Soaking Summer and Crackers

I'm sure it'll be a surprise to no one when I say that it's summer. So, how did my brilliant mind come to that conclusion? Well, I didn't find out by looking out my window. The dark clouds loom in the horizon and a cold, vile wind rattles the tall trees surrounding my house all the while the sound of rumbling thunder echoes from the distance.

I found out when I reached for that beautiful red strawberry in the bowl in front of me. It was perfectly sweet and intense in it's flavour and more importantly; it was a Danish strawberry. Now, I'm not nationalist but I do admit that we in Denmark have been blessed with extraordinary strawberries. Having that perfect sweetness on my tongue I of course jumped out of my seat to make a strawberry tart. But more of that another time.

As I then took a sip of my hot thunder choc from my ever cool ninja turtles mug, I felt more in the mood for something.. less demanding.

And so I went searching through my mum's recipe binder for something neat and simple. That's when I fell over a recipe for some crackers. I realized that those crackers were everything I needed.

 

Mum's Crackers

 

I've never been particularly fond of crackers but these truly stole my heart. They have a delicious warmth to them.

 

1 dl oatmeal

1 dl sesame seeds

1 dl flaxseed

1 dl sunflower seeds

1 dl pumpkin seeds

3½ dl all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1-2 dl water

½-1 dl olive oil

Start by mixing all the dry ingredients together in a rather large bowl, then add water and olive oil - start with minimum amount. Knead till it all comes together (about 5 minutes), you may need to add more water or oil.

Roll out half of the dough to a rectangle (about 3 mm thick) and cut 4x5 cm rhombs. Do the same with the other half. Place the rhombs on a baking sheet (you'll probably need more than one) with about a cm between them, however, less air between the crackers will do just fine too.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for 15-20 minutes.

Living up to the Expectations

Today I've spend time thinking about this blog.
That maybe starting a blog wasn't the wisest thing I've ever done?
I love the thought of having a blog and I often, for instance when I'm on my way to work, think about all the things I'd love to post here and tell the unfortunate (or let us be positive; the fortunate) reader. Sometimes I arrive at work with an almost finished blog post on my mind. I just never find the time to post any of it. I hope it will be better next year. But exactly that sounds like something someone who never gets anything done says! And I will not be that person.
So.
I'm updating my blog. Woohoo!

I'm always willing to try something new baking-wise and even though I've got a fool-proof recipe for a pear tart that always gives a gorgeous result, I wanted to try another recipe. Why? Because my sister isn't particularly fond of that pear tart, in fact she won't even eat it when I bake it. Now, my sister is a chocolate-lover, "who isn't" you say, but my sister? She's an extreme chocolate-lover. Unfortunately my mum had asked me to bake a pear tart, well, she did say "Bake that pear tart" - and I deliberately forgot that little detail. Instead, I dug through my bookmarks and after searching through countless of delicious-looking cake, cookie and mousse recipes I finally found the recipe that I vaguely remembered:

Chocolate and Pear Tart

I honestly fell for this exact recipe because of the rum in the chocolate filling (;
But believe me, this tart is delicious! It's a good brownie cake on a good shortcrust pastry. With pears! Could we get any closer to heaven?
Luckily, my family and, most importantly, my sister thought so too. I was pleased to see her munch the tart with a delighted expression and a busy smile all over that wonderfully beautiful face of hers.
Mission accomplished.

Two Weeks and the Banana Bread

The next two weeks of my life are going to be different. My wonderful little family is scattered across the Earth! My sister is in France to ski and my father is in Africa to climb Kilimanjaro, and, it counts for both of them: Again... Not that I mind being alone with my mum for two weeks, I'm actually looking forward to it! I'm very fond of my mum and we've got a lot of things to talk about - Clothes, books, politics, nature, and of course food! But like every other mum and daughter we tend to have fights. They're not bad fights, but if my mum is going to be the only one I can go to in the family, I better stay on her side for the upcoming weeks!

Now, my mum loves banana bread. Not the dirty kind with chocolate and sugar, no, she likes the healthy kind of banana bread, the one with nuts and whole wheat flour.

So I figured I'd start the two weeks with a friendly gesture.

An almost healthy banana bread!

 

So I went searching the net for something nice. And, oh, did I find what I was looking for! Moist, healthy and sooo good. I had to grab a slice for myself...

The recipe is by wonderful Elise, here.

I can imagine it would be good with her apple-filling too, but I usually prefer my banana breads without all these add-ons, so I left it out.

I discovered Elise's site only a few months ago and I'm bitten! Sweet, varied and low-fat. Does it get much better? I can only recommend her blog!

The cold morning and the old rainbow

The clock is 6:00, early morning, with fiddly fingers I manage to turn off the clock that has been ringing for only a few seconds. I quickly draw back into the warm sheets. I like to lie there, curled up into a ball, just staring into the darkness of another winter morning.

I bought a new duvet. It is only now that I realize why I've never wanted to replace the paper-thin predecessor. I suddenly understand why so many of my friends don't like to get up in the morning.

It's absolutely horrendous! I've never had this much trouble getting out of bed, suddenly the morning seems darker and colder and I tug in under my warm, safe duvet, out of sight of anything that may lurk beyond the bed's edge. Thoughts start to circle my mind. What will happen today? Is it a good day?

Then, suddenly, it beats me that it's my mum's birthday in just few days, and I seriously can't find the time to buy her a present. She's most charitable and I'm sure she wouldn't be all disappointed if her gift was... A bit delayed.

I let out a long sigh. I just have to find time after school, I think and roll out of the bed.

I've been extremely busy lately, I've barely had time to do all my homework and I'm too much of a rebel to just skip my hobbies to finish off that reading assignment.

I'm now getting used to my duvet, it no longer has the same grab on me. Though I have to admit that I still lie there longer than planned! Today it's Sunday, the day after my mum's birthday. I found the present for her. A cup! Sounds silly doesn't it? Well it's a very special, super expensive cup... This cup!

My mum got a book from a friend of hers. A baking book. I'm trying not to be jealous. But the book may suddenly be standing on my shelf... It's a baking book by a very famous Danish chef named Meyer, he has written several best-seller cookbooks. One of them is a cookbook which is called “Almanac”. As the name hints it's a cookbook that gives you a completely foreseen year – Food-wise. Yes, Meyer put together a dish for every day of the year, a dish that also fits the season. It has become very popular, at least in Denmark, to eat mostly Danish food as it's better for the environment, tends to be a lot cheaper, and even a lot more delicious.

Anyway, back on track, this new baking book is absolutely beautiful! I don't think there's one cake in the book I wouldn't want to bake – Or eat!

Delicious pictures to come! This will be a good year food-wise! I know, that took me a while to conclude.

Today however, I'm going to post an old picture.

It's a rainbow cupcake!
I really love rainbows and colours so, obviously, I had to try them. The recipe worked out very well, the cakes are soft and spongy – However, as I'm more fond of a denser cake, I might alter the recipe a bit next time. But I mean, look at them. Aren't they gorgeous?
It requires patience and a number of teaspoons to get the cupcake mould filled with this gorgeous batter.

 I'm in love.

You can grab the recipe at Baking Bites!

Have a lovely day!