tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92146110795340680732024-03-05T00:14:53.478-08:00In Heidi's KitchenHeidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-47451984987345790032014-02-25T13:15:00.001-08:002014-02-25T13:15:14.915-08:00Living on the prairie So, over this last week-end I have read all the Little House on the Prairie books. Such beautiful books filled of stories of an inspiring family! There was something charming with living back in those days, but reading the books also makes me grateful to be able to go to the shop and buy whatever I want without having to produce it myself 😀. It is so fun to read books about the stories of people that lived long ago, the people that made up the history of our world.<br/><br/> <br/><br/>I think what is most beautiful about the books is the positive, sweet attitudes that the members of the Ingall's family had, both towards each other and towards life, despite the challenges. And as I look at the lives of people around me, I am reminded that we are all living our little prairie lives in our own way. We are all creating history, we are all leaving a legacy. <br/><br/> <br/><br/>I also realized that living a little prairie life the way the Ingall's did is about living life to the full. Embracing the sunrises, the flowers, the fresh springs, the long winters, the hard work with a joy and a positive attitude...that is what makes life fun to live. Learning to squeeze out every last drop that the day has to offer.<br/><br/> <br/><br/>Tonight I was meant to go to a baby shower for a friend, but it was cancelled because she had her baby instead. So I got to sit and enjoy the cupcakes I had made together with some friends and family and now I am sitting looking at the fire crackling in our fireplace and listening to my husband playing guitar and I am grateful... grateful for the life I have and the ability to enjoy living it, through the ups and downs.<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/12778896505/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7344/12778896505_a56ef01982_z.jpg" id="blogsy-1393362792617.2131" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="558"></a></div>
<br/><br/>These chocolate cupcakes were really good! Click <a href="http://inheidiskitchen.blogspot.se/2010/11/one-bowl-cupcakes.html" target="_self" title="">here for a link to the recipe</a>. The icing was AMAZING!!! I made a chocolate buttercream icing but threw in some extra cocoa and cream cheese:<br/><br/>125g margarine, room temperature<br/><br/>1/2 cup / 125 ml cocoa<br/><br/>2 cups / 500 ml icing sugar<br/><br/>2 tbsp milk<br/><br/>100 g cream cheese<br/><br/> <br/><br/>1. Beat the marg until it gets whitish and light. Add the icing sugar and beat some more.<br/><br/>2. Add the cocoa, milk and cream cheese and beat until the consistency is smooth and creamy.<br/><br/>3. Spread or pipe over cupcakes.<br/><br/> <br/><br/>Happy baking!<br/><br/>Love,<br/><br/>Heidi<br/><br/> <br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-53934557810438276022014-01-26T12:14:00.001-08:002014-01-26T12:16:20.582-08:00Do you know what I am looking forward to? This...<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/12150458635/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7403/12150458635_0fbe546365_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1390767266605.504" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div>
A delicious braai (barbecue, grill, whatever you want to call it)! There is no better way to spend a warm summer evening than sitting around a fire with the company of family and friends, and the smell of freshly grilled meat. It makes me long for summer yet at the same time I can't help loving this...<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/12151124106/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7377/12151124106_0048b7fd5c_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1390767266639.0269" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div>
The crisp freshness of winter and snow. Cosy nights snuggled up around candles, drinking hot chocolate. This is one of the things I love most about living in Sweden...the clearly different seasons. The new life of spring, the exuberance of summer, the bright colours of autumn and the crispness of winter. It is beautiful!<br/><br/> <br/><br/>Here comes a recipe for one of my favourite meals to create some warmth in the winter cold. A delicious Thai chicken curry. You can adjust the heat of the curry by adding more or less curry paste.<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/12158826914/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2888/12158826914_54dda32791.jpg" id="blogsy-1390767266606.0823" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="384"></a></div>
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<br/><br/> Have a great week!<br/><br/> <br/><br/>Love,<br/><br/>Heidi<br/><br/> <br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-26146549431117333402014-01-08T13:26:00.001-08:002014-01-08T13:26:11.224-08:00A sneak peek into the past... So, 2013 has come to an end. It has been a year of growth, of love, of joy and ultimately of faith, learning to trust when all circumstances are saying " Impossible!" , yet believing that it never really is.<br/><br/><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/11843183773/" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2848/11843183773_5c9136b32c_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1389216331212.9001" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Challenging ourselves to a New Year's hike at Skurugata, a big canyon/gorge close to Eksjö</td></tr></tbody></table>
<br/><br/>The journey of living life is fantastic and fun. The challenge is learning to live a life that is not just about me. It is so easy in our modern society that our eyes are drawn to ourselves...my desires, my dreams, my wants. And while there is nothing wrong in pursuing that, ultimately our focus should be on "What can I give, not what can I get." <br/><br/><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/11843186263/" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5493/11843186263_fcf7be0a66.jpg" id="blogsy-1389216331170.669" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="478"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite chocolate cake recipe with milk chocolate ganache and fondant snowflakes</td></tr></tbody></table>
How many times don't we get stuck in our feelings, doing something if we feel like it, not doing something when we don't. Yet there is something so beautiful and so powerfully in sacrificing something of ourselves, be it time or money or whatever, in order to help make someone else feel better. It is in those sacred moments that we often end up feeling way better than we would have had we pursued our own wishes.<br/><br/><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/11843323434/" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7336/11843323434_220713312d_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1389216331178.3076" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="702"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love my family!</td></tr></tbody></table>
At the dawn of this new year, let us help each other to think more about others than ourselves. Let us help each other to reach our dreams together. Let us help each other to grow in love.<br/><br/> <br/><br/>May 2014 be a blessed year of peace, joy, love and hope!<br/><br/>Love,<br/><br/>Heidi<br/><br/> <br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-83238231960032553282013-12-21T10:13:00.001-08:002013-12-21T10:14:48.532-08:00❤️LOVE❤️ Hello everyone!<br/><br/> <br/><br/>I'm back after a break from blogging! It's been fun and busy running after 2 precious children, renovating and trying to find time to live in the now. It's so easy to long for moments in the future, or miss moments from the past, but learning to REALLY live in the present is a challenge at times. But it's been something that I've been thinking about lately, to make the most of the moments that we have because soon they will be gone and there will be new moments to enjoy.<br/><br/>One of my favourite type of moments is romantic moments, so when I was asked to make a wedding cake for today, I happily agreed! Celebrating LOVE is one of my favourite things to do!<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/11482678804/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7441/11482678804_941cd0b3a3_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1387649676050.9004" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div>
(Please excuse the photos...the dark Swedish winter is not the most ideal for photography😄)<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/11482771316/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3825/11482771316_2eed734639_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1387649676092.4238" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div>
<br/><br/>So as we head into the new year, let's remind each other to live fully and to LOVE fully!<br/><br/> <br/><br/>Love,<br/><br/>Heidi<br/><br/> <br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-37803606124672054102013-12-19T14:06:00.000-08:002014-01-08T13:27:14.928-08:00A whole lot of diggin' fun!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: start;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Children are a blessing! I remember the first time I held my oldest son, the feelings were overwhelming. Somehow when you get a child, you think you know what love is, but actually, the more time I spend with him the deeper the love grows. It is amazing the ability that children have in impacting our lives.</span></p><p style="text-align: start;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Now it's 5 years later and I can't believe that my baby is on his way to becoming a thoughtful, intelligent, kind yet strong young man!</span></p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/11842790703/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7304/11842790703_2215f7efd9.jpg" id="blogsy-1389216426341.1538" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div>
<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">What a blessing he is! </span><span style="text-align: center; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.3em;">When he turned 5 in November he wanted to have a building/construction party, here is some snapshots:</span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/11843333996/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title=""><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7406/11843333996_50ea598681.jpg" id="blogsy-1389216426285.5212" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div>
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</span><br/><br/><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When the kids arrived they had a visit from "Builder Bull" who took them into the basement for some challenges. First they had to find head bands which then split the group into two teams depending on the colour headband they found. The two teams then had different relays so they could run off some energy. After that it was time for lunch, a "Build-your-own-burger bar". After lunch the birthday boy opened his presents and then we headed outside for some digging-in-the-sand games. It was a chilly day so after the games we came back inside to eat cake and ended off the day by crafting our own bulldozers. It was super fun!</span><br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/11842960304/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3722/11842960304_c0b22b089b.jpg" id="blogsy-1389216426316.915" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/11842963234/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3695/11842963234_049754c22c.jpg" id="blogsy-1389216426330.7407" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="462"></a></div>
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</span><br/><br/><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Elias, I am so proud of you my son. I so look forward to the adventures, the laughter and the memories that lie ahead! </span><br/><br/><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>
</span><br/><br/><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">To all of you with kids...remember to cherish the moments, they go by so quickly and can never be brought back!</span><br/><br/><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br>
</span><br/><br/><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Love,</span><br/><br/><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Heidi </span><br/><br/> <br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-38928567618622241572013-03-04T01:09:00.001-08:002013-03-04T01:09:39.926-08:00Strawberry Delight This week-end we celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday a little early because she is heading on an adventure to India for 3 months. I tried a new recipe with puréed frozen strawberries in the batter and it came out amazing. It was such a refreshing cake! I layered the bases with <a href="http://inheidiskitchen.blogspot.se/2011/04/my-favorite-icing.html">my favourite cream cheese frosting</a> and fresh strawberries...Yummy!<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/8527811934/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8091/8527811934_f986bae647_c.jpg" id="blogsy-1362387847179.0625" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div>
<br/><br/> If you want to try this cake out, you can find the recipe over at <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/10/pink-lady-cake/">Smitten Kitchen</a>.<br/><br/>Happy travels, Mickie!<br/><br/>Love,<br/><br/>Heidi<br/><br/> <br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-8925011591980445582013-03-04T00:55:00.001-08:002013-03-04T00:55:39.874-08:00The legendary Lightning McQueen Lightning McQueen is one of the most popular Disney characters, at least in my household of boys. So I was happy when a friend of mine asked if I could make a Lightning cake for her 5 year old son. A delicious chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream. It came out pretty cute!<br/><br/>Happy baking!<br/><br/>Love,<br/><br/>Heidi<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/8527797850/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8110/8527797850_2f51015aff.jpg" id="blogsy-1362387279532.9832" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="471"></a></div>
<br/><br/> <br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-28598305089758664082012-11-20T02:09:00.000-08:002012-11-20T02:10:05.419-08:00Bonde + Kock = SantToday is the day...it is time for one of the semi-finals for the "Årets Kock" in Jönköping.This is a competition in Sweden where professional chefs get to challenge each other to see who can be crowned Sweden's next best chef. It is a gastronomical heaven to see the creativity that the chefs have and the masterpieces that are presented...so of course I'm going to pay the competition a visit and check it out!<br />
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Last week-end I was invited, along with some other foodies from Jönköping, to a day of food and fun. The day was organised by<a href="http://www.lrf.se/" target="_blank"> LRF</a> who are also one of the sponsors for the competition. The aim of the day was to highlight the benefits of using locally manufactured, good quality products and also to encourage a deeper understanding between farmer och chef.<br />
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The day started off at <a href="http://www.saby-gard.se/" target="_blank">Säby Gård</a>, a farm where ecological, high quality meat is produced. It is located in Skärstadalen, one of the most beautiful areas in Jönköping. We were met up by the very hospitable Göran and Maria who gave us an extensive tour of their farm. They also explained the process behind what creates meat that is of a high quality. Did you know that if a cow is stressed when it is slaughtered, that will result in a tough meat that often is a more purpley colour instead of the deep red that it should be? That was one of the facts that we learnt while visiting Säby.<br />
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At this farm, the animlas are left to grow at their own natural pace, they are not fed any unnatural food and are left to enjoy the fresh air for much of the year. If you live close to the Jönköping area and are looking for some good meat, then you can easily go onto <a href="http://www.saby-gard.se/" target="_blank">their website</a> and order one of the different beef or lamb packages that they offer. Try it...believe me, you won't regret it!<br />
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Viktor Westerlind, winner of the "Årets Kock" 2009 joined us for the day and prepared some delicious delights. At Säby we were served a "fika" of air-dried wild boar, sourdough bread, cheese from Jokkmokk and delicious apples. Simple but so mouth-wateringly delicious!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEy46AtGhUl5Vnv6a4nIUzCtukJopvQkPG0SNTc9yt9QQDBvW9D-nq4E8j8CXJ5rMVtUztlazRfKpxC72Ko6a6vtwfZMfTsiIhZJnEh_tfadUqA8zUi8W9N3je1dtKkNDWsEleQt2264/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEy46AtGhUl5Vnv6a4nIUzCtukJopvQkPG0SNTc9yt9QQDBvW9D-nq4E8j8CXJ5rMVtUztlazRfKpxC72Ko6a6vtwfZMfTsiIhZJnEh_tfadUqA8zUi8W9N3je1dtKkNDWsEleQt2264/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left: Viktor Westerling together with Göran from Säby Gård and one of their cows. Top right: Me together with the other bloggers. Bottom right: Göran and Viktor preparing the "fika". </td></tr>
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The next stop for the day was <a href="http://rudenstam.se/" target="_blank">Rudenstams</a>, an apple orchad whose goal is to provide Swedish apples all year round in order to decrease the amount of apples that are imported to Sweden. Here we were given a tour of the orchads and were shown were all the packaging takes place. All the apples are hand-picked and treated like eggs in order to protect the sensitive skin and prevent unneccessary bruising. We got to taste a few of the different types of apples and it's amazing how they can have such different characteristics. Rubinella is my new favourite apple! Rudentstams also has a little county store which is one of my favourite places to walk around and look. It is set in a beautiful environment and it is so relaxing to go out and get inspired by the products that they sell. In the spring when all the apple trees are blooming, they open their orchads up for the public who can buy a picninc basket and go and soak in the beauty of spring amongst the beautiful blossoms, something that I'm definately going to give a try next spring. They also offer several other activites which are equally charming, so check them out and pay them a visit.<br />
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At Rudenstams Viktor prepared a three-course meal which was phenomenal. Here is what the menu looked like:<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #a64d79;">Starter:</span></h4>
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Chantarelle soup with a roasted onion cream and bacon crisps together with sourdough bread and home-made butter</div>
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #a64d79;">Main meal:</span></h4>
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Sirloin steak (from Säby Gård) with salt-baked celery root and sides</div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Dessert:</span></h4>
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Cinnamon and sugar fried apples (from Rudenstams) served with a decadent chocolate cream</div>
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It has been a long time since I ate such a well-composed meal. Really delicious! And the salt-baked celery root is something that is definatley worth trying!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1Flb_kW2VZon-yEVtm4lofESdbSGlMjSysIrXRbXyxLnma84Ru9ZL1bopK1gZKkJ64pyyK04VkHTNoEi-ViHlPKYMMuRs9abZveA7tZZweK6EqgSIYEEGG6T5YocY0dGCaKyg2C4LFs/s1600/frametastic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1Flb_kW2VZon-yEVtm4lofESdbSGlMjSysIrXRbXyxLnma84Ru9ZL1bopK1gZKkJ64pyyK04VkHTNoEi-ViHlPKYMMuRs9abZveA7tZZweK6EqgSIYEEGG6T5YocY0dGCaKyg2C4LFs/s400/frametastic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top left: One of the owners explaining how the apples are stored to preserve the flavour. Top right: The apples that will be sent to make different types of drinks. Top middle: Inside the country store. Bottom right: Viktor Westerlind and I. Bottom left: The fantastic meal we were served.</td></tr>
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A big thank you to Anna from LRF for organising a great day. Thanks also to Viktor for the fantastic food, and both Säby Gård and Rudenstams for your hospitality. It was a fantastic day and it was great to make some new blogging friends.<br />
<br />
If you're tempted to try that salt-baked celery root (celeriac), go to <a href="http://amyspieceofcake.blogspot.se/2012/11/bondekocksant.html" target="_blank">Amy's blog</a> for the recipe...it's definately worth a try!<br />
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If you want to read up more about the "Årets Kock" competition, check out <a href="http://www.recepten.nu/arets-kock-och-hjaltarna-bakom-maten" target="_blank">Håkans blog</a>.<br />
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Patrick has also written about his experiences from the day, check them <a href="http://puttesgrill.blogspot.se/2012/11/bondekockbloggare-sant.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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I'm looking forward to going to the competition and will get back with some photos from it later!<br />
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Have a great day!<br />
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Love,<br />
<br />
HeidiHeidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-28357458331959398402012-09-05T01:40:00.001-07:002012-09-05T01:48:54.880-07:00Lots of new beginnings...<font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> Hello everyone!</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> </font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">I hope that you are all doing well and that those of you in the northern hemisphere had a great summer and those of you on the south side of the world had a cosy winter.</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> </font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">Here things have been pretty crazy with a lot of changes and exciting new beginnings in my life...hence the lack of updates.</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">But let me share the good news with you. Here is a clue:<br></font><br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/7935645254/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8182/7935645254_40de40f667.jpg" id="blogsy-1346834911631.4258" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="375" height="500"></font></a></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> </font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">Yip! We are the owners of our first little house, a cute and quaint jem that needs a little polishing...okay maybe a lot of polishing. But the renovating process has been fun so far and we do it in little projects...you can't renovate all the time, we have to live as well, right? This little home is a miracle for us and we are loving it!</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> </font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">Okay...the next little piece of good news...</font><br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/7935646130/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8316/7935646130_61fa0cabe6.jpg" id="blogsy-1346834911596.267" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="461"></font></a></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> </font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> Yes, you saw right...that's a cute little pair of mini-me feet. Baby nr 2 is on its way and we are all delighted. Especially me...now that the nausea has gone over. What a terrible few months that was. But now I'm ok, as long as I eat...like all the time...it's a good thing my body uses more energy at the moment.</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> </font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">Anyways, now that you know my good news, maybe you'll be a little more excusing of my absence:-).</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> </font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">Unlike you lucky people in the southern hemisphere, who are heading in to spring and many lazy hours on the beach, up north we are going towards more cosier times with lots of candles and fiery nights. Here's a recipe for one of my favourite fruit salads that has an autumn feel with its stewed figs and cardamom syrup...enjoy!</font><br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/7935646946/" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8297/7935646946_6352a9b857.jpg" id="blogsy-1346834911671.1829" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></font></a></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> </font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> Ingredients for 4 portions:</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">4 fresh figs</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">8 fresh strawberries (you can use frozen if you don't have access to fresh ones)</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">1 orange</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">1 banana</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">2 granadillas (passion fruit)</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">1/2 pineapple</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">1 dl frozen raspberries</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> </font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">Cardamom syrup:</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">50 ml (1/2dl) sugar</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">1 tbsp water</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">1 tsp grinded cardamom</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> </font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">1. Make the syrup first: Put the sugar, water and cardamom in a little pot and boil until it has a syrupy consistency, without it getting any colour.</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">2. Peel and chop the fruit into little pieces (except the figs). </font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">3. Put 200ml water and 50 ml sugar into a pot bring to the boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer. Cut the figs into four pieces and stew them in the sugar water for a few minutes. Remove from water and garnish the fruit salad with the figs.pour the syrup over and serve with vanilla cream. </font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> </font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">Have a happy day!</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4"> </font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">Love,</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="4">Heidi</font><br/><br/><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"> </font><br/><br/>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-67823361670947000242012-04-04T11:10:00.001-07:002012-04-04T11:17:18.231-07:00Happy Easter!<p><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"> Here are some cute cupcakes for Easter! And they are dangerously delicious! I have found my new favourite "go to" chocolate cake recipe...Ina Garten is my new hero:-). This cake comes with a warning: it is DANGEROUS! Only because it's so easy to make and it's so delicious! Don't say I didn't warn you...</font></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7045599785_771bcfc756_m.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7045599785_771bcfc756_b.jpg" id="blogsy-1333563427456.569" class="alignnone" alt="" width="614" height="460"></a></div><p> </p><p>To see this recipe in Swedish, <a href="http://jnytt.se/nyhet/46534/valkomna-pasken-med-harliga-cupcakes" target="_blank" title="">click here</a>.</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px; "><strong><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">From <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400054346?ie=UTF8&tag=petbak-20&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=1400054346" target="_blank" title="">Barefoot Contessa at Home</a></font></strong></p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><strong>Chocolate cake<br></strong>butter for greasing the pans<br>1 3/4 cups flour<br>2 cups sugar<br>3/4 cup cocoa powder<br>2 tsp baking soda<br>1 tsp baking powder<br>1 tsp salt<br>1 cup buttermilk<br>1/2 cup vegetable oil<br>2 eggs<br>1 tsp vanilla<br>1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee</font></p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">1. Make the cake: sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.</font></p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">2. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. with the mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine. Pour the batter into 2 buttered and floured 9 inch cake pans or into your cipcake wrappers. Bake the cake at 180 degrees C for 40-45 minutes and the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.</font></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7116/6899502982_cb5217484d_m.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7116/6899502982_cb5217484d_b.jpg" id="blogsy-1333563427504.0059" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="614" height="460"></a></div><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4">Happy baking!</font></p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><br></font></p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4">Love,</font></p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4">Heidi</font></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-6966061171343640122012-04-04T10:54:00.001-07:002012-04-04T11:14:13.618-07:00Spring is here!<p><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"> Easter is one of My favourite times of year...especially here in Sweden because it symbolises the start of spring, which means that summer is on it's way...which is a big thing in Sweden! Seriously, when it is winter here people go into hibernation, which may sound strange if you come from a warm sunny South Africa, but if you've been in Sweden during winter you understand that it's not so fun to stand outside and chit-chat when it is -10 degrees C and the wind is blowing through your bones.</font></p><p><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"> </font></p><p><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4">And it is SOOO nice to be able to go outside without it taking half an hour just to get all the jackets, shoes, scarves and gloves on...</font></p><p><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"> </font></p><p><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4">But one of the things that I love most about Spring is seeing everything come to life again, the new leaves sprouting on the trees, flowers blooming. It kind of reminds you that there is always a new beginning. When things get tough, there is always a spring around the corner. And it also reminds you what Easter is really all about...new life and second chances! </font></p><p><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"> </font></p><p><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4">Here is a springy chocolate cake with cherry blossoms on made for a sweet girl who turned 18.</font></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5339/6899463334_4ba0db60b8_m.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5339/6899463334_4ba0db60b8_b.jpg" id="blogsy-1333563233071.7456" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="614" height="557"></a></div><p> </p><p><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4">Love, </font></p><p><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4">Heidi</font></p><p><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"> </font></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-73042960479240348772012-04-01T12:09:00.001-07:002012-04-04T11:11:29.725-07:00Sweet 18<p> Here's a photo of a cake I made for a sweet young lady who recently turned 18. I was happy with how it turned out, and apparently it tasted good...and in the end, that's what is most important isn't it? Cakes are made to be eaten and not just looked at, right? The recipe is Ina Gartens double chocolate cake recipe, it is my new favourite, and it was filled with scrumptious caramel and cream.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7036000823_bb6f43ab4f_m.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7036000823_bb6f43ab4f_b.jpg" id="blogsy-1333563069952.6135" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="624" height="832"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p>Have a great week, everyone!</p><p> </p><p>Love, Heidi</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-74219181890972220852012-03-05T12:20:00.001-08:002012-03-05T12:20:23.375-08:00Leaving a legacy...<p> My granny, Daphne, was a lady that left a legacy. She was an amazingly generous and loving woman and there are many times that I wished she hadn't died while I was so young because there was so much more that I could've learnt from her.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6810689634_6c5c4a8039.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6810689634_6c5c4a8039.jpg" id="blogsy-1330978789831.1335" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="482" height="800"></a></div><p> </p><p>But isn't life like that sometimes...things don't always plan out as we wish them to. Which just reminds me how important it is to make the most of life and enjoy the people that I have been blessed with in my life.</p><p> </p><p>One of the legacy's that my gran left for me was her passion for baking and blessing people with cakes. I don't know what it is, but there is something special about making cakes that are designed after people's personalities and likes. Maybe it's because it takes so much time so there's a lot of love poured into it. But whatever it is, it is always fun to see people's reactions when they see the cake that was made just for them.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">When my gran died, I inherited all her cake decorating tools and equipment. This cake was made for a friend's wedding and the pillars between the tiers came from Granny Daphne. They have actually been packed in a box in South Africa for a while, but I finally got them here, so it's the first time I've used them. Turned out pretty good!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/6810690194_249e2bb5a0.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/6810690194_249e2bb5a0.jpg" id="blogsy-1330978789884.284" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="768" height="1024"></a></div><p> </p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "> Whenever I'm working with the tools I inherited I say a little thanks to the One above for blessing me with people in my life who have left a legacy, and not just a legacy of belongings, but a legacy of something so much deeper...a legacy of living your life to be a blessing for others!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/6810694448_63631dd92e.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/6810694448_63631dd92e.jpg" id="blogsy-1330978789867.9082" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="719" height="519"></a></div><p> </p><p>Which makes me think...what legacy am I going to leave behind?</p><p> </p><p>Have a great week, everyone!</p><p> </p><p>Love,</p><p>Heidi</p><p> </p>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-90282607562480238862012-02-13T14:33:00.001-08:002012-02-13T14:33:51.018-08:00Love conquers all...<p>There are times in life when love is frustrating. There are times in life when love is exhilarating. There are times in life when you wonder why and yet there are times in life when you would never let go. The longer I live, the more I realise that love is a choice and it takes a lot of hard work. There are times when love comes easy, and there are times when it doesn't come so easy. But I have learnt that sometimes it's ok to put my expectations aside and just accept and when I do that it usually turns out better than I would have expected in the first place. I have learnt that sometimes I don't need to pick on the small things, but can just let things go and it will be okay anyway. I have learnt that my way isn't the only way. I have learnt that sometimes saying a little prayer is enough and I have learnt that love is never worth giving up on!</p><p>"The fire of love stops at nothing. Flood waters cannot drown love and rain cannot put it out. Love cannot be bought and it cannot be sold. Love is invincible."<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/6872143541" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7053/6872143541_d9d6895fe7.jpg" id="blogsy-1329172357601.5417" class="aligncenter" alt="Chocolate cake with chocolate fudge icing" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p>Valentine's Day is a fantastic time to show those around you that you love how much you appreciate them. Celebrating love doesn't need to be limited to one day a year, but there is something special with the celebration that Valentine's Day has become. </p><p>To my one sweet love - I am grateful got who you are and who you have made me to be. The best is yet to come!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/6872142393" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title=""><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7055/6872142393_1b7a476779.jpg" id="blogsy-1329172357630.801" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="204" height="247"></a></div><p>Let love be victorious! Happy Valentine's Day!</p><p> </p><p>Love,</p><p>Heidi</p><p> </p><p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#481003"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 20px;"><br></span></font></p><p> </p>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-69288918765283602672012-02-12T12:23:00.001-08:002012-02-12T12:23:39.436-08:0030 wonderful years and the world's best family!<p>This Christmas was the first Christmas that I have spent at home in South Africa since I got married and it was such a special time with the family. It was also the first time that I have flown home in two years, which is definately the longest I've been away for...it was great to come home...and great to see many of my family and friends that I haven't seen for a long time!</p><p> </p><p>While we were home, my older sister, Laura, turned 30, so we threw a big party for her. Seen as though she was born in the 80's we decided to have an 80's pool party theme...except when the day came around it was pouring. So the pool party turned into a not-so pool party but whenever my family puts together a party, it is always a blast!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/6864728609" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title=""><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7041/6864728609_ba1b82e0ee.jpg" id="blogsy-1329078119192.0706" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="375" height="500"></a></div><p>To my precious Lauli! I love you and want you to know that I am proud of you, both as a person and a sister. I am grateful for all the years we have had together and look forward to the many more memories that are to be made! You are priceless!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/6864730753" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7199/6864730753_441fd061fc.jpg" id="blogsy-1329078119276.852" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="333"></a></div><p> </p><p>Now to the food...we had a buffé of minis: small bacon and cheese rolls, quiche bites, mini sausages, fruit kebabs, cocktail sticks...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/6864734289" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title=""><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7200/6864734289_d359108451.jpg" id="blogsy-1329078119240.6062" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="346"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/6864731889" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7209/6864731889_bea4dc2cba.jpg" id="blogsy-1329078119253.8735" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="439"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/6864732759" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title=""><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7050/6864732759_b0423a17fe.jpg" id="blogsy-1329078119228.0454" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="356"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">The cake was made with chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and the topper was also layered with chocolate and vanilla cake. The cake has a story...</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><br></p><p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Two of my wonderful sisters helped to bake the cake and cupcakes as my husband and I were celebrating our 5 year anniversary. When we came back home from celebrating, somehow someone had brought out a coaster that lit up in different colours when a glass was put on it. There was only one in the house but I knew that we had to have it for the cake tiers as it would really enhance the 80's feel. The thing is, no-one knew where to get them from, but instead of giving up my dad and little sister go on a search, calling around to find where we could get more. They even called the manufacturers to ask where they sell them, and they were told that these lights are no longer produced. Yet, someone, within a couple of hours my dad found a place that had a few left. That is one of the things I love the most about my fam, nothing is impossible and they go the extra mile! I love you guys!</p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/6864735539" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title=""><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7070/6864735539_028fa63d21.jpg" id="blogsy-1329078119240.1982" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="468" height="500"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/6864729829" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title=""><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7176/6864729829_0d85c0b63f.jpg" id="blogsy-1329078119207.518" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Enjoy the beginning of a new week! Take the opportunity this Valentine's Day on Tuesday to show those that you love how much you appreciate them!</p><p> </p><p>Love, Heidi</p><p> </p><p> </p>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-55584199782145429012011-11-25T23:56:00.001-08:002011-11-25T23:56:04.340-08:00Another South African classic!<div>Good morning everyone!</div><div><br></div><div>This autumn in Sweden has heen beautiful! This time last year we had already had snow for over a month here in Jönköping, but this year we have had really mild, pleasant weather. Which makes it seem crazy that Christmas is only 1 month away today! YAY! </div><div><br></div><div>But before this blog becomes to Christmassy I thought I would put up another South African classic...Milktart! This is for you, Sara. Thank you for requesting the recipe! Feel free to request away!</div><div><br></div><div>Milktart is one of my absolute favourite South African recipes! There is just something about the creamy, vanilla flavour that I love! And the memories that come flooding in when I think about milktart...there's too many to think of!</div><div><br></div><div>Here comes the recipe:</div><div>(to see the recipe in Swedish click <a href="http://jnytt.se/nyhet/42632/en-sydafrikansk-favorit">here</a>)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://jnytt.se/Bild.aspx?id=42632" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://media.jnytt.se/resources/news/2011-09-23104544-Hedismat38_small_650.jpg" id="blogsy-1322294120396.0317" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="650" height="353"></a></div><p>1 packet Tennis biscuits (or if you're in Sweden then 1 pack Brago original biscuits and 1 dl coconut will do the job)</p><p>100 g butter or marg, melted</p><p>Filling:</p><p>2 eggs<br>50 ml water<br>1 tbsp maizena<br>1 tbsp flour<br>1 salt salt<br>2 tbsp sugar<br>2 cups (5 dl) milk (3 %)<br>½ tin condensed milk<br>30 g butter</p><p>Cinnamon</p><p>1. Crush the biscuits finely. Add the melted butter and mix around. Press themixture into a pie form and put it into the fridge.<br>2. Filling: separate the yolks and the whites. Mix the yolks, maizena, flour and salt together. Add the water and mix a little bit more. <br>3. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff peaks. Add the sugar and beat for 2 more minutes. <br>4. Put the milk, condensed milk and butter in a pot and bring to the boil. Add the yolk mixture and bring to the boil again, stirring constantly. Remove the pot from the stove and fold in the egg whites. <br>5. Pour the mixture over the base and then into the fridge for at least 3 hours. Before serving sprinkle lots of cinnamon on top. </p><p>Happy baking!</p><p>Love,</p><p>Heidi</p>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-64029403627317842982011-11-25T00:12:00.001-08:002011-11-25T00:46:25.038-08:00Christmas is nearly here!Christmas in Sweden is one of my absolute favourite times of the year! Partly because of the build-up towards the big day. The four Sunday's before Christmas the Swedes celebrate "advent" with lots of candles and good food! This Sunday is going to be "the First Advent" which means that here in sweden we are finally allowed to put up Christmas decorations. So now you know what I will be doing this week-end!<br />
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Today Jnytt Extra's Christmas issue came out, together with an article where I made some typical Swedish Christmas sweets but with my own twist. <br />
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Click on this link to check it out!<br />
<a href="http://issuu.com/jnytt/docs/december_2011/35">http://issuu.com/jnytt/docs/december_2011/35</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1n8cCbYBFx-1zVbh3-5QkpTbAAawDTLqvCaYa331jvnpsC38MZrnJtuVoOWwd-RkCYgxo4qy5pMZ8IgJFbjNgpd4FMdBWhwjDFIXkpxRCWy9YQCSaC43d_6dlTa0Cfg_-6lgsh6uHZ6Q/s1600/2011-11-23165903-IMG_0100_small_240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1n8cCbYBFx-1zVbh3-5QkpTbAAawDTLqvCaYa331jvnpsC38MZrnJtuVoOWwd-RkCYgxo4qy5pMZ8IgJFbjNgpd4FMdBWhwjDFIXkpxRCWy9YQCSaC43d_6dlTa0Cfg_-6lgsh6uHZ6Q/s400/2011-11-23165903-IMG_0100_small_240.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Cathrine Levan</td></tr>
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Do you want to get into the Christmas mood? Here come some of the recipes: (to see these recipes in Swedish, click here: <a href="http://jnytt.se/nyhet/43934/heidis-julgodis">http://jnytt.se/nyhet/43934/heidis-julgodis</a>)<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Chocolate snowballs:</strong></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0vmsfS5HgaJ3e4-mYiMq74cHOeggSiH1Dan3jbHFlqzOocjgu2tH1SqgANWvntMq6IPusciaJpX0gQ316voH5rbXYaDVL6A6mxLItkfD_jYUs8vqzBmnolY3CcltGkoq1mBa-2hntlU/s1600/IMG_9953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0vmsfS5HgaJ3e4-mYiMq74cHOeggSiH1Dan3jbHFlqzOocjgu2tH1SqgANWvntMq6IPusciaJpX0gQ316voH5rbXYaDVL6A6mxLItkfD_jYUs8vqzBmnolY3CcltGkoq1mBa-2hntlU/s320/IMG_9953.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Cathrine Levan</td></tr>
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150 g butter, room temperature<br />
200 ml sugar<br />
1 tbsp vanilla sugar<br />
5 tbsp cocoa<br />
350 ml oats<br />
100 ml coconut<br />
4 tbsp espresso<br />
100g Daim, roughly chopped (Daim is a typical Swedish chocolate, can be substituted by using normal milk chocolate)<br />
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200g white chocolate<br />
200 ml coconut<br />
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1. Mix the butter and sugar together. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the white chocolate and 200 ml coconut) and mix them together well. Roll the mixture into small balls (about 3 cm in diameter). Put them into the freezer for at least 30 minutes so that they get firm.<br />
2. Melt the white chocolate carefully. Dip the chocolate balls in the white chocolate and then in the coconut.<br />
A TIP: Once you have dipped the balls in the chocolate, drop them into a deep bowl with coconut and shake it around...it's much less messy that way ;-)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXtn6eNJar2u4dv7gin9gmFjKLhOJ40zqDYN038Nte7-5Dq9j7XzmJ-V61t6Zb-Of-_QmOgqkrAJtaKR4ASmjMYvG6_0MUsBGMPyYEbQ_VLJcgEitdKCkAemrMtIJ_m2Yji5WgzGU2y4/s1600/IMG_0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXtn6eNJar2u4dv7gin9gmFjKLhOJ40zqDYN038Nte7-5Dq9j7XzmJ-V61t6Zb-Of-_QmOgqkrAJtaKR4ASmjMYvG6_0MUsBGMPyYEbQ_VLJcgEitdKCkAemrMtIJ_m2Yji5WgzGU2y4/s320/IMG_0015.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Cathrine Levan<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #990000;">Mini red velvet cupcakes with gingerbread icing:</span></strong><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">60 g butter</span></span><br />
150 ml sugar<br />
1 egg<br />
100ml buttermilk<br />
1 tsp red food colouring<br />
1 tsp vanilla essence<br />
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda<br />
1 tsp white vinegar<br />
250 ml (1 cup) flour<br />
50 ml cocoa<br />
1 pinch salt<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;"><strong>Icing:</strong></span></span><br />
50 g butter<br />
100 ml cream cheese<br />
1 tsp vanilla essence<br />
1/2 tsp of gingerbread spices (like cinnamon, cloves and ginger)<br />
200 ml icing sugar<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;"><br /><span style="color: black;">1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.</span><br /><span style="color: black;">2. Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Mix in the egg, buttermilk, food colouring, vanilla, bicarb and vinegar.</span><br /><span style="color: black;">3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cocoa and salt together. Add them to the wet ingredients and stir until they are just mixed.</span><br /><span style="color: black;">4. Fill mini cupcake cases until just over half full.</span><br /><span style="color: black;">5. Bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Cool completely.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;"><strong>Icing:</strong></span><br /><span style="color: black;">1. Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. Beat all the ingredients together with an electric beater for a few minutes until the icing is creamy and smooth. Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes and decorate with some sprinkles.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: black;">Watch this space for some more recipes!</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">Have a great day!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Love,<br />Heidi</span></span></span>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-58012953981565897812011-11-21T09:23:00.001-08:002011-11-21T10:14:09.197-08:00A real "braai"Being in Sweden one of the things that I miss most from South Africa (excluding my family of course...and the warm weather...and the beach...) is a REAL braai. Now, don't get me wrong, people have plenty of "grill parties" here in Sweden and some of them produce some pretty good food...BUT!!!<br />
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They just don't compare to a REAL South African braai. And I think that one of the main reasons for this is the fact that there is nothing...NOTHING even close, to South African boerewors. For those of who who are underprivileged and have never tasted boerewors, or worse yet, don't even know what it is...let me explain.<br />
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Boerewors is a LONG sausage filled with minced meat and a delicious combination of spices. The fun thing with boerewors is that you braai the whole long sausage in one pieces (quite an art!), which keeps the wors nice and juicy and flavoursome.<br />
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Luckily I am blessed with lovely friends here in Jönköping. So during the summer, Lisa and I decided to have a go at having a real South African braai, boerewors and all!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MFTsJtfwaL113cJk8crSEww9r-34nazE9_hXfrwDk9_v62zs3_Y9lOwzRNVjpW-VMbSaVf-SEpbm-hfzubCovnTCEFy6b8SF1qvQCLdyhxGg8iP1gMmOXYeUhb2j7R94EsPjGQ8diHU/s1600/DSC02178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MFTsJtfwaL113cJk8crSEww9r-34nazE9_hXfrwDk9_v62zs3_Y9lOwzRNVjpW-VMbSaVf-SEpbm-hfzubCovnTCEFy6b8SF1qvQCLdyhxGg8iP1gMmOXYeUhb2j7R94EsPjGQ8diHU/s320/DSC02178.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So we bought in the necessary ingredients and got going and we had loads of fun along the way! Somehow we ended up without a working machine to stuff the sausages with
so we had to do it by hand! Ha ha! It took a LONG time, but in the end
it worked out so well! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBzwGFEuNebUWmGy7GtcHM30EiBIfSkt5tMI2xJ1rLD_8sqgdXblo4YTtj3YUi6laR_incMXPbkF-qXPzo4ZSVZYhMIgXfzpsX9x3oQUVorvde0c4z8fzxkG-gftwVmP_9sRg_MkBYgE/s1600/DSC02179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBzwGFEuNebUWmGy7GtcHM30EiBIfSkt5tMI2xJ1rLD_8sqgdXblo4YTtj3YUi6laR_incMXPbkF-qXPzo4ZSVZYhMIgXfzpsX9x3oQUVorvde0c4z8fzxkG-gftwVmP_9sRg_MkBYgE/s320/DSC02179.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is a sausage without the sausage "skin"?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5IT6Mbh2ocvQDQqjG9U_KYrNCn5dHfUiNpjxxSwIKLoD_xOFXx1NhZRQF7CJccuKDAJNz3oZBVkX9KToKyxqwkGz99Nuh57mMtBd3DNZAwubDBAwV10ZRt-E8NRkiqsGIHJtC5-iePE/s1600/DSC02177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5IT6Mbh2ocvQDQqjG9U_KYrNCn5dHfUiNpjxxSwIKLoD_xOFXx1NhZRQF7CJccuKDAJNz3oZBVkX9KToKyxqwkGz99Nuh57mMtBd3DNZAwubDBAwV10ZRt-E8NRkiqsGIHJtC5-iePE/s320/DSC02177.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mince mixture, ready to be stuffed</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkp5g_HGddK-3jT8Jyh0PadLsWJSDsVbkhbWhePuHB5jpHf5oPfQCXh28ty0BxbHrB6Yzl4pRz6hOTvQtarxMHbpz0CMsmW5P02V8GGWbq4g3-qq-Z_Pu8uvZvYMr-ouPrkAzHl6xeVI/s1600/DSC02181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkp5g_HGddK-3jT8Jyh0PadLsWJSDsVbkhbWhePuHB5jpHf5oPfQCXh28ty0BxbHrB6Yzl4pRz6hOTvQtarxMHbpz0CMsmW5P02V8GGWbq4g3-qq-Z_Pu8uvZvYMr-ouPrkAzHl6xeVI/s320/DSC02181.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was also lucky enough to have my mom here in Sweden so she made her DELICIOUS "pap en sous". Pap is also typically South African and is a type of maize/corn porridge which is eaten together with a sauce made from tomatoes and onions that has simmered together for many hours. Together with good friends and more good food, all in all, the braai was a success!!! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHIUqQP6KDl0T4lEVDfMaAoWyLXZE0NxKKV4rVd4CBOxwGFJTBpIYqkvLXnTrUSiZWpzK0dyZY_Mem2ieo_rEAU8aX9w8OXKwsZbUVS0O5f5y4xwLW3X3Vu3E_7vhEYD0Kq4Ittv4d1I/s1600/DSC02187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHIUqQP6KDl0T4lEVDfMaAoWyLXZE0NxKKV4rVd4CBOxwGFJTBpIYqkvLXnTrUSiZWpzK0dyZY_Mem2ieo_rEAU8aX9w8OXKwsZbUVS0O5f5y4xwLW3X3Vu3E_7vhEYD0Kq4Ittv4d1I/s320/DSC02187.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what a REAL braai looks like!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxkWJDlsaIk6LiTp4jLCTto0qmNtgjk5ez9K30a9Envab2T31CKReApKviz6g24Ei2QW-NYVVVqSwXlc1g9f8Zs7UrJJ2yymCrchf_kwcYomBlcE8XnVlwzMtDpnTTo0oJd4t-mmzImI/s1600/DSC02199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxkWJDlsaIk6LiTp4jLCTto0qmNtgjk5ez9K30a9Envab2T31CKReApKviz6g24Ei2QW-NYVVVqSwXlc1g9f8Zs7UrJJ2yymCrchf_kwcYomBlcE8XnVlwzMtDpnTTo0oJd4t-mmzImI/s320/DSC02199.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious!!!</td></tr>
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<br />
Boerewors recipe:<br />
<br />
1 kg minced meat (50% pork, 50% beef)<br />
25 ml whole coriander seeds, grounded<br />
2 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp ground black peppar<br />
2 garlic cloves, crushed<br />1 pinch ground nutmeg<br />
1 tbsp brown sugar<br />
100 ml (1 dl) red wine vinegar<br />
<br />
Sausage casings, soaked in water<br />
<br />
1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.<br />
<br />
2. Drain the sausage casings and put one end over a filling horn. Carefully pull the whole casing onto the horn, leaving about 5 cm off. Tie a knot in this end.<br />
<br />
3. Having 2 pairs of hands at this stage is really helpful. Feed the filling into the filing horn while your assistant guides the casing on the other side, moulding the sausage by hand to make it uniformly thick. <br />
<br />
4. Once all the meat has been stuffed, remove the casing and tie a knot on the end.<br />
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5. Braai over medium hot coals until the skin has a nice grilled, brown colour and the inside is still juicy.<br />
<br />
Happy braaing!<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
Heidi<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-57964475230916286702011-11-21T08:32:00.001-08:002011-11-21T09:13:30.595-08:00Firetruck fun!<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">So my little boy is not so little any more...over the week-end we celebrated his 3rd birthday party. It was so much fun. In the midst of the craziness of writing my thesis and extra jobs, somehow we managed to find the time to throw together a lovely party for Elias. </span></div>
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<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/6376984425" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="500" id="blogsy-1321893031274.2686" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6215/6376984425_18db485f5d.jpg" width="375" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">He has really been into firetrucks lately, so he wanted to have a firetruck party. I got inspired to build a firetruck from boxes so that the kids could play with it at the party. So one night I came up from the basement with a bunch of boxes and put my dear man into work. This year, I must give him the credit with coming up with many ideas that made the party a success...like paper machèing the firetruck. It would not have looked nearly as nice without the paper machè. So after several nights work in the basement the firetuck was ready to go!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">We sent out firetruck invites to a few of Elias' friends and prepared snacks for about 20 people. I also made cute little firetruck badges for the kids and organised fireman helmets. The kids got to eat and play around together and then it was time for the cake. </span></div>
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<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/6376971795" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><img alt="Cheese and corn samoosas, hummus, blueberry pancakes..." class="aligncenter" height="375" id="blogsy-1321893031278.0562" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6215/6376971795_b24398ebed_z.jpg" width="500" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">The cake was vanilla sponge with chocolate ganache and cream filling. One of the layers also had daim balls (daim is a swedish chocolate with a crunchy caramel filling). I'm always trying to find ways to get around covering a cake with fondant as I think fondant is so sweet. So this time I coloured cream a light blue and covered the cake so that the background would look like the sky. It didn't look as nice as fondant but it definately tasted better. I then made trees and buildings from fondant covered with flames around the whole side of the cake. On top was fireman "Elias" with a hose. The cake made its grand entrance into the party on top of the firetruck with small firework candles on top. It was so much fun to see the expressions on the children's faces...priceless and definately worth a week of short nights. Unfortunately I forgot to take a good picture of the cake during daylight. Oh well...better something than nothing.</span></div>
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<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/70198037@N03/6376997827" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="454" id="blogsy-1321893031236.9153" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6376997827_93b077265a.jpg" width="500" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">All in all it was a party with many fun memories! And I am so grateful to have the most precious son in the world and the most loving and helpful hubby in the world!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Stay tuned for some fun, home-made Chritmas present ideas and other goodies to get you into the Christmas spirit!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Love,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Heidi</span></div>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-11334334103382460582011-09-06T07:37:00.000-07:002011-09-06T07:37:15.278-07:00Weddings are fun!Okay! It's finally time to show off the wedding cake that I made for a friend's wedding in August! It was a beautiful wedding for a sweet couple. The theme for the wedding was simple, silver, white and lime green.
The cake was a 4 tiered square cake that rotated slightly. It's definately the biggest cake that I've made to date, and there are many things I learnt along the way. Here are some of those lessons:<br />
<br />
1. Big cakes need LOTS of space...both when working with them and in the fridge. Luckily I have a pretty large fridge, so even the base of the cake fitted in the fridge...well, I actually measured the fridge first to make sure the cake would fit, because as you know, it was the middle of summer...and creamy cakes NEED to live in a fridge! The cupcakes I kept in the freezer so it all worked out pretty well.<br />
<br />
2. Rolling out HUGE pieces of fondant by hand is not easy! Whenever you roll fondant to cover a cake it has to quite a bit bigger then the actual cake so that you don't end up with wrinkled sides. That means that the fondant for the bottom tier had to be almost 1 meter(about 0.8m to be exact). Now that's pretty easy when you watch the Cake Boss and all those shows where they have machines to roll the fondant perfectly smooth...not so easy doing it at home. But with a little bit of patience it turned out ok as well.<br />
<br />
3. Dress warmly! Well, not when you are baking the cake, but I had to transport the cake about 3 hours to Malmö, in an air-conditioned car. I have never transported cakes so far, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but, thankfully nothing happened along the way. It's a pity I forgot my socks though...my toes were pretty blue when I got there!<br />
<br />
All in all...agreeing to do a wedding cake takes a lot of planning and precision...but it's definately worth it when you see the happy couple!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKb2WfEuQGTrV-oc_n7jBkR0r7XDNwuHYzuHWAPtxnpAezgPmGcBm15zo9pHJStK7PieV_EcO36xg6x7aWwKw6Z583l5E2Iri2nKpWX_UdQm_8NTXRLGAcrWXHX0ipyTbrc3QVdfU4MU/s1600/DSC02142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKb2WfEuQGTrV-oc_n7jBkR0r7XDNwuHYzuHWAPtxnpAezgPmGcBm15zo9pHJStK7PieV_EcO36xg6x7aWwKw6Z583l5E2Iri2nKpWX_UdQm_8NTXRLGAcrWXHX0ipyTbrc3QVdfU4MU/s400/DSC02142.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5wUHOF7t08X625mxDi3MwpbTwDc2SiD36Ywdg8AVr9fb3xr_myZ8P8YCVQzwFVfQYdceJCYmDxWWeDoNz1nadyH-Z5CHwgwGEs87WxPomsT6yJMwvgCyMGzgsFM6JT5WxnZ5YUaiOn0/s1600/DSC02139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5wUHOF7t08X625mxDi3MwpbTwDc2SiD36Ywdg8AVr9fb3xr_myZ8P8YCVQzwFVfQYdceJCYmDxWWeDoNz1nadyH-Z5CHwgwGEs87WxPomsT6yJMwvgCyMGzgsFM6JT5WxnZ5YUaiOn0/s400/DSC02139.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Cheers to you, Håkan and Emma! We wish you many happy years together and many blessings over your lives!<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
HeidiHeidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-43568718302173418702011-08-23T10:47:00.000-07:002011-08-23T10:47:41.724-07:00Sneak preview of what is to come...Oh dear...it has been a hectic summer...which means ZERO time for updating blogs. I hope that ya'll haven't missed me too much! ;-)<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago I had the biggest order up-to-date...100 cupcakes plus a wedding cake for 130 people...for a special friend's wedding. Unfortunately this HUGE order (which by the way was all made in my tiny kitchen...miracles can happen) also coincided with the death of my precious morfar (grandfather). More on both of these events later...I just wanted to send a sneak preview of the cupcakes and hopefully get you excited for seeing THE cake!<br />
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I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIHWujup6Qa8I0h99p-gr3OKzP6eI3sOr237tOU_c114TdSvqjSymyPgbHw-D1IcbDEyh9NFd5Er422jnmNt5o_MDPH13i57sEewsVCwIZkS12ooVFaXwxrKKB0ljA21AlOCJTs0KYCE/s1600/DSC02146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIHWujup6Qa8I0h99p-gr3OKzP6eI3sOr237tOU_c114TdSvqjSymyPgbHw-D1IcbDEyh9NFd5Er422jnmNt5o_MDPH13i57sEewsVCwIZkS12ooVFaXwxrKKB0ljA21AlOCJTs0KYCE/s400/DSC02146.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<br />
That's it for now.<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
HeidiHeidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-31839217535439307962011-07-21T10:01:00.000-07:002011-07-21T10:03:01.779-07:00Kärleksmums...Love is always in the air in Sweden during the summer. There are usually many weddings to attend and many wedding pictures to look over! It's a fun time of year!<br />
<br />
This year I have several wedding cakes/cupcakes lined up so it's pretty exciting! A few weeks ago I made a delivery for a cute couple that live close to me and wanted to have cupcakes for their wedding and a little cake as well. They have a great company that works with events and catering, you can check their homepage out <a href="http://www.eventcatering.se/">here</a>. They wanted pink polka dot cupcake holders with a "kärleksmums" cupcake..which is a chocolatey cake with a delicous icing. "Kärlek" means love in Swedish, so it kind of suits a wedding, don't you think? They also wanted fresh strawberries to decorate the cupcakes. For the cake: they wanted a pink cake, a "princesstårta" which is also a Swedish classic, with chiffon cake layered with a vanilla cream. On the same day of their wedding, I was attending some of my dear friend's wedding, so I was only able to deliver the cake and cupcakes and not set it up at the location, which I usually like to do. But they promised to send photos of what it looked like on the day. I'll keep you posted!<br />
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This is how they turned out:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cw4RMmScRjIlx-qNnlfzOUVYUy-zhnaHxvTPhTQ8okVfWiH23PgTcp4NG5wS2wNC7H8UvR_GODwlDCemqv7jBfIH5cKc9TAnhr0eTU5ALQ237n1IEFh3hkOQmA5VNxOAJf3AnlUovwY/s1600/DSC01657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="276" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cw4RMmScRjIlx-qNnlfzOUVYUy-zhnaHxvTPhTQ8okVfWiH23PgTcp4NG5wS2wNC7H8UvR_GODwlDCemqv7jBfIH5cKc9TAnhr0eTU5ALQ237n1IEFh3hkOQmA5VNxOAJf3AnlUovwY/s400/DSC01657.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtNazznGFS74sO_XEDdPDoBY-YrVfeBgmXt-DpixWMyhq_sE2DbdHaMWLdXORv73TEnWnla74tUrrcAgG0dulvJ2hfehvrmNlwrTN57t6PxPjqu8k5hbCm9rDlmidf9NfFgvkoBt6oKs/s1600/DSC01663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtNazznGFS74sO_XEDdPDoBY-YrVfeBgmXt-DpixWMyhq_sE2DbdHaMWLdXORv73TEnWnla74tUrrcAgG0dulvJ2hfehvrmNlwrTN57t6PxPjqu8k5hbCm9rDlmidf9NfFgvkoBt6oKs/s400/DSC01663.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhC2EmqJyh7rmvWx6ymD74IewxMbLjUFEhrtMeUtcLWYD2xHC-93Y8XwavxNZ5w8ZwbYtuQYkOP8XEYeJOJMAZwkVB4X4sQnEww44MrAWl8bprMtXW0Hx7u0a0eFxU_dK50Aa4d_ZbkA/s1600/DSC01650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhC2EmqJyh7rmvWx6ymD74IewxMbLjUFEhrtMeUtcLWYD2xHC-93Y8XwavxNZ5w8ZwbYtuQYkOP8XEYeJOJMAZwkVB4X4sQnEww44MrAWl8bprMtXW0Hx7u0a0eFxU_dK50Aa4d_ZbkA/s400/DSC01650.JPG" /></a></div>Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-55893343120795461782011-07-06T13:21:00.000-07:002011-07-06T13:23:22.278-07:00Heaven in a bite...If you have been to Sweden you most probably know what "kladdkaka" is. Even if you haven't been here but have Swedish friends you have probably tasted this Swedish classic. It is AMAZING!!!<br />
<br />
If you have been to Sweden you most probably know what "kladdkaka" is. Even if you haven't been here but have Swedish friends you have probably tasted this Swedish classic. It is AMAZING!!!<br />
<br />
For those you have not yet had the privilege of tasting this delicious "cake", here is the recipe...so get to your kitchen and try it out, because, yes...it IS so good. The closest that South Africans come to this is chocolate mud pie, which kind of explains what the "kladdkaka" is all about. Directly translated it means "sticky cake". And that's what it is. Sticky, gooey, chocolatey, amazing cake.<br />
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The number one secret with getting a perfect "kladdkaka" is not to mix the ingredients too much and not to have it in the oven for too long. It almost still needs to be jiggly in the middle when you take it out.<br />
<br />
This "kladdkaka" is usually made in a round pie form, but I also like to make them as cupcakes. The one's in the pictures are topped with a nougat and raspberries. Absolute bliss!<br />
<br />
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<br />
Enough talking...here's the recipe:<br />
<br />
Makes about 6-8 portions (if you are a chocolate lover like me, make that 2-4 portions ;-) )<br />
<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 cup (2 1/2 dl) sugar<br />
4 tbsp cocoa<br />
1 tsp vanilla essence<br />
100g melted butter/margarine<br />
100 ml (1 dl) flour<br />
1 pinch of salt<br />
<br />
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.<br />
2. Mix the egg and sugar by hand for about 2 minutes.<br />
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and fold then carefully in.<br />
4. Pour the batter into an oiled pie form.<br />
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Keep a close eye on your cake as each oven varies slightly in strength.<br />
6. Serve either warm or cold, together with ice cream and cream.<br />
<br />
Happy eating!<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
HeidiHeidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-47113971047332075912011-06-30T23:35:00.000-07:002011-06-30T23:35:25.785-07:00Jnytt TVThis week I had the opportunity to bake cupcakes on Jnytt's webTV. It was a fun experience! It was also one of the brightest days we've had so far this summer so filming in my kitchen was a bit tricky, but it worked out pretty ok. I made lemon poppy cupcakes with white chocolate frosting. The recipe I used was my easy all-in-one cake batter (<a href="http://inheidiskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/05/strawberry-cheesecake-cupcakes.html">click here</a> to check it out...). I added the zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon and about 2 tsp lemon poppy seeds and mixed it into the batter instead of the cheesecake filing. You can <a href="http://inheidiskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-favorite-icing.html">find the frosting recipe here</a>.<br />
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Here's some pictures from some cupcakes I made a few days ago. Cute, aren't they?<br />
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<a href="http://jnytt.se/TShow.aspx?id=25&cat=3">Click here</a> to watch some of my best cupcake tips!<br />
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I'm off to go and prepare some cupcakes and a cake for a wedding on Saturday!<br />
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Have a great day everyone!<br />
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Love,<br />
HeidiHeidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214611079534068073.post-59361373897483709272011-06-26T14:11:00.000-07:002011-06-26T14:11:38.253-07:00Birthday blues...Birthdays are always fun! The older you get the more you should celebrate your birthdays...but many times it's not like that. Many people have terrible anxieties about getting older, which is understandable if you think that for every year that goes by you have 1 year less to live. <br />
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Put that way, it sounds really depressing! At times I look forward to growing old...having a life full of memories, both good and bad behind me to keep me content. Knowing that I've been down a road which no-one has gone, learning from the mistakes made and spreading love to those around me...<br />
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Yet, at other times, the thought of my now 2-year old son one day shooting up above me and becoming a man or my hair starting to turn grey is a daunting thought and looked forward to with a mixture of dread and anticipation. For me, the secret I think, is in how I live now...making the most of today. Today is all I have, and if I give everything to my life here and now, that's what's going to fill me up with those warm memories...<br />
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Even when life has moved many years on, being able to look back and say "I've lived the life I wanted to live. It wasn't always what I planned but somehow God has turned everything for the good", that's what I really look forward to!<br />
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I hope you are looking forward to the adventures of life and learning to live today to the full!<br />
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Happy 50th birthday, Marianne! You are loved and appreciated!Heidi W. Schmithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346897915965111536noreply@blogger.com0