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!

A first and most likely a last!

In the begining of September I went to my friend Rossie's Wedding in the Berkshires and the ride to the Wedding was a school bus.

This is the first time I have been in an American Yellow school bus and it is most likely to be my last.

These yellow buses are kind of a ikon in American movies, so this was a cultural adventure in line with many other events this Wedding Weekend.

 

 

Fun !



Weird in NY

 

After staying in an apartment on the 16th floor on Fifth Avenue every Summer in my teens  I have always had a facination with roof tops and water tanks in NY. So while visiting NY this month I went around taking photo's of water tanks.

a little weird, but in NY everything goes.

 

Sweet Corn - my favorite

 

 

I think I might live in the wrong Country (climat),  the reason for this statement is that I just love fresh corn on the cob, sweet corn is just SO good. In the last three years I have only spottet fresh corn at the grocery store here in Norway two times and the quality is not good at all. I guess I have been spoiled on my trips to the States.

My home town should definitely be on the East coast, like Boston or more preferably New York City. Brooklyn might work too, my visit to my friend Rossie a couple of weeks ago gave me a whole new look at Brooklyn. I just love the place !!!

 

 

Over to the dish of the Summer. I prefere to boil the corn for a couple of minutes (4 - 10 minutes, it depends on how cooked you like you corn) and serve it with butter, salt and pepper. 

How ever it is nice with a little variation, so my Aunt made me this great Sweet corn and tomato salad with fresh basil, it tasted just divine.

 

What you need is:

 

sweet corn

red and yellow tomatoes

fresh basil

salt and pepper

 

Boil the corn to your liking, drain, cool, and cut kernels off the cob with a sharp knife. Cut the tomatoes in cubes. Toss the corn, tomatoes with shredded basil and serve it with nice fresh bread.

A nice glas of chilled white wine goes perfect with this salad on a nice hot Summer day (on any other nice day to).

 

If you don't have a fat issue, like most of us with a FOD does, you can also serve it with a nice olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.



Enjoy!

My day in Cambridge

 

After a long breakfast and some American tv, I made a sandwich for lunch and headed down to Harvard Square. After some shopping  a scarf and three books, I am such a nerd. I even got hit on in the book store!!!

 

 

 

 

I found a nice bench in this park outside of Peet's Coffee house where  I enjoyed my lunch, watched the people and listen to a street musician.

 

Peet's has a lovely Jamin tea.

 

 

 



 

 

 

On my way home I stopped in Cambridge Common and read for an houre in one of my new books and just enjoyed the nice weather and people watching before heading home for a snack and then heading out again for  my very first pedicure and my second manicure. So now my hands and feet are ready for the Wedding this weekend in the Berkshires.

 

 

Breakfast in Boston part 2 - Blueberry pancakes

My morning in photo's

 

 

Waking up to the sun and this view.

 

 



 

 

Making a pot of tea for my Aunt (who runs out of the door to work almost before I am up and about) and myself.

 

Making the pancake batter with blueberries (must admit that I only added water to some mix, which I never ever do. How ever this is not my kitchen, so I don't have all the ingrediens that I need to make them from scratch).

 

Look how pretty it is!!

 

I just love blueberries.....

 

 



Three deliciouse pancakes on the griddle.

 

 



 

Ready for devour (feast on,might be a more beautiful way to put it)!

 

 



Breakfast in Boston - St Thomas English Muffins.

Since I was 10 years old I have come to The States to visit my Aunt and one of the first of my American breakfast was St Thomas Englihs muffins. So as I like traditions , St Thomas English muffins are a must.
I used to have cream cheese and grape jam, but after I got diagnosed I have to settle for jam, this time apricot jam.
To make it a perfect breakfast I have to have OJ, tea and some fruit (this is more of an adult thing, not so much when I was 10.)

Pumpkin soup

The Fall is right around the corner and they have started selling pumpkins in the grocery store. The other day I found a pumpkin that was cut into four pieces which  made a perfect piece for me to bring home and make this deliciouse soup. Just look at the colour!!!

1,3 lb/ 600 g pumpkin
0,50 lb/ 250 g peeled potatoes
3-4 gloves of garlic
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp curry
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 big tomato, chopped in dices
2 1/2 cup/ 1/2 l vegetable broth

lime juice
salt and pepper
chives

• Peel and chop the pumpkin and potatoes in small dices. Chop garlic and onion.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil (your choice) in a larger saucepan, gently cook onion and garlic with the curry for a couple of minuttes. Then add potatoes, pumpkin, ginger and tomato and gently cook them another five minuttes.
• Poure the vegetable stock into the pan and lett it simmer for  about  30 minuttes.
• Pureè stock and vegetables with a hand blender.
• Taste the soup with lemon juice, salt and pepper and decorate with chives for a nice green touch.

Serve it with home made bread.

Enjoy!

 

A new school year has started and a lot of lunch boxes to make - were do  I go for inspiration to make my lunch box more exciting and not borring?. To make my lunch box exciting with so many restrictions that my diagnose gives is a every day challenge. A month ago a new challenge was
thrown at me, I am now also lactose intolerant, this makes my repertoire even smaller.
 

On a nice sunny day at the lake I was laying on the pier and reading magazine and I found an article about a book that main purpose are to give parents new inspiration and ideas for the kids lunch boxes.

I fell in love with the book right away (I  must admit that I am a book lover, I have more books than I can count, especial cook books ) I decided that this is a book I need to have. I dont have any kids yet, but I thought that this book can give me some inspiration. A couple of days later I

,began my quest for the book, I went to all the books stores close in my visinity without any luck (I dont like to ask for help, so I went home empty handed), when I got home  I made some research on the internet and found out that the book was not  out in the stores yet, the release date was 3 weeks away. So the "long" and cruel wait started.

 

 

In the  mean time I began my search for the perfect lunch box. The kids at work have had a lot of fun lunck boxes from a Norwegian designer that is called Blafre, I have always loved these boxes because of the fun designe, but I have never wanted one myself. Mostly because they are kind of "childish" as they main target are children. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I wanted one myself, beause they remind me of my childhood and they room a lot of small boxes and food. I bought this retro style with colours that reminden me of my Old Daycare center I went to in the 80s.

 

 

 

 

I bought these small boxes when on holiday this Summer, they are perfect for left overs from dinner, fruit, veggies and other good food.

 

Because of my diet I bake all my bread and rolls myself, I had 

 just made a batch of fresh rolls the other night that  I cut in half and freeze. Every morning while in the shower I heat them in the oven. This way I have fresh rolls every day. I just HATE stale bread/rolls.

 

I just love my little birdie that eats the little red berries.

When pigs fly!

How to give a lady in her Golden years a good laugh........

Tonight after finishing a card for a Wedding  I am attending in the Berkshires, MA next weekend I had so much inspiration left so  I made this fun card. This fun "when pigs fly" card is for one of my favorit persons in the States, even in the whole wide world.

I especially liked this pattern since it reminded me of a bread company with yummy bread in The US that I have enjoyed on numerous occasions with this great great great person! So it acctually reminded me of her and I know she will get a good laugh when she gets this card when I have left  after a 10 days stay at her house in Boston.

This is the final result. Simple, but fun! Love you my dearest Auntie!

Homemade tomato soup with chicken

It is a long time since I made this soup so this was not planed other than I bought the tomato juice in the store with this soup in mind. This soup is low on fat, easy and tasty. The base of this soup is chicken broth, tomato juice, chicken, kidney beans, onion and garlic. Today I added beets, chili and basil leaves. Other ingredients I use can be corn, red pepper, zucchini and other vegetables I have in my kithcen.

1 red or yellow onion
2 garlic cloves
4 cups/1 liter chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups/5 dl tomato juice
1 can  kidney beans
1 chicken breast filet in thin slices

1 beet cut in cubes
1/2 chili with seeds
some basil leaves

Have the broth and tomato juice in a large casserole and let it heat up while cutting the other ingredienses. Add the onion and garlic and other veggies and let it boil for 5 minutes. For the last 5 minutes add chicken and kidney beans. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve this with white bread or pasta like macaroni

Enjoy!

Fat redused basil pesto

 

 I LOVE pesto, I used too use it to every thing, with salmon, pork, chicken, pasta, on soup bread, pita, ON burgers, IN burgers and on my sandwiches. After I started on the diet, store bought pesto was banned from my kitchen. For the last three years I have tride to make the perfect pesto with as little parmesan, pine nuts and oil ( I use MCT oil, which my body can break down without turning it in to poisen) as possible, but I have never been able to make it as I want it. Now I have come up with a pesto that is okey, you get used to make sacrifices on taste when you have to follow a strict diet as I have to, only 6-10 g fat a day. Off course the pesto from the store or the one Jamie Oliver makes taste fantastic, but they use like ten times the amount of parmesan, pine nuts and olive oil as I do.
So today I will share my "perfect" basil pesto:

0,10 oz pine nuts (3 g)

0,17 oz parmesan cheese (5 g)

1/2 clove of garlic

2 cups basil leaves (4dl)

1 tbsp MCT oil (use the oil your diet allows)

1/2 tbsp lemon juice (just to get the pesto more moist)

 

Lightly toast the pine nuts to get the nice creamy taste rather than a nutty taste when you toast them until they are brown.

 

 Then use a morter to ground the garlic, parmesan and pine nuts.

When this nice mix of great flavoures are ready, put it in a larger mixing bowl together with the basil and the oil.  Use a electric blender to to mince it all toghether or use a food processor and puls it all together.
Look at this nice and fresh green colour and the smell of parmesan and basil is just amazing. My mouth is watering as I writte this.

As I wrote  above I use pesto on almost every thing, last night I had pasta and chicken with pesto.
I had some left over and brought it to work the day afer, my co-workers was like hmmmm that smells nice, is it pesto?

 

Enjoy!