Squirrelzz <3

These guys are a little bit nervous but I like them. hehe
So why am I posting about squirrels?? Because this is very american, indeed! According to some researches, you can find them almost everywhere but you can’t find them in Portugal or in other Mediterranean countries, maybe they don’t like our dry air and our trees 😉
But anyway, here, you can find these guys everywhere.. and their favorite places are parks where they can find a wide variety of plant food, including nuts, seeds, fruits, fungi and green vegetation. But you can find them too, near from your house :), specially in neighborhoods with low traffic and trees!
They seem to be very anxious, busy and very funny! I love their fluffy tails!
Since I don’t have any pet here, I enjoy taking pictures of them and treat them like they were my pets. When I go to the park, I give them cute names and call for them.
Now, I invite you all to take a look at my ‘Squirrels Album’ with a selection of photos from these boys.  I hope I can take pictures of squirrels, every city I go…! 🙂
These are from Boston. And I have to say that they were quite curious and strangely friendly.

In Washington, I found some in a bad shape, very lazy actually.

In NYC, they are very busy, like the city, curiously.

Here in Richmond, they are very nervous, running everywhere, climbing trees, it seems that they are playing a game. It has to be!

What is your favorite?

Kiss,

JB*

Necessary NYC, such a necessary city!

I ❤ New York!!!

I was so excited to finally meet NYC! And people are right when they say that you are surrounded by nice tall buildings, amazing fashion stores and people from all over the place! Finally I listen some portuguese in the streets! 😉 It’s kind of a melting pot in a concrete jungle! For me, it sounds awesome!

Our flight was cancelled because of the storms so our trip was reduced for only 2 days 😦 So, we just had time to see Manhattan and its must go places. And I feel like I didn’t had time to take nice and different photos. My eyes were too tourist. I have to go again and fill my SD card with nice pics.

And do you want to know something? NYC has actually the same latitude as Aveiro (my hometown), isn’t it nice? Cool! Just the ocean apart!

What NYC does have? (from the upper side to the bottom)

• Central park!! Huge Central Park! I really liked to have a walk there, it was so refreshing and revitalizing!
• Rockfeller Plaza, that is so 30 Rock! Go to the NBC store, they have nice merchandise about NBC TV shows.
• Walk the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, … avenues… be amazed with all of the fashion stores. Just look at the fashion windows!

• You have to go to Times Square, specially at night. Go every night! Ah! And don’t forget the M&M store: so original and colorful.
• Climb the Empire State Building! I was there in the evening (around 7pm) and it was magnificent! Some lights on..The view was super super amazing! But make sure that you have your coat on because was freakin’ windy! I want to go there again, take more pictures and analyze each building! 😀

• It has a little, little Italy (near by the big, big Chinatown :)) where you should definitely eat! Specially because some cute guys will come at you offering the menu.

• Since you are at the Lower Manhattan, go to the Brooklyn bridge (I should have walk to the other side.. 2km of length). I wish the weather was better, it was to cloudy. iac!

• Go to the 9/11 to get some chills Is not finished but you can imagine the twin towers there..

• From the bottom of Manhattan, you can see the Statue of Liberty. And I just saw it from Manhattan’s. The ferry seemed to me so romantic: crowded and shaking all over the places.. lol

And the art on the streets, god! I didn’t have time to go to MoMa museum or the Metropolitan but I was so inspired in the streets, people and energy of the city! I ❤ NYC!

Kiss,

JB*

Real Richmond!

I don’t know how to start.. But Richmond is definitely a different city.. It doesn’t have so many tall buildings like NYC, neither a lot of museums and memorials as DC neither the ocean so near as in Boston. I’m here since November and I’m still exploring this city.. For instance, yesterday I went to Broad st. for the First Fridays Art Walk. That was awesome! Every first friday of the month, the art galleries are open with new exhibitions, we can found street animations, live music.. that street just came to life!

So, what does Richmond have?

• Maymont park with a mini-zoo and a beautiful gardens like the Japanese Garden.
• The white Virginia State Capitol surrounded by nice squirrels.
• Lovely Victorian style houses (I definitely have to do a post for this!)
• It has Jackson Ward, a historically Afro-American neighborhood. I like the houses with front porches, the barber shops full of people, the cars parked there..
• James river full of rapids and pools; nice for fishing, rafting and for swim (like a little Jacuzzi pool, maybe not so hot lol)
• The special Cardinal birds; so unique!
• It doesn’t have subway :(, only bus (and it sucks on weekends!)..
• The Cary st. is awesome: the west side is good for shopping (stylish vintage stores) and the east side is for the pubs
• The beach is not that near (Virginia Beach is 2h away from here..) but it has the same latitude as the beautiful beach in Zambujeira do Mar, in Portugal.. Almost summer,yes!
  

I found that Richmond is very real and raw! Welcome to Richmond!

Kiss,

JB*

PS: Hey, by the way, did you already click LIKE on my facebook page? You will receive the updates from my blog and I will post also some photos from my everyday life..I hope you like it!

Me want cookies!

Oh cookies, cookies! I’m the kind of girl that is crazy about sweets: not candies or gummies but homemade cakes, cookies, muffins and chocolate..There must be two types of girls: some crazy about sweets, others crazy about salty.

And today I’m going to talk about COOKIES! Cookies are not a thing that I remember my mom or even my grandma doing.. I don’t know, perhaps Portugal doesn’t have a large history in cookies, I don’t know.. However I always had some cookies at home, at least a packet of Maria cookies (I miss them!) 🙂

I was doing some research and I found that the word cookie originally came from the Dutch keokje, meaning “little cake” and the Dutch first popularized cookies in the United States. Cookies are consumed in 95.2 percent of U.S. households. Americans alone consume over 2 billion cookies a year, or 300 cookies for each person annually.
So, of course, I had to try the american cookies!!

Cappuccino Cookies with espresso and white chocolate. This was my first tray of cookies, and it turns out they were a success. Check here the recipe, her blog is adorable! She is american so nothing better than learn from her. You can try with some dark chocolate chips and pecan nuts too. The taste of coffee is something fantastic!

Chewy Low Fat Banana Nut Oatmeal Cookies. Another recipe that you have to try is these light cookies. The recipe is here. And by the way, this blog is very nice because Gina makes delicious low fat recipes.

Oh cookies, cookies! You are awesome, you know that? I have an entire book of cookies recipes to try! but you know what..the summer is almost here… I’m so sorry mister cookie! in another time (but I will assure you that will be on this life! c;)

Kiss,

JB*
P.S.: let me know if you have any questions about the recipes 😉

WoW Washington DC!

Next stop was: Washington DC, the “District” of Columbia! Is not a part of any state: neither Virginia nor Maryland. Is a sacred land! So it means that the Washington Dulles and the Ronald Reagan airports don’t belong to Washington but they are actually from Virginia. hehe
So, after landing in Dulles, we took the subway to no man’s land :P! Do you want to know what did we experience right before we arrive? Hot as hell (calor do catano!)! And, again, we weren’t ready for that! God! So first the wind and cold in Boston..and now the hot,hot,hot weather in DC. grrr! In fact, we don’t have many travelling experiences …we are the so-called “the beginners”!

What did I think about DC? Well, built to be the capital of US. Basically, it’s a nice and new city, with some tall buildings..and then, when you get closer to the “center”, you have a sacred and immaculate strip of land full of MEMORIALS, MUSEUMS, MEMORIALS and more MUSEUMS! I mean, you don’t imagine how big is that and how many things you can watch/visit and take photos. So, don’t try to do that in one day! The center has all those museums but nothing else… I mean:and for that I mean: no starbucks, no deli markets, no stop subway stations,.. so funny right? You just have these yellow cars with hamburgers, hotdogs and pretzel, that took over the immaculate strip of land.

I enjoyed the city, we had some lucky with the hotel, very near from the immaculate strip of land..Oh, and guess what? When I had lost hope, with my luggage ready to go to the next stop, I finally found Zara, H&M, American Apparel, Macy’s and Forever XXI in the same block…sweet!

What DC has?

• Mister Lincoln seated, looking at the city.
• It has a reflecting pool, but at the time it was under construction :s
• mini Chinatown (very light, considering the Chinese things lol) with some food and very important: Smoothie King..oh God!After our long walks (under the sun, should I remember you!)..nothing better than a fruity smoothie.
• nice Aquarium, fresh and protected from the sun 😀
• a lot of Museums: we “just” saw the National Museum of Natural History and the National Gallery of Art.
• White house with Obama and his family doing a Easter party. hehe
• Madame Tussauds, because it is always fun to chill out with some famous and Very Important People (V.I.P.)
• Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, George Washington, Ronald Reagan, John Kennedy,etc.: they were all there!! 😉

Amazed?

Kiss,

JB*

PS: DC has the same latitude as Lisbon =)

 

Bold Boston

United-States-of-America. How many united states? 50 states! What are the differences between them? I still don’t know. But one thing I know for sure: you can found Starbucks in each and every state (I think!and I hope!). 😉

Since I cross the Atlantic, I must explore these lands, right? So, in this month I did a fantastic trip (with my lovely boyfriend) starting in Boston. Then, Washington DC, Richmond and NYC! This post is about Boston!

What does Boston have?

• It’s a coastal city, so you can bread the Atlantic ocean. The landing of aircraft is very cool.
• It has the same latitude as Vigo (Spain).
• Has Garnett (Go Celtics!), Bruins (hockey) and Red Sox (baseball) =)
• Has the MIT and Harvard. You feel some history in Harvard, it’s cool! And has this guy (John Harvard) with a gold-tipped shoe.
• Subway that works and is very nice!
• Lovely bronze ducks and frogs in the middle of the city.
• The Massachusetts state house that is the “Hub of the Solar System”. I love the golden!
• Sea Food Legal (try to say with a Brazilian accent, lol) is a restaurant that you can find all over the city. The price not so Legau (nice!) and we, as portuguese, are very, very knowledgeable about fish.
• It has a little, little Italy. I definitely recommend the Bertucci’s; this italian restaurant is delicious. I ate kind of a pizza with grilled vegetables on top. Oh, and by the way, I took the perfect expresso at Bertucci’s  in Fenway (near the Red Sox stadium).
  

I really enjoyed the city. I think that somehow is more european, I don’t know.. It has a nice downtown with stores, bargains, nice buildings.

Do you want to know something funny? The weather at that time wasn’t so pleasant, really! So I had to buy  a sweater to use on those days.. I should had checked the weather. lol

Enjoy the photos,

Kiss

JB*

bookzz!

I have to confess that I’m really not the type of girl that reads a lot of books, that has an entire library at home with fiction, history, mystery, religion, romances, science fiction books.. The best sellers doesn’t’ attract me: I’m sorry Harry Potter, I’m sorry Dan Brown! ..I don’t know..At the beginning I’m very exited and I start to read but then.. they are good for sleep, I’ll say. :S

However, one thing that I really like to see are the covers.. =D

And it seems that I’m more in love with ‘technique’  books, I should say.  With nice photos, some text (lol).. I like to learn with them! So, my perfect books have to be related with my hobbies, what I really like to do! Some about cooking, makeup and photography.. Do you have any of these?

Meet ‘Martha Stewart’s Cookies’ from Martha Stewart. Ok, she is an American icon: tv programs, books, magazine. That is why I choose her to teach how to do this amazing thing that are the american cookies (and some other cookies).

What I like? I like cookies. Cookies with tea, cookies with coffee, cookies with cookies 😉

Meet ‘Makeup- The ultimate guide’ from Rae Morris. Fantastic makeup artist from Australia that teach us some techniques.

What I like? The tips that she gives and the description of the makeup essentials.

Meet ‘Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes’ by Martha Stewart. Yeah, again Martha Stewart, but you know, she does fancy cupcakes and it seems so easy!

What I like? The crazy decorations.

Meet ‘Understanding exposure’ from Bryan Peterson. He is a genius and a great teacher. Thank you for helping me how to shoot in my DSLR. (By the way, I went to his workshop in April, it was a lot of fun. And I have the book signed ;))

What I like?  The relaxed way that he writes. And of course the photos, oh man!

Meet ‘United Cakes of America’ from Warren Brown. This book is organized by the american states. He collect one famous sweet recipe for each state. Cool!

What I like? I like the tittle! and the cover! And more American desserts to try 🙂

Impressed at all? I would like to know you better..What is your favorite genre and/or writer?

Kiss,

JB*

PS: I’m sorry girls I didn’t talk about you because are a different chapter 😉 Just keep coming every month and I will enjoy like as the first time that I meat you.

Tenho que confessar que não sou o tipo de rapariga que tem um monte de livros, a coleção inteira de livros espetaculares de ficção, história, mistério, religião, romance, ficção científica.. Os best-sellers não me atraem muito: desculpa Harry Potter, desculpa Dan Brown! Não sei.. de inicio até fico entusiasmada mas depois.. dá-me muito sono :s O que eu gosto mesmo é das capas dos livros!

Parece que estou mais apaixonada é por livros mais técnicos, diria! Com fotos fixes, algum texto (pois..)..eu gosto de aprender com eles. Os meus livros preferidos são definitivamente aqueles que têm a haver com os meus passatempos. Sobre cozinhar (mas não é qq um que me atrai, ok?), maquilhagem e fotografia… Tens algum destes?

• Apresento ‘Martha Stewart’s Cookies’ (Martha Stewart). Ela é um ícone Americano: tem um programa, livros e uma revista só dela. Um império! Por isso é que a escolhi como minha professora para me ensinar a fazer os verdadeiros ‘american cookies’ (e outros cookies!)

O que eu gosto? Eu gosto de cookies, ponto. Cookies com chá, cookies com café, cookies com cookies 😉

• Apresento ‘Makeup- The ultimate guide’ (Rae Morris). É uma fantástica makeup artist australiana e ensina algumas técnicas neste livro.

O que gosto? As dicas que dá e a descrição do essencial para maquilhar.

• Apresento ‘Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes’ (Martha Stewart).Yeah! Outra vez Martha Stewart, mas poxa!, ela faz um cupcakes tão divertidos, e parece que é tão fácil!

O que eu gosto? Das decorações loucas!

• Apresento ‘Understanding exposure’  (Bryan Peterson). Ele é um génio e um óptimo professor. Obrigada por me ensinares como fotografar na minha DSLR. (Ah! Já agora, aproveito para dizer que fui ao workshop dele no mês de Abril, hehe foi super fixe! E já tenho o livro autografado)

O que eu gosto? Da forma relaxada de como ele escreve. E claro, as fotos espetaculares!

• Apresento ‘United Cakes of America’  (Warren Brown). Este livro está organizado de acordo com os estados americanos. Portanto, uma receita para cada estado. Nice!

O que eu gosto? Eu gosto muito do título! E a capa! E claro, mais receitas para experimentar!

Que tal? Gostava de te conhecer melhor? Que género de livros gostas mais? E o escritor favorito?

Beijinho,

JB*

PS: Desculpem revistinhas por ter falado sobre vocês, mas pertencem a outro capítulo! Eu quero é que vocês continuem a vir cada mês e eu vou-vos adorar ter por cá!

Smells like U.S.A.

This gallery contains 18 photos.

Hello guys! This time I decided to show you some photos that I took. They are sooo U.S.A!! I haven’t visited many countries but one think I know for sure, those photos aren’t Portugal. They smell like U.S.A. And you … Continue reading →

if you want to impress, you should bake bread!

You may think I’m crazy! The entire afternoon doing the bread: knead the dough until the gluten structure is created, sit for leaven for a lot of hours, and finally bake for some more hours. In conclusion, a lot of effort for a simple bread, you may think! Although I think that the baker’s work (professional or not) is awesome, this time I brought a super easy recipe!

If I said that it will take only 5 minutes, you still think that this is not for you?? Now, you don’t believe me, right? I’m not saying that, they are! Is the homemade bread revolution!

I will share you the wheat bread masterpiece! After this, you can play with another flours, I’m doing that 😉

Mix with a spatula all the ingredients: 6 1/2 cups of all purpose wheat flour, 1 1/2 tablespoon of dry yeast, 1 1/2 tablespoon of coarse salt and 3 cups of water at room temperature. Sit for 2h to rise. The dough can be used right after the initial 2 hour, but it is much easier to handle when it is chilled. So, just cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put on the fridge and you can use over the next two weeks, ready for you anytime.  The flavor will deepen over that time, developing sourdough characteristics.

Pull a piece out, with some flour in your hands, form a ball. Let the dough rest for at least 40 minutes. Cut the loaf on the top with slashes.

About the baking, you can either use a bake sheet (don’t forget to put also a tray with some water) or a Pyrex round casserole (with a lid). Either way you have to preheat the oven (450ºF) with the sheet+tray with water or Pyrex inside. I usually use the Pyrex system so I cook for 3o min with the top, and more 2omin without the top.

Like this:

I love bread ❤

Look so beautiful! My grandma would be very proud of me!

JB*

Vocês devem pensar que estou louca,né? Passar uma tarde inteira a fazer pão: amassar, levedar, cozer? Pois, mas quando vim para aqui para os states foi uma das coisas que mais senti saudades: do pão e de um expresso como deve ser 🙂 Portanto, tive que por mãos à obra! Embora ache que o trabalho dos padeiros (profissionais ou não!) seja espectacular, desta vez trago uma receita bem simples.

Se eu vos disser que demora apenas 5min? Mesmo assim acham que não é para vocês? Pois, não acreditam, né? Mas não sou eu que digo, são eles. A revolução do pão-feito-em-casa está aí!

De seguida apresento-vos a receita base para o pão de trigo. A partir daqui podem ir experimentando com outras farinhas, eu estou a tentar isso! Aliás, estou a tentar fazer broa..mas tá mais dificil 😉

Eu adoro pão ❤

Está tão bonitinho,não está? Eu acho que a minha avó ficaria muito orgulhosa de mim!

JB*

Dear dollar,

Here is the thing: if you decided to pay your stuff with cash, you better have a good wallet! lol

Oh Yeah! That was the first thing that I learned here. At the airport, only with big dollars (that I bought in Portugal!), I bought a muffin and a coffee with 20usd. When I received the change, I thought: I’m screwed! I didn’t have a good wallet for these dollars! I received a bunch of coins and 1 dollar bills…

The next days were funny, at that time I just had cash, so: I payed with cash, my change was in cash!! the more grocers I went, more coins I accumulated! I refused myself to count all of those coins in the store line… So what I did was, I counted them at home and then, ok I have here 4usd..and I tried to get rid of them. hehe

Funny, funny was (and still is) doing the laundry. I need 13 quarters (13 x 25 cents)!! Are you kidding me? And now??… I felt forced to go to some Deli to buy anything  just to be able to change some bills for quarters! lol

But that was just temporary, I met my bank (lol) and since then, every time I need quarters, I ask them 😉

Oh dollars, my dear dollars, now I know you well. So well, that now I have been abusing of you!…JB: You have to save some money girl!! Ai!

Kiss,

JB*

PS: I love you too my dear euro (€)! And I miss you, okay? Keep strong boy!😉

Muito importante: se decidires pagares as tuas contas com dólares, o melhor é teres uma boa carteira!

Oh yeah! Foi a primeira coisa que aprendi quando cheguei aos states! No aeroporto, decidi comprar um muffin e um café , mas como só tinha notas grandes, paguei com uma nota de 20 usd. Quando recebi o troco, pensei: tou lixada! Eu não tinha a carteira perfeita para os dólares! Recebi um montão de moedas e de notas de 1 dólar!

Os dias seguintes foram bastante engraçados, naquela altura só tinha dinheiro, por isso: eu pagava com dinheiro e recebia dinheiro. Quanto mais compras fazia, mais troco acumulava. eu recusava-me a contar as moedas em plena fila do supermercado… então o que eu fazia era: contava as moedas em casa e depois: ok tenho aqui 4usd  e depois tentava livrar-me delas! hehe

Engraçado, engraçado era (ainda é) lavar a roupa (nas máquinas de lavar e secar gigantes americanas ;)), em que preciso de 13 moedas de 25 cêntimos! Opah! Mas tão a brincar comigo? e agora?? Sentia-me forçada a ir a um supermercadozito de esquina, comprar qualquer coisa e pedir no final para trocar umas notas por moedas de 25 cêntimos. lol

Mas isso foi temporário, eu conheci o meu banco (lol) e partir daí, sempre que preciso dessas moedas, peço-lhes para trocarem 😉

Oh dólares, queridos dólares, agora eu conheço-vos muito bem! Bem de mais..que até tenho abusado de vocês!.. JB: tens que começar a poupar garota!! Ai!

Beijinho,

JB*

PS: eu gosto muito de ti também euro (€)! E já tenho saudades tuas, ok? Continua assim forte que eu gosto! 😉