our Easter holiday on film, part IV

Kodak Portra 400, Canon EOS 500N

more mountain cabin posts | the mountain cabin set on Flickr | more Kodak Portra 400

what's for dinner, week 17

Sunday buffet dinner

Monday: garlic and rosemary marinated roasted pork filet and barley rice salad with what ever is in the fridge vegetables (leek, squash, green bell pepper, carrot, celery, garlic)
Tuesday: Tuscan white bean soup
Wednesday: will be eating out with friends
Thursday: cod filets with bacon, garlic and tomato salad
Friday: fresh shrimp sandwiches

- - -

What we actually had for dinner last week:

Monday: ratatouille with beef leftovers from Saturday
Tuesday: leftover ratatouille, store bought cheese filled ravioli tortellini and parmesan (I forgot to buy)
Wednesday: white beans, tomato and feta salad homemade pizza with sauce made of pureed leftover ratatouille, sausages from Tjore gardsmat and cheddar cheese
Thursday: cod filets with bacon, garlic and tomato salad chicken kashmir
Friday: homemade meatballs (from the freezer), guacamole and salad in tortilla - Sølve made a huge batch of meatballs a while ago and we finally finished them. They were super yummy, but were taking up too much space in our little freezer. Now we need a little meatballs break ;-)
Saturday: baked Salma salmon, homemade hollandaise sauce and asparagus
Sunday: what ever is in the fridge and freezer buffet dinner with our spontaneous dinner guests

- - -

about this project

- every Monday I post the week's menu
- I also post what we actually had for dinner the passed week (because it is fun to see if we actually followed the plan)
- there might be links to recipes, but the menu will mostly just be basic ideas for the dinners
- Saturday and Sunday dinners will often not be planned ahead because we have a habit of buying whatever looks good in the store when we are out grocery shopping Saturday morning
- each post will be illustrated with one of my food related photos, either from my archives or a new one

life via iPhone, week 16

There are more everyday stories in the life via iPhone set on my Flickr.

recycling

NIB (Norwegian interior blogs) and sortere.no want to see how we recycle. My little family and I live in an apartment with limited storage opportunities, hence limited space for recycling. It all happens in the cupboard underneath the sink in the kitchen; one bin for general garbage, a paper bag for pant (I don't know the English expression for this; you return empty soda/beer cans/bottles to the store and get money for it), empty milk cartons filled with paper recycling to the left, and glass/metal recycling in the back.

There is a big bin for paper recycling outside our front door, so newspapers and other papers don't really get a chance to heap up because it is so easy to throw them in the bin on our way out. When the kitchen cupboard is full of glass/metal recycling, I fill a couple of plastic bags and throw the content in the huge bin/container thingy for glass/metal ca 2 minutes walk from our house. There is also one for paper and a couple for donation of used clothing. We should recycle plastic too. The big bag where we are supposed to collect our plastic recycling is only picked up once a month, and we don't really have room to store this big bag. There is no system for food/bio recycling in our neighbourhood.

So, no fancy recycling solutions in our home, but at least it is all hidden in a cupboard and it is functional for our needs.

super yummy chocolate banana muffins

I have posted a recipe for banana muffins before. Forget about that one - this one is so much better! I got the recipe from my mum, who got it from a colleague. It yields ca 30 muffins, but you can easily half the recipe.

2,5 dl sugar

2 eggs

2 well ripe mashed bananas

250 g melted butter

8 tbs milk

7,5 dl flour 

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla sugar

1 tsp natron/baking soda

100 g dark chocolate 

Beat eggs and sugar until thick. Add mashed bananas, melted butter and milk. Mix. Add the dry ingredients and mix well to combine. Add chocolate. Or not. Plain banana muffins are also super yummy, especially with raspberry jam. 

Bake for about 15 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. 

things I like lately

Fuji Velvia 100, Canon EOS 500N

- the Åsta stool by Karin Ekwall (via Eget rom)
- this new IKEA Stockholm chair
- Helle's review of Ett Hem hotel in Stockholm - I trust Helle's recommendations; she is the reason why Sølve and I honeymooned at Crillon le Brave in Provence
- this scarf (via Lonny magazine)
- Silvia's words about Flickr faves
- Monique's blog the sunday best
- Intouchables and Skyfall
- rose & crown (via Jeanine)
- Bach's cello suite no 1
- hearing Sølve and Sara laugh together
- warm banana muffins with raspberry jam
- this made me smile
- Esra Røise's work (via jeg er jonathan)
- the recent days of pouring rain has made our lawn a teeny tiny bit green (it has not rained in a long while, so everything is very dry and brown)
- trees are slooowly getting green
- daffodils have started blooming
- waking up to a tidy kitchen every morning - even though I often don't feel like tidying in the evening
- perfectly ripe avocados, for guacamole
- Sara reading the financial newspaper
- a quick and yummy dinner
- Sara's puddle splashing debut
- flowers

our Easter holiday on film, part III

Kodak Portra 400, Canon EOS 500N

more mountain cabin posts | the mountain cabin set on Flickr | more Kodak Portra 400

our Easter holiday on film, part II

Kodak Portra 400, Canon EOS 500N

more mountain cabin posts | the mountain cabin set on Flickr | more Kodak Portra 400

a peaceful moment

Kodak Ektachrome 100VS, Canon EOS 500N

Right now, Sara is napping in the pram in her room (she falls asleep so much easier in the pram rather than her crib during daytime) and I'm sitting the the orange sofa, with my feet up, drinking coffee and eating a chocolate banana muffin. It is pouring down outside. We have been really spoilt with lots and lots of fantastic weather lately; the rain and wind feel quite strange. Normally I don't mind going out in all sorts of weather. The fresh air and exercise always do wonders. Today I just didn't feel like going outside though; I would rather enjoy this peaceful little moment all by myself. Sometimes that does wonders as well.

I'm thinking of making a new Blurb book, with film photos. Either another Øyeblikk book or a 30 days of spring book (similar to my 30 days of winter book). What do you think?

what's for dinner, week 16

homemade meatballs/tapas leftovers

Monday: ratatouille with beef leftovers from Saturday
Tuesday: leftover ratatouille, store bought cheese filled ravioli and parmesan
Wednesday: white beans, tomato and feta salad
Thursday: cod filets with bacon, garlic and tomato salad
Friday: homemade meatballs (from the freezer), guacamole and salad in tortilla

- - -

What we actually had for dinner last week:

Monday: tapas leftovers
Tuesday: thai chicken
Wednesday: pan fried salmon filet pasta with this sauce, leek, squash and cream
Thursday: cod filets with mashed root vegetables (from the freezer) and crispy bacon
Friday: homemade meatballs (from the freezer), guacamole and salad in tortilla
Saturday: roasted beef sirloin, roasted potato wedges and homemade béarnaise sauce (first time I made it - actually a little proud that I managed the technique)
Sunday: a day of snacking; egg benedicts (with homemade hollandaise sauce), grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, and a simple cheese platter with local cheeses from Osteriet i Samnanger and Undredal (bought at Bondens marked Saturday), mandarin jam and salty crackers

- - -

about this project

- every Monday I post the week's menu

- I also post what we actually had for dinner the passed week (because it is fun to see if we actually followed the plan)

- there might be links to recipes, but the menu will mostly just be basic ideas for the dinners

- Saturday and Sunday dinners will often not be planned ahead because we have a habit of buying whatever looks good in the store when we are out grocery shopping Saturday morning

- each post will be illustrated with one of my food related photos, either from my archives or a new one

life via iPhone, week 15

There are more everyday stories in the life via iPhone set on my Flickr.

things I like lately + uninspired

my favorite persons on the whole planet | Kodak Portra 400, Canon EOS 500N

- manchego cheese with mandarin jam

- a day spent with a close friend visiting from Rygge

- a new pillowcase from la cerise sur le gâteau, bought at the lovely Bertha_ store in the city centre

- 100 rules of dinner

- having four films developed (I have just started posting from them; here and here)

- still lots and lots of fantastic weather - even though it actually snowed quite a bit during the weekend

- wearing my trench coat instead of my winter coat 

- kittens!

- reading bedtime stories for my nieces  

- canned tuna, avacado, cucumber, lemon juice, Maldon salt and fresh ground pepper for lunch

- seeing people sitting outside in their gardens and balconies enjoying the spring sun

- seeing people's laundry hanging outside in the sun 

- passing a man who was smoking a pipe whilst biking 

- catching up with my friend C and her little O (born only three days before Sara) 

- seeing how much Sara loves to play with other kids, although she can also be very shy and clingy 

- finally finishing the Anna Karenina audiobook 

- freshly baked chocolate chip banana muffins (I should share the recipe soon - it is yummy!)

- - - 

I have been feeling quite uninspired to blog lately, especially after our two weeks long Easter holiday. Being completely offline for nine days (whilst at the mountain cabin) felt really good. When I have online access I somehow never manage to keep away from this space or other blogs. I just have to check in. I kind of feel obliged to post. Silly to think so, I know. I wish I was better at just leaving the Internet alone and instead get completely caught up in a book, for example. Books don't leave me visually overloaded like blogs and other websites often do. I wish I was better at taking Internet breaks. Any thoughts/ideas?

our Easter holiday on film, part I

Kodak Portra 400, Canon EOS 500N

We spent the first part of our Easter holiday at the family holiday home at Voss, skiing at Vikafjellet and Herresåsen and having a great time with our friends.

home on slide film

Kodak Ektachrome 100VS, Canon EOS 500N

more home | more ektachrome

what's for dinner, week 15

Saturday night tapas pot luck with our friends

Monday: tapas leftovers 

Tuesday: thai chicken

Wednesday: salmon pasta with this sauce, leek and squash 

Thursday: cod filets with mashed root vegetables (from the freezer) and crispy bacon

Friday: homemade meatballs (from the freezer), guacamole and salad in tortilla

- - - 

What we actually had for dinner last week:

Monday: Thai take away from Kroathai

Tuesday: a salad of mixed lettuce, store grilled chicken, mango, red onion, green bell pepper, cucumber and sweet chili sauce 

Wednesday: Tuscan white bean soup (from the freezer) + baguettes with garlic butter

Thursday: homemade meatballs (from the freezer), guacamole and salad in tortilla Sølve's pot roast (from the freezer)

Friday: salmon sashimi fresh tuna steaks with spicy fruit salad 

Saturday: tapas

Sunday: homemade meatballs and whole grain pasta in tomato sauce 

- - -

about this project

- every Monday I post the week's menu

- I also post what we actually had for dinner the passed week (because it is fun to see if we actually followed the plan)

- there might be links to recipes, but the menu will mostly just be basic ideas for the dinners

- Saturday and Sunday dinners will often not be planned ahead because we have a habit of buying whatever looks good in the store when we are out grocery shopping Saturday morning

- each post will be illustrated with one of my food related photos, either from my archives or a new one

life via iPhone, week 14

There are more everyday stories in the life via iPhone set on my Flickr.

satisfying or not

Kodak Ektachrome 100, Canon EOS 500N

There were lots of egg and bacon breakfasts at the mountain cabin during Easter (these shots are from last year). And freshly baked bread. Such a great tradition! I must admit though, I'm happy to be back to my regular breakfast - yoghurt or milk with müsli. Very simple and very satisfying. 

In other news; it is snowing. I did not see that one coming. Remember yesterday how I bragged about not remembering the last time I wore rain gear? Well, now it is back on. Not very satisfied with that.

PS: sometimes it snows in April 

things I like lately

Kodak Ektachrome 100, Canon EOS 500N

- Easter holiday at the mountain cabin - always the best! photos are coming soon, film photos too
- getting a bit of tan in my face - always such a nice bonus from spending the Easter holiday in the snow
- this apartment
- seeing how excited Sara is about our friend's dog (shiba) Hama
- vanilla ice cream and passion fruit
- this article (via A Cup of Jo)
- you are my wild (via Love Taza)
- Maddie on things (via A Cup of Jo)
- meeting our friends' brand new baby boy
- a surprise delivery of freshly baked, still warm cinnamon buns made by the bestest Hanne - it really made my day! and Sølve's too - we kind of entered cinnamon bun coma that evening...
- Sara's tiny pony tail
- doing a bit of freelance work (I'm a journalist and copywriter), even though it is hard to adjust my maternity leave brain to work + it is hard to get anything done with a toddler constantly demanding my attention
- still such AMAZING weather! I honestly can not remember the last time I wore rain gear, which is very rare for Bergen
- so much light!
- spring has sprung for real
- the first coltsfoots
- doing a teeny tiny bit of work in the garden - with the cutest assistant
- fresh tuna and spicy fruit salad with coriander for dinner tonight
- having one of my photos published in the lovely Frankie magazine - it is one of the iPhone photos I took that day I photographed everything I ate and drank
- friends who invite me to step outside my comfort zone - I have joined a belly dancing course!
- gin & tonic - I have just started liking it

What do you like lately?

the winner is

light

I asked Sølve to name a number between 1 and 23 (the total number of comments on the giveaway post) to find the winner of my Light book. The lucky number is 22, which is Hanne's comment. Congratulations my dear friend! 

Thank you all for participating in my little giveaway. I really appreciate your kind comments.

morning at the mountain cabin

It was minus 10 to 15 degrees Celsius outside every morning. The kind of cold that makes the snow creak beneath your feet. The kind of cold that makes you wear thick layers of wool and a hat to go to the outhouse. We keep the wood stove burning all night to prevent an ice cold cabin in the morning. Once the sun gets up above the mountain tops and shines through the windows, it quickly heats up the little living area of the cabin. I put the kettle on and prepare for baking bread for breakfast, whilst Sara sits in her highchair reading her book and Sølve sleeps in.

I have plenty of photos - including three rolls of film - to share from our Easter at the mountain cabin, so stay tuned. In the meanwhile, please check out my little giveaway which ends tomorrow (Thursday).

what's for dinner, week 14

Monday: Thai take away from Kroathai

Tuesday: a salad of mixed lettuce, store grilled chicken, mango, red onion, green bell pepper, cucumber and sweet chili sauce (photo above) 

Wednesday: Tuscan white bean soup (from the freezer) 

Thursday: homemade meatballs (from the freezer), guacamole and salad in tortilla

Friday: salmon sashimi 

- - - 

the last couple weeks

- - - 

about this project

- every Monday I post the week's menu

- I also post what we actually had for dinner the passed week (because it is fun to see if we actually followed the plan)

- there might be links to recipes, but the menu will mostly just be basic ideas for the dinners

- Saturday and Sunday dinners will often not be planned ahead because we have a habit of buying whatever looks good in the store when we are out grocery shopping Saturday morning

- each post will be illustrated with one of my food related photos, either from my archives or a new one

- - -

Enter my giveaway and get a chance to win my Light book! The winner will be announced Thursday April 4. 

what we had for dinner, week 12 and 13

Since we have had two lovely weeks of Easter holiday, we have not planned our dinners like we normally do - hence no regular what's for dinner posts. I have however taken iPhone photos of all the dinners we have had during our holiday. This week's dinner menu will be out later today.

What we had for dinner, week 12:

Monday: baked salmon with seafood & fish spice mix + a salad of mixed lettuce, red apple, red onion, avocado and balsamic vinegar 

Tuesday: roasted Stange chicken with a spicy melon mango salad with fresh coriander

Wednesday: my mother in law's fish soup 

Thursday: a whirlwind day with no read dinner, just a little store bought grilled chicken and too many cinnamon buns from Charles & De

Friday: fresh shrimp sandwiches 

Saturday: Sølve's fish soup with pan toasted white bread

Sunday: my father in law's traditional mountain beef 

What we had for dinner, week 14:

Monday: grilled leg of lamb, gravy and Greek salad

Tuesday: Monday leftovers + rice 

Wednesday: grilled Salma salmon, whole grain penne with pesto and parmasan, and tomatoes 

Thursday: grilled beef sirloin and spicy fruit salad 

Friday: grilled leg of lamb, gravy and vegetables

Saturday: finnbiff (reindeer) stew and lingonberry jam 

Sunday: my mum's homemade meatballs with gravy, boiled potatoes and mashed peas 

- - - 

about this project

- every Monday I post the week's menu

- I also post what we actually had for dinner the passed week (because it is fun to see if we actually followed the plan)

- there might be links to recipes, but the menu will mostly just be basic ideas for the dinners

- Saturday and Sunday dinners will often not be planned ahead because we have a habit of buying whatever looks good in the store when we are out grocery shopping Saturday morning

- each post will be illustrated with one of my food related photos, either from my archives or a new one

- - -

Enter my giveaway and get a chance to win my Light book!

life via iPhone, week 12 and 13

There are more everyday stories in the life via iPhone set on my Flickr.

- - -

Enter my giveaway and get a chance to win my Light book!