Green, greener, the greenest

The prevailing colour is green, the most worn accessory is a leprecon hat and the keyword of the day is parade. Guessed what I am talking about? Yeees, it is St. Patrick’s Day, or as they call it lovingly in Ireland – St. Paddy’s Day.

We set out to the city center on a fine day in March to witness for the first time what is called a grand street parade. And in fact we did witness it, along with thousands of others trying to push their way to the front for a better view J

What can I say – it was festive, overcrowded and with a lot of loud music – just like it should be! We had a fun day out, but the best part came after the parade when we hurried to the pub to wet our parched lips with a large glass of cool Guinness.

Sloncha!!!

The fog is coming...

Oh, the horror! The fog is coming... and who knows what it is bringing!!!
A few weeks ago I was awed by a phenomenon that turns out is not that frequent. It was a clear night, but I couldn't see the bay a few hundred meters away, as it was hidden away by a thick cloud of fog. And like in the horror films it started to come nearer and nearer! It took only 10 minutes for our block to be covered by it... and for the zombies to come!
Run for your liiiiiiife!

The chocolate egg mystery

Before going away on a business trip my loving husband decided to keep me busy and hid a few chocolate eggs around the apartment. Now, let me tell you, there aren’t many places you can hide stuff at home, or so I thought.

He said he would give me a clue each day and the room it was hidden in. However, today is day 2 and I found all the eggs and I have consummated almost all of them J As ingenious as my hubby is I just couldn’t wait and rummaged through the apartment a few times to find 60% of the hidden eggs. However, I needed the last two clues to find the eggs, as he had outdone himself hiding them.

Let me leave you with this mental image: a chocolate hungry woman rummaging through the wardrobe, getting under the bed and going through the kitchen units and even through the empty gym bag (I though I had hit the jackpot there, but it turned out to be a forgotten energy bar). I hope there is no hidden camera…

Who says fairytales aren’t real

Being a royalty to many is the same as living in a fairytale. We have all the protagonists – a queen and king that rule the land justly, a beautiful princess and a handsome (sometimes) prince, a “wicked” stepmother… Throw in the mix a couple of sisters or cousins and we have the perfect formula for a sinister story with a happy ending.

So, which came first then – the fairytale or real life? Trust these pics to tell you…

It's here again!

The diary of an Irishman:

December 5th: The white stuff is here again! It keeps falling from the sky and let me tell you - it is cold! Bolder neighbours went out of their houses and some came back limping and swearing!
The airport is closed, there are long traffic jams on the highway and I can hear a person outside shouting bad words trying to take his car out of his garage.
When is this madness going to stop???

Viva San Miguel!

For those of you who don’t know we have a new best friend and this has been so for a while. Ever since we set our eyes on San Miguel about a year ago nothing has been the same!

Our new amigo is strong yet tender, cool yet warms your heart, dazzling yet calms you down and makes your head spin. We don’t meet often but when we do we always leave with a smile on our lips and warmness in our stomachs.

Enter San Miguel!

Life is a... piece of cheesecake

To tell you the truth my husband’s eyes started to well up when he had the first bite of the cheesecakes. No, not because they were so bad, but because of their deliciousness. That and the fact that his wife had finally made him something sweet to eat J

Yes, it doesn’t happen often for me to make something more exquisite in the kitchen than a salad for lunch, but this cheesecake turned out to be one of my biggest triumphs. Delicious, just the right sweetness and texture and a lot of it!

OK, here is the recipe, because I promised Annie – it will be both in English and in Bulgarian. I guarantee great results!

Woogie-boogie cheesecake recipe with blueberries:

For the base *** За блата:

• Butter cookies – about 300 g *** Обикновени/маслени бисквити – около 300 гр.
• Butter – about 150 g *** Масло – около 150 гр.

For the cream *** За крема:

• Cream cheese – 300 g *** Крема сирене – 300 гр.
• Ricotta cheese/Philadelphia cheese – 300 g *** Сирене” рикота”/ може и Филаделфия – 300 гр.
• Sugar – 1 coffee cup *** Захар – 1 ч. ч.
• Sour cream – 1 coffee cup *** Заквасена сметана – 1 ч. ч.
• Juice from a lemon – 1 table spoon *** Сок от лимон – 1 с. л.
• Vanilla extract - 1 table spoon *** Ванилова есенция – 1 с. л.
• Blueberry jam – about one jar *** Сладко от боровинки – 1 буркан

The biscuits are smashed and mixed well with the butter. The batter is placed at the bottom of the baking tin or of whatever you will put the cheesecakes in. The cream cheese and the Ricotta cheese (Philadelphia cheese) are whipped with the sugar until they become fluffy. Then the sour cream is added, the lemon juice and the vanilla extract. They should be mixed well. The cream is then poured over the biscuit and butter base. Then the blueberry jam is put on top of that but instead of the blueberries you can put strawberry, raspberry or blackberry jam. Then place in the fridge of about half an hour and we are ready to enjoy!

Бисквитите се натрошават и се смесват добре с маслото. Полученото тесто се разпределя по дъното на тава или форма. „Крема” сиренето и сиренето „Рикота или Филаделфия” се разбиват с захарта с миксер докато станат пухкави. При непрекъснато разбиване се прибавят и заквасената сметана, сокът от лимон и есенцията от ванилия. Отново се разбиват добре. Получената смес се излива върху тестото от бисквити и масло. Отгоре се намазва с боровинковото сладко. Този чийзкейк може да се приготви и със ягодово, смокиново, малиново или каквото сладко предпочитате. След това поставете чийзкейка в хладилника за около половин час и да ви е сладко J