Crafty in the Med

I am here to enjoy meeting other bloggers and to share my love of craft ,mostly crochet, my thoughts and my daily happenings here in Alicante,Spain, my adopted country. I belong to a local choir because singing and music makes me happy. Flea markets and book shops are two of my favourite places to be. I read lots......sci´fi/fantasy,buried treasure, and off world adventures. I have a passion for history! I walk and walk and walk for about 10 months per year during the hot months I swim.

Saturday 13 April 2013

Temptation and beyond from Mallorca



This is an ensaimada ........




Now...... you see my taste buds ,after all these years living in Spain, are still not up to the Spanish preferences for extra sweet icky cakes. I'm afraid they make me cringe but I won't say no to an ensaimada.
An ensaimada  can be either filled with whipped cream or without,just sprinkled with icing sugar. I go for the filled with cream type.  One ensaimada is sufficiently large to make two out of one. I usually cut it up and add some fresh strawberries which makes two tasty delicious sweets out of one ensaimada.
The ensaimadas originated from Mallorca.


They are yeast-based cakes fashioned into round, coiled shapes.I haven't ever made any myself as they are time-consuming to prepare, because the dough must be allowed to rise several times.
Some people like to eat them for breakfast,served with hot chocolate or coffee.
I have tried this and although I do not usually like to eat anything sweet for breakfast an ensaimada makes a delicious exception,especially if it is with hot drinking chocolate from the town of Villajoyosa (just down the road more or less,before you get to Benidorm).
Villajoyosa ,Alicante

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I had hoped to post about my most recent make this weekend which was a bolero shrug I was making for my grand-daughter. Unfortunately that is out of the question now as I have undone the lot. I just totally did not like it.!   Nothing wrong with the pattern which was from Lion Bernat but rather my choice of the yarn which has made it very bulky. There's nothing spring like about the end product that I produced and it was to be for spring,so one whacking big failure ............pooh!

Hello and Welcome to my new follower Betsy at The Simple Life of a Queen,thank you so much for visiting and for your kind comments on my posts.

I also want to give a big shout out to all those bloggers who have not as yet popped in to visit Shari's beautiful blog called Kashmere Kisses,such an enticing name and its an exquisite blog indeed .
At the moment Shari is holding a fabulous giveaway which you really really should not miss!

Wishing you all a very relaxing weekend  


Amanda :-)







30 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Hi there
      Ha!ha! it would be a bit stale and smelly when it eventually got to you LOL!

      keep well

      Amanda x

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  2. Ahh thanks for mentioning my blog today. That was so sweet. My mouth is watering while reading your post. I have a real sweet tooth and my favorite breakfasts are sweets-just the opposite if you it seems. :-)
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  3. I could just eat one of those now!

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  4. I am crocheting a shawl.....frogging......crocheting.......frogging......crocheting......so I feel your pain, Amanda, but I love the pattern and yarn that I am using so hope to eventually succeed :-)
    Happy Weekend!!!
    Gracie

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  5. I love those too!We are just back from Spain and I have a hot water bottle on my lap!!

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  6. Its been absolutely lovely here today Linda, 26ΒΊ. Actually most of Spain has had wonderful spring weather but they say its going to turn back to rain again next Thursday.
    Many thanks for popping into my blog and for your comments.

    Keep well

    Amanda :-)

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  7. Oh I feel your pain at the frogging - been there and done that! some times it actually feels cathartic once all the frogged wool is wound up and the hook or needles have been put aside leaving you free to start afresh! x

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  8. Replies
    1. Many thanks for your comments on my previous post. I am always delighted you find the time to visit my blog.

      Excellent Tutorial on your blog Alessandra .
      Plenty of visuals and clear,easy to follow instructions.
      This is such a good idea, we've got to keep crochet alive and these type of instant follow and make instructions show beginners just how easy it really is.

      Crochet-may it live for ever :-)

      keep well

      Amanda xx

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  9. i could never forget the ensaimadas filled with white chocolate when we went to Mallorca :) and yes ur right Amanda, they are lovely with hot chocolate :) enjoy ur weekend!

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  10. Good morning Amanda..I'll have mine with strawberries and cream too please!...I'm sure my daughter Ashley must have tried this as she seemed to make her way through every sweet thing that existed while she was in Spain..she had such a great time! (Now she's doing the same in Portugal!)
    Ooh, how disappointing that you had to undo your shrug...I always tell myself it's still progress to get to that final result!
    Happy Sunday!
    Susan x

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  11. Ooh, that looks yum - like the idea of adding straws too!
    Happy Sunday and hope you find some lovely Spring yarn for that bolero.
    Xx

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    Replies
    1. Many thanks for visiting my blog and for your comments on my last two posts.
      Do hope you are feeling better. Hot honey and lemon juice for your throat it does help.

      Take care

      A x

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  12. Hi Amanda, Those ensaidmada looks delicious! I don't think I would have any trouble at all having one for breakfast with a hot chocolate. Interesting too. xx

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  13. Hi Amanda, I do like the look of the ensaimada and wouldn't mind having a taste of one myself :) what a shame, having to pull out all your hard work how frustrating! but if you weren't happy with it twas the only thing to do. I hope that you have better luck finding the perfect yarn next time, have a lovely day! xx

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  14. Amanda, you have my mouth watering today. Betsy is a delight I am so glad she found your blog. Good luck on the next cardi.
    Hugs for Florida,
    Meredith

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  15. That does look yummy, I think I would go for some kind of custard, maybe not for breakfast though! I have only been thinking about Spanish hot chocolate this week...when I was a kid, and my parents took us to Spain on holiday, when they drank coffee I often had hot choc...what is it with their hot chocolate, tastes totally different, is it to do with the milk? Do they use evaporated milk or something different to the uk? Maybe it's not like that anymore.

    Shame about the shrug, but it's betterto get it right eh? Not worth finishing it and knowing it's all wrong afterwards.

    Have a good week.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Faith

      The chocolate is still like that. I think its the chocolate itself as it is 100% pure chocolate that is mixed with ordinary milk and then heated until it boils. I used to love Cadbury's drinking chocolate but I don't now.

      Many thanks for popping into my blog and for your comments.

      Keep well

      Amanda :-)

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  16. Ooooooh, that looks really good but I would want one with just the icing sugar. However, sweets are taboo right now. I'm trying to control my blood sugar and to lose weight and while I can look, I can't touch. :)

    I'm still puttering along on the Jordan blanket when my hand will let me. I was getting disgruntled because it's taking so long so I started doing a quick project just to have a sense of finishing something. I'm blogging about it tomorrow. Drop by and see it.

    Hugs,
    Sharon

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  17. Oooh I could just eat an ensaimada right now! Good luck withe the next shrug :)

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  18. Mmmm! Amanda, that looks delicious!!!
    I'm not a big fan of our fancy German cakes. I often long for a simple iced bun or jam tart! :-)
    Carly
    x

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for visiting my blog Carly and your comments here. I agree I very often long for a simple iced bun ...or two LOL!

      keep well

      Amanda xx

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  19. Yum! They look and sound good!
    It's so frustrating and disappointing when a project doesn't work out, after all the hard work and time put in. Hope the next one works out.
    Gill xx

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  20. Whipped cream filling? Yes, please! :)

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  21. Amanda, my mouth is watering! I must find a recipe for this...maybe in the cookbook my son-in-law gave me from Madrid. XOXO

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  22. Ooh yes! I love those too, they are more than delicious! You are making me so hungry!
    All the best for you! xxBarbina

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Thank you for your comments. I do read them and try to reply to all as well.Please keep them coming. Amanda :-)