NC State Wolfpack Basketball game

A few weeks ago we attended Wolfpack game at RBC center. It was a nice game. NC State won :) We went with our friend Jessianne.  After the game we went to Cook Out...and Oh My God that place got some delicious food. I had a hot dog, it actually was one of the best hot dogs I have ever tried....yes, that yummy :D

Right when we were about to leave a huge grasshopper landed on the wall behind our backs....

We had a great time, great food...lots of fun...can't wait to do it again!

Thanksgiving appetizers

I made little mozzarella/tomato/basil snacks on a toothpick. Here is the recipe I used - Tomato and mozzarella bites. Instead of balsamic vinegar/ olive oil as mentioned in this recipe you can also use any of the Italian dressings. I served these little bites on the platter with blackberries.

I don't have name or any particular recipe for this next appetizer: I took thin crackers (you can use any brand, I used Carr's). In this order I layered: whole slice of boiled egg on the bottom, then half a slice of cucumber and half a slice of radish. Then I squeezed a little bit of mayo by the flat edge of the radish slice so the mayo ended up in the center of the cracker. Then I used some tiny pepperoni slices on the top of the mayonnaise (I was able to fit three slices) and finished up with some fresh parsley.

I made two types of Russian salads and served them in the bite size cracker shells:  

- Winter Salad (Zimniy salat) (on the left) 

- Vinaigrette (Vinegret); made with beets  (on the right)

We also had some fresh peppers and salary
sticks with Sour cream, herbs and raisin dip.

Caviar Bites

For the drinks I made strawberry lemonade with mint leaves for kids and for grown-ups I made orange cranberry sangria with cinnamon sticks. My husband made a wonderful turkey. He used very simple classic recipe that calls for salt, pepper and oil. He also made an amazing gravy that was a big hit :)

Watermelon for Grown-Ups

This is the yummiest way to have watermelon!

Fresh and juicy watermelon cubes mixed with light, creamy yogurt, and sweetened with honey makes it perfect. 

I came across this recipe at Ladies' Home Journal website. It is a truly great and easy recipe.

Mix  together:

6 oz  of plain yogurt, 

2 Tsp of honey, 

1 Tsp of fresh lime juice, 

1/4 tsp of freshly grated ginger.

Spoon over  watermelon cut into cubes and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. 

Enjoy!!!

Accidental Art

Have you ever wanted to take a picture, but either the wrong setting on the camera or the lack/excess of light prevented you from doing so? Well, that happens all the time and instead of the desired view, you often get clumsy swirls or spotty circles.  Do not rush to delete those accidental shots as they may become a very cool art. Here I have a few shots that I took at night from a moving car; and because of the particular setting that I used, the shutter speed of the camera was a few seconds long and my pictures ended up very swirly and obscure.  Anyway, you probably have taken shots like that at some point when shooting at night. So, what to do with those kinds of pictures?  I took my night shots worked the light and shadow to make the colors pop, and used a simple sequence to make it worth putting in the frame :)

Before:

                                                     

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Pimp your car....with toys!

One day on my way home I came across this funky car parked on the side of the road and attracting people with its coolness. It was calling you to come over and look in more detail what was on the car. I came closer and saw hundreds of toys, anything from the Star Trek collectibles to PEZ candy holders. Needless to say this car was a masterpiece. This car made me wonder about the owner :) This is actually a great way to utilize your childhood toys :P

For people who like cartoons this car represents a jewel. For about five minutes I was there with my camera; my eyes were running all over the car recognizing cartoon/comics characters. It was fun. 

Mike from Monsters Inc.

Bender from Futurama

How many characters can you find?

Weird Fish

There is a Thai restaurant in Boston in Kenmore square. This place has a special memory for us because my husband and I had our very first date there. The food is delicious, my favorite is Crispy Basil Shrimp; my husband loves their Chicken Pad Thai. 

The place is great, but this post is about a fish. They have a fish tank in the restaurant with only one fish in it, but that fish is worth seeing :) Take a look:

Looks like an alien 

Autumn

Inspired by the Fall season: 

Pictures are from the Grandfather's mountain

Linville Caverns, NC

On Sunday we went to see the caverns and it was so much fun. We got to experience the total darkness, saw the bottomless pool and a lot of really cool stalagmites and stalactites. 

We saw a little bat :)

Trip to the mountains

Today we went to the Grandfather mountain. We couldn't wish for a better day. The weather was amazing and, even though trees lost most of their leaves, mountains still looked breathtaking. I hope you enjoy these pictures that I was able to put up so far. I promise there will be more :)

Blue Ridge Parkway

Here are some more pictures: