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.