Happy Valentines Day

Love is..

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,endures all things.” I Corinthians 13:4-7

I made a cake for my Valentine this year. Thought I’d try one of his favorite cakes: The Red Velvet Delight. 🙂

A ring holder makes a for special gift idea.

No time for baking and need a cake for a special occasion? My dear friend Daris, introduced me to the best Red Velvet Cake that money can buy  from Nothing Bunt Cake . You will only want more!

With love,

Cake!

What are your top 10 excuses—or, shall I say—sensible reasons for baking a cake on an ordinary day? I have realized two things today: (1) Summer is coming to an end here in Oslo, and (2.) Summer is way underappreciated. Based on two simple facts, I have deemed sunny days worthy of massive cake consumption. Maybe it’s because I’m Scandinavian? Nah… I’ll make up any excuse to eat cake and drink coffee with friends and family!

Well, I did my research and found the perfect chocolate cake. It takes me a little while to compare recipes online but it always pays off when I do. The trick is to decide what you’re making, tab all your findings, and then start comparing ingredients while noting down what you think is vital for creating a sensational cake. For some reason I always end up incorporating ingredients from other recipes. I call it “the merge of baking.”My hubby and I finished this delight in a day and a half. The recipe was one of the top 10 winners in a “Norwegian chocolate cake bake-off.” The recipe can be found here. My secret “merge” move was to add some apricot jam. I simply let my layers soak up hot apricot jam before icing the cake. It makes for a very moist and super delicious treat!

Thank you Jamie Oliver

And thank you, hubby, for cooking. I LOVED every bite. Just a quick tip for those of you who want to know where to pick up your special meats and pasta. There is a little shop at Sanktanshaugen called Gutta På Haugen. They have anything Gourmet: sausages, cheeses, and your favorite condiments.

Ingredients

Fresh Thyme

Flat leaf parsley

Garlic (of course)

1 Onion

Dried Chili

Salt’n Pepper

Spanish Chorico

Give it a go!

Love,

Battenberg Cake

My lil’ sis turned 25 yesterday, and that was reason enough to try out this famous British delight. After giving it a go, I understand what the hoopla is all about. This cake will even make the “I’m not much a cake person”  person go for seconds. It’s really easy to make and it has a vintage look to it. Here is the instructional video (if you want to be inspired, too!):  How to make Battenberg Cake.

Make it easy on yourself by doing a thorough prep job, i.e. read the recipe closely and put out everything you need before getting started.

This is how I made my divider: I used a single sheet and folded it in the middle. It helps to use a little butter in the corners to make it stick in place.

I made the rose out of plain marzipan.

Steps:

1. Add a little food coloring to make it look like a rose. Don’t add too much coloring or the dough will become overly sticky.

2. Roll up a little ball and then make it pointy like an upside-down cone.

3. Make another seven to eight balls.

4. Using your roller, make thin, flat  circles, roughly 2 inches in diameter on wax paper.

3.The first flat circle you’ll shape around your cone. Create layers with the remaining leaves making sure they fold outward.

The birthday girl got her cake fix on her special day. I love you to Reese’s Pieces, Kristin!

Thanks for stopping by on your special day, Auntie!

Always with love,

Back on track

My little bundle has arrived. She was born on the 30th of June, at 4:10 pm. Labor was no less than a 21 hour, intense hike up and down Mount Contraction  (Thank You, Eve!). Although we endured a little drama along the way, the ending was all good. Nova checked out of her utero hotel close to 8 pounds. Now, six weeks later , I’ve got a smiling, drooling, kicking, and healthy little pile of delicious blubber. Since the baby fog has officially lifted, and life has started to normalize a little, I am exited to continue posting some of the excitement going on around  here. By excitement, I mean starting on my low-budget kitchen rennovation.

Since we live in an old house, I am thinking of going a little retro with a mix of country charm. A while back I pulled some inspiration from the website House to Homes. Since then I have stumbled over the perfect cabinet knobs to fit our space. You can easily change the face of old cabinets with a fresh coat of paint and by replacing outdated knobs with new ones to fit your theme. Although I bought mine here in Norway, I found that Amazon has every cabinet knob you can possibly imagine. I went for elegance when I picked mine.

I know this is a short post, but I wanted to say hi and show you the first step to my new project in the most important room in the house! Thanks for stopping by and feel free to offer your suggestions!

Before

After:

Thanks for stopping by

Love,

Baby shower cupcakes

I just want to say thank you to all you ladies who contributed to the beautiful baby shower last friday. A special thank you goes out to my gracious host, Silje. I was truly blessed by your love and efforts! I’m thrilled that baby showers are becoming a growing trend in Norway. I couldn’t resist getting involved in making something myself, so I sent my darling sister on a shopping spree to get everything necessary to make cupcakes for a little princess. Our efforts were inspired by Norway’s most famous blogger, Emanuela (with Passion 4 baking). If you need more ideas, or simply want the recipe, click the link. 
The kitchen was filled with delicious treats including Bella’s irresistible chocolate cake.  A perfect scene for hungry eyes. An accessory that I couldn’t help but notice in her kitchen was the vintage Roberts radio RD60. This amazing device was a great addition to her quaint and lovely place. To all you music lovers who appreciate retro design, this radio will not disappoint. She is  top notch, but pricey.

Hopefully i can convince hubby that this one is just what “he” needs.

 

 

 

 

That’s all for tonight!

Love,

Inspiration for kitchen makover

The best way to get inspired for a kitchen makeover is to take a trip to your local grocer, buy a bunch of your favorite food, and cook up something delicious. In our household a mexican feast is always heartily  welcomed. And since I’ve learned a couple of tricks from my dear mother in-law, I’m sure to have a satisfied man in the house. A happy hubby is always a plus when it comes to meeting your renovation goals, especially when you’re on a stretched budget;)

As the spices are starting to fill the air with a mexi aroma, I have fun searching for a style that will fit the space and overall design. Since the building we live in was constructed in the 60’s our kitchen looks like the inside of an old light-house, squared off with a big window. We’ve got laminate countertops, old cabinets, cheap handlebars that are falling off one by one, and to top it off, a big sink that looks like you could pretty much dump whatever got caught in your fishing net. The view of the ocean and blooming cherry blossom trees are pretty much the only eye candy around here. Since the space is quaint and the building old, I can envision  a  retro cook space, that would be very budget-friendly, full of creative touches, with a little bit of Norwegian country mixed in the overall style.

Here are some of my findings that have inspired my makeover. They are all from the website HouseToHome, under Country Homes.

I got to find a high chair that I can make look like this one!

Stay tuned, and feel free to shoot me your ideas!

Love,

About to pop – cake pops!

I’m 30 weeks pregnant, and feel like I’m about to pop! What would be more fitting than for me to make a batch of cake pops? With ten more weeks to go (not that anyone’s counting), it’s relieving to focus my brain on various projects so that time moves a little faster. So, I took action and designed my pops to look like little pregnant ladies! Say “Hello” to my little fat friends!

Three simple steps:

1. You simply bake a cake, let it cool, and crumble it up! Then you mix it with the delicious frosting and roll your little bellies (no, I didn’t mean belly dancing)!

2. Add a lolli-pop sick to your belly (you can get these at Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, or for Weegies, at Panduro). Then simply allow them to harden in the freezer before you proceed to the next step.

3. Finally, melt your your chocolate, dip, and decorate!

 

           

"Ooh ooh ooh, ooh ooh ooh; All the pregnant ladies, all the pregnant ladies!"

For more images visit the Gallery

Enjoy you pops!