onsdag 13. april 2011

An old fashion way of saying that someone is handsome

I have to admit that I some times enjoy an episode or two of the American crime drama series about a forensic anthropologist, Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan and a FBI agent, Seeley Booth that solves crimes in the area around Washington D.C..
I just love the cemistry between the two main caracters and how they interact. I can not and will not deny that I find  "Booth" extremely handsome and charming and I just love the way "Bones" describes him as "pleasing to look at".
I find this old fashion way of saying that someone is handsom most agreeable and charming.
It might come from my love of reading old classic novels and dramas as Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensebility and Little Women.

My very own olive tree, almost like in Seillans,Provance

I have been in love with the silver greeen olive trees since I went with my Aunt on a search for a old stone house with a small garden and a olive tree in Provance for more than 13 years ago. We did found our dream house in a lovely medival village. At the bottom of our village, Seillans there is a beautiful olive grove and there is nothing as beautiful as a olive grove in the early morning sun with last nights dew glittering in the sun light. I have wanted a olive tree in my living room for over a year now since I redecorated last Easter. I thought that the silver green leaves would work wonderful next to my new wall paper.

A couple of days ago one of my colleagues talked about her trip to IKEA to buy olive trees for her and her two children. She offered to stop by on her way home from work that day to see if they had some left, and they did. The very next day I was the proud owner of my first olive tree.

 It is not a Provance style olive grove, but I think it looks wonderful in my living room next to my modern wall paper.



A beautiful estate in our village

The olive grove in Seillans

onsdag 6. april 2011

True signs that the Spring is on its way



I am walking around with the sun shinning above my head these days,both in sun shine and pouring rain. I guess it is the nice Spring feeling that has enter my mood. I just can't stop smiling. I am sure it is the warmer weather, the happy songs from birds up in the threes, the melting snow and that I have finally tossed my winter jacket and boots.
Other signs that gives away that the Spring is here are the umbrella in my
bag and the childrens rubber boots that are filled with water after playing in ice cold  puddles of melted snow filled with dirt from the last few months.

I must say I am enjoying the Spring im'mensely.







mandag 28. mars 2011

How to drive a bus on winding roads on La Gomera

I have just spent a wonderful week on Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. Some would say that Tenerife is a destination for older people who needs to stay in a warmer climat during the winter time or young people who are only going there to party all night and sleep it of in the sun the day after. For you Americans this will be like going on Spring break to Cancun. I must admit that I was a little bit of a sceptic when I booked the trip and on arriving there. As the week went on we went on a couple of adventures, a full day guided bus tour to one of the smaller neigbourly islands, La Gomera and a half day trip to the vulcano Teide.
Both tours were wonderful, but the trip to La Gomera was interesting in several ways. We learned a lot about Islands's history, the culture, the agriculture (bananas, potatoes, mangoes, avocados, fish), we listen to the ancient whistling language and how they comunicated with only the sounds and how it phoneticly soundes like the Spanish languge. To get up to and back down from "The Parque Nacional De Garajonay" we had to travel on narrow and winding roads.

The road was so narrow and curving that on the most narrow parts the busdriver had to use his horn as a warning signal to cars/buses coming in the opposite direction. On several occation's the driver had to put the bus in reverse, as he was parking the bus to get around the curve. Another thing, after staying in Tenerife almost a week, having been a passenger in taxi's,  local buses and privat coaches I noted that they use the horn in a whole different way than I am used too. The horn was used to make a cortecy signal  to other drivers that we were coming, to greet or to say thanks to other drivers. As a driver this driving culture impressed me a lot. I know that most of the time we use our horns in Norway or in the US we use it when we are irritated on other drivers on their idiotic driving.

 All the driving on narrow roads where really worth it, just look at these marvelous photos of the scenery and views on La Comera.



 The view from our table at the restaurant in the hill sides where we had an autentic lunch with a delicious soup with a strong pepper sauce called "mojo" and chicken and potatos prepared in the Canarian style.
The Canarian potetaos boild in sea salt was my favorite from the Canarian kithcen.

mandag 7. februar 2011

Fat free cornbread

 I have said it before and I will say it again, after spending so many vacations in the States I have never had cornbread, so finally this weekend I tried to make a fat free variation and it turned out great. It sounds so good to have fresh and warm cornbread with a nice turkey or fried chicken (no more fried stuff for me though).

Next time I will try it out with a couple of tbsp of fat free sour cream/yoghurt to make it more juicy.

Here is how the corn bread was made

1 cup/ 2 1/2 dl cornmeal
1 cup/ 2 1/2 dl  all- purpose flower (wheat flour)
3 tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
4 egg whites
1 cup/ 2 1/2 dl skimmed milk
4 tbsp mct-oil

You can also add 2 tbsp of fat free sour cream/yoghurt a more juicy cornbread.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and add all the liquids and stir lightly until it is mixed together.  Grease a baking pan and pour pour the batter in. Bake the corn bread at 390 degrees F/200 degrees C in the midle of the oven for about 20-25 minuts or until it is nice and golden.

Enjoy!



A perfect description of my cornbread.


Chocolate in different disguise, A sweet tooth's sweetest dreams!




After work today I went strait home to make myself some dinner to get my energy up and prevent my muscles to act up on me. I have no time for high ck levels now, anyway who wants that! So here I am on the couch having eaten a healty dinner and letting my body relax a little and it is no better time than now to check out different bloggs I follow. On one of them Tea & Cookies, there was a post on a hot chocolate crawl. A group of friend in Seattle every year, once during the long and cold Winter goes on a Hot chocolate crawl to try out and find the best hot chocolate in Seattle. This post really appealed to me as I am a sweet tooth, espescially for home made hot chocolate, the kind that is thick, dark and luscious. As I can not treat myself to one of those sinfully cups of hot chocolate I savor all my good memories of them I have had pre diagnose. I have some great memories from a Chocolate Museum in Barcelona, the hot chocolate was so thick and sweet and for a couple of moments I was in Paradise.

Last Christmas I went to Rome with some good friends, as one of them are addicted to espresso we made small stops in almost every  little cozy cafè we came by. I, myself don't care to much for any kind of coffee, so I got to try out a large range of ciccolata calda, some of them were just a sweet chocolate powder mixed with water or milk, but a couple of times I got a cup of heaven, as thick and sweet as a old fashion hot chocolate should be.



Other chocolate favorits of mine are èclair au chocolat, I used to indulge myself in them when ever I went to France which was quite often as my Aunt has a house in Provance and I love Paris. These days I only have one on every trip to France and I am very picky on which Boulangerie I buy it from.

I would also recomend all chocolate lover out there to watch "Chocolat" with Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche. I don't know what I love the most about the movie, the charming french atmosphere, the sinfully chocolate shop or JOHNNY DEPP (my favorite actor since "21th Jump Street").

Below are a couple of photos of the dark, sinfully, luscious, and delicous Mr Johnny Depp!!!





onsdag 2. februar 2011

Birthdaycard for my beloved Aunt


I have not done much scrapping since before Christmas when I made a lot of Christmas cards and gift tags. I kind of had had enough of scrapping for a while. Last week I made a list of the cards I have to make in January and February and it turned out to be a quite a few, so now I have gotten the spirit back and have made a couple of cards. I like to try new ideas so I don't always make the standard 6 by 6 inch cards every time. So for my Aunt who turnes 65 this week I have made this 3D kind of card.
Since I can't be with her and celebrate as she lives in Boston and I in Norway, I have with this card sent her a birthday song (the notes), flowers, some good wine, cake and my best wishes.

Happy Birthday my dearest Aunt !