canta y no llores

Laura and I stumbled upon these talented Sevillanos outside a restaurant near the river.

spring in february

I have been very busy since my return to Seville after New Years.  After a final week of 1st semester classes exam period began and only ended (at very long last) last week. 

Studying for my exams was stressful -- my entire grade depends on my exam grade in each class.  But i am finally done!

Here in Spain students are graded on a scale of 10 and standards are very different here than they are in the US.  A 5, which is just passing, is a grade a lot of Spaniards are happy with...a 7 is considered a very good grade here (kind of like a B+), and professors rarely give out 9s and 10s.  This is one of the reasons Georgetown and lots of other american universities don't factor grades from your time abroad in Spain into your GPA.  Another interesting thing about grades here is that they are posted publicly on department bulletin boards... lovely.

Second semester classes started this past Monday and they are going well so far.  I will be taking 2 literature classes, 1 linguistics class, and 2 anthropology classes...I'll write more about the individual courses in a few weeks when I have more of a feel for what they are each like.

The best thing about the past 10 days has been the incredible weather -- generally between 59-63 degrees in the afternoons.  I've been enjoying the springy weather with the 2 other full year students, the new 2nd semester students who arrived a few weeks ago, and my best spanish friend / intercambio Jonatán.  

Favorite things to do so far this semester: 

1) sit in the grass by the river and enjoy chatting with new and old friends in the sunny weather

2) explore my new neighborhood (i had to switch to a new house because my original host mom had to move...in my new house i eat all organic delicious food, have my own bathroom, have access to an amazing terrace with a beautiful view of the city, and am a 5 minute walk away from the oldest bar in Seville...how old? it was established in the 1670s)

3) knit a scarf.  I live near a yarn shop now...im turning into an abuela...

muffins made by nuns: nunffins

These very very yummy muffins are often made by nuns in Seville and can be purchased at many convents in the city (along with jams, candy, and other pastries.)  I fell in love with them last month and decided I'd try to make a batch of my own for my family (I'm back in NYC for the holidays.)

They don't taste like any muffins I've ever had before and I think that's because they're made with oil instead of butter.  This makes them very fluffy and light and not horrifically bad for you either.  They're great with cinnamon and without (according to my sister's boyfriend, the cinnamon ones taste like a cross between muffins and snickerdoodles)

I found a recipe on this website and made it yesterday ... they came out great!

http://recetas.mundorecetas.com/receta15577-Magdalenas-de-canela.html  

Here's the recipe in Spanish and English 

(depending on the size of your cupcake wrappers the recipe makes 15-20 muffins...i mean nunffins):

Ingredients:
3 huevos + 1 yema (3 eggs plus 1 yolk)
250 grs. azúcar (1 and a fourth cups of sugar)
250 grs. harina (a little under 2 cups of flour)
120 grs. aceite de oliva virgen extra (8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil)
60 grs. de leche (a quarter cup of milk)
ralladura de 1/2 limón (zest of half a lemon)
zumo de 1/2 limón (juice of half a lemon)
1 cucharadita de canela molida (1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon)
10 grs. de levadura (2 teaspoons baking powder)
pizca de sal (pinch of salt)
24 cápsulas de papel (paper cupcake wrappers)
azúcar y canela para espolvorear (sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle on top)


Instructions:
En el cuenco de la batidora pongo los tres huevos y la yema, y bato a velocidad alta hasta que el batido quede espumoso, sin dejar de batir añado el azúcar.
Añado poco a poco la leche, el aceite, la ralladura del limón y el zumo, y lo dejo batir un poco más.Añado la canela, y la mezclo con una lengua, seguidamente incorporo la harina con la levadura y la sal previamente tamizada.
Y con movimientos envolventes para que el batido no se baje, lo mezclo hasta que esté bien integrada, voy rellenando la cápsulas hasta 3/4 parte, y la espolvoreo con azúcar y canela.
La dejo reposar 1 hora antes de meterlas en el horno a 170º calor arriba y abajo en la segunda ranura de 25 a 30 minutos.

whisk the eggs and yolk at high speed until it gets frothy and then keep beating while adding the sugar.
add the milk little by little, then the olive oil, the lemon zest and juice, and mix till combined well.
then mix in the cinnamon.
in a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt (sift them if possible).
mix together the dry and wet ingredients and combine well (but make sure the fluffiness doesnt disappear.)
fill the cupcake wrappers 3/4 of the way full and top with a good sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon.
let the filled cupcake wrappers sit for an hour.  
you don't need a cupcake tin...just sit the filled paper things on a cookie sheet and put it in the middle of the oven and cook at a little below 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.