On those rain days...

Bergen is the city of rain, and although I live right outside of Bergen on the island of Askøy we still get the icky weather most of the time. I have been here for 2 years now and even then I have not gotten used to enjoying being out in the rain. I prefer to stay inside. That can get pretty boring, so its up to myself to entertain myself, whether it be crocheting, knitting, drawing, movies or whatever. This past week I worked harder than a chinese sweatshop sewing tote bags and customized kindle covers!
I have sewn several things before, so I would like to share my creations with you today!

 

 

Custom kindle cover, You can find the patter and instruction to make your own at Chica and Jo's

This tote bage is simple and very cute! Here is the free pattern jcarolinecreative

 These other creations were done before Christmas as presents and I cannot for the life of me find the patterns to give to you. Sorry.


So as you can see I have been busy on the sewing machine! I like sewing but could never be a tailor, I get frustrated a lot with all the string and or when it gets jammed or the measurements don't come out right. But it is fun for when it's raining and your husband is playing World of Warcraft and you're left with nothing to do!

Giveaway!!

Getaway for two!!!

Click here for a chance to win a nice getaway!!!

Let me introduce you to a friend!

  Her name is Siv Renate Riise! Unfortunately I don't know Siv in person, but we are in two social groups in facebook and because of those two groups I can confidently say that Siv is a dear friend. I have gotten to know her for the past 8 months since I joined the groups, as well as other beautiful ladies around the globe, and one amazing talent that Siv has is her eye for taking stunning photos! 

  So here I am helping her promote her photography!! She has her own website which you can check out here: Siv's website!
And she even has her own Epla store, where you can view all of her pictures which are for sale. They run for 200kr/$35USD which you can securely pay using paypal. She will then send you the picture without the watermark to your email and you can print it out yourself onto poster paper, canvas...whatever your heart desires! I think there is a canvas printing offer but I'm not sure if that has expired, you can send her an email which can be found on her epla page.
Here are just some of the pictures that you can purchase for such a great price at Siv's epla store.

Beautiful right?!?! These are my favorite! I'm debating between the first two. The skull is amazing and the roses beside it are gorgeous, but I can kind of see the heart stone hanging better in a living room....but the skull is so pretty....but the heart! ahhh decisions decisions! Needless to say, I will be making a purchase very soon!! So please go check out her masterpieces and purchase them! Help her out in her new personal business!!  Tell her Mariana sent you!

PS, if you're reading my other blogs. i have no idea where the pictures went...I have to figure out what happened and get them back somehow!

Jesus is coming!!! Quick! Hide the eggs!

In the spirit of Easter, I wanted to share a little candle craft! It's super easy and makes for a great gift and/or decoration!

       What you need:

• Candle
• Desired napkin
• Metal spatula
• Scissors

Napkins usually have 3 layers, some have 2. You want the top layer with the design, peel the other layers off and throw away.

Measure your candle and cut from the napkin, make sure it goes all the way around.

This is where I intended to add a video, but it didn't want to upload for some reason.....So the best way to describe the next step is too turn on your stove to high, place the metal spatula over the heat until it is nice and hot, and iron the napkin onto the candle. Start with one of the sides first and work your way around, don't start ironing from the middle. The point is to let the napkin melt into the wax so that when it cools off the napkin is underneath the wax that melted through. Iron all around making sure you melt the top and bottom edges as well. Try to smooth it out as much as possible and you're done!

This one is a big candle. I did several of them for Christmas with angels on them

Nasty, nasty nasty

When shopping for fresh produce in Norway I recommend being extra cautious with what you pick up. My husband and I went shopping the other day to Rema1000 and I was disgusted by what I saw. Rotten fruit filled with mold, bird shit on packages, dead flies in the fruit. I understand that sometimes it may be hard to miss some things. For example, I once bought a very nice looking lettuce, only to find out that a caterpillar had made its little burrow inside. Things like that don't bother me, because I checked the lettuce and didn't see anything wrong with it until I started peeling off the leaves, but when rotten fruit is sitting out in the open like that....then it's an issue.
A few months ago, a tv program called "TV2 hjelper deg" did a report on this. They went around to several stores throughout Norway and picked out which ones did a better job of selecting and selling good fresh produce and which ones didn't. It was shocking to see how many stores don't bother to check the quality of their products. After the report aired, all the stores did a god job to have fresh produce and to make sure nothing was bruised or rotten or moldy. This extra care only lasted a few weeks and then it was back to having to pick for the least worst items.
It isn't only the fresh produce that is neglected, it's dried goods as well, such as vacuumed packed breads, tortillas.... and meats. We have found meat packets to have been accidentally opened, possibly during delivery, that sit on the shelves dripping blood and the whole shelf is red and stinks. As for the bread, I had to once find the baker in the store and lead her a shelf filled with 10+ baguette bags FILLED with mold that had been expired for 2 weeks.
The following pictures are from Rema1000 in Kleppestø. This was just from one visit.

Mexican rice!

As another favor for my sister in law, I made her Mexican rice for her party she had yesterday!
Hopefully everyone liked it and hopefully you will too! Also, just so you know, there are several ways of making this type of rice; this version is the one my grandmother taught me with a few of my own norwexican changes.

I usually calculate 1/2 cup of uncooked rice per person. So this recipe will be for approximately 4 people.

2 cups of rice
4 cups hot water
1 onion finely chopped
1 red chili pepper de-seeded and de-veined finely chopped
2 chicken stock cubes
2 whole garlic cloves
1 can of tomato puree
1 cup of fresh cilantro/ or dry cilantro
1 cup of frozen peas (optional)
2 carrots finely chopped into small pieces (optional)

First rinse your rice to remove as  much starch as possible. In oil, cook the finely chopped onion and the chili pepper. Add the rice and fry until they are a light golden brown color. Add the garlic cloves, cilantro, peas and carrots. Let those fry a bit too.

What I did next was mix the tomato puree and the 2 chicken stock cubes in 4 cups of hot water. Wait until the stock cubes dissolve and the puree is well mixed. Add too the rice, mix and lower heat to a low-medium setting. Cover and let cook for about 20-25 minutes. Occasionally check on it to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom, if it's starting too stick to the bottom and a bit of water, cover and let it continue to cook.

After 20-25 minutes the rice should be done (remove the garlic cloves)!

The Friday List

So this is my first Friday List!!! Linking up with Company of Clever! As you may have guessed it will be a list! On what? I get to decide! So as my first Friday List topic I shall choose the things I miss most about San Diego, California. My family and friends are definitely the top two, so apart from them:

1. The beautiful weather!

I am used to 80's and 90 degree weather! Sandals, jeans and t-shirt weather. Today, it was considered "warm" on Askøy, the island I live on right outside of Bergen. Warm. HA!! It was 9 degrees C out today, that's 48.2 F. Lets calculate that. We'll take the average of 85-42.5=42.5 HALF!! I must be going crazy to have thought that it was nice and warm out today. Even went out for a walk with jeans, tennis shoes and a fleece zip up jacket. Someone buy me a plane ticket for a 2 week vacation in San Diego so that this poor Mexican can be reminded of what real nice weather feels like.

2. The Beaches

What I would give to just plunge into this picture and whomp in those waves. "Whomping" is a more graceful form of bodysurfing, haha yeah right! Instead of riding along with the wave for several seconds, you are slammed into the sand! I promise you, it is sooo much fun! Read more on Whomping!!

3. Mexican Food

If you've read my last few posts you'll know my depressing desire for real mexican food. In this case though I miss fast food Mexican food, the kind that give you bad gas and clog your arteries after the first 5 bites! The kind that comes from all those taco shops that end with "bertos", "Albertos" "Rigobertos" "Adalbertos"... A california burrito with carne asada, sour cream, cheese, beans, rice, cilantro, potatoes, salsa, guacamole all wrapped in a warm tortilla that if you unwrap you'll find that is the same size as your car tire. Or a chorizo with eggs burrito with potatoes, cheese and sour cream!

4. Friendly polite strangers

I love the Norwegian people, but they are only nice after you've met them. Complete strangers...nope. Not even the dogs. In the States everyone smiles and says hi, excuse me, sorry, please, thank you....Here...different story. I won't get into it much so as to keep this post friendly.
I will give them this though, when out in the wilderness or out at sea, you'll think you're famous; everyone makes sure to say hi to you! It's quite funny!

5. Activities

When and if the weather is nice in Bergen the only fun thing to do outside is go for a walk, and if you're rich enough to have a boat you can take it out and enjoy the nice weather. But if you're not, like  most people, you can go get a coffee...which is indoors, go to the mall....which is also indoors... Or for even more fun, even if the weather is bad, we can go bowling or watch a movie...that's pretty much it. I miss being able to go down to the bay and rent some kayaks for 15 bucks and cruise along the bay islands, sneak around the back of Cirque De la Mer Sea World show and watch for free, buy a starbucks and walk down balboa park, go grab some awesome sandwiches and the local beach shop and some smoothies and go to this mountain view top where you can see all of La Jolla Beach and the Cove. Snorkeling at the cove and sneak some frozen peas to feed to all the fishies, surfing, going to a family fun center and ride the bumper cars, mini golf, playing frisbee at the park, watching my dog run wild and free at dog beach, car camping or camping in general, barbecues any day anytime. Man those were the good times...

Yummy Empanadas!!!

My sister in law asked me to help make some sort of finger food for her tapas party. I love making mini empanadas for parties. It requires time but they are fairly easy to make and they are always a hit! Plus you can make them days before hand, bag and freeze them and take them out and reheat for your big day. Hope you enjoy!

For the dough:

• 6 cups flour (plus a little more for kneading)
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 6 tablespoons shortening/butter

In a bowl, beat the water, eggs, egg whites and vinegar together. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the 6 cups of flour and salt. Cut the shortening into the flour mix with a pastry blender or two butter knives. Make a well in the center of the flour mix and pour the liquid ingredients from the first bowl into the center. Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a fork until it becomes stiff. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it just until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth and not sticky.

For the filling: Empanadas can be filled with all sorts of options. You can have chicken, potatoes, beans and cheese, beef. In this case I used minced meat. You can follow this one or fill them with your choice of filling.

600 grams of minced meat
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
juice of 1 big lime or 2 small ones
1 cup of freshly chopped coriander or 1/2 cup of dried coriander
half of one 'La Costeña Mexican Green Salsa' bottle
salt and pepper to taste
Maizena for thickening of the salsa


In oil, cook finely chopped onion and the 2 garlic cloves pressed through a garlic press. Add the meat and cook until done. Add salt, pepper, coriander, lime juice and green salsa. Slowly add maizena until the salsa is thick and not liquidy. Set aside.


NOW TO MAKE THEM!!


Preheat your oven to 220 degrees C.

Roll out your dough. It should be fairly flat. Make sure the surface you work on is floured to prevent the dough from sticking. Cut out circles using a large circular cookie cutter, cup or bowl. I used a tupperware bowl that was approx. 3in. in diameter. Try to keep it at that size.

 

With a brush, coat the outsides of the circles with 1 beaten egg

 Add a spoonful of the meat with pieces of cheese. 

Fold over in half, and fork the sides together. 

Coat the tops of the empanadas with egg.

 Stick in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are a nice gold-brown color.

Once done, let them cool on a rack. You can serve by themselves, with a sour cream dip, or freeze in a bag for later.

ENJOY!!!

Making tamales in Norway

YES ladies and gentlemen it is possible to make tamales in Norway!
A few days ago my Mexican friends and I got together to make some tamales and oh boy were they good! The only downfall is that they weren't 100% Mexican tamales. We did what we could with what we had and what we could find.
My friend Andrea, brought back some dried corn husk from Mexico, so that at least was authentic. Here in Norway you can buy banana tree leaves from the international shops and its works just the same.
For the "dough" we used the corn meal imported from Venezuela, you can find it in most international food shops.If you find white corn meal, then go for it, you cant be too picky being so far away, however I would add a bit of chili powder to add some color to it. (Make sure you don't buy cornmeal with polenta)

This is the one we used. PAN corn meal.

     We made two types of tamales, vegetarian and chicken. However you can make them out of beef, pork, chiles and cheese, be creative!

 

*1kg PAN cornmeal
*2quarts of water (19dl)
*4 Knorr chicken stock cubes
*227 grams lard (you can go to the butchers and ask for rendered pork lard which works the best, or you  can use shortening (Flott)
*1 tbsp bake pulver
*1/2 tbsp salt
*1 finely shredded chicken
*1 bottle of La Costeña Salsa Verde

 

  

First you need to put the corn husks or the banana leaves to soak in warm water for up to an hour so that they become flexible to fold without breaking.  

Pour corn meal, salt and bake pulver into a large bowl. Mix and set aside.
On medium-high heat pour water into a pot and add the chicken stock cubes. Wait until they dissolve.
In a saucepan add the lard/shortening and melt on low heat.
Once the lard/shortening is melted, pour it into the corn meal and mix with a large wooden spoon until it is all soaked up by the corn meal. Then slowly add the water with the chicken stock. Alternate between pouring and mixing. You may not need to use all the water. Add enough so that the dough is a bit sticky to the touch. It shouldn't be watery and you should be able to mold it. Discard any left over water. This is the hard part. now you have to mix the dough for maybe 10 minutes. Use the spoon until it is cool enough to mix with your hands. The point is to try and get as much air in it as possible. The more you knead the better. Once your hands are dead tired, we can proceed to the next step. 

Remove the corn husks or banana leaves from the water. It is time to fill them up. You will add about a spoonful of chicken and a spoonful of the green salsa.
Since it could get a bit complicated and confusing to explain this. Here is a video on how to fill up the tamales. 

 

 

 This next video shows how to fill them up and fold them if using the banana leaves. A good size would be 12in x 12in. They have many filling in this next video. But we will be simple and just use chicken.

 

 

 

  The best way to cook them is to take a HUGE pot, and place a vegetable steamer at the bottom. Pour some water into the pot, make sure you add just enough water to the bottom of the pan so the water doesn't touch the tamales. Check it often so the water doesn't run dry, this is important. You can then place the tamales inside. Place a damp cotton towel over the top of the tamales and cover with the lid. This helps create more steam. Get the water to boil and then turn the heat to low. Simmer/steam for 1 1/2 hours. Every 20 minutes take some tongs and take the tamales that are in the middle and place them on the outside. The tamales that are hidden in the middle get less steam. After 1 1/2 hours check the tamales by removing one and letting it cool for 5 minutes. Open the hot tamale and check that the dough is firm and not mushy. If need be, cook a little longer and check every 15 minutes until done. When tamales are done take them out of the pot to cool on the counter. I recommend using tongs for this, they will be very hot. Now you can enjoy and stuff your face with your own homemade tamales!

 

 For the dessert tamales we only used pineapple. But you can add coconut flakes to it, or just use raisins. Its up to you, back home we would only use pineapple and coconut flakes

*1kg PAN cornmeal
*2quarts of water (19dl)
*227 grams lard/shortening
*1 tbsp bake pulver
*1/2 tbsp salt
*1 tbsp cinnamon
*2 cups of fine granulate sugar
*1 can of sweetened condensed milk
*Either 1 pineapple cut into small tiny pieces. Pineapple and 1cup of coconut flakes. Or just raisins

Follow the same instructions as with the chicken tamales minus the chicken stock cubes, chicken and green salsa. Just add the pineapple, coconut flakes or raisins.

After you have made your tamales, give yourself a pat on the back. The tamales recipe is perfect served with refried beans and rice. Don't forget to add a little guacamole and salsa.
If there is any confusion in this recipe please email me or leave a comment.
Again this recipe is not for authentic Mexican tamales.

Mexican Pizza

I find pizza to be a common weekend dinner in Norway, whether it is frozen, bought, or homemade. But I get bored easily with the same thing every weekend, so I decided to jazz it up, and still keep with the tradition.
When I first met my husband he thought that Mexican food was meat cooked with taco spice and canned beans and cheese in a torilla. Poor thing! I later introduced him to the world of real spices and flavor. Let's just say he'll never go back to taco spice! He is a great student in the kitchen and is quickly learning how to really flavor food! Although this pizza isn't authentic Mexican food, I tried to make it as Mexican as possible by using similar ingredients.
So this is my new favorite recipe for my Mexican pizza for all the ladies in my FB group that asked for recipes. This  is one of many to come!
There are two versions; one with beef, and one with minced meat.

FOR THE DOUGH:

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.  
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round circle or a large rectangle.
Transfer on to a baking pan with baking paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside. It might rise a little bit during the cooking time.

FOR THE "SAUCE". IN THIS CASE BEANS!!

• 1 can of La Costeña refried pinto beans or 1 can of any type of bean/bønner**
• 1 red chile pepper finely chopped (optional)
• 100ml milk
• salt
• pepper
• garlic pepper
• 2-3 tbsp lime juice 
  
   

Pour the beans into a saucepan on low-medium heat. Add the red chile pepper and lime juice. Add salt, pepper and garlice pepper to your own taste. Add milk to liquify more, for an easier spread on the dough
(If you are not using the pre-refried beans mash and fry them with 100grams of butter. Add chile, lime juice salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Add milk to liquify) 





FOR THE TOPPING

• 600grams beef OR 500 grams of minced meat
• 1 can of La Costeña chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2-3 garlic cloves sueezed through a garlic press or finely chopped 
• Freshly chopped cilantro/coriander
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• dry red chili flakes
  

(For the beef version, we go to the deli and ask for 600grams of thin 1/2 inch slices of any good beef they have. Kind of like a carne asada filet. The quality of the meat depends on how much you want to spend, so it's up to you.What I like to do before cooking is let it marinade 1-2 hours before hand. I improvise a lot in the kitchen depending on what I have. Last time I made a simple lime-onion-pepper-tequila marinade. Chop 1onion into thin slices, pour 2 shots of tequila, squeeze about 3-4 big limes into whatever youll have your marinade in and about a tablespoon of pepper. Mix it all up and add the beef. Cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for 1-2 hours. 45 minutes in I like to move the meat around to make sure everything gets marinated.)

Cook onion and garlic in oil or butter in large saucepan until tender and the onion is a clear white. Add the meat and cooke until brown. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and red chili flakes to taste. Add 2-3 chipotle peppers and some of the adobo sauce. Don't cut the chipotle peppers unless you want it spicy. I just let them cook a bit to get the juices inside to seep out. I later take them out. Biting into one of these will have you with your mouth open under the sink if you're not used to spice but the adobo sauce adds a nice kick to the meat! Take it off  the heat, and add the chopped cilantro/coriander. Mix together.

NOW!!! Spread the beans over on the dough, add the meat on top, spreading equally around, and top off with cheese.

 

Bake at 250 degrees C for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let it cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

 

 

 

Additional toppings I like to add are sour cream and avocado slices or guacamole. The sour cream helps to kill some of the spice if its too spicy and the avocado just tastes great with it!

Enjoy!

Next blog I will give a recipe for making tamales in Norway!

All aboard the mood train

Lately I have been so emotional during my periods. I never suffered from PMS.  I would get the bad cramps, and I still do, but never would I get emotional. Now, it seems that I go from serious to balling my eyes out in seconds. It could be anything, this morning it was because I spilled juice on the floor, around lunchtime because I didn't want to eat the pizza leftovers. Sad videos that would be touching make me cry as if someone died. I tend to randomly start thinking in horrible things and just start crying too.

I get pissed off easier too. I feel as if it should all be about me and if it isn't then its wrong. I normally am not like this. Only when mother nature is paying her visit. Sometimes I like a good cry over things that matter, like the fact that I am from a sunny place and I now live in a cold and rains almost every day city, the fact that I have to know Norwegian 100% for anything and everything yet when people find out that I am from the USA they start talking English. I miss my family, my home....those things are worthy things to cry about. Not because I spilled some juice on the floor. Before we jump to conclusions, no I am not pregnant! I'm on my period, scientifically in most cases that means not pregnant!
I just want a hug right now. Really badly, kind of like a fat kid wants cake, yet I'm home alone and my husband is working overtime today. I called him and although I know he does care, right now, the way I'm feeling makes me think he doesn't, I even hung up on him all stupidly saying something like "yeah ok I get it, you don't want to let your co-workers down, but it's fine to let me down". I know it sounds stupid and most of all unfair to him, but I don't care right now. Right now I'm right and everyone else is wrong. God I sound like the worlds biggest bitch, and at this moment I probably am.
And there come the tears again...oh boy. I need help.
 I mostly feel bad for the hubby who is the only one who has to deal with this. I keep him up on work nights because of this. And we joke about it with my friends but I know how much of a burden it must be.

I know that this is may be a result of my birth control, but you gotta do what you gotta do. If there was some sort of birth control for men other than condoms I would make him take it.
God I just want a hug right now, but who in their right mind would hug me back.
Maybe I'll just lie in bed and hug myself and cry about it.