Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone!

Today, is when most people celebrate Easter; however, being Greek Orthodox I (Natalie) will be celebrating Easter later on May 5th. But nonetheless, we are here to give you great ideas to how you can create some colorful Easter eggs. For Christians the custom of eggs at Easter celebrates new life. Easter eggs are symbols of the resurrection of Jesus just as a chick breaks the shell when it is hatched and begins life.

Many of you probably don't know the symbolism behind the Easter Bunny, and neither did we before this post! The Easter Bunny has been around in the writings of the Germans since the 1500's and those who traveled to the Pennsylvania Dutch country in the 1700s brought the German Easter Bunny traditions with them to America. The goddess Eostre in Pagan celebrations was associated with fertility, therefore also associating rabbits and eggs with the celebration. Over time, these celebrations have been transformed to be for religious reasons and the rabbits and eggs remained. Now that know we know that we can start the fun part: Easter Eggs!

First, you will need to boil some eggs. Place them in a pot and cover them with cold water, then cover the pot and let it boil. Leave them to simmer for 15 minutes. Once they are done drain them and rinse them with cool water.
The first idea I have tried and it is pretty easy and simple, however, you do need patience for it.

Boil some water and fill a 1/5 of your cup. Add 1 tsp of vinegar, and around 15-20 drops of food coloring depending on how dark you want it. Leave the eggs for a few minutes in the color and then add some more water (about another 1/5 of the cup). Do the same till the eggs are completely covered by the water.

Another great idea we found was through Martha Stewart's paper-napkin Decoupage Eggs. It is a great way to use some of those beautiful napkins that you have and an alternative to the regular dyeing of Easter  Eggs.

Easter Eggs via Martha Stewart

Exodus-Movement Of Jew People.

Happy Passover!
(!חג שמח)

What an amazing celebration this holiday brings! It is the closest ties we have to the Jewish redemption and recognition of Moses and by the way it is not only celebrated by Jews. Many Christians and Messianic Jews celebrate it as well and it also intertwined with Easter, in case you didn't know. If any of you are not familiar with the story behind Passover I highly suggest you watch the DreamWorks Animation movie "The Prince of Egypt", it is an amazing movie and it really illustrates the story.

A lot of work goes into this holiday, many people spend hours upon hours of intense cleaning so that there isn't a single bread crumb in the house...I don't know what is harder, the cleaning or the break up from bread  for a whole week. Then comes the Seder dinner where we sit for hours sometimes praying until we finally get to stuff our faces with some of the most interesting things one will eat, one of my favorites being the Gefilte Fish. To sum it all up, this holiday is one of the biggest ritual feasts where large groups of people get together to celebrate The Exodus.

Karen Pike Photography

Please check out Karen's Photography for more beautiful Passover pictures.

Every year since I can remember I (Amanda) have been celebrating Passover at my Aunts house where about 20-30 people show up to celebrate and feast. As a little girl this was one of my favorite holidays, after all the patience I had to endure through the Seder readings and waiting till everyone finishes their meals, the best part was finally about to come, finding the Afikoman and making some money for being a good scavenger. 

I want to wish you all a Happy Passover, rest, eat,.....and rest some more!

Here is a yummy matzo ball recipe made by Katherine Martinelli for you to enjoy!

Ingredients: 

• ½ cup matzo meal

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill (optional), plus more for garnish

• 2 tablespoons seltzer

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• 3 quarts chicken broth

**Please visit the website for the directions**

Katherine Martinelli

P.S: the title is a famous Bob Marley song called "Exodus", listen to it if you haven't it is amazing, and so is he.

Happy Mother's Day

So many of you are probably saying Mother's Day is not today but is in May; but it is celebrated on various days around the world. For example in America it is celebrated on May 12, in the UK it is celebrated on the 4th Sunday in Lent,  and today is Mother's Day for all the Arab countries. Since I (Natalie) am half Arab this is the day I tell all the Mother's I know "Happy Mother's Day".

Everyone shows their love on this day in different ways and today I went to my grandma's (Tata) got her beautiful orange tulips, gave my mother purple tulips, and also gave a bouquet of flowers to my godmother. Usually the family gathers in the afternoon at my grandma's with all of her kids, her grand-kids and great-grand-kids. Despite the different days each country celebrate Mother's Day, the idea is all the same, appreciate and show appreciation to mothers not only on mother's day but also everyday.

Happy Mother's Day Mama & to all mothers out there, whether you celebrate it today or not!

"Up"/Rainbow Birthday Party

Well we mentioned that St. Patrick's Day is also the same day of my (Natalie's) nephew's birthday, and last year my sister created an amazing "Up"/Rainbow themed birthday party.  We thought we would share how to create some of the amazing food & decorations that were done.

*Rainbow Balloon:
-This is a very simple decoration but it adds creativity and color to the party

You will need: -balloons
                               -rope

1. Get 4 balloons of each rainbow color (we had red, orange, yellow, green, and blue).
2. Inflate 4 red balloons and tie them or twist them together to create a four leaf clover
• Repeat step (2) to each set of 4 colored balloons
3. If you were using 5 balloon colors then you should have 5 sets of four leaf clovers balloons
4. Now use the rope to attach/tie all set of 5 balloon cloves together and leave some extra rope in order to be able to hang the Rainbow Balloon you just created

 *3D Characters & UP House
 - These are so cute and are very easy to make since there are ready templates that are found on the Disney Family website. All you need to do is print them and follow the directions on how to fold and glue them. At the party they were placed on the food table and were great little pieces.

  

*Rainbow Jello

-clear cups

- 1 small box of Jello in each color (purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red)

-whipped cream

1) follow the directions on the jello box using the "quick chill" method

2) pour a layer into each cup make sure to keep 1/3 of the jello

3) place the cups in the refrigerator for about 20-25 minutes

4) in the meantime, take the remaining jello and mix in 1/3 cup of whipped cream

5) once the first layer of jello is set (20-25 min.) take them out of the refrigerator and add the mixture from step (4).

6) Again put all the cups back in refrigerator for another 20-25 minutes and allow to set while you mix the next color

Repeat the process with each color, allowing each layer to set 20-25 minutes before adding another layer. The process might take several hours but the results are worth it!

*Surprise Rainbow Cake  

To make this 7 layered rainbow cake we used a Simple White Cake Recipe from Allrecipe. You will have to bake 7 cakes for the 7 layers. In each cake mix you will add food coloring, you will want a bright color so add as much as you want until you get the desired color. 

Tip: When baking a cake you sometimes have to shave the top off to make it level, here is a great way to avoid that: How to bake a level cake

Instead of using icing, use whipped cream to add between the layers and cover the outside of the cake. The reason for whipped cream rather than icing is because it is much lighter, not as sweet, and is easier to use in covering the cake.  The end result looked all white like a cloud but when you cut into it you see a surprise of colors. Not only did it look amazing but it was one of the best cake I've (Natalie) ever tasted

You could also print out any picture you want and laminate it and add it as a decoration for the top of your cake (For this cake an "Up" house with balloons was used).

This is a real life floating up house. Such an awesome project, whoever thought it was possible !

Image via MyModernMet

                                                                                                       Video via National Geographic

Luck Of The Irish

Irish Blessing
May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light,
May good luck pursue you each morning and night.

Who says you have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patricks Day! With every season comes a holiday where we get together with friends and family and celebrate with lots of food and alcohol. The Irish celebrate this holiday in honor of the saint's religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. This is a religious holiday that has been celebrated for over 1,000 years and is commonly recognized with various symbols such as a shamrock, leprechaun, the color green, a harp, the Celtic Cross, and the Blarney Stone. Each one of these symbols carries its own special meaning and has its own legend. 


Shamrock: also known as a three-leafed clover which are native to Ireland, was chosen as Ireland's national emblem because of a legend that St.Patrick had used it to illustrate a doctrine of Trinity. The Trinity is the idea that God is really three in one: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. The shamrock is also considered a good luck symbol by the Irish and many others.

3-leafed clover by rasi2290

St. Patrick's Day is an all around fun holiday that is full of authentic Irish food and beer, traditional Irish music, and of course the color green, which is one of our favorite colors not to mention! Although neither one of us is Irish, not even the least bit, we celebrate this holiday in our own ways. Since Natalie's nephew was born on this day, her and her family celebrate his birthday by throwing him party with all of his friends. Last year they threw him an "Up"/Rainbow themed party,  now isn't that lucky! In the past Amanda would get together with a group of friends, some Irish but most not, and celebrate the Irish way by drinking lots of green beer and eating yummy St. Patrick's Day snacks. Since the traditional dish of corned beef and cabbage is not a particular favorite of ours, here is a recipe that is fun to make, colorful, and has a delicious kick to it!

Full Recipe

What you need:

• 1 cup Guinness
• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

To see the full recipe please visit: http://seelaurenwrite.ca/2011/03/22/irish-car-bomb-cupcakes/

We view this holiday as a time for fun and laughter, and the most important part is to do exactly so. It doesn't matter if you are Irish or not, just enjoy the spirit of the holiday and be GREEN. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

“The earth laughs in flowers.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tulip Farm in Netherlands

One of the most beautiful things about spring is all of the colorful blooming flowers. One of our favorite flowers includes the tulip. Vibrant bands of red, pink, orange, yellow, blue, purple and green make up a magnificent landscape found in northern Netherlands in the middle of tulip season. The Dutch landscape of tulips burst into life during this season. However, in order to have beautiful blooming tulips during spring you must plant them around November. 

 

Nonetheless, there are many flowers that one can plant during this season some of which include roses, petunias, snapdragons, sweet alyssum, daylilies, verbena, purple coneflower, and salvia. Having flowers in the garden or even in your apartment/house brightens up the space, gives a sense of freshness, and can give a wonderful scent throughout the space as well. 

Bas Lammers' photos via Getty Image

The blossoming of these beautiful flowers during spring comes with a price for many. Many people experience spring allergies that includes a runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, and itching eyes and nose. The good thing is that over-the-counter medicine such as Claritin may solve your problem; at least it does for me (Natalie). The best thing to do is to take it in the morning so you won't have to suffer throughout the day; that way you can be allergy free for the rest of the day and enjoy the burst of color of spring!

If any of you have other suggestions or comments you can leave them in the comment box below

A Woman is like an artichoke, you must work hard to get to her heart.

Quote by: -Inspector Jacques Clouseau in The Pink Panther (2006)

Spring is the best time to find perfect artichokes; big, green, and full of leaves. This beautiful vegetable is not only delicious but it is also high in fiber and antioxidants, lowers cholesterol, and is good for your liver. It may look intimidating and difficult to cook at first, but once you try it out you will find that it is very easy!

Image via Delallo

Tip: when selecting an artichoke look for a heavy, firm, and healthy green color with lots of leaves. The bigger the better, and the bigger the heart.

Last night we made a delicious dish with steamed artichoke and a mayonnaise/lemon dip. We paired it with an Arabic dish called mujaddara (مجدرة‎) which has rice, lentils, cumin, and sauteed onions. The two went very well together and by the time we finished eating our stomachs were very satisfied. Here is the final product, sorry about the picture quality.

Our version of the recipe:
-You can either boil the artichoke or if you have a large enough steamer pot you can use that.
-After washing the artichoke cut off the stems and pluck off the bottom leaves.
-Once the water has boiled, place the artichokes with stems facing upwards.
-To make sure the whole artichoke is submerged into the water you can place a plate on top to push them down and cover with the lid.
-Depending on the size of the artichoke it will take about 30-45 minutes for it to cook.
-You can tell if it is cooked when the outer leaves can easily be pulled off.

Quick Dip recipe:
-All you need is a tablespoon of mayonnaise and half a lemon (you can adjust the amount of lemon)
-Scoop the mayonnaise into a bowl (we used a tea cup as you can see)
-Juice the lemon and pour into the cup with the mayonnaise
-Start whisking away and voilà.

Our favorite part of eating an artichoke is the process of peeling off each leaf, one by one, until you get to the best part, the heart! It's kind of like Christmas and Hanukkah (our favorite holidays), you get to open a bunch of gifts and eventually you get to open up the best one. 

Spring Is In The Air

Spring time is full of beautiful flowers, warm weather, and some of our favorite fruits and vegetables.
The grass is green and lush, the flowers are blossoming, and nature awakes. The colors of spring are vibrant and everything comes to life,  it is possible to capture some of the most breathtaking photographs of the year.

It just so happens that spring is our favorite season for many reasons. First of all the weather is perfect it is just where its supposed to be, in the middle, not too hot and not too cold. It's the perfect time for shorts or jeans, tank tops or even a light long sleeve, making our lives a hell of a lot easier. Not to mention spring break which is the time for us as students to relax, travel, and go wild. It is also a time of year where we get together with our families for Easter & Passover and have a massive meal and enjoy the holiday atmosphere.

This is just the beginning, expect posts on recipes, fruits and vegetables of the season, personal anecdotes, activities, and much more that you will just have to wait and see...