SillyGooseTravel.com

Street art in Varna, Bulgaria

2015-01-10T14:39:00.001+02:00

I live in Varna, Bulgaria for the last three years. But this past year, I've noticed more and more street art and I'm not talking about graffiti or political murals which they don't have that many. I'm talking nice colorful pretty street art. Always, with nice faces.

I started finding these in Veliko Turnovo last spring and then here in Varna. Common places to find it, where the electrical boxes or building are, trash cans and doors. So after posting lots of photos on my instagram and on my tumblr finally a friend of mine found out how the artists are.

Please enjoy!

If you find more street art in Varna just post it using the hashtag #streetartvarna.

Until next time.

Cafe Lounge : Breakfast in Mala Strana, Prague, Czech Republic

2014-12-29T00:17:00.003+02:00

I get out of my place in Prague and there are like four places for breakfast, but the closest is the one right in front of me. Hunger Wall, I mean that is what the building is call. The restaurant is called Cafe Lounge. It is right in front when I get out of my place in Mala Strana or Lesser Town.

It was Saturday and we arrive with no reservation. They told us that they were super busy that they don't have any space. But if we want to make a reservation for Sunday we are welcome. So we did at 10 am for Sunday. We left the place a bit disappointed but no worry. Then outside, I realized I forgot the map of Prague at our place, so I went back to the apartment up the stairs, opened the doors an then I realized that the map was in my jacket! shoot!!!!! ok, back down stairs and then I saw my husband telling me that the Cafe Lounge has a space for us and if we want to go?

Of course, we want to go! that was lucky or what! Also, great customer service. We got in and it was so cozy and so beautiful. At the entrance, on the left hand side is the coffee bar with the cashier and all the homemade sweets. Then you to your right, you have all these nice tables and chairs, the decoration was so clean and elegant. Very muted colors of cream, browns, white. It wants to give this Art-Nouveau feel, after all we are in Bohemia area in Czech is my history is ok ;)

We sat down at the end of the cafe with is not that big and I could see that in the summer the Cafe Lounge has a terrace to have your breakfast outside. It must be beautiful during spring and summer.

The table has great placemats with a great illustrations explaining a bit the history of the Hungry Wall building as well as the Cafe Lounge. It is interesting to know that the whole Mala Strana district is right at the foothill of Prague Castle and opposite of the Old Town, it was developed back in the 8th century as a marketplace but with the time got changed. It was a place where noble houses where built and it has lots of history to, from small churches to galleries, to very old buildings. To learn read more about Mala Strana click here.

But the history of the Hunger Wall building is pretty cool. This building was build by the King Charles IV as fortification and it was known for centuries as the Hunger Wall and it was believe to give employment to the poor during a period of famine. But today in 2014, it is a recovered building in where it is a residential building looking for short to medium term tenant.

Back to Cafe Lounge, the waiter was a great guy speaking perfect english and right away giving us suggestion what to have. The menu was great and it was in english as well as Czech. I want it so bad a good bagel but he recommend to have the Egg Florentine - poached eggs with leaf spinach and cheese sauce over homemade English muffin. It was amazing! The cappuccino was also perfect combination of coffee and milk. My husband love coffee but he is trying to do deca since too much caffeine is not good for him. The waiter told him that they don't have deca but that he can do a nice press coffee which is a very light version. My husband loved it. He had the Butter croissant with butter and two kinds of Linda’s homemade marmalades (2 pieces of pastry).

Wifi is free and the atmosphere was so so so good. For sure, come over not just for breakfast but for lunch or dinner. It is just perfect. Menu is small but the details, the presentation and the quality of the food is amazing. They also make their own cookies.

I really didn't want to leave the place, but it was time to start exploring Prague :) and tomorrow (Sunday) I will have another chance to enjoy again a great breakfast. Which we did and I have this time: Sunflower seeds bagel with smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion and Sicilian capers. And the best part is, the prices are so so cheap. I mean, compare to any other restaurant in Old Town, this is a steal!

Here is a video I found from Cafe Lounge as well their contact info.

http://www.cafe-lounge.cz/

Plaská 615/8, 150 00 Prague 5, Újezd /
Lesser Town,
tel: (+420) 257 404 020, GSM: (+420) 733 182 208

Pan de Jamon - Another Venezuelan Christmas Dish

2014-12-28T22:46:00.002+02:00

One of my favorite and easy dishes to do anywhere you are in the world is the Pan de Jamon or Ham's Bread. A typical Venezuelan holiday dish and it is delicious. The mixture of sweet, salty and a bit sour is unique. Some people might think the combination of ham, raisins and olives is a bit weird but it does work.

What you need are few ingredients:

Dough (bread or pizza dough - you can find it on any supermarket)
Flour
Red raisins
Green olive
1 egg
Ham
Little bit of water
Cooking paper
Oven

Get the dough out of the bag and make sure it is a room temperature. Also, make sure that you put some flour on the table or board where you are going to work the bread. That way the dough doesn't get stuck on the table/board and on the roll.

Roll the dough until it gets a rectangular shape and make sure that is not that thin, but not that thick either :) Then add the ham on top of the dough, put a generous amount of ham. Sprinkle the raising even across the dough. If you like a lot raising then add more if you want. Then add the green olives in two rows. One row closer to your side of the dough and then one closer to the middle of the dough. In the meantime, you have the oven pre-heating at 180 degree Celsius.

In a small glass, separate the yolk from the white. Beat the yolk which will give a nice color to the bread when is done.

Now is time to roll the dough. Grab the section closer to you and start rolling the dough from your side going forward, until the whole bread is close. To close the end, use a bit of water with a brush or your finger to close the edge of the bread as well as the sides. Then with a brush or your fingers spread evenly the yolk across the bread. With a fork pinch the bread a couple of time. This trick helps the bread to breath a bit while in the oven.

Use cooking paper to place the bread when putting inside the oven that way the bread won't get stuck. The oven is pre-heated at 180 degree Celsius and wait 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, get the bread out of the oven to rest a little. Then cut the bread in nice thick slices and serve with your christmas dinner. Ideally, with any Venezuelan christmas dish like hallacas, pernil y ensalada de gallina.

yumm yumm. I also love pan de jamon in the morning with a nice coffee.

I found this great video where it shows how to make the dough from the start.

Enjoy! And happy holidays! Until next time.

Time for Christmas and for Hallacas Venezolanas

2014-12-27T20:25:00.002+02:00

A bit late of a post, but I want it to share. I hope that everyone had a great Christmas or Holidays!

Since living in Bulgaria is kinda hard to get adjusted to the holidays in this country. They are still trying to figure out really how to celebrate christmas like we do back in USA or Venezuela.

By law after Thanksgiving, everything is already decorated in Christmas. In Venezuela since we don't have Thanksgiving it starts even earlier. Both countries has great holidays feeling. The music, the clothing, the food, etc. However, the ones that I miss the most is my Venezuelan christmas with all the delicious food like hallacas, pan de jamon, pernil, ensalada de gallina, music like aguinandos and gaitas and of course my parents :)

So back in to what I was going to share. Back in 2009 my friends and I tried to make Hallacas for the first time by myself and it was a great weekend of laughs, drinks, good company and 4 friends having a blast cooking for 2 days Hallacas! My mom was proud! they came great.

Video one:

Video two:

Here is the recipe:

Mami's Hallacas - Venezuelan Christmas dish.

Buy the ingredients the day before cooking.

Ingredients:

1 pound of beefsteak (black skirt)
1 pound of pork steak
200 grams - 7 ounces of bacon (the fat of the pig without the skin)
1 big leek
1 plant of green onion
1 pound of white onions
1 pound of red bell peppers
4 cloves of garlic
20 sweet peppers (yellows, red, green)
black pepper in grains
white pepper in grains
cumin
dry oregano
1 leaf of laurel
1 cube of chicken bullion
1 liter of corn oil
1 liter of red cooking wine
1 bottle 150 cc of worcestershire sauce
1 bottle of 250 grams - 8 ounces of mustard pickle
1 bottle of 150 grams of green olive with red pepper inside
1 bottle of 150 grams of alcaparras - capers
1 small box of raisins
1 box of harina Pan
1 box of plantains leaves (smoked plantain leaves)
1 roll of white thread

Stew preparation

Cut the meat and the pork in squares.

Cut the bacon in squares and whiten by dropping on boiling water with salt for 10 minutes.

Start heating half liter of corn oil in a pan. Prepare all the ingredients: squish all together garlic, one spoon of black, white pepper and cumin. drop that in the pan with the oil and make sure that doesn't burn and get the pan out of the fire.

Cut in squares the white part of the leek, green onions, onions, sweet peppers, red pepper and put all these back with the oil and the rest of the ingredients. Put the pan back on flame and pour in the rest of the oil. Stir slowly with a wood spoon until the oil gets color and it has a smell. Lower the fire and let it cool it.

Carefully take the oil out of the pan. This oil will be used the next day to make the Hallacas. This oil will be used in the preparation of the dough and for the plantain leaves.

Put the pan back on the fire with the leftover oil and the ingredients sate. Add the meat cut in squares, stir everything while you are preparing the rest of the ingredients.

150 gram of the green olive with red pepper inside cut in squares.
150 grams of capers cut and squished.
150 grams of the pickle mustard cut in small squares

One cup of red cooking wine, half a cup of Worcester sauce, one spoon of dry oregano, one big leave of laurel.

Mix all the ingredients in the pan and let it cook for 2 hours or until the stew is ready. Be-careful that the stew does'nt get stuck to the bottom of the pan. The stew must have a delicious smell, heavy sauce, and taste not that sour, not that salty, not that sweet, but that a particular flavor of these 3. Take the pan out of the fire, let is cool off. Cover up and get it in the fridge until the next day. Make sure that the pan is not made of Aluminum. This will make the stew get more flavor and more consistency to prepare the Hallacas.

If during the time of cooking the stew, you observed that the stew is too dry, add one cup of hot water with a chicken bullion and added slowly and stir the stew. If the stew is too watery, take one cup of the liquid out of the pan and add one spoon of harina pan and add slowly and stir to make it thicker.

Preparation for the dough or harina pan.

(Prepare the dough the day that we are doing the Hallacas)

In a deep bowl put water, salt and the harina pan, stir with your hand until obtain a soft texture. Little by little add the oil from the night before until the dough gets a yellow color. Try the dough and if it needs more salt, add a little bit salt into a water cup and add the water little by little. The dough has to be soft but not liquid or hard.

Prepare the dough in 20 small ball like if you where going to do arepas.

40 plantain leaves clean and cut in rectangular shape. The size that is the most easy for you to work.
20 small leave to be the support of 20 cms of width by the length of the leave.
20 tread of 60 cm (one meter)
40 green olive with the bone
40 raising drunken in sweet wine of cooking
pieces of the beacon
slice of red pepper

To make the Hallacas

Put two leaves, one of top the other with the veins of the leave horizontal and the other vertical, like a crossword. oil the leave with the oil from the night before and get one ball and expand the ball most of the leave. put on top two full spoon of the stew, 2 olive, 2 raisins, 2 cube of beacon and 1 slice of red pepper. Fold the first leaf like an envelope, then the bottom leaf do the same. Put the tread underneath the leaves and tie the Hallaca like a Christmas present.

Cook the hallaca

In a deep pan, put water, salt and boil water. Place the Hallacas in the pan and cook for 30-40 minutes. After 30-40 minutes, take them out and serve. You can keep them in the freezer for the next day. Tust cook for 30 minutes.

Note 1: All the measurements are for reference. Don't forget that most important is the personal flavor.

Note 2: the sizes of the plantain leaves are approx. but make sure that the leaf is good enough so the stew or the dough goes out of the leave.

Note 3: when preparing the Hallaca take out the laurel leave.

Note 4: where to find the plantain leaves? In USA for sure you can find them in the Latin or Mexican Market or Asian Markets.

Enjoy the incredible Hallacas. These can be served with red wine, eggnog and/or beer. Plus, of course any other Christmas dishes Venezuela has.

Until next time!

Delicious Bistro : New restaurant in Varna, Bulgaria

2014-12-18T13:51:00.000+02:00

Delicious Bistro is a new restaurant located in the Black Sea coast of Varna, Bulgaria.
When you enter, it does feel like a dinner. It is a self-service restaurant/bistro in where you can start picking up your tray, your drink from sodas to wine, salads or dessert and then you have a large section of food options. Most typical Bulgarian food such as sarmi to white beans to tarator soups.

This time of the year, sarmi is the best and I love them! They are pickled cabbage rolled up with beef and rice mixture which then is cooked. Like stuffed cabbage basically. They are so so good, the mixture of the acidity with the spices of the meat is great. I think they use black pepper, salt, cumin and Bulgarian spices which after three years living here I still don't know how that mix is made off.

Back to Delicious Bistro, you will find all type of food want, from chicken to pork to sausages, with potatoes, rice, grilled veggies, soups, pasta, lasagna, even vegan items you will find. Every day, the menu changes slightly. Which is good, because it offers what is on season too.

I thought that this place was just for lunch but it is also offers breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. The people who work at the bistro are very nice and very helpful. One thing that I really like is when you are picking up your food, you can see the kitchen and see the guys cooking right in-front of you.

I can tell that their food is fresh, made everyday and it is always warm when you get it. Which is not the case in many other restaurants that offer self-services food. They offer discount to students as well as take-out food after 19:00 on weekday and after 15:00 on weekends. Perfect if you are a mom or dad and don't have time to cook dinner after a long day at work, picking up the kids from school or extra activities.

The inside of Delicious Bistro is very spacious with nice tables and comfortable chairs. The walls are decorated with nice colorful photos and the colors of orange and light green is so fresh. It is a very clean please which is a plus for me.

I have not tried their breakfast yet, but they do have omelets, fresh breads and all the typical Bulgarian breakfast dishes such as banitsa. It is a made of dough with various fillings, such as cheese, spinach, rice, and meat. Other popular breakfasts dishes include pancakes, buhtas (fritters), mekitsas (fried dough pieces), and fried bread slices. All of these are particularly delicious when served with jam, marmalade, honey or Bulgarian yogurt.

Totally recommend to visit Delicious Bistro if you live in Varna or visiting for vacation. It is very close to the Zoo and the Sea Garden.

Delicious Bistro at Central Plaza
Ulitsa "Nikola Y. Vaptzarov" 5, 9010 Varna, Bulgaria.
Open: Monday-Friday from 8:00 - 20:00
Saturday - Sunday from 8:00 - 16:00
Free Parking for the first hour
WiFi

www.delicious-bistro.com
Facebook: Delicious Bistro
TripAdvisor: Delicious Bistro

Make sure to post your comments!
Until next time.
M

One night in Washington, D.C.

2014-01-03T21:35:00.000+02:00

In late October, I had a fast business trip to Washington, D.C. We had a great business meeting, but normally; these trips are so fast that you just get to the airport, rent a car, see a bit of the city while trying to find the hotel. Get to the hotel and right away to the client meeting. Normally, after the clients' meeting we have lunch in the meeting room and then meeting continues.

Finally, at the end of day around 5pm we had happy hour/dinner with the client. This is where we are more casual and really make connections with the different members from the client side. You meet more the person as well as the destination. But really, I want to do some sightseeing to understand more the destination than just enjoying a nice meal and a nice wine. I love that but still ;)

So with a couple of my girls, I said let's do a quick tour of the city via taxi. We got a taxi from the hotel. In an hour and half the taxi guy which was from somewhere in India, gave us the best tour ever. I mean, it was at night so all the monuments were close, but we could see at least all the monuments from the window. The driver gave us little stories of each neighborhood or monument or whatever we want it to ask. He was great!

It was the best hour and half in D.C. Of course, I wish I could have a week to see everything and enjoy more the capital of USA. It totally has an unique atmosphere, so cosmopolitan, so international and you can feel that there is power in the air. Also, it is hot and humid at least on late October it was. I didn't know the city was build in a swamp area :)

Enjoy the blurry photos (it was taken on a moving taxi and iphone :) ) and highly recommend to visit D.C.

Chutney's Restaurant in Sarasota, Florida

2013-10-06T21:37:00.000+03:00

By 1987, Sarasota was ready for an ethnic food invasion, and just in time, Chutney's opened on Hillview Drive, offering Sarasota great adventures in Middle Eastern and Indian food.

Husband-and-wife team Ash Shukla and Denise May provide the ultimate personal touch, taking turns cooking and serving and greeting. They know most of their regular clientele by name, and dining in the small but casually appealing restaurant is a lot like visiting friends.... To read more visit their website to learn more about Chutney's

Chutney's Etc
www.chutneysetc.com

1944 Hillview Street
Sarasota, FL 34239-3607
(941) 954-4444

Snowmen in Varna, Bulgaria (Winter time)

2013-02-09T22:59:00.001+02:00

This is my second winter in Varna, Bulgaria and the true is that winter in here is not that bad. I mean, it is cold specially if there is a lot of wind. However, with the view of the Black Sea I kinda forget that is cold.

This year, was my first white christmas and I was so happy. I do love the snow and it is so pretty, calm and relaxing when the snow is falling. After that, everyone is outside playing with snow and it is so peaceful. Even the dogs and street dogs love the snow.

I feel like a 5 year old girl. :)

So after christmas, we walked in the Sea Garden. It was so beautiful, covered in white cotton snow. And one thing that I noticed, the park was full of different sizes, shapes and decoration snowmen. I loved it!

Here are some photos of the snowmen as well as my first snowmen.

Promise that next year, I will do a bigger and better snowman.

I hope you enjoy the creativity and imagination of these snowmen.

Until next adventure!

M

La Pasteleria Rosita en Sabana Grande, Caracas

2013-02-09T22:21:00.002+02:00

A Panaderia or a bakery, are so popular in Venezuela. You will find them every corner. Well, not every corner, but you get the idea.

Every time, I'm back home I want to eat a nice cachito (Venezuela Ham Croissants). A cachito is a bread that has chopped ham inside and it is cook in the oven. It is perfect for breaksfast or snack. It goes also perfect with coffee con leche (capuccino).

To learn more how to do a cachito check this video-it is in Spanish but you can get the idea on how to form the shape of the cachito:

And here is a better link for the recipe.

This Pasteleria Rosita, for me has the best cachitos. The classic cachito is with ham, but now there are many varieties, so if you want to just experiment, have fun and get a couple of them.

Remember to get a coffee to go with it.

Mmmm I want a cachito now :)

Until next time!

M

Floriade Expo 2012 in Venlo, The Netherlands

2012-05-27T16:43:00.000+03:00

I heard about this expo back in March 2012. My father was telling if, I got to Holland this year, it will be good idea to check this expo out.

I was a bit confuse because, I didn't know what it was. Then, I checked and actually, it is a pretty good expo. Finally by end of May, we visited the expo and I can tell you that it is a big event for everyone.

It is call Floriade 2012, World Horticulture Expo in Venlo, The Netherlands (5 April till 7 October, 2012) - close to the German border. It has all type of activities during the day, night, etc. Food courts, attractions from different countries, music, technology and much more. It is a very diverse expo and we really enjoyed it.

The Floriade Park covers 66 hectares and encompasses 5 unique themed worlds separated by wooded areas. Each world has its own decor, programme and activities. Worlds in which you'll see, feel and experience nature in a totally different way each time.

But I think the part that impressed me the most was Where is the Willowman? It is this forest, where you need to find the Willowman. Who is this guy?

He is actually an Dutch land artist call Will Beckers that has created an amazing work of art inside the forrest with all different shapes and style using branches. It is a mixture of how to use branches to create art, but also create housing living for people, animals and how to co-exist with nature. It was just amazing place. It has a magical feel the moment you enter to the forrest. You will find suprises in each of the installations, like chickens or rabbits :)

It is great for kids to explore.

We made a quick video for you to see.

Want to know more about Floriade Expo or The Willowman check the links below:

Floriade Expo 2012

April 5 - October 7, 2012

World Horticulture Expo in Venlo, NL

www.floriade.com

View Larger Map

-----------------------------------------------------------

The Willowman is Will Beckers
www.thewillowman.com

I hope you have time to check out this Expo. It is worth it and families and kids will enjoy a great day of activities.

Until next time!

How to make homemade Gyozas

2011-01-30T03:00:00.001+02:00

Gyozas are one of my favorite Japanese appetizers and I want it to learn how to do it. There are many recipes on Internet but this one that I found and I modify it to my taste. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup chopped cabbage (boiled)
2 Tbsp chopped green onion
1/2 pound ground pork
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsps soy sauce
1/2 garlic chopped very fine
1 tsp grated fresh ginger - I didn't have this, so I didn't put it but you.
20 gyoza wrappers
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

For dipping sauce
soy sauce, rice vinegar, rayu (chili oil)

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients other than oil in a bowl and mix it well by hands.
Have the wrappers ready and start placing a teaspoonful of filling in a gyoza wrapper and put water along the edge of the wrapper by fingers. Make a semicircle, gathering the front side of the wrapper and sealing the top. I tried that version but it was hard to do. So I instead closed it on the top. Like a like onion shape.

When you get all the gyozas ready, heat oil in a frying pan. I mixed vegetable and sesame oil together. Put gyoza in the pan and fry on high heat until the bottoms become brown. Turn down the heat to low. Add 1/4 cup water in the pan. Cover the pan and steam the gyoza on low heat until the water is gone. This will take around 15 to 20 minutes.

In the mean time, prepare the sauces. Mix a 1:2 ratio of soy sauce to rice vinegar and add some rayu chili oil if you would like. Or you can have also soy sauce.

Now, ready to ENJOY! Good appetite.

Until next time.

Memphis Trip, TN

2011-01-28T07:18:00.000+02:00

Got to Memphis for work and left so happy. I love the city, the people, the history, the music, the food and the best of all, I think it is the best city. It is so friendly, everyone was just charming and nice. I never felt a city like that in the USA.

And yes, Memphis is not TENNESSEE.
I visited Graceland (Elvis Presley house) Sun Studios, Beale Street and much more.
There is more in Memphis than Elvis and Sun Studio.

It is a must visit place!

Until next time. Check out the few photos.

Oma's Tomatoes Soup : Instant Classic

2010-12-05T22:17:00.009+02:00

Ingredientes para dos porciones

½ kilo de tomates de perita maduros

½ kilo de cebollas blancas

4 ramas de apio españa

Un poquito de mantequilla y una cucharadita de aceite

½ cubito de res Maggi

Una pizca de azúcar

Nut meg rallada

100 grms. de carne de cerdo molida

Sal y pimienta al gusto

Preparación

Dorar en la mantequilla y el aceite las cebollas cortadas en juliana,

Agregar a las cebollas doradas los tomates con semilla y todo cortados en cuñas medianas

Dejar cocinar los tomates y las cebollas a fuego pequeño dándoles vuelta de vez en cuando

Lavar las ramas de apio españa, cortarlas en trozos y agregarlas al guiso de tomates y cebollas

Agregar el cubito de res Maggi y dos tazas de agua y dejar cocinar un poquito más

Apagar la hornilla y dejar reposar hasta que se pueda pasar toda la mezcla por la licuadora

Pasar la mezcla de la licuadora por un colador

Preparación de las peloticas de carne de cerdo

Condimentar la carne de cerdo con un poquito de sal, pimienta negra y nut meg, amasarla bién, hacer peloticas pequeñas y pasarlas por un poquito de pan rallado

Volver la sopa a la olla y llevarla al fuego, cuando esté hirviendo agregar las peloticas de carne y dejar cocinar por unos minutos.

En este punto rectificar la sazón, agregar una pizca de azúcar, sal si hiciera falta y pimienta negra recién molida. Si quedó muy espesa se le agrega un poquito más de agua y una cucharada de los sólidos que quedaron en el colador, revolver bién.

Servir con unas hojitas de apio españa picaditas.

Notas: la sopa no se puede preparar en olla de aluminio

Los tomates son ácidos por eso se les agrega una pizca de azúcar

Los tomates no se pueden dejar cocinar en exceso

La pimienta negra se muele al instante y se agrega al final de la cocción

La mantequilla se quema muy fácilmente por eso se usa con un poquito de aceite

El apio españa no es celery, tiene un aroma y sabor más intenso

Que lo disfruten!

Rulo Stefani, Bulgarian Dish - Silly Cooking

2010-11-03T07:38:00.004+02:00

Hello everyone, I decided to make from scratch a Rulo Stefani that a friend of our told us that this afternoon. This is a similar to a meatloaf. I got the ingredients and right away, I want it to do it. This is casual, nothing was practice. However, the food came amazing. It is for sure a dish that you do it for a big group.

This is a Bulgarian dish, however; in Venezuela we have a similar one that is call Muchacho Relleno - instead of ground beef you use normal beef and you make a hole to the steak and insert the hard boiled eggs, carrots, etc.

Until next time!

Chalk Festival 2010 at Burns Court, Sarasota

2010-11-03T06:14:00.008+02:00

This weekend, I went to the The Sarasota Chalk Festival at Burns Court. This was during the weekend of October 30 & 31st when it became America’s First International Street Painting Festival.

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, beautiful weather and Burns Court was full of people, families and dogs. The moment I arrived, I was so impressed to see the art work. I cannot believe these artists were painting for 2 days non-stop. But the final work was just AMAZING.

There were 3D paintings, kids paintings, adults, modern, dark, all were Halloween themed. This festival brought artists from around the world.

Only one, from Holland specially from Utrech, he was using a big QR code to promote his website. This is pretty cool and modern. Even thou not that many people know what a QR code is. This is his site: www.dufois.com
His name is Leon Keer and his painting is the second on this blog. He finished in 3rd place at the Festival.

Beside the art, there was vendors, live music, dogs, kids, and a lot of fun. It was just a unique experience.

To know more about the festival check out their site www.chalkfestival.com

Tryavna, Bulgaria in September

2010-11-03T05:50:00.007+02:00

Tryavna, my baby took me to this small town that is located in the central part of Bulgaria. We got there driving in small roads, winding roads, and beautiful scenery. Fall is coming and you can see the crops all getting brown and ready to harvest.

Weather is around 22 degrees Celsius and a little bit of sun. Great to start walking the town. This town it is small and perfect for weekend getaways with their hotels and spas. It is knows for its craftsmanship talent.

Tryavna's eminence as a crafts town is evident both on the amazing houses of its old quarter and in its traditional workshops. The town was founded in the 15th century and because good arable land was scarce, its inhabitants turned to crafts. By the 18th century silk, rugs, rose oil, gold jewelry was the economy of the town.

Their woodcarvers and painters offered their quality to the monasteries and churches around the area ad what was build during the National Revival Periods.

We walked the old town and houses, it feels that you are back in that time. The time doesn't pass. You just hear the sound of the birds and the fresh air of the mountains. I was relax the moment we arrived to town.

We visited the Daskolov House which was built in 1804 by Hristo Daskolov a wealthy rose oil and silk merchant. You can tell that Daskolov had money. The house it is just amazing and the woodcarving on the ceilings are just amazing. The house is now a museum for woodcarving as well as for icons. You can see the live of the Bulgarians at that time period.

Few blocks down there was Church of Archangel Michael. OMG Orthodox Church is so close to Catholic. The power of the icons, the church architecture and details it is just amazing.

By this time, I don't know what time it is but I can feel my tummy hungry. :) The town had few cafe places but they are so European style and just relaxing. We found a nice restaurant call "Old Vine" - I had a beer (Becks), Classic Salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, red peppers, a lot of feta, one black olive, olive oil and some vinegar), then a pork stew that was baked in the over with a lot of spices and onions on a ceramic pot. OMG,it was just amazing. All the flavors was just unique. The slow cooking from the pot made the pork melt in your mouth.

After this amazing lunch we decided very slowly to maybe go back to grandma's house in Zeya.

Until next stop!

Silly Goose Wine - Shiraz (South Eastern Australian Wine

2010-11-03T03:12:00.000+02:00

I arrive one morning and what do I find on my desk? a beautiful bottle of wine and for my surprise that even made more amazing it is a SILLY GOOSE wine bottle. I was so happy and it was so perfect. From the design of the label. The use of colors and the typography works very well with the cute logo. They even have metal embossing on the top of the bottle.

After a couple of minutes admiring the bottle of wine and getting my computer ready for the day, I get an email from Roxy.cape - she was the one that gave me this bottle.

I was very happy about the nice gesture of Roxy.cape that I gave her also some wine the following week. (I found a cool name for her wine too - cannot remember now).

So when should I open the wine? It has to be on a special day since this is a SILLY GOOSE wine. Well, I did it in Miami with my menina and it was great wine. It was red wine, a Shiraz to be exact. I'm not a sommelier for wines but I don't like sweet wines or very dry. This one was either one of these.

I will give a 3 stars out of 5.

Thanks @Roxy.cape and until next bottle of wine.

Receta para preparar una deliciosa sopa de pescado

2010-07-23T04:13:00.014+03:00

Ingredientes
1 pargo de 1 kilo

5 ajices dulces

1 mata de cebolla verde (cebollin)

5 dientes de ajo
1 cubito de pescado

1 cucharada de aceite de oliva

1 litro de consomé preparado con los huesos y la cabeza del pescado

el jugo de un limón
perejil

Preparación

Preparar un sofrito con el aceite de oliva, los ajices dulces sin semillas y cortaditos pequeñito, la cebolla verde bien lavada y cortadita y los ajos machacados. Agregar este sofrito al consome y dejar hervir, cuando esté hirviendo agregar la carne de pescado cortada en trozos grandes y el cubito de pescado. Dejar hervir por poco tiempo para que pescado no se deshaga. Agregar el jugo del limón. Apagar el fuego y dejar reposar por un rato antes de servir. Servir la sopa con perejil picadito espolvoreado por encima. Sabe rico.

Memphis Restaurant at San Ignacio Caracas vs World Cup 2010

2010-07-21T23:06:00.000+03:00

Second time around in Caracas and it is summer time (raining season).
This Silly Goose came to Caracas, Venezuela during the whole month of Football World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

Ok, Venezuela didn't participate but I go for Holland and since they got to the final, my father arranged to book a table to view the final at Memphis (Located in San Ignacio in La Castellana, Chacao). It was Holland vs Spain. Also an octopus became very popular on the world cup, beside the vuvuzelas. Anywho! the Octopus said that Spain will win.

I didn't believe it. We arrived to Memphis and in my mind we were going to be the only Dutch fans. Well, not really! There were some Dutch and the majority were routing from Spain.

We get our table, which came this a bottle of whiskey. :) We got 4 green (green Soleras beers) and the match started. It was super fun atmosphere, everyone was great, drinking, eating and the place is located outside and the afternoon was fresh.

We order a blue cheese burger and a huge plate of FAJITAS - I mean, this are not Mexican fajitas or USA fajitas, they are Venezuelan fajitas and they are amazing. Way too much food, but for sure it is worth it. While eating, talking and watching the game, my father was so proud of Holland that he was even saying that these dutch guys are playing like players from Rotterdam, I guess that is a internal joke in Holland. I have no clue. But what I could figured out is that they were playing dirty. It was a dirty match but again it is the final of a World Cup and Holland has always been so close.

Back to Memphis, the place is great and they have different restaurants around Caracas. Their set up is similar to a sport bar in USA but it has a more detail and clean look. TVs everywhere, american style food but with the Venezuelan twist and the portions are huge. The Memphis in particular is great because it is located in Centro San Ignacio and it does have great parking lots, secure, greats stores to walk around and it does have other restaurants, bars, clubs as well as movie theatre. So it is a very nice mall.

In the end, Spain won in the last minute, we were super sad but the whole Memphis crowd was so happy and after that more beers and more food :) what a great way to finish you weekend!

Until next time!

Centro San Ignacio:
http://www.centrosanignacio.com/

Memphis Restaurant is located Nivel Chaguaramos, Local CH-17-02

Burgerworks Grill

2010-06-14T15:11:00.015+03:00

This past Sunday, June 13th, Frillygoose and I and our little red dog went to Emerson Point for a walk. It's kind of a long drive but definitely worth it. They have boardwalks through mangroves, several Indian mounds, a bay walk and an observation tower from which you can see St. Pete, the Skyway, Anna Maria and Bradenton. Anyhow this built up a powerful hunger in me belly.

After going through the usual list of restaurants, we came up with Shakespeare's. A good choice with the World Cup going on, however, a funny thing happened on the way to the opera. While driving through Southside Village, I remembered seeing a new place called Burgerworks. We stopped just to check out the menu. Hmmm, this looks good.

Not only did they have a large variety of burger styles, you could get them made with an Angus beef patty, veggie burger or chicken breast. They also have starters, salads, pizza and Baja tacos. The Mahi tacos were quite tempting! But we opted for the sandwiches, Frilly Goose got a Baja Burger chicken sandwich, it has Monterey jack cheese, tomato, onion, creamy coleslaw, Guacamole and mayo. I thought about the Blue Burger but decided on the Classic Cheese, American cheese, tomato, onion, pickle, shredded lettuce and mayo. I skipped the shredded lettuce because for some reason I CAN'T STAND the stuff. All the burgers come with seasoned fries, which can be substituted with sweet potato fries or onion rings for a buck more, and coleslaw.

As we waited for our food we took in the place, 12 beers on tap, check, a nice selection of wines, check, friendly staff/owner, check. The food arrives, and we dive in, well................. excellent!! The burger is done perfectly and the chicken is tasty, the coleslaw yummy and the fries nicely seasoned. This place is definitely a must stop if you're in the area of Hillview and Osprey! Next time I'll try the Mahi Tacos.

Slater,

Gator

Burger Works Grill
1812 S. Osprey Ave
Sarasota FL 34239

View Larger Map

Emerson Point Park

View Larger Map

Starbucks not that green after all....

2010-05-24T06:44:00.004+03:00

I love my Starbucks and every store is different. However, on a Sunday morning I got to this Starbucks to get my Mocha.

I ask for a small mocha no whip - got the whip, I ask please no whip.
What do I see, she throws the whole coffee, cup and all into the trash!!! I mean, I asked no whip - just remove the whip and that is all. No need to create more waste. Be green Starbucks.

I asked the girl why she threw the coffee out and she said that she normally does that. So much for green. Very disappointing for a corporation that tries to be green.

Overall, the place is nice and I love the seats outside.

Back to green, the Starbucks in Japan have 3 recycles bins - one for the plastic lid, one for the paper cup and one for the liquid. Can we do that here too, please!!! I don't feel that Starbucks really tries to be green. I see that napkins are made from recycle or post-consumer paper - but really ideally, all are recyclables.

What do you think? please give comments. If we all contribute to this cause, I bet Starbucks will start making some changes :)

Starbucks‎
1375 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota,
FL 34239-2210(941) 952-9912‎

Cafe Mineirho In Coral Springs, FL

2010-03-29T04:07:00.011+03:00

It is March and I'm visiting Brazilian Goose in Coral Springs :) This is going to be a great weekend of tennis (Sony Ericsson cup at Key Biscayne) and then some South Beach.

But before we start our weekend, Menina Goose wants to show us that Coral Springs is full of Brazilian culture and wants to show it to the BG Goose.

We arrive at Cafe Mineiro at Deerfield Beach. It is Friday and we are hungry, we just drove like 4 hours to get here :)

The cafe is located in a strip mall and it doesn't look very big. However, when you enter, there is a hallway full of Brazilian newspapers, fliers, news, etc - you can tell the community is thriving. After we pass the hall, there is a HUGE room - left is a bar and tables/chairs - right are more tables/chairs.

The waiter comes and he is a nice Brazilian boy - you know, very fashionista! He takes us to the table and I'm telling you, Portugues everywhere. I love that language, it is just so beautiful and the way how it sounds is just too exotic :)

We right away order our Caipirinhas (learn more),which my BG goose has never tried. He liked it. It is just such perfect drink to start the night as well as so refreshing. Then we just want to eat anything and I'm telling you, I'm craving this food. We order 3 orders of Picanha Especial - which consists of the most amazing top sirloin grilled and garnished with garly "similar to a chimichurri sauce". Plus an order of white rice, black beans, plantain, yuca, vinagrette, and sauted red/green peppers. I mean really, check out the photo below.

Every piece was just juice and the combination of every bite was just like heaven. One thing that I love was how the service was, not rushed, just enjoy a long meal while listening to live bossa nova. I mean, I really need to go to Brazil.

While we are eating and listening to live Bossa Nova, 2 guys are setting up the dj table. You can see that the night it is going to start. Dance, party and drinks - yeahhhh this place becomes like a nightclub.

One curious thing that you don't see that often in Sarasota is people trying to sell you things while you are eating. I know, weird but yes, a guy came over and was doing great sculptures with palm leaves. :) I remember those in Venezuela.

What can I say, latin culture is just too diverse and unique. I love it. I recommend if you are in the area to visit this place or in any place you are - BRAZILIAN FOOD is a MUST TO TRY! The culture is just amazing.

Especially since, World Cup (2014) and Olympics (2016) are going to be hosted in Brazil.

Until next time!

Cafe Mineiro
maps.google.com
800 South Federal Highway
Deerfield Beach, FL 33441-5752
(954) 426-1129

Schoolnight recipes

2010-03-02T14:23:00.014+02:00

Deciding what to eat on a weeknight can be a chore, so I decided to post a few recipes out here just for work-day nights. This is a fairly new combination that I came up with after a few trips to Whole Foods.

Jamaican jerked chicken skewers with curry rice.

In Whole Foods, at the meat counter, they sell chicken skewers with a "jerk" marinade, although not as good or spicy as a true Jamaican jerk seasoning, it is still pretty tasty, and at 1.99 a stick, a good deal. 2 kebabs should be plenty for one person. At first I was grilling the chicken and serving it on the stick a la carte with maybe a salad, then one day I paired it with some spicy yellow rice, it was good but something was still missing. So after a few curries at Gateway to India (see other story) I found the inspiration I needed, ansd so the hunt began. I discovered a boxed rice in Publix that complimented the kabobs nicely. It is "Near East" brand curry flavored rice pilaf, which by the way is also available at Whole Foods if you're looking for one-stop shopping. So with the rice, the kabobs and some frozen peas thrown into the mix, you should be good to go.

The grilled kebabs.

The Rice and peas.

The tasty plate.

Enjoy!

Until next time,

Slater,

Gator.

Taste of Asia in Sarasota - Food from Laos, Vietnam and Thai

2010-03-02T07:39:00.006+02:00

This is my third time at Taste of Asia and it is growing on me more and more. Today Frilly Goose and Silly Goose (me), wanted to have a drink and some appetizers. I was really looking for a soup since I had a fight with Senor Patron over the weekend.

I knew they have the best soups in town. It was cold and windy for March in SRQ. We enter and there is warm light and warm smiles, I just love the place. It is very small and tiny but it does feel very cozy. There was a lot of people, normally you can find all ages, sizes, nationalities, etc.

The place itself is multicultural. We got a table for two and at the same time 4 new tables got busy. WOW the place was full for a Monday night.

The daughter's owner comes up with a smile and asked us for drinks (Water for me) and what we want to start. Right away, I order a small bowl of chicken and rice soup with scallions, cilantro and fried/caramelized onions. YUMMMMMMM I was dead and this soup revived.

Then we got some:

FRESH ROLLS ( 2 ) Lettuce,mint, bean sprouts, rice vermicelli & shrimp(or choice of meat), wrapped in rice paper w/ peanut sauce $3.99

LUM-PLINGS (6) Steamed or Fried (Pork) Home made dumplings with chicken or pork, cabbage,chives & sprinkled with garlic and served with special soy sauce $6.99

OMG, the Lum-plings were just amazing. Yes! I'm saying Amazing again. The flavors were perfect, the pork and all the sauces. It was just what we needed for small appetizers.

Then we talked more and we were wondering what type of dessert they have. They have one dessert that is fried Thai doughnut with chocolate. We didn't get it, but I will next time.

Service was great, even thought it got a bit crazy, the service was moving and also they didn't rush you out of the table. They were just perfect. Now, atmosphere is great and the conversations that you can hear are great too. Of course, you are going to hear each others conversation when the tables are so close to each other. It is actually pretty cool. We got these 2 ladies talking about the horrible problems they have. Really! Cry me a river and just enjoy the Pad Thai :)

However, this is why restaurants are so fascinating not only for the food, the atmosphere, the experience but everything that a restaurant gives you. I'LL BE BACK! for sure.

Also, check what Sarasota Magazine has to say about it (or do you like our post instead?)

And check out the specials they have:
Early bird: Monday - Thursday
5pm - 6pm: all beers $2 & all wines $3

Lunch special - Monday - Friday
Starting from $5.50

Prices are easy on your wallet and the amount of food is very large.

I want to see you there next time! Tell us of your experience at Taste of Asia.

ADDRESS:
1535 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-365-6278
http://www.tasteofasiasrq.com/

On Main between Orange & Lemon
North Side of Main Street
Next to Helen's Books & Comics

Nnamdi Okonkwo Art In Sarasota Art Festival

2010-02-25T14:57:00.001+02:00

This past Sunday, Sarasota had a huge art festival for all of us to enjoy. Silly Goose was filming around town with the www.foolingaroundtown.com crew and we did see a lot of art. But the moment that we got to the booth of Nnamdi's art we had to stop.

It was just a very peaceful and beautiful art we were looking at. I started to talk to the artist and ask questions when we at the spur of the moment we decided to do a video. The artist's personality was so captivating that we had to do it.

So here goes, enjoy!

His name is Nnamdi Okonkwo and is an amazing artist that lives Georgia. He creates amazing sculptures in bronze. Starting from small size to monumental sizes. He has many shows around the country as well as many installations that you can find it on display at Mesa, Arizona, Colorado, Harlem in NYC which by the end of spring it will have a new addition to the city. If you are around that area and see his work we would love to get photos from it. Just send us note and we will contact you asap.

To learn more visit his website at www.nnamdiart.com or if you want to buy or commission art contact nnamdi@@nnamdiart.com

We love doing this type of blog and meeting new people that have amazing talent. Support and thanks to www.foolingaroundtown.com for the video.

Let us know what other favorite artist you want us to find and talk about it.

NNAMDI WE WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL SEE YOU SOON. ALL THE SUCCESS from the silly gooses.

Later!