citrus | Kate's Plate

Hello again! It’s been a month since I last managed to blog (what a funny verb), and I didn’t even have time to notice. Now, February 2014 will forever go undocumented on Kate’s Plate. How devastating. With nine days spent in gloriously sunny Jamaica, and the rest spent desperately trying to stay organized with school, rehearsals for a musical and napping on the sofa in front of the Olympics (I was competing against my dog for a medal in couch surfing), February seemed even shorter than usual. And now! We’re in the home stretch of this semester, Jamaica feels like a million years ago, and our musical opened last night (!!). If you’re in Ottawa and you want to have a good laugh, come check out the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society’s production of Monty Python’s Spamalot! We had so much fun with our first audience last night and we can’t wait for more! There are eight more shows running until March 16th. One thing that hasn’t really changed since I last posted is the season. We’ve still got a bit of winter left (which I am loving, though I know that’s not the popular opinion), but the days are longer and the sun has been shining. It’s been exactly as Dickens put it: “It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” Perfect. (Thanks, Corinne for reminding me of that one!) So, things have been a little hectic around here, but happily so. Without sounding too twee (or trying to, at least), within all the running around I’ve been finding a lot of joy and gratitude in stopping to appreciate the little things; these sunny March days and colourful fruit have been at the top of my list of oh-so-lovely things.

I just wanted to say hi after a little impromptu break:) Hope February treated you well! xo

Looking up at the iconic arches in the mosque.

During my second year of university I took a little break from a full science course load and took some artsy electives. One of my favourite classes was ‘Intro to Spanish Culture’ — our teacher, an enthusiastic academic from Andalucia, had me captivated after the first class. Shortly thereafter I heard about this language assistant program in Spain, I applied the following year, and now here I am! Crazy.
One of the images I remembered the most from that class was that of the great mosque in Cordoba. TShap and I ended up going back there twice, we were so amazed by the structure and the history of the building (plus, tourist tip! the entry is free from 8:30-10am!). Although the mosque really is fantastic to see, many tours make it the only stop, and I would recommend staying to see the rest of this beautiful town. From the Jewish quarter, to the Alcazar, to the gorgeous patios at Palacio de Viana, there is a lot to see. Catch a flamenco show, try some bull’s tail stew, and enjoy!

Craftsman at work at the Zocco Market

Looking into one of the patios at the Palacio de Viana.

This cake showcases two of the most abundant ingredients in Andalucia: citrus and olive oil. This was my first weekend without traveling; I enjoyed some downtime (and partying) at ‘home’ in Huelva and baked for the first time since I’ve been in Spain — it felt nice! I was a little nervous with how using our new oven for the first time would go but this cake worked out so well! I was very pleased.