Can’t Cook – Won’t Cook!

Pepekitchen Web

Have you ever fancied yourself as a kitchen wizard or just wanted to be able to make that perfect Spanish Omelette but you lack the necessary culinary skills? Fear not as help is at hand in the form of José Maldonado.

José is the owner of “Pepekitchen” and is a professional Chef who specialises in giving culinary courses throughout the Málaga province. He has taught several “Cooking For Foreigners” classes in the Mijas Town Hall. He even has his own kitchen workshop in Arroyo-de-la-Miel (near Benalmádena) and offers a variety of courses. Perhaps the most interesting ones from a foreigner’s point of view are his “Cursos para extranjeros”, or ‘Courses for Foreigners’. The courses are made up of small groups (6-7 persons maximum), held in the Pepekitchen workshop on Saturday mornings in Arroyo, and the students learn about the local cuisine and culture amongst other things.

Kitchen Workshop For Foreigners

José also offers tailor made courses according to the individual’s or group’s needs. José will give you a personal assessment with no obligation whatsoever. In the meantime, you can always have a look at the official Website which includes, amongst other things, a recipe for making that famous “Tortilla de Patata”: http://www.pepekitchen.com/articulo/potatoe-spanish-omelette-recipe-tortilla-de-patatas/

The courses are available in English as well, so if Spanish isn’t your strong point, then feel free to contact him in English (or try out your Spanish for that matter if you wish!) using the form below.

Picniks – Confectioners Of Distinction

Picniks Of Alhaurín

PICNIKS  is a local British cafeteria that I would describe as being like “Starbucks” but with style.

The owners take an active interest in their customers and never give you the impression that they want you to eat up and leave so they can fit more clients in. There is a wide variety of homemade food available and the quality is superb. In addition to the set menus there are daily specials to satisfy even the most demanding appetite. One such example is the homemade beef burger. I tried the 100% season beef burger last week and when I first saw it I thought that the whole cow had been used due to the size of the meat! The seasoned meat is not only ample but deliciously seasoned and served with a rasher of bacon, melted cheddar cheese, salad and crisps. I’d even go so far as to say that this is the best beef burger I have ever tasted in my life! Try this and you’ll probably never want to eat in a McDonalds again!

As well as the fine quality sandwiches, soups and cakes (including deliciously soft and large ice buns, which on their own put Picniks on the map) there are a range of speciality hot and cold drinks. Of course, if you’re just looking for a great cup of coffee and a friendly atmosphere, then Simon, Debbie and Kate are happy to oblige. You can choose to sit inside or soak up the sun and watch the world go by outside on their ample terrace. Kate also makes celebration cakes to order and has an ample variety of eye-catching and fun designs. CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW TO SEE LARGER VERSIONS.

DOWNLOAD SANDWICH & MEAL MENU

Alternatively you can contact Picniks directly by filling in the form below.
PICNIKS CONTACT FORM

Landlines In The Campo

The Vodafone shop in the “La Trocha” shopping centre in Coín can help you set it up and they have English speaking staff, which is a bonus if you don’t speak much Spanish. Maybe now it’s time to start saying “Adiós Telefónica”!

And for those of you that DO have a regular landline and Internet, you should consider the possibility of using VOIP to make cheaper telephone calls. The Federal Communications Commission defines VoIP as “a technology that allows you to make voice calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular phone line.” Certain VoIP providers may limit you to calling only people using the same service, but others open it up to anyone with a phone number – local, long distance, international and mobiles. Some services now include VoIP adapters for use on regular phones too.

As a final mention, something worthy of note is the Blog by Javier Prenafeta. He states regarding this service: ‘the quality of this service compared to a land line is not the same, there can be problems with coverage, outgoing calls will display the mobile number (not the associated land line number), and the price of calls to non-geographical numbers is a lot higher than normally expected with a land line.’

AC3 Codec, DivX and Multimedia Files

DivX

I personally am a fan of DivX files, which are basically compressed video files so they don’t take up a load of space. They have the distinct advantage over normal DVD files as they are a lot smaller and thus save valuable space on your hard drive or media player. The actual software to play these files is free and you can find out more about it and download it for both Windows and Mac here from the official DivX site: http://www.divx.com/

The same company offer a program (DivX Converter) that converts your DVDs to DivX format but after having experienced a problem with this, like many others too according to what I’ve read on the Internet, the solution was to install a free AC3 codec. For those of you who are not-so technical, this is a file that allows videos with AC3 encoded sound to be played correctly on your PC. Maybe you have downloaded a video and you can see the picture perfectly but there is no sound. Well, it could be that you are missing the AC3 codec. As to the DivX converter, after having installed this codec, my DVDs converted with no problem at all. You can download this free AC3 Codec here: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TUWN1SXY

Screenplay Pro HD

Finally, if you have a lot of multimedia files and photos, I would recommend obtaining a multimedia hard drive. As more and more people are moving into the digital age and using digital cameras and videos, this means that we are now accustomed to dealing with multimedia files. Up to now, these have normally been viewed on a PC or burnt to a DVD and watched on a DVD player. However, the advantage of a good multimedia player is that you have ample storage space and you can keep all your files in one place and watch them on your TV without having to have the PC connected to it. I personally recommend Iomega’s “Screenplay Pro HD” that comes in both 500mb and 1Tb format as it accepts a wide range of multimedia file formats, plays Full-HD resolution and comes with a remote control and all the neccesary cables, including the high-definition HDMI cable. You can find out more about it at the offical site: http://go.iomega.com/en/products/multimedia-drive/screenplay/screenplay-pro/?partner=4735#overviewItem_tab

Auto Gordian Knot

So now you know what to play your DivX files on, HOW DO YOU MAKE A DIVX FILE? My personal favourite is a completely free program called “Auto Gordian Knot” (“AGK” for short). It’s made by a UK company and there is a very comprehensive help guide on their website: http://www.autogk.me.uk/modules.php?name=TutorialEN. You can download the program from there but I’ve made a direct download link here (you just have to wait about 30 seconds if you don’t have an account with Megaupload): http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T62V4QN7

If you have any questions (and especially if any of the above links don’t work), then please feel free to leave your comments below.

Málaga on Yellow Alert for Temperatures Up To 36ºC

Málaga Beach

There are few clouds in the sky over Málaga again today and this will contribute to the temperatures increasing slightly according to the AEMET (State Meteorological Agency).

The minimum temperature recording during the wee hours of the morning was 26ºC and they are predicted to rise up to 36ºC. That is why AEMET have put the Costa del Sol on Yellow Alert (important risk) between the hours of 12 noon and 7pm today.

If you are planning to visit the beach today, then here are a few things to keep in mind to make your trip a pleasurable one:

• Use sunscreen but bear in mind that it wears off, gets rubbed off and also comes off with perspiration and there goes your protection so APPLY IT OFTEN!
• Wear a wide brimmed hat – even better if it is an anti-UV hat which covers your head, face and neck.
• Seek shade during the hours of 10:00-17:00 (10am-5pm).  That’s why it is good practice to take a big golfing-style umbrella with you. Anti-UV umbrellas will give you UV protection, and will cut some intensity of the sun.
• Use these methods of protection every day, not just when the sun is shining.  Clouds are do not protect you from ultra-violet rays that can cause skin cancer.

Entertainment Crisis

• Watching TV (3 hours, 19 minutes)
• Surfing the Internet (3 hours, 2 minutes)
• Listening to music (2 hours, 34 minutes)
• Listening to the radio (2 hours, 30 minutes)
• Taking care of pets (2 hours, 8 minutes)
• Reading (1 hour, 56 minutes)
• Playing Videogames (1 hour, 38 minutes)
• Chatting on the telephone (1 hour, 4 minutes)

Out of the people interviewed, I’m guessing that women were asked the question about videogames and men for the one about chatting on the phone, hence the relatively low amount of time spent on each. The people I know spend way much more time on each of those activities! As for leisure time spent outside the home, the survey said that the Spanish spend around 2 hours and 30 minutes walking the dog, so at least they get some excercise! Surprisingly enough, their weekends are spent doing the domestic chores as follows:

• Looking after the children (23 hours, 19 minutes) – 43% of the interviewees.
• Looking after another family member (6 hours, 11 minutes) – 27% in addition to looking after the children.
• Cooking (2 hours, 37 minutes)
• Cleaning (2 hours, 33 minutes)
• Washing & Ironing (1 hours, 35 minutes)

With most people having a stressful (or at least a busy) working week, it is important to take time out to rest, especially if you have a family and enjoy quality leisure time together. Leisure activities don’t have to be expensive. There are plenty of beaches, lakes and nature parks in the area that a free to visit. Take some games with you and a good picnic hamper and you’re all set. We’ve just bought a dart board (a real one, not an electronic one) at home and you’d be surprised at how this British sport is catching on and can be great fun.

In conclusion, get out of your house! We have great weather here in Spain so there’s no excuse for wasting the weekends in front of the TV! A good spell of fresh air and a balanced amount of time in leisure activities along with a good night’s sleep will leave one refreshed, recharged and ready for the next working week.