A new year

2007 was an amazing year for me. So many good things happened, I'm still at a loss for words when I think of some of it... The only problem was that it went by too fast. I haven't had time to do as much crafting, cooking, reading or blogging (!) as I would have liked to but instead I've done things I never imagined I would do...

Now it's a a new year and I look forward to this year with great anticipation. I hope you all have had a good 2007 and that 2008 will be even better!

I'll try to improve on the blogging part and doing so, I thought I should start off by sharing my new favourite recipe with you. Ii's yummy, but I like this recipe even more because it's so simple and you can make either a single portion to have for lunch or make more of it to feed a hungry crowd of friends...

4 salmon filets (approximately 120 g each)
salt & peppar
4 tablespoons pesto
4 tablespoons fetta cheese (that's been crumbled)

Preheat the oven to 220 °C
Spice the filets with salt & peppar and then put them in an ovenproof dish.
Spread pesto on the filets.
Then put the crumbled fetta cheese on top.
Bake it in the oven for about 15 - 20 minutes (depending on what sort of oven you have, mine is a very slow one & therefore I let the filets bake for 20 minutes)

Serve together with potatoes (or whatever you prefer), vegetables and perhaps a gravy that goes well with the fish.

Honey & mustard chicken

I admire people who can grab something out of the freezer and then make a delicious meal in no time at all. It's impressing! Whenever I'm asked to stay for an unplanned dinner and the hostess say (very modestly) that it's just something simple, I usually feel like asking "It this you doing something simple?". I know that there are some people who just say it's simple even though it's not & there's some people who actually has the talent to make something that good that quickly. But then there's some people who happens to have one of those recipes which tastes delicious even though it's really easy to make. I try to hang on to those recipes and I would like to share one with you.

Honey & mustard chicken

4 tbs mustard (preferably whole-grain mustard)
4 tbs liquid honey
1 tbs lemonjuice
4 chicken filet

Preheat the oven to 190 °C.
Place the chicken filets in a baking pan.
Mix mustard, honey and lemonjuice and then pour it over the chicken. Turn around each filet to make sure that both sides of each filet has been covered with the mixture.
Put the baking pan in the oven. According to the recipe it should be in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, but I know that my oven requires at least 30 minutes so be aware of that and make sure that the chicken is ready when you take it out.

Serve it with whatever you prefer. Roasted potatoes, rice, salad... I serve whatever I'm in the mood for or whatever is easiest at the time.

Enjoy!

Lots of food

I haven't posted about food for some time now, but I'm making up by writing about lots of food in this post :-)

Yesterday I had hot chocolate & a yummy sandwich for dinner. To me, that's one of the signs that tells me that autumn is here... It's one of the coziest feelings I know to have your hand around a nice hot cup of chocolate.

I also made today's lunch yesterday. It's a recipe I got from a relative, who said that it's her favourite lunch right now and that I should try it... I altered her recipe a bit & got a simple easy lunch.

Tzatziki-styled sauce
200 g chickpeas
100 g goat cheese, chopped into small dices
½ red onion, chopped
2 - 3 dm of a cucumber, grated or sliced
1 dl creme fraiche

Mix all the ingredients until you have a tzatziki-looking sauce. If you want, you can use kidney beans instead of chickpeas & fetta cheese instead of goat cheese. The original recipe also included a a garlic wedge, but I'm not a big fan of garlic so I didn't use that.
Serve with some slices of turkey, kassler or whatever meat you want.

I'm looking forward to coming home from university and a having nice relaxed Friday-night tonight. I've catched a cold and I feel like staying home and watching a movie and eating homemade pizza. It seems like all families have their own list of must-have-toppings on a pizza. What's yours?
You know they saying "less is more"? I sure don't apply that when it comes to pizza toppings.
Toppings on my pizza:
Tomato sauce
Ham
Fresh tomatoes
White mushrooms (not the fresh ones, the ones on a tin)
Fetta or goat cheese
Onion
Oregano
Grated cheese on top

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Romantic & recipe

I bought Romantic Homes yesterday and I've enjoyed reading it & just looking at all the beautiful pictures. The theme of this issue was "Get the Cottage Look", which I just couldn't resist. There where also lots of links to several amazing websites. And now I've realized that there are so many things I really need in my home... Like a tea cart, a wicker corner unit, a teapot, a blue rose tray, a teapot charm, an engraved soap in raspberry mint tea, a beach sign (or two perhaps, one for me and one for Julie) & a tea cozy. Well, maybe I don't need them all ;-)

I'm not sure that I should share this recipe with you because it will show what an amateur I am when it comes to baking. But I believe in honesty, so here goes ;-)

Vanilla cupcakes
Servings: 20 according to the recipe but I made 10 really big ones instead (my first mistake was that I forgot that the size of the cupcake in a swedish recipe isn't the same size as my huge cupcake tins).

2 egg
2 dl caster sugar
100 g butter
3 dl wheat flour
1 and ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 dl boiling water (I didn't use the water. Looked through the entire recipe but still missed where it was supposed to go. But the good news is that I found it now, so I'll use it the next time I'm baking these cupcakes).

Preheat the oven to 175 °C (I totally forgot that & I'm sure you'll all remember it but just in case you don't, I wanted to remind you because waiting for the oven to heat up isn't any fun at all)
Beat the eggs and the caster sugar until it's light.
Melt the butter and leave it a while to cool off.
Mix the wheat flour, baking powder and vanilla sugar.
Now pour the melted butter into the egg mixture.
Then add the wheat flour mixture and the boiling water to the egg mixture (remember the water).
Fill the cupcake tins and put them in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes (if you've got those big tins, you might need a few extra minutes).

Lime frosting
100 g cream cheese
1 and ½ tbsp butter
2 dl powdered sugar
Grated zest from 1 lime

The cream cheese and butter should be at room temperature.
Mix the cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar.
Add the lime zest.
Spread the frosting over the cupcakes.

Vanilla cupcake with limefrosting

I love cupcakes. Not just the taste (because as I've said before, I think it can get to sweet) but the look of it & the pleasure of making them :-) However, this time I found a new recipe which I had to try right away. As you've probably already figured out when reading the title of this post (yes I'm very creative in my writing this evening) the cupcakes were vanilla cupcakes with limefrosting. I gave away some of them but I'm tasting one myself right now and they're delicious together with strawberries. Lime and strawberries really work well together.

Leftovers

Why is it so hard to get a good photo of guacamole? As I've mentioned before, I love guacamole and I enjoy trying out new recipes... I found a new one in Susan Branch's Heart of the Home: Notes from a Vineyard Kitchen. I couldn't stop myself from trying it since I actually had some leftovers that I could use. Isn't that a perfect excuse to make some guacamole? You wouldn't want your chopped tomatoes or onions from last night go to waste, so you simply have to make something out of them ;-)
Because of how they photos looked (they would probably have stopped you from trying this recipe, they werent't exactly mouthwatering), I will share this recipe without the photos. Because it is a recipe well worth trying if you like guacamole ;-)

Guacamole
2 avocados, mashed (Preferably the lumpy thick-skinned ones)
1 tbsp grated onion
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 diced tomato

Mash the avocados with a potato masher (Well, I don't have a potato masher so I used a mixer instead).
After you've mashed the avocados, mix the other ingredients well.

It was really simple but very tasty! I like the fact that you don't need any sourcream or yoghurt. I always get extra careful with those "use-by" dates in the summer, which is why I don't always have sourcream or yoghurt at home... Then it's perfect with a recipe that doesn't require any of those sort of dairy products.

Yesterdays lunch was Spinach ravioli with goat cheese. Doesn't it sound like I put a lot of time into it? I love how simple it is to make a good pasta dish when all you need to do is open the package of fresh pasta and boil it & then add whatever you want to it ;-)

Springtime dish

It's sunny and warm outside. I love it! I'm stuck inside (either at home, at the university or in one of the libraries) with my books but I would rather cuddle up under a blanket in one of these and feel the warmth of the sun... Spring really is in the air!

A couple of nights ago I was invited to dinner and I was lucky enough to be served one of my favourite dishes. I've shared the recipe and the photos before on my old blog but I wanted to share it with you again ;-) So here's my recipe for a delicious dish with salmon & potatoes. This dish should be eaten in spring or summer. It's best served outside on a porch after a long day at sea. However, until those days arrive, I'll settle for some evening sun by the kitchen table ;-)

Salmon with lime & ginger butter
600 gr Salmon fillet
Salt & pepper
1 lime (peel & juice)
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
50 gr butter
The salmon is baked in foil packages. Take 1 piece of salmon and put it on a piece of foil, season it with salt & pepper and then put a pat of lime & ginger butter on the salmon.
The lime & ginger butter is made out of the peel and the juice from one lime, the grated ginger & the butter which is all whisked together.
Wrap the package together and put in in the oven (225°C for about 10-15 minutes) or on the outdoor grill.

Boiled potatoes with olive oil, parsley & dill
800 gr potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ dl finely chopped parsley and dill
Peel (not necessary when using new potatoes) and boil the potatoes and let the water run off. Then add the olive oil, parsley and dill & stir it together.

Enjoy!

Goodbye winter, hello spring

I really like all the different seasons and I do appreciate how they're changing. But honestly, I could easily say goodbye to winter (as well as that nasty cold I got) right now!
Just look at these pretty pictures. Doesn't it look nice?
Pottery Barn's Summer preview
sia's Fresh spring & Happy Summertime
I'm longing for warmer and brighter days.

I'm trying to find a recipe for cupcakes again. I tried a few last year but they were all to sweet for my taste... I would love to get some new ideas if anyone of you have any recipes to share!

I've used this picture with permission from Life's Sweet.

Muffins for lunch

When I saw that Mrs Staggs baked muffins, I decided to bake some of my own. Since I prefer the savoury ones, I wanted to make these delicious muffins. However, I didn't have any basil at home & I didn't have the time to go to the grocery store, so I made Basil & Sundried tomato muffins without the basil but with lots of fetta cheese as a substitute :-) It worked out well and I'm not going to tell you how many of them I ate for lunch ;-)

This & that

Even though I was very busy last week I was still able to sit down and do some crafting. I think it's only good for you to take the time to do something you really enjoy & I think it's important to be creative, especially if you're studying/working with something that's not that creative... I managed to do a new jewellery, another earring since I don't have the material to do anything else. But a friend of mine showed me a lovely little shop that has lots and lots of beads and material, and I'm going back there next week to do some serious shopping :-)

As you probably can see in the photo, I've read other things than lawbooks. I found Vogue Living Australia at the store & even though a lot of the design is too modern for my taste, I still enjoyed reading it... It's such a relaxing feeling to have new magazine to read in one hand and a latte in the other.

Speaking of Australia (long shot, I know), Kali has opened her own shop, Poppy lane. I'm so excited for you Kali! Congrats to the opening :-)

Finally, I remembered that I'm not the only one who loves guacamole here & I've been meaning to share a new (delicious) recipe that I tried last weekend.
Guacamole
Prep. time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 (not sure about that though. I served it to 4 guacamole-lovers and by the end of the evening, the bowl was empty...)
3 avocados
1 tomato
1 or 2 finely chopped red chili peppers
1 small finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander (I used dry coriander)
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 table spoons turkish yoghurt
1 or 2 drops of Tabasco sauce
1. Divide each avocado in half and take away the peel and the seed. Chop the avocado and mash it with a fork.
2. Divide the tomato and use a spoon to take out the seed, then through it away. Chop the rest of the tomato and mix it with the avocado.
3. Add chili peppers, red onion, coriander, lime, turkish yoghurt and Tabasco sauce.
4. Serve at once or cover the bowl with some plastic film and keep it in the fridge up to 2 hours.

Loved it!

I just finished reading Chocolate Beach and except from leaving me with a desperate craving for some chocolate, it also left me with a really good feeling inside. This is just my kind of book! The plot, the ocean, the characters, the food and the style is all wonderful :-)
Julie, if there's anything I can do to make the writing easier for you, let me know alright? Some swedish chocolate perhaps? :-) I really want to read more of your writings!

By the way, I don't eat brownies for breakfast (like Bri) but I'm really not a breakfast person at all (except when it comes to hotel breakfasts). Everyone says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I'm more into drinking juice and eating fruits for breakfast than eating anything that would keep my energy level high throughout the day. So, any suggestions for breakfasts that are tasty but still easy to make? What do all of you eat for breakfast?

I love making my own juice, it tastes so much better than the one you buy at the grocery store...

Cupcake decorating

There`s a lot of food posts right not but I wanted to take my favourites with me & now I feel like I should at least write something new about food too ;-)

I believe I`ve already mentioned that I`ve got a thing for cupcakes? That is, I`ve got a thing for reading about them (especially blogs, my favourites are 52 Cupcakes & Cupcake Bakeshop), looking at beautiful pictures of them, things with painted cupcakes on them & so on... And this weekend I gave decorating cupcakes a try & I very much enjoyed it!
Now to the strange bit - when it comes to eating them, I`m not that excited. The cupcakes I`ve eaten so far has been to sweet for me (I`m more into savoury muffins) and even though this probably is a good thing (for my teeths and my weight that is) I would like to find something between savoury muffins and sweet cupcakes. Any ideas?

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe only a couple of weeks ago but I`ve already used it twice. They were very popular & I enjoyed baking them too, but who wouldn`t like the smell of newly-baked cookies or the taste of chocolate chips that melt in your mouth? ;-)

100 g margarine (softened)
1 dl brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla sugar
1 egg
2 dl wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
100 g dark chocolate
50 g hazelnuts

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Put margarine, brown sugar & vanilla sugar in a bowl and use the electric mixer to stir it together.
Add the egg and make sure to mix it well.
Combine wheat flour, baking powder & salt. Then add this mixture to the margarine-mixture.
Chop the chocolate & the hazelnuts and stir into the cake mixture.

Take a tablespoon of the mixture for each cookie and place it on a baking plate with a baking cloth/oven paper on it. Bake for approx. 10 minutes and then let them cool off.

Bread with brie, pistachio & honey

This is a delicious snack (or an appetizer) which is really simple to make. The bread gets nice and crisp, the brie and the honey melt together into a tasty combination & the pistachio nut adds some salt to all the sweetness. It`s simply mouth watering!

A slice of white bread, a slice of brie, a pistachio nut & a sprinkle of buoyant honey to finish it of. Then into the oven for as long as it takes for the brie to melt.

Salmon & potatoes

Today I cooked one of my favourite dishes - Salmon & potatoes. This is a recipe I associate with summer evenings & eating dinner out on the porch...

Salmon with lime & ginger butter
600 gr Salmon fillet
Salt & pepper
1 lime (peel & juice)
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
50 gr butter
The salmon is baked in foil packages. Take 1 piece of salmon and put it on a piece of foil, season it with salt & pepper and then put a pat of lime & ginger butter on the salmon.
The lime & ginger butter is made out of the peel and the juice from one lime, the grated ginger & the butter which is all whisked together.
Wrap the package together and put in in the oven (225°C for about 10-15 minutes) or on the outdoor grill.

Boiled potatoes with olive oil, parsley & dill
800 gr potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ dl finely chopped parsley and dill
Peel (not necessary when using new potatoes) and boil the potatoes and let the water run off. Then add the olive oil, parsley and dill & stir it together.

Basil & Sundried Tomato Muffins

I like muffins and especially savoury muffins which I think is perfect as breakfast for those lazy weekend mornings when I`ve got time to treat myself with something special. To wake up knowing that I`m not in any hurry & then making myself some muffins to eat together with a hot cup of coffee - that`s a nice way to start off the day!

I got this delicious recipe from Kali.

Basil & Sundried Tomato Muffins
Makes 1 dozen
3 cups self raising flour (sifted)
1/2 cup roughly torn basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons sugarfreshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup salad oil
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
Combine the first five ingredients. Beat oil, egg and milk together and pour over dry ingredients. Stir just enough to dampen the dry ingredients, spoon into well-greased muffin pans. Bake 18-20 minutes at 200 degrees celsius or until well risen and brown.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

I was a little worried at first because I really don`t get on with pies & cakes, don`t ask me why (but my I guess my cooking skills is not as great as I would wish them to be). Last time I tried to make a cake it was a plain simple cheesecake recipe and my intention was to serve it as a dessert at the dinner party I was throwing. I won`t go into details but I had to use my backup plan & serve the icecream instead. Maybe it would have been better if I had tried the recipe before the day of the dinner party, but we learn from our mistakes don`t we? Well, I don`t.

I found the recipe of the Strawberry-Rhubarb pie in Country Living and promised to serve it as a dessert at our family`s Midsummer celebration. That was on Friday. When did I try the recipe for the first time? Friday.
Luckily for me, it was a really simple recipe & even though I revised it a little (I used a little more of the strawberries & a little less of the rhubarb) it was well appreciated by the family.

Grandma`s Pie Dough
Yields: 4 single crusts Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 3/4 cups cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 egg (extra large)

Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk the vinegar, egg, and 1/2 cup of ice water together and mix into the flour mixture with your hands until just combined. Transfer to a clean work surface, and gently press to form a dough. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Shape each into a ball, flatten slightly to form a disk, and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour.
Timesaver: Keep extra dough frozen until ready to use. Allow two days to thaw in the refrigerator.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Yields: One 9-inch pie (about 8 servings) Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 45 to 55 minutes Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients
2 disks Grandma`s Pie Dough (1/2 recipe)
1 1/3 pounds rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Heat the oven to 375° F. Roll out one disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness, and transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. Set aside and keep chilled. Roll the remaining dough to 1/8-inch thickness and cut slits or use a miniature star cutter to create vents. Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, and flour in a large bowl, and transfer to the prepared pie pan; drape the rolled-out dough over the pie. Trim the edges of both crusts, leaving a 1/2- inch overhand. Fold the dough under, lightly pinching to seal the top and bottom crusts. Crimp around the rim and chill for 10 minutes. Bake on the center shelf of the oven until golden brown — 45 to 55 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
If you can't find fresh, use frozen rhubarb from the grocer's freezer section.