Fiestas de la Virgen de la Candelaria y San Blas – 5 Febrero 2012

During the first week of February our local village, Colmenar, celebrated it’s patron saint with various activities culminating on Sunday 5th with a 9 hour procession when they parade the ‘Virgen’ around the village, with Verdiales music and dancing (a kind of folk dance) and the local marching band ending with a firework display by the Ermita at the top of the village.   During the week  there was lots going on including many activities organised by the church and a week long fair in the village.  Anyone who has visited us will find it hard to visualise a waltzer in the village centre right in front of Pepe’s bar and more fairground rides on the next street. 

The procession makes very slow progress as it winds up and down the streets as the virgen is very heavy.  They have to make lots of pit stops for food and drinks and they park the virgen up outside people’s houses who open their doors to feed those doing the carrying.  The procession starts at 12:00 and ends at 21:00 so they must be pretty tired by the end.

See it for yourself in this you-tube clip.  The best part is at the end when they reach the Ermita in the dark and have a firework display.  Click here

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Almond Milk Recipe

I have recently been searching in Spain for alternatives to milk so I can reduce or eliminate the amount of dairy in my diet.  There are two problems with this, firstly I hate soya, even unsweetened soya milk.  Secondly, the Spanish have a sweet tooth and finding unsweetened oat milk or almond milk is very difficult.  I did eventually track down unsweetened versions of both.  The oat milk is naturally a bit sweet and although it makes fantastic tasting porridge I find it disgusting on other cereals.  It is also very expensive here. 
 
Back to the almond milk, well, it wasn’t bad and cheaper but when I read the ingredients it had sunflower oil in it, probably to make it less likely to separate, but to me it tasted a bit gloopy and although it made my coffee taste similar to a Starbucks coffee with hazelnut syrup (yummy) there were greasy bits floating on the surface.
 
So, with so many almond trees of our own and 20 kilos of almonds picked and shelled by Ken I decided the cheapest, most tasty and healthy option would be to make my own.  It was very nice and tasted lovely on my cereal and in coffee.  So we now have free home-made almond milk in the fridge which is really easy to make.  The problem is I now need Ken to pick more next year.  This year he picked 60 kilos which = 20 kilos when shelled so next years target is 120 kilos!!  Here is the recipe if you fancy trying it.
 
To make 1 litre of almond milk:
 
8 oz (½ lb) raw unprocessed natural almonds (the fresher the better)
Fresh cold water (enough to cover the almonds)
 
1. Cover the almonds in enough water to cover with a little extra water to provide room for swelling and soak overnight.
2. Blend in a powerful blender to give a thick, frothy almond puree.
3. Place a fine sieve over a jug, pour the almond mixture into it and start squeezing with the back of a dessert spoon until the almond meal is as dry as you can get it. Don’t add any more water at this point and retain the almond meal (more on this later).
4. The more you squeeze out, the more creamy and nutritious the milk will be.
5. Repeat this process through a clean sieve this time into a pitcher with a lid for storing in the fridge. At the end, press the last bit of almond paste in the sieve to extract the last and creamiest bit of milk.
6. Top up the milk with water to make approximately 1 litre (or desired amount if making a greater quantity). Better to leave it a bit thick than too thin as you can always add water but you can’t take it out again.
7. Place the milk covered in the refrigerator for 24 hours. You will notice a creamy layer floats on top, but with a few stirs and a day or so in the refrigerator, it will blend nicely and taste lovely and creamy.
8. Some people add sweetener or a pinch of salt or vanilla but I prefer to leave it as it is.
9. Your almond milk should cling to the glass like fresh dairy milk but without the added commercial additives like sunflower oil or gum.
 
It should keep refrigerated for around a week.  Enjoy low carb delicious creamy milk, hot or cold on cereal, in coffee and or whatever you fancy!  The almond meal is nice mixed into porridge or you can bake it on a baking tray in the oven to dry it and use in cakes and crumble.
 
 
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Going nuts for almonds!

We have over 50,000 square metres of land covered in almond trees so with a plentiful supply, we have become very interested in this humble nut and the health benefits of eating it in its natural form.  So what is so special about almonds?

Almonds are one of the most nutritious of all nuts and experts have found that adding natural foods, such as almonds to your diet may be the key to physical wellness and healthy ageing!   So here are some interesting facts about almonds:

  1. Cancer Prevention – One ounce of almonds contains 35% of your daily allowance of vitamin E, that valuable antioxidant with so many cancer-fighting qualities. Almonds contain Vitamin E and compounds called phytochemicals, which may help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer.
  2. Lower Cholesterol – Almonds have been shown to have a favourable effect on blood cholesterol levels without weight gain. Most of the fat in almonds is monounsaturated, also known as the “good” fat and there is zero cholesterol in these fats which help to reduce after-meal surges in blood sugar giving some protection against diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
  3. Reduce Heart Attack Risk – Some research has shown that those who consumed almonds five times a week had a 50% reduction in the risk of heart attack. 
  4. Strong Bones - Almonds contain many protective nutrients such as phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and zinc for strong bones. Almonds contain more magnesium than oatmeal or even spinach!
  5. Muscle building- One ounce of almonds contains 12% of your daily allowance of protein.
  6. Gallstone Prevention – Some studies have shown that eating at least one ounce of almonds a week can help lower the risk of developing gallstones.
  7. Alzheimer’s disease – One study suggest that a diet rich in foods containing vitamin E may help protect against Alzheimer’s disease.
  8. Osteoporosis Prevention– Approximately one ounce of almonds contains as much calcium as 1/4 cup of milk.

    One of our guests helping with 'knocking the almonds'

So what are you waiting for, start eating natural unprocessed almonds as your afternoon snack or with meals right away.  Of course, if you come to stay here for your holiday you can sample our very own hand-picked Casa Media Luna almonds with your breakfast.

Look out for my next blog about almond milk!

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Making Marmalade

The view from the kitchen

January is our least busy month, so what do you get up to when the guests are all gone home and you live on the side of a mountain? 

Well I never get bored of the view from my kitchen window.

Loads of walking with my dogs in the Montes de Malaga and surrounding area.

Loads of dancing while it’s not too hot and I actually do my Spanish homework for a change!

Over the last few weeks we have been busy giving people from our Colmenar class private lessons in the dance studio.

 

This week while Ken was busy chopping wood I recovered the outdoor sofas, made orange marmalade and preserved some lemons. Today I made pecan nut, ginger and date muffins and 30 empanadas for the freezer for when we have our next guests. The problem is when they come out of the oven and it’s hard to resist the temptation to eat them all!

I also built our new tango web/blog site which gives information about our local classes and all tango on the Costa del Sol.  Here’s the link.  Tango Media Luna.

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He’s a lumbar jack and he’s ok

Well thankfully, no fires for Ken to fight this week, but he has a had a very busy week clearing the dead wood on our land, pruning trees and chopping firewood.  When he wasn’t doing that he painted our new wall around the pool.

At least he wasn’t pressing wild flowers or hanging around in bars!

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Top 25 Bed and Breakfasts in Spain 2012

We are delighted to be a Travellers Choice 2012 Winner on Tripadvisor having come in the top 25 Bed and Breakfast and Inns in Spain, as rated by our customers. So a big thank you to all our customers for choosing Casa Media Luna Bed and Breakfast, Malaga for your holiday and for taking the time to write your reviews on Tripadvisor.  We hope to welcome you here again very soon.

To read more visit our website: Casa Media Luna

To read our reviews on Tripadvisor

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Walking the GR7

On Sunday we were up early, sandwiches and flask of coffee made and off to meet our friends in the walking group for a 3.5 hour walk along the GR7 from Pulgarin to Guaro.  The GR7 is the longest trail in Europe starting on the Atlantic coast near Gibraltar and through Spain, France, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria to Greece and ends in the Peleponesos. We have walked different sections of the GR7 before, including the section leading to Ventas Zafarraya.  The scenery is fabulous and you can see Lake Vinuela, La Maroma (the highest in the Montes de Malaga mountain range), beautiful olive and almond groves and a clear day you can see the sea including the coast of North Africa.  There is a lovely venta where you can sit outside with fabulous views for a drink or meal half way along the walk.  Spring has arrived early and all the blossom is nearly out and we saw many wild spring flowers on the walk including some lovely wild Iris.   

The area in which we were walking is situated in the panoramic views opposite Casa Media Luna so from the walk we could see our house.  Casa Media Luna is situated in between the Montes de Malaga natural park, some 30 square km of forest with cycling and walking tracks and the area opposite our house which includes the GR7 route from Antequera to Alcaucin, Canillas de Aceituno and eventually Nerja on the coast.  For those who have stayed here, see if you can spot our house! 

Back home is was nice to have Sunday dinner and collapse in front of our woodburner for the rest of the day.  After 4 hours of running around the dogs were zonked out!

 

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