Holiday

2 December 21, 2016 Holiday

Chewy Caramel & Ginger Cookies | gf

The cheek numbing cold out here has turned into stormy and mild, almost spring, weather. The steel grey ocean is powerful and the strong winds are an effective cure for a busy mind.

I thought that it would be hard – not to say impossible – to wind down and find the mindspace to actually take some time off this year.

But as the days grow closer to Christmas, I find myself involuntarily snoozing until mid-morning, absentmindedly wandering around the house picking dead leaves from our sad plants and worrying more about whether or not Lady Mary will marry Lord Gilliamham, than what Christmas gifts I should get for my family.

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0 December 18, 2016 Holiday

Blood Orange & Rosemary Jam | gf

– This post is a sponsored collaboration with Lidl Sverige –

Overnight the temperature dropped 10 degrees and we woke up to a glistening cold and white Narnia forest. We had an errand “in town” (meaning the closest gas station 20 min by bus away) so just when the first rays of sun hit the tree tops we were at the bus stop hopping from one side to another to stay warm. Ten minutes later the bus passed the harbor, and the sky was burning with the most magnificent sunrise! Oh how I wish I had brought my camera in that moment! But I guess some things are meant to be etched into your mind rather than preserved through technology.

This morning would turn out to be one of those times when mindfulness are almost forced onto you. When it’s this cold (-10’C/14’F) and you have 1,5 hour outside to pass before the returning bus arrives, it is impossible to not be acutely aware of the immediate now. The numbness of your feet and the hurting beauty of the white and dark green tree crowns bathing in golden light. How badly you are craving a hot cup of cocoa and to close your eyes and sleep under a warm blanket just for a moment.
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1 December 8, 2016 Holiday

Warm Chocolate & Mulled Wine Figs + A Stress Free Christmas | v + gf

– This post is a sponsored collaboration with Lidl Sverige –

We’re only a couple of days into December, but I can already feel the familiar holiday stress creeping up on me. Not only are we approaching the end of this fiscal year, which always means an extra workload for the small business owner (especially if you’re a bit behind with your book-keeping like I am…). It’s also time to start planning what food to make for Christmas and what gifts to give to your family members, and then find the time to actually prep all that food and wrap all those gifts. Not to mention the house decorations and finishing all the work tasks before the holiday begins.

The stress and shopping mania that strikes the entire western world around this time is quite scary to me. Not only is the mandatory gift shopping and luxurious food consumption something that few can afford, it also overshadows what (to me) is the truly important things of this holiday – spending time with family, resting, offering gratitude and getting mentally prepared for the new year.

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1 November 23, 2016 Holiday

7 Christmas Recipes For The Advent Celebrations

Sometimes I’m so focused on creating new new new all the time, that I forget how many amazing recipes I have in my archive. Many of which I cook myself on a regular basis. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and 1st of Advent is coming up this weekend. I will unfortunately be working all weekend, but if I had some time off I would light a fire, uncork the first bottle of mulled wine for the season, snack on something sweet and dive into a thrilling novel. What are your plans?

I’ve collected a handful of my favorite winter recipes here, in case you need some inspiration on what to make :-) I threw in both a lil bit of sweet and a lil bit of savory.

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1 March 24, 2016 Holiday

VEGANSK GUBBRÖRA | VEGAN SWEDISH GUBBRÖRA

En av de första grejerna som mamma började laga en vegetarisk variant av till mig som tonåring var gubbröra. Med ägg och kapris istället för ägg och ansjovis. Jag vet inte vad det är, men jag har alltid älskat den där kombinationen av krämigt och syrligt och salt, och massvis av dill! Vegansk sill är ju något som folk pysslar med runt midsommar, så jag tänkte att det inte borde vara så svårt att svänga ihop en vegansk gubbröra också enligt liknande principer. Jag äter ju ägg då och då, men jag gillar utmaningen att ta fram helt veganska alternativ också, så att jag kan äta mer veganskt i vardagen.

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One of the first things mum started making a vegetarian version of for me as a teenager was this Swedish dish called “Gubbröra”. It literally means “Old Man’s Mess” and traditionally consists of sour cream with chopped up eggs and anchovy, and flavored with dill and onion. I have no idea where the name comes from, but I can totally imagine some old man or lady stuffing their mouths with slices of sweet, dark bread and big dollops of messy Gubbröra. Mum used to make an egg and capers version for me, instead of anchovy. I don’t know what it is about it, but I just loved that combination of creamy, tangy and salty, with heaps of dill! Vegan pickled “herring” is quite popular in Sweden to make around Midsummer so I figured it wouldn’t be so difficult to come up with a vegan version for Gubbröra as well, according to similar methods. I do eat eggs from time to time, but I like the challenge of creating totally vegan alternatives as well so that I can eat more vegan food in my everyday life.

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