Christmas eve dinner, umpth cassarole

Åj. It was a nice Christmas dinner, partly planned and partly improvised. Beetroot sweet potato cassarole (umpth version, we've been preparing several from several ingredients) with blue cheese and layered salad. Plus all the extras, cheeses, pickles, breads, wine. Meateaters had meat and fish but that's not interesting at all. Plus sweets, chocolate, salty liquorice, gingerbread, cookies, cookies. And did I say cookies?

Plus two presents, more on the way still!

Christmas decoration

My Christmas tree decreased to some branches in a vase, but it is still green and spruce-ish. The decoration is 1/2 of origami diamond, folded from metallic candy wrappings. Looks like small trees, doesn't it? 

Plums, processed

A bag of plums from a friend has been converted to compote and liqueur during the autumn months. This is the sweet result, ready to be distributed as gifts.

Trad.

On Finnish independence day last week I baked trad. finnish pastries riisipiirakka. Rice porridge inside a thin rye tortilla-ish flatbread, baked in hot oven and served with mashed eggs+butter. Along with pastries we prepared an almost trad. finnish root veggie casarole. Not the spiciest or most exotic combination of the culinary world, but sweet and homelike.

Lady of shallot

Another dinner, another winter salad. I'm becoming a pro. Honeyroasted beetroot, lovely shallots, root parsley and pine seeds on spinach bed. Radishes and goat cheese on top.

Hot drink made of cranberry juice, sweet red wine and spices. Some ginger and lemon to tame excess sweetness. And as dessert warm dumplings with blueberry sauce.

I got a little carried away with the pretzel deco... Also NB the blue potato chips, they were hued nicely with the blueberries.

Winter italian

Finding delicious sweet tomatos in December is difficult. I didn't manage to do it so my italian(ish) tomato soup was also about canned whole tomatos and dried tomatos. With lentils, basil and cream.

Having only two pots sets some limits to dinner serving,  mushroom-olive and pepper-mozzarella bruschettas were prepared in oven so there was another pot available for apple-saffron mulled wine. Nothing even remotely italian about that but hey, it is cold outside.

I had high hopes for the dessert and I wasn't disappointed: 2 kind of chocolate truffles, 2 kind of cookies, 3 kind of pastries. And dark chocolate.

Who says salad is only for summer

Cold weather is a great excuse to devour hearty food. Salads fatten up too, I really enjoy making different mixtures of warm salads. First some sturdy robust greenies on plate, covered with something warm. Whether marinated pasta or potatos, roasted veggies, gratinated cheese. Sprinkled with sauce, nuts and seeds and a whole winter meal is ready. (oh how cookbookish that sounds)

On the pictured salad version first one with beetroot, butternut squash and goat cheese, other with superyummy roasted red pepper, avocado and radishes. Not forgetting home made mustard mayonnaise.

Pomegranate x 3

Royal red pomegranates resting on the table gives one a feeling of luxury, wealth, exuberancy. So far seeds have found their way into müsli (great), mulled wine (hmm... ok) and for the dessert: winter-marinated pears with pomegranate seeds and creamy blue cheese. The marinate spice combo of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, lemon, a touch of ginger is just so seasonal. Just be sure to use green cardamom, not black cardamom, as black tastes exactly like smoky throat pastilles. This was the most recent discovery exploring new spices

and ingredients.

Educational day

I learned frog pose (mandukasana) and fish pose (matsyasana), 12 new words in english (hullo my dear Merriam-Webster) inclunding pernickety, nitid and hyaline. Also learned the rudimentary operating principle of gyroscope. I wish still to learn how to knit a buttonhole, but that's too much for one day.

Invincible dream

After a very nice relaxing evening yesterday I had one of the best dreams ever, maybe even the ultimate best.

I was bathing in finnish sauna with my loved one. We went out to roll in the snow in the light of the full moon, it was a cold crisp midwinter night. When I looked up to the sky, I saw the greatest, most colorful Aurora Borealis ever. More vivid and color-saturated awaken mind can ever imagine. Along the northern lights there were nebulas, comets, shooting stars and also alien space ships shuttling in beautiful precise formations across the sky. I felt my heart bursting with happiness, joy and pride.

Under the bridge

Walked in Troja for 3 hours to clear my head the other day, it's hard to beat the crisp sunny days of late autumn. November showed its best character. On my way I walked through a truly cool underpass at Prague 7. Just love love love the minimalistic details.

Some days are stickier than others

Today is thick and sticky. Everywhere I go, Internet connections don't work properly. My nose is running and I have a heavy head. People don't answer to emails, people I meet are somehow gloomy and reluctant. Someone I met just two months ago didn't recognizse me, have I turned old all of a sudden? The tram was slower than ever so I missed my appointment. I feel neglected, disrespected, disqualified for no reason. Plus I'm hungry. 

Simultaneously I'm trying to figure out what is it that makes me feel like this. Nothing hormonal, no more setbacks than usually. I want to feel calm, peaceful, happy. Not cranky, ferocious and frantic.

I'll make a list of things that I can do to feel better. Preparing and eating good food usually helps. Maybe portobello burgers with sesame seed mayo. Pomegranate something as dessert. Lo and behold, I already feel lighter thinking about pomegranates!

Presidential dream

I became the president of Café Club Börlin. I had no idea what the club was about but it sounded great. The club had been dormant for some time and I was to the one to revive its actions.

I was given a fancy shiny black car because I was the president. Even though I couldn't drive a car at all. So I didin't start the engine but instead kicked speed with my foot.

Delicatessen

It has been some weeks of total feasting. Friend visiting, harvest delicacies, long dinners, lazy breakfasts. A lot of veggie restaurants, cafés, hot wine, cakes, cookies... After Christmas season I should start a new active non-fat life, my skirts and jeans have been shrinking mysteriously.

The butternut squash has been one of the most delightful findings this autumn. Latest pumpkin dishes were chocolate cake, pumpkin risotto and roasted pumpkin-goat cheese-raddish-pine seed-avocado salad. Yummy! Especially the cake, I can't stop wondering how delicious and moist it is. The recipe (in finnish, sorry) is originally from Frantsila organic herb farm cookbook, we altered it a bit. No nuts but seeds, butternut instead of zucchini, organic egg instead of soy flour etc. We've been eating the cake with Madagascar vanilla ice cream which happens to be the best ice cream in whole wide world!

I think I'll pause posting this and have a slice of the cake with my newly roasted Sumatran coffee. Just wait a sec. Photo comes later.

Independent island dream

I was on my way to a remote island. The ship sank, only a few of us passengers survived to the island. It was a totally self-sufficient independent place, they even had their own electricity voltage. Electronic devices couldn't be charged on the mainland, only on the island.

The island was somehow situated in eastern Finland, still it had mangroves and river deltas, rain forests. Also the time passed differently on the island. I talked to a teenaged boy who rejoiced about the last free summer before starting school at the age of seven. He looked more like 17 than 7. I realized that the island would be a rare once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Scouting the planet dream

I landed on a strange planet on a space ship with my fellow space travellers. I was sent to scout if the planet was inhabitable.

During my exploring trek I reported to mothership that the planet was viable, rich in growth and flourishing, as well as totally empty of other beings. My colleagues seemed pleased, started the engines and left me there.

Taste buds need surprising

This moorish salad from Jamie Oliver was something new. Carrots, raddishes, apple, raisins with an intense tahini-sesame-pecan nut dressing. We ate it first with bruschetta-like bread and the next day with melted white cheese. The combination of crunchiness, softness, sweetness and strong tahini taste was really fresh.

October dinner

Veggie raving continues. But it's the season now, isn't it?

Last Sunday friends were served dinner with pumpkin soup and mushroom risotto. I prepared the soup, with risotto I turned to M. As dessert a moist lemon cake made by K, fresh beer from Naplvak's beer festival and some red wine. There can't be a better way to spend a leisured Sunday afternoon.

No more handicraft handicap

This is the first handicraft post EVER. Last Thursday I, owner of no handy skills whatsoever, sewed a shoulderbag. With kind help of my friend K who draw the pattern and instructed me. But it was me who did the actual sewing.

After that everything seems possible. I may pick up knitting needles, start carpentering, have a dog or run a marathon.

Butternut buffoonery

Oh jeez. Went to veggie market with modest intention to buy one modest pumpkin for Sunday's soup. Came home with a overflowing bagful: butternuts, orange winter pumpkin and zucchinis. Had to reluctantly leave ufos, decorative ones and the 35 kg giant there. Got somehow mesmerized by the chubby plumpness of the seasonal veggies.

Roasted the winter ones, and oh jeez how good they taste roasted! Ate quarter of them standing next to oven, straight from the pan piping hot. Like nuts, sweet potatos, carrots, potatos all in one. Just hope there'll be enough left for the soup. Or I need to make another trek to pumpkinland.

Additionally to pumpkins, I've developed a crush on The Saurus online, Merriam-Webster. [My name] and Merriam-Webster in the tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g.

Dessert dare

Invented desserts over pizza the other day. I came up with taste of pecan nuts caramellized in maple syrup, underneath some combo of meringue, white chocolate, cream cheese, vanilla, cheese cake-y. Did some googling to find base recipes to alter, combine and develop. The novelty dessert may see daylight already even as soon as this weekend.

It is going to be so delicious and so not healthy. And it will be named after me.

Harvesting #1

Garden season is about over, I've been done some minor harvesting already. Coriander seeds, mint, rosemary, chili. Next weekend more. I'll  dig up the perennial herbs and guerilla plant them around. Watch out, Prague 7.

Also did some semi-illicit foraging with long-armed friend, can't tell you more details or coordinates I'm sorry. The catch, 25 almonds is drying in lukewarm oven at this very moment. Almonds! It feels so southern and exotic! I'll be self-supported when it comes to almonds for some time.

It's October and I just can't stay away

No no, I have to share the harvest hype I'm experiencing. It is SO satisfying  to prepare food from seasonal ingredients. And how beautiful these autumn veggies look! The appetizing blaze of colors.

Some time ago I tamed an UFO zucchini into a gentle soup. Today's soup was more piquant, made out of carrots and chickpeas with indian spices. Accompanying a pungent fresh salad with kohlrabi, raddishes and lemon. Really good, just not sure whether it's stomach-friendly eaten in large quantities. We'll see.

Next thing I'm gonna do is to bake the ultimately best carrot cake in the world. Just need to borrow an oven pan from friends first. And the next post will be about harvesting my garden. Oh yes, thou shalt see the full extent of crop '13. Plus some guerrilla foraging!

Life beats blogging 6-0

A pause is in place, I think. Life is so good  just now, I'm concentrating on enjoying the days and nights of Prague med min igelkott.

The time previously used blogging is now directed elsewhere. But grieve not my faithful reader(s), as Arnold said, I'll be back.

The river dream

I was walking along the riverside of Göta kanal. There was a small hut with a blinking neon sign on roof saying "embarking point of unlikely adventures". I just knew that taking a boat from there would be the greatest trip ever. So I stayed there, waiting for the boat.

Life seems like an neverending BBQ

We've been grilling several times during the summer. Grilovaly jsme. There was an official end-of-the-summer BBQ already, but last weekend being sunny and warm it was followed by next-of-the-last BBQ. And maybe next weekend another one. Yummy things come and go, can't keep track of all the goodies we've had. Stromovka is a nice spot to grill, as they provide tables, benches, garbage bins and almost too curious dogs.

Last Sunday I made a dessert inspired by last weekend's pina colada muffins and cheese cake. Grilled pineapple marinated in rhum, lime and mint. On top of it sweet sauce from condensated milk, coconut cream and cream cheese, spiced with lime. So good. So heavy. Like combined pina colada and mojito. Cojito? Molada? Italian sweet Moscato to wash it down with. Other dishes were [sausage], chili marinated corn on the cob, guacamole and chimichurri.

Last weekend I had with me asian delicacies like kimchi-pickled radish and BBQ mock meat with a great smoky flavor.

Dream about the Woods

I'm on a joyride with an IT guy from my previous working place. First we're having fun but soon the driver accelerates so that we start joke nervously of being kidnapped. As we are. We're on our way to the Woods. And that's bad. Major bad.

At the Woods there's a mansion waiting, inside the mansion there's the man, landowner of the Woods. He has my sisters sitting in chairs looking pained and smiling unnaturally, he serves us cakes and sweet pastries. Nothing savoury, not even croissant. These serving finally unravel me the man's monstrosity. The Woods is an evil evil place.

Tuareg dream

I'm in the desert with someone important. The night is falling and we're about to go to sleep. I wish to put up a tent, but our native guide declines and disapprovingly tells us that we can't see the stars sleeping in a tent. Ok, we'll expose ourselves to leathally freezing night but if we freeze, we'll be frozen under a wonderful luminosity.

The day called today

It has been a good day. Woke up early in good company. Saw a mother and baby girl in tram wearing matching beige trench coats, mom in Burberry and daughter in buggy sucking a pacifier. Also saw a hiphopper dude in tram, ridiculously low-waist jeans and all. Listening to aggressive loud gangsta rap and reading Edgar Allan Poe. A dog grinning like maniac, carrying a stick twice as tall as the dog itself. Saw a happy person on a tram window reflection and noticed that was me.

Later went to supermarket with a clear list and plan how to prepare nutritionally balanced meals. Bought silly things instead like pitahaya, figs, 4 kinds of cheese.

It has been a good day indeed.

Happened in South-East Asia

Back home, disoriented. It is too soon to gather my experiences properly, there was so much to see and and do. Anyhow here's some uppermost recollections as images. Dr. Who provided cold water, Singapore Flyer and nighttime skyline, squat toilet at a mall, gifts for gods and gifts for friends.

Stray spaceship

Now I know where the missing vessel of Starfleet has landed: Jurong, S'pore.

Early morning thought

Woke up this morning thinking still with night brain: "what if I'm paralyzed during the night?" Immediately day brain thought back: "of course I'm not". But didn't dare to try move my limbs just in case my day brain would've been wrong, just went back to sleep for some time still.

Prosecuted/executed dream

Something illegal was found from my backpack at the airport. It was something major, so I was expecting a death sentence. I was given a chance to gamble for my freedom and life: if I'd win a complicated game played against a professional, I'd be free. If I'd lose, decapitation it shall be. The game was about creating new words or concepts. Didn't really understand the true content of the game, just agreed to play it.

The game took place in a huge amfi theatre, there were hundreds of people gathered to see it. I wasn't taking the prosecution seriously enough, when I climbed to the seat of the accused, I made a lame joke ”is this like [the movie] Hungergames?” The audience was appalled, they booed and shouted to the judge to give me a warning. (After 2 warnings the game would be over.)

We played some time, the rules were complicated and messy, soon I started to make rules of my own. I explained them in complex and eloquent english, again the audience was shouting for warning but obviously the judge liked my hazardous gambling. She sighed and whispered in my ears: ”these ppl always demand I should behave like my age and status implies but I don't want to”.

There was a break in my death penalty trial/game, we had some coffee and cakes. There was time to take pictures and buy souvenirs.

After the coffee it was to be continued. How did it the game end? Don't know, it's ongoing still.

Food porn

This is it. I've reached the crucial point. It's getting really hardcore and rough. I eat out 3-4 times a day plus snacks in between. I'm not going back to Europe, ever. I'll stay right here near Fortune Centre chinese mall with at least 10 veggie/vegan restaurants, cafés, catering firms and grocery stores. Plus I can have my fortune read, my skin whitened, and my buddhist monk acquaintances can have their robes fitted there. Yesterday I hyperventilated over saree silks, today I cried like a baby seeing all the soy products, spice mixtures and dried mushrooms. Singapore has debauched me, totally.

Had lunch at 4th floor, New Green Pasture Café, which was probably the most expensive of the restaurants on site. But it has not only vegan but also organic stuff plus eco groceries and products, good good. I chose tofu rolls and peppermint-honey lemonade. On my way down grabbed two buns, one with blueberries and another one with matcha powder. Would like to say that I shared the buns with D, but I did not.

I've seen a lot of nice things here, so the next post will be abut smth else than food, ok? OK? Now I must end writing this because I need to google a place to dine today. OK?

Veggie Cottage, Singapore

Veggie Cottage is cute tiny european styled restaurant in Little India, serving both western and asian vegan food. The staff was really nice! I tried laksa, it was good and spicy (excluding weird mock fishballs). Obviousl laksa is only served on Saturdays, what a goo luck we had! My friend D had something milder with chunks of tofu. Little India was just adorable otherwise too, going again later to take a closer look at the beautiful fabrics and colorful veggie&spice markets.

edit: my keyboard starts to omit letters, like in singlish. Mayb time to buy a tablet??

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Bye Bye BKK

Would love to return here! And also could try the paradise islands for some time.

Had last meal at the airport lounge, oh I miss the mountains of sweets already! Heading to totally another kind of Asia, Singapore.

Another lunch, another dinner

It's cute and nice to talk, think and blog about food. I think I've gained weight here in Thailand, which is not cute at all. And just now a small fly/mosquito bit me, maybe I got malaria as well? A little homesick and restless, have to admit.

Anyway, Wednesday was a good food day. Delicious lunch and delicious cocktail dinner. Won't even start guessing the ingredients, everything was good. Especially green chili sauce which I had plenty of. And the sweets made of sticky rice, beans, potatos...

Lunch at riverside restaurant, Ayutthaya

 Had marvellous lunch just after being sick :/ Food resurrected me and lift my spirit so I could munch a taro-coconut muffin with sesame later in the evening. Green Thai lemonade with weird sugary-fruity taste was too much, had to left it unfinished.

Really spicy good mushroom soup for starter, followed by mild vegetable dish. It was not curried but sweetly spiced, it also included the same unknown veggie which is not water chestnut but maybe pak choi or it's relative. The other warm dish was something crispy and not very unforgettable. But luckily I finally had a chance to taste Som Tam papaya salad. It was SO good! So much chili and garlic! As dessert fruit plate with pineapple, water melon and green mango. Didn't dare to have ice cream, chicken me.

Daytrip to history: Ayutthaya, Siam

Former capital ruins and temples were really fascinating. The day was otherwise just great but the heat made me throw up. That's why I'll report about my lunch in different post, later.