Helena Out and About

I wanted to do something really simple and naive but, at the same time, cheerful for my niece`s holy communion.So I thought this mini Heather flowers arrangements would be the perfect decoration for the afternoon tea. I just took some mini plastic shot cups, put a little bit off foam inside, added the flowers. The advantage of these flowers arrangements is that we know exactly how they going to look like on the day, because the flowers are already dried, so it’s less one thing to worry about on the day of the event. They also can be cheap, but certainly they look smart. By doing mini flowers arrangements we can spread them in different parts of the table or gather them all together at different levels to create different effects. I added the litle bows with the ribbon that I had available and glue them to the cup. It is not about spending money it is about a bit of imagination!

Right, so I had to start this new adventure of eating very little animal protein for health reasons, so that means that my meals must be most of the time vegan which is something that is not easy for someone who loves fish, meat and other delicacies. But as it’s not optional, I’m trying to find recipes that I can really enjoy without thinking that I’m just eating vegan food and this Mushroom recipe ticks all the boxes:delicious, easy, quick to prepare, cheap, can be eaten at any time of the day, what else can I ask? I gave this name because basically this is the recipe that in Portugal is made with clams, but I’ve swapped the clams for mushrooms. Basically I just need to prepare the mushrooms, chop them and fry them with olive oil, granulated garlic, add a little bit of vinegar or lemon and chopped coriander and  it’s ready! Sometimes I had a little bit of soy sauce and it is delicious  but that is not Bulhão Pato style! I’ve been having this as a breakfast and sometimes as a snack

AL HAMRA - This is a village at the foot of the Hajar Mountains and is one of the oldest in Oman. The village has    wonderfully well-preserved mud brick houses built in the Yemeni style. Many of the houses are abandoned, mostly    in the upper parts of the village, as people prefer live in    modern houses elsewhere, but many others still have families living there. The village is very quiet and peaceful and almost doesn't look real as you rarely see locals, except when the Íman calls for the prayers    and lots of man and boys rush into

During this lockdown time we need to keep ourselves entertained,with our mind busy and make sure we do something with our days.I have decided to cook dishes that I don’t normally cook, mainly because I lack the time.I’ve also decided to go on a gastronomic trip around the world, cooking food from different parts of the world using my beautiful collection of cookbooks. I decided to buy a whole pumpkin because it keeps well for a long time and, yesterday,  was the day to use it. So I carved the inside, removed the flesh, and used the pumpkin skin to make a delicious Thai coconut and pumpkin custard. Then, I took the seeds and I roasted them with salt, to eat as a snack, and finally I made a delicious sauce with the remaining pumpkin and nutmeg yo use on my pasta,  Then, the next day, I also  made a West African stew with the remaining pumpkin.

Há várias maneiras de viajar, até, sem sair do lugar, quer seja através da literatura, do cinema ou mesmo da gastronomia. Por estes dias, com tempo de sobra e com as minhas viagens ao Médio Oriente canceladas,  lembrei-me de fazer uma das minhas sobremesas preferidas: Mahalabia (pudim de leite). Este doce pode ser encontrada por todo o Médio Oriente, com ligeiras diferenças no nome e nos ingredientes, mas delicioso em todas as suas variantes. Esta sobremesa lembra-me as papas de maizena, mas na verdade tem um sabor completamente diferente. Em Portugal usamos casca de limão e pau de canela para aromatizar o leite, enquanto no Médio Oriente, dependendo da zona, se utilizam ingredientes como cardamomo, água de flor de laranjeira, água de rosas e goma de Mástique (uma goma extraída da árvore com o mesmo nome), e que lhe dá um sabor único. O sabor lembra-me o cheiro dos pinheiros, se é que isto faz algum sentido. A receita saiu da minha coleção de livros de gastronomia do mundo. Ingred

If you are in Orkney, one of the programs available is to take a flight to enjoy the views from the skies of one of the most beautiful places in the world. This tiny aeroplanes are not touristic aeroplanes, their main duty is to transport passengers between  islands because some of the routs cannot be done by boat. After four days waking up really early to try to get two seats to do the sightseeing, I had decided that I didn’t want to go on a flight because it was pouring rain on that day.I had agreed with Richard that wasn’t a good idea even though he decided to call the company at 6 or 7am. Obviously with that whether there were free seats for the crazy people who wanted to go on a sightseeing flight. Before I had time to woke up properly, flights were booked and paid. We flew from Kirkwall to North Ronaldsay and Westray & Papay. Altogether the flight took around 30 minutes and it was a great program. We could enjoy the beautiful views and fly the shortest commercial flight in

What to expect from a holiday in Morocco? Riads, Beaches, souks, Beautiful colours orange blossom and other friggin since warm weather sunshine mountains exotic spices culture art welcoming people deserts the shade of citrus and palm trees the freshest fish tasty vegetables Sunripe sweet fruits delicious freshly baked bread and much more wonderful adventures waiting for you in Morocco.

ANIMA - The most beautiful and magical garden that I have ever seen in my life. Only 27 km away from Marrakesh, located in the Ourika Valley. It is a very comfortable journey on a shuttle, that departs from the city centre (behind the Koutoubia mosque), and is included in the price of the ticket (120MAD for adults). I wish my words could express all the beautiful magical sensations that this place brings to me. It’s very calm and peaceful, and inspires contemplation and  exploring all your senses. A new surprise around each corner, the smell of blossom flowers, beautiful sculptures hidden among the vegetation… The   Garden was imagined by Austrian artist  André Heller and combines nature and art, and seems straight out of a dream. It is a dream world to enjoy.If I have to choose a word to relate to my experience I would say "SURPRISE". As mentioned in the website” Universal artist André Heller’s opulent, two- hectare botanical staging is a magical place os sensuality, of wo

Right in the centre of Venice, at San Marco Piazza, is one of the most iconic cafes in Venice.The price might put some people off from going there, but if you can afford, I really recommend that you go and enjoy it, because when you pay for a coffee,  a Campari, a Negroni  or whatever you are drinking, or eating, you’re not only paying for that. You are paying for the view, for the atmosphere, for the music, for the history, for the energy of the place, not the mention that all products have great quality. I will remember forever being sitting there, in front of the band, in a warm Summer day, having my Campari, celebrating my 40th birthday with Richard, and being serenade, by the lovely band with the music “falling in love with you” by Elvis Presley. The service, the food, the view, the band, everything was wonderful, but there was something else, that I don’t know what it is, that created some sort of magic in that afternoon, that forever will bring a smile to my face.

13th of September 2019. This was the day that a long time dream started becoming a reality. Since I first had contact with Arabic writing, I was fascinated by the beauty of it.I was quite a young girl and I remember thinking how is this possible that someone can understand all these scribbles It looked so flawless and so exotic. Living in Portugal, didn’t make it easy for me to learn Arabic, specially because things like Internet were not an option when I was younger. With the time I start travelling and visited lots of Arabic countries, and my passion for understanding not only the writing but the spoken language just grew. But then you know, you need to find the time, the resources, the place to study and time goes bye. By mid 2019, when I was looking at the list of resolutions that I had created for 2019, I realised that only two goals were missing, and one of them was to learn a new language.I decided that was the time to go for it, and luckily the Anglo-Omani are Society, that I