so in homage to scandinavia, i present a taste of catchy swedish pop: jens lekman

i recently discovered a love for brownies – not the boxed kind, but from scratch – so many possibilities! on valentine’s day, i made these particular brownies and believe they will have a permanent place in the brownie rotation.

Salted Fudge Brownies
(adapted from food & wine)

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 ounces dark chocolate
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
inside of a dried vanilla seed pod (or 1.5 t of real vanilla extract)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 t cinnamon
2 T cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon Maldon sea salt

(other additions could include: cardamom, orange rind, peppermint flakes or extract or pecans)

Melt the butter and chocolate in a large saucepan. When it is completely melted, turn off heat, add eggs and sugar. Sift in the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

pour into a lined 9 inch baking sheet. crumble the cream cheese  (we just put the cream cheese in half of the batter) and stir into the batter. sprinkle the sea salt over the batter.

bake at 350F for approx. 30 minutes or until the edges are set (i like mine to be a little gooey, so i take them out a few minutes before).

these are perfect combined with strong coffee and a person with whom to share. enjoy!

happy valentine’s day!

several friends have opened their homes to me on this trip and this past week, as my friend janne and her family were away at work and preschool, i found myself alone in the house for a few hours. i realized this was one of the first times in months that i had been truly alone. and for an introvert like myself, i soaked it up. so i bought a sweet pastry, made a cup of coffee and read several chapters in a new book. after those few hours alone, i was ready for for the world again. here’s to the little things in life that bring heaps of joy.

sun, coffee and vanilla berlinerboller in greengate fashion

so for this music monday, i give present to you one of my favorite norwegian artists: sondre lerche

Sondre Lerche- “If Only” Video from celia rowlson-hall on Vimeo.

in less than 2 days i’ll be back in norway! it seems a bit surreal, yet so natural. i can’t wait to see friends, familiar sights, hear norwegian and after an unseasonably warm winter in kansas, the snow and cold will be welcomed with open arms.
i feel like i spend a good part of my life packing and unpacking, yet i always tend to wait for the last minute. so tonight will be spent doing laundry, altering a few items of clothing and determining what to pack in limited space.

wish me luck!

when i came back to stay with my parents for awhile, i had to find something to fill my time and on thursdays that means thrifting. thrift shops are not in high demand in southeastern kansas, which means i don’t have to fight crowds and the prices are amazing. i’ve found that the best stores are held in churches. people take bags of their unwanted clothes and home wares to various churches around town and on thursday, several of them open shop and the proceeds go to missions. most of the patrons are older, retired or have lost their jobs. that calls for interesting conversations and a few awkward moments. i like!

for a whopping $7.85 today, i bought:
2 dresses, 2 skirts, a saltine tin, children’s book, 4 mason jars and 4 coffee cups

(a little sample of the goods!)

i’ve started several projects with the sweaters and thought i’d show you some of the progress.

i’ve never re-styled a sweater, but with some measuring, cutting, pinning and a simple zigzag stitch, i think the finished project is a cute addition to my bedroom!

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speaking of cute additions, i’ve been able to spend quite a bit of time with my niece and she is pretty much the funnest (yes, i made that word up) toddler i know! she’s walking now and is quite adamant with her “yes” and “no” head shakes. when i ask her where aunt lala is (my nickname), she lays her head on my chest and hugs me. it doesn’t get any sweeter than that.

my days have been pretty flexible lately and my morning routine is to wake up, make coffee and something good to eat just in time for the “today” show, which is pure relaxation in my book! this morning i made something quick and easy: puff pancake.

2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. flour (mixture of white, wheat and flax)
1/4 t. salt
couple dashes nutmeg
2 T. butter

whisk eggs and then add the rest of the ingredients. melt the butter in a pie pan in a pre-heated 400F oven. when melted, spread over the whole pan and pour the egg mixture over. bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.

the pancake looks amazing when finished – nice and fluffy. i like to cook a sliced apple with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar on the stove and top the pancake with the apple when it is cooked (berries and pears are also great additions).

enjoy!