OH MY GOD!!!

Six years ago, during my village festival, I was playing hide and seek with my friends in the park because there was a party  for the children there..

I hid behind the first tree I saw around the park. It was getting dark and I couldn't see very well the floor of the park. When I arrived, I proped my body against a tree.

A few minutes later, I felt something crawling up my legs. At first, it was a soft tickle, but later It was very anoying. I looked down and... OH MY GOD!!! Ants were climbing my legs!!! I left my hiding place screaming and shaking my legs.

My recomandation: don't hide near a tree!!!

13 most popular slang words

Did you know teenagers use just twenty words for a third of everything they say? Studies showed teens only use 12,682 words, while adults use 21,391 words. 

Teens use a lot of words that mean a complete sentence and that's why they save a lot of vocabulary. These words are called slang words. The origiin of this vocabulary comes from urban groups or from different countries. From this point young people have liked it and it has expanded very fast between us. Sometimes they are only that are 'in' and they disappear eventually.

I think it's good teens can express themselves through slang words, but they have to learn more 'normal' vocabulary because it's better for the comunication of us all.

I lend you some of this popular words.

• What's up? = How are you?/What's going on? = Què passa?
• Keep it real = Be serious = Sigues serio
• Shades = Sunglasses = Ulleres de sol
• Cool = Good = Guay
• Swag = Be confident = Ser segur d'un mateix
• Awesome = Great = Genial
• To hang out = Go out (when you have free time) = Sortir 
• To chill (out) =  Relax  = Relaxar-se
• Babe = Baby = Nene/a (afectuosament)
• To have a crush = To feel attracted to someone = Enamorar-se/ Tenir un "flechazo
• Dude = Guy = Tío/tía
• Laters = Goodbye = Adèu
• Shut up = stop talking = Calla

"Words are like persons: are born, grow up, develop and die". 

DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, DIFFERENT HALLOWEENS

All Saint's Day is famous worldwide and all of us celebrate it. But not everybody celebrates it in the same way.

In USA and UK, there is the tradition of the "TRICK OR TREAT". All children dress up as vampires, witches, ghosts... and goes to knock houses and ask for sweets, chocolate and candies.

People also decorate their houses and make recipes with a popular ingredient: pumpkins. Did you know that pumpkins are not a vegetable? They're a fruit!

Pumpkins are indigenous to the western hemisphere and were completely unknown in Europe before the time of Columbus. In 1584, the French explorer Jacques Cartier reported from the St. Lawrence region that he had found "gros melons", which was translated into English as "ponpions," or pumpkins.  In fact, pumpkins have been grown in America for over 5,000 years. Native Americans called pumpkins "isquotersquash."

But in Catalunya, it is typical to eat chestnuts and a special sweet: “panellets”. It's made of almonds and sugar, formed into balls and decorated with pine nuts, rolled in cocoa powder, candied cherries or coconut flakes. They can also be flavored with coffee or cinnamon. The most popular type is the one rolled in pine nuts. I think it’s delicious! J

I lend you the recipe in case you want to make “panellets” at home.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. ground raw almonds
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 -1 cup water
• 1 small potato
• grated peel of 1 lemon
• 3-4 drops lemon juice

Toppings:

• Pine nuts
• Sweetened cocoa powder
• Candied fruit

Flavorings:

• Instant coffee powder
• Coconut flakes

-          Prep Time: 45 minutes

-          Cook Time: 4 minutes

-           Refrigerate Overnight: 480 minutes

-          Total Time:  529 minutes

-          Yield: 32 cookies

PREPARATION

1. Blanch almonds, then grind in food processor until almonds are a fine dust.
2. Peel the potato and cut into quarters. Boil potato in a saucepan until cooked. Drain water and mash with a fork.
3. Place sugar in a medium saucepan. Pour 1/2 cup water into the pan and stir to dissolve sugar. Add more water to completely dissolve sugar if necessary. Place on medium heat on stovetop and bring to a boil, stirring often. Add 3-4 drops of lemon juice. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture is a thick syrup.
4. Remove saucepan from heat. Using a large wooden spoon, gradually stir in ground almonds, potato and grated lemon peel. Allow to cool to room temperature. Then, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. 
5. Pre-heat oven to 380F degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Spoon out dough with a teaspoon. Roll dough into small balls in your palms. Then roll the balls in powdered cocoa or pine nuts. If using pine nuts, brush each with a bit of egg white. Place on greased cookie sheet.
6. If you want to flavor the cookies, separate a portion of the dough and with your hands, work in a bit of instant coffee flakes, candied fruit or cinnamon. Then make individual balls.
7. Bake cookies just long enough to brown the pine nuts - about 4 minutes. Using a spatula, remove immediately before cookies cool.

Usually, “panellets” served  with moscatel or “cava,” Spanish sparkling wine.

ADAPTION  OF: http://spanishfood.about.com/od/dessertssweets/r/panellets.htm

I hope you enjoy it! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! J