A taste of Italy

One of the most exciting adventures I had this summer was almost taking a spontaneous roadtrip to Italy... notice I say almost... It was very close, but, it was something I suppose was too good to be true to really happen. Typical. But, we ended up going to Czech Republic instead, and that was fair enough for me :)

Anyho, I got inspired to grow some pesto at home. Did I just say grow pesto at home.. I guess it kind of feels like that when most of what I used was loads of my fresh homegrown (on our patio :) ) basil... everything else I added to the recipe just pales in comparison! 

For someone who has never made their own homemade pesto before, *blush*, it turned out to be quite easy and extremely tasty! We ended up using it over spaghetti and took it with us on our trip that we left for the next day. Though it wasn't warm (which I'm sure would have been good too),  it was a nice treat in the car instead of sandwiches..

So you are wondering what ingredients I used?

Now, I'm not going to give you exact amounts - I'm sure you all are adventurous enough to guess about how much it should be! :)

So here goes:

• Fresh organic basil
• Garlic clove(s) 
• Virgin olive oil
• Dry-roasted pine nuts
• Parmazano (it's a type of vegan parmesan - any type of parmesan replacement should work)
• Salt

Mix everything together in a food processor, and voilà - you have homemade pesto!

Enjoy to your heart's content :)

Sewing in red

Finnish sea and Swedish summer

An old boat lying on the beach in Finland More Finnish ocean...
Dark woods :-s
 
Swedish summer in Tryggeboda! Tinted flowers
And the real flowers... :)

Green, green forest...

Kitties and food

Vegan homemade enchiladas! Nom nom nom.... Mock tuna salad - made from tofu, celery, pickles, vegan mayonnaise, and more! Oven-roasted zucchini strips with homemade vegan cheese, fresh basil, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and tomatoes. Raw, vegan raspberry cheesecake for dessert!

Completed sewing projects

Bible case with snap button Makeup bag Couch pillows A basket to put whatever your heart desires in... can never have too many of those! :D A wheat warmer - just put in the microwave or oven to warm the toes or put around the neck.. Here was an attempt at making a memory verse card holder for memorizing Bible verses for example. Hotpads More fabric baskets! And finally a tote for kids with a small pouch. More sewing projects coming soon!

Photos from 2011 - Swedish summer, homemade tortillas, and Finnish fall!

Gluten free, homemade tortillas!

Yummilicious Quinoa Bites

Today I had some leftover cooked quinoa and I thought I'd try making it into some paddies... so here's the result! I fried them in a non-stick frying pan (they look burnt I know, but they aren't really and they definitely don't taste burnt).

Then I made a dip to go with it, and put together it's to die for!! (okay, that was an exaggeration - but it is really really good!)

What's in the paddies:

• Cooked quinoa (had some lime juice in it when cooked)
• Melted butter/margarine
• Potatoe flour
• Parsley (I didn't have fresh so just used dried)
• Salt
• Garlic powder
• Vegan parmesan cheese
• Chunky salsa

And the dip:

• Vegan mayonnaise
• Soy yoghurt
• Dijon mustard
• Lime juice
• Salt
• Ajvar

So that's it.. Form the paddie mixture into small paddies and fry in a frying pan (don't need to add oil since there's already plenty fattiness in the mixture). For the dip, I just mixed the ingredients together in a bowl and then they're done.

There are plenty of ways I'm sure to be more creative with a recipe like this, and another day I'll try making them with more raw ingredients... but today I was kind of lazy busy and thought I'd do it the simple and quick way. :)

Sunset in Finland - December, 2011

Above are some photos of a sunset/moonrise in northern Finland, near Jakobstad that were taken in December, 2011.

Trip to Germany - June, 2011

The place where the reformer John Huss was burned at the stake.



This building called the Council of Constance is where John Huss's trial took place and where he was condemned to death.