Easy loaf

1 Comment

I get stressed sometimes when it comes to cooking. I get stressed when there are too many pots, pans and spices involved. Some recepies have all these spices in it, many of which you`ve never heard of, that you have to buy. Then you have to measure them all up like it says in the recepy and some you might even have to toast in a pan in order to get the flavour you want. Then there`s the cooking. You might have to use a lot of different cooking techniques just to get one dish. Roast, boil and deep fry. Puh! Today I made meat loaf. That`s a dish that causes me some stress because of the preparations. It`s not a lot of preparations but it`s enough to make my heart go faster.

I begin the meat loaf preparation by mixing bread crumbs and milk into a paste. I let it rest for a while. I add the minced beef to the milk. I always use minced beef only. Then I chop some onions and add them. Then comes my secret ingredients. In Sweden there`s a dish called biff lindström, “beef lindstrom”. You make burgers from minced beef, pickled cucumber and beetroot. My meat loaf is kind of a bigger sized “lindstrom” burger and I add the pickled cucumber and beetroot to the minced beef.

I put the beef mixture in an oven proof tin and I put some liquid butter on it. That gives some depth to the flavour.

 

20170303_154049

Pink meat loaf.

 

I bake the loaf in the lower part of the oven for 50 minutes at 200 C. I also bake slices of potatoes in the oven at the same time. After a while I add some cream to the tin in order to get some sauce. Serve with lingonberry jam. Delicious!

20170303_163037

 

 

Buns

3 Comments

Today`s “semla” day in Sweden. I wrote about this cake a while ago and cause it`s that delicious I`ll do it again. “Semla” is a wheatbun (packed with cardamom) filled with whipped cream and almond paste. You cut the bun in half (the bottom part should be bigger than the top). Put almond paste on the bottom bun and top with whipped cream. Put the lid on and sprinkle icing sugar on it. You eat the lid first and you dip it in the whipped cream.

20170228_152528It`s “semla” day today but we begin eating it some months before this day. Many are probably tired of it by now cause they have eaten too many already. It used to be something you looked forward to and only ate for a short period of time. Now you can get it from christmas until whenever (almost). I think you can buy it for another couple of months which is not good. I think it only should be available for a short amount of time to keep it this thing you long for. Now after a “semla” season you think you will never eat it again because you`ve eaten too many.

 

Yummy!

 

Bread

4 Comments

This is what my mom got for free for her birthday! A grocery store where she does a lot of her shopping celebrated her by giving her a “smörgåstårta” or…….smorgasbord cake. I don`t think there is a better english word for this dish. Smorgas bord though I know they say in America and what it means is a table full of cold cuts and whatever you like.

20170227_155320A smorgasbord cake is bread in layers filled with smorgas bords things. This is a prawn cake. It`s prawns and lots of mayo between thin layers of bread.

20170227_155604This was a tasty smorgas bord cake!

20170227_155824

Having

1 Comment

I have been away for a while and that`s cause I`ve been sick. I caught this bad cold that left me with nothing to do but lay down. I used to think that having a cold was not a big deal. A cold was no reason to stay at home. I “used” to that is. Recently all my colds have left me unable to do anything. My mom had to take care of Kajsa and everything else because I couldn`t.

Kajsa and me haven`t been able to run for a while because of my sickness. I used to exercise even when I was sick when I was younger. I ran everyday and didn`t let colds stop me which was stupid. If you don`t rest while your sick all kinds of things could happen that makes a cold the least of your problems. Anyway Kajsa is a raging tiger because of the lack of exercise. She barks all the time and is more crazy than usual. Today I could have lost her because of her tiger behaviour!

What I mean with her being a tiger is that she looks to be hunting all the time. She has a thing for cars and especially now with no exercise she finds them more interesting than ever. Today I had to do some shopping and my mom looked after Kajsa when I was in and out of shops. I never leave Kajsa alone outside a store and my mom was with her when I wasn`t. I came out of a shop and my mom held her. This was where cars shouldn`t be driving. Suddenly a cab approached and Kajsa went crazy. Her collar just fell off and she went hunting for the taxi. She raced right at it and if it hadn`t been driving slowly she would have been gone. I yelled at the top of my lungs and she stopped. I took her away from the taxi and I was trembling. Kajsa wouldn`t calm down and I had to lay her down on the ground til she relaxed. I was hysterical but I had to keep calm to get her calm. I layed her down slowly and I pet her and talked in a calm voice until she breathed normally. If the taxi had driven where it should have this wouldn`t have happened!

 

What a day.

 

Caring

3 Comments

I love all things that has to do with skincare. I`m not at all vain but skincare makes me feel good. I buy make up cause I have to and skincare cause I love to. Make up is something I use sometimes because it makes me feel more confident. I never use much make up and I normally only use powder and do my eyebrows.

I like to spend time in skin care stores. I could walk around among creams and serums all day every day.

 

20170220_163844

I like the “Clinique” brand. It`s affordable and has something for every skin type.

I have always been interested in skincare and haircare. It makes me happy to take care of myself. I could never use only soap and water on my skin especially since I`ve used cleansers my whole life. My skin would get crazy if I stopped using skincare products. My favourite products are all kinds of creams. The older I get the more interested I become in everything that has to do with creams.

 

 

20170220_163824

“Estee Lauder”. If it wasn`t that expensive I would buy it often.

Most important when it comes to skincare is cleansers. I read all the time when experts tell you how to get good skin that you should remove your make up in the evening. Who doesn`t!!!!!!!!! I always remove make up before bed. I could leave it on but that would make my skin break out and get all kinds of problems skin can get. I try to use mild cleansers. I often buy cleansers that are too harsh which leaves my skin dry and acne prone. I think that`s because I haven`t left my teen age thoughts on cleansers behind. I always think of my skin as oily which it isn`t these days.

 

 

20170220_163734

Wondefully creamy.

Many of the products above (if not all) are organic. Good to your skin!

 

20170220_163755

Don`t get sunburns. Self tan instead.

 

 

 

 

 

Relaxing

4 Comments

 

I had a facial today. I love it!

I had a “classic” facial. That means cleansing, scrub, steam, pore extraction and massage. I try to scrub my face regularly but that’s nothing compared to having a skin therapist deep clean your skin.

I have a hard time with the steam when I do it myself. If you don’t have a steamer you have to heat water and often you have to use a big pan or bowl to be able to get the steam everywhere. Then you have to cover your head and the bowl with a towel which makes it hard to breath.

I think pore extractions are hard to do. I don’t know why but I can’t extract anything when I do it. It’s not like I don’t have blackheads but I can’t extract them. To have someone who knows what they’re doing do it is wonderful.

My therapist was the best. I feel very deep cleaned. We talked while she did the facial and I asked if swedish people are good at taking care of their skin. She said we are and especially younger people are good at it.

I had my facial at “Grön skönhet” or “Green beauty”. The salon uses organic products.

 

 

 

 

Beauty

4 Comments

Kajsa me and my mom are away for a couple of days. My mom has her birthday in a while and cause of that we decided to have ourselfs a mini vacation. We will spend it in a small town and do spa treatments among other things.

I like to get away for a while and have no “must do’s”. I find that it gives my soul a break when I don’t have to do things. My anxiety gets a couple of days off and that’s better than all medicines.

Kajsa has settled in perfectly. She’s used to stay in hotels. I often begin the “hotel stay” with a walk to let her feel where she is. Dogs are wonderful in how they just like how things are20170216_140005

20170216_140005

Cakes

1 Comment

We don’t celebrate Valentines Day in this family at all. Or we do but only with valentine cakes.

This cake is normally called “Princess cake” and the marzipan on top is usually green. Just because it’s Valentines Day the marzipan is pink and there’s a red heart made from marzipan on top of it all. It looks wonderful though!

I like this cake! All that whipped cream and vanilla cream is tasty. To make you get a hint of what it tastes like I will describe what’s in it. The whole cake is covered in marzipan which I love. I think marzipan makes all cakes taste good! Under the marzipan there’s spongecake, whipped cream, vanilla cream and raspberry jam.

Yummy.

Easiest

1 Comment

I love cinnamon. I especially like it in cakes and buns. I love to use it when I bake cause of the smell (and taste)! It smells good when you bake cinnamon buns for instance.

When it comes to cinnamon buns I would make them often if it wasn`t for how long it takes to bake them. The dough needs a lot of work and all that kneading takes a long time. Don`t get me started on the rising time. It`s a lot of rising involved. That`s why I`m excited I have found out how to make the easiest cinnamon buns.

I`ve made homemade pizza a couple of times and I always buy the dough. Everytime I make the pizza I think the dough feels like the dough you you get when you make cinnamon buns. I have thought about trying to make cinnamon buns out of the pizza dough and today I tried it.

20170212_154951The pizza dough.

20170212_155406I spread butter on the dough and sprinkled sugar and cinnamon on top of it.

20170212_162725I rolled the dough and cut it in pieces. I placed the pieces in cupcake paper (I don`t know the right word). I brushed them with beaten eggs and added some pearl sugar.

20170212_164221Cinnamon buns!

They are best eaten right away cause they get a bit too hard after a while.

Delicious.