History of the castle began in Middle Ages when a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Pena was built on the top of a hill above Sintra. And as you can see it’s quite a climb :-) .
During the early 16th century a monastery was built on this site by the order of king Manuel I (reigned 1495-1521). The monastery was badly damaged by Great Lisbon eartquake in 1755 and its buildings fell into ruins.
Renovation works began in the 19th century when king Ferdinand acquired the old abbey - and its surrounding lands - and erected a Romanticist style palace on the top of the hill.
Today, on January 2, 1873 Marie-Francoise Therese Martin was born during the Christmas Season who became a Discalced Carmelite nun and saint known as St. Therese of Lisieux. Happy birthday St. Therese!
On the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God I place all my family & friends under her mantle. I place the State of New York under her protection, our entire Nation and the whole world. May our blessed mother look upon us with mercy and eradicate these covid viruses and all its variants off the face of the earth. May God have mercy on us all and grant us a renewed year of hope, peace, health, love, and much faith. Amen.
“Open wide your door to the one who comes. Open your soul, throw open the depths of your heart to see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the sweetness of grace. Open your heart and run to meet the Sun of eternal light that illuminates all men.”
Today is the 3rd day of Christmas part of the Octave where Christmas is celebrated for eight days as on the actual day of Christmas. The full Christmas Season officially ends with the Baptism of Our Lord (January 9, 2022). The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus Christ. In most Western ecclesiastical traditions, “Christmas Day” is considered the “First Day of Christmas” and the Twelve Days run from the 25 of December to the 6th of January.
Been in a quarantine with my partner. It’s been a whirlwind of emotions.
Yesterday, we were fortunate enough to explore some bluffs, and a forest an hour away from our apartment. It was crowded, mildly exhausting, but also beautiful, and warm. I ache to spend more time out in nature like this. Especially with someone I love and appreciate very deeply.
Feeling so settled to be inside my abode. To be taking time for myself in this moment of worldwide chaos. What I realized was how much time I’d spent working, and how much time I’d spent being anxiouslyunhealthy.
I will use this time to be grateful and mindful, and connect more with both my partner and myself.
I will use this time to work on my mind, my body, my strength, and my breath. I will alow myself breaks, rest, yoga, and lots of junk food.
Everyone, use this time to reflect positively on what this global pandemic is doing to cause global warming, and pollution to decrease immensely, quickly. Our Earth is going to take this time to breathe.
I will hopefully update more later, and share some delicious healthy, vegan recipes (that can be made inexpensive and easily accessible) !! Also will add some hotlines to call, depending on Country and State, that will provide assistance for people in need. Things like how to pay rent, acquire loans from your bank, receive medical insurance, afford food, medication, etc!
Hey so I thought I’d share a really easy vegan recipe that I use for serving at parties, or to just have as a “cheat meal” at home!
This recipe is great, and really simple to master and use as a meat substitute. Jackfruit is high in nutrients and fiber, and can be found in most of your local Asian food markets!
Shredded jackfruit barbecue sandwiches!
So this took me approximately 30 minutes to make (including prep time) by pan, but using a slow cooker is also an option!
Ingredients you will need:
1 pound of jackfruit (preferably frozen)
½ of a white onion
Barbecue sauce of your choosing
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
Pinch of salt & pepper
Directions:
The first thing you’re going to want to do is defrost your jackfruit, which you can do by leaving it in a bowl in your refrigerator overnight, or running it underneath cold water for some time (heat can turn it into mush)
Chop your onion into small chunks, same with your garlic!
Place in strainer and de-seed jackfruit, and then squish out all the water with your hands until it is as dry as you can possibly get it ! (Also note that if you cannot remove all the seeds, that is okay!)
Convert to bowl, and shred with a fork (similar to how you would shred pork) and sprinkle in your brown sugar, salt, and pepper! (This helps your jackfruit retain more flavor later on!)
Taking a large cooking pan, set it to medium heat, and add about ½ a tablespoon of vegetable oil (you can also use coconut oil or olive oil if you like.)
Add the onion and garlic mixture, and stir around occasionally for a minute until some you see some color, and then add in your jackfruit!
Cook your jackfruit on a medium heat (stirring occasionally) for about five minutes until you see it starting to brown at the edges.
Once browned slightly, reduce your heat to low, and add in your barbecue sauce with equal parts water, and stir around (I start with half a cup of bbq sauce and half a cup of water, but you can always add more later!!)
Cook on low for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then remove from heat and serve!
Dove abitano i miei la cantina è condivisa, le cinque famiglie che animano la casa non hanno nessuna sorta di divisoria per delimitare le varie proprietà. Così capita che io scenda a derubarefare scorta di generi di primissima necessità (tipo le patate) che i miei hanno in abbondanza.
In tutto ciò vedo una moscaiola, rigorosamente home made, dove mio zio ripone i suoi insaccati (vicino allo scaffale del vino). Ovviamente nessuno si permetterebbe mai di prendere le cose altrui.
Vecchi motorini, damigiane piene, damigiane vuote, biciclette disgraziate, cassette degli attrezzi, vino e salami. Quello che ora mi fa sorridere da bambina mi terrorizzava (mai scendere in cantina da sola al calar del sole).
