music monday: kiersten holine

traveling, traveling, traveling. 6 states in the past week and back to denver on wednesday.

breathe.

music monday: sondre lerche

you know those places/times in life when you can just relax and be yourself? i often feel that i am in such a rush to get life “right:” be in the right place, have the right job, be in the right relationships. it can be tiring, but i am in such a place now that i can simply be myself. after 3 smooth flights and a day of traveling, i’m in norway. and i feel the most “me” that i’ve felt since i left 5 months ago. (what a nice feeling!) it feels so normal to be with friends, baking, drinking coffee, trudging through the snow to get anywhere and everywhere. the trip began on a somber note and once again i was reminded that life is fragile. so i am going to enjoy every minute and make the most of my days here.

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.

off i go!

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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!

foodie friday: spinach, pecan and blue cheese pies

not only has christmas passed, but also the new year. i have never been so ready for a year to be over. here’s to hoping and praying that 2012 will offer much more joy and peace than the year before.

i received some pretty great presents this holiday, one being the original avoca cookbook. i was in dublin a few years ago and while touring the city, i found an amazing cafe/boutique (avoca) and went back there several times that week to sample from the menu. i’ve tried a couple recipes from the cookbook and they did not disappoint.

behold, SPINACH, PECAN AND BLUE CHEESE PIES (adapted from the cookbook)

8-10 sheets of wheat filo pastry (+melted butter for brushing)
1 bag of baby spinach
4 T chopped pecans
5 oz. low-fat blue cheese, crumbled
2 eggs + 3 egg yolks (i ended up using 4 eggs and 3 egg yolks)
4 T creme fraiche (or plain yogurt or sour cream – whatever you have available)
freshly grated nutmeg
3 pieces of cooked turkey bacon

layer the filo into individual muffin tins (i used 9 muffin tins) or a pie plate, brushing each layer with melted butter. (the pastry will look like a total mess at this stage).

mix together the spinach, pecans and blue cheese (the original recipe also recommended dried cranberries, but i opted out of that). season with pepper and salt. place in the filo shells. whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, creme fraiche and nutmeg. pour over the other ingredients and crumble the bacon over it. bake in a 350F/180C oven for 20-25 minutes – until the egg is set.

i had a lot of the spinach mixture left over, so i added that to other greens and served as a side salad. simple and delicious – enjoy!

the most wonderful time of the year.

i’m sitting at the airport, waiting for a delayed flight, thinking i’m in oslo but the sound of english all around tells me i’m not. i quickly realize that i’m in indianapolis and headed to denver. i’m still not used to calling denver “home” and all these changes can be tiring.

but it is advent time, a time of expectancy. i am expecting to understand the birth of Jesus in a whole new way, expecting that the coming year will be filled with joy and hope.

hopefully this little calendar will usher in this time of advent.

where the wild things are.

in the 6 years of living in norway, i’ve managed to somehow do most of my traveling outside of the country (20 new countries!). as my time here is nearing an end though, i’ve made it a priority to visit friends and travel in-country. my journey began at 4.38am last friday, as kristin and i stepped on the train in skien. 2 trains, 1 bus and  8 hours later, we arrived in ål to meet ragnhild and britt solveig. over the next few days we hiked up a mountain, visited the sites in town, ate incredible traditional norwegian food (småmat, lefsekling, rjomegraut, spekemat, lapper) and spent late nights around the fire at the cabin.

here are a few of the sites i saw:

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ragnhild and i are now in bergen where the next leg of the journey begins.

uff, i love norway.