Beyonce Knowles will present her new album “B-Day” in two concerts that will be held in the Palacio de los Deportes in Madrid and the Palau San Jordi in Barcelona this weekend. Spaniards are lining up already to view this great artist up close and personal.

One of my favorite singers, this girl has it all, a great opportunity to see her in concert in two major cities of Spain.

source

photo google

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Cabo de la Gata, I just love this place, located in Almeria it is a natural park of Analusia. It is a beautiful site that has an amazing ecological wealth and forms part of the spectacular western Mediterranean.

As you can see from the picture above the edgy rocks lifting from the water are a natural part of this city that has a lot to offer. There are many little parks and beaches in this locality that you will love.

more information cabo de la gata

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Are you ready to move to Spain? If you are I have the perfect list of homes for you from luxuryporfolio that offer the very best in luxury homes just for you. Like the one I have pictured which is located in the Cuesta de San Antonio on the Mediterranean and offers 7 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. It is 700 sq meters of perfection with a waterfall pool and all you need to relax in Spain. Only problem is you will need to pay the 3 million euros they are asking for.. I say it is well worth it.

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Have you ever heard that word before? Zarzuela, I looked up the definition in the wikipedia so I could start off by giving you the technical definition before I go on with my interpretation of what is all means.

According to wikipedia The Zarzuela is:

a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance. The name derives from a Royal hunting lodge, the Palacio de la Zarzuela near Madrid, where this type of entertainment was first presented to the court.

Ok, so now here is what I know, you can say Zarzuela is a Spanish version of an opera, it has actors, singers and dancers with one difference zarzuelas differ from opera´s in that they include spoken sections interspersed between the singing and a rather different tone. The art form of Zarzuela has been around for about 350 years and is still fairly popular in Spain.

If you are interested in viewing a Zarzuela I recommend starting with a light version one such as La verbena de la paloma (The Pharmacist and the Girls), which was composed by Tomás Bretón with a libretto by Ricardo de la Vega, one of my favorites.

to see a show | teatro de la zarzuela

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This summer the best place in Spain to spend your days in the sun has got to be Palma de Mallorca. I think this could be the world´t most beautiful and luxurious places to visit, specially in the summer. The Mallorcan beaches are extraordinary with views of the Mediterranean that are a treat to the eye and mind.

One of the best hotels in the are in called the Mardavall Hotel and Spa that indulges you in the best of the best and will leave you totally relaxed and not wanting your vacation to ever end. There is so much to do, yet so much you don´t want to do because you will just want to lay there on the beach overlooking at glory.

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Here she is the infanta Sofia, the new granddaughter to the king and queen of Spain. She looks like her big sister Leonor and becomes the 3rd in line for the crown. The queen is thrilled that the prince and princes chose her name to give to her new daughter.

Congratulations to all.

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Here you go, another Spanish recepie for you to enjoy. I know, I know I have been giving you hard ones, but I have confidence in all of you and I know you can do it.

100g Serrano Ham
75g plain flour
75ml extra virgin olive oil
1 litre milk
Salt
Nutmeg (optional)
2 eggs
Breadcrumbs
Olive oil (for frying)

How to cook:

• Chop the ham into small pieces

• Warm the milk

• In a frying pan, but not on the heat, mix the flour with the oil and very slowly add the warm milk stirring all the time.

• Place the pan over a medium heat and add the ham, a pinch of salt and a pinch of nutmeg. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens and begins to come away from the edges of the pan.

• Transfer the mixture into a square dish and leave to cool.

• When the mixture is cool, cut into equal sized pieces.

• Mould the pieces into oval shapes and dip each piece into the beaten eggs and then roll in the breadcrumbs.

• Heat the olive oil in a pan (you need enough oil to cover the croquettes) and fry until golden brown.

source orceserranohams

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he weather has finally stabilized and the warm summer nights are almost here. We are already thinking of where we will take the kids this year and one of the places that is umber one in my kids list is the Warner Brothers Park en Madrid.

You don’t need to head out to Paris and EuroDisney yet, give this great park a try, amazing rides, fun activities for the kids, like a small city of sure fun. Their website is awesome giving you travel trips and ideas on making your trip getting there and staying there great.

more information warnerbrospark

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This is the classic flan, which is as light and delicious as it is timeless. This basic flan recipe is also used to make flans of different flavors by substituting another liquid for part or all of the milk. For example, the best sweet oranges in Spain come from Valencia and Murcia, and an orange flan, made from freshly squeezed juice, is popular there.

Because flan takes a while to cool, it is usually prepared early in the morning or on the previous evening. When making it for a large group, it’s practical to prepare a single large flan in a 5 by 9-inch mold and slice it for serving, rather than use individual cups. This recipe works well in the large mold and will bake in about the same amount of time.

• Makes 12 servings
• Difficulty: intermediate

Ingredients

For the flan:

• 4 cups whole milk
• 2 strips lemon zest
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup granulated sugar

For the caramelized sugar coating:

• 1/2 cup sugar

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 300ºF.

To prepare the caramelized sugar coating, spread the sugar evenly in the bottom of a heavy saucepan and place over medium-low heat. It may take several minutes before the sugar begins to melt. Without stirring, watch the sugar closely as it begins to liquefy at the edges. All of it will slowly turn first into a yellowish and then golden syrup and finally into a brown caramel sauce.

When the liquefied sugar is turning from golden to brown, immediately remove the saucepan from the heat. (If you miss this point, the sugar will quickly turn too dark and taste bitter and you will need to discard it and begin again.)

Working swiftly, pour the liquid caramel into 12 custard cups each 3 1/2 inches in diameter and tilt to cover the bottom and sides evenly. It is important to do this transfer quickly, as the change in temperature causes the caramel to solidify rapidly. Set aside.

In a saucepan, combine the milk, lemon zest, and cinnamon stick over high heat and bring to a boil. Immediately decrease the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the milk with the flavor of the seasonings. Remove from the heat and let cool.

In a bowl, combine the whole eggs, egg yolks, and granulated sugar and whisk until foamy. Pour the cooled milk through a fine-mesh sieve held over the egg mixture and whisk until well blended. Pour the mixture into the coated custard cups.

Arrange the custard cups, not touching, in a large, deep baking pan or roasting pan. Pull out the oven rack, put the baking pan on it, and pour boiling water to a depth of about 1 inch into the pan to create a water bath. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until set when tested with a thin-bladed knife in the center. Carefully remove the water bath from the oven, and then carefully remove the custards from the water bath and set aside to cool completely.

You can cover and refrigerate the cooled custards and serve them cold, or you can serve them at room temperature. One at a time, run the knife around the inside of each cup to loosen the edges of the custard and then invert the flan onto a dessert plate.

source spainrecipes

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What an honor for the second year in a row the restaurant El Bulli who is headed by chef Ferran Adrià located near the community of the Rosas. This is the third time this restaurant has receive this honor which is given by the prestigious magazine Restaurant. There is a total of 50 restaurants in the San Pellegrino list in which 5 are Spanish restaurants.

This makes Spain the fourth country with the highest number of restaurants of haute cuisine in the world, France being first on the list. El Bulli head this great list and you can see why. This beautiful place touches all your senses which is why I think it has won the hears of the judges year after year.

source eldigitalcastillamancha

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