Oct
13

Happy thoughts

by Sofia   -   in Random

This week was a happy one. Filled with birthday fun and the best part is yet to come as we celebrate the 6 year old on Saturday and with extended family & god parents on Sunday. But tonight I´m going to have some “me time”. First a calligraphy course at the Paper Shop I have been waiting for forever. Then to be followed with a dinner with my girlfriends.

Here are some of my happy thoughts from this week…

These cute baby blue cashmere socks were a gift for a friend ♥. They are adorable and so soft. The sweetest socks ever! And a fantastic baby gift idea. Something the new mama perhaps would not splurge on as there are so many things to get, luxurious yet very useful every day with winter babies. 

Oct
12

The barista in me

by Sofia   -   in Cooking

It´s been a long time since I last spoke about coffee here. But a lovely lovebox delivery from Nespresso is worth a mention. They have 3 new limited edition Barista coffees. One, Barista Corto, suitable for ristrettos ( strong coffee), Barista Scuro (middle strength) for espresso macchiatos and Barista Chiaro ( the mildest one) for cappuccinos. So good!! My favourite is the Scuro. Toasted flavour with a hint of chocolate sounds about right. Perfect for an afternoon pick me up cup of coffee! My husband really likes the little bit bitter and strong Corto ( he is an espresso kind of guy) and the Chiaro that has cookies & caramel notes in it is also spot on for my morning cappuccinos. These are just natural flavours of the coffee beans used in these capsules not any added flavours.

Oct
9

Chilli Con Carne

by Sofia   -   in Cooking

When we were in London my friend had made fantastic chilli con carne for dinner on our first night. And as it is our eldest favourite food at school I figured I should try it at home. And now in just two weeks we have made it twice and it was a huge hit. Plus it´s very easy to make. The only thing it needs is some time in the stove top or oven to simmer in to perfection. And it´s worth while making a big batch as you can then heat it the next day and it´s even better.

Chili Con Carne

600g ground beef

1 onion peeled & diced

3 gloves of garlic crushed

1 tube of tomato purée

1 can/ box of crushed tomatoes

1 can/ box of kidney beans

spices ( chili/ cayenne pepper, spice cumin, salt, pepper, paprika etc. I used a ready made spice mix and then added some more.)

a dash of maple syrup

red chilli sliced thin

cilantro

creme fraiche

1. Sautee the onion and beef in a dutch oven ( pata in Finnish). Add the garlic & the rest of the ingredients and a little water. The tinned tomatoes are sometimes a bit bitter so I added a dash of maple syrup to sweeten them and you can also add a few cubes of butter to cut the bitterness.

2. Let simmer on the stove top or put in the oven at a fairly low temperature ( maybe 150-180°c). You already cooked the meat through but it gets better and tastier when simmering for a longer time. Add more water if needed.

The recipe is not very precise. You can add and subtract per your taste. I´m just painting a general line here.