Sep 28, 2011

Ou, mon chou!

If you only knew me from this blog, you'd probably think that I do nothing else except visit my friends and cook huge dinners. And it's actually quite true, it's really one of my favorite activities there is. I mean, good food, good company, what more one could ask?

Last weekend a friend of mine invited me over for dinner. She wanted to try some recipes and in the end we ended up messing around her kitchen for about three hours making cabbage rolls. Oh yes, it was all because one cabbage! (And my friend's tiny kitchen.)

I was never very fond of cabbage, but somehow it has piqued my interest. It started with some traditional casserole, my interest increased when I found a delicious salad based on cabbage leaves, but I have to say, the cabbage rolls are the best of the cabbage food bunch. You definitely should try them, even though they're pretty time-consuming. They're SO good and cheap and really easy to do. Trust me!




Here Miss P is filling the rolls with our soy-based filling. 
Miss M is anxiously waiting for her dinner.


Unfortunately for her, the rolls needed to bake for another hour after filling.



But here they are, all ready to be eaten!


Misses P and M enjoying their homemade cabbage rolls by the candlelight. 
Thank you girls for the lovely evening!



Viikonloppuna ystävä kutsui kylään ja tehtiin kalikääryleitä. Hermothan siinä meni ja aikaa ja sormet paloi, mutta hauskaa oli. (Ohjeen löysimme Kotivinkistä 15/11, mutta kysykää mummoilta/äideiltä!) Kuten ehkä blogista huomaa, ruoan laittaminen ja syömään kokoontuminen ystävien kera on kovin korkealla prioriteettilistallani. Hyvä ruoka, parempi mieli, sanon myös ma! 

Sep 20, 2011

Maailma mukana / The world with me

My old handbag is finished with me. Really, we're running on borrowed time. I got it at Century21 at New York City in 2008 when I was au pairing there for a few months. And all this time, we've been through thick and thin, from early April to late November and sometimes in between. It's been with me pretty much everywhere.

Don't get me wrong, I have purses, wallets, carrier backs, back bags and such, but only one handbag I really love. And now that I really need to find a new one, I found out that it's surprisingly hard to find a good one, one that fits all my requirements. And by requirements I mean things like it has to be a handbag but with good handles, it has to have more that two or three pockets, no black thankyouverymuch and oh, I have to be able to fit ALL my usual stuff in it. And there's a reason why I call one of my bigger bags by the name "World and It's Friends" (referring to its carrying space).

Well, let's just say that I don't much care for the fashion this fall.


Yesterday I had an hour or two to pass between meetings so I just strolled around city center window-shopping. And see what I found! Could this be my next Happily-Ever-After (Or At Least Every Summer) Bag?

promod.eu

Promod has finally made its way to Helsinki too, so of course I had to go to check it out. I know the bag is this weird shade of mustard shade (which is so not me, usually) but I think it would go great with my purple and brown fall coats. What do you think?


Laukkuni on päättänyt ottaa loparit, ja mistään en löydä uutta. Haluaisin nimenomaan käsilaukun (en olkalaukkua), en mustaa (tai muuta tylsää "syys""väriä"), siinä täytyy olla taskuja ja muutenkin tilaa kaikille päivittäisille tavaroilleni. Yllättävän haasteelliset vaatimukset nähtävästi, sillä useista epätoivoisista yrityksistä huolimatta, mitään ei ole löytynyt. Alkuviikosta olin kuitenkin tappamassa aikaa keskustassa ja päätin käydä katsastamassa Promodin uuden Helsingin liikkeen. Sieltä löysin ylläolevan laukun, joka sai kun saikin sydämen pamppailemaan. Väri on kieltämättä itselleni kovin kummallinen, mutta miksipä ei kävisi violetin tai ruskean syystakkini kanssa?

Sep 4, 2011

Family Matters

Like in many other families, Sundays are almost always dedicated to family, at least in my family. We don't have a tradition of Sunday Dinners all together or anything, it just seems to be the day when we tend to gather together to share a cup of coffee, take a nap on any of the multiple sofas in my parents' house, to make trips to the city. This Sunday was no exception, I got my brother to pick me up and we drove to my parents' for early dinner, which surprisingly enough my father made this time. Basically it was just steaks and salad, but it was all good anyway. And I made a blueberry-apple-pie out of the last blueberries and apples of this season. Delicious!

My brother and I. He's wearing the "Army Pickles"as he's doing his military service at the moment. Aww, my little brother is all so grown-up and handsome! 


My father made a salad. Basically its just tomatoes and mozzarella with some spices, but it was excellent anyway. Especially since my father doesn't usually cook, at all. 

The blueberry-apple-pie before going to the oven...

And then served on a Paradise plate with whipped vanilla cream. Yummy!

Here's the recipe for the pie, it's really very simple.

Isoäidin omenapiirakka / Grand-mother's Apple Pie :

2 munaa / eggs
1 dl sokeria / sugar
100 g margariinia / margarine
2 dl jauhoja / flour
1 tl/tsp leivinjauhetta / baking powder
omenoita, marjoja tms / apple slices, berries etc.


Vatkaa munat ja sokeri vaahdoksi, lisää rasva. Sekoita kuivat aineet ja lisää taikinaan varovasti sekoittaen. Kaada voideltuun vuokaan ja lisää päälle omenat viipaloituina, marjoja tms. oman maun mukaan. Lisää päälle sokeria tarvittaessa. Paista 200°C n. 30 min. 


Froth eggs and sugar, then add melted butter/margarine. Mix and add the flour and baking powder. 
Grease a pan and scrape the batter into it. Sprinkle the berries (or fruit slices) on top of the batter and add some sugar if necessary. Bake at 200°C for about 30 minutes.



Sunnuntait on perheen päiviä, ainakin meidän perheessä. Tänäänkin, kuten useana muunakin sunnuntaina, mentiin pikkuveljen kanssa (joka on varusmiehenä Santahaminassa tällä hetkellä) vanhemmille syömään ja hengailemaan. Iskä teki ruokaa ja minä omena-mustikka-piirakkaa. Hyvää tuli, vaikka aluksi vähän epäilyttikin! Ohje ohessa, nauttikaa. 

Sep 2, 2011

When life gives you lemons...

... make lemonade! 


And so I did. On one August early evening, I spent an amazing hour or two with a good friend of mine, making blueberry jam, baking blueberry cakes, squeezing fresh lemons and just hanging out and having fun. I really really love my friends.







I had never thought that making lemonade would be so easy and the result would be so good! Here's the recipe I used:


  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 6 lemons)

  • Directions
  • In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and ½ cup water. Bring to a boil, 
  • stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved; let cool. 
  • In a pitcher, combine the syrup with the lemon juice and 2½ to 3 cups water. Serve over ice.
Enjoy! I may add some other recipes some time in near future, I've been baking a lot lately. 

Elokuussa vietin illan ystävän luona, hilloten mustikoita, leipoen kakkuja ja puristaen sitruunoita mehuksi. Kaiken puuhailun ohessa oli ihana vaan viettää aikaa tärkeän ihmisen kanssa ja nauttia hetkestä. Ystävät on tärkeitä ja rakkaita.