With the cold weather installed, we’re all searching for hot dishes to warm our body and delight our soul. This vegan soup recipe that I’m about to share with you, it’s a very tasty dish and a great idea for light after holidays meals.
Ingredients:
•   3-4 carrots
•   1 celery root
•   1 onion
•   1 parsnip
•   4-5 tablespoons olive oil
•   salt, pepper
•   cumin seeds
•   Italian parsley
•   croutons
Peel the carrots, onion, parsnip, and the celery root. Wash them and cut them in little pieces, except the onion, which remains as it is. Put all the vegetables in a medium pot. Pour water in the pot until the vegetables are completely covered.
Cover the pot and bring to boil. After 30-45 minutes the vegetables should be already boiled. Strain the soup in another pot and put the vegetables on a large plate to cool faster.
Pour a cup of soup and as many vegetables as you can in a blender.
Blend all until you obtain a creamy consistence. Pour the obtained composition back in the cooking pot. Repeat the action with the remaining vegetables.
Add 4-5 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper as desired. Spread some cumin seeds for an incredible aroma and add a little more soup if your composition is too thick. Warm gently, stirring until all the ingredients are mixed in the creamy soup.
Et voilà ! The extraordinaire soup is ready! Serve it immediately in soup bowls, garnish with a touch of fresh minced Italian parsley and croutons.
Special tips:
• the vegan creamy soup is a great choice for after the holiday days, when everybody is looking for light meals.
• this soup recipe could be also a great treat for holiday dinners. Serve it with toast, butter and Swiss cheese instead of croutons and your guests will be impressed by your original and interesting idea.
Traditionally, with the New Year’s Day approaching, people become more superstitious when it comes to luck. All around the globe there are so many traditions and customs that are supposed to bring good luck to folks. Many persons believe strongly in these good luck-bringing customs and they never forget to repeat them year after year. Here are some of these actualized good luck traditions. Hope to bring you good luck!
An interesting good luck custom is to eat fish specialties at the New Year’s Eve Party! It is said that you’ll swim through the New Year like a fish. You will be able to move smoothly and easily and go beyond obstacles with facility in the New Year.
At midnight, between the year ready to conclude and the one to follow, make sure you have some money in your pocket or purse. If the New Year finds you with money in your pocket, you’ll not miss them in the year to come.
Another good luck custom is to wear something new on New Year’s Eve. You don’t have to buy the entire outfit for the New Year’s Eve Party; it’s enough to have one new item. The proper way to welcome the New Year is by wearing something new.
The Dutch are eating donuts on New Year’s Day. They say donuts bring fortune because they have the shape of the ring, which symbolizes the full circle, the year’s cycle. If you don’t want donuts as New Year treat, you can try any ring-shaped food, like onion rings for example.
Make sure you have a bell in your proximity to announce the New Year. It’s a proper way to welcome the New Year and, guess what, it will bring you fortune.
Be aware at the first visitor on New Year’s Day! He or she would bring either good luck or bad luck. It is said that if the first person who visit is a tall, dark-haired man, he will bring good luck to the house and hosts.
It’s a very well-known New Year’s custom to make a lot of noise by organizing fireworks, confetti showers and striking crackers on the night between years. This way, it is said that the old year is getting scared and runs away, making room for the new one. So, be noisy on New Year’s Eve, scare away the concluded year and prepare yourself for the beginning of a lucky one!
The French toast is a simple and fast recipe to prepare. Maybe you have your house full for the holidays and you need to come up with an easy to prepare plan for breakfast. This recipe is the perfect idea for the holiday next day breakfast - and guess what, might keep the kids busy too.
Serves 10:
• 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
• 8 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 loaves French bread
Cut the bread into ten 1†thick slices. Pour the milk in a medium pot and warm it up a little, but do not boil it. If the milk is warm, the bread will absorb it better. In a bowl, beat eggs and add salt, sugar, cinnamon and the gently warmed milk. Stir until all the ingredients are well mixed. One by one, dip the bread slices in the milk and egg mixture. Turn to coat well on both sides.
Butter two frying pans and place as many slices as you can. Fry on both sides until are golden brown. Repeat with the remaining bread. Serve with maple syrup, bee honey or with orange marmalade. Many people enjoy their French toast with fried eggs and bacon. Add some orange juice and coffee and your breakfast is ready.
Special tips:
The French toast may be also baked instead of fried, if you prefer it that way. Preheat the oven to 375â°, generously butter two sheet pans and bake for 10 minutes, then turn slices and bake for 10 more minutes or until both sides are golden brown.
Don’t be afraid to involve the kids in obtaining this delicious recipe. They will love it!
This is a very easy to prepare recipe for a crowd, so make your late morning holiday breakfast a funny and joyful activity.
You’re invited to a Christmas dinner or cocktail party. Awesome! All the possible questions come suddenly into your mind: “what should I wear?â€, “what should I bring?†and so on. Here are some easy and helpful ideas in case you have those intriguing questions in mind.
Be very careful how late you intend to be! If it’s a cocktail party be 10-15 minutes late; for dinner you can be 10 to 20 minutes late. Never be more than 25 minutes late!
Bring something! If you’ve been told from the beginning what to bring, half of the job is already done. If you have no idea what to bring, buy some wine for dinner, fancy chocolate or a bottle of fruit liqueur for dessert.
Pay attention to the people you’re sitting next to! Remember their names if you’ve just met them, be open and communicative to them. Nothing is more annoying than an unwilling person sitting next to you, right? Remember that!
Don’t use your cell phone during the dinner. Be prepared to close it when the dinner starts, otherwise, in case of ringing, you’ll capture all the attention and the annoyed faces.
If you see an agitated host, offer your help. You might be refused, but you have the advantage of asking.
Don’t stay too long or leave too early. If you forget to leave, your host might begin to yawn or do the dishes, which, by the way, it’s not a good sign. By opposition, if you leave too early you might generate a mass exodus, which is not good either. So, you don’t want to be the first or the last to exit the party.
Thank your host the next morning. It’s such a lovely gesture and doesn’t need so much effort from you. Be sure you call and thank for the nice dinner party. An e-mail with thoughtful words always works. And if you want to be more authentic, send a thanks note or a lovely bouquet of flowers.
Although many countries celebrate New Year on the same day, each one of them has its own traditional way and its customs. These local traditions differ a lot from a country to another. There are common customs and these include visiting family and friends, attending religious services, giving gifts, making noise with bells and horns or attending New Year’s parades.
If you want to know more about New Year’s traditions of various parts of the world, here are some of them that might call your attention.
The New Year in Japan is the most important holiday of the year and symbolizes the renewal. The problems and difficulties from the past year are forgotten and the preparations for the new one begin. At the midnight between years, Buddhist temples strike their gongs 108 times for 108 different types of human weakness.
In Spain the New Year’s ritual consists in eating twelve grapes at midnight. When others drink champagne, the Spanish are eating grapes because it is said that one who eat twelve grapes will be safe and happy twelve months in the coming year.
In Greece for New Year it’s baked a cake with a silver or gold coin inside and who finds the coin in the piece of cake, will be very lucky during the year to come.
Romanian children, dressed in traditional costumes sing Plugusorul, a Romanian traditional song, which is accompanied by bells and bull sounds. In their song, the children wish good luck, happiness and success. The noise that they are making it’s meant to purge the old year and welcome the new one.
The Chinese New Year begins between January 21 an February 20 and the celebrations last four days. On the last night, people dress as dragons and are frightening and delighting the children.
British Columbia, Canada has a traditional polar bear swim, where courageous people wearing only their swimming suits plunge into the icy water.
The children from Belgium write to their parents New Year’s messages on decorated paper and read them to their families on New Year’s Day.
In United States many people gather in Times Square in New York City and in other big cities’ public places. At midnight confetti flow, bells ring, firecrackers explode and everyone yells “Happy New Year!†People drink champagne and sing Auld Lang Syne, which is the most sung song for English-speakers from all over the world on New Year’s Eve.
Holiday parties may be a really challenge when it comes to cooking. The cheese and fruit plateau is a delight for every invitee and very easy to prepare. Here is what you need and the easy steps to follow for achieving the delightful dessert.
What you need:
* Gorgonzola Cheese
* Cedar cheese
* Stilton cheese
* Camembert cheese
* Swiss cheese
* Brie cheese
* fresh apples
* fresh grapes
* fresh pears
Cut the cheese into little slices. Proceed the same way with the apples and pears. Don’t forget to remove the stalk.
Arrange the grapes, the sliced apples and pears in the middle of a big plateau.
Use the different types of cheese to decorate the margins of the plateau. Et voilà , your delicious dessert is ready.
If you have a cocktail party instead of dinner party, it would be recommended to use appetizers picks to unite the slices of cheese with the fruits. This way it will be much easier for your guests to serve themselves.
Useful tips:
Use a sharp knife to cut the cheese in perfect slices.
Cut the fruits after you’ve done cutting the cheese and serve immediately. Otherwise the fruit will change its fresh looking color.
Complement this cheese and fruit plateau with a glass of dessert wine or champagne.
Let’s face it, the nature gives us the most amazingly things, why turn back on such a special and inexpensive treat? Forget about the plastic decorations, it’s time to go green and celebrate this Christmas in a more original and nature friendly way.
A living Christmas tree will bring warmth into your home and soul. Don’t think twice, buy a pottered tree! You can decorate it every year, it’s a long term investment and you can always plant it in your backyard. You will have the happiest Christmas tree ever.
Use natural table decorations, like pine tree cones. Arrange them in a nice wattle basket, in a table wreath, around Christmas natural candles or in a transparent glass bowl. You can spread several hip roses for a playful color delight. It would be a great arrangement for your Christmas dinner.
Decorate your home for this special holiday with seasonal plants, like poinsettias or any other you like. They will be such a joy for the eye and heart. Be careful where you expose the plants and how much water you use to moisture the sole.
Use several little spruce or pine branches to decorate the Christmas Day table. You can arrange them in the middle of every plate on the festive napkin. It will give a great sense of occasion and a magnificent fresh winter aroma.
Choose natural tree decorations, like painted cones, recyclable cotton or paper ribbons, stars, nuts in shells and mini red apples.
Use candles made with natural fragrances to give your home the special season’s flavor. Use spruce, gingerbread, cinnamon, cranberry or apple fragrances.
Welcome the caroling singers with homemade goodies, like gingerbread and cinnamon cookies, caramelized apples and hot beverages.
Have a Natural Green Christmas!
It is not long until the holidays fever will overcome all of us. As much as we promised ourselves last year that the next one we’ll be more organized regarding Christmas presents, well, we all know that New Year’s Resolutions cannot be always kept. But this Christmas, you can make sure that you offer the gifts that will make people happy. Here are some ideas you might find interesting.
1.   Pay attention to everyone wishes. If you have no idea whatsoever what the ones you love want for Christmas, here are some ideas that always work. For him- a nice watch; for her- a beautiful jewelry; for the little boy- a train or airplane toy; for the little girl- a little puppy (you can always adopt one from a local animal shelter); for mother- a gardening book; for father- a leather wallet; for grandma- a nice tablecloth; for grandpa- warm sleepers; for aunt- a martini set and for uncle- a wireless weather station.
2.   You don’t want to declare yourself bankrupt after this Christmas but still want to offer gifts to friends and colleagues. You can find amazing convenient things and satisfy everyone, including you. Think of scented candles, cosmetic samples, nice Christmas soap bars, CD-s with caroling songs, picture frames for women and wine opener, corkscrew set, car compass, documentary DVD-s, a flask set or a mini digital camera for men.
3.    If you decide to give your boss a Christmas present, you have to invest a little more money. A bottle of old scotches or bourbon will bring smile on his face and if your boss is a woman, an expensive new perfume will be perfect. You can always involve your colleagues to gather money to buy the perfect gift for your boss.
4.   Christmas is also the time of year when people help other people in need. So, don’t turn your back on this special and holly moment of the year. Make a donation, even a few bucks. Offer food or clothes that you don’t need any more to collectable centers. What is insignificant to you, might be a ray of light to others.
5.    You don’t need much help in finding something yummy or funny as Christmas gift for your pet. Your dog might be in need of a new collar or toy, your cat might enjoy purring on a new pillow, your parrot might like a honey seed bar and your ferret might like a nice tiny crocheted coat.
Hopefully everybody will be happy!
Have a Merry, Merry Christmas!
Wolves at Our Door is a great, fascinating true story about the couple Jim and Jamie Dutcher who lived six years in the Idaho Sawtooth Mountains’ wilderness with a pack of wolves. It is a candid memoir in which the Dutchers share their incredible experiences and their discoveries about the wolves. Being together with them since they were pups, the couple succeeded to gain the wolves’ trust and to observe their remarkable behavior and the complex nature of the wild creature. Wolves at Our Door is much more than a simple documentary, it’s a story about two interesting people, brought together by their love for wildlife, it’s a story about the astonishing creatures, the wolves, intelligent social animals. The Dutchers succeeded in overcome the misconception that wolves are just some savage predators. They are so much more. The story about the amazing pack of wolves and their human friends who witness the wolves in their intimate detail of everyday life is emotionally narrated. It’s a reminder for all of us, human creatures, of how badly we need the wolves and how big are the mistakes made by humans, not thinking even for a single second of the endangered wild creatures.
Wolves at Our Door will conquer your soul from the beginning. It’s the great season’s book. So, find a comfortable, warm place near the chimney, take your hot cocoa cup and enjoy the magnificent, rich story about the wolves’ nature. Enjoy it as much as I did (and I was moved to tears)!
Excited about the on-coming Christmas and its delicious treats and recipes? Glögg is the perfect cold weather beverage; the hot mulled wine is made with aromatic spices that bring warmth into your soul. The season’s greatest holiday will bring you joy and the atmosphere will be fabulous if you treat your guests with a cup of glögg. Here is the recipe of the tasty season’s beverage.
Ingredients:
* one or two bottles of red wine (as preferred)
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 1 and 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 dozen cloves
* 1 cup raisins
* 2 dozens almonds
* 1 teaspoon nutmeg
* orange peel
* a touch of brandy
Pour the red wine in a stainless steel pot. Add the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, raisins, nutmeg, almonds and orange peel, stirring until all the ingredients are mixed together and the sugar is diluted. Warm gently, stirring occasionally, but do not boil, otherwise the alcohol will evaporate. Add a touch of brandy for a greater aroma and garnish it with more orange peel or cinnamon. The glögg is ready! Pour it in seasonal Christmas cups or mugs and make sure there are spices in every cup, they will keep the aroma longer while you are seeping the tasty drink. Be sure that the glögg it is served steaming hot. Enjoy it with your friends after a great day of skiing or ice skating, with your guests on Christmas Eve or after you spent some time outside, looking for the perfect Christmas Tree.
Special tips:
* You can age the glögg by straining it and putting it in a glass bottle. Keep it in a cool place. Warm it before you serve it!
* You can offer a cup of hot mulled wine as treat to the caroling singers. It will warm them immediately, but be sure they are not under 21 though.
* Glögg match perfectly with ginger bread. So, arrange some pieces on a little plate, accompanying the hot mulled wine.
* Don’t use aluminum or copper pots because the metal interacts with the wine and gives it a metallic taste!
* Although the glögg is a sweet, spicy drink, it contains alcohol. So, be aware how many cups you enjoy and give your car keys to someone else.