and we met them down south in Marbella for a week.
Marbella, only 2 hours south of us, lies on the Mediterranean in the center of the Spanish peninsula. It was great to see my parents and introduce them to our new culture, although down in Marbella, there’s more British culture than Spanish.
Joe and my dad golfed a few times while my mom and I lolled about at the pool. The Med doesn’t get warm enough to enjoy until Aug. and Sept. so we enjoyed the bathtub-like temperature of the hotel pool most days.
We took a day trip to Gibraltar which was amazing, although a little foggy.
We did get to see quite a few of the wild monkeys that roam around on the Rock.
As always with a Mosesman/Taylor vacation we did our fair share of eating. Since Marbella is such a tourist destination you can get every type of food possible. We enjoyed Indian, Argentinian (Joe and my new favorite), Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Thai.
It was such a nice vacation and we had so much fun relaxing with my folks. I can’t wait to see them in August when I head home to the States for a month to visit.
Filed under: Family, Food, Go Here, I say!, Spain, Trips | No Comments »
I’m not ashamed to be called a “Daddy’s Girl.” As the first born and the only girl, it was inevitable I would be stuck with that title and it suits me just fine. Many men father children but not all of them are “Dads.” My father was not one of those men - he was most definitely both!
There are so many things that he did when my brother and I were growing up that showed his love for us and I can’t possibly list them all but here are a few that stick with me.
As a young child I can remember when my Dad would sit with me and tirelessly explain all my math problems, numerous times, despite the fact that I probably wasn’t paying attention.
I would rush upstairs to brush my teeth and pick out a story and he would follow a few minutes later to read to me and tuck me in.
He helped me write my 4th grade book report on Vasco de Gama, the night before it was due and forgave me when he found out I had waited until the last minute to finish it.
From the time I can remember, every fall we would sit together at Beaver Stadium and watch the Nittany Lions, win or lose, rain or shine. He would buy me enormous mugs of hot cocoa and explain all the rules of football - every season. You’d think I’d know all the rules of football by now.
No matter how long his work day, Dad would still help coach my softball and Alex’s little league team or just hang out in the yard tossing the ball around.
Every school vacation he always put me to work at his office, even if it was just tearing the covers off catalogs to be recycled. My favorite part was when he took me out to lunch everyday - I felt so important to be part of the “business world.”
No matter how late it was Dad was always waiting outside the high school to pick me up after cheering at an away game.
He took me to the middle school parking lot every weekend to learn how to drive and never lost his temper when I was practicing my 3-point turns.
He pushed me to find my dreams in college when I felt lost. And he and my mother afforded me the opportunity to follow those dreams.
He trusted my judgment when I told my parents I was moving halfway across the country for a guy I had met only 3 times. Then he and my mother blessed me by walking me down the aisle when I married that guy.
In about 5 months he is going to become the best Grandpa there ever was. I know this because he is the best Dad there ever was.
Happy Father’s Day Dad!
Filed under: Family, State College, USA, Yapping Away | 1 Comment »
It’s June and in the high 70s. I’m in shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops standing at the produce aisle in the supermarket getting funny looks from two women in jeans and cardigans. If this is “chilly”, I’m not looking forward to the heat of summer.
Filed under: Cultural Musings, Spain | No Comments »
Last week was the Utrera Tapas Festival. You may remember when Joe and I ventured out to the Moron Tapas Festival a few months ago with some friends. Utrera is a larger town just west of Moron and probably twice as large so it was fitting that their Tapas Festival was as well. Joe and I got there a little before 8 PM and the Zona de Tapa tent wasn’t open yet. We ventured into the Zona de Copa or beverage tent and were met with 5 full bars, hundreds of Spanish youth writhing to an ear-shattering remix of Amy Winehouse’s, Rehab and cigarette smoke that could fog an entire football stadium. We quickly left and took our places in line for the food tent.
We were the 2nd people through the doors and decided to eat and drink (well Joe was doing the beer drinking part) our way around the 12 restaurant stalls. The first stall, Bar Plata, wasn’t quite prepared with their dishes and were only offering one of their 4 options so we dove into a plate of Chicharron con Secreto (Secret recipe pork rinds). They weren’t great as you can imagine! For the most part I can read Spanish, especially when it comes to menu items but some things were indistinguishable. Now I can honestly say chicharron are pork rinds.
Stall #2, Onuba Tapas, was much better with Solomillo al Oporto (pork sirloin in a wine sauce). This pork loin was tender and juicy and served with roasted potatoes. It was definitely one of our favorites. Some friends we ran into ordered the Esparragos Fritos con Salmorejo (fried asparagus wrapped in salmorejo sausage and drizzled with a cheese sauce). We may have to try Onuba Tapas on our next trip to Utrera.
Onto Bar El Dialecto. Here we sampled 2, we were feeling brave. Usually one plate at each stall is plenty. The servings are the size of tea cup saucers and Joe and I each get about 3 - 4 small bites but once you get to that sixth stall you’re already stuffed, at this rate I was never going to make it the whole way around. We ordered Redondo de Ternera con Salsa Cava a la Naranja (round beef sirloin with orange champagne sauce) and Codorniz con Champinones con Salsa de Lambrusco (Quail with Mushroom and Lambrusco sauce). Both of these were delicious although the quail was served butterflied and a little hard to eat. I saw the Spanish picking the quail up and eating it like a drumstick as I gracefully tried to pry some meat off the little bones with my plastic fork, not wanting to get my hands dirty. It’s not that I was trying to be prim and proper, it’s that the napkin situation at these stalls is slim to none. What passes for napkins are really just thin sheets of tissue paper dispensed from small cardboard boxes. Note to self: bring roll of paper towel next time.
At this point I was getting full, I had consumed my portion of 4 small tapas plates, an orange Fanta and 2 mini bottles of water. Joe had had his portion of the food and 4 8-oz. Cruzcampos. My pace was slowing and I knew we would be here all night if I didn’t pick up the pace a little. Next stop - Bar Valero! I would have loved to have ordered the Berenjena con Salmorejo y Jamon (Fried Eggplant topped with salmorejo sausage and ham) but Joe is not an eggplant fan so we went with old faithful, Croquetas Caseras (Homemade Croquettes). These are some of our favorite tapas in Spain. Minced chicken, pork or tuna mixed with seasonings and cheese, then lightly breaded and deep fried. Soft and hot inside with a little crisp outside. I was glad the plate only held 2 as I couldn’t have eaten more than one.
At Bodega Dona Juana I ordered the San Roque con Salmorejo de Rucula (Bruschetta with Salmorejo sausage topped with a sauce of arugula and roquefort cheese). Joe sat this one out and I enjoyed every bite. Our friends sampled the Champinones con Queso Gratinado Ali-Oli y Corazon de Alcachofa (Mushrooms stuffed with garlic, artichoke hearts and baked with cheese). I should have ordered those since Joe wasn’t tasting anyway (he hates mushrooms and I love them).
A friend had already warned me to save room for Taberna La Liebre. She spoke of large shrimp skewers, garlic and eggplant. I ran right over and ordered Joe a beer and myself a Pincho de Langostino con Salsa Verde (Bruschetta with skewered shrimp drizzled with a green garlic sauce). The fact that I tasted garlic for 2 days afterward didn’t matter because these were so good. I was glad Joe doesn’t eat seafood, I would not want to have shared these with anyone.
At Bar Los Cabezones we ordered Carrillada Iberica con Chorizo (Iberian beef cheeks with garlic sausage). We knew what Carrillada was from the last Tapas Festival and we were not disappointed. Joe ate most of this plate of tender, fall off the bone, beef chunks in a slightly spicy and very garlicky broth. Yummo!
We skipped Meson Juanlu and just opted for another Cruzcampo and a water.
At El Rincon de Maria we ordered Trompetitos (maybe translated to little trumpets, these were basically small triangles of cheese and ham, almost like deep fried Cordon Bleu triangles). Very tasty but so hot we had to wait a while until we could bite into these without burning our mouths.
Casa Angel, Restaurante Dominguez and Restaurante Molina were a no go for me. Joe rounded out his bar tour and I saved a little room for ice cream we saw at a stall in the Zona Comercial.
I have always enjoyed food, sometimes spending exorbitant amounts on meals. It’s the taste, the memories, the experience, the company. These Tapas Festivals combine all of this. Living in Spain, walking through an enormous tent, eating tiny plates of mysterious yet delicious dishes off paper plates with tissue paper napkins while standing at an old wooden barrel. The din of Spanish spoken loudly over even louder European pop music. Cooing over the most fashionably dressed babies with even more fashionable mothers. Stretching my Spanish to try to converse successfully with the shop workers. Licking mouth-watering mint chocolate ice cream out of a chocolate covered cone while standing in awe of a donut the size of a tire. These are just some of the memories that make up our time here in Spain.
Filed under: Festivals & Ferias, Food, Spain, Utrera | No Comments »
My cravings change with the time of day. Every meal it’s something different and when you grew up in one culinary culture it’s very hard to satisfy your crazy cravings when surrounded by another.
You see I crave American food! Last night I wanted a Cherry Coke Slushie, the kind you get at the movie theater with the straw with the itty bitty spoon on the end. Nowhere in Spain will I find a Cherry Coke Slushie. Sure, I may stumble upon the big Helados truck parked in front of the ayuntamiento selling soft serve and strawberry granizadas, the closest thing to a slushie here in Spain, but it’s just not the same.
So far everything I have been craving I have had to prepare myself, defeating the purpose of sending Joe out in the middle of the night for something weird and only found at 7-11.
I had to make a tuna melt from scratch because the Spanish just don’t believe in the 24-hour diner like us Yankees.
I had to make mac & cheese from scratch because last I checked there wasn’t a Cracker Barrel Restaurant in a 1,000 mile radius from my house.
Having spent 3 glorious years in New York City where you can have simultaneous deliveries of vegetarian Chinese food, fattening Mexican quesadillas, Indian curries, hot homemade pasta dishes and 1 lb. pastrami sandwiches from Katz’s deli, I would say I am spoiled. The Spaniards don’t do delivery or drive through or convenience stores. Now in some ways this is charming and quaint and what makes this historically beautiful country well, still historic and beautiful. You will find a McDonald’s but it will be built in an old architecturally-restored cathedral.
Maybe if I have a second child here in Spain and have been here longer than 3 months I will crave Spanish food but right now, a steaming plate of octopus just doesn’t cut it for the cravings. A bowl of snails, er, I mean caracoles doesn’t sound appetizing to me. I want a bagel. I don’t want to schmear my homemade scallion cream cheese ( because they don’t have New York style delis either, who knew?) and carefully placed tomato slices on Spanish bread. It’s not the same!
I am lucky to have a military commissary 1.5 hours away where I can stock up on things like frozen pizza, bread & butter pickles, peanut butter, mmm hot pockets. But it’s not somewhere Joe can hop in the car and run to at 11:00 at night when I say, “I could really go for some chocolate milk right now.”
Some things are great here, the fresh produce and fruit is excellent and lucky for me, I have been craving fruit morning, noon and night. But when I run out on a Sunday (when nothing, I mean nothing is open) I have to resort to peeling the tab off a can of peaches or crushed pineapple.
This is going to be an interesting 6 more months.
Filed under: Baby Dot, Food, Spain, Yapping Away | 1 Comment »
This past Saturday night found us at a Greek Restaurant near the Santa Justa train station in Sevilla. Restaurante Griego Helas wasn’t hard to find but finding a parking space in that neighborhood was luck of the draw.
We were almost 30 minutes late for an 8:15 PM reservation but it didn’t matter since we were still the first ones in the place and were well into our entrees before any other tables were seated. The Spanish eat at a predictable 10 PM every night. The owner who had taken my call for reservations spoke pretty good English but let me practice my broken Spanish on him anyway. the restaurant, although quite small was totally full when we left around 10:30 PM.
Our friend had translated the menu into English before we arrived using the list of dishes from the website but the menu at the restaurant was more extensive than what was listed on their site. We took about 20 minutes to order because we couldn’t decide what we wanted and were very disappointed when the young waiter told us they only had enough meat for one gyro.
We started off with two Greek salads, a tzatitzki dip, an eggplant dip, saganaki (large squares of spiced and grilled feta cheese) and orders of pita for everyone. The Greek salads were huge and delicious. Large chunks of feta, cucumber, ripe roma tomatoes, onion, kalamata olives, and green bell pepper drizzled with an olive oil vinaigrette. The tzatziki and eggplant dip were tasty and full of garlic but quite expensive at over 6 Euros a piece for a saucer-sized serving. The saganaki were served surrounded by slices of ripe tomatoes and were perfectly grilled, not too mushy. The pita was a little oily but obviously homemade and served warm, dthick and soft. But at over 2 Euros for a saucer-sized pita, these were a little pricey too.
As for entrees, we let Michelle order the sole gyro platter, and her husband Shane ordered Bifteki Helas (a large Greek hamburger patty stuffed with feta cheese). Joe ordered the Kokkinisto (greek meatballs in a savory tomato sauce served over rice, I ordered the Berenjena Relleno (eggplant stuffed with meat and vegetable stuffing, topped with cheese and then baked in the oven). Other friends ordered the Langostinos Helas (bacon-wrapped shrimp skewers) and a chicken dish I forget the name of but was a half roasted chicken served over spaghetti with the same savory tomato sauce from the Kokkinisto. The entrees were relatively inexpensive, ranging in price from 8 - 12 Euros a plate. The pasta and rice dishes were served a la carte but the rest of us got sides of fried potato slices and a simple cabbage salad.
Dessert was a gooey slice of baklava shared by the whole table. It was not the best baklava we’d ever had but satisfied our need for something sweet.
Beer and tintos were moderately priced at around 2 Euros and water was 1,60 Euro a bottle.
Griego Helas is obviously a mom and pop shop and the family staff was helpful and friendly. Although it wasn’t the best Greek food any of us had ever eaten it was definitely good to try something new. We will probably return to Griego Helas again unless we can find another Greek restaurant to try in the Sevilla area. Grade B-
After dinner we wandered across the street towards the train station and saw a large tent filled with picnic tables and food counters. There were huge slabs of ribs
fresh boiled Galician octopus
and sheet pan sized empanadas.
Too bad we were too stuffed to partake but Joe and Shane quickly found the beverage counter.
Filed under: Sevilla | No Comments »
As many of you know Joe and I just recently moved to Spain from Korea and one thing we greatly miss from our time in the Land of the Morning Calm is the food. Going out for bulgogi or galbi was a weekly tradition. We would return home with full bellies and clothing that smelled like a BBQ grill. Shortly after we moved to Spain I met a new friend, Rena, who is half Korean and she gave me a delicious recipe for my own spicy pork bulgogi. You’ll need Gochujang, the spicy Korean red pepper paste which can be found at most Asian markets.
Korean Spicy Pork Bulgogi
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb. pork loin, cut into thin strips
5 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. honey or sugar (you may need more later to tame the spiciness)
2 Tbsp. red pepper flakes (for those of you who don’t like food really spicy I would use 2 tsp.)
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 pinch black pepper
2 Tbsp. toasted Sesame oil
2 sprigs, green onions, chopped
3 Tbsp. Red Pepper Paste (Gochujang)
salt to taste
1. Mix all ingredients
2. Marinate pork in mixture at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.
3. Cook over medium high heat in a frying pan or grill pan.
4. Stir occasionally until well done and browned.
5. Add more sugar to taste if it’s too spicy.
Serve with white rice and steamed green beans!
YUMMO!
Filed under: Spain | 1 Comment »
I can’t remember the last time I spend Mother’s Day with my mom. Even though she is far from my geographically I love my mom more than anything. For her 50th birthday I made a list of things I learned from my mother and I thought I would share them here so everyone can see how special she is to me and many other people.
50 Things I Learned From My Mother
1. Always hold someone’s hand when crossing a busy street.
2. Say please and thank you.
3. Smile and mean it.
4. Love people unconditionally.
5. That right or wrong, the important thing is to learn something.
6. You never know unless you try and to try your best if you do.
7. Spending time is so important.
8. It’s okay to cry.
9. It’s okay to ask for help and it’s okay to help others.
10. Kisses and hugs do help.
11. That time heals.
12. That life is unfair sometimes but you make of it what you can.
13. School isn’t just a place you go to waste time.
14. Friends are so important.
15. Family are the people who are there through thick and thin.
16. Beauty is everywhere, you just have to look for it.
17. Chocolate makes you feel better.
18. Children are a gift.
19. Jewelry can make or break and outfit.
20. You can never have too many pairs of shoes.
21. You should always wear lipstick.
22. Memories are important and should be cherished and shared.
23. All people should be treated with respect and love.
24. Courtesy goes a long way.
25. Always look on the bright side of things.
26. If you don’t respect yourself nobody else will.
27. It’s not what you have but who you share it with.
28. Time alone is just as important as time with others.
29. You’re as young as you feel.
30. Pajamas are the most comfortable outfit you own.
31. Hard work does pay off.
32. Birthdays are meant to be celebrated.
33. Everyone needs a role model.
34. It’s okay to get along with your parents.
35. Mothers and daughters make better friends than enemies.
36. Life isn’t about what you’ve got but how you use it.
37. Love is a two way street.
38. Relationships need to be worked at.
39. That if you feel strong about something you should open your mouth about it.
40. Letters and notes warm a heart.
41. If you care about someone show them.
42. If you want to sing and dance, you should even if you can’t.
43. You make your own second chances.
44. Patience is important.
45. You shouldn’t go outside on a cold day without a coat.
46. Dinner tastes better when the whole family’s together.
47. “I Love You” should be said loud enough to hear.
48. Thank you notes mean a lot.
49. Making your parents proud means more than anything in the world.
50. Love makes everything possible.
My mother, grandmother and aunt circa 1956.
My grandmother, mom and brother circa 1983.
Happy Mother’s Day Momma!
Filed under: Family | 2 Comments »
