This time I’ve got a recipe for you. People ask me about what are the typical food of the United States. It’s a hard question, as the United States is a big mix of other cultures. When I am in the supermarket and see products labelled as «american cookies» I soon realize that a snack I thought was so basic, isn’t typical here in Europe. While I’m not able to bake enough cookies for everyone, here is a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies if you’d like to try baking some at home.
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup of softened butter
1 Cup of white sugar
1 Cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Cups of Flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
1,5 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar
3 Cups of quick cooking oats
1 Cup of raisins
DIRECTIONS
Cream (mix) together butter, sugars. Beat in eggs. Stir in Vanilla. Combine dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to mixture. Mix in oats. Add raisins. Chill for 1 hour. Bake 8-10 minutes at 375 F (190 C).
As you may have noticed, we cook/bake by volume and not by weight. There are many things in Europe that I prefer over the USA, but I think the American way of cooking/baking by volume is much easier.
I hope you enjoy the cookies, and all the best!
-paul
Sorry for the delay! But here is this week’s song of the week. I leave Mazarron next week, so this is probably the last one this year. I had fun adding the songs, and I hope you enjoyed listening to them.
For the last song, I have chosen «School’s Out» by the American rock singer-songwriter, Alice Cooper. Alice Cooper once described the last three minutes of the last day of school as some of the greatest three minutes of his life. The anticipation was that great. He said, «If we can catch that three minutes in a song, it’s going to be so big.» And it was. In 1972, it reached #1 in the UK for three weeks, and #7 in the USA.
Here is a video of one of the live performances of the song. The video is subtitled in Spanish as well so that it might help you understand the lyrics.
Enjoy! and thanks for a great year. -paul
Here is one of the most well-known myths ever created by literature. The nightmare that an Irish author had one night after a heavy dinner, turned into one of the best works in English literature, that has gone beyond the mere horror genre.
Dracula was written by Bram Stocker and published in 1897. It deals with the famous story of a group of pure and white souls facing the dark presence of devil, dressed here in the myth of the vampire. Stoker didn’t invent this myth, but he was responsible for the spread of this creature in almost all artistic fields, including theatre and cinema.
If you think you know everything about the old Count because you’ve seen lots and lots of film and TV adaptations, you are wrong. The novel is not only quite different from most adaptations, but it is also beautifully written, it creates an eery atmosphere that has not been exceeded in the horror genre, and it shows the true face of Dracula, so often distorted by cinema adaptations.
If I had to recommend one of this adaptations I would choose «Bram Stroker’s Dracula». I don’t know if it is the best version ever done, probably not, buy it shocked a whole generation (my generation), perhaps because we hadn’t never seen this story told in such a powerful, colourful and frightful way.
My only objection to the movie: the love story between Mina and Dracula, which of course, doesn’t come from the novel.
Hello again everyone! How are you? In many classes recently we have been talking about money. Because of this, I decided to choose a song by the group Pink Floyd titled, «Money.» Pink Floyd is an English rock band that was formed in the 1960s but continued to play into the 1990s. One of their most famous albums is titled: «The Dark Side of the Moon.» It was released in 1973, but is still popular today. «Money» is the sixth track on the album, and it has a very distinct intro that is instantly recognizable.
Below is a video of a live performance of the song. The video has the lyrics both in English and in Spanish. I hope you enjoy this week’s «Song of the Week»!
-paul
Has your teacher ever asked you why it is important to learn English? The usual answers are because it is easier to find a job, to be able to communicate with people from other countries, to travel abroad, or just because it is compulsory.
However, sometimes understanding a foreign language can be a matter of life and death. Maybe I exaggerate the thing a little? Watch this video first (if you want subtitles, click on the «cc» button).
For this weeks song, we’re going back in history a bit. The song is called Chattanooga Choo Choo performed by the Glenn Miller Orchestra. The Glenn Miller Orchestra is a legend of swing and jazz music from the World War II era, and a group I really enjoy.
Below is a clip taken from the 1941 movie titled «Sun Valley Serenade.»
I hope you enjoy the song, and as usual, here is the clip on YouTube and a link to the song lyrics.
lyrics:
http://traduceletras.net/es/glenn-miller/chattanooga-choo-choo/19962/
Last week on May 2 I had the opportunity to see the most famous horse race in Murcia, La Carrera de los Caballos del Vino. It was an awesome experience that I’ll always remember. In the United States, Americans also watched their most famous horse race recently. On May 5, the Kentucky Derby took place at Churchill Downs in Lexington, Kentucky. Unlike the Wine Horses of Caravaca, the Kentucky Derby is a 2km long race. It is an event that over 160,000 people attend every year. The event has taken place since 1875, and nowadays many celebrities go and watch the Kentucky Derby. It is very typical for women to wear large, elaborate, and sometimes ridiculous hats at the Kentucky Derby. Also, there is a typical alcoholic drink that is traditional for the Kentucky Derby called a Mint Julep.
Below are a couple of photos as well as a video of this year’s race. Enjoy!
As I’m sure everyone knows, this past Tuesday was a holiday here in Spain, as we celebrated May Day (May 1). While in the United States May Day is not typically celebrated, in Chicago there are two other festivities celebrated around this time. The United States is a «melting pot»* of immigrants and foreign cultures, especially in the big cities like Chicago. In Chicago there are very large Polish and Mexican minorities who each have their holidays in early May. Both holidays celebrate the culture and history of their group.
First, the Polish-American community celebrates May 3 as Polish Constitution Day. It is a day to celebrate the signing of what some historians call the 2nd oldest modern constitution (after the US constitution). It is celebrated in Polish communities around the world. In Chicago every year on the Saturday closest to May 3, there is a parade of Polish-Americans through the city. The parade is even televised on one of the main local TV channels.
Secondly, on May 5 the Mexican-American community celebrates «Cinco de Mayo.» It originally celebrates a Mexican military victory over the French army in 1862, but today it is used as a day to celebrate Mexican culture, traditions, and history. It is very popular for non-Mexicans to celebrate this day by going out and enjoying Mexican food and drinks. This year I celebrated by trying the newly opened Mexican restaurant in Puerto! While I thought the food was good, it was much different than the Mexican food I am used to in the US.
Did you know…
– the Mexican beer Coronita is known as Corona throughout the rest of the world?
– it had been said that Chicago was the 2nd largest Polish city, after Warsaw, due to its large amount of Polish residents?
*melting pot: a pot where many different ingredients are melted and mixed together to form one substance.