Okay, so it's November; the end of November at that.
Therefore there are only a few roses blooming in the garden.
No food related posting recently because I haven't been doing any food. Been busy looking at opening a restaurant so that's been sucking up all my time. Well really it's more a pizzería rather than a proper "restaurant" but it's a start.
Continuing the reviews of pizza I've had recently.
On the boulevard leading to Hotel Vera Playa Club you can get an excellent pizza at the Cafe/Restaurant/Pizzeria Jardin (that's in Vera, Almeria, Spain - in the beach zone)
They know what they' re doing - producing a decent thin crust pizza with just about the right amount of bubble in the crust and a proper proportion of toppings - nicely toasted (but probably in a regular pizza oven, not a real wood-burner so there's a lack of that subtle wood-oven touch). Good price for a better than average pizza. My favorite, so far, in the area.
On a misty morning in my current home town - 8:00 A.M.
Note the little palm on the right; thus indicating the climactic zone.
Note the little posts on the left of the sidewalk - to keep people from parking half on and half off the street (that is three quarters on the sidewalk). They're wild parkers here in Spain.
Note the electrical pole in the middle of the sidewalk; thus indicating a complete lack of urban planning - or that the street came well before electricity arrived and the electrical installations are a retrofit.
Don't know for sure. But it sure makes it tough for people with baby carriages.
It was an overcast day and not a soul on the beach at lunch. Well... that's November for you, although 5 out of 7 days were sunny on the nice days I typically forget to take any pictures.
That's the Mediterranean by the way. Look hard and on the other side of the water maybe you can see Algeria.
Today's entry: given that in Canada Thanksgiving was a week or four ago and that in the States it's about now, sis Elizabeth made a beautiful turkey pie and sent a picture.
I like the star things on top. I have not been gifted with the recipe as yet. In the event that it arrives I'll edit this post. Presumably it's something along the lines of:
The turkeys they sell here in Spain are the size of a great big chicken so it's trickier to end up with enough leftovers for one of these.
While down in Vera I was checking out the local pizzerías. One nice looking place at Vera Playa (Puerto Rey) is "Pizzería Trattoría Lua". Linen service, crystal glasses, good heavy silverware, well dressed servers, but an informal atmosphere. Upscale looking but not pricey at all. 
Hand rolled, baked in a gas fired platform oven in an open pizza kitchen. I had ordered the Margherita with fresh tomato (the tomato could/should have been sliced thinner).
Their pizza: what I'd call American style; thicker crust, sort of soft, chewy, loads of cheese. 
I'd eat there again - because it's got a nice atmosphere and I enjoyed watching the pizzas being prepared - but I wouldn't be going just for the pizza.
I've been offline - down at the beach place maybe doing some business deals. One quick update (I just got back and reconnected to the world/internet and have a lot of catching up to do).
This is a typical Spanish breakfast at a cafe - I had one most every day. And this is why the Mediterranean diet is good for you: coffee with foamy milk (and not a humongous mug either), a toasted baguette (only 1/2 of one) with crushed tomato (not sugary jam), which will then be topped with pure olive oil (and maybe a little salt) - not butter or margarine. Oh, for a more complete breakfast we add a glass of orange juice (almost invariably freshly squeezed [Valencian oranges - of course]. 
I have a fun toy that, despite being a capricious purchase, turns out to be useful.
You point it at what you're reheating and if it's about 60c [140F] it's about the right temperature to eat. Also good for oven and fridge temps.
Don't try to take it with you on an airplane though.
This week was full of messed up attempts at various dishes. Nothing seemed to be working particularly well. There was the White eggplant and potato thing that way overcooked the eggplant. The slow roasted tomatoes that end up burnt. The roast turkey breast was not bad but turned out to be enough to last for about 5 days. All in all it seems that the stars were misaligned. I have pictures... but they're not pretty.
Was down in the south looking at a potential restaurant location last week (which turned out to not quite be what I was looking for) and when that didn't work out went to the beach place and encountered by accident a spot that might just be the thing.
Have been working on a proposal for a restaurant (that is to say... pizzeria) that I'm thinking of opening on the south cost of Spain. Perhaps the spin on this blog's going to change from What I Cooked for Dinner to What it Takes to Open a Restaurant.
