Foster the people-"Pumped up Kicks"

I love this song...

For more details concerning the group just visit: Foster The People

Etsy- Seelamade

Another one of my favorite shops that can be found at www.etsy.com is named "Seelamade". Katyie Yost from Dayton, Ohio (US) is the host of this shop. She loves making items from re-purposed vintage materials. What she does is finding old and vintage items and turns them into new useful and decorative items. I was surprised by her tier desk supply organizers that can be used in several ways. Someone can organize his/her knitting stuff, vegetables or fruits, cookies, cupcakes, cakes. I have taken some photos of her shop and uploaded for you to get acquainted with her ideas. Hope you like it as much as i do. 

If someone wishes to review more from her artistic items or even buy any of them you might want to visit her shop at etsy.com , Seelamade

Christmas Cookies

Today, I chose to make Christmas cut-out cookies with vanilla dough, adapted from Martha Stewart's Christmas recipes.

 

It took me a while to complete the recipe but I think the result will please the whole family. Not only did I manage to color my cookies with a very easy colored glaze but the taste of them is stunning.I believe this yield will end pretty soon!!!!

The recipe for the Vanilla Dough is as follows:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 
• pinch of salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla powder

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until combined. 

Shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Roll out 1 disk on a lightly floured piece of parchment to a 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Repeat with remaining disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Cut out desired shapes.

You place the cookies in a preheated oven, at 170C or 325F and you bake them until the edges become golden brown. Depending on the shapes of the cookies the baking process lasts from 10-18 minutes.

For the Glaze:

Mix in a bowl 1 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar along with 3-4 tablespoons of either water, milk or lemon juice. If the glaze is thick you might want to add more liquid, if the glaze is thin you might want to add more sugar. You will understand that you have the perfect glaze when this is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Enjoy!!!!!

 

Serraikon

On Irakleitou Street, at Chalandri there lies "Serraikon". It is a cute traditional Greek bakery that sells Bougatsa(is a Greek breakfast pastry consisting of custard, cheese, or minced meat filling between layers of phyllo. "ref.Wikipedia"), all short of pies made both with phyllo and dough, traditional desserts, donuts and many more. All of these delicatessen can be accompanied by a huge variety of cold and hot drinks. Just ask the manager and he will be more than glad to assist you enjoy the most delight breakfast you have ever imagined.

I have attached below both photos from the shop and also from the products it sells. 

Serraikon: Irakleitou 67 str, 15238, Chalandri, 210 6085554
Twitter: @Serraikon

Chocolate Cake with Ganache Frosting

This recipe i found at www.marthastewart.com. I have tried it like a thousand times and i can't get bored of it. Every time i decide to start making this fancy cake i always end up being as enthusiastic as i was the first time i tried it. This cake aims to chocoholic persons with no fear for gaining weight....;-))))(who doesn't????)
Nonetheless, whenever i have one of this cakes on my table, i am very happy!!!!

The recipe is very simple. What you need to have are regular things everyone has in the house. More specifically you need:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa (spooned and leveled)-i used Cocoa i had in my house for making chocolate drink
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk

You preheat oven at 175C. You start mixing in the bowl of an electric mixer butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. You start incorporating the eggs, one at a time.

In another bowl you put flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and cocoa and whisk them to get a nice brown color.. This is the time when you start adding the floured mixture in your batter, pouring 1/4 of the mixture and with the other hand pouring 1/4 of buttermilk. You do this the whole time, until both mixture and buttermilk are over. Then you put the vanilla and the melted chocolate in your batter,mix them all together and split them into two even pans.
(you might wanna put some parchment paper in both pans-to help you afterward)

You place the pans in the oven, for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick is inserted and it comes out dry. Then you let your batter cool for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime you need to have prepared your Ganache-frosting, which is nothing more than:

• 2 cups of heavy milk
• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• about 500 gr (1 pound) bittersweet chocolate

In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups heavy cream, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to a boil. Remove from heat; add 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped, and let stand, without stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk just until combined. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until spreadable, about 1 hour.

Set a rimmed baking sheet upside down on a work surface. Place one cake on sheet, and spread top with 1/3 of Ganache. Place second cake on top, and spread remaining Ganache over top and sides of cake. Using two wide metal spatulas, carefully transfer frosted cake to a serving platter.

(recipe taken by:Martha Stewart-Chocolate Cake with Ganache Frosting)

Fashion-Denim Shorts

Runwaydreamz.com:

Established in 1999, under the label Runwaydreamz, designer Christian Yasser Massuh, designs eye-catching must have one-of-a-kind denim trends.

Runwaydreamz has received wonderful international recognition from countless admirers for its unique designs and interpretations of the denim shorts. "The aesthetic of the brand Runwaydreamz suits the Australian lifestyle, and a pair of these shorts will leave your friends extremely envious as you leave the house," (Style Bungalow).

The best part is that each design is made by hand from the very best in vintage denim for a remarkably special, one of a kind design. We can guarantee you'll receive thoughtfully crafted designs that you'll love to own.

These unique pieces are just adorable and promise you a great outfit for every hour of the day. Always in fashion....

Fashion-Iris Tsante

Jewelery Artist: Iris Tsante

She is Greek and she is very talented. Her pieces provide connotations of optimism, lightness, simplicity, joy and innocence, revealing at the same time qualities such as fragility and vulnerability. They often are characterized by a “mischiefing” tendency, sometimes in harmony with the qualities of the original materials and sometimes making contradicting statements upon more “formal” and “serious” symbols of the western dress code. Simply "adorable".

Below are some of her work through 2009-2011. You may find them at : http://www.elenimarneri.com