Saturday 23 August 2014

Are you an authentic booklover?



1- You are reading something right now.

2- Even if you are reading a book, you can think about your next reading at the same time.

3- You often ask someone to lower his voice to read in peace. The chaos bothers you!

4- Sometimes reality seems so boring. Nothing can be remotely interesting as what happens in books.

5- You have cried, at least once, for the death of a character.

6- Many of the books you've read have marked you emotionally.

7- You are so keen on reading that you don't limit to the purchase of books, but you can buy all that is part of this world: cups, slippers, pillows, bookmarks ....even tattoos!

8- You often make 'bookish' jokes that others don't understand.

9- Despite the commitment, you've never been able to become friend with someone who doesn't like books or with someone that despises your absolute favorite author.

10- On the contrary, you jump for joy when you meet someone who has your same passions.

11- If you prefer one person to another, you can't do it with books. One favorite book? Difficult!

12- You always like to experiment with new genres!

13- It's raining and it's cold? What's the problem?! ... It 's the perfect atmosphere to start reading, or to tidy up your home library!

14- It is better for you  to go out and meet people in the library rather than in the bar.

15- You don't draw back when someone pulls out the great enigma: "Is it better the book or the movie?".

16- Despite the age, you have earnestly desired to receive a letter from Hogwarts!

17-You are always puzzled  when someone says that  he/ she doesn't  love reading!

Recently I've read this identikit about the perfect "booklover" and I've found it really funny and truthful!!!

What do you think? Do you identify in some of these points?
                                     
                                                          Love
                                                          xoxo
                                                        Martina


Wednesday 20 August 2014

Cheesecake: a yummy italian version...


As you know, baking is my big passion! I discovered it some years ago when I suddenly became allergic to dairy-products. At the beginning I couldn't eat many things, and it was so sad because even cakes, biscuits, ice-creams and yogurts were totally forbidden for me!
I am a rather greedy girl and I didn't give up at the first snag, so I started to look for dairy-free recipes on the net, in cooking magazines and books and I really discovered a new world! You can prepare delicious things also without milk, butter and cream, trust me!
You can replace milk with soy milk or rice milk, butter with margarine or oil and give free rein to your creativity, churning out biscuits, donuts, muffins and delicious cakes!
Cook puts me in a good mood, and 
there is something relaxing and rejuvenating in mixing together the various ingredients to form the dough and watch it grow in the oven while the kitchen is filled with a delicious aroma!!!
But what I like the most is cooking together! This is the recipe of a cheesecake that I made with my friend Giulia to celebrate the return of her boyfriend after ten days of volunteering! Although I couldn't taste it because it was filled with cheese, I enjoyed a lot preparing it and the smell was so good to make my mouth water!!!


INGREDIENTS

270 gr of dry biscuits
130 gr butter
500 gr mascarpone cheese
500 gr ricotta ( a soft, white italian cheese)
160 gr sugar
3 eggs

Chop the biscuits ad add the melted butter to create the base of the cake by crushing the mixture well on the bottom of a buttered baking pan or lined with parchment paper.


Mix mascarpone, ricotta, sugar and eggs with the whip and pour the cream over the biscuit base.


Bake at 170 degrees for 40 minutes.




Spread the berries jam on the surface of the cake.


Put in the fridge for at least 2 hours.


Taste it and let me know if you like it!!! :)

xoxo
Martina
Sunday 17 August 2014

Saturday Night In The Middle Of Nowhere...


The different weekly commitments prevent me and my friends from seeing each other as often as we would like but, when we organize an evening together, we always like to try new places to eat something tasty and spend an enjoyable evening!!!
Yesterday night we opted for a cosy little restaurant that was really in the middle of nowhere!
First of all we consulted the map and we noticed that the place was really lost in the mountains, then we climbed aboard of Marzia's car, who is the braver at driving of us three, and we headed to destination full of expectations.
We left the city behind, and an hairpin after another, we found ourselves in the midst of verdant forests, which shone brightly after the summer rain! We had to ask for direction to a passer-by, one of the few inhabitants of those remotest lands, populated however by beautiful cats, but even if the road was tiny and winding we arrived at the destination safe and sound and super hungry!!!



The scenery was truly amazing: we were surrounded by mountains, there was a small church, and even some goats that were grazing placidly the grass of the valley.



It was so cold, so we took some pictures in a rush, and we went straight inside! 
We chose a table in a tiny veranda, where there was a beautiful stove that heated the environment, making it really cozy, and a gorgeous view of the landscape!
I ordered a yummy bruschetta with grilled vegetables and speck and, to finish, one of the better herbal tea I've ever drunk, so it was well worth it to get up there!!!




Love
xoxo
Martina



Thursday 14 August 2014

Thinking about September...



 
I know, today is only the fourteenth of August, but I'm already tired of Summer, and I'm dreaming about September!!! Actually I have some plans for next month, so I'm looking forward to pass this boring August, full of work, study and almost nothing more funny, and throw myself headlong into these 7 wishes!!!!
 
 
 1. The first of my wishes and the most important is to pass my last exam at the university! It's so hard to work full time and find the time to study, so I'm trying to
optimize every single moment of the day to finish the readings and deliver the essay by the deadline!
I am willing to stay up late at night in front of my pc, with a thermos of coffee, in order to succeed in this venture and get this burden off my chest!
 
 
2. From the 24th to 28th of September I'll be in the North Yorkshire for the Yarndale Festival, a creative festival celebrating all things woolly and wonderful!!!
I'll go with my mom and my best friend and we really want to visit also York and the surrounding area, that seems really beautiful!
 
 
3. My third wish is to buy a parka! I have seen several beautiful models in the catalogs of the autumn-winter collections of different brands that I like and I can't wait to try them on and see what fits me better! I love the parka because it is so versatile and comfortable with all that white wool inside,that wraps you up and keeps you warm !!!
 
 
4. I really want to read " The Book Thief "!!! I can't wait to have some free time to enjoy this reading, because in the last few months I've read many positive comments about this book from other bloggers and I'm really curious.
 

 
 5. Oh my god, I love these bags!!! My best friend has got one of them in dark green and it's so lovely, so I'm saving money to buy a burgundy one during my trip in England at the end of September!
 


6. My sixth wish is actually a resolution: to start, with my mom, a course of Zumba! It is a fitness program, which involves dance and aerobic movements and the exercises include music with fast and slow rhythms, as well as resistance training! This summer I've eaten too much ice-creams and I really need to do something funny and liberating to get in shape! 
 
 
7. My last wish is to make every meal special! I really want to find time to prepare meals that give me satisfaction and that make me get up from the table with a smile on my face!
 
So, these are my desires for the month of September! Have you ever been to the Yarndale festival? Have you ever tried Zumba? What do you think about " The Book Thief"? Let me know!!!
 
Kisses
Martina
 
 

 
 
 
 

 


Saturday 9 August 2014

Little Daily Pleasures


 
This is a post about the tiny little pleasures that can make your day better! Sometimes you just need a gesture, something feminine and cute to wear, or something sweet and chocolatey to be enjoyed with friends or family, to lift your spirits and start the day on the right foot!
One of my little pleasures of this week has been this bag!
Isn't it adorable?!!! I'd seen this model in a magazine and I'd totally fallen in love with it, so my mommy has made it for me with the scraps of fabric I'd chosen in a big fabric store!!!
It's super practical, spacious and equipped with a handy internal pocket!I can fill it with everything I need during the day, to make it look like the famous Mary Poppins's bag, from which she could extract even a coat rack and an ornamental plant!


What could be better than a gift from a dear friend, especially if it is a nice skirt studded with kittens?! I think it's perfect to give a bit of sparkle to a black blouse and a pair of flats!!!

 
And here my "naked palette", precious ally on those days when I get up from the bed and I stare at the mirror with that look that seems to say: "ehhhh what's that face? !!!" Sometimes you just need a natural makeup that illuminates the eyes, a bit of peach blush on the cheeks and one coat of lipstick to feel ready to face the day with good mood!

 
And the last but not least: a slice of chocolate cake and pears !!!
This is a cake with a story to tell! On Thursday afternoon, three children of Kurdish origin, which I follow at  work, knocked on the door of my house with a basket full of pears, they had just picked from the tree! You know how kids are, they can not wait to climb and do not have half sizes, so I found myself with a heart full of love and lots of yummy pears to eat! I immediately started to bake and here is the result: this delicious cake, to be enjoyed in the company of a glass of white wine moscato, sweet and sparkling!
 
 

      Love
      xoxo
       Martina
           
                  
                             


 
Tuesday 5 August 2014

Tiny Beautiful Things Of The Week





Hello darlings!
I've chosen to start this post with this picture because it well represents the first tiny beautiful thing of last week! On Thursday afternoon a friend has come to pick me up after work and has brought me in a wonderful place at the top of a hill!
The clearing was peaceful, we could hear the song of crickets and cicadas, the clouds were running fast in the sky and we spent the time chatting and laughing sprawled in the grass!
But the surprises were not over, in fact I also received a special gift: a box of treasures!!!It was a decorated cardboard box which contained: a book that I really wanted to read but I wasn't able to find anywhere, the last cd of a group that we had listened in concert the week before and a tiny cloth bag full of herbs that help to relax the nerves and sleep well, to put close to the bed.
It 's wonderful when friends surprise you and give you these moments of genuine happiness!!!
 
 
The second beautiful thing of last week has been the night out I've spent with the girls, eating crepes in a cosy restaurant called " The lair of the wolf".
The pictures are a little out of focus, because I've taken them with my phone, anyway they can give you an idea of the relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere of the evening!



They offer a great variety of savory and sweet crepes, and the dairy-free and gluten-free variants are also available, to satisfy even the intolerants!!!
 

 
The last beautiful thing of the week has been the breakfast on Sunday morning! When I woke up there was a wonderful scent of an apple cake, that was waiting for me in the kitchen table!!!
 

Flaky pastry, apricot jam and apple slices .. a new delicious recipe, perfect with a nice cup of cappuccino, rigorously prepared with soy milk!
 
 

What have been your tiny beautiful things of the week?
Love
xoxo
Martina