I have an engineer <3

Sam handed in the final version of his bachelor’s thesis today and to celebrate we bought a couple of ciders & beers and you guessed it, fired up the grill

I’ve been pimping our garden ever since the snow showed the slightest signs of melting. Our latest garden feature is a small pink bucket filled with water with a fake LED-light up waterlily Sam got from his sister. It’s a little trashy-kitch but what can you do, we’re students with a quirky style

I don’t usually drink cider (I’m a beer girl) but it was such a sunny day that I thought I should make an exception and go for a fruity girly cider. Most of the fruity ciders sold in Finland taste overtly sweet and are terribly artificial, but I have to admit that there is one brand that I love and that is Rekorderlig. Even though they have fruity tastes geared towards teenage girls who want to get drunk without tasting alcohol they taste a lot less shite than other brands. I tried the strawberry-raspberry for the first time and it was good. Easy to drink, refreshing and not overtly sweet or fake tasting.

I marinated red peppers and zucchini in oil and a herbs de Provence spice mix before grilling them until soft and a ‘little’ charred (oops ).

One of the reasons I love grilling is because it makes chicken taste phenomenal. Chicken is cheap and unsurprisingly we eat a lot of it and there is nothing wrong with that. But once the chicken hits the grill our humble everyday dinner becomes something truly delicious. I marinated the chicken in soy sauce and some sugar and then grilled it until cooked through. I then brushed it with a thick and sticky soy sauce, sugar and tamarind sauce glaze. Yum

I also grilled some corn and tomatoes. I use ready cooked corn on the cob which is the only corn on the cob readily available in stores here year round. The best way to cook it is to brush the corn with oil and to grill until warm and nicely charred all over. Then I make a sauce of crushed garlic cloves and melted butter which is then brushed on the cobs right before devouring!

We ate on our patio and it was the perfect laid-back way to celebrate. Once Sam officially completes his degree we’ll have to organize a proper party but that’s to come…

-Laura

Ps. Check out my summery nail polish

Tags: beer, chicken, cider, corn, corn on the cob, dinner, grill, grilled tomatoes, grilled vegetables, grilled zucchini, grilling, recipe, Rekorderlig, zucchini

Easter lamb

I didn’t spend Easter with Satu and Riikka because I set of to Mäntyharju again to spend Easter with my family at our cottage. We traditionally spend Easter as a family because it’s a longer holiday/weekend and my dad can get off work and come visit. And it’s the perfect excuse to get together and cook a good meal.

This Easter came so late that most of the snow had melted and the weather was so nice

My dad brought us gifts in the form of food again. He brought lamb for Easter, a whole cooked beef tongue, a whole smoked eel, smoked halibut and a smoked and cured slab of BACON <3

The slab of bacon was devoured the first evening. It was great on bread and even better just on its own with a beer. Yummy!

For our Easter meal we fired up the grill and cooked some lamb and asparagus. Grilling is always a joint effort in our family Sam or my dad sets up the grill and my brother and I concentrate on the cooking whilst my mum makes the salad.

My dad brought some gorgeous New Zeland lamb chops which I marinated in olive oil, pepper, salt and loads of garlic.

My mum made a salad out of new spring cabbage. She topped it off with a generous heap of olives, feta cheese and toasted sunflower seeds.

Dad also brought a bottle of wine which made the meal complete.

Sam’s mother made some pasha ice cream which was served with mango sauce and grapes.

Going back home means catching up with all of Sam’s family too. His cousin’s children had their birthday party on Saturday and it was a fun affair. Both of Sam’s cousins have two girls plus Sam’s brother just got a little girl so birthday parties are always very pink and girly!

There were pink sugar cookies, cake, pie and lots of candy. Luckily for me there was also some savory treats like crisps and my favorite, an assortment of cheeses!

A little off topic, but I just had to put this picture of my godchild, Aino. Isn’t she adorable <3

Tags: birthday, cabbage salad, cured bacon, Easter, eggs, grilling, lamb, lamb chops, Mäntyharju, mökki, pasha, pasha ice cream, wine

Taking over Turku

Last Wednesday we decided to escape school and go on an extempore road trip to Turku. There is a bit of a rivalry between Turku and Tampere and I’ve had some terrible experiences there… But it being this year’s culture capital I decided to set prejudice aside. And really, how bad could it be with Riikka our personal Turku native as our guide

Our first stop was at one of the cities most notable landmarks, Turku Cathedral. We checked out the a free exhibition, “Viimeinen Ehtoollinen” (The Last Supper), which had art by Franchine LeClercq, Pauno Pohjolainen and Andy Warhol.

Gorgeous church organs @ Turku Cathedral.

Our next stop was at the Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova museum. The museum houses a modern art gallery (Ars Nova) and an interesting history museum/archeological dig site of medieval Turku (Aboa Vetus). Lucky for us we had student cards and a CityShoppari-card so entrance was only 5,00€ (8,00€).

Ulla Jokisalo’s Guises of Play exhibition made an impression with some creepy photos and collages using fairytale themes and the medieval ruins were really cool! Well worth the visit

After exploring medieval Turku we went back above ground and walked around the center of town wondering where to eat. Unfortunately it was a rainy day, otherwise it would have been nice  to have a picnic by the river. In the end we opted for lunch @ Cafe Brahe a well known establishment with three cafes. They’re known for their H-U-G-E pastries  which look delicious:)

I went for a chicken and sun dried tomato salad with Parmesan flakes, croutons and Caesar salad dressing. The salad was fresh and crunchy. The chicken was a little bit tough but the huge dollop of sun dried tomatoes made up for that

After the salad we had to have coffee and at least try one of the pastries. Again we used the CityShoppari-card to get a 2 for 1 deal on Cafe Brahe lattes. We decided to test the carrot cake and it turned out to be delicious! <3 Moist, flavorful and everything a carrot cake should be. Definitely worth the money!

Feeling a little naughty for skipping school we ended up making up for it in Turku as our next stop was Riikka’s old hangout, Panimoravintola Koulu (Brewery restaurant School). And true to its name the restaurant and brewery is housed in an old school house. The whole decor, atmosphere and even smell screams old school house and it was just the perfect place to sit down with a glass of beer (or cider), read the paper and chat for a few hours

I opted for their unfiltered lager Lehtori, whilst Riikka went for the cranberry cider and Satu ordered the black currant cider, all products of the brewery. The beer was OK. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t that good either, a bit of a let down. Satu’s cider was really fun. To be honest it tasted like homemade black currant juice which was not a bad thing at all. Riikka’s cranberry cider however was by far the best. It tasted like a very nice lambic, not so much like a cider and I really do like lambics <3 Can’t wait to go back to try out more of their stuff!

All in all a fun trip. Turku is officially Bacon and Friends approved!

-Laura

Tags: Aboa Vetus, Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova, Ars Nova, Cafe Brahe, carrot cake, cider, Culture Capital 2011, latte, Lehtori, Panimoravintola Koulu, salad, Turku, Turku Cathedral, Ulla Jokisalo, Viimeinen Ehtoollinen

Grandparents and doughnuts

Last week my mum came to Tampere and we visited my grandparents.  Visiting me grandparents always means being fed in excess. My grandmother loves baking and my grandfather is excellent at making good old hearty stews

We had a light lunch of Karelian pastries, smoked lamb and salad.

Of course we had to have coffee and cake too! I’m not really a fan of cake or sweet things but this cake really hit the spot.

My grandmother was eager to give me the recipe

After lunch we decided to take my grandparents to Pyyniki’s observation tower & cafe since it was such nice weather. It’s a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. The cafe is known for their excellent sugared doughnuts and views over Tampere. A highly recommended destination if you’re in town.

The cafe is small and was totally packed but luckily we found a seat! Even though they were packed the staff had it under control and were very kind I had a doughnut and a traditional apple soda from a nostalgic glass bottle.

My grandparent’s cat, the king of the house.

Tags: cat, doughnut, grandparents, lamb, observation tower, Pommac, pyynikki, salad, Tampere

ABC steak

ABC Farmarin Possu – Farmer’s Pork 11,90€

We spend a lot of our weekends driving between Tampere, Vantaa and Mäntyharju. Whilst on the road our usual stop is at ABC rest-stops. There’s usually at least one on our way, regardless of where in Finland we’re going. The service is quick, the menu has many options to choose from (pizza, burgers, steaks), the price isn’t bad and neither is the food. This month their special is the farmer’s pork which features a pork fillet, with your choice of side (potatoes/veg etc…), topped with a fried egg and BACON! For 11,90€ it’s good value for money on the go.

Tags: ABC, bacon, egg, fried egg, fries, pork, steak

Easter dinner

Satu cooked an Easter dinner for some friends on Saturday. She made us feta salad, some sort of lamb meatloaf with rosemary and garlic and oven baked vegetables. They were all really nice. I also made some meatballs with sun dried tomatos, since I new people were going to eat a lot. For dessert Satu had baked some traditional buns with quark filling! Maybe she will share the recipes with you soon..

I accidentally made this really good summery drink. I didn’t measure the ingredients, but this could be quite close:

4 cl good vodka
6 cl cranberry juice
10 cl rasperry flavoured mineral water

I didn’t have any lime, but a slice in the drink would’ve worked! Anyway, the drink was really tasty and refreshing.

Tags: dinner, Easter, lamb, meatballs

Snack Time: Salty Dog & Chocolate Bananas

Salty Dog sea salt & malt vinegar hand-cooked crisps and Casali original chocolate bananas <3

Tags: Casali, chocolate banana, malt vinegar, Salty Dog, sea salt, sea salt & malt vinegar, Snack Time