This year Malin and I made a deal so I will probably focus more on cooking and making healthy food. Hopefully this won’t turn into a food blog, but I guess there will be more food than usual! And to continue in that direction I though I’d share my New Years Eve Menu!

I actually cooked the same menu last new year’s but I just had to get a second chance on the dessert. Unfortunately I still need a second (or third) chance, it turned out better than last year but still not gooey enough in the middle!

For next year I might change it a bit and make a chocolate cupcake instead, I have a recipe for cupcakes that are like brownies and I think it will be perfect. Or I’ll try to make real chocolate fondants. I promised Malin to treat her one!

New Years Eve Menu 2010

Avocado and Crème Fraiche on some lettuce with shrimps on top

Beef tenderloin with Balsamico sauce and roasted potatoes with basil and Parmesan cheese

A chocolate cake (not really a fondant but was supposed to be like one) with raspberry sorbet and pistachio sprinkles

Enough of the good stuff and bring the vegetables! It’s time to think twice before eating unnecessary sugar or drinking a soda. Hello calorie counting and work outs!
I’ll do my best to find delicious and healthy food to share with you, and of course, lots and lots of crafting!
Happy healthy 2011!

I love summer and the seasonal fruits available during these few months of warm sunshine. This year I decided to make my own jam, jelly and lemonade. Just for fun and the experience.
My mother used to make currant jelly when I was younger and I used to watch the process, eager to learn!
I went to my moms house, since I don’t have the tools needed and I love to work in a larger kitchen, with a lack of plans, too much sugar and lots of fruits and berries. The only plan I had was the currant jelly and maybe some strawberry lemonade.
I had no idea it was so time consuming to make my own jam, jelly and lemonade! I was completely exhausted when I got home with my small jars of goodies.
I ended up with seven small jars of jelly, one small jar of sea-buckthorn jam, one larger jar of a mixed jam (raspberry, lime, strawberry and blueberry), one small bottle of lemonade and one very small bottle of blue- and raspberry lemonade.

The jelly was very good and I was surprised by how nice the flavors matched in the mixed jam. I tried it with some waffles and cream, it sure was a really nice treat! I was worried that there would be too many flavors and that they all together would be a terrible fail, I’ve learned to follow recipes when I try new things and not go nuts and do as I wish. Surprisingly enough the lemonade was good too (and I didn’t follow a recipe completely)! The touch of lime was very nice these hot summer days we had this year.

In Sweden we have a day for the cinnamon buns, nothing fancy, it’s just a day to celebrate the cinnamon buns! Or an excuse to eat a few, I’m not sure.
Anyway, I take this opportunity to spend a few hours in my kitchen making them. It’s nothing I usually bake more than once or maybe twice a year. Can’t say I’m too keen on baking with yeast as I usually fail, except for the yearly saffron and cinnamon buns. They, on the other hand, are a great success!

So, this year I decided to bake some buns and I also felt like making braided cinnamon bread. Instead of making braids I made a roll and cut 1 cm pieces and

put them on top of each other. It almost looks like a braid and it’s very tasty!
I made blueberry cupcakes, fail cupcakes (it’s impossible to make them eatable and somewhat healthy), buns and pirogues. I also cooked up some homemade mushroom soup!As the day to celebrate was this monday, I spent my weekend in the kitchen. Baking. Just baking… and some cooking. Even a baker has to eat!