Cheers to a brand new year!

 

Merry Christmas

 

My Christmas List of Favourites

Only 9 days left till Christmas! So here’s a list (in no particular order) of my favourite Christmas songs, movies  and TV commercials. Yes..TV commercials…I love how some commercials make a comeback just once a year…or at least get a ‘Christmas makeover’.  Not all the movies and songs here are essentially about Christmas but are still my favourites to watch at this time of year.  Some bring back childhood memories like The Sound of Music which we used to watch every year on Christmas Day after lunch. And I can clearly remember how my brother and I used to spend hours glued to the TV, watching and listening to Disney’s Very Merry Christmas on videocassettes, every single day, during the entire school holidays.

Go grab a hot chocolate and enjoy these video clips and songs...and make it a point to list down one or two movies to watch with your loved ones this Christmas.

Movies (summaries about the films taken from IMDB.com)

• Miracle on 34^th Street

A little girl discovers dreams do come true if you really believe. Six-year-old Susan has doubts about childhood's most enduring miracle - Santa Claus. Her mother told her the "secret" about Santa a long time ago, so Susan doesn't expect to receive the most important gifts on her Christmas list. But after meeting a special department store Santa who's convinced he's the real thing, Susan is given the most precious gift of all - something to believe in.

I wanna see the rainbow after the rain...

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain" ~ Dolly Parton

 

Welcome back November!!

November is here....and finally some rain on our Maltese rock! Winter is just round the corner, and Christmas is on our doorstep! I love this time of year....for various (known and unknown) reasons!

And here's my favourite all-time-classic song....November Rain.

Enjoy!

"So never mind the darkness
We still can find a way
'Cause nothing lasts forever
Even cold November rain"

With love from Malta

Ruth

 

something wicked this way comes!

"Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Double, double, toil and trouble; Something wicked this way comes!"

Halloweeeeeeen!! 

I sound excited!! Yes, because it's one of my favourite holidays of the year :)

Though in Malta, Halloween has never been really celebrated until recently, it is now slowly gaining popularity.  Some organize private parties where guests turn up in horror costumes, rather than any fancy dress.  Many clubs and pubs even decorate for the occasion and host events on the night.

We opted for a quiet cosy dinner at home.  Whilst getting ready, we even had some young children knocking on our door calling for a ‘trick or treat’!  Dad put up some decorations, mum prepared the traditional pumpkin soup and we all settled in for a spooky night of horrificaly tasty food.

Dress code was black & orange, but I figured I’d just take it up a notch and dressed as Wednesday (the Addams Family daughter)  Since Christina (my bro’s gf) and Alan aren’t fans of horror movies, David (my brother) suggested we watch Harry Potter...and the Chamber of Secrets...and of course, I happily obliged!

Garlic & Mushroom Risotto

 It’s fall. Temperatures haven’t dropped much yet and I’m getting impatient! I’m reallllyyyyy looking forward to all those favourite winter dishes, so just to mark the ‘change of season’ we had this classic, creamy Italian rice dish which is ideal for vegetarians too.

Risotto can be time-consuming, but this is an easier version made in the oven instead. This is where I got my inspiration from. It has a rich, creamy texture and is absolutely filling. Just the perfect comforting dish for those chilly winter nights.
(Yeah…this risotto didn’t fail to impress….can’t say that about the weather though !)

This one here makes four servings:

10g dried porcini mushrooms

50g butter

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

8 medium sized chestnut mushrooms, sliced

300g Arborio rice

1 glass of white wine

300ml vegetable stock

80g freshly grated parmesan cheese

Dash of cream

Salt & pepper

Parsley, chopped

Casserole dish with lid

Boil 300ml of water and soak your dried mushrooms. Let them soak for about an hour and then strain with a sieve. Keep the excess liquid aside for later.

When it's not so 'happily ever after'...

Surfing through the net I came across Canadian photographer Dina Goldstein's series Fallen Princesses. What would have happened to these imaginary princesses if their fairy tale wouldn't have ended in such a 'happily ever after' way?!

Belle would have grown older and in our day and age maybe she wouldn't have liked to age gracefully so she would have gotten herself some botox and face lifts.

Snow White becomes a trapped-at-home mum to several children, living with an out-of-job, lazy husband.

Little Red-Riding Hood is not so 'little' anymore and eats her way to her grandma's house.

Rapunzel loses her long, luscious golden locks whilst battling cancer.

Welcome Autumn

Cozy sweaters, cold weather, carving pumpkins, movie nights, nice smelling candles, warm drinks, Thanksgiving, leaves changing colour....Autumn - the year's last loveliest smile :-)
have a good one!

with love from Malta,
Ruth

 

La Sfoglia

Last Friday (the 13th) my boyfriend Alan and I went for dinner at La Sfoglia. We had already been there with some friends a week or so before, for a wine-tasting meal, and since we very much enjoyed it, we decided to return this time for a proper dinner.

La Sfoglia is a gem of a restaurant in our historical capital city Valletta. It was a lovely, breezy Summer night (September in Malta is mostly quite humid) so it was a pleasure to dine outside on the piazza, just next to the 'Suq l-Antik' (the Old Market).

Welcome!!