Hi February!

It is already a new month! January seemed to fly by with all the home cure assignments, and now the calendar shows February. This month I look forward to visiting friends, seeing a couple of plays, one of them starring my sister, and celebrating with my Valentine. So much love (and so much cheesiness). I also look forward to spending a lot less time cleaning the house.

16 things to be thankful for in 2016

Happy new year!!
I hope there will be 2000 more things to be thankful for in the year ahead, but here is a start: 

1. A wonderful, loving, funny husband to live my life with every day.
2. A home of our own.
3. Having a job I like.
4. Studies that I find really interesting.
5. Our dear families that keep on growing.
6. Being an aunt to the sweetest kids.
7. Many great friends in Skien and beyond.
8. Unlimited access to books at the library.
9. Having everything I need.
10. Living in a peaceful country.
11. Plans to travel in the coming year.
12. Grace for every new day.
13. Starting the year with a clean home.
14. My smallgroup.
15. Being healthy.
16. The joy of changing seasons.

52 Postcards for 2015

One of my goals for 2015 is to send a letter or postcard every week. Last year I sent lots of mail, most of it wedding related, and I miss putting stamps on envelopes and writing to my friends and family, so this little project will make sure I get it done. 

So far I have sent a few birthday cards, but there doesnt really have to be an occasion to send mail, right? I also hope to practice writing some actual letters. And now that I know how to make an envelope liner, I should do that more often as well. 

Would you like to receive mail from me? Just comment on this post with your address (unless you know I already have it) and you will get something pretty in your mailbox some time this year! Writing back is no requirement, but it would make me happy.

PS. If you prefer vintage letters (in Spanish) you can get yours from Etsy seller Blue Grizzle Paper.

Meet in the Middle: Newnan

We braved the horrible Atlanta traffic (not pictured here) and drove 176 miles to meet some dear friends in the middle between Augusta, GA and Dothan, AL. 

Fortunately, what we found in the middle was Newnan: The City of homes, with a quaint old down town. Which city doesn't have homes though? I'm a little confused by their slogan.  

To our knowledge, Newnan does not have a decent coffee shop, but we had a great lunch, and spent some time posing in Santa's Sleigh. There are also a lot of antique malls and fairly interesting little boutiques. 

This is what happens when I let my husband take pictures:

3/18

10/18

17/18

This building used to be a civil war hospital, 

like so many other buildings in the south.

I could have bought the original dress from the movie "Big Momma". I didn't.

Silly selfie on the streets of Newnan. 

We enjoyed our stay, but considering the location, I doubt we will ever come again. 

Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is not a holiday here in Norway, but I have celebrated it almost every year since I joined Youth With A Mission in 2006. Now that I am married to an American it would only be fitting to host Thanksgiving dinner at our house. With a manageable sized turkey of 6,2 kg (not a giant 13 kg one like last year!), and guests bringing sides, it was a joy to host the party for six other Americans here in Skien. We picked a Sunday for our celebration and enjoyed plenty of food and pie. I only knew half of our guests, but it was really fun to be in an American crowd and enjoy laughs and good stories together.

The Menu:

- Starter: Deviled eggs

- Turkey (of course)

- Mashed potatoes

- Scalloped potatoes (this was supposed to be a green bean casserole, but the expats could not find cream of mushroom here...)

- Sweet potato casserole with pecans and marshmallows

- Raw broccoli and carrot salad

- Gravy

Desserts:

- Pecan Pie (we made it from a family recipe from Mikes grandma!)

- Pumpkin pie

- Peach and pineapple cobbler

Raspberry Coconut Cupcakes

Cupcake Wars should not be watched unless accompanied by delicious cupcakes. So that is what a friend and I did Friday night.

Once we had settled on a few main ingredients (coconut and raspberries), I picked the recipe with the pretties picture. The French blog Les Friands d´Lise won that competition, and it helped that I already had all the ingredients it called for. Luckily, I had google to help me translate the French recipe, and I think it turned out great. We only did a few minor tweaks along the way, adding raspberries and coconut to the cupcake batter. This may be my best attempt at cupcake baking - ever, so the recipe has my recommendations!

RASPBERRY COCONUT CUPCAKES

Makes about 18 small cupcakes with non-heaping frosting.

Cupcakes:
240 g flour
200 g sugar
2 tsps baking powder
80 g cold butter, cut in small pieces
160 g coconut milk
120 g milk of your choice
2 eggs
100 g frozen raspberries in small pieces
3 tbsp shredded coconut

In a mixer, mix flour, sugar, and baking powder with the cold butter till it resembles bread crumbs.
Add coconut milk, milk, and an egg at the time till the batter is combined well.
Carefully fold in the raspberries and the coconut at the end.
Fill cupcake liners 4/5 full.
Bake on 180 C for 15-17 minutes.
Mine came out with a perfect dome shape, but it might have been mirage, cause a few seconds later the tops were flat as pancakes. Also, the picture below shows my kitchen mid-cooking.

Raspberry compote:
300 g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
Juice from 1 lemon
A little sugar to taste

Cook everything on low heat till most of the liquid has evaporated. Make sure you don't sweeten the raspberries too much. The tartness of the compote is a wonderful addition to the cupcakes

Frosting:
125 g softened butter
175 g powdered sugar
75 g cream cheese
A pinch of salt

Beat the butter to a creamy consistency. Add sifted sugar, some at the time, and mix well. Mix in the cream cheese in the end. If you have any raspberry compote left after filling the cupcakes, it can be added to the frosting. Double the frosting if you want mounds of it, we went for the lighter route.

Assembly:
Once the cupcakes have cooked and cooled down, cut a small hole in the top of each cake and fill with a teaspoon of raspberry compote. Frost the cupcakes to your liking/according to your abilities. I need a frosting class, since I am obviously clueless. Garnish with shredded coconut. I have tried hard to find coconut flakes here in Skien, but no luck yet. Can anyone help me figure out where to get it?

A 30th Birthday Brunch

 I have just turned 30! Since my birthday fell on a Sunday this year, I decided to have a brunch party. I love breakfast food, and this seemed like the perfect occasion for a fancy version. I invited some of my favorite ladies and had such a wonderful time!

Some people make big parties for anniversaries, and if it wasn´t for our recent wedding, I would have loved that too. I have a tendency of putting a lot of planning into an event, so I decided that a small party was best this time. After a little research I found an article on how to host a brunch party and still sleep in on Smitten Kitchen, which was very helpful. It gives recommendations on what to serve, and they are basically all things that can be made in advance. She writes it really well, so you should check it out if you are planning a brunch in the future. Some additional tips from me: set the table the night before, and gather your decor ahead of time (I kept postponing this and had to run outside to find some twigs and branches last minute).

The decor was very simple. I used gourds, pumpkin and citrus fruit for the centerpiece, and twigs with a welcome card on each plate. This was the first time I set a table with our new fine china, and I was very excited! The striped silver napkins match the silver rim of the china, and I also used some leftover paper straws from the wedding.

Brunch menu that can be (mostly) made ahead:
- Cranberry orange scones. These were so tasty! Can be made ahead and frozen uncooked, and on the morning of the party you thaw the scones and cook them like you normally would.
- Spinach Quiche Cups. Make the egg batch the day before, cook the day of.
- Cinnamon toast french toast. Made the day before and left to soak in the fridge overnight. Cook the day of. Serve with syrups.
- Fruit salad with pomegranate, papaya, plums and kiwi. Prep as much as possible the day before, especially something tedious and stain-inducing like pomegranates. Mix the fruit the day of. Served with a raspberry-lime sauce and yogurt.
- Cheese, crackers, dried meats and condiments of your choice
- For dessert: Chocolate cake. I had planned on making this gluten free Chocolate cake with almonds and beetroot, but then surprisingly, a birthday cake was delivered to my door and I will have to save that recipe for another day.
- A mimosa bar with a few different juices, bubbles and fruit garnish.
- And of course: a never ending stream of coffee.

Some of the lovely ladies. Thank you so much for making my birthday great! 

Our American-Norwegian wedding reception

   

Welcome to our wedding! 

We can offer Norwegian farmers food and Southern Sweet tea.

Touching speeches from our dear ones. 

Quality coffee by Precious Beans Roasters.

(We are serious about cakes around here.)

Impersonations. Funny ones.

Drama by my childhood´s fantasy friends Hoggen, Birken and Agnes Kyrkjen.

So much laughter (and maybe a few happy tears) with the most amazing people.

In other words: The perfect wedding!

Photos: Sigve Ferstad

Bachelorette party in Telemark

Bachelorette party. A scary term. I like to have control of what is going on, know my plans in advance and generally I plan a lot. So to put my life in someone elses hands for a whole day seemed a little scary. Not that my friends are mean, not at all, and there really wasn´t anything to be worried about.

I had some suspicions to when this would take place, since I know how busy my dear maid of honor is, but I still wasn´t sure until she let me know a couple of days ahead that I would have to pack my bags for an overnight trip, and make sure to bring a bikini. I also got to know that I would receive an overnight guest from Friday to Saturday, and was very curious to who that might be.

After some miscommunication about pick up point Friday night, I could finally welcome a friend from my home town. Since she is 8 months pregnant I really didnt expect her to come all the way, so that was a great start of the weekend.

Saturday morning some wonderful ladies came over with breakfast, and the next thing thing on the program was a relaxing time at the spa in Fritidsparken.

The weather was perfect, nice and warm, and it was a lovely sight to drive from Skien to Dalen, a small town that is known as the destination for the Telemark canal. We arrived at a gallery opening where I had to read from one of Ibsen´s plays, dressed in traditional stakk from Hallingdal. The audience was captivated, Im sure...

Welcome to Dalen Hotel! This amazing property is over 100 years old and has housed celebrities, royalty, and us... Well, we lounged around, had some tea on the terrace and did yoga in the park!

After watching "Henrik Ibsen" sailing in, we drove up on the mountain, to Anne Maris cabin at Rauland. We got to see a beautiful sunset, eat delicious food and just hang out and relax till the next morning.

Thank you so much girls, it was an amazing weekend! 

17th of May: Constitution Day

The parade, with "Verdenskongen/The King of the World" on the front row.

In Norway we celebrate our Constitution the 17th of May every year. This year it was 200 years since this important document was signed, and there has been much focus on this, with lots of events. For example a live event where a historian lectured about Norway´s history from 1814 till today in 200 minutes - 1 minute for each year!

Posing in our national costumes, one "stakk" and one "bunad".

I celebrated with friends here in Skien, watching the children's parade in the morning, wearing my national costume "Sunnmørsbunad", lots of good food, meeting new people, barbecuing, eating ice cream in the park, and watching fireworks. A lovely day indeed! The only thing I really missed today was singing a song from my region "Å Vestland, Vestland", but luckily I found a version with Sissel Kyrkjebø on youtube...

When I get married I will have to wear black stockings. 

When I came home, tired after a long day, I watched some of the national celebration online, and finally hearing the national anthem brought a tear to my eye. I am very grateful to live in a country with freedom and human rights.

The beautiful Brekkeparken in all its spring glory.

Ja, vi elsker dette landet! 

A longing fulfilled is a tree of life

Many many moons ago I joined a book club, and when I convinced my friend to join as well, I got a cooking kit from said book club as a thank you gift. I still use the pots and pans, and they work fine. This must be at least 9 years ago, since I remember unpacking and using these things in my apartment in Oslo as a student from 2004-2005. There was also a hand blander in this kit (or perhaps it was from the baking kit from the same book club? I cant remember.)

While cleaning my cupboards earlier this year, I got rid of this mixer. The blades were dull and I never used the handheld whisk since I had another (better) one for that purpose. Since I had an ordinary blender I thought I would be fine. That was until the end of May, when my cheap 4,5 year old blender suddenly died in the middle of making a smoothie...

Fast forward 5 months, and imagine my excitement when unwrapping a brand new Braun hand blender at my birthday party! It is such a joy to have friends who know me well and give good gifts. It also a greater pleasure to receive something I have been wanting for a long time. If you haven´t made a wish list yet, I warmly recommend it.


Illustration of Proverbs 13:12 by artist Kyle Steed.

Be international

Some days ago, someone said my hobby was blogging. If you have come by here the last weeks/months, it probably wouldn´t seem like a hobby I enjoyed very much. I think my lack of posting is mostly due to the nice summer weather that has lasted so long, plus the fact that my camera cord got permanently lost on the way from Denver to Atlanta. Also, fall has typically been a much better blogging time for me, so I hope to be back on track soon. Now that Im engaged(!), I might even write about wedding stuff!

But first I am off to Tallinn, Estonia with YWAM Skien for a fun staff trip. I look forward to wander the old city, meet old friends and getting to know my coworkers better. The pictures above are from my trip to Tallinn some cold days in March earlier this year. I have a feeling I will like it even better this time. Any recommendations for things to do and see while Im there?

Salted Caramel Popcorn

I have to admit, I am addicted to Project Runway. The clothes, creativity, characters and drama make it a highly entertaining reality show contest for a DIY- lover like me. My friend Jae might be a notch more into it than me though. Lets just say that if someone were about to cry about contestants that might have to leave the show, it wouldn´t be me.

Every Friday night PR marathon needs a good snack, and this weekend, Jae had brought all sorts of ingredients and recipes she wanted to try out. I am not a fan of peanut butter in everything, but her suggestion of something caramelly struck my fancy.

Caramel popcorn it was, and this sweet and salty treat was just perfect. I had only had it once before, in a small town in Iowa, made by an older man in my friends neighborhood. Ever since that day, many years ago, I have occasionally dreamt of recreating it, and finally the day came. It wasn´t hard either, so you should give it a go.

Salted Caramel Popcorn

Popcorn

Pop about 1/2 cup of popcorn with oil/butter and lots (1-2 teaspoons) of salt.
Remove unpopped kernels and lay it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.

Make caramel: 

1 1/4 cup of sugar

1/4 cup corn syrup 

1/4 cup water

Let the ingredients simmer in a pan until the color is a golden ember. 

Remove from the stove and add 50 grams of butter and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. 

Pour the caramel over the popcorn and mix well. Let it cool for a minute and enjoy!