Christmas mood

Are you all in a Christmas mood yet? I am! My older son is listening to Christmas music on 103.3 non-stop. I mean if he comes downstairs to have lunch he has to have his Christmas radio on here as well. Do you guys have you favorite Christmas songs? Mine is this and this is my son's . The other boy doesn't have his preferences yet I guess. He still tries to fight the whole idea of Christmas songs playing. He wants his McQueen or at least Barney.

Anyway. The spirit is here. may be we should start decorating the tree soon...

Marry Christmas Boston!

Last week we went to Boston. And it happened to become one of those rare days when we felt like we were in the right place in the right time for many things.

It started with Boston Common. We stooped there to let my little guy have some fun at the playground when a lady came over to invite everybody to see the arrival of the Christmas tree from Nova Scotia to the Common. Even Santa was there to welcome the kids and give them some presents. It was lots of fun. My 2year old proudly announced everyone that night that Santa has hagged him.

Then we went towards Downtown Crossings and saw a Christmas tree being installed over the entrance to Macys and TD Bank was welcoming everyone with free coffee, cookies and lots of music. It was cute to see people with smiles over there faced. Great site to see in the morning if you know what I mean.

And then I have spotted this cute book store en plein air

and this fun paper installation in the window.

By the time we were going back to the car the tree was almost in place:) I bet it has light on it by now.

It was a good day. Tomorrow though there is going to be a Christmas parade in our town. Kids are all excited to go. For me it will open an opportunity to start using Santa shamelessly to make kids cooperate . What can be better. Santa is in town!

Alexander Petrov

My dear friend has sent me a link to an animated movie made and directed by a famous Russian animator Alexander Petrov this morning. All the rest of the day, every minute I could spare I spent looking up more and more information on this phenomenally talented man and all his previous works.
I started this morning with 'My Love' - his latest work. Then I have learned that his 'The Old Man and the Sea' has won Oscar in 1999 for short animated movies. I will quote Wikipedia here to describe you the technique he is using: 'the films are made entirely in pastel oil painting on the glass, a technique mastered by only a handful of animators in the world. By using his fingertips instead of a paintbrush on different glass sheets positioned on multiple levels, each covered with slow-drying oil paints, he was able to add depth to his paintings. After photographing each frame painted on the glass sheets, which was four times larger than the usual A4-sized canvas, he had to slightly modify the painting for the next frame and so on. It took Aleksandr Petrov over two years, from March 1997 through April 1999, to paint each of the 29,000+ frames for ' The Old Man and the Sea.'
I cannot tell you enough how impressive his movies are. The sea is alive and the sky is absolutely real. It takes your breath away to watch and my mind refuses to understand that something like that is humanly possible. It makes me happy to be alive!
I am sorry for a poor translation of the "My love'. It lucks the depth of the original text and doesn't cover all the lines, however it still delivers the idea of what is going on on the screen. So let's be thankful.
'The Mermaid' was made earlier but still just as magical.
How much I want a CD with all his movies. Or rather a Blue-Ray to get all the details. Unbelievable!
Enjoy!

Menemen

Doesn't this name sound cute for a dish? To me it sounds a little bit childish. Sort of like a name that a kid can come up with naming his favorite meal. However this breakfast dish is definitely the one for adults. With some spicy paper and occasionally meat too it is very flavorful and satisfying. It is good both for a crowd that stayed overnight and for a quiet breakfast for two. And it is very simple too. All you need is:

1 small onion

1 small Anaheim pepper or any other of your favorite.

salt and pepper to taste

1 tomato per person, piled

1 -2 eggs per person.

ground beef (optional)

On the picture you see it being done with some leftover meat from dolma stuffing that we ate the day before and scallions. But it will be just as delicious without any meat.

Start by sauteing onion and pepper in some oil. Make sure to season it with some salt and pepper. Once they are golden and soft add chopped tomatoes.. Let them cook for about 5 minutes until they are soft as well. Now it is time to crack the eggs. Feel free to swirl and turn the whites to ensure they are cooked but try to leave the yolks untouched since they will become your special treat to break on your place. You might want to cover the pan for a little bit to help the eggs cook but please watch it carefully in order not to overcook. Yolk has to stay soft.

Serve with lots of fresh soft bread since you would want to use it to clean the plates. Yumm!

P.S. Sorry for the quality of the picture. No time to stage the food. I can only take the picture while things are on the stove now. he-he

Boston

My days are busy, busy. Trying to do as many things as I can while my in-laws are still here. The other day I woke up and realized that I haven't been to my favorite Boston for more then half a year. I live 30-40 minutes away by car and I love to come occasionally to walk around and to feel the city's vibe. However I haven't been able to do so in what seems like the longest time. So I thought I would to use the opportunity and go there alone before its too late and too cold. I picked the South End for my stroll. I just love the atmosphere of this neighborhood. Too bad the galleries were closed but I had the most amazing time just walking around and enjoying the cafes, shops and whatever South End-right-after-the-Halloween had to offer.