Feijoada

Beans stew, for a cold and rainy day.

Just put to boil the beans you prefer.

Add all kind of sausages. We use some made with pork meat.

Add bacon.

Cut a savoy cabbage in four parts and put in the pan together with the other things.

The same with carrots, tomatoes, onions, garlic and parseley.

Season with salt and all the spices you like.

In other pan we boil a farinheira - sausages made with wheat flour, pork fat and spice - and morcela - a blood sausage, I don't like it but my husband does. It must be boiled apart because sometimes it explodes and if it's cooked with the other things is all mixed and is not so good.

All this sausages are smoked and tipicaly portuguese but maybe you can do it with other kind, just have to be the smocked kind.

Good for a Winter day.

Chestnuts

There's one thing I long all year long: chestnuts. I like so much since I was a little girl in a land where there wasn't any. Planted there, I mean. It would go from Europe to Africa every time Christmas was going near.
And I ate lots and lots. The same now but even more. I can't wait to see them in shops, usualy expensive first, then going less expensive.

This year, after buying one kg or two each time, we decided to buy a sac of 5 kg.
We have been eating it in big amounts, mainly at saturdays, rosted and/boiled and seeing a movie, all the family together.
I must say my favorite are the boiled ones.

Some years ago, I ate a chestnut jam. I liked it so much I'm always planing to make it. I already looked for a recipe in the Internet and all, but I never made it.
Well, maybe this year.I will tell you if I make it.

Making soup

Put a big pan with water on the stove.

Just add potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic.

Leave it boiling for a while.

When is ready, add some fresh coriander.

Leave to boil for some minutes more.

This minute, you will feel the most wonderful smell coming from the pan.

It's ready.

Now, mix it all together with a blender or something and add olive oil.

Et voilà.

Now give thanks for that food and the confort it brings to the soul to have plenty of food.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm not well. I'm at home and even this doesn't make me very happy because I don't feel well. I'm better then the day before yesterday when I woke up so dizy and desiquilibrated I hardly could walk. Now I'm better but I still feel the floor moving when I walk and I don't feel well reading or writing. Looks like that's my interior earing and my back doesn't help too.

I went already to take a back massage and I'm better. I went to a doctor that said it is the hear and tomorow I'll go to the otorrinolaringologist so he can see my ears and have his saying.

I was so happy because I was almost arriving at my holidays, just some more days and I'm off till next year and now this.

Sorry for all this self pitty but I was in need of that.

The good thing of all this is I'm home.

And I will be good in no time. I do hope that.

Happy Thanksgiving to all american friends of the blogosphere.

Today is my 3 post! First was the Todays Flowers where I posted a beautiful yellow rose from a plant my mother gave me - scroll down to see it, it's so beautiful. Then, it was the meme and now this.
I couldn't wait another day to post about a Award I have. It was Lara who gave me and I'll pass to

Happy Hearts at Home
The Green Greek
Casa Al Mare Patchwork

Easy and funny meme

This is an easy and funny meme.
I found it at Happy Hearts at Home.
You only have to copy and paste to your own blog and put in bold thoses things that, in the meme, you did already.
I also saw this meme at
The Berry Patch
and
You did what?

Would you mind to post the name and link of a blog - or more - where you have seen this meme?

Here it is mine:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris - in my honeymoon.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa - I was born there.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance - my father was not well and I, and my mother, went with him
47. Had your portrait painted - my husband had his.
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Our King.
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one - My grandmother.
94. Had a baby - several.
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Well, looks like I din't do much!

Today's Flowers

Today and every monday, I will try to post a picture of a flower - or flowers - joining Today's Flowers.
My mother gave me a plant full of miniature roses and this beauty is one of them. This is the second time it flourishes.

It's Sunday and one day less to Christmas

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

And today it's cold. Pitty it's not snowing. It's sunny and bright.
I will put some clothes on the line and do some gardening.
After Mass. Now it's time to get out of the computor and call the girls to dress imediately, otherwise we will be late. And today is market day, the trafic will be crazy and it will hard to find a parking space.
See you later.

Christmas is coming near...

Get Myspace Christmas Countdown

Only 32 days to Christmas. Are you ready?
Here, at Alfazema's house, everything is going well. Most presents are NOT bought, but lists are growing (!) and I'm happy with all that.
One thing I keep buying is present wraping paper. I like that so much. Usualy I buy around 15 rolls!

As today is saturday, the day I may stay at home all day long - oh, happiness! - I'm here a little bit and then I'm going to dance around my house doing cleaning and tidying and doing laundry.
I plan too doing some baking later and a lot of soup.
I'd like to do some gardening too...
Oh, so many nice things to do and so little time...
Well,see you later or tomorow.
I think I may, then, tell you what I managed to do.

Show & Tell Friday

Again, here we are at Kelli's Show and Tell Friday.

Today I will show you some chest of drawers tresures.The first drawer shows some towells, pot holders and kitchen towels from previous Christmas. They are quite well so I will use them again this year- but I'm already window shopping for more and can't wait to buy them.

Here we see some kitchen towels and pot holders from my everyday collection.

And here again, from another angle. I must take more pictures of my kitchen towels. I like so much that kind of things, the domesticity emerging from a kitchen towel. I have a lot and I'm always having more.The more the merrier !

See you next Friday.

Sky Watch Friday

Joining Sky Watch I show you the sky above my home. These pictures where taken at my kitchen window. I have always the most beautiful skies and, if I could, I would be all day taking pictures. Never mind the weather, be it rainy or sunny, clear or cloudy, the sky is always amazing here.

See for yourselves.

Bookworm Award

I've been tagged by Lara and the rules for this award are:

Pass this on to 5 blogging friends. Open the closest book to you, not your favorite or most intellectual book, but the book closest to you at the moment, to page 56. Write the 5th sentence, as well as two to five sentences following that.


And, as her way affronting, forth she hied,
Her ev’ry gesture such a grace expirèd,
Stars, Skies and Aether’s circumabient tide,
And all that saw her with love-fire were firèd.
Those eyne wherein Dan Cupid aye doth nide,
Such vitl spirits in all life ispirèd;
The frigid poles with torrid ardours burnèd,
And spheres of Artic frost ro flame were turnèd.

Well, this is from The Lusiades by Luís de Camões.
This was the book in english I had closest to me.

It’s better to go to the wikipedia here and here to learn more about this poet of ours and his work.

Well,

Alexandra – Happy Hearts at Home

Irene – The Green Greek

Smilnsigh

Mélia

And last one is everybody who would like to make this.

Giving Thanks - Thursday

For my Faith.




This is one of my girls, giving a white rose to Our Lady, after having taken her First Communion, some months ago.

Giving Thanks at Kelli.

Giving Thaks - Wednesday

For being a mother

Giving Thanks at Kelli.

Giving Tanks - Tuesday

For our Home

We give thanks to Our Lord who gave us this nice home where everybody praises Him day and night.

Giving Thanks at Kelli.

Giving Thanks - Monday

For the Family

For my husband ( the man with a hat), for my two little girls ( the ones he's holding by hand, a little girl with dress and another with a poney tail and pink shirt), and for my big girls ( with the pink shirt and black trousers and the other with blue shirt).
Praised be the Lord.

Join Giving Thanks at Kelli.

Show & Tell Friday

All Fridays, Kelli at There Is No Place Like Home hosts a Show and Tell Friday. So, here I am showing you some of my aprons, begining with one my mother gave me years ago. It has some matching pot holders.

And the next one was made by my grandmother before I was married so I would wear it when I would be married.

Also this one, was made at the same time. Notice the detail of the fabric, it's an opera house.



These are not so special, just some common aprons I were everyday.



It was my oldest daughter who is wearing it so I could take a picture.
See the detail here. I like oranges very much. I think it's a pretty thing.

This one has pears on it. Fruit patterns in the kitchen give always a good note.

And now these, nothing special, just pretty.

I have more and I keep buying them because I do like aprons and I wear them everyday.

Past Christmas – Decorations

Today I will show you some Christmas decorations that we usually put in hour house in the begining of December. Also some in the streets of our town.

That's all, folks.