Wednesday, March 31, 2010

A Dios...

...a set of blue eyes is celebrating its 38th birthday....another set of blue eyes has left us for ever...leaving behind sorrow and memories of laughter and good times...

...there isn't much to say...today is silence...only silence...

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Lindo...

...I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to post this week...thank God for our little town's internet cafe...we arrived yesterday...the weather has been amazing...there's alot of work to be done...but it's worth it....especially when I wake up in the morning and see this.... ...we got on the boat and came, my angel girl, the dog and the cat...went to the house, unloaded the car, I swear I thought I heard a sigh of relief from it...afterwards we went to town to get some food...we saw friends...cousins....cousins....and more cousins...did some shopping...went to lunch...

...there's our favorite restaurant that we go to every time we're here...we have celebrated anniversaries....ate fish soup after my mother's funeral...met good friends for dinner...went on date nights...

...the owner is this "mom" looking lady who does all the cooking...she's a cheerful woman always ready to give you the biggest hug and make you feel comfortable as if you had gone to her own house...that's why the restaurant looks like our favorite aunt's kitchen....take a look at this warm environment...

...the whole place is full of antiques, she has collected old adds from old cafes that are now closed...
...she makes all the sweets by herself, and keeps them in jars...

...one of the cozy corners of the restaurant with treats for Easter....
...the smells that come from the kitchen are amazing...
...here, there are some old school pictures...in one of them I found my dad when he was in fifth grade...their teacher was a priest...
...it's the season of lillies...tomorrow I'm planning to go by the river and cut some for the house....I'm praying that I don't see any snakes...
...on our way back home, we saw these guys taking their afternoon bath...
...and these, sun bathing...
...my little lady is sitting at her favorite spot, feeling on top of the world...
...as time went by without looking at the clock...I looked outside my kitchen window and saw that there was a full moon...
...it was a beautiful evening...peaceful...quite...and full of good thoughts...

....right now, the music at the internet cafe is smooth...they have lit little candles...I think I'm going to order a glass of wine...I'm starting to realize that I'm on vacation and it feels good....

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Dulce y citrico!

...I'm supposed to be packing...but there's so much going around....
...the sweet little man wanted to make homemade lemonade because we had 30 kilos of lemons cut from our lemon tree...his friend came over to help...and these are the results of the making of... ...first we cut the lemons...
...we squeeze them....
...we strain the juice VERY well through a net...(I use touli folded in 4)...
...for every cup of lemon juice we put 1 cup of granulated sugar (I put 3/4 of a cup)...and then we stir well until the sugar dilutes...
...when it's ready we pour it in a clean bottle and we keep it in the refrigerator...
...remember, this is concentrated lemonade since it has so much sugar, so when we want to serve it, we pour about 3 fingers of lemonade, in a glass, and the rest is water and ice cubes...
...believe me it's delicious and very refreshing...love it and enjoy it!
(please let me go pack now!)
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Perdoname, pero...

...today I'm cleaning...organizing...fighting and loving with the Bear...collecting...mopping and dusting my brain...driving...but smilling, too...tomorrow morning I'm going back to the sea!

...Semana Santa begins...no dairy, no meat, or anything that comes from a live animal...a chance to clean ourselves from sins (!!!!)

...there's a cake for this period that I tried yesterday...it's an apple cake with tahini...

...what I did was:

...I poured 1 cup tahini...
...1 cup sugar...
....mixed them well...
...I mixed 2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier...
...and 1 teaspoon of baking soda...stirred until the baking soda was disolved...
...and then added to the mixture...
...I shifted 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour...
...added 2 teaspoons cinnamon....mine comes from Constantinople...
...I chopped one cup of walnuts and added them to the flour mix...
...I peeled and diced 2 apples...
...and added them to the tahini and sugar mixture...
...I squeezed 3 oranges to make 1 cup...
...then I added the flour mixture and orange juice, a little at a time, alternatively......to the tahini mixture...
...I also added a handful of raisins...
...instead of pouring the mixture into a 26 cm (10 1/2 inch) pan, I used a muffin tin... (if you use a pan don't forget to grease and flour it)
...I had preheated my oven at 17oC (350F) and baked them for 20 min. (If it's a whole cake you bake it for 45 min.)
...when I took them out of the oven I dusted them with icing sugar...
....make yourself a nice cup of coffee (without milk!)...
...and just love them and enjoy them!

...I don't know when I will write next....just in case...have a wonderful time next to your loved ones...Happy Easter...bunnies....eggs...lady bugs...and candles!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Verduras y psicoterapia!

...once a week in every neighborhood there's a farmer's market... ....I consider it one of my little pleasures, because there's so much energy going around...I meet friends...exchange recipes with ladies that I don't know...laugh with the vendors who shout the smartest and funniest slogans...some I know by their first names...some others who I don't know at all call me "koukla mou" (my doll) or "kopela" (young lady)...now tell me....why wouldn't I want to go back!


...the fruits and vegetables are always fresh...the farmer's market or "laiki"in Greek, is the place where people discuss politics, soccer, the current scandals (what scandals?!!)....the crisis (what????)...it's a little Parliament...

....this is my favorite "egg man" who gives me my eggs every week. His brother also studies Spanish, so every time we see each other we exchange a few sentences...


...the ancient Greeks believed in holistic medicine...there's a special herb for every malady...cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, insomnia, constipation, indigestion, bronchitis, high blood pressure...even for..hmm....hmmmm!!! (thyme!)


...Greece has many olive trees. We produce the best olive oil in Europe. Our olives are something to die for! There's a saying that says that as long as you have bread and olives, you will get by in life easily!


...one of the things that I always have in my house is fresh flowers, that I buy every week from here...


...this is my friend Katerina's booth....she gives me the best vegetables....and if I look the other way she stuffs something extra in my bag, like a head of lettuce, or finocchio...it's her way of being the sweet thing that she is!


...a while ago we had vendors who sold clothes, silver jewelry and kitchenware....my friend Felly and I used to call them "our boutiques"...now the "boutiques" are gone and my friend has moved to another area...


..strawberry short cake is next!



...our best tomatoes come from the island of Crete...Cretans have the lowest rate in heart disease, cholesterol, arthritis...all due to their healthy way of eating...


....must go cook now...I wish you a relaxing weekend and positive thoughts....