Banana bread a la "Rye 115"

 

I have located this recipe on banana bread shared by hotel "Rye 115" in the travelling section from my local new paper. The only modification, which I have done, is that I exchanged the dark chocolate with milk chocolate. 

I also reduced the amount of vanilla powder from 2 tablespoons to 2 teaspoons. Perhaps you are you using vanilla sugar, it could be, that you should use 2 tablespoons.

You can regular to check the cake during the baking, as the indicated 42 minutes at 170'C is not enough at all in my oven. Here I had to bake for 60-70 minutes at 170'C. So, keep an open eye, if you bake this cake.

Banana bread a la "Rye 115": - 1 cake

• 100 g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 250 g (cake) wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 dl rape seed oil or sun flower oil
• 4 matured bananas - peeled and mashed
• 100 g milk chocolate - medium chopped

1. Heat up the oven to 170'C.
2. Whip the eggs and sugar together for 10 minutes. I used by stand alone mixer for this purpose, so I did not have holding a hand mixer for 10 minutes.
3. Add in the wheat flour, baking powder, vanilla powder, salt and oil. And whip until homogenous.
4. Add in the mashed bananas and whip again.
5. Finally add in the chocolate, and whip again for a short time or stir in the chopped chocolate by hand.
6. Fill the cake dough in a bread form.
7. Bake the cake at 170'C in middle/upper part of the oven.
8. Check regular during the baking, if the cake is baked.
9. Bake at 170'C for 45-70 minutes.
10. Cold down the cake prior to serving.

First Sunday in Christmas

 

Today Christmas is starting, as it is the first Sunday in Advent. Besides from getting all my Christmas decorations out from their hiding, it is also time to light the first in the Advent decoration. This year my Advent decoration is four different light holders in metal, ceramic and glass placed on a tray. I will light one light on this first Sunday in Advent. 

I have also given my mother an Advent calendar, which is a combination of chocolate, port and various battery light decoration. 

For myself I have brought various Advent calendar, one with 4 bottles of champagne and two different knitting calendars from Tønderingstrik adventskalender in green colour and Önling advent calendar for advance knitters. 

Also in 2020 I will make my own Christmas Calendar with focus on capital C for Christmas, which will the use of either chocolate, citrus, cinnamon as ingredients. 

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Petra sweater - starting on colourful knit project

Yesterday I shared a more simple knit project in form the Silke sweater, which is an easy project to bring with you as well as knitting during different activities.

However, I have also started to knit a much more colourful project in form of Petra created by Filcolana. I brought the yarn mixture during Summer sale. That was appealing for me was, the sweater has a fantastic colour mixture of red and pink in various yarn types.

The knit project requires much more attention as the colour and pattern changes at unregular interval. 

Starting on Silke sweater by Önling

After I have finished the knitting of "Raglangenser" it is time for getting some new knitting projects started. During the Summer I brought a Onling Summer knit box. Originally my plan was to use the Önling Yarn No 12  (mixture of 55% wool & 45% cotton) to knit the Sunday Tee.

However during my my first Summer vacation I found some Isager bomulin yarn, which I decided to use instead of.  One of the reason for my changed mind, was that I was struggling with the knit firmness using this Önling Yarn No 12. Below you can actually the other part of Sunday Tee knitted in both types of yarn. 

Since I finished the knitting of the Sunday Tee in the yellowish bomulin yarn, I have been speculating what to this use this wool & cotton yarn for. Now I have decided to knit the Silke sweater in this yarn. And yes, I have made a test of knitting firmness. Instead of using knitting needle in size 3.5, I have to use knitting needles in size 3 to get the right knitting firmness, so this is not to bad.

Raglangenser is finished

 

I have finished the knitting of "Raglangenser", this is really the advantages of knitting with the knitting needle size 6.5, here things just happens !!! 

This most amazing thing for me is knitting the sweater really is, that the combination of three colours of light grey, petrol and olive green when knitted together ends up in a green colour. 

In the recipe the yarn amount was estimated to 15 x 25 g yarn wrench for my size, however I have managed to knit the sweater from 10½ x 25 g yarn wrench, so I am left 1½ yarn wrench of each colour. One of my thoughts is to use the left-over yarn for a new knit cap.

I have paid 1095 DKK (145 €) for the yarn and recipe, however the cost turned out to be lower.

Pickled green tomatoes a la Spis Bedre

 

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

I decided to use a vanilla pod without any vanilla corns inside. I always 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 Spis Bedre:- 2 glasses

• 500 g green tomatoes
• 300 g sugar
• 1½ dl vingear
• 1½ dl water
• 1 vanilla pod - without vanilla corns inside
• 3 cardamom seeds 
• 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 cardamom seeds 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.

Halfway through with Raglangenser sweater

 

The knitting process on this new project on "Raglangenser" shows great progress. When you knit on knitting needle size 6.5 things just happens !!! And when your work schedule is full of phone meetings, it gives a lot of progress, while I at the same time can keep my focus and not start answering/writing emails.

The arms have been knitting and placed on these knit wires of plastic, which I got as a small gift during my yarn shopping expedition to Nykøbing Mors. And they have really been very useful to work with "parking" knitting mask for later use/inclusion. 

This most amazing thing for me is, this combination of three colours of light grey, petrol and olive green when knitted together ends up in a green colour. 

Morten's aften/evening - what to eat tonight

Today it is Mortens aften/evening, which typical is celebrated in Denmark by eating  roasted duck served with plain as well as brown potatoes, pickled red cabbage and brown sauce. For dessert we will typical enjoy the very Danish dessert ris a la mande (rice porridge) served together with warm cherry sauce. The food is more or less the food, which we will eat as well on Christmas Eve, so the evening could be considered as trial run on cooking the food to be served for Christmas.

As inspiration for food to enjoy on this evening I would like to the following recipes with you. Another way to the enjoy the duck part could be this:

seared duck breast

And to be served together with duck you could serve this

all currant jelly

The jelly can also be used for adding some character to the brown gravy. 

And for the rice dessert (ris a la mande) the cherry sauce could be this version:

  

cherries in rum

Squash cake a la Søndag

It is time for squash, which be used for both cooking as well as baking. I have tested this recipe on squash cake in the weekly magazine "Søndag". I decided to supplement the spices with a little nutmeg. And instead of dark chocolate I used milk chocolate, as I dislike dark chocolate. So use the chocolate, which you personally prefer.

I also decided not to make the frosting of cream cheese and sour cream. 

I really like the spices part of the recipe, but I prefer the texture of this squash cake. Therefore I think, I will combine these recipes into one cake next time, when I bake squash cake.

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

Squash cake a la Søndag: - 1 cake

• 3 eggs
• 170 g sugar
• 150 g (cake) wheat flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon cardamom
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg 
• vanilla sugar
• 1 dl sunflower oil
• 250 g squash (roughly grated)
• 1 organic lemon - both the the zest & juice
• 50 g milk chocolate - medium chopped
• 50 g walnut - medium chopped

1. Heat up the oven to 200'C.
2. Add sugar and eggs oil into a medium size mixing bowl and whip it together with an electrical beater.
3. Add in wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cardamom into the egg-sugar mass, whip it together.
4. Stir in the grated squash, lemon zest & juice and sunflower oil.
5. Finally stir in the chopped chocolate & walnut.
6. 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. 
7. Bake the cake at 200'C for 45-60 minutes. Check, that the cake is baked, before it is removed from the oven.
8. Cool down the cake, before it is served with a cup of tea & coffee.

Start on Raglangenser sweater

 

During my Summer vacation in August I brought this Sandnes thin silk mohair yarn, which is a combination of 57% mohair, 28% silk & 15% wool, at the yarn shop MORS garn. 

I will knit a sweater called Raglangenser in a combination of three colours of light grey, petrol and olive green together. When these three yarns are knitting together, the sweater will end with a greenish colour, which I find quiet amazing. 

I have paid 1095 DKK (145 €) for the yarn and recipe.

Poncho blouse is finished

 

Yes, I have finished my knitting  of the poncho, where I have located the recipe in the weekly magazine "Hendes Verden (issue 15/2020). As yarn I have used "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.

In total I have used 200 g yarn to knit this poncho blouse, so it a very light blouse to wear. The poncho has two tight fitted arms, which makes it into a poncho blouse, which makes it very easy to wear. 

After having used knitting needles in the size of 4.5, it is now time for a new knitting project, where I will use knitting needles in the size of 6.5, which gives a lot of progress in no time. My next project is a Sandnes sweater with yarn in three colours.

Pumpkin cake a la Skovdal Nordic

As part of my Halloween celebration I decided to make a portion of pumpkin soup with carrot & potato. I brought a large hokkaido, so I decided to use of the pumpkin to bake both pumpkin buns as well as pumpkin cake.

The recipe on pumpkin cake I found in my local newspaper in the Sunday edition (1st November 2020). The only modification, which I have done to this cake recipe is to add in ground nutmeg to have a more rounded spices character. 

Pumpkin cake a la Skovdal Nordic - 1 cake

• 3 eggs
• 200 g brown sugar
• 2 dl sunflower oil
• 200 g (cake) flour
• 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger - finely grated
• 300 g pumpkin - peeled and roughly grated
• icing sugar & lemon juice
• roasted pumpkin seeds

1. Heat up the fan oven to 175'C.
2. Whip the eggs and brown sugar in medium mixing bowl into a foamy mass.
3. Add in the oil, flour, baking powder and the species and stir well.
4. Add in the grated pumpkin, and stir the cake dough well together.
5. Fill the cake dough into a rye bread silicone form.
6. Bake the cake at 175'C at the lower part of the oven.
7. Bake the cake at 175'C for 1½ hour. Check regular, how the cake is baked.
8. Cool down the cake.
9. Make a icing from icing sugar and lemon juice. Add the icing on top of the cake.
10. Sprinkle the icing sugar with roasted pumpkin seeds.
11. Slice the cake prior to serving together with cup of tea & coffee.

Pumpkin buns

 

As part of my Halloween celebration I decided to make a portion of pumpkin soup with carrot & potato. I brought a large hokkaido, so I decided to use of the pumpkin to bake both pumpkin buns as well as pumpkin cake.

To make these pumpkin buns I decided to use this recipe on carrot-sunflower seed buns as starting point. As I had some left-over dairy cream & sour cream, I decided to use these left-overs in these buns. 

I "learn the hard way", the use of both dairy cream, sour cream and grated pumpkin came along with a lot of moisture, so I had to increase the amount of flour. Another option could be next time to reduce or remove the use of milk from this recipe.

Pumpkin buns: - 16 buns

• 700 g wheat flour
• 100 g whole grain flour
• 50 g sugar
• 1 d dairy whipping cream, 30-38% fat
• 100 g sour cream, 18% fat
• 55 g butter
• 25-50 g fresh yeast
• 1 egg
• 8 g salt
• 200 g whole milk, 3-3.5% fat 
• 200 g hoikkado pumpking - roughly grated
• 75 g roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1 egg - whipped for glazing

1. Weigh all the ingredients (not the pumpkin 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 pumpkin 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.

Pumpkin soup with carrot and potato

 

I have been celebrating the season of Halloween creating various food items in my little kitchen with pumpkin as the ingredient in focus.

The hokkaido pumpkin, which I brought was quiet large, so therefore I decided to make both pumpkin bun, pumpkin cake and off cause this pumpkin soup with inspiration from Valdemarsro with various modifications.

Check out other suggestions for pumpkin soup here:

• Pumpkin soup
• Happy Halloween soup
• Pumpkin soup with parsnips and potato

Pumpkin soup with carrot & potato: - 4 servings

• 1 pumpkin - peeled and cut into squares
• 1 onion - medium chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
• 6 small or 2 large carrots - medium chopped
• 10 small or 4 large potatoes . medium chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger - finely grated
• ½ red chili - de-seeded and finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon grounded cumin
• olive oil
• 1 l vegetable stock
• 1½ dl dairy whipping cream - 30-38% fat
• lemon juice - for seasoning
• pepper - for seasoning
• roasted pumpkin seeds and sour cream for topping

1. Add the olive oil to medium-large cooking pot, and heat it up.
2. Add all the vegetables, chili, ginger and cumin to the hot oil.
3. Let the vegetable fry for 2-3 minutes, while you stir from time to time.
4. Add in the vegetable stock, bring the liquid to the boil.
5. Cover the cooking pot with the lid, and let the soup cook for 15-20 minutes.
6. Blend the soup.
7. Stir in dairy whipping cream.
8. Season with lemon juice and pepper.
9. Bring the soup to the boil.
10. Serve with various topping such as roasted pumpkin seeds & sour cream.