Day 175: Days of Summer...IKEA!

One day a few days ago I came home quite annoyed because of how my day felt like a failure...especially towards the end of it!....well, I guess it could be way worse than that, but you know when you're in the mood...
This is the same day when I arrived home to find a plastic bag with the very first IKEA catalog for the Bulgarian market so far! Oh, it felt like pure bliss, and the only thing that came out of my mouth along with my smile were the words "Oh, that must be the best thing about today!". I hurried to walk in, take off my shoes and sit comfortably on the sofa so I can indulge into the interesting pages, full of practical ideas, and not so pretty furniture. I've never been to IKEA before, but I've used their stuff in the rented apartment I was living in while in Spain. Maybe it's because I just love that place that I want to get as close to it as possible, but I can't wait for them to open the first brand new store in Sofia next week, and it's quite close to my home, and this is so fair! :))))

Nikon D700, 50mm.

Day 174: Days of summer...Blueberry-Pistachio Cheesecake!

Say cheeeeese!

Now, say cheeeeeesecake! And say no more :)

I made my very own first trial on the making of a cheesecake a couple of weeks ago. And it was surprising even to myself when everyone who tried it said "whoa!" I started the preparation at about 10p.m. one night and finished it after midnight, because it was my gift for my grandma's birthday the next morning. I'm such a last-minute person sometimes, I know!

The recipe was borowed from Yoli 's fantastic cooking blog, and I adjusted it to my own taste and the available products at hand. I used blueberry jam for the top coat and I also added some dried blueberries I have from Detelina, that serve me in situations of sugar emergency and this time they really added up to the taste. I couldn't find Ricotta cheese at the local store so I substituted it with Philadephia cheese instead, and I also allowed myself to add some raw pistachio nuts for the biscuit bottom layer. It turns out it's not such a complicated thing making a cheesecake, I have no idea why I didn't try making it before, but anyone out there contemplating on that I would strongly encourage you - JUST TRY!

I am making some more once I get back with time in my watch and space in my fridge :))))))))

Nikon D60, 18-55mm.

Day 173: Days of summer...The cousin affair

Cousins are like siblings. It's just that they are your parents', grandparents', or your grandparents' parents' brothers and sisters and their children. Oh well, this could be explained way better by a chart. In other words, cousins are family, but not immediate family, even though you might feel them just as close as that. The curious thing about it is that sometimes cousins can be real "lookalikes". The young ladies below are not a mother and daughter, nor sisters. The older one is a cousin of the baby's mommy. And that's all. But they look so much alike, especially when comparing baby photos of Qni with recent photos of Alexa. Cousinship (i just made that word up) is so cool! I hope I meet a mini-me one day, too... :)))))))))

Nikon D700, 50mm.