Bread baking comfort days.

After a period of perfect spring weather and long days out in the garden, here in The Blue Garden or over at our cabin near the sea, the temperatures have dropped drastically, and fresh snow can be seen at the mountains not far from us. Rain, which have been long waited for, is falling heavily, but why does it have to se so icy cold! A big part of my mind is busy planning what to do nect in the garden these days, and I have been out every single day, untill today. Now even the viking in me say that enough is enough, and I am giving gardening a break. A long needed housecleaning is being done, and in between I warm my mind and fingers with bread baking. Is there any better way to warm your hands than kneeding soft, lukewarm dough........knowing than in a couple of hours you can gather around the table with fresh bread.

Butter, water, yeast, salt, flour and love is all you need.

Out in nature, preparing food.

With spring here and summer fast arriving, we are spending alot of time out at our cabin. Two hours south west of Trondheim, near the sea. A cosy, though primitive place where we have to walk to get water from the well, and cook over gass because there are no electricity (not that I mind gass, but home in The Blue Café I'm always using electricity). The kitchen is small, and has no oven for baking, but I love to cook there. And I love it mostly when I am able to prepare most of the meals outdoors.

Saturday was no exception. We planned a barbecue, and a barbecue for us almost always starts with me making a potato salad. Chives from the cabin garden, a few undressed potatos, olive oil and salt, and you have the most tasteful salad. And of course I must not forget the sprinkling of fresh air and sea salted winds.

I try to take all activities outdoor when we spend our week-end at the cabin. Very restaurants around the world can be compared with the view from our terracce, no chef in the world has better background music than the hundreds of singing birds in our surrounding trees. And after long days outdoors, what is better than nights with games and comfort.

Fresh from the garden. Rhuburb cake.

We have spent another refreshing and relaxing week-end at our cabin. Mixed weather, from perfect warm sun till cold rain, but we don't mind, rain or shine, our cabin is our sanctuary. We headed home after lunch today because Marta was invited to a birthday party. This made me feel I got the best out of two worlds; a long, sunny morning at the cabin with garden work, some reading in the sun and preparing a healthy vegetarian lunch which we ate out on the terrace, my afternoon nap in the car and when we arrived home I still had so many hours of the day left for doing whatever I want. And the first thing I always "want" after time away is a walk in my garden. At this time of the year there are bursts of growth and colours every day, and I love walking around with my Nikon.

When Marta left for the birthday party and Ingrid left to hang out with a friend, there were just me and my husband at home. We are not used to the lonely hours and days yet, so they feel like special treats. And with all the time suddenly available I wanted to make us something special for dinner. Nothing chic, nothing gourmet, just some comfort food for the two of us. I made small pizzas and continued with "rundstykker" or pastries, and after we had eaten I still felt some bursting kitchen enery :-) My garden walk earlier had taken me past the rhuburb, so all at once I knew that we wanted a rhuburb cake for after dinner coffee.

I make the rhuburb cake very simple; 125g butter and 125g sugar mixed together, two eggs added, then one teaspoon baking powder, two tablespoons with milk and 150g white flour. Bake at 175Celcius for 40 minutes. Eat with icecream while still warm

This makes a small cake. We ate part of it, keep a part for tomorrows coffee and have fozen the last piece.

Gone Fishing

During the summer months we spend alot of time at our cabin, two hours from Trondheim, near the coast. Last week-end we opened the cabin for the season, and with May 1st as a red calendar day and an opportunity for us all to take Friday off, we had a long week-end there.

Cabin life is quite another way of living, far from our busy and hectic everyday life. Here we can sit for hours enjoying the singing of birds, the colours of flowers, we can work in the forest and the flower beds, we can hike the mountains..........and we love fishing.
Saturday night was fishing night. Not the best luck, but my husband got three coalfishes which we fried for breakfast Sunday morning. My husband is a fish frying master. I know his recipe, but somehow not his secret (I wounder if it is the amount of pepper he is using), so my fish is never as good as when he fries them.........Well, may be the secret is the pleasure of eating homemade food without having to do the cooking myself :-)

With loving hands.

Readers of my several blogs have heard about my special birthday this year for weeks now. My anticipation, the family celebration in Italy, the "real" day and the coming garden party in June. I guess you are fed up long ago, but as my blogs are just as much my memory diary as it is written for my readers, I can't let this period pass without photos and words about the chocolate cake my husband and youngest daughter made for my birthday.

With celebrations before and after The Day, April 10th, 50 years since my birth, was a quiet day. Though with family around we were still 10 around the dinner table, and afterwards around the coffee table. I am usually the cake maker in our family (Marta seems to be the one soon to take over though), but Terje has had his own speciality through almost all of our soon to be 28 years of marriage - a chocolate cake which we call "Mokka kake".

Wednesday I was sent out of the kitchen, and father and daughter made my chocolate dream together - yet another Mokka kake from The Blue Café.

Cheese souffle and a salad, and a few thoughts about food

Friday and Saturday nights are nights with something extra good to eat. Normally we eat our dinner around 5pm, but these nights we eat late, and I enjoy my time in the kitchen preparing the food. After a long period of pastas and pizzas I felt it was full time for something else, and my choice fell on a cheese souffle. Marta was the only kid at home and souffle (except chocolate souffle) is not her choice, but we had some leftover tomato soup in the fridge which she was more than happy to have.

Eating together, taking time to enjoy food and company is important. And soemthing we tend to forget more and more. I am a supporter of the slow food movement, and though our days are often busy, we love to share stories and silence over a meal. It can be a simple meal or it can be more sophisticated, company and time is always important. And for me it is a rule (very seldom broken) that we have no television on while we eat. The company we have in each other, the joy and pleasure we get from the food is not to be ruined by today's "house god", the television.

Back in my own Kitchen

Two weeks in Italy are over. I enjoy Italian food and have brought back ideas and new recipes. As time goes by I will share some of them here, but tonight, after long and busy days at work this week, we have been enjoying a fruit salad. It is good to be back in my own kitchen. Good to know that the food I prepare is rich and healthy, good to know that my family enjoy my cooking.

Friday Night Fruit Salad

one pear

one banana

two blood oranges

a small box of diced pinapple

grained dark chocolate

raisins

pinenuts

juice from the half of a lemon

Top the salad with yoghurt before eating.