pepparkakorna

Uppdatering på hur det gick med pepparkakorna... De blev perfekta! Jag knådade den nerkylade pepparkaksdegen med rismjöl, och sedan kavlade ut den och skar ut hjärtformade kakor. Jag bakade dem i 375 F i ungefär 10 minuter och sedan lät de svalna. De blev spröda och kryddiga! Jag gjorde en sats till, och justerade kryddorna för att få ett lite starkare smak av ingefära.

Vintertid och bakning i stugan

Hejsan! Det kändes som det var dags för ett nytt inlägg- ja dags för att ta på mig mina nytvättade jeans som jag brukar säga!

Jag har velat skriva lite mer men jag har helt enkelt inte haft lust! Jag får vara ärlig- jag har tänkt på det tusen gånger men ibland känner jag mig inte för att sitta ner och skriva. Men jag bryr mig om er och har jättekul när jag får läsa om vad ni gör.

Mamma och jag satte vid datorn ikväll och kollade på flygbiljetter till Sverige. De är fortfarande rätt billiga- under 600 dollar r/t inkl. skatt- så det betyder att det fortfarande finns en chans att jag har råd att åka. Jag skulle nog må bra av att besöka Sverige igen! Det skulle göra mig ju jätteglad! Om jag får åka kommer jag att flylla en väska med muesli, pepparkakor, svenska romaner och andra saker som är svåra att hitta.

Tjänsten har också gått kanon bra. Det är lite svårt i december- det är färre som går i tjänsten, och de flesta går inte heldagar, så jag förutser inte att jag får alla mina timmar denna månad... och jag blir också trött av vädret. Jag är ibland mitt eget hinder- jag blir ganska lätt trött på vintern! Men jag ger inte upp--- jag ska kämpa vidare, precis som ni också gör!

Bakningen har varit en utmaning. Oframgångsrikt har jag provat göra glutenfria pepparkakor- de blir för mjuka och smakar sand. Idag kollade jag svenska celiakiförbundets webbsida och hittade ett recept som verkar lovande. Jag kommer att göra glutenfria bagels imorgon och jag hoppas verkligen de blir ätbara!

Hembakat bröd har också varit svårt att göra. Jag använder en brödmix som är ganska gott men jag tycker att den har för mycket kalorier. På sistone har jag börjat prova olika recept, men varje gång har bröden blivit torra och hårda efter de tas ur ugnen. Jag tror att jag är nära att hitta något gott- de flesta har sagt att det tar tid att lära sig baka glutenfritt.

Jag ska fortsätta baka med glädje!

Jag önskar er mycket glädje, och jag hoppas vi får ses snart!

Its been a while!

Here I am, Im alive and well and have not completely dropped off of the planet. Ive been doing a lot this month and it feels great. Living out here in the sticks is not so bad at all, and we are all having a nice time today. Everyone is off of work today and so the family is at home, and we all have our laptops and computers up and are having a little internet cafe action.

Ive been coaching a group of about 9 kids in singing some songs for some of the older and sick people in the congregation. They are getting pretty darn good at it and we are happy to have been asked to encourage them in this way. We were only girls until one of the girl's brothers decided he would join also. His voice adds a really nice dimension to our already nice, but kind of high-pitched voices.

Work has been great also. Its been busy but not insane and I am happy thats the case. I do secular work only 3 days per week anyway so it can only get that bad in a week! :). It doesnt own my life anymore and I feel like Ive unplugged myself.

Well, other than that, not too much has happened. The cabin is warm and cozy right now, and I am glad for that.

Leavenworth!

Aaaahhh yes, the weekend Ive been waiting for for a very long time is finally here. Every October, our family spends a 3 day weekend up in Leavenworth. Im really excited that we all get to be together, having fun and not worrying about anything. I know that I will be relaxing, drinking coffee and wine and having delicious breakfasts out. Glorious!

Ill make sure to post some pictures when I get back!

See ya!

Äntligen!

Hej alla!

Jag tar på mig mitt par tajta jeansbyxor (som heter svenska språket!) och skriver lite om vad jag har gjort de senaste månaderna. Det har varit mycket!

Jag jobbar sedan våren som massageterapeut hos några sjukgymnaster i en klinik i staden Tacoma. Jag trivs verkligen där!! Vi är åtta sjukgymnaster och två massageterapeuter, och vi har jättekul på jobbet tillsammans. Våra patienter säger att de känner sig en del av våran familj. Det är jättekul!

Nyligen har jag flyttat ifrån staden Tacoma till det lilla samhället Vaughn igen. Jag hyr ett litet hus som är riktigt sött och mysigt. Jag jobbar fortfarande i Tacoma, men bara 3 dagar i veckan. Det är perfekt eftersom hyran är billig!

Annars har jag börjat njuta av hösten. Jag äter squash, bakar, gör grytor och ska göra årets första sats vinglögg på söndag. Vinglögg går jättebra att göra hemma- och det är ett måste när man bor i ett land där folk inte ens vet vad glögg är för något! Nu gäller det också att hitta riktiga pepparkakor. Här i USA går det att köpa Nyåkers och Annas, men jag försöker få tag i Semper glutenfria pepparkakor.

Ja, glutenfritt har jag ätit i nästan en månad nu och jag känner mig HUR MYCKET SOM HELST bättre! Smärtor i magen ökade ständigt under våren som sommaren och jag kunde inte gå upp i vikt (alltså blev jag för smal). Blodprovet för celiaki var negativ, men läkaren sa att jag kunde prova kosten eftersom man kan få falska negativresultat. Skillnaden är verkligen som natt och dag! Jag har till och med gått up 2 kilo, och kunnat bilda muskler! Men jag vet att om jag ska få en riktig diagnos måste jag äta gluten igen och sen ta prov, osv. Fy! jag vill verkligen inte göra det. Jag tror jag väntar ett tag iallafall.

Nästa helg blir det en kort semester i Leavenworth. Det är en by uppe i bergen som ser ut som en liten tysk stad. Vi ska på Oktoberfest däruppe och ha kul!

Det planeras en Sverigeresa i Febuari för att kolla Svenska Rallyt. Hoppas verkligen att det blir av. Jag saknar er alla oerhört mycket!

Stor kram från ''over here''!

Something in Swedish for you Swedes :)

Ja ja ja någonting för svenskarna skriver jag här... Förlåt om grammatiken är konstig- det har varit länge sedan jag skrev ett längre inlägg på svenska. Språket känns som ett par nytvättade jeans- lite för tajta och hindrande på nåt sätt tills man har haft dem på sig i några timmar!

Skogslivet är trevligt, särskilt nu på hösten. Jag har börjat laga bra mat igen och lagade pizza och kakor åt några vänner! Jättekul!

Å fy... nu måste jag lämna datorn igen för att göra nåt... jag lovar att jag skriver mer senare!

Kram på er alla därborta i Sverige. Jag saknar er!

3 day work weeks rock!

Just started a new work schedule this week- a 3 day work week. I work three 8-hour days now and have the rest of the time for more awesome pursuits. Massage is just such a cool job- I think about how much I like it every day. It can be quite challenging, though. And repetitive strain injuries creep up on you if you are not careful, bit its OK. You learn!

Otherwise, things are going really well. Im on my 3rd week of gluten-free, and I still feel so much better than I did before I started. I keep wondering if my original celiac blood test was a false negative- with such an improvement, maybe gluten intolerance was part of the problem. I have got to get back to my doctor one of these days and tell her... but I dont want to have to start eating gluten again just to get an official diagnosis of something. Gluten free is not the easiest thing to do, and you have to explain a lot. I am really self conscious about it. Im learning to cook a little differently and its going really well. No failures yet!

Life on the KP is also GREAT! Fall colors are starting to come out, and its really awesome to be so close to family and friends! LOVE IT!

Just a little news...

Well, life has been treating me pretty fairly lately! Im really enjoying life in the countryside. It is so easy to sleep here, and I love the beautiful foliage that we are getting out here right now. I love to go for walks or runs and take it all in, its so beautiful!

The job is also going amazingly well- I learn new things from each person I work on. Massage is such a cool field to be in because you are learning and getting better with each patient you treat. Getting one's license to practice is just the beginning of learning, not the end. Amazing!

Well, Im sitting here eating my gluten free coffee cake. Yes, *gluten free*. In short, my doctor suspected me of being intolerant a while ago and had a test done which came back negative. In my desperation to not have gut pain so often, I tried the diet (which she recommended like two months ago!) and it actually has helped A LOT! I read that sometimes a blood test will give back a false positive, so that must have happened. I feel much more energetic and happy. Honestly, its been two weeks, and not eating gluten has not made me feel deprived at all!

It just takes being creative!

Heres a link about gluten intolerance

http://www.womentowomen.com/digestionandgihealth/glutenintolerance.aspx#sensitivity

A new life! A new recipe!

Well, after a few weeks of crazy packing and preparing, I have finally made it out to my new cabin on the Key Peninsula. I have really started to enjoy living out here, in close proximity to all the people I love and grew up with. Being close to family and friends is really so important for me, and I am very thankful I got the opportunity to move out here.

Here is the main room- this side of things is the living room part, and then there is the fireplace/bed area which is on the other side.

Magic happens, though, in the KITCHEN!!! My kitchen here in the cabin has what most kitchens have, a stove, oven, fridge, sink, cabinets, etc. There is more counter space here than there was in the apartment, about equal storage space, but I really do miss the gas oven/stove!

Heres the recipe with which I broke in my new kitchen. Its my own recipe, and since I have a couple dietary restrictions, feel free to substitute the wierd stuff out for normal stuff!

The recipe for the filling is as follows: get this together

1 bunch of spinach or 1 bag of spinach

15 mushrooms

1 yellow onion

a couple cloves of garlic

cooking sherry

5 eggs

almond milk (or regular)

earth balance buttery spread

SAUTE the onions together with the garlic and buttery spread. Use as much fat as you like in it- but using the spray stuff will rob you of good flavor. I did about a tablespoon of buttery spread.

When the onions get translucent, add the mushrooms and about 1/2 cup of cooking sherry. Turn on medium-low and simmer.

While that simmers, wash your spinach and make your crust. You will need to make a pie crust of whole grains. Mine was made from half buckwheat flour, and half Cravings Place pancake and waffle mix (based on rice flour).

Put the pie crust in a pie plate or casserole dish, depending on how much you want to do.

OK, so now you have your pie crust; and your mushrooms, onions, sherry, and garlic are happily bubbling away. Time to make the quiche-ey part of it.

Blend:

2 cups of almond milk, 5 eggs, a clove of chopped garlic, some salt and pepper and a little handful of spinach to turn the mix green. Blend until smooth.

Put the mushroom and onion stuff in the pie crust plate, and pour the egg mixture over it. It will be GREEN!

BAKE@ 350 for about 1/2 hour, or until the thing is slightly browned and the middle is set. Cool for a couple of minutes, and DIG IN!!! It looks like this:

anniversary party, drumming and bean flour pancakes!

Well, my friends, it's been a whirlwind week.

I have been moving all week, which is very exciting and at the same time pretty stressfull. And today we siblings threw our parents a 25th Anniversary party which turned out awesome. It was nice because people respected me and did not try to micromanage me! I hate it when people tell me how to do stuff that I already know how to do!

Tomorrow I am moving into my cabin. Finally... yes, at long last Ill be there! I really cant wait.

And... I thought Id be able to finish this blog before I got too tired but... I think thats going to be hard.

I ate SOOO much today. I had some lovely corn chips with guacamole, some really great gluten-free brownies made by our buddy Cher, all kinds of random servings of food all day and night. There was also a chocolate cake with strawberry mousse filling. Ive got to learn how to make those gluten free brownies. As far as I know Im not gluten intolerant, but the texture of them is just SO good. Gluten free flour is slightly more ''gritty'' than regular flour, and so it gives what you cook with more of a texture. If eating gluten free wasnt so dang expensive, Id probably buy cookie mixes and stuff all the time because I love the way it tastes!

Speaking of gluten-free, I had some bean flour that I made breakfast pancakes with the other day and they turned out great! But I forgot to wash the pan well the night before (after I made spicy stir fry) so they had a certain unexpected heat!

I also played the drum set today... and totall rocked the garage off its foundation. AMAZING!

OK I guess I stuck it out a little longer than I thought!

kitchen skills!

Tostadas are so good... I ended up having to go to my parents again tonight to pick up something I had left there, and since I must always be cooking, I made tostadas!

For those who are unfamiliar with Tostadas, they are a Mexican treat made with corn tortillas, beans, chicken or vegetarian protein, onions and green bell peppers.

Here are tostadas according to Haley

You need these things

about 15 small corn tortillas- I use just soft ones... you can probably use the hard ones, although they are not really the same.

2 cans nonfat refried beans

4 large chicken breasts- boiled and shredded/ vegetarian chicken type stuff, shredded

1 green bell pepper, cut into short, thin strips

1/2 onion, cut into short, thin strips

1 pack taco seasoning

some water

FRY the onions and bell peppers so that they get a little floppy

ADD the chicken to this, and toss in the taco seasoning and add a little water to give it some moisture.

SIMMER this mixture until you are ready to use it

SPRAY some Pam or put some oil into a large skillet.

COOK the corn tortillas until they are pliable

SPOON some beans onto each tortilla, then add some of the chicken mixture

TOP with some cheese if you do eat dairy

BAKE in a warm oven for about 5 minutes, just to heat everything up

SERVE with a nice green salad and a BEER!

EAT with TONS of salsa on them, and sour cream if you want.

The new place!

Well today, I finalized the deal on my new place. I am so stoked and excited about it. It is a studio type cabin, with light wood laminate flooring, nice sized kitchen, bathroom and living room area. There is a den for the bed or for use as a small dining area depending on what you want. There is even a small fire place with a glass window so you can see the cozy fire place on a cold winter night! OMG there is just so much about it! Its going to be SO perfect for me.

I will post pictures of it in early September!

recipe time again!

OK! Just made something I didnt think would fly- oatmeal in a crock pot! This is super nice to wake up to now that its starting to get a little chillier in the morning.

The difference between this oatmeal recipe and ones you may have done before is that you use STEEL CUT OATS (not rolled!!!!!) and use the crock pot as a double boiler!

This recipe serves two- its all my tiny crockpot would hold!

1/2 Cup STEEL CUT OATS

1 1/2 Cup water

dash of cinnamon

dash of vanilla extract

MIX these two together and evenly devide between two medium sized coffee mugs with handles.

THEN fill your crock pot about 1/3 up with water.

PUT cups in the crock pot- the water level should be OK for the cups to sit in it like sort of a bath- and for the water to not run into the oatmeal mixture.

COOK on LOW for 8 hours. Mine was on from 9.30pm to 7 am... so thats like 10 hours almost.

GO to sleep.

WAKE up and eat your nice, chewy, hearty, healthy, steamed oatmeal!

Now Im gonna go for a run... gotta keep training for that 10K coming up!

tankar för dagen

Ja, här är lite poesi... det heter Jeopardy Categories....

Some poetry... this style is called Jeopardy Categories

arms, legs, necks

the spine

wonderful creation

hurt

healthy

sighs

snoring

jerking back to life!

... nämen det här är svårt! jag kan ju inte skriva poesi när jag är så här trött...

... men det är hur det går när jag ska beskriva exakt hur jag känner vid ett visst tillfälle

Just nu är jag

trött

öm i armarna

sömnlös

glad att få flytta till ett ställe ute på landet

lite nervös för kommande arbetsdagen

glad för att jag är frisk och har vänner

det kommer bli kul när jag får flytta in i mitt lilla hus på landet! Äntligen ett ställe där jag får grilla, spela min fiol och prata högt med vänner långt in i natten!

Börjar sakna Karlstad och Stockholm igen också!

Im moving!!!

I am so excited! Ive been entertaining the thought of moving out of town for a while, and finally the opportunity has presented itself! Im going to rent a cabin out in the woods, reduce my working days to 3 days per week, and persue more satisfying things in the free time. Ill still be working where I work now so things will be fine in that department!

This cabin is quite small- but its the fact that I no longer will live in a box in town that has me so happy. I will have my own space, a yard, a place to BBQ, the possibility of late, loud nights of chilling out with friends without angry neighbors... breathing room for lack of a better descriptor! The more I think about it, the more right it feels. And Ill be close to the family and most of my friends!

It may take some adjusting, but Im willing to give it a shot. Im making a promise to myself that I will live there a full year before deciding to move again. I think thats healthy and reasonable. I was here in T town for only 6 months, so it feels kinda lame to pull up my roots and start over, but it wont really be starting over as much it will be returning to the familiar.

Fun times ahead, Im sure!

kontakter

Dagen har burit med sig många trevliga överraskningar. Jag har haft kontakt med en släkting och två vänner från Sverige idag. Ann-Marie ringde idag helt slumpmässigt, precis som jag gick in i mina föräldrars hus. Jag kännde igen numret som visades och svarade genast! Släkten mår bra och alla gör sin sak bra. Min kusin har flyttat till Ängsbacka i Molkom för att kunna lugna ner sig lite- hon har drivit eget företag ett par år och jag förstår att hon blir utmattad en hel del. Hmm.. sen hörde jag ifrån två vänner i Karlstad och det var också kul för det kändes att man tappade kontakted med dem efter ett tag.

Ja, vad kul när man har ett nätverk av vänner på avlägsna ställen!

vad betyder det att vara hemma egentligen!?

Ordet ''hemma'' är ett interessant begrepp. Vad betyder det att vara hemma? Jo... för mig och kanske många andra betyder det inte bara att vara i sitt eget hem utan mycket mer. Först och främst bor man i sin kropp. Vi kan inte göra någonting utan en kropp, och samtidigt tror jag inte att vi ÄR våra kroppar fast vi bor i dem. Men allt som vi är och gör är bunden till en fysisk hjärna, och det kanske innebär att vi ÄR på något sätt våra kroppar! Vem vet!

Hemma betyder kanske också den platsen på jorden vi befinner oss på! Jag är hemma i Tacoma, snart ska jag vara hemma i Vaughn, jag har varit hemma i Karlstad och Stockholm med!

Men hemma är också där en känner sig hel och fri att vara sig själv- här i Tacoma känner jag mig hemma... det är rätt skönt här. Och när jag flyttar till Vaughn nästa månad kommer jag också vara hemma för där växte jag upp!

Vad tycker ni?

what a CROCK! a little bit about crock-potting

I love my crock pot. I have NEVER had anything I put in there not turn out extremely good. Last night I threw chicken broth, brown rice, asparagus, kale and green beans in there quite haphazardly and the result was the most interesting and beautiful risotto-like creamy soup imaginable. I wish I had a picture of it. It was seasoned with the chicken broth and I also added a packet of chicken-rosemary soup mix to it.

1/4 cup rice

2 or so cups of water/broth

1 cup fresh chopped kale

10 asparagus spears

1 cup frozen green beans

vegetarian bacon (didnt really add so much flavor, but still OK. Id maybe use a ham hock if you are a meat-eater)

Cook on low for like 8 hours. Make after you eat dinner and turn on around 10.30 pm. When you wake up the next morning, you have lunch and dinner covered!

The rice absorbs the water and gets really thick and creamy, and the veggies stew together and become really delicious. Id bet if you added butter to this it would be super good, and even better for you than this version.

I just threw the following in my crock pot in the hopes of a hot breakfast:

1/3 cup brown rice

lots of cinnamon

2 cups vanilla unsweetened almondmilk

1/3 cup sugar

a generous squirt of vanilla extract

It will cook on low for about 8 hours and hopefully be ready for me to eat for breakfast. I am not in the mood for cereal tomorrow... it will be drizzly and its rare that I get to eat a hot breakfast. ITs good for the soul.

Sunday plans

I have plans for Sunday, and they do NOT involve baking anything of any kind! Im out on the KP again today at the parents house and I dont want to have a hectic day tomorrow after I get home. I am going to Fred Meyer to stock up on a couple basics... almondmilk, cooking spray, butter, veggies for stirfrying or roasting, some falafel mix, etc. I dont want anything complicated! Simplicity is beautiful.

I have a few projects to start. The first is to make a seahorse of wool for my mom. She likes the little felted animals I make now and then and I think a seahorse would compliment the octopus and mermaid of clay pretty well.

The second is to do my bible studying. Im reading a book about the Acts of Apostles. Its very inspiring to see how these ''spiritual giants'' in the Bible had really similar concerns to what we have today.

Id also like to do some financial planning tomorrow, to see if I can simplify life and get by on less. I have a nack for wasting time when Im at home, so I will need to practice structuring my time a little better in order to get things done!

So thats that.... now Ill get back to my weekend!

KEFIR!

Kefir is a superfood! If you are familiar with Swedish FILMJÖLK then we are on the same page. If not, kefir can be compared with effervescent sour milk, thin sour cream or thin yogurt. It sounds wierd, but its soo good. I love the sourness of it. Ive never been a fan of regular milk only! I always drink plain kefir because I dont like added sugar in my basic food, but you can get raspberry, blueberry, all kinds of it!

Kefir is so special because it can supposedly re-colonize the digestive tract after a course of antibiotics. It generally contains more kinds of bacteria than yogurt. I know that my digestion is a lot better after drinking about 8oz of plain, lowfat kefir every day. I did go through about 10 months of twice a day, heavy duty antibiotics for my acne, so even though I had a tough time with dairy before, it got really bad during and after the antibiotics. So Im hoping that the kefir will help get the natural good bacteria back in the system.

Make sure to try it sometime. I have it with Kashi Heart to Heart oat cereal for breakfast and dessert. Ive also had it for dinner, because its pretty filling!

more info at www.kefir.com or www.lifeway.net

This stuff has got to be the next best thing!

Thai food! Swedish and English!

In English further down... I know all you Swedes read English really well, but I have to practise somewhere ;)

Ok, jag har precis kommit hem från en härlig middag hos en bekant ute i Gig Harbor. Hon är granne med en familj från Thailand (mannen är amerikan men bodde i Thailand i typ 20 år, pratar thailändska till och med!). Arie, som är mamman, jobbar ibland som privat kock- det går att ringa henne och beställa thaimat som hon då lagar hemma hos sig eller hos den som beställer! Ikväll var det en curryrätt med ananas, och så äggrullar och ris till. FY vad gott det var. Jag tycker inte ens om ananas i varma rätter, men det här var otroligt gott! Jag tror inte jag har ätit nånting så här gott på flera månader faktiskt. Och jag brukar inte äta mycket fett alls vanligtvis, men jag jag kände att den här gången var det nyttigt för mig att äta lite fet mat. Det blir så ofta sallad och grönsaker och bröd och mandelmjölk och sånt. Rätten hade coconutsmjölk i så det var rätt fyllig!

MUMS! Det blev mat över, så det kan jag äta till frukost och lunch, eller lunch och middag. Med det var länge sedan jag åt middagsmat till frukost. Om jag gör det så blir det sen frukostmat till middag!

Just got home from a wonderful dinner with a friend out in Gig Harbor. She is neighbors with a family from Thailand (the husband is American but he lived in Thailand for like 20 years, even speaks Thai). Arie, who is the mother, sometimes works as a private cook- you can call her and order thai food which she then makes at her place, or at the home of whoever orders. Tonight it was a curry dish with pineapple. DANG it was good! I dont even really like pineapple in warm dishes, but this was unbelievably good. I dont think ive eaten anything this good in several months. And I usually dont eat so much fat in my diet, but I felt that this time it was healthy for me to eat something a little fattening. So often its just salad, vegetables, bread, almondmilk and stuff. The dish had coconut milk in it so it was pretty rich.!

YUMMY! And theres leftovers, enough for breakfast and lunch, or lunch and dinner. I havent had dinner for breakfast in ages, it would be kinda good! Then I can have breakfast for dinner! :)

food you MUST try #2

I love chocolate, I love ginger, and I love muesli. I also really love cookies.... What would be better than combining them? I couldnt resist!

PREHEAT to 375 F

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

MIX the above in a medium bowl and set aside

2 tbsp softened butter
1/4 c plain apple sauce
1 large egg
Vanilla extract, I use like 3 tablespoons in my cookies
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups fruit muesli, mine had oats, wheat, puffed rice, apples and papaya
1/2 cup chocolate chips

chopped candied ginger pieces, as much as you like

MIX together the sugar and butter in a large bowl- it will be kinda crumbly. ADD the EGG, then the APPLESAUCE, then a generous pour of VANILLA EXTRACT. Mix in the flour mixture just until everything is combined and you dont see any flour left on the sides.

ADD the muesli, chocolate chips and ginger pieces.... it goes downhill from here, especially if you are me. I LOVE cookie dough.

Bake for 5-10 minutes depending on how gooey you like them.

I usually have really good self control when it comes to food, but these cookies have VANQUISHED me completely. Good thing I only made a half batch! Well, I actually only ate two. Thats not so bad, right? :)

Happy baking everyone!

sushi basics and baking plans

Well, today I learned Sushi basics, and it was really fun. We had a sushi party at my parents house and I learned how to make Nigiri and Rolls.

Nigiri is cool because you make little rice balls then stick a topping of your choice (eggs, avocado, fish, etc) on top of it then dip in soy sauce and eat with a little of wasabi. You have to mix in some vinegar type stuff with the rice to make it a little sweeter and pliable. Its called sushi seasoning or something.

Then, the rolls- they are tricky but actually not as hard as I thought it would be. You press some rice out on top of a sheet of nori, stick a strip of toppings down the middle, then roll it up and squish it together, then slice it. YUM.

Tomorrow is another cooking adventure. In the evening, I am going to make wheat bread for the coming week and then also make some chocolate ginger cookies. I make all my meals at home- breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I never really make the breakfast bread, or the cookies or any of this other stuff!

So my idea for bread is to make a basic wheat bread, then find a way to tweak it and mix some muesli in it, to make it like oat bread. It will sure be interesting to see how it turns out. The muesli has wheat, oat and spelt flakes and then dried papaya, raisins and bananas so should turn out nicely.

The cookies will be fun too. I have powedered chocolate, chocolate chips and crystalized ginger at home, and I would really love to experiment a little with those things and make something yummy. We shall see.... :)

ode to quorn... that stuff is amazing

Today I am reminded that veggies really do rule. I was able to enjoy a really good quorn sandwich using their naked cutlets, I think they are supposed to be similar to chicken. Those things taste way better than chicken ever did! I am going to try some gutsy things with Quorn filets... if I can shred them like chicken then I can make tamales, flying jacob, chili verde, bbq ''chicken'' and so on without actually having to deal with meat.

So the reason I am going the vegetarian route these days is kind of a product of my laziness- when Im at home, I really really do NOT like to deal with meat- raw, cooked, whatever. Its messy! And bloody and usch..... need I go on? I find that I end up not being able to get things as clean as I want them after dealing with it, and Id really rather not get sick. I cant just stick stuff in a dishwasher. Vegetarian is just so much more convenient for the single, busy lifestyle.

But also from a health standpoint, there are a lot of views on vegetarian vs. non-vegetarian. I think that vegetarian probably has a lot of health benefits given the level of cholesterol and stuff that meat contains. I think that a lot of people dont realize that until recently, meat wasnt a given in everyday dining. People ate grains, legumes, nuts, fish and vegetables for the most part and had some of the heavier meats only a few times a month maybe. So the sheer amount of meat that is eaten on average by people is way too much.

I also read somewhere that a vegetarian diet can give you more chemicals if you dont choose organic because of the level of spraying done to soy and wheat, which a lot of vegetarian protein is made from.

BUT, on the other hand, treatment of animals these days is pretty brutal, and I totally agree and understand where vegetarians and vegans are coming from when they choose to do it for those reasons.

Haha, one could really go back and forth about it, huh?

jag vill sova i frysen!

Just nu påminns jag om naturens kraft! Vi har inte haft några stormar, jordbävningar eller översvämningar. Nej... vi har haft värmen, otrolig värme. Vi bakas ihjäl känns det som! Idag i Vaughn blev det 107 F, alltså typ 42 grader. Just nu är det säkert minst 35 C, och det är riktigt sent!

Efter jobbet åkte jag ut till familjehuset och kastade mig direkt i vattnet. Jag var inomhus hela dagen så när jag steg ut för första gången kl. 18.30 var det som jag öppnade en värm ugn. Fy, tänkte jag, det här kan inte vara på riktigt! Jo, Haley... det är på riktigt!

Till middag åt vi Chili Verde, en av mina favorita rätter! Det här är den lätta versionen. Lättlagad och ganska smal också tror jag..... En mexicansk rätt som kan göras på kyckling eller vegetarisk med bönor och majs eller quorn-strimlor. Varsågod! Man kan mata 5 personer med det här!

4 stora kokta och strimlade kycklingbröst eller valfri vegetarisk protein (bönor, quorn osv)
3 burkar grön enchiladasås
2 burkar rostade milda grönpepprar (inte jalapeno peppar!)
majs- eller vetetortillas ELLER polarbröd

Blanda enchiladasåsen, grönpepprar och proteinet (kykling eller veg.)
låt småkoka en halvtimme eller så

servera med värma tortillas och det går bra att ha sallad, ris och creme fraiche till!

Ganska lätt men jättegott!

Kaffedags! Coffee-time!

This has got to be my favorite word in both languages. What is better than a coffee break? NOTHING! I dont know what I would do without coffee...

Coffee is totally a part of our culture here in the Pacific Northwest, especially here in the greater Seattle area. We like it strong and often! And when we can't get our fix... I just dont even wanna go there! I get a headache thinking about that!

Coffee for me is about tradition and a sense of wellbeing. I grew up with strong brewed coffee, and even though I didnt start drinking coffee until I was about 17, I always remember that mom and dad would take the time to sit and enjoy that first cup of the day. I do the same now that Im out on my own. No matter what is going on, and no matter how late I am, I MUST sit down for that first cup. Rarely have I had morning coffee on the run!

Now, I use a french press to make my coffee. I find that it tastes different from drip and there are actually small, small granules left in the coffee itself. I think that makes the coffee flavor a bit richer. Its good!

Having lived in Karlstad, Sweden, I got spoiled with the smell of freshly roasting coffee. Löfbergs Lila roasts all their coffee right in town, in Hamnen (correct me if Im wrong!). I would walk down Västra Torggatan and all of a sudden I would get BLITZED by the most amazing coffee smell imaginable. So glorious. I kinda miss that!

And theres afternoon coffee too.... and usually a snack goes with it. Lately, its been bananas and peanut butter. I love this. But ginger cookies are great also.

I really think I could go on and on about coffee.... So what are your coffee traditions?

Food you MUST try #1

So, here begins my series of favorite recipes (international and local) that I REALLY enjoy making. Youve already seen one of my faves- vegan tamale pie!

This one is soooo NOT vegan but its extremely good and can be made low fat, kindof fattening or SUPER RICH! All the versions taste great. This is called FLYING JACOB (Flygande Jakob) and was my dinner for tonight. This will serve 2 or 3 really hungry people. Its the light version, so if it was richer it would probably safe to say you could feed 4 with it.

FLYING JACOB! Haley version. The traditional version comes further down.

PREHEAT oven to 425 F (225 C)

1 cup of non fat half and half (I know, I know.....)

1/2 cup non fat plain yogurt

1/2 cup sweet chili sauce (chilisås)

1/2 small can of tomato paste

2 tsp. curry powder

MIX these ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside

3-4 chicken breasts

some bananas

1/2 cup of peanuts

10 strips of MORNINGSTAR vegetarian bacon (or real if you want)

Salt free italian seasoning

BOIL 3-4 chicken breasts and shred the meat. Put the meat at the bottom of a medium casserole dish... a brownie pan works well.

SPRINKLE italian seasoning generously over the chicken. Use a lot.

FRY the bacon and chop it into small bits

POUR creamy mixture over the chicken

SPRINKLE the bacon over the creamy mixture

BAKE for 10 minutes

SPRINKLE the peanuts over the flying jacob and then chop some bananas longwise and lay them over the peanuts (trust me... its good)

BAKE for 5 more minutes. Let this stand until its not boiling hot.

SERVE over rice and salad.

¤¤NOW¤¤ the original is made with heavy cream and creme fraiche instead of non fat half and half and yogurt. And real bacon.

I would like to try this with some Sriracha hot sauce mixed in, and more curry powder. But this is really good, and I encourage you all to try it if you havent!

Saturday!

Well, the WEEKEND is here and that makes me happy! Ive decided to maybe make this blog a little bit about Northwest and Scandinavian people and culture as well as about myself! Its fun to have something to write about that I am really interested in.

I live and LOVE the Pacific Northwest. Tall trees, the ocean, the mountains and one of the only cool-climate rainforests in the world make this heaven on earth for me. Add in the laid back people, excessive espresso drinking and a smattering of rain and youve got something special!

I dont live in Scandinavia, but I LOVE it too! Ive lived there before and I love the rolling hills, long summer days, long winter nights, excessive coffee drinking, traditions and general feeling of security up in Scandinavia. It was there that I saw the Northern Lights for the first time, and learned how to survive thousands of miles away from things that were familiar to me! And Gudrun Sjödén boutiques were only a train ride away :)

So... Im thinking of making Flying Jacob for dinner tomorrow.... MMMM......

morning glory

I know that in this blog I totally ramble about whatever comes to mind, so here I go again... I really love mornings to myself- when I have no rush to get things done. Between work and service, this happens on Thursdays. Thursday morning is like the calm before the storm. Thursday afternoon is always super booked up at the clinic, so having this calm morning is nice.

Now... what to have for breakfast. This is a struggle. Do I have cereal, muesli, eggs, veggie sandwiches, bananas in yogurt, oatmeal..... sometimes I think too hard about this! There is really no need to panic though, just do what your body is telling you.... but its hard. Food is a pain in the butt. ROYALLY!

Well... I guess its time to make my way into the kitchen and decide this!

friends and a little poetry

Tonight was a great night! I had some friends over and it was fun getting to know them! I made gulärtssoppa with salad and then rågbröd and knäckebröd. Of course, with the different breads we had butter and brännvinsost... and then for dessert I made kladdkaka. I think next time I make kladdkaka Ill do a little more chocolate and then REMEMBER to add the vanilla extract :) But it was totally delish anyway.

So maybe a little poetry... I call these ones Jeopardy Categories... strings of 7 or 8 different thoughts that, together, form a picture of how I felt at a certain time durnig the day or whatever. Enjoy.... This one I wrote at during a period of time where I REALLY was ''homesick'' for the life I led in Sweden.

The senses...

Words dont touch them

De kan man aldrig röra

Hunger i rösten, inte i magen!

The anticipation

And always preparing

Always being on the move

I loved that so much

thoughts about work and life!

Man, yes... another week has come and gone. It was a tough one- its been so darn hot, and then the stress of working really long days is hard on my body. My triceps are were so sore the other day. I am looking forward to the weekend... more soon!

try this... this is good!

Heres one of my very favorite recipes that I thought I would share with you all... I think you who speak Swedish and have seen my facebook page may have gotten this, but heres for the rest of you. This base recipe is vegan and glutenfree also, so in case you need to know that, now you do! For GF, just watch the ingredients in the enchilada sauce... I heard that it sometimes has flour in it.

This will serve about 5 people

1 can black beans

1 can stewed, diced tomatoes

1 can roasted green chile peppers

1 can of enchilada sauce

2/3 cup frozen corn

salsa or 1/2 can enchilada sauce

10-15 medium CORN tortillas (flour ones wont work!)

optional mix ins: shredded chicken, cheese, sour cream, diced onions, taco spices, olives

optional topping: nonfat plain yogurt or sour cream

sides: salad, fresh tomatoes, roasted jalapenos, etc.

DRAIN all of the veggies

MIX them together with the can of enchilada sauce

LAYER starting with the corn tortillas on the bottom, then the veggies... etc. the last layer should be corn tortillas. Dump some salsa on top.

Crock pot on high for at least 1.5 hours. If you can do it for 3 hours then its even better. Low for 8 hours will make this sort of a thick corn chowder, which is DELISH.

This, my friends, will also feed a single person lunch and dinner for like 4 days!

lite om att vara massageterapeut....

Jo, jag brukar inte skriva blogginlägg varje dag men... ja. Dagen har gått ganska bra- det var fullbokad med patienter på schemat när jag kom till jobbet men sen var det två som inte kom- den ena är en kvinna som har haft mycket ont sedan två bilolyckor i rad och den andra är en rysk man som arbetar på ett byggföretag. Kvinnan lämnade ett meddelande att hon inte ville komma idag för att hon kände sig bra. Detta tycker jag är interessant... hon kommer på besök hos sjukgymnasten och har massage hos mig två gånger i veckan. Hon hade en vecka ledig från både sina behandlingar och jobbet och att hon känner sig så bra efter en vecka utan behandlingar gör mig glad. Det är inte så att jag tror det är jag som har gjort henne smärtfri- jag tycker faktiskt att det blev till slut för mycket- att kroppen inte hann med alla behandlingar och att det är först nu att kroppen har hunnit börja läcka sig!

Mannen som nämndes tidigare har problem med spänningshuvudvärk, och han känner sig bra efter behandlingar med klassisk massage, bindvävsmassage och terapeutisk stretching. Han säger att han blir bättre efter varje behandling, och han gör sina stretch-övningar hemma också. Han dök inte upp på kliniken, men det gjorde inte de andra terapeuternas patienter heller. Det var fredag, bokningstiden var 17.40 på kvällen, och vädret var absolut perfekt- en finare fredagskväll kunde man inte ha önskat sig... Jag tror att vi alla har lyckats om våra patienter känner sig bra nog att ta tiden för sig för att vara ute och njuta av en fin kväll... även om det blir lite jobbigt för oss som får sitta inne och vänta :)

Laugh out loud.... ;p

the weeks fly by

Wow, so heres come and gone yet another week. Unbelievable. Last time I checked it was Monday. But I am totally OK with it being Friday tomorrow. I always seem to notice Wednesdays. To me, its always Wednesday. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday come and go without much notice, but Wednesday is a relief. Wednesday means that the week is half over, I have a free weeknight, and that Thursday and Friday will go quickly. Some weeks, though, I dont even notice the week thats gone until Thursday. The week before last, I missed Wednesday completely. It was Thursday before the week caught up to me!

And as now, as I look at my date book, I see that all these Wednesdays have added up to it now being July 9th. As for months, I always seem to notice September, November and March especially. I am not sure if its because these months mark a change in seasons or what. They are all cold weather months, though. Each month marks a different kind of gloomy weather. September is for wind, November is for frost and rain, and March is for the spastic rain-sun-hail-wind weather that gives way to April.

July, this time, is for working and resting.

So here goes nothing!

So I thought Id start up a blog. It was fun when I had one a while ago and I sometimes have a lot to share with my buddies, so this is cool. Ill put up some pictures and stuff also...

Right now Im sitting in bed with coffee and its pretty nice and cozy. I love mornings like this- slowly waking up, listening to Sveriges Radio while having coffee, then breakfast and then service or random stuff before starting work. Nice....

Breakfast lately has been two open face sandwiches with lots of mustard, tomatoes, bell peppers and pickles, along with a bowl of berries and yogurt. Ive had this for about a week now, and I dont seem to get tired of it, but I guess I should vary my diet a little more! Its just that when you live on your own, a loaf of bread can last for 2 weeks unless you eat sandwiches every meal of the day!

Tonight though, no more sandwiches for dinner... Im going over to the Casa for tostadas. Mom makes the best.

Jag kan knappt vänta....