Author: CircleMe

Pina Colada, cool pineapple beverage

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Drinking a Pina Colada is like drinking in the taste of the Caribbean. The rum-based cocktailalmost goes hand-in-hand with a walk on the beach in the region and has actually been the official drink of Puerto Rico since 1978.

There is even a National Pina Colada Day celebrated on July 10th.The name Pina Colada means strained pineapple and refers to the fact that freshly squeezed pineapples are usually used in the drinks’ preparation.

The Puerto Rican style of Pina Colada includes using cream of coconut which is made fromcoconut juice, sugar, emulsifier, cellulose, thickeners, citric acid, and salt. The drink is served using with blended or shaken with ice and garnished with pineapple wedges ormaraschino cherries.

The recipe calls for 3 ounces of coconut cream, 6 ounces of pineapple juice, and 1½ ounces ofwhite rum. The mixture is then put in a blender or shaker with crushed ice. Blend or shake very well until smooth. Add garnish.

The drink can also be made using dark rum, amaretto – Amaretto Colada; coconut rum –Staten Island Ferry; blended with a strawberry daquiri- Lava Flow, or a Virgin Pina Coladawithout rum altogether.

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Corfu, castle island

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corfu

In the Ionian Sea sits the Greek island of Corfu. The birthplace of the Duke of Edinburgh, the whole island of Corfu is made almost entirely of limestone formations.

The island was heavily fortified against the Ottoman Empire and its capital city, also named Corfu, is enclosed by castles. It has been declared a Kastropolis or castle city by the Greek government. Among the islands sites is the Achilleion palace. The palace is famous for itsItalianate architecture and was after the Homeric hero Achilles.

The palace is is filled with paintings and statues of Achilles and depicts the scenes of the Trojan War. The historic Palaiokastritsa monastery on the west coast has beautiful coastal views of small, picturesque bays.

The Nymphes waterfalls in the north and the deserted 14th century village of Perithia high in the mountains near the highest peak of Mount Pantokrator are also worth seeing.

The foods of Corfu are similar to those of mainland Greece such as olives, olive oil, cheeses,fresh fruits, vegetables and seafood.

Things to try include Bourou-Bourou Vegetable and Pasta Soup, Bourtheto a Scorpion Fish in a Spicy Sauce, Pastitsatha Rooster with Pasta and Sykomaïtha – Spiced Fig Cakes. The island is served by the Corfu International Airport, two miles south of Corfu Town.

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Harry Potter fans for Florida Invasion

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Harry Potter fans will be treated to the ultimate celebration in January 2014. Warner Bros will host “A Celebration of Harry Potter” at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

The three-day celebration comes more than two years after the final Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, was released.

The Celebration of Harry Potter will take place from January 24 to 26 2014 at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park based in Orlando, Florida. The event will celebrate all things Harry Potter – books, films, Q&As with talent and film-makers, and presentations.

Most of the activities will be open to all Universal Orlando park guests and annual pass holders. However, only guests who purchase the special packages, which will cost between £250 and £450 per person, will enjoy exclusive benefits and reserved seating for select events.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened in 2010 after five years of building and planning and cost a reported £169 million. Universal is building similar theme parks in Hollywood andJapan and is expanding the Orlando-based park.

Harry Potter films have grossed more than $7.7 billion worldwide and the JK Rowling-penned books have sold over 450 million copies.

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Cowell to give pregnant lover house

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Simon Cowell is to give his pregnant lover Lauren Silverman a house in Los Angeles worth £10 million pounds so she can raise their child near to him.

 

Cowell has several homes around the world but is based in LA while the 36 year old Silverman currently lives in The Hamptons in New York. It is understood that the producer of X Factor,Pop Idol, and American Idol, who is about to become a father for the first time at age 52, will visit the child whenever he can. Silverman is due to give birth in February.

 

Cowell has decided to give Silverman mansion he has on the Trousdale Estate in Beverly Hillsonce she is divorced from husband Andrew. This isn’t the first time that Cowell has given a house to a girlfriend. In fact, it is the method he usually uses to ditch them.

 

The house is said to have four bedrooms with ocean views, a digital screening room, and swimming pool. British musicians Elton John and Ringo Starr are among the neighbours. Silverman has a seven year old son, Adam, and it is expected that she and Andrew will share custody.

 

Andrew Silverman filed for divorce in July and has named Cowell as a co-respondent in his suit. Cowell is reportedly excited about the prospect of becoming a father for the first time.

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Fried Rice, simply delicious

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There is nothing simpler than a meal of fried rice. It is filling, easy to prepare, and it doesn’t leave you with much to wash up afterwards.

Fried rice is the ideal one-pot meal when you’re on the go and because you can add so many ingredients, it can also be the perfect balanced dish, providing all the major food groups required at any one sitting.

This fried rice requires four cups of left-over rice, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1/2 cup cooked thinly sliced chicken breast or breast loin, 1/2 cup pork fillet, thinly sliced, 1/2 cup cooked and thinly sliced beef fillet, 1 medium onion finely chopped, 1 spring onion chopped, 1/4 cup cooked green peas, vegetable oil, and 1 small green pepper finely chopped.

In a large saucepan or wok, heat the vegetable oil over a low flame. Add onion, spring onion, and green pepper. Cook lightly, stirring constantly. Add pork, beef, and chicken and saute lightly while continuing to stir. Mix in rice and green peas and stir. Add soy sauce and continue to stir. Once rice is hot turn off flame. Can serve up to three persons.

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Corsica, Napoleon’s birthplace

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Somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea, west of Italy, southeast of France, and north of Sardinia is the French island of Corsica.

The island, an departement outre-mer or overseas region of France, is dominated by amountain chain which comprises two-thirds of the territory. Corsica is the most mountainous of the Mediterranean islands.It has three separate climatic zones – hot coastal zone, temperatemountains, and an alpine zone.

For the nature lover there is the Parc Naturel Regional de Corse which boasts several protected species while the Scandola Nature Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Ajaccio, the capital is in Corse du Sud while the second largest city Bastia is in Haute Corse. The Corsican culture is a unique blend of French and Italian.

The French general and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica and his home is currently a museum while the town of Calvi claims to be the birth place of the explorerChristopher Columbus.

Along with French, Corsica has its own language which is recognised as an official language by the French government.

Corsica has interesting cuisine which includes wild boar, seafood and river fish, ficatellu coppa, lonzu made from Corsican pork and cheeses such as brocciu, casgiu merzu, casgiuand veghju made from goat or sheep milk.

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Beyonce’s little sister to play Aaliyah

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Beyonce_and_Solange
Rumour has it that Beyonce’s little sister Solange Knowles will play deceased singer Aaliyah in a new biopic about the singer’s life.

Knowles reportedly won the part after auditioning a few weeks ago. The movie will be produced by the producers of the 2012 hit flick “Think Like A Man.”

Solange Knowles has few minor acting roles in movies such as the straight to DVD “Bring It On: All or Nothing” and “Johnson Family Vacation.” She also models for the family’s clothing line “Dereon” and also promotes Baby Jamz a hip-hop styled children’s toy-line.

Aaliyah and eight other persons died in a plane crash in the Bahamas on August 25 2001 at age 22. The Grammy Award-winning singer had just wrapped up filming the video for her song “Rock The Boat.”

Although the artist died over a decade ago singers such as Drake and Chris Brown have done digital collaborations with her in recent times.

Aaliyah is estimated to have sold over 24 million albums worldwide and according to Billboard the tenth most successful R&B artist of the last 25 years.

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Google tackles the UK Internet music

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Internet Company Google has decided to tackle the United Kingdom music streaming market.

The company has launched Google Play Music All Access in the UK, entering an already crowded market in an attempt to challenge Spotify, Deezer, Rdio, Xbox Music, Sony’s Music Unlimited, and Rara.

The new service will cost £9.99 per month but new customers will get it for £7.99 until September. The other services have free options while All Access does not.

All Access has already been launched in the USA, New Zealand, and Australia and there are plans to launch the service in other parts of Europe such as Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain.

The service will offer a range of features including unlimited “on-demand” access to millions of tracks; Smartphone apps; recommendations for new music, and a personalised radio feature.

The UK is the fastest growing market for streaming music in the world. Over 20 million people paid for subscription music services last year.

People in the UK streamed more than 3 billion tracks in 2012 earning more than £49 million in income for British record labels.

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Chicken Lasagna, Healthy Twist on an old favourite

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Lasagna made with chicken instead of the traditional beef is a tasty choice which provides a twist on an old favourite and is a great option for vegetarians who want to add a bit of animal protein to their pasta.

This lasagna requires 1 and 1/2 cups of cooked ground chicken, 1 cup chicken stock, 1 can tomatoes, 1 can tomato paste, 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped, thyme, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons honey, 8 ounces lasagna noodles, pepper,4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375°. In a saucepan combine chicken, chicken stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, pepper, garlic, thyme, honey, and olive oil and cook for a few minutes. Cook lasagna noodles until tender. Drain and cool in cold water.

In a casserole dish place a thin layer of chicken mixture, add a layer of lasagna noodles, slightly crossing each other. Pour more chicken mixture, sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar cheese and add a second layer of noodles, add a third layer of chicken mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Finally add more noodles chicken mixture, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

Bake lasagna for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

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Crete, cradle of European civilisation

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crete

The island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea is the largest of the Greek isles and the most populous.

The second largest island in the Mediterranean after Cyprus- Crete is teeming with history. It was once the centre of Minoan civilisation which is recorded as the earliest known European civilisation.

The culture is rich. Known for Mantinades poetry and music, and dances the most notable being the Pentozali. Crete is also rich with archaeological sites such as Knossos and Phaistos and there are also Minoan, Roman, and World War II ruins.

Crete is mountainous and has three different groups of mountains forming part of a range running from east to west. The island is plush with fertile plateaux, valleys, caves, and gorges. The climate is primarily temperate and there is snowfall in the mountains between November and May.

Heraklion is the largest city and capital, with more than a fifth of the island’s 600,000 people.

Crete has a road network larger than that of Britain and is well-served by ferries from the mainland city of Athens.

Crete is a veritable den of flora and fauna not seen anywhere else in Greece or other parts of Europe. There are no large or dangerous mammals or snakes on the island.

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