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

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