Some days...

...you have to get up early to stand in line to get the newest iPhone....I can't wait until mine arrives Wednesday next week!!!

Summertime...

...and the livin' is easy.....

Just enjoying the sunshine, lying in the hammock outside, reading the Dutch book Wachten op de moesson (Waiting for the monsoon) by Threes Anna....Life is good today!

Strawberry Jam

One of the first things I noticed after moving to Norway, is that Norwegians love jams, jellies and marmalades, especially when they are homemade. Well....since then I have been bitten by the jam bug as well... I was at the local market here in Molde today and bought 7 - yes 7!! - kg and nearly 50 euros worth of strawberries to make Strawberry Jam out of.

Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

2 kg of strawberries

500 gr of sugar
1 bag of Certo or Jam frysepulver (this is a powder available at all supermarkets in Norway throughout the whole year, consisting of powdered sugar, E 1414 and E 415 - which are used to thicken the jam)

1.) Rinse the strawberries and remove the crowns.
2.) Put the strawberries into a large bowl and use a vertical hand mixer to crush the strawberries and turn them into "strawberry soup". ( You can add some chopped strawberries afterwards, if you like some strawberries chunks in your jam).
3.) Mix the sugar with the Certo or Jam frysepulver, and add to the "strawberry soup".
4.) Stir well until all sugar has dissolved.

5.) Pour into freezer safe containers, and store in the freezer until you want to use it.

Enjoy!

Julie & Julia...

...is a film that I watched today. It's not the greatest movie I have seen, but it's definitely good entertainment for foodies like myself.

The film depicts events in the life of  Julie Powell (played by Amy Adams) - a young writer trapped in a rather unpleasant job at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's call center, where she answers telephone calls from victims of the September 11 attacks, as well as members of the general public calling to complain about the LMDC's controversial plans for rebuilding the World Trade Center. To enliven her dreary life, she aspires to cook all 524 recipes from Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking,  during a single year, a challenge she described and documented on a blog.

Woven into her story is the story of popular American chef Julia Child's (played by Meryl Streep) time in Paris, in the 1950s, in which she learns about French cooking. The plot highlights similarities in the challenges encountered by both Julie and Julia. Both women get much support from their husbands, although at one point Powell's husband is fed up with her excessive devotion to her hobby and leaves her for a few days.

Eventually, Julie's blog is highlighted in a story published in the New York Times, after which her project finally begins to receive the attention of journalists, literary agents, and publishers, as well as a dismissive response from Child herself. After Julia's book is initially rejected by Houghton Mifflin, it is eventually accepted and published by Alfred A. Knopf. The last scene shows Julia Child receiving a first print of her cookbook and celebrating the event with her husband.

Enjoy!

Broken Paradise...

...is a book written by Cecilia Samartin that you definitely should read this summer! OMG, what a great book!  I cried while reading the last 100 pages!

Cuba 1956: Cousins Nora and Alicia are accustomed to living among Havana's priviliged class - but their lavish dinners, days at the beach, and extravagant dances come to an end after Castro's rise to power. Food becomes scarce, religion is forbidden, and disease runs rampant. Although Alicia stays behind while Nora emigrates to the United States, both their identities are challenged as they try to adapt to the changes forced upon them. As the situation in Cuba deteriorates, Alicia is beset by bad fortune, while Nora - whose heart is still in Cuba - painfully assimilates into middle-class U.S. culture. Letters between the cousins track their lives until Alicia's situation becomes so difficult that Nora is forced to return and help. But what she finds in Cuba is like nothing she ever imagined.

Have a good read!

Chicken Curry Salad

With those long summer days, I always get a bit hungry again late in the evening....so tonight I had some knekkebrød (crisp bread) with the last of the Chicken Curry Salad I made earlier this week with leftover chicken ( I made Jamie Oliver's Lemon Stuffed Chicken ..... it was delicious, but two whole chickens were just too much for three persons! ), with a glass of red wine. Yum!

Chicken Curry Salad

Ingredients:
3 dl of sour cream (light/diet)
150 gr of mayonnaise (light/diet)
5 tsp of curry
1 red pepper
300 gr of corn
4 spring onions, chopped
leftover roasted chicken, as much as you like ( I used nearly a whole chicken)

1.) Mix the sour cream, mayonnaise and curry to a dressing in a medium sized bowl.
2.) Chop the red pepper and spring onions, and add it together with the corn to the curry dressing
3.) Add the leftover chicken, shredded into smaller pieces.
4.) Stir and serve on baguette, knekkebrød or your preferred type of bread.

Enjoy!

PS: The salad gets better after a day, as the dressing gets a stronger taste of curry.

Some days...

...you find yourself waiting for that one plane to arrive with one of your best friends on it  !

Banana Bread

Yesterday afternoon I made Banana Bread, to have a snack to bring with me to work today...and because I had four very ripe bananas lying on the countertop. It was either to use them in a Banana Bread or to throw them away... Well, Banana Bread it was...!

Banana Bread
(makes 1 loaf)

Ingredients:

170 gr all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
115 gr butter, melted
100 gr sugar
2 eggs
4 very ripe bananas, mashed
75 gr raisins
50 gr hazelnuts or walnuts
1 tsp vanilla essence

1.) Preheat the oven to 165 degrees Celsius.
2.) Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl and mix well.
3.) In another bowl mix the melted butter and the sugar until blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
4.) Mash the bananas and add to the butter/sugar mixture.
5.) Stir in the raisins, nuts and the vanilla essence.
6.) Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir well.
7.) Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and scrape the dough into the loaf pan.
8.) Bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 1 hour (check with a toothpick or skewer whether the loaf is ready; the skewer should come out clean).
9.) Leave the loaf in the pan and put on a rack to cool.

Enjoy!

The Zahir...

... is a book by Paulo Coelho that I finished reading this weekend.

"It begins with a glimpse or a passing thought. It ends in obsession - a "zahir". One day a renowned author discovers that his wife, a war correspondent, has disappeared leaving no trace. Though time brings more success and new love, he remains mystified -- and increasingly fascinated -- by her absence. Was she kidnapped, blackmailed, or simply bored with their marriage? The unrest she causes is as strong as the attraction she exerts. His search for her -- and for the truth of his own life -- takes him from France to Spain, Croatia and, eventually, the bleakly beautiful landscape of Central Asia. More than that, it takes him from the safety of his world to a totally unknown path, searching for a new understanding of the nature of love and the power of destiny."

As with the other books by Coelho I have read, I felt the plot wasn't great...but some of the philosophical arguments were. Especially the part in the book were the protagonist comments on the different types of persons present at a social function, was recognizable and food for thought.

Have a good read!

Cupcakes...

...were made, decorated and delivered to the neighbours today to celebrate their newly born son.

Congratulations!

Vanilla cupcakes

(makes about 20 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

230 gr butter

230 gr sugar

230 gr all-purpose flour

15 gr baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

4 eggs

1.) Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius.

2.) Pour all the ingredients into a medium large bowl and mix well.

3.) Put paper cupcake forms into a baking tray for muffins and add a heaped tablespoon of the dough into each form.

4.) Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.

5.) Let the cupcakes cool down for 5 minutes in the baking tray, before removing them to a rack to cool down more.

6.) Decorate with buttercream frosting and coloured marzipan as desired.

Enjoy!

Bunad...

Photo by Husfliden

...is the Norwegian word for a traditional Norwegian costume. A bunad is typically of rural origin, and with different costumes for both men and women from each district, Norwegians have more than 300 different bunads to select from. Norwegians normally choose to have a bunad made (only few sew their own bunad), selecting a bunad from the district one of their parents, grandparents or even greatgrandparents comes from, but some of course select a bunad just by its appearance. The designs are typically elaborate, with embroidery, scarves, shawls and hand-made silver or gold jewellery.

In Norway, it is common to wear a bunad at various celebrations, such as: folkdances, weddings, baptisms, confirmations, but one occasion really is synonymous with bunad - May 17th - the celebration of the day Norway got its own constitution in 1814.

Every 17th of May for the past nine years, I have been gazing longingly at all the different bunads...each time being able to discern the district of origin for more and more bunads, each time longing more and more for my own bunad to wear. After this year's 17th of May celebrations I therefore finally decided I would take on the challenge of sewing my own bunad - selecting the bunad from the district my Norwegian husband comes from... The district named Nordmøre - the northern part of the province of Møre og Romsdal.

Photos by Husfliden and Unhjem Design.

Even the bunad from Nordmøre comes in different varieties.

Vest:
The vest comes in four different varieties - bright red, red, green and embroidered pink (the last two are shown in the photos above). I will be sewing the bright red vest.

Shirt:
The shirt is made either of linnen or cotton. The cuffs and the collar of the shirt are embroidered. The linnen shirt is embroidered with a geometrical pattern typical for this region. The linnen shirt is embroidered with a flower pattern using the padded stem stitch and the outline stitch. I will be sewing the linnen shirt.

Skirt:
The skirt comes in two different colours - black and navy. I will be sewing the black version of the skirt.

Belt:
The belt matches the skirt, and comes therefore also in black and navy. Since I will be sewing the black version of the skirt, I will also get a black belt.
The belt is adorned with silver jewellery - also here there are different options to choose from. I will be getting the ones shown in the bottom left corner of the bottom middle photo showing all the silver jewellery belonging to this bunad. These come from the island my husband grew up on - the island of Averøya.

Purse:
The purse, which is hung from the belt, comes in two different patterns (as shown above in the photo) and in two different colour combinations - red with black details, or black with red details.

Hat:
There are two different hats - a linnen hat with the same type of embroidery as on the linnen shirt, or a black hat embroidered with flowers (as shown in the photos above). I will be sewing the linnen hat, as this hat is supposed to be worn by married women.

Apron:
There are two different aprons to choose from - a woven apron in black, green and pink, or a white linnen apron. The white linnen apron comes in two different versions - one with a geometrical pattern, the other with a pattern containing birds and flowers. I will be sewing the latter.

I started to sew the apron just a couple of weeks ago. It takes quite a bit of time, but I enjoy watching the sewing progress. The lower half of the apron - when finished - will be looking like this:

Photo by Husfliden

I have finished sewing the upper border - also known as the "K-border", and I am about to start filling in the mesh border with the pattern of birds and flowers.

I hope to finish the apron sometime next week, so that I can start on the purse. I will keep you updated on the progress! Wish me luck!

Some days...

...you find yourself waking up to the beginnings of this year's load of home grown strawberries...

Summer Salad

It seems that summer is finally here....It's twenty degrees and I am lying outside in the hammock. What more could I want? Well, maybe another portion of this lovely summer salad I made this afternoon...

I just mixed a lot of different goodies that I found in the fridge or one of the cupboards - lettuce, pasta, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red pepper, chick peas, kidney beans, corn, feta cheese, sundried tomatoes and last but not least...some home grown garden cress.

This time I just used a little bit of oil and vinagre as dressing, but this salad is also great with the avocado sour cream dressing I made earlier this week...

Avocado sour cream dressing

Ingredients:
3 dl of sour cream
2 ripe avocados
2 tbsp of lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper

1.) Split the avocados, remove the pits, remove the flesh and turn it into a mash with a fork.
2.) Add the sour cream, lemon juice, salt, pepper and pressed garlic.
3.) Stir and enjoy!

Have a great summer!

Some days...

...you are filled with good memories...thinking of the yoghurt cauldron, Asterix & Obelix, blueberries, beer glasses, wine tasting, beach days and museum days in Italy... thinking fondly of an angel up above...

Some days...

...you are full of joy and happiness, just because you have received news of becoming an aunt...

Congratulations Lizzy and Rogier!