Dinner for one!

Home alone! And instead of just making a simple and easy dinner I decided to treat myself with something special - fried pork covered with blue castello, a cold potato salad, a vegetable mix of garlic, onion, cellery and leek braised in virgin olive oil. The meat was followed by coffee and a cocolate covered piece of ginger - which will be shown in The House in the Woods tomorrow.

The food is finished, the dishes are done, a pile of books and our new sofa are patiently waiting for my time.

Invitation to lunch.

Lent is an important period for Norwegian Church Aid. During these weeks they run a Lental campaign to raise money to help people around the world. I have volunteered for NCA through many years, and I've also travelled with them to several countries where they work.

Part of their promotion of the Lent campaign is to invite guests from the country where they work. The guests travel around in Norway telling stories from their lives and countries.

One of the guests this year is Helene from Kenya, and for the moment she is here in Trondheim. Tomorrow she will come and have lunch with us at the diocese office where I work. I have invited all my coworkers to have lunch with us, just bread, cheese and jam, coffee and tea. And for this they must pay a prize in money, which will be given to the NCA campaign.

We are almost halfway through Lent, and the coming Sunday we will celebrate when Jesus made the few small breads and fishes belonging to a young boy, enough food for several thousands. Bread is a main part of the Norwegian kitchen, and tonight I've baked bread to take to the lunch tomorrow. Four big bread pluss alot of small ones. And with the mesmerizing smell of fresh bread filling the house my choice for supper was without question - bread with brown goat cheese, a glass of milk, a cup of tea.

So simple! So perfect!

Week-end in the kitchen

I have had a great week-end, sharing my time between books and cooking. Had my family over for dinner on Sunday, 12 around the table for an Italian dinner. I had planned to blog about it, but the cooking made me so busy there was absolutely no time for photographing.

I did take some photos earlier in the day though. Terje and the girls were out skiing but I was home to start the dinner preparations. I became hungry around noon, and decided to make myself a special little treat. Had some thoughts first about making a peanutbutter and banana sandwich, but luckily I decided against it ands took a search in the fridge instead. Found some leftover of an old leek, some celery, garlic, a few mini tomatoes and fresh basil and parsley. I fried some left over bread from breakfast in olive oil, and also fried the vegetables, though the tomatos and the herbs remained fresh. Had some tapenade in the fridge which I spread on the bread, and then topped it with the fried vegetables and some fresh parmesan cheese. Sat alone at the table enjoying the meal, enjoying my solitude, knowing that I would also love a full table later in the day.

Marzelle Hazan writes about the family dinner in her The Classic Italian Cookbook: There probably has been no influence, not even religion, so effective in creating a rich family life, in maintaining a civilized link between the generations, as this daily sharing of a common joy. Eating in Italy is essentially a family art, practiced for and by the family.

This one is for you Ingrid.

Yesterday I was busy in the kitchen, doing the dishes after alot of baking and cooking. My camera was on the dresser filled with photos from my kitchen fun, and my oldest daughter Ingrid came in and started to play. She loves to photograph, and can never resist an idle camera.

When I downloaded my photos this morning I really couldn't resist this one she took of herself. She might be mad at me when she sees it here (wink,wink Ingrid), so to please her I am also showing one of the photos she shot of me :-) The photos from my kitchen fun will have to wait. here you have mother and daughter.

Happy Sunday!

While waiting......

I plan to do alot of cooking this week-end, have just finished a shopping list for my husband to go grocery shopping. Will take photos and eventually post some of it here, but meanwhile I have a treat for you - popcorns at the cabin.

Welome over to enjoy some with me.

Blueberry Cheese Cake

As I wrote in my last post it is a challenge to find food to make at our cabin which can be made without a stove. I really don't mind challenges though, and love to try out new things. Last week I made this

Blueberry Cheese Cake.

Marta helped me to crunch a few sweet biscuits in the bottom of the cake tine while I made raspberry jello using only half of the recommended water. While the jello cooled I mixed yoghurt, cottage cheese, creme fraiche and blueberries, and then added the jello. The mixture was set aside in a cold room till it started to stiffen. Then I poured it on top of the biscuits and sat the cake tin in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Enjoy.

French Tomato Soup

I have my favorite dishes to make at home and my favorite dishes to make at the cabin. Our cabin is quite simple, we have to walk to get water from the well, and we have no electricity. The food can be made on the wood stove, or on the gas stove. I usually prefere tha gas.

Over the years I have gathered some favorite recipe in my special cabin recipe book, and among them is this favorite tomato soup.

I found it in Corey's blog last spring, and the recipe is so beautifully written by Corey. So instead of copying her words here, I lead you to her beautiful blog. And you will soon be very happy that this soup is so easy and fast to make. As soon as you start reading Tongue in Cheek you will forget everything else :-)