My wrapping this year!

Here are how i wrap my presents this year. I hate wrapping presents, but I am quite satisfied with this years wrapping. I have used red silk ribbons, ribbons with "God Jul" (Merry Christmas) and red hemp. For tags have I used pictures with Christmas motives in a Old Fashion style bought at my local scrapping store, Bikuben.

Here are the results:

Christmas & The City

One of the things I like about Christmas is the music, my favorite Christmas music are song like "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby, "It's begginning to look like Christmas" with Perry Como and "Driving home for Christmas" with Chris Rea. I get in a cozy and warm Christmas mood when listening to these songs.
As my friends know I have an on going love affair with the City of all Cities, New York City! My Aunt lived in NY when I was younger, when I was 22 and had just started to appreciate NY for everything it has to offer she moved to Boston. Don't get me wrong, I love Boston, but there is no city like NY.
So when I went to the music store the other day to buy a Christmas present I was not able to go out of the store without this Chrismas album calle "Christmas & The City"

I love every view you can get from Central Park.

No Christmas Three can be compared to the one on Rockefeller Plaza. I have a week spot for Christmas threes lights.

These large threes that have been in Central Park for a great many years are just amazing. I love to walk in the park in Winter time when there are no leaves on the threes and I can look at all the funny figures the branches makes. It looks so magical with the snow on the branches.

A Gingerbread man spatula.

My Man of the Year?

On my hunt for Christmas presents the other day I came by this funny gingerbread man spatula ( from Jernia). I got it for a nice price too. I think this will be my man of the year and it fit perfectly in my brown jar with my other kitchen utensil.

Pasta with seafood and garlic

On my way home from work today I had to stop by the grocery store to get a few items and I ended up bringing a nett with mussels back home. I love mussels, my first experience with mussels was in Brussels when I was 18. My Aunt took me to a restaurant in a dark, but cozy basement at Grand Place. After that day I have loved mussels and french fries (the thick kind), in France it  is called Mole de frite. Of course I can not have the thick french fries any more so I have to come up with other deliciouse recipes wiht mussels in it.

You might notice the discrepances from the photos and the recipe with some of the ingredients, I used what  I had in my fridge. I have given you the recipe from a magazine since I like those ingredients better than the once I used.

Here is the recipe I tried out today with lovely fresh mussels:

1 nett of mussels or clams
5 cups/ 500 g pasta
0,6 lb /300 g shrimps/scampi
1 zucchini
1 yellow onion
3 garlic cloves
2 tbs oil (I used my rate of walnut oil of the day which is 1 tsp a day)
1/2 cup/ 1 dl chopped parsley
1/3 cup/ 1/2 dl white wine
salt and pepper

• Stir 4 cups/1 liter of water with 1/2 cup/1 dl salt and put the mussels in the water for about 10 minutes, the mussels will then let go of  the sand thats left.
• Clean the mussels and throw out the mussels that wont close when you poke them.
• Boil the pasta as instructed on the box.
• Peel the shrimp/scampi.
• Slice the zucchini in thin slices, peel and chop the onion and garlic.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the shrimp and let them get a little colour. Then add the zucchini, onion and garlic, let it sizzle for a couple of minutes.
• Add the pasta, parsley, and wine and let it simmer. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
• Add the mussels and steam for 3-5 minutes until they are open. Throw away the ones that is still closed

• Mix the pasta and mussels and serve with a slice of lime, a little shredded parmesan (optional) and bread.

Enjoy!

To all FODers - New inspiration!

This morning I had a look at the FOD Family Support Group web site, it have been ages since I last visited the web site. Since I am a little more than average interested in food and recipes I had a look at "nutrition & recipes", on the bottom of the page I found this:

http://www.fodsupport.org/nutrition.htm

Low-fat Recipes, Products and 'FUN-to-Read' Cook Books

• Translated Dutch MCT Cookbook
• Lowfat Recipe Blog from an adult FODer in Norway
• Lowfat Diet with MCT Cookbook [*please use Pauline's new email bourkepauline87@gmail.com if you would like more info on MCT oil recipes]
• University of Louisville Recipes with MCT Oil
• Looneyspoons: Low-fat Food Made Fun ©1996 Granet Publishing, Inc.
• Crazy Plates: Low-fat Food So Good, You'll Swear It's Bad For You! ©1999 Granet Publishing, Inc.
• Skinny Cow Lowfat Products
• Food FAQs: Substitutions, Yields & Equivalents ©2000 FAQs Press

I read "lowfat recipe blog from an adult FODer in Norway" and thought that must be me so i clicked on the link and up came my blog, "B` Serendipitious adventures". Then it came to me that Deb had asked me just when I started the blog last fall if she could make a link on the FOD web site to my blog. I had totally forgotten about that. When I startet this blog the purpose was to share my low fat recipes with other FODers and other people who loves food. Unfortuneatly I have not been inspired to  write about my experiences in my kitchen for a long time. This will change now, I promise. Let's think about this as an early New Year's resolution.

I would love it if you make comments on my blog, maybe you have a little twist on what I have done. I love new ideas when it comes to food and my recipes.

A Perfect Fall day in The Bean Town

On my first Sunday in my vacation I went for a walk in Boston Common and through Bostons Public Garden to get to Newbury street to do some shopping. The sun was shining and it was in nice and warm in the 60'.  I walked passed this couple enjoying the nice weather and each other, this much be the most perfect way to spend a nice Fall Sunday while living in a big city with the one you love.

I love the Fall colours and I am so happy that they were still in New England when I arrived.

"Make it simple!"

My African drums teacher Kossa thought me to make" it simple" when I choose my beat while playing the drums with the kids at work. We have a rime and rythm project going on and some of us have attended  African drum classes,  six houre intensive course last Spring and another shorter course today. We are learning, both children and adult a bunch of new and old rimes and riddles, its quite impressive how fast the children learn, I must admit that I am a slow learner. Can I blame it on my age and that my brain is so full of knowledge and wisdom that there is no room for  more???

On my way home from the course today  I suddenly realised that there is not only in my rythm and beat I should make it simple, it goes for most things in life too.

Sometimes I gets these revelations, I have no idea where they come from.

This is something for me to thing about when I on Saterday are going on vacation to Mexico and a couple of day with my Aunt in Boston.

Fat free New York style cheesecake in one two three!

A few years ago I could't not imagine a life without NY style cheesecake. After almost three years on my diet I have gotten used to it, but seriously it has been hard work to convince myself that it is bad for me. A couple a weeks ago a colleague of mine brought some cheesecake to work that had to be eaten, I was really strict with myself and I did not have a piece, just a small taste which I just had to have when she told me the recepie. It tastet like a piece of heaven, if heaven can have a taste. It was made of Philadelfia cream cheese and marshmallow fluff, she only whipped it together and it was done. I think she said she used butter crackers and butter for the bottom part of the cake, but I did'nt listen to that part since it is a big no no for me.

After having the smalles taste of a cheescake ever I sat there thinking about this recepie and a big smile came across my face as I realized that I could make my bellowed NY style cheesecake with almost no fat, only 5 % . If I had lived in the States I could have made a fat free NY style cheesecake, 0% fat. I thought I had died and come to heaven. I will definitly make this cake in Boston in November when I am visiting my Dearest Aunt.

I have not  made this low fat NY styel cheese cake yet, but today I made the filling with  two parts Philadelfia cream cheese and one part marshmallow fluff. I just wipped these two ingrediences together and it was done. Next time, I will make the whole cake and I will use Laurie Miller Tarrs MCT oil fudge brownie recepie,I will only use half of the batter for the bottom of the cake. In my mind this will be the greatest combination of flavours I love, chocolate and cheesecake.

I hope some of you will share  my entusiasme for this fat free NY style cheesecake.

Enjoy!!

Girsl out on a shopping spree

Girsl out on a shopping spree tends to turne out quite expensive. I wrote in my last article about the "LBD" that I am not particular fond of shopping for clothes, but every once in a while when I am out  shopping with friends I think its fun. Last weekend I was going to Sweden to buy lactose free and low fat milk. I ended up buying three more items that was not planned that day.  When that is said, I have thought about buying them for a while and I can easily defend each purchase:

• My first purchase, a small umbrella. My other two are broken and I need a small one to carry around in my bag. It has to be small since I need to take it with me when I am out on town, so it has to fit in a small purse also. On this note I come to my second and most important purchase of the day....
• A clutch bag that is big enough to fit a small umbrella, a hair brush (I am so vain when it comes to my hair), my cell and a couple of other small items.
• The third purchase of the day was a shawl in a lovely dark pink with frills, I quote my friend "I didn't know that you had a little hippie inside you". Why I bought it is as simple as this, I need a vest this fall, so instead of a vest I will wear this beautiful shawl.

 Already last Saterday night  I had an opportunity to use my new clutch bag along with my "LBD", and I rocked the outfit with high black boots and some jewellery.

How I grind meat - fat redused minced meat

I love hamburgers, meatballs and pizza with meatsauce, since I no longer can buy minced meat in the stores because of the large amount of fat I just have to make it myself. Last Winter I bought a grinder, I also mince turkey and fish.
Here is how I grind the meat:

First I cut away slinters and fat before I cut the meat into dices.

Then I feed the grinder with the meat.

When all the meat is minced I make 100 gram portaions that I freeze in plastic bags.

My Aunt who is a Wizard in the kitchen has taught me to make the portions of meat flat so they are faster to thaw later on.

Enjoy!

A easy and tasty dinner idea!

BEEF SERVED ON RICE WITH AN APPLE AND RED UNION COMPOT

Today I had beef served on rice and apple and red union compot. The recepie for the compot can be found in this article here. Cook the meat for 4 minuttes on each side, cook the rice as on instructionS and  make the compot while the meat and rice are cooking. Use mesurements/amount that will feed your family.

LBD - A little black dress

This week I finally became one of the many women around the world that has a LBD in their wardrobe, my search for this little piece of resistance has been long. I don't wear skirts or dresses to often but I like to dress up once in a while. For years the mantra that "every woman should own a simple, elegant black dress that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion" has been luring on  my mind, but I have never stumbeld over one that I like and that was affordable until last week. I am not partically fond of shopping clothes, so if I find something  it just by good luck.
The origin to the little black dress dates back to the 1920s design of Coco Chanel who wanted to create a dress that would be long-lasting,versatile, affordable, accessible to the widest market possible and in a neutral color. The little black dress has for years been referred to as the "LBD". It is also said that if the dress is clearly part of a trend it is not counted as a "LBD", it has to be a dress that is classic and can survive for many years of fashion trends.
What I love about my "LBD" it that it is made of a fabric that dont wrinkel, so it is easy to put in a bag for a trip  or a long weekend and I can just pulled it out of the bag and give it a shake and it is ready to wear.

One of the most famous "LBD" was worn by actress Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

I would like to dedicate this article to my good friend Anne, who has been my inspiration to become a mini fashionista . Love you Girl!

Is it Fall or is it a second Summer!

A couple of weeks ago my Mum took me around back at her house to show me what she had descovered a couple of days earlier. I thought it was some kind of exotic mushroom since it is Fall and she loves to go "hunting" for mushrooms in the surrounding woods, but no it was the wild strawberries that had started to bloom again with flowers and unripe berries.
Later that week I also heard on the radio that the chestnut threes was blooming for the second time this year.
This makes me wonder whats happening to our world, global warming and etc.

Something to think about!!!!

Two great ways to spend Friday Night

 The fall has come and it has rained a lot, but I would like to give a praise to the nice weather we have had that everyone seems to forget  every time it rains. I work at a daycare center and get to enjoy the good weather as I do get to experience the ugly weather when it is cold, windy and rainy outside and the kids have to go out and play, but I would like to remember and praise all the nice weather alsoThree weeks ago I left work early and the weather was great, so I desided to make the one houre drive to my Mums house in the country side and enjoy the beautiful Fall weather. When I got there we sat outside in the sun and ate dinnner before we went for a lovely walk that gave us so much energy and happy feelings inside. When we got back I had a nice glass of Rosé watching the sun set before I went inside, baked a apple cake and fired up in the lovely fireplace from 1952.




 I went to bed that night feeling happy inside. Days like these makes it so much easier to accept that the Summer is over and makes the transition to nice Fall evenings inside with the fireplace burning with a good book sitting under the blanket and maybe enjoying a nice hot and spiced up apple cider. I will chare this recepie with you later this Fall.

The weather was as lovely as three weeks ago agian this Friday and I left work early again and headed out for my Mums place in the country side. I had planed to have a nice long walk with my Mum before going to my friend Lindas house to do some scrapping. Unfortuneatly I fell last Friday and hurt my foot real bad and was not able to go for a walk. We tried to, but had to turne after 100 meters because my foot hurt to much. So we had a nice dinner outside in the sun. After dinner I grabbed a big bag of candy and headed out for Lindas house. We ended up having candy, beer, soda and listening to Swedish folk songs while scrapping. I made a wonderfull birtday card for my Mum who turnes 60 in a couple of weeks.
It was a nice way to spend a Friday in the Fall of 2011.

Above, candy, beer and the card early on....

Below is the result of this cozy Friday night!

Happy birthday girls!

My friend Christine held a birthday party last Saterday and of course I had to make her a card. I have had a little dry spell for a couple of months now, but with the fall a lot of birthdays and a christening are coming up. This weekend I am celebrating my Mums cousins daughters birthday, she is turning 5 years old.

Christine likes to sing and drink wine/champagne, so I made her a pink card with elements like notes, a champagne cork and some funny girls.

 You have to put our head to one side to have a look at this photo as I can not find it on my computer.

Emma's card isfilled wuth butterflies and bright colours.

 Put your head to one side please...

 HAPPY BIRTHDAYS GIRLS!!

A Magical weekend on the Mountains




  The view

This weekend I borrowed a cabin on the
Mountains of Sjusjøen, my friend and I drove up in Friday afternoon after work, stopped for some groceries were we totally fell in love in the local dialect, I am sure I could marry a farmerboy from that part of the country only because of the dialect. After a few wrong turnes we found our way to the cabin. It has been 9 years since I last visited the cabin, but I still remembered the great view. I had been bragging about this breathtaking view to my friend, so I was so pleased that the weather was good and that we could see for miles. When we woke up the next morning the fog was so thick and low that we barely saw the three tops 20 meter from the cabin. So when the weather was not treating us good we drove 30 minutes down to Lillehammer to do some shopping and when we got back home we made up a fire in the fireplace and popped a botle of sparkling wine and made a lot of great food.

On Sunday before driving back home we went for a little walk around the cabin and I would love to show you the magical and fairylike  feeling we got with the fogg and the low threes on the mountain.





Our cabin

 





Can you see the alves dancing...

 






A beautiful fairy?





Handsome firemen and a "desperate" single Woman?

Today we were suprised by two very handsome firemen who came to my work claiming that the firealarm was set off. They came in a brand new yellow firetruck, I must admit that I like the old red ones better. When I went outside all the Ladies, my dear colleagues yelled, "Hi, Beatrice was it you that set of the firealam to get the handsome Firemen here"
I wonder what made them immediately think it was MY doing! True, I am single. True, I am on the look out for Mr. perfect, but really Ladies I am NOT that desperate that I have to set of a false fire alarm just to get a good look at two of Lørenskog hottest firemen! REALLY!

Thomas the cute and cuddly cat

I don't need to get a animal of my own when I am so lucky to "baby sit" for my friends animals. The last week before I went on vacation I was so lucky to stay at one of my friends house in the country side to feed and look after her cute 6 months old cat Thomas. He was out on his adventures the first night so when he jumped infront of my car when I came home the second day, I picked him up and let him sitt on my lap for the rest of the drive up the driveway.
He wanted to be cuddled with all the time so  he would not leave me alone when I sat down on the couch watching a movie or when I read my book on the bed.

Thomas in the car

Thomas asleep on the couch after spending two days out on exiting adventures

Mjau, I am such a little satisfied cat.