So this is Christmas

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

With all my love, I wish you all warm and peaceful Christmas or whichever fête you might be celebrating at this time of the year. Let it be sumptuous in every way.

In which she doesn't finally come back from Kyrgyzstan

Vai että melkein kolme kuukautta? Kuolinko ehkä stressiin ja kurjuuteen vai suljinko itseni epähuomiossa ulkovarastoon? Leikkasinko peukaloni irti ja hylkäsin keittiön ja kokkaamisen sekä tarttumisotteen loppuiäkseni? Tulinko hulluksi, otin äkkilähdön Kirgisiaan, menetin toisen jalkani sodassa ja jäin rampana keräämään rahaa paluulippuun mutta jäinkin kiinni leipävarkaudesta eräänä kauniina lauantaina varomattomuuttani ja lojun nyt Tokmokin vankilassa mädäntyen homeessa niinko paraskin persikka juuri sinä aamuna ko sen aikoo syyä?

No ei, en vaan jaksanu päivittää. Välillä ei jaksa kaikkia yhtäaikaa, välillä pitää nukkua monen tunnin päiväunia ja katsoa kymmenen jaksoa Frasieria putkeen. Kauhisteleppa siinä sitten vaan, typerä robottiyhteiskunta jossa laiskottelua ei sallita, minä ajattelin sen sijaan pysyä järjissäni kaikin mahollisin keinoin. Anteeksi en pyydä, musta tuntuu että oon pyytänyt itteäni anteeksi ihan tarpeeksi jo tähän mennessä. Mutta sentään uusittu layout on, katsokaas vain. Ylhäällä olevan kuvan laitteli Sanna, aivan mussukka on. Ja kuva on kanssa, tietty.

Sitten muihin aiheisiin. Olin joku aika sitten, varmaankin marraskuun lopulla, thaimaalaisen ruoan viikonloppukurssilla, siellä josta taisinki mainita joskus aikaisemmin. Ennoo ikänä syöny niin tulista ruokaa ko siellä. Hyvänen aika, en ees Tiennyt että kalakeitosta voi saada niin tulista. Opin muutamia uusia juttuja siellä menneissäni ja sain uutta intoa ja inspiraatiota, vaikka lähinnä se pieni thaimaalainen nainen siellä kokkasikin ja me muut vaan katottiin ja auteltiin. Sen kurssin avulla löysin myös Kauppahallista pikkuruisen itämaisen ruokakaupan joka on nyt uusin riemunaiheeni. Myyjät on aivan huippuja, siellä myydään kaikenmaailman kalakastikkeita ja Pad Thaita ja vesipinaattia ja vaikka mitä ja keskiviikkosin tulee Thaimaasta vihanneksia. Mutta se on salaisuus, hyssys. Ja ettepä arvaa mitä kuvassa on. Ei, ei herneitä ainakaan.

Sen lisäksi pikakelauksessa tänään muun muassa: sain kirjotusten tulokset, leikkasin tukkani lyhyeksi, taistelin omituisen ihosairauden ohitse, opin soittamaan uuden pianokappaleen, epäonnistuin karvaasti macaroneissa, olin suklaakurssilla, tein jouluostoksia ja meillä syödään jouluaattona sorsaa. Aika jännää, en usko koskaan ennen syöneeni sorsaa. Ehkä sillä oliki joku tarkotus ettei Herkku myyny ankkaa eikä kanaa kokonaisena.

Aa aivan, ihan yhtäkkiä tuli siis joulukuu. Toisinaan minusta tuntuu etten oikein pysy missään mukana enää. Aika kulkee ohi, minä vain nukun hereillä. Tänäänki on maanantai. Olisin voinu vannoa että nyt on viime lauantai. Ja missä välissä kävi niin että jouluaatto on ylihuomenna? Myöskin, hassua miten asiat muuttuu. Sellasiin suuntiin joita ei osaa arvata, joita ei nää tulevan. Niistä vähäisin on se, että typerä viiden euron arpajoulukalenteri antoi meille vain viisi euroa takasin.

Ah, loma. Saahan nyt vihdoin levätä ja nukkua, saahan? Käperryn kerälle koko lomaksi keräämään voimia, kysykää maustemyyjältä jos ette löydä oikeaa ovea. Tai kysykää Tokmokista yksijalkaista. Eihän sitä koskaan tiedä.

Fed up.

These are the kind of days I wish I didn't live here at home. There's just something agonizing in being at home. Kind of like it was hard to breath. Although I'm not quite sure where I'd prefer to be if not here. Somewhere else, somewhere I feel good. And don't you dare to come telling me to think positive and see the good things in everything, I don't feel like it. Preferably come here, hold me and tell me it's okay to be who I am, that I'm important and truly matter no matter what I do and then get me drunk. Yes, three in the afternoon. Like it matters, anyway. Time's an illusion.

I haven't really felt very inspired by nearly anything lately. I'd just like to get some change. Leave. Do something different. Find new things and inspiration and maybe, just maybe, feel like doing the things I like again for a change. Alas, it'll be a damn long time before I get to leave and there'll be some big things to accomplish before I can go anywhere. And if I can't leave, I wish I could even feel nice and warm no matter where I was. Now there's something I'd like to learn.

My tea's gone cold. There's snow outside.

Lopulta olemme kuitenkin yksin

My God what a month. No wonder there have been no posts recently, such rollercoaster would tire even the most mentally staple with ease, I'd say. There have been so many things to get used to and then not to get used to again and swift actions and too much to think about. This vacation really came in need.

You know what, I think I'll just show you some pictures this time and write a little less than usually. Here you go. No recipes today, I'm afraid. Do ask if you'd like to try something out.

When the autumn was still in it's most beautiful bloom. I love the autumn colours.

This is the new Jane Austen dress I got finished some weeks ago. I rather do like it, it's very comfortable although a little cold regardless of the under skirt.

Ever heard of the book "Ainakin miljoona sinistä kissaa"? Well, here's some at least million cat shaped chocolate cookies instead!

These cheesecake brownies. Do forgive me the awful picture, but I just Had to tell you about these because My God they were good. So good in fact that I'm not quite sure if I should bake them ever again without being under supervision.

This tomato pie. Took some half a day to make, but was well worth it.

Last weekend I spent with Sanna's family in Ruka. They are almost like a second family to me. What a delightful trip it was, although I still do miss Sanna herself like no other. I'm so glad she's coming to spend her vacations here next week.

Some time ago I bought myself a new book, Apples for Jam. It's again from Tessa Kiros and I love it and her to bits. The book's Amazing. Today I finally got myself to try some recipes from it. Tessa's recipes have never disappointed me before, nor did they do it this time. I made pan fried chips with rosemary & sage (on the left) and chicken escalopes with tomato & capers and wow. Nom. Can't wait to try out the desserts! Especially now that I've become such a sugar mouse recently.

I hope things will get even a little bit easier in the future. I hope to be in the kitchen soon again, cooking as enthusiastically as ever. I hope to write here more often. I hope to rest both mentally and physically. I hope to sleep more, I hope to get things sorted. I hope to learn from things I've done wrong.

Do stay tuned. The end isn't near yet.

Hahaa, can you in any possible way Not love this?

Tiedättekö. Olin tänään Stockmannilla keittiöosastolla ja yhtäkkiä, aivan suoraan sinisestä, eteeni tuli jotaki niin äärettömän hienoa että jos en nyt näytä sitä teille niin pakahdun! Ei, se ei ole se yrttiveitsi jota oon käynyt katselemassa kaihoten jo monta viikkoa, ei myöskään se valtavan kaunis puukauha. Eikä edes se ihana punainen tagine-pata, vaan tämä!

Katsokaa sitä! Katsokaa sitä! Ei voi olla olemassa ainuttakaan kaikin puolin niin äärettömän huippua piparimuottia niinko tämä! Hassu pullero kissa! En voi edes ajatella sitä olematta ihan valtavan iloissani ja huvittunut. Huh. Kukapa olisi arvannut että jostakin noin pienestä on näin paljon iloa. Ehkä joku lempparikeksimuottini Ikinä Koskaan.

Tiedättekö mitä tämä merkitsee? Sitä, että tänä viikonloppuna on leivottava keksejä.

Other news: aloin ommella sitä uutta mekkoa vihdoin tiistaina ja sain sen tänään valmiiksi. Soittivat mulle iltapäivällä Oulun kansalaisopistosta että hei, suklaakurssilla olis paikka, haluatko tulla. Pääsen tekemään konvehteja! Oh, and tomorrow ought to be quite something. I've been looking forward to it since Monday. Stay tuned.

I'm in your coffee house, eating your cake.

And so went over a month, just like that. Where, I can't tell. I don't know. I guess school really does take that much time, then. There has been a few other things as well to take my thoughts and time away from posting. To mention some:

- Sanna moved to Ireland. Good god I miss her.
- Matriculation exams have started! Maths and English reading comprehension next week, please do wish me loads of luck. I'm scared like no other. English listening comprehension was Hard, I lost million points. Ha bloody ha.
- I've been spending all my weekends or even some part of every one of them with Mikko. This might be the biggest reason in my being still sane in the middle of the two aforementioned things and some others. I'm also more than immensly happy to have gotten to know him better recently.
- I could say I've been practising for the exams, but I haven't. Not as much as I should have by now. Instead, I've done other things. Not including sewing the new dress, thought, I haven't had nearly enough energy to do such thing.
- I haven't really even cooked that much interesting things. There have been a few days I've eaten maybe some rice with tomato & date chutney plus cauliflower and broccoli for dinner because I haven't had the energy to fix anything decent, either. Thank goodness for my sister, who's a real sweetie and has fed me many times when I've been too tired to.

There are still some nice and new things I've discovered recently. Like lavender, for instance. I mean really, have a look at This.

It's the very bread that this blog's name is all about, although the name was before I even knew such bread really existed! But here it is, the lavender bread. Curiously enough, this was the most beautiful and tastiest bread that I recall ever baking. I immediately accidently ate a quarter of it after shooting. I have also made a couple of other experiments with lavender, including lavender porridge and one other thing that I can't reveal just yet, I've promised to bake it for Elisa's birthday tomorrow and I don't want to spoil the surprise. I haven't told her what it is, you see.

Well, here's the recipe for the bread. Do try it if you will, it was truly good.

Romantic Lavender Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup lukewarm water (120F)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh rosemary or fresh lavender blossoms, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (approximately)
• yellow cornmeal, as needed
• coarse salt, for sprinkling on loaves (optional)
• spray bottle filled with cold water, for spritzing loaves

makes 2 loaves.

Directions:

Combine yeast and lukewarm water until well blended and let sit about 10 minutes- it should look foamy and thick (if your water was too hot or your yeast is bad, it will not get foamy and you'll need to start over).

Combine buttermilk, oil, rosemary (or lavender), 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp salt in a mixer bowl, then add the yeast mixture and combine well.

Add flour gradually, beating slowly until enough flour has been added to form a dough ball that leaves the sides of the bowl in one mass.

Dump any remaining flour onto a flat surface, dump dough onto that surface, and with floured hands knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes.

Set dough into a large greased bowl, flip dough over to grease both sides, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk- about 1 1/2 hours.

On dough has risen, place dough onto a floured surface and cut into equal halves and form each half into a round loaf shape.

Set loaves onto a large greased baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Cover with a clean, slightly damp towel and let rise 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Using a serrated knife, slash the top of each loaf with an asterisk (*) pattern and sprinkle each with a little coarse salt (optional).

Bake in center of the preheated oven for 15 minutes, spritzing occasionally (at least 2-3 times).

Continue baking another 45-55 minutes (no more spritzing) or until the loaves sounds hollow when rapped on the bottom and they appear golden brown. Let cool on racks completely.


The precedent Thursday from last Thursday I suddenly felt like going for a walk in Kaakkuri despite the wind. I went to the shore. I've never gone there alone before nor with anyone else than Sanna. I spent a windy half an hour taking pictures.

It's incredibly relaxing to take photos of tiny little ricks and plants. It truly is.

And then last but not least, a picture of one of my favourite café's, Saara's, cappuchino. Oh and you know what, the cakes they sell really Do taste as good as they look. Says missus I-treated-myself-with-sacher-cake.

Isn't coffee beautiful?

Simple cow's simple life and a flu

Um, hi? Is there anyone there anymore? I should have warned you that my last year in high school started some two weeks ago. As to this blog it means I'll be having many important things to do and so I'll have much less time than I'd like to have to write here. No, that's partly a lie, no longer than the day before yesterday morn' I skipped my lessons to sleep. The real reason is that I sleep less and thus am more tired and when I'm tired, my mind wanders so much it's a bit more challenging to concentrate properly. No, not so much that it'd be anything to be worried about or extraordinary or dangerous even, but you know. It's a peculiar thing, but that's what happens to me when I don't sleep enough.

And you say "why don't you sleep more then?". And I say, yes, it's completely my own choice at what time I go to bed. But the main thing here was that I wanted to inform you why have the posts been so few lately, not to complain about not sleeping enough.

These pictures are old. They are from the last weekend before school started. Vilina dear was visiting me, which was most delightful. People only rarely do visit me. We made roasted sweet garlic, thyme and mascarpone risotto with toasted almonds and bread crumbs, and for a dessert we had plum cake. The risotto recipe was Jamie's and magnificent, and the plum cake recipe was Tessa's and was also pretty damn tasty. I even used real dry white wine in the risotto, which I've never done before. It was just as nice an add to the original risotto savour I'm used to as I thought and hoped it would be. God I love risotto.

The next monday school started. Seems like eternity now. I've been trying to study hard for the matriculation exams I'll have this autumn, maths and english. See, I'm practising right now. Writing in english is practising, is it not?

I caught cold earlier this week and now I have a horrible flu. It's taking quite a part of my energy, but I'll manage. Today was a tough one, still. But black currants, oranges and sleep should do the trick. And maybe Strepsils and that Panadol flue medicine I don't remember the name of.

I've always liked berries very much. Although I must admit that lingonberries are yet to impress me properly. More than once I've brought home a litre of strawberries and ate them in an hour or two.

You know what helped today with the flu, too?

Paella. The chorizo I used was extra piquant and thus so spicy that it made me feel less sick for a while. And you know what also helped? Coffee and chocolate. Not kidding.

This is something I bought today. My new favourite toy, the lemon zester I've been breaming of since July! And if you'd only know what wonders one can do to carrots with that thing. I'll have to show you sometime. We also have some other new kitchen utensils, such as the potato brush. He's very cute and likeable, I'm telling you.

Oh, almost forgot. In November, I'm going to the first cooking course in my life. There was an advertisment in some newspaper. It's going to be one weekend long (saturday from 10 to 15 and sunday as well) and someone from Thailand is going to teach us how to make some Thai foods. There was also a course about chocolate, but I didn't fit in it anymore, the group already had their 12 persons. But I'm well satisfied with the Thai food course and I'm looking forward to it. But only secretly, so I don't get over excited and forget the fact that I should be paying most of my attention to school right now.

This here is a caramelized onion and parsnip soup from Bowl Food again. It wasn't quite as good and exciting as I had hoped, but that could be because of this horrid flu I'm having. One of the things in flu I especially dislike is the lost of appetite. I'm happy the today's paella was so spicy.

..No, wait, I already wrote about the flu and the paella, didn't I? Goodness, I didn't think my memory was this bad.

I've been planning to sew a new dress again. If you've seen Becoming Jane, it's going to be quite similiar to the red dress with long sleeves Jane's wearing when doing the reading to her sister. I almost got the dress started this afternoon despite the flu, but then it occured to me that there might not be just enough fabric for the sleeves. So it'll have to wait for a little while longer as I decided to go buy some more fabric tomorrow.

Then something different: Here's the very first strawberry from our garden this year. I picked it two weeks ago. Today I also pulled the first carrot out of the ground - it was Tiny, but tasted exactly the way I expected it to. I Love the taste of new carrots. They're so sweet and fresh and new.

Do forgive me the nonexistant recipes this time. I'm quite tired at the moment because of the flu, so do ask if you'd like to have a recipe for something in this post and I'll put it here later on. Truly I will, I promise. I will if you ask me to.