torsdag 7. november 2013

A world record in "book domino" - I love books!

I love books!  I love the feeling of holding a book in my hands while getting so deep into a story that I feel a part of the story. I also love the smell of a book and the anticipation before reading a new book and the sad feeling when I close the book after reading the last page.

After spending my Summers in NYC my friend always asked me if I had bought some cool clothes, well they stopped after always getting this answer "no, but I have like 10-15 new books I want to read :-)

So it might not be that weird that I am posting this video from a book fair in Antwerp, they made a new world record with a 6 minutes  "book domino" that ended up in fire works.

I especially love the part were the word books falls, isnt the world a amazing Place....



Not the best quality in the photo, but have a look at the video (that do not take 6 min)




lørdag 3. august 2013

How to live slowly on a rainy day with thunder and lightning outside !

 
How I am spending this rainy day with thunder and lightning outside :
 
Staying long in my bed eating a nice breakfast and reading a good book.
 
Down loading a couple of movies for tonight.
 
Getting dressed with clothes I feel  and look good in.
 
Driving to the next town over to look in shops with interesting interior (not buying anything, only to get inspiration for my day dreams).
 

 
 
Bying myself a new tea, this time with carpiriniha taste, I am so looking forward to try it later tonight.
 
Bying a tall coffee to go and then driving home to  downloading favorite music I have heard this Summer.
 
 
Later on I will make home made pesto, have a look here.
 



 
 
When it gets darker outside I will lite som candles and enjoy myself.
 
 
 
Have a nice day!
 









onsdag 10. april 2013

My "new" dining area


 
 
 
 
I have finally find the money and inspiration to renew the dining area in my living room. I have a dream to live in a large warehouse appartment with a large and open living space and large windows with a great view of NYC. Since I dont live in the States this dream will always stay a dream, but this dream have given me the inspiration to how I have decoratet my dining room area. I already have a red brickstone wall that I have painted white and now I have bought a sideboard that gives the room an industrial look. I also have  made a dining room table out of different parts from Ikea. The table is work under progress, but it looks like the main idea I have and will work great until I find the right furniture that fits and that I can afford to.
 
 
 
 
I like that this sideboard works like a show case for my favorite books and things.

 
 
 
I needed more chairs, and ended up buying these stools that are ease to stack and take very little space. I like the industrial look they give and they also give some roughness to the room .





 NYC has a special place in my heart and my Aunt took me to my first Broadway musical when I was 10 and came to NYC for the first time on my own. I have seen a lot of musicals and I have saved all of the playbills.

 
 
 
 
Incoperated in the new look I have two of this great green chairs that are almost a hundred years old. My Grandfather, The Dentist had these chairs in his waiting room at his practice. I never met my Grand Father, so these are kind of special to me.


onsdag 20. mars 2013

Fat reduced and deliciouse Sheperds pie




 
 
I have wanted to make a fat free version of a Shepherds pie for a long time, an finally I got the inspiration from Master Chefs on TV. The original Sheperds pie is made with lamb/mutton, but as you all know, Lamb is high in fat. I desided to try to make it with pork loin, which is low in fat. This is a recepie from Jamie Oliver that I have made some modifications so it will suit a fat free diet.
 
To get hold of minced meat that is low enough in fat, I have to ground the meat myself. I cut off all the visible fat, then I cut the meat in dices and grind it in my meat grinder. That was one of the best  investments I have done after beeing diagnosed, I grind pork, beef, chicken and fish.
 
This recepie serves 6


Ingredients
  • • 1 red onion
  • • 2 carrots
  • • 2 sticks of celery
  • • 2 cloves of garlic
  • • a small bunch of fresh rosemary
  • • about 1 tbsp walnut oil or the oil of your choice
  • • 500g good-quality minced pork 
  • • 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
  • • 250ml chicken or vegetable stock, preferably organic
  • • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • • 1.5kg  potatoes
  • • 3-5 dl Skimmed milk
  • • a dash of wallnut oil or the oil of you choice
 
To prepare and cook your mince

• Peel and roughly chop the onion and carrots
• Trim and roughly chop the celery
• Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves
 
 
 
 
  • Pick the rosemary leaves, discard the stalks
  •  Heat a large pan on a medium heat
  •  Add a about 1 tabs of your choice of oil and onion, carrot, celery, garlic and most of the rosemary leaves
 
 
 
Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened
• Turn the heat up, add the pork mince, and brown for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Use a sieve or slotted spoon to drain away any excess liquid from the pan, then tip in the tinned tomatoes
 
 
 
 
Pour in the stock, season with a good pinch of salt and pepper and stir well, then bring to the boil
• Reduce to a low heat, pop the lid on slightly ajar, and simmer for 1 hour
To make your mash topping
 
• Peel the potatoes, cut them into halves and quarters depending on their size, and put them into a pan of salted, boiling water
• Boil for about 10 minutes until tender
• Stick a knife into them to check they’re soft all the way through
 
 
 
 
• Drain in a colander and return them to the pan
• Add the milk, oil and a pinch of salt and pepper
• Mash until smooth and creamy
To assemble and cook your shepherd’s pie
 
Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5
• Transfer the pork mixture to a large ovenproof baking dish
• Spoon the mash evenly over the top and poke the remaining rosemary leaves into the top
 
 
 
 
• Then cook in the hot oven for 25 minutes, or until golden and bubbling
• Serve with broccoli, peas or the vegetable you have at hand.
 
 
 
 
Enjoy!









søndag 6. januar 2013

My new "good mood song"

I would like to share with you the song that makes me smile and gets me in a good mood when I have had a hard day and are feeling sad. The last couple of months has been challenging both physical and mentaly, the change of weather always affects my muscles and makes my days harder and unpredictable and that also affect other aspects in my life to. I know a lot of you out there that has a chronic disease or a family member, friend or other close to you with a chronic disease have a lot of up and downs. Some periods of the year are thougher than others.

I think it is extremly important, especially in these though periods to have something that will lift you up. Most of the time I find that there is the little things that helps me to get in a better mood, it can be a song that I like, a smile from my cutest little nephew or a funny comment from my sweet and funny niese.

My favorite "good mood song" for the last few weeks has been "Call me mayby" by Carly Rae Jepsen. It makes me turne up the volume and want to dance. And I can't dance, I have zero balance and no rhytme what so ever.....

onsdag 12. desember 2012

Christmas - Marked in Seillans



In the end of November I made a spontaneous desition to visit my Aunt in our house in Seillans, a beautiful mountain village in South of France. With spontaneous I mean I rang my Aunt on Monday night (from Norway) who lives in Boston, MA, but was at our house in Seillans for a couple of weeks and asked her what she was doing the next weekend and I wondered if I could fly down for a long weekend. She laught and told me that I was crazy, but of course I could come. The next day I arranged to get two days off work, rescheduled a Doctors appointment and booked my tickets. Four days later I was on my way to my beloved Aunt in lovely Seillans for four days.



We were lucky that on my first day there was two different Christmas markeds, one i the next village and one in our village. I wanted to show you all some photos from the marked i Seillans.
 
 

 
 
The local farmes sold some of their produce, hams, sausages, chevre, jams, marmelade and other goodies.
 
 


This chevre is made just up the hill from our village and the nice lady who I have met many times, have 42 goats and are expecting a lot of baby goats soon. She also have a B&B and a restaurant at the farm.
 
 

 
 
We also got warmed red wine with some fruit in it that tasted just delicouse!
 
Merry Christmas!

Christmas - gift bags

 
 
 
I am very satisfied how these simple gift bags turned out this year. I hate gift wrapping, so gift bags are my saviour every year at Chrismas time and all year round.
 
 


 

 
 
 
Merry Christmas!