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Spanish Food – The Tasty Tortilla

It certainly is a poor man or woman who cannot find a few eggs, a couple of potatoes and an onion in their store cupboard!

The ever-practical Spaniard realized this and thus created their marvellous “tortilla” – an easy-to-make dish that could be savoured by rich and poor alike.

Not only cheap to make the tortilla, or Spanish omelette, is immensely adaptable: you can eat it hot or cold, depending on the weather and your mood; you can enjoy a small slice as a “tapa” (snack) in between meals; or, accompanied by a multi- coloured mixed salad and crusty, fresh Spanish bread, you have a marvellous main meal!

Should unexpected guests come knocking at your door … just whip out the ever-adaptable tortilla, pour them a glass of smooth, Spanish wine and they are bound to be delighted!

Unlike the better-known French omelette, which should be made quickly and over a high heat, the Spanish omelette needs to be cooked more gently, so that the middle is not too runny.

The French omelette is best eaten straight away and always hot. Its Spanish counterpart, on the other hand, improves if left to rest for at least five minutes before eating, keeps well for a couple of days in the fridge, and can easily be re-heated in the microwave, unless you prefer it cold.

As with the French omelette, the Spanish tortilla is made in a frying pan (preferably non-stick) but, unlike the French version, both sides need to be browned. For this reason, it is possible to buy special tortilla frying pans – a sort of double pan which allows you to swish the omelette over to cook the other side!

I have to say, I prefer the traditional method of placing a plate on top of the pan, turning the tortilla out and then returning to the pan to cook the underside. But the simplest method is to place the frying pan under the grill to brown.

Whichever way you choose to prepare it, once cooked, leave it to cool a little, cover with a large plate, then gently ease out the omelette. It should be circular, about an inch-and-a-half thick, and it is usual to cut it in slices or wedges.

Having said that, you can divide it into small cubes, pop cocktail sticks on top, and serve along with other “bits and pieces” as apéritifs.

Spanish recipes for tortilla vary from region to region – also what you have in the fridge and what you fancy! You can replace the potato with, say, spinach, leave out the onion, add a bit more garlic, etc, etc. Just use your imagination!

Below is a recipe for traditional potato-and-onion tortilla. TORTILLA – Spanish Omelette

Ingrediants:

Olive oil. 1 large onion, chopped. 1 clove garlic, crushed with 1 teaspoon salt. 2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced. Black pepper. 6 eggs, beaten.

Method:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan.

2. Add onion, garlic/salt, pepper and potatoes.

3. Gently fry until golden-brown and potatoes slightly softened.

4. Tip potato-and-onion mixture into bowl containing beaten eggs.

5. Stir and transfer to large frying pan containing clean oil.

6. Cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes.

7. Transfer pan to preheated hot grill until top is browned.

8. Carefully tip onto plate and slice as you would a cake.

About the Author

Linda Plummer is English and has lived on the Costa Blanca, Spain for 20 years. She is webmistress of the information-rich site http://www.top-tour-of-spain.com with its FREE monthly newsletter, “The Magic of Spain”.

Spanish Food – The Tasty Tortilla by Linda Plummer

Hotel Room Horror Story

Hotel Room Horror Story By David Leonhardt

Ever since I began working for that Florida vacation rentals website, I have been plagued by recurring nightmares. I am haunted at night by the spirits of hotel rooms past.

There was a time when I traveled quite a bit on business. Thankfully, I don’t hotels hop any more. But at night I float off to a hotel room far away in time…

The day’s work done, I phoned home to check up on the kids. It seems there was a shouting match going on in my absence. It sounded like Pandemonium was winning, but Total Bedlam was making some noise, too.

“Can you just quiet down a bit,” I said into the phone.

“YOU shut up,” I heard the man in the next room growl.

I chose to ignore him. “Come on guys. Can’t you just stop fighting for a minute?”

“I’ll show you what fighting means” I heard through the wall.

“Geeze. I can’t even here myself think,” I complained into the phone.

“Hey! I’ve had just about enough of you,” the guy on the other side of the wall screamed.

Suddenly I got very scared. I pictured a burly, six-foot-two weightlifter smashing his fist through the wall. I hung up the phone, wondering how thin the walls were.

Nothing happened. No fist. No smashed wall. No burly, six-foot-two weightlifter.

I decided to go downstairs for a stress-relief stroll. As I was closing my door, the man from the next room emerged.

Fortunately, he was no weightlifter.

I was about to ask him why he had shouted at me through the wall while I was trying to discipline my kids, when he called to me, “Hey you. I was on the phone with my wife. Why did you have to heckle me?”

All of a sudden, I knew how thin the walls were.

In fact, I discovered that hotel walls come in two thicknesses:

If you’re lucky, you get “Turn down the volume on your TV!” walls. If you are less fortunate, you get “Turn down the brightness on your TV!” walls.

Fortunately, hotel rooms are immaculately clean. It’s true. The sign says so. Just as long as you don’t look under the mattress to find a 1976 copy of Businessweek Magazine and theatre tickets to a 1982 showing of The Music Man.

I don’t know why hotels pretend to be so spotless. All that junk under the bed could be used as a marketing tool. “Stay at the Hilltop Hilton and join in our under-mattress-scavenger-hunt.”

If the hotels don’t catch on, sooner or later the motels will. They can turn anything into a sales pitch. Like, for example, “Color TV” (Ooooooohh.). And “Outdoor Pool” (I think the “outdoor” feature is a nice added touch, don’t you?) And how about “Free Parking” (which is really a way of saying, “You don’t have to park your car in your room.”).

What worries me most about hotels is what they keep in the drawers. Did you ever notice there is always a bible in the drawer? Why?

When you buy a car, there is no bible in the glove compartment, although the road is where you need prayers the most.

When you dig for the prize at the bottom of the Cracker Jack box, it’s never a bible.

Even in hospitals, where a prayer might be all you have left, there is no bible in the drawer.

Only in hotels and on death row do bibles come as standard equipment.

And why just the Bible? I have had plenty of spare time to search for Torahs and Korans in hotel rooms, and I have never found any. Do Jews and Muslims not stay in hotels? What do they know that I don’t?

Fortunately, I don’t have to stay in hotels anymore. I don’t have to endure shadow-puppet shows from the guy on the other side of the wall. I don’t have to keep from reading over his shoulder. I don’t have worry about what he ate for dinner.

And I don’t have to listen to his snoring. I can enjoy my own nightmares in peace.

About the Author

David Leonhardt publishes The Happy Guy humor column: http://www.thehappyguy.com/positive-thinking-free-ezine.html And A Daily Dose of Happiness: http://www.thehappyguy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html He also writes personal growth articles: http://www.thehappyguy.com/self-actualization-articles.html And sells liquid vitamins: http://www.vitamin-supplements-store.net

Hotel Room Horror Story   by David Leonhardt

Vehicle insurance quotes in South Africa – Getting Cheap Quotes on the Internet

Shopping for vehicle insurance quotes on the internet is now a popular activity amongst many people in South Africa. The reason lies in the fact that, car insurance premiums in this country have become unbearable for most people. Insurance companies give dicounts of between 5 and 25 percent to online shoppers. It definitely makes sense to give such discounts especially considering the fact that the customer acquisition costs are low on the internet. Besides all this, shopping on the internet saves you traffic loads of time. ln this article, l will discuss three of the most cost efficient methods you can use to get cheap premiums on the internet.

People who are looking for vehicle insurance quotes in South Africa now have the advantage of shopping for cheap quotes without any pressure from sales people. So, your starting point must be to get as many quotes as you possibly can from the various insurers you find on the internet which cover your area. At this stage, get quotes even from the less known brands as they will offer you significant opportunities for low premiums. This is because their costs of running the business are relatively low. Since the process involves the completion of an online form, try to get as many quotes as you can.

With at least ten quotes from your first phase of research, it is now time to extend your search for vehicle insurance quotes by turning to the aggregator sites. An aggregator site simply pulls quotes from several insurance companies based on information you provided on only one form. You can instantly see all the various quotes on a single page and decide on the spot which quote you will be going with. One popular aggregator site in South Africa is the hippo website. However, some aggregator sites are set up by one insurance company trading under different brand names, and you may not therefore get a serious advantage.

lt is therefore essential that you maximise your search for vehicle insurance quotes by using more than one aggregator site. When you use more than one aggregator site, you will be able to get several quotes from different insurance companies within a short space of time. Besides getting a lot of quotes, this method of research will also save you huge quantities of time. Infact, it is not uncommon to get as many as 40 quotes within 30 minutes. Better still, those quotes will be coming from companies that are truly different.

Now that the internet has simplified things for most auto insurance shoppers, there is no reason why you can’t conduct your own extensive search for a cheaper quote. If you use the above methods as you search online, you will most likely get an affordable vehicle insurance quote on the South African market.

About the Author

For tips on getting the lowest car insurance quotes online, visit http://www.sa-insurance-quotes.co.za

Vehicle insurance quotes in South Africa – Getting Cheap Quotes on the Internet  by Khumbulani Phiri

Mexican Auto Insurance

LIABILITY ONLY Mexican Auto Insurance “LIABILITY ONLY” Coverage meets the minimum liability requirements of the Mexican government. It means Legal liability deemed to be caused by you for injuries or death of persons (bodily injury) not in your vehicle, property damage deemed to have been caused by your vehicle, and medical expenses for you or other persons within your vehicle caused by a covered loss.

FULL Coverage Mexico Automobile Insurance means “Liability Only” Coverage and in addition, coverage for Physical Damage to your vehicle and Total Theft of your vehicle. It protects your vehicle for total theft, collision, turnover, fire, lightning, explosion, and meteorological phenomenon such as windstorms, cyclones, hurricanes and earthquakes. Partial theft and acts of vandalism are excluded except by purchasing Broader Coverage. Towing expenses are covered in order to move the vehicle to a place designated by the company for repairs.

Tip 1: If you drive an older car, you might save money by purchasing “Liability Only” Protection.

Check with your U.S. Insurance Provider to find out if they provide any protection for your vehicle within Mexico. Just be careful as most exclude Physical Damage & Theft, and some include it for only a few miles along the border areas into Mexico.

Tip 2: If your vehicle has some value, it’s a good idea to purchase “Full Coverage”. Keep in mind however that Mexico Insurers require that you have valid “Full Coverage” on your US or Canada policy in order for you to be eligible to purchase “Full Coverage” while driving in Mexico.

About the Author

Linden Gray owner of Mexican Insurance Store is an international insurance veteran with over 29 years of wholesale, retail, and direct insurance experience. Mr. Gray has been featured in numerous offline & online publications including RV Magazine, The Press Enterprise, PE.com, Google News, Yahoo News, Digg and Buzzle. Visit his website here: Mexico Car Insurance.

Tag: auto insurance, car insurance

Mexican Auto Insurance by Linden Gray

How to Choose A Mexican Insurance Plan

Why Your Current Plan Is Not Enough

While your current auto insurance may offer limited coverage along the border regions of Mexico, in most cases it only covers costs for you and your car. The Republic of Mexico requires proof that you can pay for costs due to injuries or death of persons not in your vehicle, property damage caused by your vehicle, and medical expenses for other persons in your vehicle. There is an additional consideration in that authorities will not RECOGNIZE the policy as legitimate unless it is written by an admitted Mexican Insurance Carrier. This is why you must purchase a Mexican insurance policy from a company authorized to do business in Mexico.

How to Find a Mexican Insurance Plan

It is highly recommended that you purchase Mexican auto insurance before entering Mexico with your car. Although Mexican insurance can be purchased from various vendors just prior to crossing the border, you will have great difficulty verifying if your policy is from a quality company approved by the Mexican government, if you have the proper coverage for your trip, if the areas or activities that you plan to do are excluded, or if you even paid the best price for the policy.

The easiest and quickest way to find Mexican auto insurance is online. Look for sites that offer more than one policy, and allow you to compare and customize quotes for the policies they offer.

What to Look For In a Mexican Insurance Plan

The minimum insurance required by Mexican law is liability coverage. However, depending on the severity, location, and/or length of the investigation by authorities this will not be enough. When selecting a plan, look for one that offers at least the following:

* Third Party (Civil) Liability * Medical Expenses for Driver and Occupants * Medical and Travel Assistance * Physical Damage and Total Theft of Vehicle * Legal Assistance and Bail Bond * Roadside Assistance * Urgent Message Services

Make sure the plan covers you during your entire stay. Most plans have daily, six month, and annual policies. You may find it cheaper to purchase a policy with a longer coverage period if you plan to stay close to 4 weeks or a month.

In addition, take into consideration the type of activities you plan to enjoy and their locations. Look for plans that offer medical emergency assistance options with land & air evacuation.

What you Should Get When You Purchase Your Mexican Insurance Plan

When you purchase your policy, you should receive the following from the insurance provider:

* Authentic and recognized Mexican auto insurance policy * Accident instructions and essential policy information * Important phone numbers * Premium payment receipt

These items should be kept with you at all times while traveling in Mexico.

About the Author

Linden Gray, owner of Mexican Insurance Store.com is an international insurance veteran with over 29 years of wholesale, retail, and direct insurance experience. Mr. Gray has been featured in numerous offline & online publications including RV Magazine, The Press Enterprise, PE.com, Google News, Yahoo News, Digg and Buzzle. Visit his website here: Mexico Car Insurance.

How to Choose A Mexican Insurance Plan by Linden Gray