Can't wait!

Less than 2 weeks left to my holiday in Poland. I can't wait, everyone can't wait when see my little ONE, this is her first trip to Poland and I hope she will enjoy it.

As usual we will be very busy to see our family and friends. I miss them every day and I know they miss us too, specially now when we have got our little girl.

We hope the weather will be nice.

Ginger xxx

South of England - Salisbury Cathedral and Stone Henge

 Tuesday is here again...and  so am I ;)
Today We can go to visit Salisbury Cathedral and Stone Henge in pictures, but it is so worth it, to plan a trip and visit for real ;)
We went there last September, when my parents came to visit us.

Salisbury Cathedral is known as Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Cathedral is a great example of early English culture. This medieval church has a tallest spire and best preserved Magna Carta.

The Magna Carta celebrates 800 years this year. That would be another great reason to come to visit on the special Anniversary Year. The Magna Carta - Great Charter is written in Latin by hand. It wasn't signed, it was sealed by King John. That was the way they did it in those days.

The Magna Carta is famous as symbol of justice, fairness and human rights. For centuries it has inspired and encouraged  movements of freedom and constitutional government in Britain and around the world. It is a very important document . So bit of history ;)
Salisbury town is full of little shops and boutiques, restaurants and pubs. There is something for everyone after you had enough of history ;D

 Stone Henge is only 8 miles away from Salisbury...

 This place is very ancient  and also well known all around the world. We have seen visitors from many different countries, when we visited. It was quite busy. There is a car park, where you can leave your car. Then you walk to the building to get your tickets. You will be offered a recorder that you can play while you are visiting Stone Henge. It is handy, as they have got them in few other  languages. You can walk to Stone Henge or you can take a bus that will take you there.It is included in the price.

 On the way back we stopped at those little authentic houses.

 We also had a look inside.

It is quite interesting, how people could live and survive with these simple tools and in these kind of conditions. Tough ! We also went to the museum there. It is newly built. There are lots of artifacts there and theories how Stone Henge  was built? So much information , I just wish, we had more time to read it all....
At the end we went to the souvenir shop ;D ,we had some refreshment time and we made our way to the car. End of the day...we were all ready to go home. It was a lovely day.

Thank you for coming along.


Vanilla xx

Shopping for orchids :)

Hello,
that is the article I should really start with. How to pick the right and healthy orchid... Buying orchids can be very easy and quick but we have to be careful, the healthy ones as well as the poorly ones looks most of the time lovely on a display. Picking a healthy orchid is good idea even if is just a table decoration or a gift because we want to avoid disappointment when our brand new plant is dying.  First of all look at the label, that in the future will help you to learn more about your particular plant. The very first thing you see on the orchid is flowers. Don't buy orchid with yellow or drying flowers or buds, they most likely will fall off. If you buy plant with unopened blooms then you will enjoy blooming process longer.
Next very important thing you need to check before you pay for the plant is roots. The healthy orchid's roots will be light green or slightly darker when wet. Dead roots will be shriveled and brown. Plant with dead roots will not survive. Next we should check leaves. Leaves should be free from bugs spots and cuts. Leaves should be also thick lightly green and hard. And finally make sure the growing point is not destroyed.
To sum up, before you pay for orchid check:
-label
-flowers/ buds
-roots
-leaves
-growing point

Pepper xxx

Stinging nettles season still on ;D

This is the stinging nettles heaven ? Probably not ....if you fall into it ;)
But if you safely pick some and use them in your cooking , that is a heaven for your health. Do you remember when I posted my blog " Healthy cocktail, before naughty cocktails " That is where I wrote a bit more about this special herb.

 The funny story starts here: I met this girl from Romania ...we went out few times only. Last time we seen each other, I said to her I am free on Monday morning, we can meet again if you like to. We can go walking together. I told her I need to pick some stinging nettles...so I don't mind showing her around. She was stunned !! Stinging nettles? She said " I can't believe it !! " She thought I am not of this world, as she never met anyone apart from me, who would like to pick and use stinging nettles in their diet. We had to laugh...Really, couple of witches going to the woods picking stinging nettles !?

My new Romanian friend told me about how she cooks stinging nettles soup. I told her about how we recently made Quiche with bacon, cheese and stinging nettles in it...But I still think,you get most of the nutrients if you use it in your juice ;) So we gave each other few tips...

On the way back we stopped the car for this beautiful creature...

This is my recipe for this absolutely amazingly nutritious cocktail N.2

You need for 2 portions :  7-8 medium carrots

                                         3 medium sized beetroots 

                    1 lemon 

                    2 apples

                                7-8 stinging nettles 

Juice it all and share between two glasses ;D

Enjoy just like we do :) very very tasty........

 Vanilla xx

4 flavours

It was nice to see all my flavours :)) looking forward to the next one :)

Pepper xxx

Barley risotto how I make it ;)

Morning...Hope it is not too early for risotto ;)
I am thinking, if I put the recipe on now, you might try it today for your healthy dinner . ;)
You will have time to get the ingredients and really it is so easy to make , It will encourage you to make it  ;) You will need : 3-4 bigger mushrooms
                                           3 medium sized sweet pototo
                                           3-4 cloves of garlick
                                           3 shallots or ( one medium sized onion )
                                           40 g of butter
                                           vegetable stock or chicken if you prefer
Herbs you can use: Oregano + Tarragon or Sage ? It is up to you .

                                      pearl barley - one mug of it (takes 300 ml)

 How you make it ? Easy ! Melt the butter in the pan, add chopped shallots and garlic, fry gently for about 2 min. Add mushrooms and sweet potato. Continue to cook for 5 min. mushrooms will soften and so will potatoes :) Add barley , season with herbs. I used Oregano and Tarragon. Half of  teaspoon  each. I melt my stock cube in bit of water and add to the pot and than top up it up with water , so everything  is covered...Let it bubble :).......

I keep checking , because barley is a great drinker.  ;D
It will consume a lot of water, just like rice does....so you will need to add a bit again....When barley is soft, your Barley Risotto is ready !! Taste it and see if it needs some salt. I like to add black pepper to mine also. Dish it up , grate some cheese on top if you like and enjoy. I like bit of mature cheddar.

It is enough for 4 portions. Designed to have 4 flavours for dinner ;D
Or nice lunch for the next day....

Vanilla xx

Sunny day!

Hi everyone!

It's so nice weather recently that makes me so full of energy even after sleepless night (my little ONE is very hungry baby and I have to get up several times during the night to feed her but never mind we'll get there). Every day I go for a walk to enjoy that Sun, it's lovely, everything is blooming, I don't miss winter at all.
There is some picks from today:

I even ordered a parasol for my little ONE

to keep her save from to much sun

Gonger XXX

Hip(p) or what?!

...and all of a sudden you are called mama!

Food and eating are one of the main topics when you have a child. When I was pregnant or even before then I always thought that mums make far too big a deal of it. But they weren't. 

It all starts with the big question: bottle or breast? I wanted it the most natural way but breastfeeding is really not easy. So with your little baby you worry: do they drink enough or do I even have enough milk? Is my food affecting them? Later when you decide to start weaning you ask yourself: do I want to cook or buy jars? I thought cooking is best for my baby at least you know a little bit more about the ingredients. My baby-book was advising mums to do so too. Well, I bought two lovely cook books for babies and toddlers - both highly rated on Amazon and started shopping. And then I steamed my veg, only a tiny amount as it is best freshly prepared, and then I started mashing and mashing and mashing. My very impatient baby at that time started whinging as soon as I started peeling and cutting carrots and potatoes. By the time I was waiting for the veg to be soft but not overcooked she was crying and then she was screaming by the time I was fighting with the blender. No it wasn't easy. It took ages to cook and the result was more or less tasteless. My creations didn't even look happy and appetizing. I got several funny faces and my daughter became the master of spitting. Then I tried baby jars. I listened to my mum advising me to only buy Hipp as that's what I used to love. Hm, it couldn't get any worse I thought. And what a change - she was actually eating. Jars were and are so much easier and less stressful. I only bought and still buy the organic stuff hoping that they're a bit better than the others. Who knows. But my mini-me seems to only like those ones anyway. Now that my little one is a toddler I think I should have carried on cooking though as she still likes the ready meals for kids. (I like pizza too but I only have it occasionally cause it is not good for you.) Only a few months ago she has started to eat my food but only as long as it is the same that we eat - best from my plate of course. I try offering her two meals per day now: usually I cook for lunch and in the evening she has one of her Hipp meals (not all of it though). And I know you shouldn't use a lot of salt and spices but if it is completely lifeless Toblerone would not eat it but spit it out with a very serious face telling mama "you don't really think I'm going to eat that". I try different types of food now cause what she likes today she might not want again tomorrow or the day after. So today we had Greek Moussaka. Yummy. I could put cinnamon in it ;-). And yesss, little munchkin liked it and asked for more. A good day! Not sure what I'm going to make tomorrow...

Cinnamon x

Explore South of England with me :)

Hi there ;)
 Just thought I would like to show you some beautiful places in the South which I've visited.
So for next few Tuesdays I will be here, taking you around ;D
 My very favorite place or rather area is The  New Forest. It is very beautiful there. Country side and  views are amazing. You can cycle around, you can take long walks and then stop for lunch somewhere when you get tired, or afternoon cream tea is a good treat ;D Plenty of pubs there.  Animals are walking around free. It is like in a fairy tail land walking trough The New Forest.

The best thing to do would be, if you decided to come to visit to go to Lyndhurst first. There is an information center there, so you can get yourself a map. I know, you think...A map !? with all the gadgets and apps on my phone!? Yes, I am serious, as we were relying on the sat navigation to take us places, and it didn't work there at all. So we went to Lyndhurst to get a map and things changed from a frustrating visit to a happy visit....

I really like place called The Black Water. There is an open Arboretum there.

 It is beautiful place, You can take lovely walks in the middle of the ancient trees and lots of different trees from various country's ,which were brought there and This Arboretum is their home  for many , many years.

 The air is so fresh. I also like that the Black Water has a few BBQ places , which you can use, to make your own food. There are not many places in the New Forest that have or allow that facility. Black Water Arboretum is for free, because it is in the middle of the forest . You only need to pay for the car park, which we noticed after our visit, so we were so lucky.....

 Camping in the New Forest. O sorry, we went Glamping ;) 

The area is called Roundhill.

You need to pay for your camping stay just at the gate before you enter the camping site.

There is running water and also toilets and showers at the back ...which we thought was very handy.

 Horse's are so beautiful to watch. They are so used to people, they don't run away....

Some hugging is going on here ....

This is actually what you can see , just sitting at your tent, having a chilling afternoon....

Look at those Donkeys...They are so cheeky or brave ?? They come to explore very close to the tents. We also saw them unzipping someones tent, trying to get in ...Our friend had to run to get one  donkey out of the tent, before it would help itself to the food that was left inside. 

We had wonderful weather, relaxing time and heart melting visits from some lovely animal friends. 

There are so many  beautiful places to visit in The New Forest...

Vanilla xx

Orchids- why they lose their flowers ??

I had to write this article, because last time when I went to work and realized that one of the orchids is gone. Luckily it wasn't mine but I asked mine friend where is your orchid? I throw it away, so she said. I asked why would you do that and she said: "ohh my orchid lost all its flowers so I thought it was dead and I chucked away".
Please don't ever throw your orchid away, it is not dead. Yest it lost its flowers but that doesn't mean it is dead. With your care and maybe little rest your orchid will bloom again :)
Just like us your orchid needs rest and time to replenish their energy after blooming. The beautiful flowers your orchid produces and maintain every day will eventually exhaust your plant and drain it of the energy. When your orchid lost all the flowers probably the steam will become dry, but not necessarily. So if the steam is dry you have to cut it off, if it is not dry just leave it because your plant might want to bloom again from the same steam. But lets say your orchid lost the flowers and the steam, leaves are bit flat and limp, that means your orchid  is not dead. Your plant is going through period called dormancy. You could say that your plant is resting. In my case dormancy period for one of my orchids was long, it was nearly a year. But it could be longer, could be shorter. In that time your orchid might loose some leaves, might grow new one or just develop some roots.

When your orchid does drop the flowers you have to check if this is not the premature flower drop, in that case their might be something wrong with your orchid. Again you always watch your plant, observe how it is changing. If there is something wrong there normally is time to save your plant. Never give up :)

Pepper xxx

Spinach dish which you will love :)

Since I remember I wasn't very big fan of spinach, it always remind me of grass ;/ But spinach is full of goodness, contains iron which plays a main role in function of red cells, so speaking in a human language when you are anemic for instance spinach will be one of your best friends :) Also spinach is full of  vitamin K, A, C and folic acid. If you want to read more about spinach itself you can find it all over internet, but this article is actually about a recipe that makes spinach really tasty, so lets get started :) You will need:
- bag of fresh spinach
- garlic, 2-3 cloves
- philadelpia or creme 18%
- flour, 1-2 tbs
- coconut oil, 1 tbs
- milk, 1 tbs
- 1 egg
- herbs ( depends on what you like)
Wash spinach thoroughly, boil it for 5 min, then drain the water. On the pan melt coconut oil and then add boiled spinach garlic and herbs, fry it all for 3 min. In cup mix milk, flour, egg and philadelphia. Add your mixture into spinach . Stir it well and fry it for another 5 min.

You can eat your spinach dish as it is or put fried egg on the top or it is a good base to make your spaghetii carbonara :) Enjoy 

Pepper xxx

Where am I ??

There is a lovely place in the world, Winchester. Enjoy the view.
Pepper x

Glamour and Style

                      Living a life filled with glamour and style

                      has nothing to do with having money or fame.

 Someone very clever said that...I found the quote in YOU magazine, and I think it is perfectly expressed how I feel about the Glamour, Style and Fashion as not everything that is fashionable has to be glamorous or stylish...

You can find your style and be glamorous without having money or having fame ;)

Vanilla xx

Wedding N.2

It is always nice to see 2 people to tie the knot .....It is a special day not for only bride and a groom, but everyone, who can see them being very happy on their Unforgettable Day.

It is very exciting to get dressed up for the Wedding :)

 I chose the burgundy coloured dress and the belt to show my waist ;)of course. There was something missing there, so I wore a heart necklace ,
The hand bag is a cream colour and so were my shoes to match the hand bag.

The dress is from Tesco cost me a 10 pounds. What a bargain ! I wasn't looking for it, but it just appeared and I thought : " that is nice...am sure that will come in handy one day ." I bought it about a year ago, and it is one of my favorite dresses ;D. I am not ashamed to say it. Really ,I do not care, where I get my clothes. If I like something and it suits my body shape and is tasteful , that is all I look for , when I am buying an outfit. Lets be honest , not everything can be from Hobbs or Jager ;)

 Necklace, which I got as a present from my lovely sister about 2 years ago now...I still love it ! It accompanied me at few party's already and it is always admired, so I am not worried to wear it again and again, as heavy necklaces are so popular now.

The belt only cost me like 2 pounds I am sure, it was a great buy...

The hand bag is the only new thing I bought about a month ago on sale I guess, it was 15 pounds. I could see straight away it is going to be perfect to go with my shoes.

Shoes I think , If I remember well were from  BHS store and I wore them to the wedding a year ago.

I do like to play with my clothes and always change hand bags and shoes...to make it a different outfit. You can always experiment in front of the mirror and see ;) before you get out.

I believe that : Living a life filled with glamour
                                    and style
                        has nothing to do with having
                        money or fame.

I found this quote in YOU magazine one day...and I cut it out , now it lives on my fridge ;D

                                                   Vanilla xx

A recipe for healthy turkey meatbolls ;-)

Hi everyone! 

As you know I'm a new mum and still breastfeed. It's not easy to eat healthy all the time but when you know that your baby might feel sick after what you eat you have to be very careful. Every day I have got a challenge to cook something healthy and of course tasty. After tree months I got  a little practice and this is my recipe for healthy turkey meatballs in tomato sauce;

Ingredients for meat balls: 

500 g of turkey mince meat

1 small onion

1 clove of garlic

1 egg

2 tbsp of bread crumbs

oregano or marjoram

salt & pepper

some flour

Ingredients for sauce:

1 tin of tomato

2 tbsp of tomato paste

2 cups of chicken stock

bay leaf

allspice

salt & pepper

sugar or honey 

The first thing what you have to do is mix mince meat with egg, bread crumbs, finely chopped onion, crushed garlic and seasonings then shape nice little meat balls and coat them in flour.

Bring to the boil the chicken stock and add meat balls, cook  around 10 min then add the rest ingredients for the sauce.

Simmer for 30 min.

Serve with mashed potatoes  or rise.
Yummy, yummy.

Ginger xxx