Happy Halloween 2020

  Happy Halloween

I am not celebrating Halloween by dressing out as a scary monster or handing out candy to children knocking on my front door demanding "tricky or treat".

For me a "celebration" of Halloween is more linked to decorating the outdoors with pumpkins, which you can light up either by candle light or electrical lights as a way of bringing light into a very dark time of the year here end of October and all of November. It is a very dark of the year as the month of December involves much more decoration of both inside and outside with plenty of lights.

And as pumpkins have become more and more in season here in Denmark, you will find more and more recipes on either soup or cakes having pumpkin as the main ingredients.

As inspiration you could look into these recipes:

• Pumpkin soup
• Happy Halloween soup
• Pumpkin soup with parsnips and potato
  
• Pumpkin pie
• Pumpkin pie with muscovado sugar

And in the coming days I will share new recipes, which I have enjoyed for Halloween 2020 like this pumpkin soup with carrot and potato, pumpkin buns and pumpkin cake.

Ceramic breakfast found at Fabrikanterne

 

During a present visit to the design shop Fabrikanterne here in Vejle I found this breakfast set of bowl & cup in green coloured ceramic. As it fitted perfect colourwise in my ceramic collection, I brought it as an addition, so I now have a new bowl to eat yogurt from in the morning :-)

Pickled green tomato a la Gasto Fun

 

For my portion of pickled green tomatoes I decided to test out this recipe by Gastro Fun as one of the options using my last tomato harvest.

I decided to use a vanilla pod without any vanilla corns inside. I also keep the left over vanilla pods, when I have been using the vanilla corns from other baking activities in my kitchen.

I am looking to try these pickled tomatoes after the required two weeks storage time.

Pickled green tomato a la Gasto Fun:- 2 glasses

• 500 g green tomatoes
• 300 g sugar
• 1½ dl vingear
• 1½ dl water
• 1 vanilla pod - without vanilla corns inside
• 1 cinnamon stick
• potassium sorbate - optional

1. Start by adding the boiling water to the pickling glasses.
2. Clean the picked tomatoes.
3. Prepare the tomatoes by pinching the small tomatoes with fork, so the pickling liquid can get into the tomato.
4. Add water, vinegar, sugar, vanilla pod and cinnamon stick into a medium sized cooking pod. Bring the liquid to the boil.
5. Add the pinched tomatoes into the pickling liquid, which should simmer gently. Let the tomato cook gentle for 5-10 minutes.
6. Empty the pickling glasses for the hot water.
7. Removed the cooked green tomatoes and place them in the pickling glasses.
8. Add the potassium sorbate into the pickling liquid - optional.
9. Pour the pickling liquid over the green tomatoes in the storage glasses.
10. Close the pickling glasses.
11. Let the green tomatoes store for two weeks, before you start using them.

Yarn shopping in Nykøbing Mors

 

At my Summer vacation in August I located a yarn shopping in Nykøbing Mors, where you can buy hand-dyed yarn with some amazing names like "Tiger animal", "royal blue", "dark pesto green" & "dusty green pea".

So last week, when the schools had Autumn vacation, I took an afternoon off from work to visit a friend of mine back from high school living in Skive. And together we drove to Nykøbing Mors to visit this specific yarn shop.

During my Summer vacation I noticed a knitted sweater called so faded by Andrea Mowry, which was knitted in 5 different colours of Single Merino by itsyarn in the colour dark green, light green & blue to dark blue.

I also found Single Merino in the colour called "Tiger Animal", which I together with Sandness tynd silk mohair in yellow, which I use for Sunday mohair edition by PetiteKnit. 

Together with all my yarn shopping I got some small knitting gift in form of stich markers & yarn wires. 

At another yarn in Nykøbing Mors I found some fur looking yarn on discount, 5 DKK per yarn wrench. My plant is to use this yarn for a new knit hat.

Finally I also brought a bottle of Danish strawberry liqueur together with two bags of asparagus risotto. It is good to have some risotto mixture available in kitchen for those days, when you have no clue, what to cook for dinner.

Strawberry-rhubarb gin tonic

 

Let's celebrate the week-end with a drink :-) this time with mixture of rhubarb gin, strawberry liqueur and rhubarb tonic taking inspiration from the typical Danish strawberry-rhubarb jam. I located the strawberry liqueur during a yarn shopping expedition to Nykøbing Mors.

The taste is a mixture of sweet and bitterness.

Strawberry-rhubarb gin tonic: - 1 cocktail

• 4½ cl rhubarb gin
• 41 cl strawberry liqueur
• 20 cl rhubarb tonic
• ice cubes
• freeze-dried strawberry - optional

1. Add in the ice cubes into a high-ball glass
2. Pour in the strawberry liqueur & rhubarb gin.
3. Fill up with rhubarb tonic.
4. Top up with some freeze-dried strawberries - optional.
5. Cheers :-)

Pickling green tomatoes

 

As Autumn has arrived for real here in Denmark, it is time to get the garden ready for the Winter. This means for my little garden, that I have removed the two outdoor tomato plants. However, before dumping the tomato plant into the garden compost container, that I picked all the remaining green tomatoes.

I ended up with 2 kg small green tomatoes, which I decided, that I would turn into pickled green tomatoes on form of:

• 
  Pickled green tomato a la Gasto Fun
  
• pickled green tomatoes a la Isabella's
• pickled green tomatoes a la Spis Bedre
  

Besides from removing the green tomatoes I have digged up my Dahlia tubers, so they do not become destroyed by the frost. Again, the flowers have been placed in my some of my green ceramic vases by Janni Godtliebsen & Potteriet. The Dahlia tubers are being dried, before they are placed cold for Winter storage.

Carrot - sunflower seed buns with whole grain

I have been modifying these carrot buns with whole grain flour by adding in some sunflower seeds as well. 

Carrot-sunflower seed bun: - 12 buns

• 600 g wheat flour
• 100 g whole grain flour
• 50 g sugar
• 100 g rape seed oil
• 30-50 g fresh yeast
• 1 egg
• 8 g salt
• 200 g water 
• 200 g carrot - large grated
• 125 g sunflower seeds
• 1 egg - whipped for glazing

1. Weigh all the ingredients (not the sunflower seeds) directly into the mixing bowl of the stand alone mixer. Keep salt & sugar away from the yeast.
2. Place the bowl on the stand-alone mixer.
3. Start knead the dough at speed 1 for 8 minutes.
4. After the kneading at the low speed, add in the sunflower seeds.
5. Afterwards increase the speed to 4, knead for 2 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough. If it is not OK, when knead it at speed 4 for another 2 minutes. Again check the consistency. If needed, knead again for 1 minute and when check consistency of the dough.
6. Let the dough raise in the mixing bowl under  a damp tea towel.
7. Let the entire dough raise for approx. 40-60 minutes under a damp cloth.
8. When you evaluate, that the dough has raise enough, divide the dough into smaller pieces with a weight of 100 g each. Smaller size of 75-80 g is also possible.
9. Shape the dough pieces into bun shapes. Place the bun pieces on the baking tray covered with baking parchment. 
10. Let the bun raise for second time for approx 40 minutes under a damp tea towel.
11. Heat up the oven to 200'C.
12. Glaze the buns with whipped egg
13. Bake the bun at 200'C for 18-20 minutes.
14. Cold down the buns, before eating them.

Progress on poncho blouse

Great progress on my poncho blouse by "Hendes Verden". I have now learned, that I need to start with making a knitting test to see, what size of knitting needles, which I need for that specific yarn to get the required firmness of the knit pattern. 

The knitting started with the arm, which I did struggled a bit with to get the size right, so it actually fits with the circumference of my under arm. Now I have knitted more than half of the entire poncho blouse. The knitting starts with one arm, followed by the body, when the part around the neck (the middle part) and when ends with the arm.

The majority of the knit pattern is stockinette knit, while at around the neck part the front part of the blouse is knitted with garter knit. After having seen the impact of the this dark olive green, I am wondering, if I should have picked a lighter green yarn colour instead of, so the difference in knit pattern is more visible ?

Left over knit cushion project start

 

Some time ago I got a small knit booklet together with the weekly magazine (Hendes Verden),where the focus was how to use yarn leftovers from various knitting project, and turn these knit leftovers into other knitted projects.

I had various leftover available from, when years ago knitted this knitted plaid. I had actually first knitted knit laps, which I was planning to sew together into a leftover knit plaid. So, I threaded up all these knit laps, so now I have this box full off yarn wrenches. 

My plan is to turn all these yarn leftover into a knit cushion. I started off by testing the knit firmness, so selected the size for knitting needles. So, now I am ready to start my knitting of this cushion. 

Green ceramic vase

I have found this a little version of this Lars Rank stabelvase with 30% discount, which now have found it's way into my collection of green ceramic vases. 

Gin Hass

 

Let's a cocktail this Saturday celebrating the week-end. I have located this recipe on Gin Hass a la Valdemarsro, which I have used on the amount of the different ingredients. The taste is sweet, and you could continue drinking this drink without realizing the amount of alcohol, which you could end up consuming.

Gin Hass: - 1 cocktail

• 6 cl gin
• 3 mango syrup
• ½ lime fruit
• ice cubes
• Galvanina limonata - lemon soft drink

1. Fill ice cubes into a high ball glass
2. Slice 2 slices of the lime fruit, which are added into the glass.
3. Squeeze the juice of the remaining lime fruit into the glass.
4. Fill in gin & mango syrup.
5. Fill up the  glass with lemon soft drink, stir the drink around, so all the ingredients are mixed together.
6. Cheers :-) and enjoy.

Squash cake a a Gastro Fun

It is time for squash, which be used for both cooking as well as baking. I have testing this recipe on squash cake a la GastroFun. 

As other suggestion for helping out on a surplus of squashes, when take a look at these baking recipes in form of

• squash buns with whole grain flour
• squash cake a la Valdemarsro
• squash cake with butter
• Preben's squash cake with cinnamon cream cheese topping
• squash cake a la Årstiderne

The squash cake is served on a ceramic plate made by Kræs Jelling found at Upcomers market Spring 2020.

I think, that the recipe could use some more spice taste together with some raisins and/or nuts to bring some more texture differences to the final cake.

Squash cake a la Gastro Fun: - 1 cake

• 100 g sugar
• 200 g brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• 1½ dl sunflower oil
• 4 eggs
• 275 g (cake) wheat flour
• 1½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 375 g squash (roughly grated)

1. Heat up the oven to 185'C.
2. Add sugar, brown sugar, eggs and oil into a medium size mixing bowl and whip it together with an electrical beater.
3. Add in wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into the egg-sugar mass, whip it together.
4. Stir in the grated squash.
5. Fill the cake in a baking tray of 23 x 33 cm. Before filling in the dough, cover the baking tray with a piece of baking parchment. 
6. Bake the cake at 185 for 45-60 minutes. Check, that the cake is baked, before it is removed from the oven.
7. Cool down the cake, before it is served with a cup of tea & coffee.

Poncho blouse by Hendes Verden

After I had finished my knitting of this Sally's knit cap, I have decided to start knitting this poncho blouse, where I have located the recipe in the weekly magazine "Hendes Verden (issue 15/2020). 

As yarn I am using "Tibet" from Cewec in the colour of green. "Tibet" is made from 24% yak, 55% merino wool and 21% polyamid. I have brought this specific yarn during Spring time. I have paid 448 DKK (59 €) for the yarn.

Squash buns with whole grain flour

 

Squash season is here, and besides from making squash cakes, you can also use squash in buns. The difficult part using vegetable like carrots or squash in buns like these is to get the right ratio between liquid and flour, as the vegetables also provides moisture into the bun dough. I have previously made buns with squash, where I struggled with the a very moist bun dough. 

The last time, when I made these carrot buns with whole grain flour, I got the right moisture content in the bun dough, so I did not have to add into extra flour. However, squash brings more water compared to carrots, so I could see during the kneading process, that I need to increase the amount of flour to get the right texture in the bin dough.

Carrot bun: - 12 buns

• 600 g wheat flour
• 175 g whole grain flour
• 50 g sugar
• 100 g rape seed oil
• 30-50 g fresh yeast
• 1 egg
• 8 g salt
• 200 g water 
• 200 g squash - large grated
• 1 egg - whipped for glazing

1. Weigh all the ingredients directly into the mixing bowl of the stand alone mixer. Keep salt & sugar away from the yeast.
2. Place the bowl on the stand-alone mixer.
3. Start knead the dough at speed 1 for 8 minutes.
4. Afterwards increase the speed to 4, knead for 2 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough. If it is not OK, when knead it at speed 4 for another 2 minutes. Again check the consistency. If needed, knead again for 1 minute and when check consistency of the dough.
5. Let the dough raise in the mixing bowl under  a damp tea towel.
6. Let the entire dough raise for approx 40-60 minutes under a damp cloth.
7. When you evaluate, that the dough has raise enough, divide the dough into smaller pieces with a weight of 100 g each. Smaller size of 75-80 g is also possible.
8. Shape the dough pieces into bun shapes. Place the bun pieces on the baking tray covered with baking parchment. 
9. Let the bun raise for second time for approx 40 minutes under a damp tea towel.
10. Heat up the oven to 200'C.
11. Glaze the buns with whipped egg
12. Bake the bun at 200'C for 18-20 minutes.
13. Cold down the buns, before eating them.

Ærø shopping

Friday last week my mother and I went away on another day-trip, this time to the island of Ærø. As we did the trip before 1st October we got the return trip on the ferry incl. the car of 10 DKK in total, the sailing time is between 60-75 minutes each way. Now the price is 350 DKK, so it was something of discount :-)

In the town of Ærøskøbing I located this community driven shop called Den Gamle Købmandsgård,  where you can buy a selection of products made on the island of Ærø.

So I brought this little collection of some small soaps from with flavour of  lavender and mint from Sæberiet, liquorice candy made by Hattesen konfektfabrik, gooseberry jam by Annas Gourmet, salt from Salteriet and finally two green ceramic bowl made by Skåb Keramik.

Sally's knit cap is finished

Fast progress on knitting this Sally's knit cap, so now this my knit cap is ready for use. As yarn I have  used 50 g Semilla yarn (100% organic wool) in dark raspberry and 25 g Mayflower Super Kild silk mohair (76% mohair & 24% silk) in rust colour.

This knit cap is not decorated with a fur top. 

Below you can see my little collection of knit caps in form of knit cap in curry colour & knit cap in darker red