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My roommates and I have found ourselves missing Mexican food more than anything over here in Barcelona, and that Spanish food isn’t quite as spicy as we’d like it to be.  Utter the word “Chipotle” (as in the burrito chain) in our presence, and you’re likely to get the stare of death.  It’s simply cruel.  We finally found a great Mexican food restaurant called La Rosa Negra not too far from school, but not close enough to our apartment.  Therefore, we’ve had to take things into our own hands.  On a rainy (and hailing) Sunday afternoon, I decided to make Chilaquiles for the girls, to try and satiate our craving for a little spice.  To start with, I sauteed some onions, red peppers, and mushrooms, and then added the eggs, and let that cook for a bit.  After that, I added the salsa and home-made tortilla chips, and sprinkled some cheese into the mix. Finally, I topped them with black beans.  Since then, I get requests on a daily basis for Chilaquiles for dinner.  Maybe I’ll give in and make them one night this week…

Mmmmm… Spicy.

PS – Props to Ruthie for introducing me to Chilaquiles…

I just found this article on Gourmet Magazine’s website .

http://www.gourmet.com/foodpolitics/2009/09/the-conscientious-carnivore

If you’re interested in reading more about where your meat comes from, check out Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (very informative, and incredibly well-written).

On our second day in Paris, we went back to Rue Cler (of course), but decided to sit down at a little bistro and have a big breakfast.  For 1O Euro per person, we each got fresh-squeezed grapefruit (or orange) juice, a huuuge croissant (which was served with home-made jam), an omelette with salad, and any coffee beverage of our choice.  The croissant was the best that I have ever had (in my entire life) and the omelette looked like Julia Child had made it.  The bistro, I did not happen to write down the name (Je suis désolé), was adorable, and very French.  Mmmm… I miss Paris.

Fresh Baguette, Cheese Omelette, and Salad.

Delicious Croissant.

20 seconds later….

After breakfast, we walked around a bit before heading over to the Musee d’Orsey for a few hours.  I found an adorable little macaroon shop, and had to poke my head in.  Of course, I couldn’t refrain from grabbing a few brightly colored confections.

Real Parisian Macaroons.

Later that night, after a long day of walking the streets of Paris and visitng the Louvre, we headed to Le Caveau des Oubliettes on Rue Galande (about a block and a half away from Notre Dame Cathedral).  The bar was built on top of an ancient Latin Quarter dungeon, and today, instead of prisoners in the dungeon, they have a live Jazz band!  As one of the reviews I read said, it just “oozes atmosphere.”  Upon entering, it looks as though it’s a regular local bar, with beer ads on the wall and very little sitting room, but if you make a beeline to the back of the bar, you’ll see a stairway on the right that leads you down into the dungeon.  People were crammed into the dungeon area like sardines, to see and hear the band cover Ray Charles songs, and other Jazz classics.  If you’re ever in Paris and looking for a super trendy local spot, this is the place to go.

Le Caveau des Oubliettes.

Downstairs Bar.

(right behind me are the stairs to climb down into the dungeon!)

Our trip to Paris last weekend was absolutely incredible!  We found a little hotel that was centrally located, right by the Eiffel Tower, and a few blocks away from Rue Cler (where all the locals go to buy groceries and meet with friends).  The first morning we were there, we decided to find some quiche before heading over to the Louvre for the afternoon.  We walked over to Rue Cler, and came upon a little shop that had all sorts of baked goods and other prepared foods.  We grabbed a few quiches and went the cafe across the street to sit down and get our caffeine fix for the day. 

My Tomato and Chevre Quiche.

Deanna and I on Rue Cler.

So, the entire time I’ve been in Spain, I’ve made a conscious effort not to eat anything “American.”  I pass by McDonald’s every day on my way to class without giving it a second glance, and have thus far been able to avoid the other American fast food chains like KFC, and Domino’s Pizza (my roommates have made two trips to McDonald’s in the last week out of desperation).  But alas, I had a moment of weakness, and on my way back to school from the gym, I totally caved and went to Starbucks for a Soy Latte.  I know it’s terrible!  I had been so good about pretending that it wasn’t there, until I turned the corner, and there it was, winking at me and inviting me in for a warm and tasty beverage.  I returned to school, ashamed of myself for being so spineless, but so happy to be sipping on my Soy Latte.  I must say, that it was probably the best thing that I have ever tasted (the coffee here is very bitter, and most places don’t even know what Soy Milk is).  Now I know why they’ve adopted American chains all over the world….

Home Sweet Home… in a cup.

After class on Friday, Maddie and I went to the HUGE supermarket below the department store across from school (El Corte Ingles).  There, I found “Tronquitos Sabor Queso,” which is Spanish for delicious.  I am usually a total nay-sayer when it comes to artificially colored and flavored foods, but these little cheeto-look-alikes are wonderful.  Maybe it’s because I’ve been sick (I went to the doctor yesterday, and found out that I have Bronchitis), or maybe because I was simply in a junk-food mood that day, but the second I saw the bag, I had to hold myself back from opening it in the store.  Maddie was able to find peanut butter, which put her on the verge of tears, and we left happy, feeling a little closer to home.  We were so impatient to eat our findings, that we sat down on the street (on a mini bench) and shamelessly began to dig in.  After a few minutes of watching us eat, an older woman came over to us (looking especially at Maddie) and said, in Spanish, “Enjoy your meal! You may not understand me right now, but enjoy!”  Maddie looked at me with a confused expression on her face, and I just laughed.

Spanish Cheetos… Mmmm.

The night that Deanna arrived, I enlisted my roommates Maddie and Kelsey to help me cook a big welcome dinner (after a nice, long siesta of course).  Her flight out of LA was canceled twice, because of the terrible weather in London (where she was supposed to stop on the way to Barcelona), so I decided that her delayed arrival was definitely something to celebrate.  We made a Mache Salad with home-made Vinaigrette, Bruschetta, and Penne Vodka (I used Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe, and it was amazing!).  It took forever, because we decided to make the tomato sauce from scratch, instead of using store-bought (not only because it tastes MUCH better, but because we couldn’t quite understand the labels).  We had everything ready to go, so that when Deanna’s cab was downstairs, we could quickly move her bags upstairs, and dig in.

Mache Salad, Bruschetta, and Penna Vodka.

Restaurant City is taking over my life… I need help.

Today, I finally had a chance to taste Chocolate Suizo, a traditional Spanish Hot Chocolate with Cream on top (kinda like really heavy whipped cream).  I guess I wasn’t that surprised that the chocolate was pretty bitter and thick (think super dark hot fudge), and the whipped cream almost game-y (the cream wasn’t super-pasteurized like we’re used to back in the states).  Other than that, it was pretty good (although definitely not my favorite thing so far).  I found myself staring at the people drinking Zumo de Naranja (fresh squeezed Orange Juice) wishing that I had ordered one of those…

Chocolate Suizo at Cafe Francesco (Passeig de Gracia).