sunnuntai 13. marraskuuta 2011

The soup that will make everything better


Whenever I'm in the need of easy comfort food this is it. Whenever I'm running out of money this is it. Whenever there's lots of people to be fed, this is it. Here's what you need:

beans (dried are cheaper, but take time)
tomatoes in some form (chopped, crushed, pulp)
spices (like basil, pepper, paprika)
water
Optional ingredients like cream cheese, onions and bread croutons

torstai 15. syyskuuta 2011

September

So summer is over and I'm kinda feeling...empty. I have made loads of new friends, find some love and said goodbye to a loved one. I feel like I'm waiting something to happen, something big that will change everything and I fear it's not coming and I just keep waiting. But look, cute wet cat toes!

sunnuntai 12. kesäkuuta 2011

Pardon me

...for not writing earlier. I have had some problems with my internet connection (bleh, mokkula) and it's summer, so I wont be spending too much time around computers. I have been up to many things.

- growing my own food (potatoes, zucchini, peas, beans and chives)
- reading True Blood novels until the pages literally fall off
- getting tanned for working in the garden
- got a job from a bar
- having breakfasts in sunny porch
- hosting two teenager boys during Sauna Open Air and being
the only one with horrible hangover (kinda feeling old now)
- eating mostly vegetarian food
- listening The Doors and doing nothing else
- attending to party, my brother is newly qualified chef!

Kirjahaaste

Syy katsella kirjahyllyä. Vastaa kysymyksiin kirjojesi nimillä.

1. Oletko mies vai nainen?
Baby Jane

2. Kuvaile itseäsi?
Pimeää vain meidän silmillemme

3. Kuinka voit?
How to be an explorer of the world

4.Kuvaile nykyistä asuinpaikkaasi?
Muumilaakson puutarhakirja

5. Mihin haluaisit matkustaa?
Amsterdam

6. Kuvaile parasta ystävääsi?
Olisi vähän kerrottavaa

7. Mikä on lempivärisi?
Punainen mylly

9. Mikä on paras vuorokauden aika?
Dead until dark

10. Jos elämäsi olisi tv-ohjelma, mikä sen nimi olisi?
Munakoisojen kiukku

11. Päivän mietelause
The ultimate book of useless information

12. Millainen on parisuhteesi?
Catherine M:n seksuaalielämä

13. Mitä elämä sinulle merkitsee?
Löytöjen koti

14. Minkä neuvon tahtoisit antaa?
Pieni sydän jaksaa rakastaa

15. Miten tahtoisit kuolla?
Onnellinen kuolema

16. Mottosi?
Helvettiin ja takaisin

keskiviikko 6. huhtikuuta 2011

Reasons to grow up part 1

The very first thing I felt when unpacking my things in ugly two room + kitchen apartment in Hervanta was overwhelming freedom - I could do whatever I wanted to. It was autumn 2006, I had returned to Finland from The Netherlands few weeks earlier and I had no idea what I was going to do. I had only one friend living in the city back then and my then-boyfriend was working very long days, so I was lonely. I visited the library all the time and tried to learn play guitar. On weekends we played 4 hour games of Carcassonne.



Things changed quickly when I got a wonderful job from art school and we moved again, this time to a much nicer apartment to the middle of the city. I loved that apartment and I was happy there. Sometimes I still see dreams about it. We planted herbs, painted two walls tomato red, had some good celebrations with friends and we got a cat and an aquarium. I was too busy to take photos and in summer 2008 it was time to leave.



I found a small apartment from Pispala. Two rooms and bathroom, first room was kitchen/laundry room and hallway in same time, the other was my living room and bedroom. It was in the cellar floor, so my rooms were partly underground and there was a window with a view of wall that was later built. It was almost hundred years old house and there was always cold and mice eating the trash. By that time I had two cats, so mice were not a problem. However, sleeping with wool socks, long sleeved shirt, trousers and three blankets is not fun. My neighbors were wonderful and I made some friends while living there, but I had to leave half year later due problems with the landlord. ...Yes, I love the last photo. No, I don't have any idea what is going on in there.

keskiviikko 30. maaliskuuta 2011

Sue Grafton

I love old style crime mysteries and I love Sue Grafton. I found her alphabet series couple weeks ago and wonder why I haven't grabbed one earlier. Alphabet series gets it's name from the books, "A is for Alibi", "B is for Burglar" and so on. I'm in the middle of reading "N is for Noose" and fear running out of books. She has written 20 novels so far. I would say my favorite so far is "B is for Burglar". ****/*****

Goat cheese & cherry tomato pie



I found the recipe from one of my mother's magazines. First time I have prepared anything with goat cheese and I have to say, this was freaking delicious.

2 dl flours
1 dl oatmeal
½ tea spoons baking powder
½ tea spoons salt
75 g margarine
3 tbs water

Mix all dry ingredients together and add water and margarine.
Mix even and wrap up and put to fridge.

250g cherry tomatoes
150g goat cheese ( I used Soignon's chevre)
black pepper
thyme

Press the dough into pie dish, spread cheese all over it and lay tomatoes on the top. Add spice and bake about 25 minutes in 225'C oven.

lauantai 19. maaliskuuta 2011

Just a minute in March

Learning...how to sew clothes

Watching...snow storm behind living room window

Reading...Sue Graftons amazing detective novels. They are perfect for lazy days

Listening...Siouxsie and the Banshees

Craving for...salty things and fruits, but I'm still going to make Mississippi Mud Cake. Yesterday I tasted Boylan's original birch beer. It was interesting experience and I quite liked it. It's non-alcoholic soda with birch tree oil and cane sugar.

Loving...the love. Experience trough Phillip Toledanos photos and text in here.

Making...chocolate cookies for my brothers 19th birthday party

Playing...The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Writing...letters to Poznán, Poland and Springfield, USA

sunnuntai 27. helmikuuta 2011

Goodfellas

Goodfellas (1990) is an old style gangster movie with wonderful actors and lots of violence, fancy suits and swearing. The movie is based on a book written by Nicholas Pileggi, who started his career as a journalist specially interested of mafia. Characters are based on real people and it is said that actors had real life mafia guys helping out with scenes all the time during filming. Many of the scenes were improvised and the movie itself seems easy going, perhaps because of real expressions of surprise or anger while filming. Goodfellas is number 17 at Imdbs list. ****/*****

100 things and then some more

Have you heard of guy named Dave?
He lived for a year with just 100 things (not counting things that all in the family used) to "break free of American-style consumerism". While I know I couldn't do the same unless I would move to another country or live in some hut middle of nowhere where it would be impossible to have all the things I have, I admire his effort.

Some of you may know I used to catalog all I had in my fridge now and then and keep lists of all kind of things I had (how many violet clothes, how many shoes, how many plants and so on). I find it interesting to see the changes in my own lifestyle. Next list was made 2.5.2008. I try to translate it to English at some point.

Lista jääkaapin sisällöstä 2.5.2008

- rasiallinen oivariini -voita /margarine
- sitruunamehua / lemon juice
- mätitahnatuubi / roe paste
- väkevää sinappia tuubissa / strong mustard
- väkevää konjakkisinappia / strong cognac mustard
- Harissa -tahnaa
- paketti omenatupakkaa /apple tobacco
- HP -kastiketta / HP sauce
- kiinalaista soijakastiketta / soy sauce
- seesamiöljyä pullollinen / sesam oil
- thai sweet chili sauce -pullo
- hyla-maitoa / lactose free milk
- kevytmaitoa / semi-skimmed milk
- täysmaitoa / whole milk
- rypsiöljyä / canola oil
- sekamehutiivistettä kanisterillinen / juice concentrate
- kannullinen vettä / water
- mummun mehun jämät / juice made by my grandmother
- kaksi kaljaa/ two bottles of beer
- laatikollinen porkkanoita / box full of carrots
- puolikas sian sydän / half of pig's heart
- perunamuusin jämät / leftover mashed potatoes
- hillosipuleita / pickled onions
- kreikkalaisia pepperoneja / pepperons
- mango chutneyta
- viisi kananmunaa / five eggs
- bataatti / sweet potato
- vajaa kilo ananaspaloja / little less than 1 kg of pineapple chunks
- rasiallinen ituja / box of sprouts
- puolikas valkosipuli / half garlic
- leivontamargariinia / margarine of baking
- saunapalvia / spiced meat stuff
- herkkupaisti / roast
- ketsuppia / ketchup
- hampurilaiskastiketta / hamburger sauce
- sinappia purkissa / more mustard
- hot salsa dip -purkki
- sinappia pullossa / and still more mustard
- purkki soodaa / baking soda
- puolukkahilloa / cowberry jam
- vadelmamarmeladia / raspberry jam
- luumumarmeladia / plum jam

I wonder why I had four packages of mustard and three different kind of milk there. Oh well, you never know...Next list is what I have in my fridge right now.

Lista jääkaapin sisällöstä 27.2.2011

- kevytmaitoa / semi skimmed milk
- mango chili -soosia / mango chili sauce
- pippuriketsuppia / pepper ketchup
- majoneesia/ mayonnaise
- kaksi purkkia red curry -maustetahnaa
- lemon curd -purkki
- mangocurry -soosia
- limua (kolaa) / coke
- tölkillinen kaljaa / beer
- minttusuklaa -likööriä pullo/ mint chocolate liqueur
- mangokanariisi-mössön jämät / leftover mango-chicken-rice dish
- kuusi kananmunaa/ six eggs
- oivariinia rasiallinen / margarine
- raparperimehu -tiivistettä pullollinen / rhubarb juice concentrate
- juoksevaa margariinia pullo / liquid margarine
- thai -marinoitua kanaa paketti / chicken in thai marinade
- vadelmahilloa (itsetehtyä) / self made raspberry jam
- "perinteistä" salaatinkastiketta pullo / "traditional" salad dressing
- pakastelokerossa pinaattia, wokvihanneksia ja kalapuikkoja / in the freezer: spinach, wok vegetables and fish sticks

tiistai 22. helmikuuta 2011

Just a minute in February

Making...a mess

Watching...Farscape

Reading...WikiHow articles

Listening...Groove FM

Loving...someone I shouldn't

torstai 20. tammikuuta 2011

Let the right one in



A vampire movie without shirtless men, sex, vampires who sparkle or lure people in to their beds? Oh yes. Apparently they made an american version of this movie too, "Let me in" which I haven't seen and kind of hope I won't. Let the right one in is sad, cruel and scary movie that left me feeling a bit empty. Not wanting to spoil the movie I suggest you watch it. ****/*****

Just a minute in january

Making...myself happy

Watching...movies with a nice guy

Browsing...photography and decoration blogs

Listening...Tuomari Nurmio

Loving, just loving it all

sunnuntai 2. tammikuuta 2011

At home



Five apartments in two years? A bit too much.
Being at home, doing nothing is one of those things I appreciate
the most. Home has to be warm, full of places where to read a good
book, watch a movie, take a nap, store soft blankets and favorite
coffee mugs.

I promised not to move this year. I like this apartment, but it
doesn't feel like me yet. Maybe when sun starts to shine and I
will have more time to be at home. But I have to admit, this feels
different than it did at Pispala. I feel more relaxed.