Sweet picture

Good to read the news, if there is something positive :)

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Mrs. Evelin Ilves during the United Nations General Assembly reception at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, N.Y., Sept. 23, 2013.

What do you think they got to talk about about during this short meeting?

Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon

On 30th of August all Baltic States presidents are meeting Barack Obama in the White House.

I personally do envy Toomas Henrik Ilves at this point :) 

Especially there is a new cute puppy in the White House. 

Meet Sunny the Portugese Water Dog! 

Keep an eye on the news and see how the meeting went in Washington.

Since it is almost Harvest time we should take time and bake some apple pie to get ready for school.

 It also time to start thinking about SAT, ACT, college and scholarships. Have a nice piece of pie and think where you want to be in the future-perhaps in USA? 

How to make this amazing pie?

Recipe is here!

Ingredients:

          DOUBLE CRUST

• 6 medium Granny Smith apples
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons  All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten                                                                                              DECORATIVE CRUST
• Single Crust 
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon sugar

1.PREPARE recipe for double crust pie. Roll out dough for bottom crust. Place in 9-inch pie plate. Press to fit without stretching dough. Trim even with pie plate. Do not bake.

2.HEAT oven to 400ºF.

3.PEEL, core and slice apples. Toss with sugar, flour and cinnamon. Pour into unbaked pie crust; dot with butter. Cover with top crust; seal and flute edge. Brush with egg white. Cut slits for steam to escape.

4.ROLL additional crust to 1/8-inch thickness. With small 1/2-inch star cookie cutter, cut 20 to 25 stars. Place 1 star on rim of top crust; brush with egg white. Repeat until rim is covered.

5.COMBINE cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle over crust. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until pie is golden brown and apples are tender.

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Video to help baking:

http://www.joyofbaking.com/ApplePie.html

See you all soon in Education USA center in Tartu: W.Struve 1-355. 

President Obama predicts the winner of the college basketball championships

The 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament began yesterday, March 19th! 

68 U.S. college basketball teams compete in the single-elimination tournament for (one of) the most honorable college basketball prizes. The championship game will be held on the 8th of April in Atlanta.

Here's how president Obama predicts the brackets:

Valentine's greetings

Happy Valentine's Day to all our friends around the world! :)

Dedicating the following video to all of you, who have already found their soul mates, and also to those, who are still waiting for that subtle breeze to push you in the right direction for finding the One.

Lots of love!

ps: the Walt Disney Animation Studios' short movie has been nominated for the Best Animated Short Film at the 85th Academy Awards (the Oscars).

Indie pop topped the Grammys

Yesterday, (February 10th), the best songs, albums and artists of 2012 were announced and awarded with Grammys, the annual National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States' recognition to outstanding achievements in music industry. The Grammy Awards - Gramophone Awards, orginally, explaining the award design - ceremony took place for the 55th time, this year in L.A.

The following general field awards were given:

Album of the Year

"Babel" - Mumford & Sons

Mumford & Sons is a folk rock band from the UK. They released their first album "Sigh No More" in 2009, winning several high awards, including the Billboard Music Awards Top Rock Album and the BRIT Awards British Album of the Year.

In addition to the Album of the Year, Mumford & Sons won the Best Long Music Video Grammy for the single titled "Big Easy Express" from the same album.

Record of the Year

"Somebody That I Used to Know" - Gotye featuring Kimbra

"Somebody That I Used to Know" is an indie pop song performed by Gotye, a Belgian singer-songwriter who is also the author of the song, and Kimbra, a singer and guitarist from New Zealand. The song was released in 2011 in several countries in the world, including Australia, New Zealand and the UK, but it was eligible for this year's Grammy Awards due to its late release in the USA in 2012.

In addition to winning the Grammy, the song has topped the national charts of more than 30 countries.

Song of the Year

"We Are Young" - Fun

This year's Grammy Song of the Year award was given to the American band Fun, feat. the R&B and soul musician Janelle Monáe, for the song "We Are Young". It is the lead song of the Fun's album "Some Nights", released in 2012. "We Are Young" is a power ballad combining indie pop, alternative rock, and power pop.
Furthermore...:

Best New Artist

Fun

The winners of the Song of the Year Award, Fun, were also recognized as the best new artist of 2012. The American indie pop band Fun was formed in 2008; their big success came with their second studio album, "Some Nights", bringing four platinum certificates (Australia, Ireland, the UK, the USA) and two gold certificates (New Zealand, Sweden).

Groundhogs' predictions

It was the Groundhog Day in the USA yesterday! The tradition says that if a groundhog sees its shadow on the 2nd of February, it will run back to its burrow, because there will be six more weeks of winter. If it doesn't see its shadow, then spring is on its way.

It was quite sunny yesterday - all groundhogs in Estonia must have seen their shadows. I guess we are in for another six weeks of cold!