farewell january

I was thinking about what I would say about the first month of 2014 and my instict was to say that it was a bit of a blaha month. But I think that would be unfair, it's only these last couple of weeks that have been rather blaha. With unpleasant lessons learnt. Or stuff of unnecessary nuisance. Which is of course something, employed or business owner, you can never escape (sadly) when dealing with people. Well, it hasn't have to be work related, dealing with people is tricky, period. At times it takes up a lot of energy.

But I'm also proud of myself when dealing with stuff like this, that I can (sort of) remain calm, breath and give argument. That I just don't accept. Being flexible is one thing, taken advantage of is quite another. Though sometimes the line is a fine one. And it's easy (too easy) to misunderstand eachother and the intentions. We need to get better at communicating.

Moving on to February - which I'm feeling super excited about! - these are the really good things I bring with me (I suppose the above lessons are some kind of good too, in anther way);

~ Quite a few meals containing that awesome carrot ginger juice. And on the last day of January I became a giddy owner of my own juicer. I see a near and far future of many freshly pressed carrot ginger juices. Beetroot orange and spinach apple ones too. Etc etc.

~ One absolutely wonderful and special coat. Which goes really well with a special hat. Not to mention having made me rekindle with a wonderful old tweed bag.

~ Sort of getting my cooking mojo back.

~ So so many fabulous ideas of all sorts. Collaborations and excitement galore. I'm not patient by birth, but sometimes I surprise myself with the patience I show. Teamed with persistence. Because I recognize great things, must things. And they need to happen.

~ I've quite enjoyed all this snow. And touch wood, the ice hasn't been too nasty. Touch wood again.

~ Fresh tulips.

~ Good and inspiring meetings with good and inspiring people.

Farewell January, you haven't been too bad, not too bad at all actually. May your sibling February bring even more of the great stuff and less of the not so happy matters!

So, how has your January been?
Good, bad, in between?
What are you looking forward to in February?

throwback thursday sweethearts

There's a hashtag on Instagram called #throwbackthursday where people publish old snaps, mostly from childhood or highschool etc. Time flies. Little did we realise back then that we would decades later be absorbed by smartphones and something called social media.

I am not a fan of publishing DSLR-photos on Instagram, it's a smartphone app, with few exceptions I don't see any reason for not using it for smartphone snaps alone. Imho.

So I stick to that concept - which doesn't mean I'm not using photo editing apps - with the very odd exception.

The odd exception often means cat photos (surprise!). Like today. My #throwbackthursday was this one photo. 2,5 years ago Zigne and Ztina, the fabulous Prosit sisters, were this irresistable and lovable. And there isn't a day gone by since then when I'm not grateful and happy for having them in my life. My throwback Thursday sweethearts.

vegan coconut pannacotta

This was the first time I used that agar agar I've had in the pantry for so long. I have to say that it worked well and the texture of this pannacotta was more pannacottaish than the liquorice pannacotta with jelly sugar.

But I also have to admit that I much prefered the overall consistency of the jelly sugar + oats cream pannacotta, over this one with coconut milk + agar agar. Because a) the consistency of the latter is slightly more grainy and b) when poured into glasses and left to set it shifted into a bottom layer of jelly and a top layer of pannacotta. Maybe I did something wrong when I let it simmer, maybe the lemon juice the recipe called for wasn't a good idea or maybe the agar agar was too old.

I can definitely see myself trying this again, pannacotta is such an easy peasy dessert, but I will tweak the recipe. Original recipe in Swedish here

Coconut pannacotta
4-6 servings

1 tin coconut milk (400 ml)
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 vanilla pod
juice from one lemon (or not?)
1,5 tsp agar agar

Split the vanilla pod and take out the seeds, put both seeds and remaining pod in a pot with the coconut milk, sugar, lemon zest (and juice?). Let to boil and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Then add the agar agar and let it simmer for about 1 minute until it has dissolved. The strain the liquid to get rid of the lemon zest and the pods. Pour into glasses or bowls and let it cool.

I served mine with passion fruit and warm raspberries. Original recipe called for rhubarb compote. That would of course be lovely too. As would probably pomegranate.

hurraw liquorice lip balm

Remember the lovely chocolate lip balm from Hurraw I wrote about a while back? Having used it for a few months now I have to say that it really is one of the best lip balms I've ever had. Delightful, smooth, softening and caring, not to mention the wonderful scent of "whatever flavour you chose".

I got myself the cherry lip balm too, smells lovely but it's also tinted so it isn't as carefree as the non-tinted ones. (I tend to forget I wear tinted lips and then I smudge all over my face. And somehow that's never a great look.)

I recently stumbled over Hurraw scent/flavoured lip balm, liquorice. And while I'm not really a liquorice fan as such I think it smells absolutely fantastic. And true liquorice fanatic would love it I'm sure!

I now have the happy Hurraw trio in my handbag, making sure I have a scent for every mood, chocolate, cherry or liquorice.

I've bought my Hurraw lip balms in well assorted health food stores.

stress relievers for the 21st century

To be honest, sometimes (often) I'm convinced every (many) gadget we bring into our lives just keep adding stress to it. Since they are rarely flawless and when they don't work as they are supposed to (which, come on, happens more often than we like to admit) we spend lots and lots of times fuming and tearing our hair, not being able to fix it ourselves and not getting the speedy service from helpdesk or customer service we need (and pay for).

But nevertheless these gadgets, upon them we often depend (or in some cases get addicted) both as work tools and entertainment thingies. They can certainly bright our lives up in certain aspects. And make work run smoother.

That is, when they work as they are suppose to.

My threesome above are things that can as easily be stress relievers as stress instigators, depending on how they act. But right now I prefer to look at them as relievers, since at this moment in time (touch wood) they do work. So

a) My new friend the pocket wi-fi, a mobile broadband I can use at home but also bring with me as I please.

As I've been moaning about for over a month now, my broadband hasn't been working in a pleasing way at all. The week before Christmas it began acting up in a bad way regularly. I had hopes it would be something temporary, I find that contacting customer service is just such a time-consuming task in general when it comes to these things and they are rarely very helpful. There are always some excuse for it not working. Either it isn't their fault or they can't see anything being wrong with the connection 'are you sure you've checked your cables and routers and whateverish out properly?'

This has also been a recurring issue for these past ten plus years with my internet provider, Telia (the largest telephone network operator in Sweden, used to be a public authority and also the only phone operator when there was still a monopoly in Sweden). All these years when I've regularly contacted the customer service because of the broadband not working they have never admitted to anything being wrong with it, but it has miraculously begun working again after the contact. In general though over the years it has never worked as well as it should do given the service I pay for.

Many times have I thought about unsubscribe and change my internet provider, but somehow it boils down to a case of plague or cholera. This time though I had enough. After having dealt with the customer service asking really stupid questions (which I had already answered) when I reported the failing broadband connection, after a technician visit who claimed it was the old modem's fault but it then turned out it wasn't. Two weeks without any proper internet connection at all at home (for some reason the computer can't connect to my iPhone, but it can connect to M's, so I had to work during nights to get things done), a lack of sleep and no solution in sight I simply had enough. I broke up with Telia (as far as the internet goes, still have them as provider of landline and mobile, but I will certainly look into other solutions there too). And never has a break up felt so good.

Fingers crossed my new provider and its pocket wi-fi will serve me well for a long long time to come.

b) Yes the iPhone is a fabulous gadget in many ways - even though it leaves you feeling very fragile and exposed when it gets stolen... - but really, one of its very less than pleasing features is the fact that it really needs to get recharged so often (at least for us who takes lot of pictures and edit). I'm not at all pleased about the fact that we're so dependent on electricity and available sockets with all these new gadgets.

c) This is a seriously nifty thing - if one is able to look pass the part of depending on things needing to charge so often - the pocket charger. I've had it for a couple of years now. And I have to say that the (stupid) stress I felt when I couldn't find an available socket when out and about is no more, since I always have this one charged and ready to help in my handbag. Fully charged it can recharge an iPhone five times around.

All these gadgets, all these things we depend on these days, how they've changed our lives and habits. Not sure if its for the better or not. Most days I think it's awesome, but when they act up and there isn't a simple solution to the nuisance I question that. And think about the countless hours and days we spend trying to solve all these new problems of the 21st century, of the 21st century gadgets.

I guess the stress relief or stress cause is a case of the daily form. At this moment (keep touching wood) I prefer to see them as relievers. And oh did that break up felt good! It cheered me up, to finally say, enough, be gone. What a relief.

the flirting in the window

Love this writing in the window of a cafe I sometimes visit, but mostly just pass by on my way to and from the train in the city. So many things in life captured in a few simple, fun and flirtatious sentences.

"Do you want to come home with me for an after-party? No? Do you want to come and see my etchings? Ok, pity. Come up and count my cats? Not that either. Would you like to come home with me and have a cup of tea then? (...) What kind of tea? It's red tea. Rooibos. With pomegranate and sea buckthorn. I'm making it a bit strong. The way guys like it. Well then. It's down here. Welcome in!"

Myself, I would just say, come in and count my cats (and you'll possibly count forever) and have a cup of tea (I have an endless assortment to chose from).

first semla 2014

Had my first semla of the season today. As it turned out to be less than nice I sadly can't say it was an enjoyable experience.

A dry (sourdough) bun and too sweet almond paste with a strange tang made me a disappointed semla eater.

From bakery and cafe Petrus - which does sell other great sourdough breads like the St Paul-loaf, rolls, cardamom buns and cakes. Plus a very tasty saffron bun around Christmas. Semla-making just isn't their strong point it seems.

tzay skewers with peanut sauce

There's a Swedish television food-show called "Halv åtta hos mig" ('Half past seven at my place' or 'Come dine with me', as the original UK programme is called) - where four strangers eat dinners with eachother during four days and each get to be host in their own home. After the meal they score eachother and by the end of the week the winner gets a decent sum of money (or to share if there are several winners with the same overall score).

Admittedly I don't watch it very often due to a) too much animal flesh is served and b) too many of the diners tend to be either whiney, rather bitchy (behind the host's back of course...) or too full of themselves and their skills in the kitchen.

There's a celebrity version too, "Klockan åtta hos stjärnorna" ('Eight o'clock at the stars' because apparently celebrities dine later...) where the winner chose a good cause for the money instead. I'm in general even less interested in seeing celebrities eating dinners together but I stumbled over one episode where the first host happened to be one of the spokespersons for Miljöpartiet (the Swedish Green party), Gustav Fridolin, and since I percieve him as a very sympathetic person I thought I should give the episode a chance.

I'm so glad I did, for many reasons. The other three celebrity diners where also super-nice (fashion designer Bea Szenfeld (the vegan of the four), economics professor and author Micael Dahlén and composer, musician, entertainer Tina Ahlin) and everyone made awesome vegan food too. There were four friendly, quirky, great dinners with lots of laughters. The diners were unpretentious, generous and very kind in with their scores. I think the episodes can still be viewed online here, it's part 5.
I have only tried out the dish Fridolin made so far, tzay with peanut sauce. And it's really really lovely! Very simple to make and very satisfying. I usually serve the dish with basmati rice, grated carrots and cherry tomatos. Tzay or tzay skewers is soy protein and you should find it in well assorted super markets or delis or of course vegan food shops.

This is how I make the awesome, simple and very moreish peanut sauce -

Peanut sauce
serve 4-6

2 dl peanuts
400 g coconut milk
1 solo garlic
1,5 tbsp lemon juice
1,5 tbs soy sauce
1,5 tsp chili flakes
salt and black pepper

Put everything, incl the peeled garlic, into a blender and whizz. Don't overdo it as it's nice with a crunchy peanut feel to the sauce. Pour the sauce into a pot and let it boil slowly for about 5 minutes. Ready to be served!

You can of course add more or less of the garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce and chili flakes (or use fresh) depending on your palate's desire.

black and red maryjanes

These are certainly not shoes for the season, but they are the latest ones I purchased (for birthday money, yes it was a second pair this time, I'm easy to please in certain aspects...) and it's nice to look forward to inagurating them in a few months.

I really wanted another pair of the awesome pink ART oxfords I got last summer, in red. Because they are not only lovely to look at the combination model/sole/heel makes them one of the most comfortable pair of shoes I've ever had the good fortune to stumble upon. But alas not available in that in my size anymore, so I went with a black/red maryjanes with a fab red heel instead.



They are adorable, but after trying them on I have to say that my first impression is that they feel conciderably less sturdy and supportive compared to the oxfords. I find the open parts too open for perfection and the strap tad delicate for me. Obviously I haven't worn them out and about yet, too late in the season purchased for that, but when I do I won't chose to wear them when I know there'll be a lot of walking involved. (Like with the summer sandals.)

One thing I've come to realise though is that every shoe is not for every occasion (duh!) - it is perfectly fine to save some for special, dainty affairs. And you know what, these shoes are not only adorable to look at, they totally make me feel like dancing. Arriba!

the i is a work in progress

When I notice that someone has read one of my really old blogposts (it has after all been nearly 8,5 years since the first one now) I tend to shudder uncomfortably. Because when I go back and read those really really old posts I have to admit I find them to be a bit flimsy, shallow and strained. I also have to admit I sometimes toy with the idea of deleting them. Because they are not very representative of the I I am today.

But then I also like the fact that I have been consistent in blogging for such a long time. And that it's visible in words that I have changed and grown as a human being over these years. Progress and inner growth, isn't that what we all strive for? Or at least it should be. We should all want to become better versions of ourselves as planet beings, constantly. A work in progress.

So I let those old blog posts be, because they represent me all those years ago. Even if I'm not very proud of some of the things I wrote back then they are good as a reminder of development. That I'm not the person I was then, I'm not the person I was last year, hey not even the one I was last month actually. Things happen that reshape me all the time. And you too. All of us.

A reminder that it's good to look forward, move on, strive to be that better I-version, but one shouldn't and can't erase the past and what experiences, meets, people, thought have shaped the I today.

Thus even if I admittedly shudder over the notion that people still find and read those old posts I now feel a tad ashamed of (yes really), I let them be. Because they are a part of my life. A part of who I am today. And that has to be alright. Somehow.