Cookies as gifts, Xmas 2012

For the last few years, I've been giving my in-laws (MIL, FIL,SIL*2) cookies for xmas. I just got tired of stressing over what to get them and giving them something that they probably didn't want anyway. So, they now get cookies. I figure that even if they don't like all of the cookies, they will hopefully like some of them. Plus, they can pass them on to someone else and they won't be stuck with yet another thing that collects dust.

This year I made 4 different types of cookies and they are not something I have gifted before.

In the top left corner (clockwise) are the original Kellogg's Rice Krispie Treats, Holiday Pinwheel cookies from Christmas Your Way blog, Chocolate-Marshmallow-Fudge-thingies from my friend and White Chocolate & Raspberry Cake Pops (without the sticks).

The recipes for the first two can be found by following the links. The recipe for the chocolate-thingies from my friend can be found below. And the cake pops were sort of my own creation using a couple of sources for hints and tips and a cupcake mix & topping packet. I know there are many recipes out there for them right now as there are the 'in' thing, but if someone would like more details on what I did, I'd gladly share my process.

All of the cookies were easy to make, some of them just took a little bit of time, such as the pinwheels and cake pops. To help things along, I made cake pop innards on the 21st (Friday) and they firmed up over night, the chocolate-things on the 22nd. The pinwheel dough was prepped (rolled & cut) at the beginning of December and then frozen until I wanted to bake them on the 23rd (Sunday). The cake pops were rolled in melted chocolate on Saturday so that they could set up over night. The Rice Krispies were fully made on the 23rd.

Chocolate-Marshmallow-Fudge-thingies recipe
(I have no idea what these are called, except for yummy!)
Ingredients*:
325g (11,5 ounces) Chocolate
3dl (1 cup) marshmallows (They are different than the ones you can roast over a fire.)
1,5dl (1/2 cup) Vanilla Fudge squares
15 x 30cm (6 x 12 in) pan
parchment/baking paper

Break the chocolate into pieces and put in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until all the chocolate is just melted. Don't over heat the chocolate. Stir in the marshmallows and vanilla fudge squares. (If the chocolate gets too hot, you have to wait a bit before you can add the marshmallows to the mix or they will melt.) Spread the mixture into your lined pan and let cool. If you want it cooled faster, stick it in the fridge for a bit. Once the chocolate is hard again, break it into pieces and serve!

*All measurements are rough estimates and you can substitute or add different items into this.

Weekend food

This last weekend Mr Siili and I didn't do much, but we did make some yummy stuff in the kitchen.

On Saturday, we made some peruna rieska aka unleavened potato bread. This is the first recipe I shared on this blog back in 2008.

While the breads were baking, we made chicken soup for dinner. There was enough for us to have dinner for the next couple of days. I'll be thankful when it is gone today.

See the broccoli that I put in the soup? Well, that is about all the broccoli there was. This piece of broccoli, shown below, was the last one at the store and it was itty bitty. It only cost 0,16 cents! I just couldn't pass it up like everyone else had because I knew Mr Siili would find this lone piece of packaged broccoli as funny (and cute) as I did.

Then on Sunday, I made oh so Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes and Mr Siili helped me cook them. I've asked a co-worker to bring me more canned pumpkin and I think I'm going to have to ask my dad to bring some when he comes to visit too. These pancakes are that yummy!

Last weekend's baking

This last weekend I tried two new recipes: Crusty Bread and Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon Glaze. Both recipes turned out great, but I think I'll only be making the bread again in the future. Don't get me wrong, the Pumpkin bread was good too, I'd just rather use my coveted canned pumpkin for other things, such as Pumpkin pancakes or pie.

The Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread recipe came from Eat Cake for Dinner. I've tried some of her recipes before and they always turn out great.

The recipe called for a glaze on it, but I was too lazy to make it. I still think it turned out great. Mr Siili liked the bread well enough, but he said he preferred the pancakes I made earlier. So, I think I'll be making pancakes with the rest of the canned pumpkin.

The Crusty Bread recipe I saw on a friend's FB wall from Pinterest, which came from a blog called Simply So Good. This bread was insanely easy to make and yielded quite yummy bread. Mr Siili didn't believe it would turn out to be any good, but was very surprised with the results. I didn't take any pictures this first time, but I should the next time I make it. The bread comes out of the oven just looking so beautiful!

I made the very basic recipe this first time around, using only plain flour. Next time I'm going to switch it up a bit and add some graham or other flour too. I want to make dried cranberry and orange flavored bread (as suggested on the blog), but Mr Siili is against it. I think I'll make it at some point anyway, when I have somewhere to take the bread. He doesn't have to eat it.

Let me know if you try either of these recipes and what you think of them.

My version of nesting

I have not found the desire to clean, organize or any other sort of household preparations in order for Paxlet to arrive. I just can't be bothered. Plain and simple. I'm lucky if I can even be bothered to do the needed daily stuff, in a timely manner. It's all I can do to make sure the cats get fresh water, food and cleaned litter boxes each day. In fact, it is now almost 2 pm and I've done nothing but get me some breakfast and play on the computer. Granted, I did actually sleep in until 11 am, so I haven't been awake too long. But, I've not accomplished anything so far today and I have no desire to.

What I have found as my own version of nesting is baking. I love to bake! And yesterday was no exception. Just before 8 pm, I started making Chocolate porridge (suklaapuuro) and at the same time I cut up my 4 ripe mangoes and pureed them. Next I made a double batch of Chocolate Chip Cookie dough, which I put in the fridge to be measured out and frozen today. Then I moved on to making waffles (from the Joy of Cooking cookbook) so that I could make a fresh peach topping which I adapted using fresh nectarines from Real Mom Kitchen's blog.

I ate my half of the chocolate porridge almost immediately and now, today, I'm eye-balling Mr Siili's portion of the porridge to eat too. Yes, I like it that much!

I froze some of the mango puree and will eat it as a frozen treat. Some of it went on top of a waffle this morning. The rest of it I think I'll use in a smoothie/lassi as soon as I go buy some plain Turkish yogurt. (Guess that means I should get dressed and head to the store.)

The nectarine topping is ok and does work well with the waffles, but I'm not sure I'll make it again. I'm not sure I like the almond or nutmeg flavoring for nectarines, at least not in this case. Fresh nectarines directly on top of the waffles is definitely preferred.

Today, I need to portion out the cookie dough and get it in the freezer. This is my favorite chocolate chip cookie from the coffee house I worked at in the US, many years ago and I know the recipe almost by heart nowadays.

Then, I'm thinking today I'll make some Glazed Lemon Biscotti, minus the glaze. I saw this recipe on Technicolor Kitchen's blog on Monday and it reminded me it has been ages since I've made biscotti, plus, it will help me use up the lemons I have on hand.

But, in the mean time, I'll leave you all with the chocolate porridge recipe I made last night.

Suklaapuuro / Chocolate porridge
4-6 servings

Ingredients:
1 liter (4 1/4 cups) milk (at least 2% is best)
1 dl (1/2 cup) cream of wheat
3/4 dl (1/3 cup) sugar
1/2 dl (1/4 cup) baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt


Directions:
This needs to be watched and stirred the entire time so the milk doesn't burn.

In a thick bottomed saucepan, bring the milk to a boil.
Combine the rest of the ingredients and sift into the boiling milk, stirring the mixture uniformly.
Continue cooking at a low boil for about 7 minutes, stir with a wooden spoon so that it doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan.
Remove from heat, let the pudding set for a few minutes with a lid on it.
Serve with slightly warmed milk.

Tip: if you want, you can add 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar (extract) to the porridge.

JustHeather's note: I added a little bit extra baking cocoa to make it even chocolatey-er!
I've never added the warmed milk to eat it, nor have I added the vanilla sugar/extract (yet).
And I like to eat it warm!

An afternoon at Ikea

So I've been quite hormonal, to say the least, these last few days. In my opinion, more hormonal and teary towards Mr Siili than I have most of this pregnancy. I just can't help it. I also know Mr Siili is a bit stressed about the arrival of Paxlet, especially as it can happen at any moment, yet nothing seems to be happening. But it would be nice to feel that Mr Siili would be a bit more supportive towards me and again, I know part of these feelings are hormones. Yay.

Yesterday, started off lazily enough. I hadn't slept too well with many wake-ups throughout the night, so I slept in a bit (10am or so). Once I did wake up, I read a book in bed for a while and then chatted with a friend when she called. After waddling downstairs, I made Mr Siili and I a smoothie for breakfast and then decided to tackle the bananas that were ripening and getting spots. I won't eat bananas when they get spots, but they are perfect for freezing for later smoothies or baking. While peeling and putting the bananas into the freezer, I decided to make some banana bread. It's a simple and totally delicious recipe that I've made hundreds of times before when I worked in the coffee house in the US. (See the bottom of this post for the recipe.) While waiting for the banana bread to bake, I sewed a button a pair of Mr Siili's pants, fixed a tag/hanging hook on a towel and then continued working on making a hooded towel for Paxlet.

The towel I'm turning into a hooded-towel for Paxlet.

Rusty helping me with said hooded-towel project.

A friend from work was supposed to come over in the afternoon, but I decided to see if she wanted to wander around Ikea instead. She was up for it! I was able to get out of the house and chat with a friend. Score!

I ended up buying more things that I had anticipated, but they were (almost) all things we needed or Mr Siili and I had discussed previously. Two of the items that Mr Siili and I had discussed the day before and that morning were a metal shelving unit to put under our stairs for storage and a night light I wanted for Paxlet's room, I got. The other items that weren't so recently discussed but I bought anyway were 2 duvet sets, a serving tray for under the cats' food bowl, some clips to hang our curtains, a bath mat and outdoor rug. The one item that I just had to buy, that we didn't really need, was a cute crib border that was a model piece and thus discounted. Long story short, we wandered around Ikea for almost 4 hours!!

Ghosty lamp @ daytime

Ghosty lamp @ nighttime

The rest of the evening was spent idly around the house, going to sauna and video-Skyping with my family. All-in-all, it was a decent day, even if there was an under-thought in my mind most of the day wondering when Paxlet would make his entrance.

The Banana (sans nuts) bread, already more than half eaten.

Banana (Nut) Bread
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoon soft shortening (margarine)
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup mashed banana
mix the above ingredients

3 cup flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
mix

Add 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Pour into a well greased bread pan (bundt cake pan works too!)
Let stand 20minutes, if possible (I rarely, if ever do this)

Bake for 60-70 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean) at 300F

Just Heather's notes: I quite often double this recipe. The loaves freeze well.
With the bananas, the more ripe they are, the sweeter they are for the recipe. In the coffee house (and even now), we'd use bananas so ripe that they were very brown and spotty. We'd freeze the 'nanas ('cause we'd get tons at a time) and then thaw them as we need them. The "banana slugs" mush easily and are great for baking. :)

40 weeks, part 2

Well, I'm still at home, in one piece and no matter how you look at it now, Paxlet has been baking for 40 weeks.

Speaking of baking, I bought some lemons on Monday just in case I got the urge to bake something with them. And I did get the urge to bake! Yesterday, on the Technicolor Kitchen blog, after a bit of searching in her archives, I came across a Lemony nectarine cake recipe. It looked yummy, easy to make and I had all the ingredients. In fact, it only called for the zest of 2 lemons, so I still have the zest of 1 lemon and lemon juice of three lemons!

This cake was super easy to make and very tasty! Mr Siili and I ate half of it already last night, with a bit of ice cream, although it was yummy enough without it. I'll be making this recipe again.
But, what am I going to do with the rest of my lemons?

Seeing as how Paxlet really can arrive at any day now, I feel like I should be doing some last minute things, but I'm not.
Here's a quick list of some things I feel like I should be doing:

• Wash some laundry, at least one load
• Write something on Mr Siili's birthday card seeing as his birthday is tomorrow
• Start filling in Paxlet's Baby Book that I bought a couple of weeks ago
• Write the last Thank You-card for my Skype-video baby shower (it was a last minute addition, all the rest have been sent, except for the 2 that need addresses) 
• Organize Paxlet's clothes in the closet. Right now they are just piled in there
• Continue with organizing and arranging boxes and other stuff from the move (3 months ago)
• Re-check Paxlet's coming home bag, I think I want to make a change or two

And this is what I am actually doing (with a sleeping cat on my limited lap space):

• Reading & commenting on blogs
• Playing Farkle (aka 10 000, a dice game) on FB
• Thinking about getting out of the house, but I can't be bothered to get dressed and it's raining
• Thinking about baking something else - What can I do with my lemons? Suggestions anyone?

Mamma's berry pie

At 10:30 this evening, I realized with shock that I hadn't given our cats their evening treats (a couple of teaspoons of wet food). Normally Rusty, our 12 year old boy, is reminding us starting around 6:30 that treat time is coming up soon. But not this evening. For some reason my coming home at 7pm and doing dishes seems to have thrown him off and he just slept. So, I let him know it was treat time, like I do every night: Rusty, treat time! And he me-eowed vigorously and loudly, albeit a bit groggily from still being half asleep. He followed me into the kitchen and let me know he was there waiting. But when I put the food down he just sniffed it and sort of stared at it. Mansi on the other hand scarfed her food down. Normally, Rusty eats his first and tries to eat what is left of Mansi's too. Not this night. He sort of licked the food, looked at it some more and walked off. I sat there on the floor crying because my cat is getting old and I don't want him to die. He can't die until after the baby is born. We already lost his brother almost two years ago. I lost my mom almost a year ago. I'm tired of losing people I love.

This last weekend Mr Siili and I did absolutely nothing. Well, almost nothing. We spent the weekend catching up on tons and tons of TV shows (Lost Girl, New Girl, Dexter, Unforgettable and probably more I'm forgetting). We didn't go food shopping on Friday, nor Saturday nor Sunday. We munched what food we could find in the house on Friday evening and Saturday. Sunday we went to a very late brunch (more like a late lunch) at the Crazy Reindeer restaurant. We did wash one load of laundry. I did fill the sink full of dishes with hot soapy water and then left it there the rest of the day so we ended up draining before we went to bed. Mr Siili did make me laugh!
Last Wednesday I sent Mr Siili a text message:
Where are you at? I think I forgot my keys at home. (And I proceeded to sit outside our door for about 30 minutes waiting for Mr Siili to come home from work and let me in.)

Then on Saturday afternoon, Mr Siili must have noticed my message, because this is the reply I got:
I am home, watching tv with the old lady.

Two hours later:
Fine, don't answer. (We were still sitting right-next-to-each-other, watching tv a couple of hours later.)

Then, I got a bit bored with one of the shows we were watching and I played with my phone a bit and this is the message I got:
How is the quality time with the hubby?

The first two recipes that where shared with me when I came to Finland, were Potato bread (perunarieska) and Mamma's berry pie (Mamman marjapiirakka in Finnish). I still make them to this day and will continue to do so. Both of these recipes are easy to make and more than delicious!! A couple of weeks ago I made a twist on the Mamma's berry pie and it was so good that I wanted to make it again, but I've been so lazy after that that it took me until this evening to make it again. Here's the basic recipe, with my changes and comments at the bottom.

Mamma's berry pie (Mamman marjapiirakka)
Dough:
3/4 cup butter (or margarine)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour (can be half and half of what ever combo you like, we sometimes use graham)
1 tsp baking powder

Mix all the ingredients together, spread on the bottom and sides of a pie pan.


Filling:
1 cup sour cream (or non flavored yogurt)
1/4 cup sugar (more or less, depending on your taste and the berries/fruit you use)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla sugar (or extract)
2 1/4 cup berries (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, rhubarb*, etc)

Put the berries on top of the dough crust and pour the filling on top of everything. Bake at 400F for 30-40 minutes.
(*With the rhubarb, put it in the mix a little bit before pouring onto the crust.)


My notes: We love rhubarb! And sometimes adding strawberry!
This last two times, I've made it with apple, but I've switched up the dough and made a cheesecake crust instead of the traditional one. And because we don't have graham crackers here and I don't like digestive cookies, (crispy) oat cookies will do, but what I found I really like are Bastogne cookies by Lu (crispy cinnamon cookies - although, the generic brand works well too). I think the apple cooked better when I shredded it instead of thin slices, but no matter how you chop your apple, it is very yummy!

A walk, pulla and more!

Today has been a good day! In fact the entire weekend has been nice. I love feeling happy, well and well, just overall good.

Yesterday Mr Siili and I walked to the local shopping center. Mr Siili needed his hair cut (I love how he looks with freshly cut hair), I needed some yeast infection medicine (out with progesterone and in with yeast), we told our sister in law (Mr Siili's brother's wife) that I'm pregnant and we bought a bit of food. I ended up taking a 2,5 hour nap in the afternoon. It was a good, lazy day.

Today, I went for a 1 hour and 45 minute walk with a good friend. It was at least -10C outside, sunny and only the tiniest bit of a breeze. Our destination was a little cafe in the woods where forest walkers and skiers alike stop by there for a warming cup of coffee/juice/hot chocolate. It felt so good to be outside and get some fresh air. Although, I'm wondering now if I might have strained my stomach muscles (round ligament pain early?) a bit. My tummy, just below my belly button and spreading out to the sides, is a bit sore when I gently rub it.

After the walk I was so starved that I was feeling a bit sick. I am so thankful we had left overs in the fridge so all I had to do was heat them up. After eating, I still felt a bit off for a while afterward, but that has passed.

During the walk, I told my friend that I've just been too lazy to do much of anything, but that I've been wanting to make Pulla (Finnish sweat bread) for some time. I told her I was going to make it when I got home, because I didn't do it yesterday. She laughed at me and said I would probably just lay on the couch and fall asleep. Which, could have happened, but I don't really like our couch and I didn't let myself get too comfy when I got home. And I made pulla and korvapuusti (cinnamon buns)!!! This batch of pulla and korvapuusti has got to be the bestest I've ever made. They are so fluffy, moist and just all around freakin' delicious! Especially when they are right out of the oven. I've eaten way too many, but I couldn't help myself. I'll probably regret eating so many in a bit. hahahaha

Any who, here's the recipe for Finnish Pulla

Ingredients

• 2.11 cups milk (luke warm)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon cardamom (or less to taste)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 (.38 ounce) package active dry yeast (11g)
• 5 1/2 - 6 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/2 - 7/8 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 egg, beaten (egg wash)
• pearl sugar

Directions

1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan or microwave until 107F (42C). (generously hand warmth temperature) Mix the egg, sugar, cardamom and salt into the milk.
2. Mix some of the flour with the yeast and whisk it into the milk mixture. 
3. Slowly mix in the rest of the flour and towards the end of the flour, add in the room temperature butter. Kneed the dough until it is even smooth and elastic; the dough should be smooth and glossy in appearance.
4. Cover the bowl with a lid or towel and and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 40 min - 1 hour. 
5. Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and kneed out the air bubbles. Depending on what you want to make, determines how you proceed next. 
• If you just want pulla (sweet buns), take small/medium (3 inches) pieces of dough and roll them into a ball, then place on a baking paper covered baking sheet.
• If you want korvapuusti (cinnamon buns), divide the dough in half and put one half back in the bowl for a bit. Roll the dough out to a rectangle about 1 foot by 2 feet. Spread some room temperature butter (about 1/2 cup total for all the dough) over the rolled out dough. Sprinkle some sugar and cinnamon on top. Roll the dough into a log with the seam on the bottom. Cut the dough at alternating angles so the thinnest part is about 2cm and the thickest part is about 5cm. The put the wide part on the pan and press two fingers in the center of the top part all the way to the pan (it springs back).
6. Let rise for 20 minutes. (or not) (The 2nd & 3rd pans will rise while the first is baking.)
7. Brush each bun/korvapuusti with egg wash and sprinkle with pearl sugar.
8. Bake at 437 degrees F (225 degrees C) for 10 to 15 minutes. Check occasionally because the bottom burns easily. 

Just Heather's Notes: If possible, don't use all of the flour it calls for. I try to use the lower amount first and if needed, I add a bit more. The dough shouldn't stick to your hands when it is ready.
You can also make half and half of the pulla and korvapuusti, like I did tonight. You can also make braided loafs, but I'm usually to lazy for that.

I hope you enjoy some fresh pulla, I know I do!

Day 3 of Menopur injections

It might be day 3 of injections, but so far I've only done 2 injections. The 3rd one will be later this evening after I leave work. (I'm done with work, emails and chat closed, but I decided to quickly write up this post at work instead of at home.) And I'm quite sure I'm already feeling some effects of the Menopur. I guess I shouldn't wonder too much, I am injecting 300IU each night and that is more than the recommended dose on the instruction sheet that came with the package. So far, I'm feeling a few twingy-twangy feelings in my ovaries, mostly the right side. My abdomen is sore exactly where I've done the injections, although surprisingly enough, no visible bruising, yet. I still do get mini-headaches off and on. I'd say that isn't bad at all in the way of side effects. But I know there is more to come.

In non-IVF related news, I went to the gym yesterday and I'm quite sore! I went to BodyBalance and BodyCombat. My favorite two classes! We did tons of punches in Combat and now my neck and shoulders are sore. This isn't a very nice sore feeling this time either. I also think I'm coming down with a cold. I'm feeling quite feverish and my throat is a bit scratchy. I hope it goes away if I can get a good night's rest tonight. I'm too swamped at work to miss any days!

Speaking (typing?) of work, I mentioned previously that my harvest date is scheduled for Friday, December 2nd. That couldn't be a worse date for me to miss work. There are several people out of the office and it is day 2 of month end closing, the most important day for my tasks. (I working in finance.) Scratch that, there are worse days, but this one is pretty bad also. I've already told my boss that I'll be out of the office on this day, with a doctor's note excusing it, and that I can't change it. Sorry! I didn't have to tell her and I could have just called that morning saying I wasn't coming in, but I'm nice that way.

Today, Mel at Stirrup Queens has posted her Annual Thankfulness Virtual Meal. I love this idea and I was excited to participate! (I was even the first commenter! lol) I'm so very thankful for Mel and everything she has done to make this ALI community what it is. I found this community less than a year ago and I just can't imagine how I would have survived this year without it. My list of blogs that I follow has grown by leaps and bounds. There are so many women that I can't wait until they post a new post. I so look forward to what they have to say and how their journey is going. Even when someone else has gotten their BFP! It just might mean that it is a bit harder for me to share in their enthusiasm, but that is a reflection on myself, not on the fortunate women themselves.

Mel asked everyone to share what they are bringing to the potluck-meal. The first thing that came to my mind was my mom's Pesto Torta. This is so easy to make, yet so very delicious! It was joked sometimes that my mom wasn't invited to a party unless she'd bring this (or her oyster stuffing balls at Thanksgiving). I made it several years ago for christmas to see what my in-laws thought of it. It was a hit and they've asked for it every year since. I think I would have made it even if they didn't like it so much because I love it. I am definitely going to continue making it, espeically now that my mom is gone. Although, now I think it will be made with a bit of tears and sorrow along with happiness.

Here's the basic recipe that my mom taught to me. There aren't any set amounts or measurements, we have always just mixed a bit of this and a bit of that and it turns out delish!

Pesto Torta by Robbin River Sky
Ingredients:
Red Layer
Sun dried tomatoes
     - reconstituted in warm water, then drained OR drained of oil; finely chopped

White Layer 
Cream cheese layer

     - cream cheese
     - parmesian (my mom used a 2nd cheese, but I can't remember what it was)
     - sour cream (unflavored yogurt)

Green Layer
Pesto layer
For the homemade type, puree the following in a blender:
     - olive oil (add enough that you get a nice sauce consistency)
     - fresh basil
     - pine nuts or cashews
     - a garlic piece or two
     - parmesian


Directions:
1. Prepare the 3 layers in separate bowls. The white layer should thicker than the sour cream, but not as thick as cream cheese.
2. In a shallow-ish dish (I use the lid to one of my round casserole dishes*) sprinkle some pine nuts in the dish (optional) then spread a nice layer of the tomatoes.
3. Next, gently spread on the white layer and then the green layer on top.
4. If possible, refridgerate over night for the flavors to mingle.
5. Before serving, let it warm just a little bit so that you can easily flip the torta out of the container you made it in. Flip the torta in a serving dish and serve with water crackers, bread or anything else you want to eat it with.

I love eating this with my turkey, potatoes and anything else I'd use pesto with.
May this become a favorite at your house!


*I know I have a picture of this at home, I'll update it later this evening.

Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes

I love finding and trying new recipes. I love it even more when the recipe is a winner! This last week I was checking out Making Lemonade's Friday post and saw that she had linked to some Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes from Mom On Timeout. They looked delicious, easy and I happened to have one can of pumpkin left! I printed out the recipe and made them Saturday morning.

Oh my gosh! These really are perfect! They are easy to make, moist and oh, so yummy. (Even if I didn't have any cloves because I ran out of it last time I made zuc bread and never bough more, until today.) I've eaten them with maple syrup, apple sauce, plain and even cold. That are just that good. I was also nice enough to share some with Mr Siili.

The left overs are going with me to work tomorrow for breakfast! And I now need to figure out where to find more pumpkin, because I am going to make these again.

Below is the recipe for Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes.
If you want to see some yummy pictures and step-by-step how-to, check out Mom On Timeout's blog.

Ingredients
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c wheat flour   (I used barley flour as I didn't have wheat flour. JH)
3/4 c brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 c canned pumpkin (pure pumpkin)
1 c milk
1/4 c applesauce (or vegetable oil)
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  I know there is a lot of ingredients but it is SO worth it!  Once all those spices get in the bowl just take a sniff and smile.  Smells like pumpkin pie!  (You can use more or less wheat flour depending on your preference.)

Add remaining ingredients and mix until just blended.  Do not over mix - just until blended.  I use applesauce but you can sub in vegetable oil if you prefer.

Pour about 1/3 cup of batter onto a lightly butter skillet.  Cook over medium heat until pancakes are lightly browned on the bottom.  Turn and cook until done.

Egg tart recipe

Today started with me missing my mom and then crying. It wasn't until I got to work and really immersed myself in my tasks that the deep sorrow was drowned out of my mind. I was just too busy to think about anything else. That can be a good thing or a bad thing. This time it was good, I guess.

Work has been busy, as usual. Yesterday, our team was supposed to do some cleaning and rearranging of seating places and it ended up being me who did it as everyone else went on break at that time. Even though we had a "meeting" scheduled and no one said anything to me about how it wasn't a good time for them. My hide was very chapped! (This most likely contributed to my not-so-chipper emotions this morning.) But, if I didn't do the stuff that needed to be done, another team couldn't move out of the seat I needed to move into. It took me much longer than what it should have and I left for the day without reading/answering some emails, a huge mess on my new desk and my computer not set up. Then today, the others finally got their act together and started cleaning and organizing the rest of the files and desks (which affected them). I didn't lift a finger! And if someone would have asked me, I would have politely refused to help. Petty, I know, but it truly irked me.

On the bright side, Mr Siili called mid-day to see how I was doing. It was so sweet of him. I also decided to spoil myself at lunch with some guava juice and a moon cake. It definitely made me feel better. And on an even better note, I decided to make Egg tarts tonight!

Egg tarts are something I discovered while in Shanghai. They have a thin pastry shell, an eggy-custard middle and so delish!! I made them once already since I've been home just over a week now and I had to make them again because, 1) they are that good and 2) I really wanted to take some pictures to go along with the recipe when I share it. Without further ado, here is the recipe.

Finished Egg tarts*

Hong Kong Egg Tart(makes around 12 egg tarts)

Ingredients for butter pastry:
100g room temperature butter
200g plain flour
1 egg
50g sugar

Ingredients for egg filling:
100ml water
80g sugar
3 eggs
100ml milk

 Directions for butter pastry:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius
1) Mix butter to the flour and sugar mixture
2) Add egg
3) Knead it into a dough
4) Press the pastry into the moulds gently using your two thumbs. Try not to have a thick pastry bottom.
5) Punch holes into the pastry with a fork

Directions for egg filling:
6) Melt water and sugar together (I just used the microwave for a second)
7) Add milk and eggs, beat and mix well
8) Sieve the mixture two times to get a smooth egg filling
9) Pour the egg filling into the pastry moulds
10) Bake it in the oven at 200 degrees celcius for 15-20 minutes. The egg should still be wobbly (you don't want to overcook it!)

My little helper, Rusty. He shares his cat hair freely.

I Googled and found this recipe (and others) from DessertzHouse. She also has an updated and slightly different version, which I haven't tried yet, but I think I will.

*I was so excited to eat a warm egg tart and I was in th emiddle of writing this post, that I almost forgot to take a picture of the final product, which is why there are 2 tarts missing. They are already in my and Mr Siili's tummies.

soup, eggs & dessert

I love to cook and especially bake. I also love trying new recipes. This year I've been a bit lacking in trying new recipes, but this past week, I've tried 3 new recipes! They are: Thai Summer soup, Egg nests & Lemony Strawberry-Brita. The first and third, have been a hit and the second, not so much. I think part of the reason for Mr Siili didn't like the egg nests was because I was also making the Lemony strawberry-Brita at the same time and he was expecting something sweet, not savory. Oops.

In any case, I'm sharing the recipes below. Let me know if you make any of them and what you think of them.


The Thai summer soup was light, quite delicious and easy to make. I'll definitely be making this again, in the summer or winter. I found this recipe from a Pirkka, which is a brand for Finnish K-group markets. I've translated the recipe below.

Photo credit - Pirkka

Thai Summer soup (Thaimaalainen kesäkeitto)
Prep and cooking time: 30-60 minute
5 servings

Ingredients
4-5 (~ 10,5 oz)	potatoes
3 (~ 7 oz)	carrots
1/2 (~ 8,8 oz)	broccoli
1/2 (~ 8,8 oz)	cauliflower
1 Tbs	green curry paste
4 cups	water
3/4 tsp	salt
1 can (400 ml)	coconut milk
~ 3,5 oz	sugar pea pods
2 Tbs	chopped parsley or coriander
	In addtion lime slices

Directions

1. Peeland chop up the potatoes and carrots. Remove the broccoli and cauliflower florets and cut up the stems. Heat the curry paste in the pan for a moment.
2. Add the potatoes, carrots and water. Bring to a boil and season with salt. Boil on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the broccoli and cauliflower to the soup. Boil for about another 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. In the end, add the coconut milk and sugar pea pods. Let the soup come back to a boil.
4. Decorate with parsley or coriander. Serve with lime slices and bread.

My Notes:

We don't care for sugar peas too much, so we substituted baby corns instead. Very yummy! Also, the green curry paste we used wasn't very strong, so we ended up doubling it. I think next time I might even triple or quadruple the amount to give it more curry flavor.


I love Simply Recipes recipes! She has so many easy recipes that are just yummy. While this recipe is my least favorite of all that I have tried from her site, it is due to a personal preference due to the fact that I don't really care for eggs. But when I had extra egg whites from the Lemony Strawberry-Brita recipe (mentioned below), I figured I had to try this novel egg idea instead of letting them go to waste. The nests are a great and fun idea, but I'm not sure if I'll make them again.

Photo credit - Simply Recipes

Egg Nests
2 servings

Ingredients
2	eggs
1/2 tsp	salt
1/4 cup	grated Gruyere cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the middle. Line a roasting pan, or baking sheet that can take high temperatures without warping, with parchment paper or Silpat.
2. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Make sure there are no little pieces of egg yolk in the whites or you will have difficulty getting the whites to beat properly. It helps if you are making more than one egg nest to keep each egg yolk in a separate prep bowl.
3. Place the egg whites in a very clean mixer bowl (any residual oil in the mixer bowl will keep the egg whites from whipping up properly). Add a quarter teaspoon of salt to the egg whites. Beat the egg whites with a whisk attachment in a mixer (or using a hand mixer), starting on low speed and then slowly increasing to high speed, until stiff peaks form.
4. Gently fold in the grated Gruyere cheese, taking care not to deflate the egg whites.
5. Create two mounds of the egg white mixture on the lined baking sheet. Form the mounds so they look like nests, with indentations in the centers.
6. Place in the oven for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, open the oven, pull out the rack with the egg white nests, and gently add an egg yolk to the center of each nest. Return the baking sheet to the oven and cook for 3 more minutes. Serve immediately.
   

My Notes:
We didn't have Gruyere cheese on hand, so I just used the edam that we do have.


I clipped this recipe out from the S-rhymä (which is a brand for Finnish S-group markets) magazine I get each month because the picture looked so good and who am I to resist strawberry and lemon? When Mr Siili saw the recipe, he got excited about it remembering something his mom made. That just clenched the deal and I had to make this! A bit on the sweet side, but still very yummy!

Photo credit - S-rhymä

Lemony Strawberry-Brita (Sitruunainen mansikka-Brita)

20 - 25 pieces

Ingredients
Base
1/2 cup + 1 Tbs	margarine
1/3 cup	sugar
3	egg yolks
2/3 cup	flour
2 tsp	baking powder
1/3 cup	cream
1 Tbs	margarine (for the baking paper)
Meringue
3	egg whites
2/3 cup	sugar
1 bag (~2,5 oz)	sliced almonds
Lemon Kissel
1/3 cup	lemon juice
1 cup	water
1 cup (scant)	sugar
4	egg yolks
4 Tbs	corn starch
2 Tbs	soft butter
In addition
1 quart	fresh (sliced) strawberries

Directions

1. Prepare the cake base. Separate room temperature egg yolks in one bowl and whites in another. Whip the margarine and suger. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing the whole time. Mix the flower and baking powder. Add them to the dough in alternating turns with the cream. Mix until the dough is smooth. Cover a baking pan (with sides) with baking paper and spread the margarine over the paper. Spread the dough over the margarine, about the size of 8 in x 12 in. 
2. Prepare the meringue. Whip the egg whites into a hard foam. Add the sugar a little bit at a time, beating the entire time. Spread the meringue on top of the dough. The surface of the meringue can have peaks/shapes. Spring some almond slices on top. Bake the cake base at 350F in the middle of the oven for about 25 minutes or until the meringue is a beautiful color. Let cool.
3. Prepare the Kissel. Measure into a sauce pan all of the kissel ingredients, excluding the butter. Over medium heat, heat the ingredients, stirring briskly the whole time. Once the kissel has thickened a bit, continue to heat it for a few more minutes over a low heat. Add the soft butter to the kissel and stir until smooth. Allow the kissel to cool and sprinkle some sugar on the top.
4. You can prepare the kissel a day in advance and store it in the fridge. Cut the cake base in two (horizontally) and lift the meringue layer away from the bottom half. Spread the kissel and sliced strawberries on the cake base. Put the meringue layer on top of the kissel and strawberries, meringue side up. Serve immediately.

My Notes:
My base and meringue were not nearly fluffy enough to cut in half when I took it out of the oven. I think it was because I just tossed the cream and flour in together and mixed away. It didn't effect the taste one bit! Next time I think I'll bake them separately anyway. The lemon kissel was insanely sweet! I think I'll try to make it a bit less sweet next time, or as per Mr Siili's suggestion, just leave it out completely. This dessert was sweet enough and yummy enough to not really need the lemon kissel. It was good though.

Enjoy!

What I did on my holiday

Remember the first few days back at school and how you had to write an essay about what you did during the summer? Hehe, that's what this reminds me of. While this isn't my whole holiday, but only a snippet of it, it's still stuff I did, with Mr Siili, the cats and my father-in-law (FIL).

Mr Siili and I tossed the cats into the car on last week's Wednesday and drove to his parents' house to spend a few days with his dad. (His mom is walking the Way of St. James pilgrimage in Spain.) We should have waited until the evening as our cats were very hot from the trip and Rusty was panting for quite some time after we arrived. It was quite scary.

During our stay, we picked black currants from Mr Siili's parents' yard and also the berries from one of his sister's yard. The weather was perfect! The first day we picked it was beautifully sunny and hot, with just a touch of warm breeze! We first had to rescue the bushes from nokkonen (stinging nettle) and then we could pick the berries in relative peace. It was so nice to just be outside, together and in relative quietness with only the shushing of birch trees in the breeze and a small plane doing aerial stunts overheard. After about 1.5 hours hours of getting rid of the nettles and 2.5 hours of picking currants, we decided it was enough for the day even though we hadn't picked everything yet. We did go back the next day for another 2-3 hours and got the rest of the berries.

mustaherukka pensas / black currant bush

I did pick about 2 liters of karviainen (goosberry), which I boiled with a bit of water and sugar and then froze to use at a later date. I think I'll make an apple-gooseberry pie or two this winter.

karviainen pensas / gooseberry bush

When we got back to the in-laws house, FIL got out their steam juicer and we put the black currents to juice. Basically you just dump the berries (stems, leaves and bugs included) into the juicer, add some sugar and steam them until the juice comes out. Then you pour the hot juice into sterilized bottles and cap them. You've then got great juice for the winter, especially if you get sick and need something hot to help you feel better. In total, I think we picked about 16 liters of berries and ended up with about 6.5 liters of juice.

Mehu-Maija / steam juicer

While the berries were juicing, Mr Siili picked me some raparperi (rhubarb) from the yard and I made 2 rhubarb strawberry pies (recipe below). Unfortunately, Mr Siili's 2 sisters didn't come join us for dessert and we had to eat them all by ourselves (ok, the 3 of us only polished off one of them that first evening).

raparperi-mansikkapiirakka / rhubarb-strawberry pie

The only thing I didn't get pictures of was the 4-5 liters of kantarelli (chanterelle mushrooms) that I picked the morning we headed back home. These are some of the yummiest mushrooms! I'm thinking I'll make a quiche, a soup and just fry the rest at some point.


This pie recipe was one of the first Finnish recipes (after potato bread) I learned when I came to Finland. These pies are delicious and so very easy to make. They are also quite versatile in that you can put any type of berry or combo of berry you like.


Mamman marjapiirakka / Mamma's berry pie
Dough:
2/3 cup (150g) butter/margerine
1/2 cup (1dl) sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cup (3dl) flour (regular flour or wheat flour or a combo works)
1 tsp baking powder

Mix ingredients together, spread on the bottom and sides of a low pie pan.


Filling:
1 cup (2dl) sour cream
1/4 (1/2dl) cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups (1/2 liter) berries (rhubarb, blueberries, lingonberry, apple+cinnamon)
(w/rhubarb, put it in the filling for a few min before pouring it into the shell.)


Pour the filling in the pie pan/shell.

Bake at 400F (200C) for 20-40min.
Let cool a bit after you take it out of the oven so the filling can set. Serve warm or cold with vanilla sauce and/or ice cream.

potato-chicken casserole

It's been a windy lazy day. I'm reading Into the Wildernessby Sara Donati and I've read a couple hundred pages today alone, with just under 400 pages left. Thankfully I have the 2nd book in the series already, but I am concerned about what I'm going to do after that. When I get into a series of books, I run with it! I devour the series until there is no more and then I lament the end of the series. No need to dwell on that for now though.

Yesterday I made a peruna-broilerikiusaus, which roughly translates to potato-chicken casserole. I didn't follow any sort of recipe, but rather thought of other recipes I've made over the years and went from there. In the end, it was a very basic recipe, but it was quite good.

peruna-broilerikiusaus / potato-chicken casserole

6-8	medium potatoes
1 pkg (~400g)	marinated shredded chicken
2	eggs
~5 dl	milk
1	onion  (I didn't add one this time, but that is only because we didn't have one in the house.)
pinch	pepper

Directions:
-wash and cut the potatoes into small pieces and then boil them until almost done. The potatoes will cook quickly because they are chopped up small.
-fry up the chicken.
-beat the eggs well, add the milk and pepper.
-add the potatoes and chicken into the milk mix.
-bake in the oven for about 1hour at 200C
-let the casserole cool a little bit before serving with a nice green salad and enjoy.

Rhubarb season

I love sour and tangy things. I eat the lemon wedges they give you in restaurants for your iced tea or fish. I used to beg my grandma to buy me the lemon shaped lemon juice bottles so I could drink them. I love sour gummy candies, WarHeads and Cry Baby Sour Gum. (My mouth is watering right now just typing about them!) I also like to eat rhubarb, freshly peeled.  

Good thing it is rhubarb season! I'm in the mood for sour!


I just got some nice big stalks of rhubarb from my friend R earlier this week. It inspired me to make some Rosemary Lemon Rhubarb Spritzer, which I stumbled upon last summer! This drink is awesomely fresh and a great summer drink Don't let the rhubarb and rosemary combo put you off, it is truly yummy! The only thing I really change in the recipe is I use much less sugar (it's always easier to add more than take some out). Oh, and if you don't have fresh rosemary, dried works well too.

Hubby has requested the Mexican corn salad that I made last weekend. And I think Im in the mood to try a new recipe this weekend. Stay tuned!

Taking back myself

I love to bake and cook. I have more recipes cut out of magazines and printed from online sites than I know what to do with, but I just can't seem to help myself. I love food!

Part of my relaxing this summer and not stressing about TTC or IF treatments (or lack of them during the summer) is to do things I like and that make me happy. The sort of things that make me who I am or at least who I want to be and not the person I've become during this last year and a half of treatments and 3 years of TTC.

So, here's to trying more new recipes, doing some arts and crafts, sewing, reading and just plain ol' enjoying summer!

Here's the recipe I found this weekend and tried last night. Very simple and full of ingredients I like individually, so why wouldn't they be good together? I quite liked this. Hubby liked it too!

Meksikolainen maissisalaatti / Mexican corn salad

1 bag / ~1 1/3 cup	frozen or canned corn
1	avocado
1	cucumber (peeled, unless you use an English cucumber)
1	red onion
3 tablespoons	finely chopped herbs, for ex. basil, chives and parsley
2 tablespoons	lemon juice
1 tablespoon	olive oil
pinch	salt & ground black pepper

Melt and drain the corn. Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone and then peel it. Cut the avocado into little pieces and sprinkle the lemon juice on top of it to prevent it from browning. Cut the cucumber into little cubes. Peel and chop the onion into small pieces. Mix all the ingredients together. Make the dressing by mixing the lemon juice, oil and herbs together. Then pour it on top of the salad. Stir it together and enjoy!

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

I've made this cake many times and it is so easy and quite yummy for the amount of time it takes to make it!

1 Coffee 'large' mug
4 tablespoons plain flour (not self-rising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
Small splash of vanilla

1. Add dry ingredients to mug, & mix well.
2. Add egg & mix thoroughly.
3. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
4. Add chocolate chips (if using), van, mix again.
5. Put mug in the microwave & cook for 2-3 min at 1000 watts.
6. Cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! (it really did! LOL!)
7. Allow to cool a little & tip out onto a plate if desired.
8. EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to share!)

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Mushroom soup into coconut milk

Another recipe I tried and loved! I think I'll make it again. I love trying new recipes and especially finding ones that are good. These last few New Year's I've (jokingly) made it my New Year resolution to "try new recipes". It's one resolution I've never failed and I have tons of fun with it all year long.

Enjoy the recipe and check out my remarks below.

Mushroom soup into coconut milk / Sienikeitto kookosmaitoon
2 boxes of mushrooms (aprox. 200-250g each)
1 small onion
1 tablespoon oil
1 can of coconut milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons lightly salted soy sauce
chives



Clean and slice the mushrooms. Peel and finely chop the onion. Saute the mushrooms and onion in the pan with a bit of oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes.


Add the coconut milk and simmer another 5 minutes.


Add the spices and taste the flavoring. You can puree the soup, especially if you serve it as a starter. Sprinkle some chopped herbs on the top.

And here's the finished product with some lightly toasted and buttered rye bread.


I made a couple of changes to the recipe, but I don't think they effected the taste much.
First off, I had way more mushrooms than what the recipe called for. But how can that be bad? It is mushroom soup after all!
Secondly, I didn't have any lemon juice or lemons, so I used lime.

Next time I make this I think I'll make some rice to put the soup over. It'll make it stretch a bit further and give it an added texture.
I also think I'll only use 2 tablespoons of soy sauce (unless I have the less salty version).

All in all, I'm quite pleased with the taste. It is a bit different than other mushroom soups I have tried in the past, but very yummy.

This recipe came from Kikkoman.