25th March National Holiday!

We are off school today as it is the National Holiday of 25th March 1821.
It is raining of course! So almost everywhere around Greece the parades were done under rain. It was funny that this year no bars were put around the politicians to protect them from angry civilians. People could attend the parades and enjoy them and afterwards they could dance to traditional dances! Excellent!

We didn't go to the parade. We stayed in and prepared a special dinner for the family!

Mum made her popular cod fish croquettes (salt cod nuggets)with garlic sauce, I made the salads, tomato and green salad, along with octopus salad. And the dessert orange pie.

Here are a couple of photos taken from yesterday's festivities at school.

 The tsolias (Greek presidential guard) was made at school by our talented Art teacher Ms Yiota.

It was my birthday!

On the 28th.
I went to school in the morning.
It was fun playing a recycling game with my 5th graders.

I treated my fellow teachers with this orange pie. Every one loved it.You can find the recipe here.

Coming home I was met with a happy family. Hubby,son, Barca!
I cleaned after Barca, ate fish soup made by hubby, unfortunately not very successful one, and spent the rest of the day with school preparartion and answering e-mails, phone calls and saying thank you to facebook Happy Birthdays! Ok.I would prefer a more lively one, but hubby was under the weather, son was at after school tutoring and Barca was restless!
Anyway here are my gifts.
Hubby updated my computer so now it is much much faster!Great I can blog faster! He also got me a SonyExperia White with his mobile contract for a very good reduced price. But he had given me that weeks ago!I am not yet used to it!Smartphones, my....!What does the name mean? That you should be extra smart to use them?Those touch screen tactile features are beyond me!Anyway I will get used to it!

(photo from the Internet)
Have I told you that the day I got my new mobile I found a Samsung Galaxy in the street? Fortunately I found the owner as well and returned it!
My mum brought me lovely roses.

"She is taking photos! I can go out!"

 "Are they edible?"

Another gift was the blooming of my Christmas cactus.

Finally I received some birthday cards and gifts.
Birthday cards from Brigitte in France, Maria Jose from the Acores, Carolyn and Cathy in England.

" I won't eat those they belong to you!"

And gifts.

Cross stitch magazines from Brigitte.

 Tea cards and Cottage Gardens booklet from Cathy.

Thank you every one for the lovely wishes, gifts, cards, warm thoughts for me!

On the 6th of January and a recipe

I had prepared this post but with this and that (it is January 22nd already?) I didn't post it so here it is.
On Epiphany Day January 6th, still off school, I prepared a meal for my brother and sis, my mum and so it happened Frieda, my friend from Skiathos, was here too.

 Simple decor. Glass Christmas trees all gifts of my brother. Ionia porcelain china dishes.

 The coasters were last year's Christmas present from my dear friend Cathy in England.

We finished our meal with Orange pie.Delicious!Thanks to my drama club friend Areti for giving me this recipe.

Orange pie recipe
Ingredients

1 carton of yoghurt (200gr)
1 glass of corn oil
1 glass of sugar
1 glass of fresh orange juice
5 eggs
zest of three oranges
vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 packet of pastry sheets(phyllo, not puff)

Turn on the oven to 180 degrees.
Crush the pastry sheets into small pieces and put them in the baking tray.
Mix all the rest of the ingredients together and add them on the pastry sheets.
Bake for about 40 minutes.
When we take it out of the oven and  it is cold we add the syrup.

How to make the syrup.
Add in a saucepan 1 and a half glasses of water, one glass of fresh orange juice, 2 cups sugar, vanilla and cinammon and bring to the boil. Pour over the pie.