kelas 3smp RIBEEEEEETTTT !!1

haduuuuuhhhh , huyuuuuuhh .

uda kelas 3 smp tambah pusing , ribet , makin susah ...
nilai turunn !!!

kelas 3 gw malah makin males belajarr ,
maunya main teruss ,
anak anak di kelas 9.2 makin gilaa aja .
hahahahaaa
pada bikin guru yg masuk ke kls 9.2 ngambek bin kesel.
wkakakakka , bu yenti jg prnh kesel bgt sm kls gw .
apalagi pak alam .
hahahaaa .


tapi ..
mdh2an di UN th.2010 bsk , kls 9.1 dan 9.2 bisa lulus dgn nilai yg memuaskan ..............................
AMINNNNNN !

when you realize it?

when you realize it?
you stand in front of your class
you smile, even you laugh
I'm always happy when see you smile
I watched every expression on your face
you are so charming !
even if you never realized
I was always like this
because in your eyes I was so. . . .

Cookbook watch: all about cookies

Cookies is a favorite for the holidays - or really, at any time of the year. I like baking cookies, and I especially like having a stash in the freezer for unexpected company. I'm happy to bake larger, American-style cookies as well as Swedish classics which are almost always smaller and crisper, but I find that the styles are melding a bit as time goes by.

In Claes Karlsson's Kakfrossa ("Cookie Gluttony", loosely translated), you'll find tons of classic cookies with a twist. The layout is also very pretty and with great photos - I like this book a lot. Some recipes I plan to try out soon are almond cookies rolled in cardamom sugar, shortbread thumbprint cookies with cloudberry jam, and mini meringue cookies with toasted walnuts.



The next cookie book isn't so much about recipes as it is about decorating. It's a follow-up to Cookie Craft, which I've written about before - and it's called Cookie Craft Christmas. The authors, Valerie Peterson and Janice Fryer (website here), have done a very nice job collecting loads of different designs suitable for christmas cookies - anything from ornaments (using a simple round cookie cutter) to 3D-christmas trees, and intricately designed partridges. Very cute! I'm aching to host a cookie decorating party with all these ideas!

Creamy Latin Pasta Salad

One of my fave cookbooks to look through has been Ingrid Hoffman's "Simply Delicioso" - I've used it quite a bit this past summer. This pasta salad sounded so good, and so simple, I had to hunt down evaporated milk. Not an easy feat! Swedish stores now sell condensed milk, but that is sweetened and not what you need for this. I finally got lucky at an Asian supermarket, and scored a can of evaporated milk. (It's basically milk with half the water removed, so it's a much thicker milk.) Next time though.. I'll skip it. It wasn't all that great, and I think the dressing would be wonderful using crème frâiche instead - so feel free to try that.

The original recipe had celery, which I hate, red onions which I didn't eat this summer because of nursing, and ham which I just didn't want this time.

Creamy Latin Pasta Salad
(printable recipe)

400 g pasta shapes - I used fusili or rotelli
125 ml evaporated milk
50 ml olive oil
150 g feta cheese, crumbled
1 big bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
salt, pepper
1 orange bellpepper, finely diced
1 red bellpepper, finely diced
200 ml green peas (thawed if frozen)
150 ml green olives, de-stoned

Boil the pasta in plenty of salted water, and drain.

Mix the evaporated milk with feta cheese, olive oil, coriander and lime in a food processor and run until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix the pasta with bellpeppers, peas and olives. Add the dressing and toss well.

Leave it for at least an hour before serving, so the flavors get a chance to marry.

Recipe in Swedish:
Krämig pastasallad från Latinamerika

Cookie galore

We had a special "fika" at work today. I'm still on maternity leave,
but had to come in for this - everyone was asked to bake something,
and about ren people did. Lovely!

Cherry Apricot Preserves

You just saw that photo, I know - but I don't have one of just the jam. I find it really hard to take decent photos of jam, marmalades and preserves by the way - I don't want to waste any for just a photo, and I never seem to manage anything that really showcases the jam.. Oh well, you'll have to make it for yourself and see how pretty it is!

I had some fresh cherries but not enough to just make cherry jam. I added fresh apricots, and some of the apricot stones for that subtle almond-y flavor. I removed them after cooking, but you can leave them in for a stronger hint of almond. I also added a lot of fresh vanilla, since I placed a massive Ebay order not so long ago, but feel free to omit it or to use less.

Cherry Apricot Preserves
(printable recipe)

300 g fresh apricots, de-stoned and cut into small wedges
500 g fresh cherries, de-stoned
8 apricot stones
2 vanilla beans
600 g jam sugar (with added pectin)
2 tbsp water

Mix everything in a large, wide pot and bring to a boil. Boil on low heat for 5-10 minutes. Turn off the heat, use a skimmer to remove any scum. Remove the apricot stones if you want. Pour into clean, sterilized jars.

Recipe in Swedish:
Körsbärs- och aprikosmarmelad

And the winners are...

The results of the superfood sandwich contest are in! A great big thank you to all who participated and help spread the word - it was a lot of fun! Sandwiches are somewhat a "superfood" in itself - in that it's so easy and quick to make - and combined with actual superfoods, it can also be really healthy and good for you. I thought all entries were excellent, and thus I decided on a random drawing of the winners.

Top prize, a six month supply of Fazer Frökusar bread, goes to Laura! You can see her sandwich above - it has a spread made from edamame, avocado, coriander, garlic, lime juice, and greek yogurt. That sounds absolutely brilliant - and when it's combined with some red pepper, even better. Definitely something I will be trying out soon!



The runners-up are Clarissa and Kari and they both win a three month supply of bread. Clarissa's sandwich has, intriguingly, SPAM on it! Now, that's something I wouldn't have tried on my own - but combined like this, with hard-boiled eggs, homemade mayo, alfalfa sprouts and cheese, I'm sure it's delicious.



Kari (who lovingly calls himself and his family for the Family Crocodile Butt - I had to include that!) went for a hearty sandwich on homemade sunflower-linseed bread, with butter, alfalfa sprouts, grated carrots and a homemade hamburger. Yummy! Those of you who read Swedish should check out his great blog, by the way!



In the international category, the winner of the book "In Grandma's Arbor" is Virginie! (She's Canadian, her husband is Finnish, and they live in Norway - quite a mix!) Just look at that gorgeous sandwich! It has red bell peppers, grated carrots, ground flax seeds, Dijon mustard, a fried egg, greens and the magical ingredient - bacon. Sounds like heaven indeed!

Congratulations to all the winners, and a big thanks to Fazer for helping me host this fun contest! I have a very different giveaway/contest coming up in a few days, so check back soon!

oktarinn LC: 鲍春来 =)

oktarinn LC: 鲍春来 =)

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bao+chunlai+nyanyi&search_type=&aq=f

鲍春来 =)

鲍春来 . . . . . . . . . .
haha =)
I do not think this can last for like Bao Chunlai, badminton athletes from China.
haha =)
but if the thought Bao Chunlai was not as perfect as I imagined!
wkakkakk XD

many friends who complain if I am always talking about Bao Chunlai,
but that's an interesting thing to talk about.
they just do not understand.
haha =)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Macarons

I think these are my favorite, from all the macarons I've tried. Chocolate and peanuts are a classic combination, and this is definitely a good place to combine the two. They went down a storm when I served them, so I think most people would tend to agree with me here!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Macarons
about 20 cookies

3 egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp caster sugar
200 g powdered sugar
110 g almonds
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp salted peanuts, chopped

filling:
75 g unsalted butter
85 g creamy peanut butter
powdered sugar, to taste

Combine powdered sugar, almonds and cocoa powder in your food processor, and grind until very fine. Sieve. Re-grind any lumps or big pieces of almonds. Mix carefully (they tend to separate a little bit when sieving, since the sugar falls through first.)

Beat egg whites and sugar until you have a thick, glossy meringue. Don't overbeat. Stir in the almond-sugar powder, and fold together. Don't overmix this - most seem to say that you should use less than 50 strokes. (You can try it by dolloping a little batter on a baking sheet - if the peak falls down, it's ready. If it doesn't, try a few more strokes.)

Pipe small rounds on a baking sheet with baking paper. Sprinkle half of them with salted peanuts. Leave at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, to form a skin.

Bake at 150°C for 15-20 minutes. (I have a convection oven, and 15 minutes was perfect for me.) Let them cool completely before filling. Unused shells can be frozen, or kept in an air-tight container for a day or so.

For the filling, beat butter and peanut butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar to taste - start with a few spoonfuls and keep going until you find it sufficiently sweet, and sturdy enough to spread. Spread onto half of the shells - the ones without peanut sprinkles - and top with the other shells.

Recipe in Swedish:
Choklad- och jordnötsmacarons

Underwater baby!

Obviously not about food, but so cool I have to show you! We go to baby swimming classes with Titus, and have just completed our first eight-week course. It's been so much fun, and he just loves it. He gets excited when he sees the pool, and he loves water so much he even tried to swim in the shower yesterday! He really *does* swim, too - he can't hold his balance or float properly, but he'll definitely propel himself forward. It's impressive indeed, and I really recommend this to those of you with small babies. It's so much fun! We'll be doing a course until christmas, and we'll probably get a second set of photos a bit later on. These are taken by an underwater photographer, and we have more that'll be up on Titus' blog a bit later.

I seriously can’t tolerate this habit!

I bet everyone had came across this situation before, either with people around you or with some other people you completely don’t know (probably 1st time talking to) where you’re busy talking to someone maybe about something important or interesting and SUDDENLY other person come and just jump into the conversation and interrupt!
Let me just give an example to this; let’s just say you’re in a group of friends and it happens that you’re talking to one friend about something very important and suddenly a friend sitting next to you who is not in the conversation suddenly interrupt and ask the person you’re talking to about something which is NOT so important! How does that feel?
I swear to the bottom of my heart, I HATE THIS!!! To whoever out there who loves to interrupt when other people are busy talking or just jump into the conversation without knowing what the hell the people are talking about….just one advice JUST STOP THAT BLOODY ANNOYING HABIT COZ IT’S ANNOYING AND RUDE!!!! And to whomever that was being interrupted, if you’re in a conversation with someone else and someone else suddenly come and talk to you, please asked that rude person to wait till you’re done talking with the person you’re talking to or just ignore them! That’s what I USUALLY DO when someone interrupts me and another person talking, I’ll just ignore him/her till he/she gets the signal that I’m annoyed by what he’s/she’s doing and he/she will stop and wait!
And since I’ve been around with the Iranians these days, I noticed this a lot with the Iranians!!! (NO OFFENCE BUT IT JUST GETS ANNOYING EVERYTIME WHEN IT HAPPENS!) One minute I’m talking to a friend about something and suddenly another friend just came and suddenly just asked something which is not related to the conversation, for example, ‘HEY WHERE IS THE CONCERT?’ WTF?!?! And then the two will start talking and then when that friend comes back and wants to continue our previous conversation, it just doesn’t get that interesting anymore!
And earlier today at the café by the swimming pool before heading back to the house, me and my bf was talking about his friend who stole my dresses and was discussing about what to do with him (it was a pretty important conversation!) when suddenly one of his friend who was sitting opposite of me suddenly asked my bf something in Persian which I have no idea what the hell it was but I bet it was not important! And my bf started talking to him and when he got back to me, I just forgot about what we were talking about earlier, probably I was too mad about the interruption that I forget about what we talked earlier.
Another annoying situation would be when a group of people are talking and everyone is like competing with each other when they’re talking as if it’s a race of who can say more things or who can finish what they wanna say the fastest! It’s like everyone wants to talk and not giving any chance to everyone else to talk! Like seriously, if everyone is talking who's gonna listen?!?!?!? That happened once when my bf and I and his housemates were having dinner and it happened that I was talking and then 1 of his housemate just cut me and started talking about some shit! Was really mad coz of that I just stopped talking till they realized that. Then, I just ‘bombed’ them and told them they were really rude! Coz seriously it’s damn annoying! But still, they don’t changed! Still keep up with the rude habit!

Happy 5th birthday!

It's that time of year again - blogaversary! My blog turns five years old today - I can't believe how time flies!

I really wanted to make a proper cake, but it didn't go so well. I tried creating something from scratch - a crispy peanut layer with apple mousse and cinnamon jelly - but it didn't work all that great. Tasty, but ugly - I'll show you eventually, but not today. So, I opted for the ever-simple jelly roll, topped with whipped cream. It tasted great, and took just a few minutes to put together! I added a whole vanilla bean to make it a bit more luxurious - but that's just because I have a lot of it at the moment. (Ebay score!)

I used home made cherry apricot jam, which obviously made things a lot tastier but also less instant - but use whatever you happen to have!

Vanilla Bean Jelly Roll
(printable recipe)

3 eggs
150 ml sugar
200 ml flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp water
1 vanilla bean

sugar for sprinkling
jam for filling

Beat the eggs and sugar until very fluffy. Fold in the baking powder, flour and water, and the seeds of the vanilla bean.

Spread in a lined rimmed baking sheets, and bake at 250°C for five minutes. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle with sugar, and immediately turn the cake up side down onto a second baking sheet, lined with paper. Peel off the first paper, and place the rimmed baking sheet on top to preserve the cake's moistness while it cools.

When cool, spread with your favorite jam, and roll up tightly. Wrap in plastic and store in the fridge until you need it.

Recipe in Swedish:
Rulltårta med vaniljstång

Last year - a Swedish version of the Black Forest Gateau.

Mirror Mirror!

Almost every girl owns at least one mirror but did you know that there are a lot more to mirrors than just being simple looking-glasses? I was reading an article on mirror the other day and I find it really interesting that I wanted to share it here!

There are a lot of superstitious and beliefs associated with mirrors, most of which started in this dim and distant past, when it was believed that a mirror actually reflected the soul of the person looking into it. As vampires (and some witches) were believed to have no souls, they could be identified by making them look into the mirror! How spooky is that….???

One mirror superstition which has been around for ages is the belief that when breaking a mirror, it will bring seven years of bad luck. This probably stemmed from the times when mirror was an expensive item. Breaking it would, therefore, be considered a great loss, especially in the case of a servant who broke a mirror belonging to her employer. The cost of replacement would probably be taken from the girl’s wages. If you are unlucky enough to smash a mirror, however don’t despair coz you can lessen the ‘curse’ by carefully wrapping the broken pieces in fabric (preferably red) and burying them in the ground. According to legend, this will reduce the seven years to seven days.

Other mirror superstitions say that a bride should never look at herself in a mirror once she’s fully dressed, as to do so will bring bad luck. Before taking a final look at herself, she should lay down her bouquet or remove a glove or something. If she does look, however, the bad luck can be cancelled by adding something simple, like a hair pin or a piece of jewellery.

Another old wives’ tale states that it is unlucky for a girl to look at her reflection for too long, especially after midnight. This was probably invented to stop young girls from becoming too vain. Likewise, telling girls that they would never marry if they looked at themselves in a mirror by candlelight, would definitely discourage vanity.

There are some romantic superstitions associated with mirrors too! It is said that a girl can tell how many years it will be until she marries by standing on a stone with her back to the full moon and a mirror in her hand. If she holds up the mirror she should see the reflection of the moon surrounded by lots of ‘mini-moons’. Each ‘mini-moon’ counts as a year until she marries (although it sounds more like a damaged mirror to me…)! Also, if you really fancy a boy you should be careful not to look into the mirror at the same time as him, coz that means you’ll never go out together. Well, some people believe it.

Whether or not you believe all these old mirror stories, there can be no denying that mirrors are very useful. Not only do they show us how we look, but they can also be used as decorations. A large mirror hung on a wall can make a small room look bigger or, if a light is placed in front of a mirror, it can make a darker room seem brighter.

Mirrors come in all shapes and sizes and it can be interesting to look around junk shops and jumble sales for old mirrors. Broken or damaged frames can be repainted or decorated with beads or shells. It’s fun to do, and the end result will be original and cool! Just be careful not to break the glass, because you never know…..

Finally!!

Readers of my blog know that I have a shameful obsession with Starbucks. Well, it's finally happening - they're opening in Sweden! At least almost... they'll open at Arlanda airport, just like they have done in Denmark. At least this means I can get a frappuccino if I fly somewhere - or with lots of luck they'll open outside of the security check, and I can go there all the time. (I would, too.)

Mmmm.... The Fall Baking Bug Has Bitten

After me and my husband ate all of the pumpkin chocolate chip scones yesterday I was once again craving some baking and nothing was in the house. This led me to my first self-invented recipe

Apple-Pear Muffins

1 c. rolled oats
1 c. buttermilk (or I used 1 tbsp vinegar the rest skim milk)
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. white cake flour
1 t. baking power
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. allspice
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. applesauce
1 apple diced
1 pear diced

1. Combine oats and buttermilk in a small bowl

2. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and brown sugar.
3. Add oats mixture, applesauce, and fruit mix sparingly (gluten is not our friend here)

4. Pour into muffin tin. (Mine turned out best when filled level with the cup)

Optional sprinkle with oatmeal & brown sugar mix

5. Bake at 350 for 30 min.

Superfood Sandwich Contest - let's give it a few more days

You guys don't seem to be very competitive! :) Let's give it a few more days - you have until Sunday to send me your ideas and photos for superfood sandwiches!

Details are here.

Sourdough Bread

Here's our second try at sourdough bread. The loaves aren't very big but they look delicious.

Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Scones

Being pregnant I haven't had any of what I would call strange cravings (not including that applesauce with peanut butter thing... gross!) but I will think of something that sounds good and that's it I have to make it. So this morning I was struck with the scone bug that lead to me trying to decide between cranberry orange, chocolate chip, or pumpkin. I decided everything is better with chocolate and I had some pumpkin I need to use up so here we are pumpkin chocolate-chip scones.

I searched Pinch My Salt for a recipe (this blog has single-handedly changed my cooking forever!) and found to my delight she had already done a lot of the work for me and already had a pumpkin scone recipe I threw in some chocolate chips and got ready for breakfast. They turned out amazing!!


Taken from: http://pinchmysalt.com/2007/10/18/pumpkin-spice-scone-recipe/

• Pumpkin Spice Scones
• 1 C. all purpose flour
• 1 C. cake flour
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 t. ground allspice
• 1/4 t. ground ginger
• 6 T. unsalted butter
• 1/2 C. chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/3 C. pumpkin puree
• 1/3 C. heavy cream
• 6 T. brown sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Get out a baking sheet and line with parchment paper (not required but makes cleanup easy!). Cut the butter into small pieces, put it in a small bowl and put it back in the refridgerator. In a medium bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, salt, and all spices. Whisk together well. Place bowl in freezer (refrigerator is fine if you have no room in freezer).
• 2. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk together well. Put this bowl in freezer (or refrigerator) and take the other bowl back out. Get the butter pieces out of the fridge and dump them into the bowl with the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chipes if you are using them.
• 3. Get the liquid mixture out of the freezer and pour into the flour mixture all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is just moistened. The dough will be very crumbly, this is the way it should be. Turn the mixture out onto the counter and push the pile together with your hands. It should stick together fairly well. Knead it just a couple of times until everything is together. Don’t knead it too much or the dough will get too sticky.
• 4. Pat the dough out into a rough circle, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cut it like a pie into 8 pieces. Place pieces on the baking sheet so that they are not touching. Bake scones for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. They should be light brown on the bottom, the tops will darken as they cool.

Wow! It's been awhile!

I could not believe I had not blogged anything since July!!! Where have I been? Oh yeah that's right moving across country and "brewin' a human" (phrase courtesy of some random guy at Walmart) Ok well here's what I've been up to this week.

Date Night:
Me and my husband try to have a date night once a week, but we are also trying to stick to a fairly minimal budget so Friday night was movie night at home.

The Food:
From Left to Right.
Cheddar Bacon Potato Skins, Beef Taquitos, Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza Bits

Cheddar Bacon Potato Skins
Several Small Potatos
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Canola Oil
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Bacon (cooked and crumbled)
Butter
Sour Cream
Chives (dried or fresh)

1. Wash Potato skins really well.
2. Rub potato skins with canola oil then roll in kosher salt and black pepper.
3. Bake in oven at 350 for an hour
4. Allow potatoes to cool until you can handle them easily
5. Slice potatoes in half and scoop out the inside using a spoon. Leave about a 1/4 in. of potato remaining on the skin.
6. Brush potatoes with butter and bake at 400 for 10 min.
7. Fill potatoes with cheese and bacon
8. Bake at 400 for 10 more min. or until the cheese is melted
9. Mix chives into sour cream and top potatoes with mixture.
10. Enjoy :)

Beef Taquitos
Taken from http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/06/baked-chipotle-beef-taquitos.html

Baked Chipotle Beef Taquitos
Recipe by OurBestBites.com

3 C cooked, shredded beef roast*
4oz green chilies, undrained
1/4-1/2 t minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (I use 1/4 t for mild heat. See note below)
3 t adobo sauce from the canned chipotle peppers
1 t garlic powder
1 t coriander
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
zest from one lime
1 T fresh lime juice
1 package Queso Fresco (about 12 oz)
white corn tortillas ---- inch...
olive oil or cooking spray
kosher salt

Note: If you don't want to work with the chipotle peppers, or can't find them, try adding some Chipotle Chili Powder. You can find it by the other spices in the grocery store. It will still give you a smoky spice, so start with a little and increase to taste.

*I created this recipe to use up left over roast from things like pot roast and french dip sandwiches. If you're cooking a roast strictly for use in these taquitos, then just mildly season it with things like salt, pepper, onion, and garlic before cooking.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice any larger pieces of roast across the grain so the beef is shredded into 1/2-1 inch pieces.
Combine chilies, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, garlic, coriander, cumin, chili powder and lime zest and juice in a bowl. After stirring to combine, gently toss together with shredded beef.

Wrap a pile of about 10 tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 1 minute to soften. (after those are used, do the next 10)

Working with one tortilla at a time, crumble about 1T queso fresco in a line across the center of the tortilla. Top with 1-2 T shredded beef mixture. Tightly roll and place seam-side down on a lightly sprayed baking sheet. Continue to roll until all of the tortillas are filled.

Use cooking spray, olive oil spray, or lightly brush olive oil on the top of each taquito. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.

Serve warm with sour cream and guacamole. Makes about 20 taquitos.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza Bits
Taken from http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/06/chicken-bacon-stuffed-pizza-rolls.html

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough* (or make your own)
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil or melted butter
sharp cheddar cheese (I used 75% sharp cheddar and 25% mozzarella)
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
about 1 C shredded, cooked chicken.
3/4 C mayo
3/4 C milk

First take 1 teaspoon of your ranch dressing mix and combine it with 1 1/2 T parmesan cheese. Set aside. Combine the remaining ranch mix with 3/4 C mayo and 3/4 C milk and place in the fridge to chill.

Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package. Usually it's 400-425 degrees.

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". You're going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares.

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square.

When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings.

I grab the four corners first and then squeeze the seams shut. Then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish). Brush with melted butter or olive oil and sprinkle with the parmesan-ranch mixture.

Place your rolls in the oven. I've noticed baking time really depends on the type of dough I'm using. Whether it's different brands from the store, or homemade dough, they all take different amounts of time. Set your timer for 10 minutes and check on them after that. They may take up to 15 or 20 to be done. Take them out when they're lightly golden on top.

Serve them warm with a side of freshly made ranch dressing for dipping.

Baked Macaroni

I sometimes find myself hankering for the favorite dishes of my childhood. This is definitey one of them. It's somewhat like a pie, with an egg filling poured on top of the macaroni, but it's called a "Makaronipudding" in Swedish. You can add other veggies as you see fit, and you don't have to use plain elbow macaroni - but that's how I do it. I like it baked in a pretty big pan so that it comes out more shallow and crunchy - if you use a smaller, deeper dish, you might have to cook it for a few more minutes.

I had some "kryddost" to use up - a cheese studded with cloves, quite unusual but popular in Sweden. It was definitely nice here - but go ahead and use any flavorful cheese you'd like. A strong cheddar is great. Serve with some lingonberry jam on the side.

Baked Macaroni
(printable recipe)
serves 6

500 g elbow macaroni
200 g smoked ham, diced
100 ml thinly sliced leek
5 eggs
500 ml milk
200 ml grated cheese
salt, pepper

Boil the macaroni until al dente. Mix eggs, milk, cheese and spices in a bowl. Mix macaroni, ham and leeks in a baking dish, I use a rimmed cookie sheet. Add the egg mixture.

Bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes.

Recipe in Swedish:
Makaronipudding

Wallenberg Burgers

Here's a classical Swedish dish! They're named for the Wallenberg family, which is as close to Swedish noblesse as they come.

It's a very fluffy, lightly browned meat patty, made from veal mince, egg yolks and heavy cream. It's always served with a potato purée, small green peas and usually also with lingonberry jam. We had a few left over burgers the next day with a chanterelle sauce and rice - that was great too.

It's really delicious - but make sure your veal is freshly ground, and if you can't get good mince, grind it yourself. And make sure that all of your ingredients are really cold when you start mixing, to keep the mixture from separating.

I used my Kitchen-Aid for this, but you can use a food processor or blend by hand, but be quick.

Wallenberg Burgers
(printable recipe)
Serves 5-6

500 g veal mince
4 egg yolks
300 ml heavy cream
salt
white pepper, ground
grated white bread, from about two-three slices of bread (crust cut off)

Make sure all ingredients are well chilled, and if you're making it on a warm day, chill the bowl as well. Add the egg yolks, salt and white pepper to the mince, and then slowly add the cream. It will be a very loose mixture.

Spread half of the breadcrumbs on a plate. Spoon the meat mixture into twelve mounds. Top them with the rest of the breadcrumbs, and very lightly shape them into thick burgers. Fry in a medium warm pan with plenty of butter - they shouldn't get a lot of color.

Recipe in Swedish:
Wallenbergare

Pancakes

I know, it's definitely time for some proper blogging. It's just a
little hard to find the time - time to plan out meals, time to cook
them, time to sit at the computer. Or to be honest, the baby is more
fun! :)

I have some great stuff coming though! A fall cake, since my
blogaversary is coming up soon (five years!). Lots of cookbook
reviews. Swedish "limpa" bread. And a close look at Bosch MUM86 - a
big stand mixer that I'm trying out.

The photo? My sister's pancakes. Delicious. I think I ate six. With
whipped cream and blueberry jam. Heaven.

Superfood sandwich contest - one week left!

Just one week left - send in your best superfood sandwich, and you can win loads of bread!

Details are here.

Colorful!

My sister always makes colorful food. This is a creamy lamb sauce over
blueberry rice, and cabbage salad.

Monday pretty

Me and Titus were at a professional photo shoot yesterday! It was so much fun I really have to share some of the photos with you!

Sourdough Tea Cakes

I'll be going away for a few days to visit my sister and family in Östersund in Northern Sweden. Titus and mý mom are going, too, but Per will be left at home. I'll do some blogging by iPhone, but I thought I'd leave you with a nice bread recipe until I get back home again!

Here's a recipe from a blogging friend, Carolina at Sisterfood. It's really easy - you can use rye or wheat sourdough starter, or fresh yeast (50 g) if you prefer that. (That will probably not need to rise for the same amount of time though, so watch it!)

These are very yummy toasted, and I prefer them with a sharp cheese and orange marmalade. A cup of tea is the perfect companion. In fact, these are called "tekakor" in Swedish, which translates into "tea cakes". And yes, they'll keep very well in the freezer!

Sourdough Tea Cakes
(printable recipe)
16-20

300 ml rolled oats
50 ml whole buckwheat
50 ml crushed linseed
600 ml water
200 ml sourdough starter (active, bubbling)
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp neutral cooking oil
1 tsp salt
700 g strong bread flour

Mix oats, linseed, buckwheat and water to a porridge. Bring to a boil, and simmerfor about ten minutes, until nice and thick. Let it cool to room temperature.

Mix the porridge with sourdough starter, oil, honey and salt. Gradually add the flour and work for about 10 minutes in a stand mixer, or 20 minutes by hand. Leave to rise for 3-4 hours.

Shape into small balls and flatten slightly. Place on a baking sheet to rise for about an hour. Prick all over with a fork, before baking at 225°C for about 6 minutes.

Recipe in Swedish:
Tekakor på surdeg

Great, great dessert!

Pears poached in red wine and spices, with the liquid reduced into a
syrup. And what you don't see is the filling - mascarpone, vanilla and
pistachios. All this was made by Dagmar, who as always made us a
fantastic dinner.