Romanian Carols For New Year Celebrations

A couple of weeks ago I shared with you a few Christmas Carols that are traditionally sang in Romania for Christmas. I wanted to share with you more but as we've been away for Christmas I didn't have the opportunity. But as today is the New Year Eve I wanted to share with you one of the most popular carols that kids around Romania sing on the first day of the year. The name of this carol is SORCOVA. I don't have a translation in English for it though but I will try and describe what it is...

"Sorcova" is a special bouquet used for New Year's wishes early New Year’s morning. Children wish people a “Happy New Year!” while touching them lightly with this bouquet. After they have wished a Happy New Year to the members of their family, the children go to the neighbors and relatives. Traditionally, the "Sorcova" bouquet was made up of one or several fruit - tree twigs (apple-tree, pear-tree, cherry-tree, plum-tree); all of them are put into water, in warm place, on November 30th (St. Andrew’s Day), in order to bud and to blossom on New Year's Eve.

See below the words of the SORCOVA:

Sorcova, vesela,
Sã trãiti, sã-mbãtrâniti,
Ca un mãr, ca un pãr,
Ca un fir de trandafir,

Tare ca piatra,
Iute ca sãgeata,
Tare ca fierul,
Iute ca otelul,

Peste varã, primavarã,
Nici capul sã nu te doarã,
La anu' si la multi ani !

Merry Sorcova,
May your health be strong
And you life long:
As an apple tree
As a pear stately
As a rose bush fair
Blossoming beyond compare:
Strong as a granite rock
Quick as an arrow’s shock
Hard as an iron bar
Tougher than steel by far,
Over summer, over spring,
May your health be great
A New Year with happiness
And in everything success.

Nowadays people often use an apple-tree or pear-tree twig decorated with flowers made up of colored paper. I remember this tradition with such a pleasure. It is something to look forward to it for kids.
The children receive all kinds of treats such as: cakes, honeycombs, biscuits, pretzels, candies, nuts, money.

Our Christmas on the road...

I'm still in bed..today the 29th of December! Its almost 12 o'clock and I still didn't brush my teeth. I'm sipping a Lemsip that my hubby brought to me. It had a funny taste however. I think it was strawberry or something...I am used with lemon one. I started with a nasty cold yesterday. Anyway I am feeling sorry for myself instead of enjoying my time in bed. My break I should say. We are up north,in Dales at my sister in law so this gives me the opportunity to relax. My daughter loves it here and so is my husband. I however miss my bed! I want to be home in my tiny London (rented) apartment and just relax and watch some crapy tv! The fact that I'm sick makes me want to go home even more! Oh well...I never do what I want it seems! Never! I always do what I am expected and even I complain somehow my words seem to pass my husband and just disconsider (is that a word?) everything I say!
We've been away from home since the 23rd of January. We spent our time visiting hubby's family, our family. We spent the first to nights here in Bellerby. Beautiful little village. They don't even have a shop here but they have a pub called crossed Keys. My SIL and her hubby spend here quite a lot of their time as this is their only place of entertainment. After spending two lovely days here we drove to Armley, Leeds to spend Christmas day with my father In law and one of Adrian's brothers and his family. We had a great time I can't lie but all this travelling started to get to me already. Adrian's dad is a bit ill so it was nice to see him feeling a bit better than last time. A bit too much too drink that night though...
Boxing day was spent dinning at another SIL house where another BIL in law and his family were invited. It was a nice relaxing dinner.
My hubby has two brothers and two sisters so quite a big family. So no matter how much I love to see them all after a while all is a bit too much and tiring for the depressive me!
The two nights we spent in Leeds were at the Jury's In in Leeds. The hotel is quite in the centre so we loved that. The hotel room had lovely views and was quite cheap. At only 39£/night with breakfast included was a delight. Staff was absolutely lovely and the problems with the heating were fixed very fast! So we will definitely stay there again!
On the evening of the 26th of December we drove back to Dales to spend some more time with I say,my hubby's favorite sister, and her family. My sister in law and her family are really lay back so we always have a lovely time here! Besides my problem with my crown falling off and my cold all is well.
But because initially we were suppose to drive back to London and spend a couple of days there and the go and visit one of my Romanian friends I am a bit puzzled. I feel like we should just go home and stay there. I relax here but really thereal relax for me is when I am in my own bed at home watching ER!
Now I have no idea if we are going to drive tomorrow to London or to go and see my friend in Peterborough. I feel like I just need to be home! Even that will mean that we will spend New Year at home just the three of us! I think this is what we really need!
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! And i Wish you all a wonderful new year 2012!
Hope I wasn't very boring...my fever is affecting my brain!

Satcap Christmas Eve Edition

MERTY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! HOPE YOUR YEAR WILL BE FULL OF HAPPY MOMENTS AND SATISFACTION!

Boeuf Salad

This salad is tasty and can be found in the Romanian houses all the way through the winter. It is served usually as a starter and to me is one of the dishes that reminds me of Christmas! However it is quite refreshing so you can always cook it for the summer.
For this recipe you will need to bold the below root vegetables:
- potato - whole in its skin;
- carrot;
- parsnip;
Boil until they are really well cooked but not too much. When finished empty the water from the pan and leave it to cool. As you can see I didn't put any quantities because it matters a lot how much salad you want. If you just want to give it a try just put one of each. The potato will have to be a bit bigger though as it is the main ingredient.
For a vegetarian version you can add boiled peas like a i did but if you wish you can add boiled chicken.
When the root vegetables are cool cut them in small squares. Cut them as small or as big as you like. Put all this veg into a big bowl. On top add the peas if you want to add it.
Now it is time for the pickled ingredients: cucumber and red pepper. You can buy these from a Polish Shop or from the east European section from any of the big supermarkets. The right pickled pepper is harder to find though...make sure it is not the roasted pepper. Cut these into very small squares too. Before putting them on top of the other vegetables make sure you squeeze them so all the juice comes out.
Well now do you think you are done? You can mix them all carefully making sure that your veg are not getting broken too much though...
To complete this salad you need to add mayonnaise a a dollop of mustard. I like making my own mayonnaise but you can use shop bought one. However you can't beat the home made mayonnaise! I am not going to write it down here as I am sure you all know how to do it! Add salt and a bit of pepper and mix all together.
This is my take on SALATA DE BOEUF as my mum and my grandma use to do it. However for an exact recipe you can visit this lovely lady blog Home cooking in Montana.

See below a picture with my salad:

Romanian Carols for Christmas

  Before Christmas i would like to get you accustomed with the romanian carols. We have some very wonderful carols for this time of year. I will post them in Romanian but then in English too. The carols i am sharing with you below do not have a known author. Their origin seem to come from the late 18th century and early 19th century.The actual romanian name for the Christmas Carols is COLINDA. The words in colinda are more traditional and speak about the events of the nativity.

First i would like to share with you "O, ce veste minunata" which translates as Oh, How Wondrous News. This carols reveals what a wonderful news is the born of son of God - Jesus.

O, ce veste minunată,
Din Betleem ni s-arată.
Că a nascut prunc
Prunc din Duhul Sfânt
Fecioara curată.

Mergând Iosif cu Maria
La Betleem să se-nscrie.
Într-un mic sălaş
Lâng-acel oraş
S-a născut Mesia.

Ce Domnul cel din vecie,
Ni l-a trimis ca să vie,|
Să se nască
Şi să crească,
Să ne mântuiască. 

Oh, how wondrous news
Is shown to us from Bethlehem.
That the Pure Virgin
Has born a child
From the Holy Spirit.

As Joseph and Mary went
To Bethlehem, in order to be censed.
In a small shepherds’ shelter,
Close to that town,
The Messiah was born.

Whom the Lord, who is before all ages,
Sent to us, so that He would come,
To be born,
To grow up,
And to save us all. 

The next carol is Trei Pastori translated as Three Shepherds - this carol is about three shepards that heard about the birth of Jesus and decide to go and see him and give him a present.

Trei păstori se întâlniră (bis)
Raza soarelui, floarea soarelui.
Şi aşa se sfătuiră.

Haideţi, fraţilor,să mergem (bis)
Raza soarelui, floarea soarelui.
Floricele să culegem.

Şi să facem o cunună (bis)
Raza soarelui, floarea soarelui.
S-o-mpletim cu voie bună.

Şi s-o ducem lui Cristos (bis)
Raza soarelui, floarea soarelui.
Să ne fie de folos. 

Three shepherds met
Sunbeam, sunflower.
And talked to each other thus: Come on, brothers, let us go
Sunbeam, sunflower.
And pick some little flowers.
And make a crown out of them
Sunbeam, sunflower.
And knit it joyfully.
And take the crown to Christ,
Sunbeam, sunflower.
For the good of us all.

Hope that you enjoyed reading this post and i hope that you will have the opportunity to go and visit Romania at some point and maybe even for Christmas. In Romania at this time of the year we usually have snow and people are very welcoming.

                                     Craciun Fericit!

Black Dog Tribe my Contribution

This week I was remembered once more why I started blogging in the first place and why I love the world of mummy bloggers so much!
The mummy bloggers community is really nice and there's a real support between us. I feel like we are online friends. One of these wonderful ladies is Mammasaurus.
She is supporting the Black Dog Tribe - an organisation(I hope I am choosing the right word) that wants to bring awareness on mental illness. Mental illness can mean anything from anxiety, depression to bipolar.

I was diagnosed with "postnatal depression" around 2 and a half years ago and was given antidepressants. After taking them for a bit more than a year I gave up. I just couldn't feel anything anymore and didn't enjoy my life while on antidepressants. So now I'm not taking them...it's been a struggle but I think I might be getting better... To tell you the truth I have ups and downs but this is how life for a person that suffers of mental illness is. I have moments when I feel down and just want to go for a walk and never comeback and moments when...I'm really angry...I have moments when I am way too happy. I suspect that I might be bipolar but...this is just what I believe from what I read. This is still to be diagnosed by a doctor....

Mammasaurus is making/editing a Festive support video and I am submitting the picture below-strangely enough Mammasaurus took this picture last weekend.

To read more about this video go on MammasaurusBlog.

If you have a story or if you suffer of mental illness you can link your story on Mammasaurus blog as well so click this LINK

Madcap day!!!

Last weekend at the Tots 100 party a bunch of us decided that this saturday will be #Madcap and not #Satcap!

So...this means that.....the picture for todays Caption Day is with the one and only Mammasaurus!!!!

So here is my entry!

And the winner is....

Congratulations @crankymonkeys!!!!! Random picker choose you as the lucky winner of the Pirates Handbook!!! Hope your boys will enjoy the book!

To check the draw please click HERE

Cheesy muffins

This is the first time I am baking these muffins but I think they are quite tasty!
So here is the recipe:
Ingredients
2 Cups Plain Flour
1 teaspoons salt
225 grams Margarine
1 Cup Cheese
2 Eggs
1 Cup Milk
3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
Paprika
Extra Grated Cheese

Rub margarine into the flour and baking powder,add the cheese.
Beat eggs with milk and mix into the flour mixture.
Grease muffin tin and divide the mixture equally into the tin.
Sprinkle extra cheese and paprika on the top of the muffins and bake at 200C for 20 minutes.

This is a Nigella inspired recipe!
Tada!

Warm molten-centred chocolate cupcakes

Last night I baked these really nice chocolate cupcakes! They are really nice and easy to do so go on and try them! They are really nice warm so do not bake too many at the same time!
Ingredients:
4 tbsp soft margarine
55 g/2 oz caster sugar
1 large egg
85 g/3 oz self-raising flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
55 g/2 oz plain chocolate
Icing sugar for dusting

Put 8 paper baking cases in a muffin pan, or place 8 double-layer paper cases on a baking sheet.
Put the margarine,sugar,egg,flour and cocoa in a large bowl and, using an electric hand whisk beat together until just smooth.
Spoon half of the mixture into the paper cases. Using a teaspoon make an invention in the centre of each cake. Break the chocolate evenly into 8 squares and place a piece in each indentation, then spoon the remaining cake mixture on top.
Bake the cupcakes in a preheated oven,190C for 20 minutes or until well risen and springy to the touch. Leave the cupcakes for 2-3 minutes before serving warm, dusted with sifter icing sugar.

Mine didn't raise that much as I left them a bit too long in the oven! Ooopppss! But they were yummy though!
Enjoy!

Work out tips!!!

Workout Tips for Parents

When you're running a household that includes young children and teens, it can be hard to get away for a workout.

If you're desperate for fitness but can't seem to find the time, all you need is some planning and a little creativity. Here are some tips for parents with children and teens:

1. Exercise with your kids. If your kids are old enough, let them bike while you run or rollerblade. Hiking makes for a fun family activity that keeps everyone shape. Or, create a fitness course in the backyard, complete with jump rope, jumping jacks, and pushup stations.

2. Purchase some exercise videos. Yoga, Pilates, low-impact aerobics, and kickboxing can all be done on your living room floor with little or no equipment. Before you buy, rent a few from your local video store or check them out from the library to see which ones you like.

3. Improvise. If you miss your aerobics class because of a marathon naptime, pop in an exercise video or do lunges in the backyard with the baby monitor hooked to your pants. Don't stress if you don't get that perfect workout in every time. With exercise, doing some is always better than doing none.

4. Most importantly, put exercise on your "to-do" list. Make it a priority. If that means getting up an hour early for a run, then set the alarm and go for it. You'll benefit in countless ways, plus you'll be a happier, more peaceful parent for your kids.

What is your Christmas tradition???

This weekend at the Tots 100 Christmas party I start thinking that I should write this post. What is your Christmas tradition? What is the Christmas tradition that you HAVE to repeat every year because this is what you learned from your parents or just makes it CHRISTMAS for you? It might be more than one tradition ad you will see below that there are quite a few traditions I keep in my heart.

Romanian Christmas is very different from the English Christmas. The biggest difference must be the fact that Romanians are orthodox and for us the whole meaning of Christmas is very religious. We care about the core of the holiday which is the birth of Jesus Christ. So very early morning we go to the church to receive the Christmas blessing. In the last couple of years however I missed this. I missed because I am in England and the nearest orthodox is a bit too far away and I just can't get my husband to drive me there. He is not religious at all so of course very difficult to convince. At the same time my daughter was a bit too young to understand but I promised that I am going to take her to Guildford orthodox Church this year.

Carols are an important part of the Romanian folklore and of course Christmas is the time to show the love for carols. Although they seem simple, they have very deep meanings that make people surmount difficulties and give them hope to go on.
Traditionally, children go caroling very early in the morning on Christmas’ Eve while adults stay home to greet them. Me and my sister use to go from home to home and get treats like fruit, candy, walnuts, crackers and, sometimes, even money for our performance.
Traditionally even grown ups go caroling. The waits gather in groups and they choose a leader and when they reach the front yard of the house, they start singing and dancing to the host. After they finish all their repertory, the hosts invites them in the house for food, drinks and presents. After a while, they hardly can hold their bags that are too heavy of so much food.
There are a few Christmas carols that you can find in almost every traditional part of Romania: the Star carol (“Steaua”), the Bear dance (“Ursul”) and the Goat dance (“Capra”). I remember with pleasure and is like my heart is smiling when I remember the time my sister and I use to go carolling. Unfortunately my little one will only have the opportunity to do this of and when we will move back to Romania. Of course there is a Romanian community in England but we never interact with them. You see my hubby is british so as long as we live in England we will to to live the british way! But...as the carols always use to bring the feel of Christmas in my parents house I WILL teach my daughter the Romanian Christmas Carols!
The Star carol is about the waits that walk in the streets holding a star made of paper with biblical scenes in different colors, sometimes, even with shiny tinsel. While holding the star in their hands, children sing:
“The star has appeared on high,
Like a big secret in the sky,
The star in bright,
May all your wishes turn out right…”
“Steaua sus rasare,
Ca o taina mare,
Steaua straluceste,
Si lumii vesteste…”

The Bear carol is usually met in Moldova and it involves wearing the costume of a bear embellished with red tassels on its head, ears and shoulders. That person that wears such a costume is usually accompanied by fiddlers and surrounded by many characters including a child that is supposed to be the bear’s cub. They usually sing:
“Dance well, you old bear,
And I will give you bread or olives.”

Originally, the Goat dance was a serious and grave ceremony. In old times, that animal was considered to have had amazing powers and to have foretold if the weather was good or bad. In time, this tradition has turned into a ritual meant to bring prosperity in the year to come. Now, the Goat tradition consists of a very noisy young person wearing the very colorful costume of a goat. The entire group that follows this person, dances from home to home being accompanied by flute music. The goat makes many funny movements, jerks, jumps and clatters the wooden jaws.
Carols create an atmosphere full of optimism when men make wishes and foster secret desires. This is something you don’t want to miss.

Decorating the tree in my parents house was a family activity. The morning of the Christmas Eve my dad use to go to the market and buy the tree. My sister and I use to wake up to the noise of my dad carving the base of the tree. He was the only one qualified enough for the job! My dad only ever bought the hugest trees from the market! That is when my sister and I and my mum use to take over and start decorating the tree. And you heard right - we use to decorate the tree on Christmas Eve. In England people start decorating the tree on 1st of December.
I think that without this tradition - I will never feel like its truly Christmas!
While decorating the tree my mum use to already have something in the oven baking and the smell of the baking use to cheer us up!

Now I really feel like I want to be home again and spend Christmas with my mum and dad and my sister and of course with my newest family my daughter and my hubby. Unfortunately our Christmas will be spent on the road as we will go up north to visit my husbands family. His dad is been sick so we NEED to go and spend the Christmas with him.

So what is your Christmas tradition? What makes you feel like it is Christmas? If you wish to write a post about it please link it below and I will go over and read it

Happy Christmas!!!

Crăciun Fericit!

Guess with Jess

I am an app addict! I have about 40 apps on my IPhone and countless apps on my iPad!
My daughter loves the apps as much - if not even more - as I do!


GUESS WITH JESS it's a new application and is NOW available on the APP STORE!

This app is packed with ten activities and ‘Big Questions’ for curious pre-schoolers and toddlers. As you can imagine the application is available for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. If you want your toddlers to be entertained and educated at the same time download this new application.

Jess, Postman Pat’s black and white cat, loves to ask questions about the world around him with his friends from Greendale Farm, including Horace the frog, Mimi the rabbit and Willow the pony. Now young fans can join Jess and his farmyard friends as they discover that finding the answers to questions can be fun.

With three difficulty settings and Jess on hand to help guide them through challenges. Activities include Painting, Dot-To-Dot, Music, Spot The Difference, Jigsaw, Hide ‘N’ Seek and Guess It. Plus kids can help Jess discover the answers to some Big Questions like ‘Why do spiders build webs?’, ‘What do ladybirds eat?’ and ‘How do beans grow?’. My daughter is a bit too young for the big questions but she loves the jigsaws and the painting. I wish the game had a bit more images for the jigsaw as boogie got bored quite fast as the jigsaws were repeating. Another disappointment I say will be the fact that the drawings can't be saved either. Either than that I think that the app is fantastic and is worth the £1.99 from www.itunes.com/appstore.

Direct link: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/guess-with-jess/id477135009?mt=8









Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

And our love started with.....

                                                      Can't take my Eyes of You!

A song that means something special to me!

      I love this song! I loved it even more as my love story with my hubby started with this song! The first time we dance they were playing this song. Since then it stayed in my heart and every time i hear the melancholy takes over!I should probably mention that it was the first time we snogged!

This song was posted as part of "Mix-tape Monday" which happens every week over to Boo and Me Blog!

Nibbly Fingers from Ella's Kitchen

I am always on the look for good ideas for healthy nibbles that I can take with me when I am out and about with my daughter. Boogie is two and a half years old and we introduced her to the lovely products from Ella's Kitchen range when she was quite young. As you could actually read in earlier posts we tried all Ella's Kitchen new products.

So when I received in post the new range of Nibbly Fingers boogie and I got really excited! We were on our way inn from the nursery and as you can imagine as soon as boogie saw the pack she start saying:"Present for me!Open it open it!" so I did! While I was preparing dinner for both of us(as daddy was as his photography course) she tried all of the flavours:
- banana&raisins
- mangoes&carrots
- strawberries&apples

Her favourite flavour is banana&raisins though!

Of course she wasn't as hungry when I finished cooking dinner but I didn't mind it as I completely trusts and love Ella's Kitchen products!

The Nibbly Fingers are 100% organic and they are packed with healthy ingredients, squashed fruit or veg. They do not contain any concentrates or refined sugars! And...you can give them to your kids from 12 months onwards! I am very happy to pack them in my daughters lunch box for nursery! They are sweet and natural! So fantastic! They are a healthy treat!


To celebrate the launch of this exciting new product - Nibbly Fingers - Ella's Kitchen is holding a fabulous finger painting prize draw! So just send a photo of your little one's messy magic to funstuff@ellaskitchen.co.uk. Please make sure you put "Finger Painting" in the subject line and that your picture is less than 2MB.
Every finger painting will be entered into a draw for the chance to win a pair of limited edition Ella's Kitchen branded mittens plus a box of Ella's Kitchen goodies.

Have a look at the pictures below to get an idea on how the mittens look like and to see my daughter enjoying her Nibbly Fingers!

The Goat and Her Three Kids

In romanian this fable is named "Capra cu trei iezi"(written by Ion Creanga) - i used to love this fable when i was a child. So for all my followers that are romanians and have a biliungual family see the below translation in english as well as in romanian. However this is only part of it, just the song.
Trei iezi cucuieţi
Uşa mamei descuieţi!
Că mama v-aduce vouă:
Frunze-n buze,
Lapte-n ţâţe,
Drob de sare
În spinare,
Mălăieş
În călcăieş,
Smoc de flori
Pe subsuori.

Three kids with growing horns,
Open the door for your mother!
Because mother is bringing you:
Leaves on her lips,
Milk in her teats,
A ball of salt
On her back,
Cornmeal
On her heel,
A tuft of flowers
In her armpits.
This fable is quite funny isn't it? The translation of what is said above is:

The fable opens with an introduction of the protagonists: the hardworking and widowed goat and her three kids, of whom the two older ones are misbehaved, while the youngest obeys his mother. On one day, the goat gathers all three around, telling them that she must leave on a quest for food, instructing them not to open the door unless they hear her singing the above. This is like a song that a mum will sing to her children and it brings nice memories.

 For my fellow romanians see below a video with the story read by Mihail Sadoveanu:   

          

Lovely Sunday with P&O Ferries

Thanks to my lovely friend Claire that posts at A boy with Asperger's I was very lucky to be invited to shop on one of the fantastic ferries from P&O Ferries. The travel on board of the ferry was free which left more money for Christmas shopping!

Claire and I departed to Dover port very early morning on Sunday. It was a very fun journey on board of National Express coach. So what two ladies will do for 3 hours on a coach? Well we chat all the way to Dover and if that wasn't enough when we got to Dover-quite early I will say-we chat some more over a cup of coffee.

My dad use to be a sailor so sunday wasn't the first time for me in a port. But oh my God! Dover port is quite big and the ship/ferry is even bigger! You can see some pictures below. The boat was very big and I thought we(myself and Claire) will not have any problems and we will not be sea sick! But I was so...wrong! As soon as the boat started to move faster I felt like I was drunk! We were both outside for a quick cig and to take some pictures with the famous Dover White Cliffs! I felt so funny walking in circles and Claire laughed lots!
I only felt better when I sat down in the Club Lounge and had a nice cup of tea and a chat! That felt so good! I was only able to get up and walk around again when the ferry stopped at Calais. As Claire already wrote in her postwe were on a round trip. On the way back from Calais to Dover we shopped in the P&O Shopping area. Lovely offers - perfume, jeweller, alcohol, cigarettes and lots and lots of toys all very reasonable price! So all in all is worth going on a round trip with a couple of friends and enjoy a couple of hours of shopping and a glass of champain in the lounge area! If you fancy a latte you can buy yourself one as well from Costa Cafe.

P&O ferries just launched their Christmas stocking filler game on Facebook giving people the chance to win over £600 worth of goodies from their on board shops. Why not have a go and their competition? Play the stock filler game on their FACEBOOK !!!

My camera is not as performant as Claire's photo camera so my pictures are not as lovely as hers but admire mine as well below:

Mititei - Little grilled sausages (The Wee Ones)

It is time for another recipe for one of our unique Romanian dishes. "Mititei" have been associated with Romanian cuisine since about 1865-1866. In Bucharest, on Covaci street, a popular inn named "La Iordachi" (At Iordachi's), was well known for its delicious sausages. One night, so the story goes, the kitchen ran out of one kind of sausage, so they mixed the ingredients left over, roll them into small sausage shaped patties, and grilled them on charcoal without the usual casing. Their regular customers loved them so much that they asked for more of "the wee ones without skin" and with time they became known as "mititei" or "the wee ones".

I will now share with you the recipe for the "mititei" but sometimes this recipe can be adapted.

Ingredients
2 lb. medium-lean ground beef( you can use lamb, mutton or pork instead or a combination of two)
2 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. water
3 garlic cloves,crushed
2 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. crushed hot red pepper
1/2 tsp hot paprika
2 tsp. caraway seeds
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Place the ground beef in a big bowl and add all the ingredients. Mix them all very well and then knead mixture with your hands for at least 5 minutes wetting your hands frequently. This is important because the water from your wet hands mixes with the meat and helps keep the mititei moist. Place mixture in a bowl, cover with a plate or with foil and put in the fridge for at least 5 hours or overnight. If you have people coming for a BBQ always try and mix the ingredients the previous evening!
Use a tablespoon to take meat from the bowl and then with your hands make small meatballs. The. Roll between your hands into sausages about 4 inch long and 1 inch thick. Make them like little cylinders. This will prevent the sausages from swelling up while grilling.
Once ready grill or barbecue turning mititei frequently to cook evenly. You will need to use tongs and not a fork. If you use a fork this will pierce them. Using the tongs will keep the juices in the meat. While they cook baste frequently with water or beef stock to keep them moist. They should be ready in about 10-12 minutes. Don't overlook them. My father always says that the best mititei are still juicy!
Traditionally , mititei are served with French fries and salad and they are dipped in mustard.

Pofta buna!
Enjoy!

Keel's SIMPLE DIARY

Today I have something very special to share with you!

Keel's SIMPLE DIARY - Volume Two
Just in time for Christmas, Keel’s Simple Diary Volume 2
has arrived! A wise and witty book that helps us look inside
when we are overloaded outside.

The book is available in 6 colours and it is so much different from what you can find everywhere else!
This is perfect for people that have always wanted to write a diary but invariably gave up after the 1st month. It's totally cool, and I think I will actually finish it.

It's simple (as you might expect) and fun, but also encourages you to really ponder and reflect on your day with daily questions like:
"Your day was a) precious b) a nail file c) crushed"

And it's got a little folder bit in the back, like a Moleskine, that you can keep train tickets and stuff in.

There are three reasons why most people, although they have
tried, won't keep a diary:

• Not every day is very eventful.
• It actually takes a lot of discipline to write.
• In retrospect, many find what they have written
embarrassing.

Keel's Simple Diary™ offers structure for those who don't
have time to wonder, making it easy to record life's moments.
It gives the pleasure of a quick response and the sense that
no matter what's wrong, more is right.

This instant classic is filled with refreshing philosophy and
original wisdom. Keel's Simple Diary™ entertains, helps you
focus and keeps you company.

I think this diary will help me through to my depression as well! I will definitely let you know If I will finish it or not!

Win a book in time for Christmas!!!

Win a book for Christmas!

Everybody seems to have competitions and goodies to give away for Christmas so I decided that I should give away one too!

I am giving away-without sponsorship from any brands whatsoever the
Pirate's Handbook


All you have to do to enter the competition is to leave a comment below(with your contact details) and to follow this blog!

That is all!

Good luck and the winner of the competition will be announced on the 15th of December right on this blog!

St. Nicholas Celebration in Romania

  "Sfantul Nicolae" - this is the romanian translation for Saint Nicholas. As a kid i use to love this celebration more than the Christmas celebration! I use to get more excited about the whole thing. Even though it is a deeply religious celebration...but a Romanian legend says that on the 6th of December Nicholas (form the Greek Nicholaos, the winner) used to share gifts to children, to the poor and to the faithful.
From that day on, the Christian world has the tradition of giving presents to friends, children, to the ones in need. Today, the meaning of this tradition is that 'giving a gift makes you richer, not poorer'.   So tonight i will show my daughter how to clean her little boots and put them in the window to wait for a present. This is the first year because previously my daughter was a bit too young to understand all this. I think however that this year she will enjoy it. I remember receiving small things for Saint Nicholas like nuts, tangerines, sweets or even socks.
For all of you who celebrate this day i wish you a happy day and for all of you who celebrate their "name day" tomorrow i wish you Happy Names Day! or "Sa traiti cu numele!" (in romanian).

History

All that is known of Nicholas is that he was Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor during the 4th century. Legend tells how a noble but poor man was thinking of prostituting his three daughters because he was unable to provide them with a dowry. Nicholas threw three golden balls or bags of gold through the window of their house and withdrew unseen, thereby saving them from their fate.
Once, seamen threatened by a violent storm invoked Nicholas, and he appeared, and assisted them with the rigging until the storm died down.
When famine spread through his bishopric, Nicholas learned that several ships were anchored in the harbour laden with grain. The saint promised the fearful sailors that if they gave the grain to his starving people, the customs men would not find their cargo short. Nicholas was also said to have saved three soldiers from decapitation; had an innocent prince released from prison; and brought to life three children hidden in a brine
tub who had been murdered by their innkeeper father to feed to his guest during a plague.
He is patron saint of sailors and of children, and also the origin of Father Christmas- Santa Claus being a derivative of St Nicholas- an identification probably derived from his patronage of children and his charitable acts of presenting gifts by night.

Love song for Mix-Tape Monday!

Hope you all had a nice weekend! I did and i will tell you all about it very soon! For now however please see below my entry for the Mix-Tape Monday over at Mammasaurus Blog  this week. 

This is the first song that i downloaded!

                                                For more songs please hop over HERE!

Hate commuting!

Do you use public transport in London? And if so do you use public transport Monday to Friday to commute from home to work and the reverse? Well I am a working mum that needs to travel fast from one place to another and get to the nursery in time to pick her daughter!

Commuting to the centre of London can be so....tiring! If you are one of the lucky ones you know that it's not fun at all! You are travelling so close to people that you don't know and it can be quite suffocating isn't it? I need to use one bus and change tube once from Northern to Victoria Line! I think Victoria Line might be the worse ever! It is the fastest but the busiest as well!
Until about three weeks ago I worked I Fulham so it was a better place to be! I mean there were times when there was a disruption or something but nothing as major as Victoria Line! Last week there was an accident as well and my travel took 2 hours instead of the normal 45 minutes!

Here is why I hate commuting(I hope I am not too cynical when I mention the things below):
- people always rushing and pushing!you are even pushed around for a seat!those people that are pushing are usually the one that will only sit for a couple of stations!
- the smell - during winter is not as bad but I am sure that during the summer it gets worse;
- newspapers left on the floor, seats and the way these fly around;
- rubbish - empty cans and cups of coffee, empty packets of crisps and so on - these are at the worse in the evening however;
- men that always sit on the special seats designated for pregnant mums,mums with children or old people - and as soon as they sit down they cover their face with a newspaper , magazine or book - just in case a pregnant lady will stand up in front of them and they need an excuse! If somebody will say "move over"" they will gently say "I'm sorry I didn't see it"! Why sit there in the first place?!?! ( sorry I dot have anything against men in general-just men that are to lazy to stand up)
- old people that use the tube early morning! - one lady told me the other day that she is going for a walk in the centre-she was really annoyed at how crowded the Victoria
Line was! Bless her and all old people over 60 - I respect them but tube between 7.30 - 9 is not a place for them! They could always use it later when is not as busy...
- tourist - please try to avoid the early hours - people that work 9-5 hate the fact that you are there with rucksacks and maps that stick in their faces!
- saying the above I remember the normal commuter that is determined to read the book or newspaper in a very crowded tube despite the fact they annoyed everybody else because they stick their things in everybody else faces!
- newspaper people that just shove their latest edition into your face assuming that you want to read it!
- and finally because I normally hate crowds! No matter where they are are! And I hate people that just walk into you without looking around or without saying sorry for bumping into you!

How is it like for you? Do you travel in the centre of London? Does it bother you as much as it bothers me?!? I hate the fact that I get tired to work because of it and because it adds so much stress-I never know if I will ever get in time anywhere so I have to rely on my poor husband to pick up my daughter from nursery? And on the occasions when he needs to work late and he can't pick our I need to leave myself enough time to get to nursery-usually is double the time!

Don't get me wrong though! I love London and I love the fact that everything is available here! Museums, parks, bars, restaurants of any kind....

We Love Tracy Beaker Application

The lovely people from Entertainment informed me the other week that Tracy Beaker has a new application! Really excited to download this new application on my iPad as there are a few bits that can be used by adults as well! Lovely isn't it?
The app is meant for 4 + but it is quite good for adults like me as well! Not very good at all the games available to download for iPad but this app it suits me - scratches and words finder! I love them!
Unfortunately my daughter is a bit too young for this app but I'm sure she will start to like it in time!

We Love Tracy Beaker is now available to download for iPad, iPhone and iPod from the App Store. The app includes a totally fantastic Planner, Calendar and Address Book, plus an amazing 7 great mini-games and activities, all in one super-cool
You can store your very special and secret information, set an important date in their daily planner, test your Tracy Beaker knowledge, doodle your daydreams and even ask Tracy anything you want!It’s the perfect place to keep personal notes and have super brilliant fun!

Activities include:

Tracy’s Makeover – Create your own avatar. Change face shape, hair style and colour and do its make-up!

Tracy’s Word Search Game – Find the list of fun words hidden in a grid of letters before time runs out!

Tracy’s Daydream Doodles Activity – Create fun scenes with funky icons onto a range of backgrounds. Save your doodles and view them at any time!

Tracy’s Trivia Quiz – Have fun with Tracy in this quiz that has hundreds of multiple choice trivia questions. Why not make up your own questions and answers too!

Tracy’s Match-3 Game – Try matching fun shapes in rows or columns and score as many points as you can in 60 seconds!

Tracy’s Scratchies – Scratch off 3 matching symbols from the interactive scratch card and it could unlock an exclusive feature in any other Tracy Beaker game or activity. Play every day to unlock new hidden fun!

Tracy’s Magic Orb – For some enchanting fun, why not ask Tracy a question and she will reveal her answer when you shake the magic orb…


The We Love Tracy Beaker App is now available for £1.99 from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

Direct link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/we-love-tracy-beaker/id473950302?ls=1&mt=8

For a limited time however this app is only 69p so go over iTunes and download this new fantastic application!

History Tracy Beaker
This app is Based on the original quirky characters created by Jacqueline Wilson and the distinctive colourful artwork by Nick Sharratt.

In 1991 Jacqueline Wilson and Nick Sharratt collaborated on The Story of Tracy Beaker (Doubleday).
In 2002 the first television series of The Story of Tracy Beaker was broadcast. The television program ran for 5 series with continuous repeats on CBBC. It became the BBC’s top rating children’s drama and the most well known and loved CBBC show in multi channelled homes.
In 2009 Tracy Beaker Returns was given the green light by the BBC and the series went on to win the 2010 Children’s BAFTA for best drama.
Other Tracy Beaker media has included Partworks Totally Tracy Beaker launched in 2005 and The Tracy Beaker DVD collections. Between 2006 and 2008 the musical, Tracy Beaker Gets Real, toured nationally to critical acclaim.
Further Tracy Beaker titles written by Jacqueline Wilson and illustrated by Nick Sharratt include; The Dare Game, Starring Tracy Beaker, and Tracy Beaker’s Thumping Heart for Comic Relief.

In exchange for this post I was given a code to download this application and test it by EntertainmentOne.

DECEMBER 1 - Romania National Day

                                        Happy National Day to all my fellow Romanians!    

    This day memorializes the unification of Transylvania into 'Greater Romania' in 1918 (formalized by international treaty in 1920) as well as Bessarabia and Bukovina and is been declared Romania National Day!