Barcelona, September 4th, 5th and 12th, 2010

My DH and I went on a 7 day Western Mediterranean cruise September 5-12. The port we left from was Barcelona so we flew in a day early to enjoy the sights Barcelona has to offer. We took the bus from our hotel to Placa de Espanya, one of the most well known streets in Barcelona. There we toured the sights around Placa de Espanya, Le Seu Cathedral, Las Ramblas and the Christopher Columbus statue. We took a bus tour of Barcelona on the 12th when we got back into port and that is when we saw La Sagrada Familia. Construction on La Sagrada Familia started in 1882 and still is not finished. Antoni Gaudi took over construction plans just a year into the beginning and it is being modeled after his vision to this day. Even though they are barely half way done, it truly is a great sight! The architecture is very modern for late 19th to early 20th century design but it is exquisite to see in person. Pictures just don't do it justice. If you happen to be in Barcelona any time in your life, you MUST go see La Sagrada Familia. It's worth your while!

Mock Wing Stop Chicken Wings and Fries

I have been missing the conveniences of the States lately. Malls, road trips and especially the food. I just can't seem to get into the food they eat in England. There is a lot of Indian cuisine and I especially cannot stand the Chinese food! It's much different than Chinese food in the States. So tonight, I decided to try to copy the mild and hickory smoked bbq wings that my DH and I used to order at Wing Stop in Colorado ALL the time. Instead of deep frying the wings and fries, I baked them. Both turned out fabulous but I was not able to copy the recipe for the fries. They just don't taste the same! So here is the recipe for the wings:

Marinated Oven Fried Chicken Wings


2 pounds chicken wings (about 12 wings) cut into 2 pieces, tip discarded
2 cloves sliced garlic
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoon liquid hickory smoke
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix all together in resealable zip top bag. Refrigerate and marinade 30 minutes to 4 hours (no longer).
Once wings are done marinating, take out of bag and pat dry. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with no stick spray. Arrange wings on sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn wings over and bake 20 minutes longer.

Mild Wing Sauce


1/2 cup Texas Pete Buffalo Wing Sauce
1/4 cup butter
1 clove minced garlic

Melt butter in small pan just until bubbling. Add garlic. Cook on low heat (do NOT let garlic brown!) for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in wing sauce. Once wings are out of the oven, pat dry and toss in mixed sauce. Serve.

Hickory Smoked BBQ Sauce


1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ Sauce (or similar smoky BBQ sauce)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon liquid hickory smoke
2 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)

Mix all together. Once wings are out of the oven, pat dry and toss in mixed sauce. Serve.

The Mild Sauce really is a bit more spicy than a true mild sauce but I like my wings spicy. My DH thought they were too spicy so didn't actually get to enjoy them with me. So word to the wise; if you don't like spicy sauce, add more butter to the hot sauce, or use less sauce. Equal parts sauce to butter will make it less spicy. Anyways, the wings turned out so crispy baking them and both sauces were very close to the sauce they use at Wing Stop. If only I could get them to give me the recipe for the seasoning they use on their fries...

Winter Wonderland

Okay, so it's not officially winter yet but it sure has felt like it here! We have received about 6 inches so far within the past 3 days and there is still more to come. We were told when we got here that England doesn't get much snow. I guess we were bad luck and brought it with us from Colorado.

It really is beautiful though. The trees are all lined and our dog absolutely loves playing in it. I really enjoy seeing the snow but would be happy to see it 3 times a year; Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. Other than that, I wish it could be 70 degrees year round!

Mexican Chicken with Easy Spanish Rice

I love using my Crock Pot. I haven't been using it a lot lately because I am at a loss for things to put in it that my husband and I both will like. We got tired of the same old food put in it until I came across this recipe for Mexican Chicken. It is simply divine!


Mexican Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 medium onion, sliced
1 - 10 3/4 ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 - 10 ounce can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles (it makes it quite spicy.
You could just use regular Rotel without the chiles for less heat)
2 Tablespoon taco seasoning packet
1 - 8 ounce package Velveeta cheese (could use Mexican style also)

Place chicken, onion, soup, tomatoes and taco seasoning into Crock Pot. Cover; cook on Low 6-8 hours or High 4-5 hours. Uncover and break up chicken. Add Velveeta and cook on High until melted.

This recipe is GREAT! My husband and I both love it. A word to the wise; do NOT lift the lid on the Crock Pot while the chicken is cooking. Just let it go for the specified time. It will not need stirring. Remember: each time you lift the lid it adds 20 minutes to your cooking time. It called to serve the chicken over spaghetti or linguine but my husband doesn't care for pasta so I made an easy Spanish Rice instead. Here is that recipe:

Easy Spanish Rice
1 Tablespoon oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups rice (not 5 minute but good old fashioned long cooking white rice)
1 cup salsa
2 cups beef broth

Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, just until it is tender. Add rice and stir, just until rice begins to look shiny. Stir in salsa and beef broth. Cover and cook 25 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand 5 minutes before removing lid. Fluff with fork.

I don't know how the Mexican Chicken tastes on pasta but I don't think I will even try it that way. It was that good over the rice. Take it from me, I can cook just about anything but ALWAYS burn my rice. This rice recipe is so easy and it never fails, even to this chef who can never cook rice correctly.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup in Sourdough Bread Bowl

When my husband and I lived in Colorado, we fell in love with the cafe Panera. They had the most magnificent soups and breads of all sorts and we particularly found their Broccoli Cheddar soup to be divine! So, I found a recipe that I tried that came pretty close and serving it in a sourdough bread bowl made it taste just like it! So here's the recipe for the soup. I bought the sourdough bread bowls at a local grocery store.


Broccoli Cheddar Soup


2 T. oil
2 potatoes, cubed small
1 onion, diced small
14 oz. frozen broccoli
4 1/2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
4 1/2 c. vegetable or beef stock
2/3 c. heavy cream
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (best if sharp)
paprika
Salt & Pepper


In a large (at least 2 quart) saucepan, cook onion and potatoes in oil for 5 minutes. Add broccoli to the pan and stir in blue cheese and stock. Cook covered and simmering for 25-30 minutes or potatoes are done. Transfer to food processor or blender and process until smooth. Do this in batches. Return to clean pan and add cream and pepper. Heat through. Slowly add cheddar cheese, a handful at a time and stir to melt. Sprinkle in a dash of paprika and check for salt.


This recipe makes a LOT of soup! It would be great for a party as I would guess it makes enough for at least 8 people. It's a delicious soup on a cold fall evening and tastes delicious with Saltine crackers. I never thought Saltine's could taste good either but the buttery flavor of them is fabulous with this soup. I hope you like it as much as my husband and I do!

Objects as Letters Name Collages

I am starting my first real project. I am calling it Objects as Letters Name Collages. I find objects everywhere that resemble a letter. I am doing it primarily for friends right now but after the beginning of next year I am planning on working on it full-time. This is a picture of one that I have made just to show you the idea of what my project is going to be. I will be glad to take orders but just know that I am not going to be making any of them until after January 1, 2011. So if you aren't in a hurry, I'd be more than happy to accept offers for them. Email me for a prices.

York Minster

This is a photo of an old Minster. A minster is an old cathedral or church that was connected to a monastery. This one was in York, England and was absolutely stunning! The architecture was outstanding and it was in really great shape, considering it was built in the mid 13th century. York Minster is northern Europe's greatest Gothic cathedral. It is a truly unbelievable sight and one that is appreciated by many people each year. There are many Minster's, cathedral's and church's throughout England but this one so far is my favorite.