Your teachers and everyone at LCTIDIOMAS
wish you a very enjoyable Easter holiday.
We are resuming class on Monday, 1st April.
See you then!
Easter Food: recipes and fun
Easter is coming, my fellow eaters. Nothing inspires more devotion than good food so here I bring you a bountiful feast for the eyes and, hopefully, for your tastebuds too.
First, let's whet your appetite for facts
Easter Sunday marks the end of a period called Lent (which means saying goodbye to sacrifice and hello to hope). The Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring Eostre gives her name to this holiday which starts on Good Friday. Two days after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, his resurrection is celebrated on Easter Sunday.
It is traditional to eat a chocolate egg in UK. A Simnel cake is also eaten at England and Ireland. It is a fruit cake with a thing layer of marzipan on the top, and another similar layer baked in the middle.
Egg painting
A very common tradition in some European countries and the United States, it is less common in UK.
Food, glorious food
Breakfast and brunch ideas. Cinnamon rolls are the perfect family wake-up call on Easter morning or try for a healthy morning meal with these hashed potatos with greens and cheese.
Main courses. You may get creative decorating this Egg Pizza or serve this tender lamb pot with plenty of bread to mop up the sauce.
Beautiful desserts. Last but not least, sweeten your mouth with these cupcakes inspired by Winnie the Pooh or these easy chocolate crispy cakes.
Did you see these enchanting Nesting Baby-Bluebird Cupcakes?
And the traditional Hot Cross Buns along with its recipe from the BBC webpage. Delicious served hot with butter.
Hungry yet? I bet! Have a good time and bon appetit!
Easter traditions: Egg Hunts
Can you guess what these children are doing?
They are taking part in a fun activity whose origins take root in very ancient traditions.
An egg hunt is a game during which decorated eggs, real hard-boiled ones or artificial, filled with or made of chocolate candies, of various sizes, are hidden in various places for children to find. The game may be both indoors and outdoors.
When the hunt is over, prizes may be given out for various achievements, such as the largest number of eggs collected, for the largest or smallest egg, for the most eggs of a specific color, consolation prizes, booby prizes, etc. (source)
Why the egg?
The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians.
From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of birth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, colored brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers.
The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians.
From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of birth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, colored brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers.
Why the bunny?
The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit.
The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to America. It was widely ignored by other Christians until shortly after the Civil War. In fact, Easter itself was not widely celebrated in America until after that time. (source)
I'd definitely love to join in the egg hunt. What prize would you like to win? Have you ever found an Easter Egg?
The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit.
The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to America. It was widely ignored by other Christians until shortly after the Civil War. In fact, Easter itself was not widely celebrated in America until after that time. (source)
I'd definitely love to join in the egg hunt. What prize would you like to win? Have you ever found an Easter Egg?
Reports and Easter holidays
The second term is coming to an end. Reports will be handed out on the following dates:
Thursday, 21 March
Friday, 22 March
We have class as usual. Reports will be given at the end of your class. Easter holidays will run from Saturday, 23 March to Sunday 31 March. Classes will be resumed on Monday, 1 April.
Thank you.
No class on Monday, we're back on Tuesday
Everybody's dream is having no duties on Monday. Well, dreams come true, you know. So, the deal is we don't have class on Monday, but we come back on Tuesday as fresh as a lettuce.
See you in the salad!
Face it!
Nothing will prevent people from critizing what you do or who you are. It's as old as humankind. Slant, mistrust, criticism. Those things, my friend, never stopped people from doing what they thought best for themselves. What they wanted to do. What they were born to do.
Do nothing?
Do as much as you can!
Be free. Be yourself.
Light to the world
Led-lit ice slide in China
Located in China is a castle crafted of ice with multiple slides attached, among other amazing ice sculptures. Created for public use, this set of intricate slides are not only a venture within themselves, but a sight to be seen. Night time is likely the best time to see these wondrous crafts, when they are lit by the colorfully inset LED lights. Various pastel colors illuminate the multiple sculptures and slides on the grounds. A fun form of transportation and a beautiful winter display.
(source)
It has to be amazing to just let go down those slides, all surrounded by colour and light in the middle of an icy night. Wish we were there, right?
Be cool. Be adventurous.
Are you on your way there?
I am a person. I know who I am, but am I a finished project? Can I evolve? Become someone that is even more rounded, wiser, greater, more complete than my current self? How long will it take me? Will I ever get to the end of the trip? How can I improve my unfinished, undecided, no-pattern design?
I want to be... more patient, open-minded, free, happy.
What do you strive for?
Size matters... a lot
If size didn't matter, why would the owner of this rabbit be so proud? If size indeed matters, what do you think about this giant bunny? Cute? Gruesome? Funny? Is it a freak of nature or a gift?
the world's largest rabbit
If you have any photos of animals or your own pets, why not send them to us? Let's share our love of animals.
Don't miss out on breakfast
It gets really hectic everyday, with all the rush to school or work, and it becomes increasingly difficult for us to devote some quality time to the first meal of the day. But then we have weekends. Have you ever pampered yourself with a delectable treat just for the sheer pleasure of wasting time over relaxing?
Today, I'm going to give you the perfect excuse to linger at the table in the morning.
Preparation: about 10 minutes
Serves: 2
ingredients:
- 4 Weetbix or similar (I used to have weetabix instead)
- 1/3 cup reduced fat cream cheese
- 2 small ripe bananas
- honey or maple syrup for drizzling
instructions:
- Evenly spread Weetbix with cream cheese
- Peel and slice bananas. Arrange them on Weetbix. Drizzle with a little honey or maple syrup and serve.
Ah, that must taste like heaven. Remember, if you try it, let us know.
Be hungry. Be a cook.
Recommend a book
When you like reading, it's impossible not to try and tell others how wonderful your last read was or how they would enjoy reading it too. Have you ever recommended a book to a friend or relative? If so, please, let us know the title and author in a comment and we will all profit from sharing.
For the time being, here are our own book recommendations:
Those are the books we have read and are all published in Spain. But what about new releases that we can enjoy in the future?
La cazadora de almas - Alison Noel
El libro de las fragancias perdidas - M. J. Rose
Fusión - Julianna Baggott
Heaven - Alexandra Adornetto
Un toque de magia - Kathryn Littlewood
El reverso de la fortuna - Michael Ennis
Días de sangre y resplandor - Laini Taylor
La reina traidora - Trudi Canavan
Todo lo que cabe en los bolsillos - Eva Weaver
Nombre en clave: verity - Elizabeth Wein
If you happen to read one of these books thanks to our recommendations, we would be delighted to know!
Thank you for being there. Be a reader. Be free.
Perspective
Today's joke might be able to help us see things in a new light, or speed.
Sometimes, it's just a question of where we start from.
Be open-minded. Be free.
A rare thing indeed
Here they are. In the flesh. They are real. A lion and a white tiger in endearing terms. Is this common in Nature? If not, why? Lions are not known for their exploring attitude or their bravery. No, really. All the fuss about being king and such, it's just pure advertising. The tough one, in fact, is the female. She hunts. She protects. She fights if need be. The male is just there, being regal. And then there is the tiger. A lonely fellow by nature. Doesn't like too much company. It needs its own territory. To itself. So what is all that smooching? All that playfulness and tongue-showing?
They must be happy.
AVISO DE EXÁMENES
EXÁMENES TRIMESTRALES
ENERO A MARZO 2013
Os avisamos de la fecha de los exámenes de este trimestre:
- grupos de lunes y miércoles - miércoles 13 de marzo
- grupos de martes y jueves - jueves 14 de marzo
- grupos de viernes - viernes 15 de marzo
Esperamos que los superéis con ánimo y buena nota.
Si tenéis cualquier duda, podéis dejarnos un comentario o mandarnos un correo electrónico.
Good luck, everyone!
New recipe: hot food for cold weather
In winter, all we can hope for is some warmth in our belly to conquer the blues that come with no light, too much wind and a freezing cold that threatens to make us forget who we are.
But fear not, my readers. The Recipe Detective is here to help you out with the perfect way to boost both your mood and your health.
preparation: about 20 minutes
cooking: about 50 minutes
serves: 6
ingredients:
- 500 g carrots, peeled and cut into 2 cm-thick slices
- 400 g peeled butternut pumpkin, chopped into 3 cm pieces
- 1 brown onion, cut into thin wedges
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs maple syrup
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 400 g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- salt and ground black pepper
- wholegrain toast, to serve
instructions
- Preheat oven to 200ºc/180ºC fan-forced. Line a large baking pan with non-stick baking paper, allowing paper to extend 3-4 cm up the sides of the pan.
- Place carrots, pumpkin, onion and garlic in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with oil and maple syrup and toss to coat. Bake, tossing once, for 35-40 minutes until tender.
- Pour vegetable mixture from the roasting pan into a large saucepan. Add stock and chickpeas. Using a blender, puree soup until smooth. Warm soup over medium heat until hot. Season with salt and pepper and serve with wholegrain toast.
Mmmm, sounds and looks yummy! Don't forget to let us know if you try it.
Be hungry. Be a cook.
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