Hello world. I know, I know it's been long again... but I was exsausted and stressed and not really in the mood for writing... I'm so sorry that I can't be consequent and I'm afraid that runs my whole life from time to time, but I have the excuse for that: priorities and perfectionism!
Ok, it's Saturday afternoon of a late winter early spring day, actually a calm and beautiful day with a few white as snow clouds scattered here and there in the sky and the night is coming chilly and velvety... Don't lough at my quirky poetic mood, this season is so inspiring! As I already told you it's been a stressful period for me and I need those pretty pictures so much! A romantic airy white little dress is hanging from a beautiful porch of an old house opposite mine... so cute and dreamy... It's carnival time here in Greece and you can see the cutest and most wonderful costumes worn by kids everywhere! Such a cheerful note between Christmas and Easter celebrations. So much color and joy!

Cute, cute,  soooooooo cute baby animals and little fairies!!!
Well, the night has come, I cooked, we ate, I washed, dried and freezed all those blueberries and raspberries I bought yesterday, we made hot chocolate and enjoyed with fresh macarons.... while watching the news on TV, some bad, some good.... and life goes on....
I' ll have to live you now and wish you all a wonderful Saturday night and the best weekend ever! Enjoy every moment, it's your life!
Love you all,
xoxo Elena

Hello everyone! Today's post is inspired by another Mama Kat's writing prompt: "List 6 things you do as a parent that you swore you would never do"
Of course, as you may already know, I don't have any kids, so this prompt seemed like a challenge to me. What if I write 6 things that I think it's not good at all to do to a child, now, that I'm still ....childless, and come back to this promise-post in the future, when and if I ever will be blessed to have a kid of my own...
Let's go then! Things I'll never do to my kids are mostly things that bothered me as a child, things that made me feel bad, overwhelmed me or discouraged me in any way:
1)I'll never "stick" to my child's imperfections. (Oh, my God, it seems difficcult, already!!!)
If big ears, big nose, or short or fat legs, ...or whatever that may look weird is on the way....I will accept it and shall not let any annoyment appear ever. Kids understand everything and have so many insecurities themselves that the last thing they need is one more confirmation of their deficiencies from their own parent. Everyone has some gifts, why not stick to them instead?
2)I'll never compare my kid to any other kid.
"My first kid is so clever, but the little one has to stydy twice as much to catch up....", "other kids manage everything and you don't even....", "Mary is so good at..., why don't you....",... all these comparisons are so unnecessary! Every kid is unique having its very own personality and we shouldn't expect the same things from all of them. If it's not good enough at one thing, it will definitely be great at something else and that's what we should admire and compliment.
3)I'll never discourage my kid from doing something he or she really likes, just because that's not one of my preferences.
We're different persons from our kids and we may like different things. It may be difficult to accept that one, but it's fair not to mock or underestimate my kid's desires.
4)I'll never depress my kids to do something they don't want in order to satisfy any unrealized dream of mine.
That's the most unfair thing of all! Any human being has its very own dreams, hopes and desires and we must help our kids to live theirs instead of exchanging them with ours!
5)I'll never allow my kids imposing their own rules at home.
Kids have their royalties, but they should learn that people have obligations in real life as well! The sooner they learn this one, the better! And regarding home, parents are the boss. Mom and dad set the rules. They decide what kids are eating, when they're sleeping, when and how long they're studying, playing, watcing T.V., surfing the internet... they decide everything that has to do with their kids' daily routine. That's really important not only for parents health, but especially for children, so that they'll become responsible adults and not spoiled ones... Kids also feel more secure when they follow a program rather than being totally disorganized.
6)I'll never despise my kid's needs.
Personal life, work and hobbies are all very important in a human's life, but when you become a parent I guess your kid is the most important thing in the world. Being a parent means setting any ego aside and stop yourself from being the centre of the universe. Your first priority becomes your kid, as if your heart was beating out of your body...
I don't know how difficult it would be to accomplish these promises under the pressure of daily life, in the real world... I'm pretty sure all parents have made similar promises before they become parents and violated each one of them feeling extremely quilty..., but then, who is perfect? It's helpful to have some principals in mind anyway, to help you lead the long journey of motherhood...
Well, lastly, I promise I'll come back to this post some day, to remind myself of what I've once said, or reconsider and I'll probably surprise myself or just laugh at me... who knows? "Rendez-vous" in future!    

Written as part of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

Thank you  so much for reading!
Love you all,
xoxo Elena

Hello world! I hope everyone is having a beautiful weekend.
Today's post is a recipe my family loves. We love food! We love to cook it as much as we love to eat it!
...Well, actually I'm the cooker and my husband is ...the bearer, so it is fair to say that "we" cook, after all we usually decide together what to eat. We try to feed ourselves healthy and  I believe we broadly achieve it by following the meditteranean way of eating.
The following recipe is a quick, last minute recipe that I discovered a few summers ago in a greek food magazine while thinking what to eat on a hot, lazy summer noon...We love spinach, we love eggs, too, the recipe was easy, so it seemed the perfect idea!
I gave it a try and it turned out to be one of the hits in our kitchen!
Sooo healthy, light (no carbs at all) and sooo delicious and satisfying at the same time this dish became at once a favorite one!
I cooked it many times since that summer noon and I highly recommend it!

3-4 tbs olive oil
3-4 finely chopped spring onions
salt
1/2 kg washed and drained (or frozen) coarsely chopped spinach
150gr greek feta cheese cut into small pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped dill
4 eggs
1/2 tbs butter or margarine
1/2 ts red sweet pepper

In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot add spring onions and salt and stir fry until onions wilt for about two minutes. Add spinach and saute until almost all of its fluid leave. I use frozen spinach straight from the freezer most of the time, because I find it's convenient, and in that case I cover the skillet over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, until spinach defrost, then cook for another 5-10 minutes, until all its liquid leave.
Add feta cheese and dill. As soon as feta melts, open small "puddles" in spinach and break the eggs in them. Cover skillet and let it simmer until eggs are done, for about 3-4 minutes, depending on how runny or tight you like your eggs.
Meanwhile, burn the butter. Once it's foaming add red pepper and immediately poor over every egg yolk.
Enjoy with toasted bread!
Bon appétit!

In case you're wondering why I post a recipe today I have two excuses for you:
1)I 've always wanted to do it! I cook a lot , I prepare our family meals myself everyday and not only. I bake delicious cakes and desserts, I even make our own bread (with a little help from my breadmaker to be completely honest...), with great joy and happiness! I love, love, love cooking, I've always did, since I was a little girl sitting in the kitchen and watching my mother while she was doing her own sweet and savory miracles... Many years have passed since then, many recipes have been tried and  tasted, and ... hundreds of cooking magazines and cookbooks have been bought! If you follow me on Instagram, you can see some of my proudly shot dishes(...!!!) and hopefully someday I'll find the time to post beloved recipes on my cook page.
2)This post has been written as part of Mama Kat's link party under the writing prompt: "a recipe that everyone in your family loves". ... Well, everyone in my family is just me and my husband (though friends and relatives loved the dish, as well), which means that the most crucial reviewals of the meal, those little, cute, "know all" creatures named ....kids, are missing from the plan and I think this is not exactly the kind of food a kid would adore, but with a little hope and training and lots, lots of luck anything can happen! After all, I loved spinach and eggs as long as I can remember myself! So, it may be in our genes! Anyway, the prompt is about a recipe my family loves and we are the family at the moment, so, I guess it's O.K!

I wish you all a nice and relaxed rest of the weekend,
love you all,
xoxo, Elena

Written as part of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop