Tuesday 30 October 2012

Drop in the Ocean



"We know only too well that
what we are doing 
is nothing more than
a drop in the ocean.
But if the drop were not there,
the ocean would be 
missing something."

Mother Teresa




The pictures are from the island of Møn, August 1012.

Textures: Kim Klassen Cafe
1. happy heart / elevated / grungedup
2. happy heart / organic / grungedup



kimklassencafe


Sunday 28 October 2012

Following the Leaves of the City



The sun broke through the grey, misty clouds on Thursday afternoon,
as I was biking through the city.



The bicycle paths were covered by the red and yellow leaves,
that were swirling around in the wind.



The reflections of the sun rays in the windows and the dancing leaves 
decorated the route making my tour bright and vivid.



The brances of wild vine streching up and to the sides along the red brickwall
brought  the beautiful poem of Sister Juliemarie to my mind:




Divine Vinedresser,
What lessons do branches on a vine teach?
Listen, they will tell you.

"I need to be:
well trained and
planted in drained soil.
Dig deeper the planting hole.



Place me in full sunlight and
let me lean on a trellis;
If not, since I am a creeper,
I will run wild and wind around anything convenient.




Prune me in the dormant season.
Make sure I remember always I am a branch, not the vine.
Follow these lessons and I will produce delicious fruit."


Sister Juliemarie Mc. Donald




The leaves are changing color to bright & yellow,
they're falling off and flying around,
painting the city to a beautiful patchwork quilt.
If the branches were holding on tightly to the leaves, not letting them fall off,
this beautiful patchwork would't decorate the ground.




Sometimes we may be holding on to something tightly
instead of letting it go.
As long as the branches are a part of the tree,
they will blossom again.
The spring will come and new buds will arise.
Following the leaves of the city 
reminded me of the importance of both
 holding on and letting go.







Ni Hao Yall

lorik art 
Nurture Photography - Autumn 2012 Photo Challenge

Carrot Pineapple Muffins with Pumpkin Pie Buttercream Frosting



I was baking these yummy muffins first time last week on our Fall Break. As the sweet and spicy aroma of the muffins arose from the oven, our boys came to the kitchen wanting to know, what was it that smelled So Good?!

Pineapple and carrots makes these muffins plummy and the pumpkin pie buttercream crowns them with the most delicate frosting. I was wondering what the pumpkin pie spice is all about as I read this recipe from the Vanilla Bean Baker. I was hoping that I might get this pumpkin spice either from the English Shop or from the U.S. store in downtown - But Paula, the author in the Vanilla Bean Baker, was able to help me with the recipe of the pumpkin pie spice - Thank you Paula!

In case there is someone else who doesn't have a recipe to the pumpkin pie spicemix, I will share her recipe here:

Pumpkin Pie Spice:

2 tablespoons of Cinnamon
1 teaspoon of Nutmeg
2 teaspoon of Ginger
1 teaspoon of Allspice
1 teaspoon of Cloves
  • Place all spices together in a small bowl and whisk together until all combined. Store in an airtight container.



You will find the recipe to these delicious Carrot Pineapple Muffins here.
The recipe made 12 medium sized muffins and a small cake - 9 cm x 22 cm / 4 inches x 9 inches.




Serenity you

Wednesday 24 October 2012

The Routines of Everyday life


The daily routines have established our everyday life again after the Fall Break.
Alarm clock. Tea. Breakfast & preparing pack lunches. Work. Preparing dinner, cleaning the kitchen, tea ...

The daily routines facilitate our everyday life - releasing resources to decicion making, reflection and other activities. Sometimes, when our mind is occupied elsewhere, the daily routines can take over as"an autopilot". This happened to me once while I was on my way to work. I had an appointement in a kindergarten on a Monday morning. I was thinking about something while I was driving the car. It was only after I had parked the car that I recognized, that I had parked the car on the parking lot of the school, where I usually have appointements on Mondays - instead of driving to the kindergarten! Fortunately I had time to drive to the kindergarten, so I didn't miss the appointement!

This week has been an exception to the normal routines at work due to a 3-days course. As I entered the lecture hall  I was greeted by a former fellow student, whom I haven't met in 6 years! It was nice to catch up and to make some of the exercises in the course together.

Another exception to the daily routines is the fact that this week I've been able to drive a bike instead of driving car. The chilly air (due to the car exhaust I can't boast about fresh air) and biking 40 min. outddoors has been good.

In recent years the "footrest"-supports has been appering in the traffic light junctions of Copenhagen. Cyclists can rest their right foot on the support while waiting for the traffic light to change.


A footrest: "Hi biker - Rest your foot here"


These footrests are a part of the cycling promotional campaign, together with the widening of the bicycle paths in some parts of the city (an effort to avoid biking traffic drops):

 


...  A few wandering thoughts on a Wednesday evening about the daily routines. It seems that it's allready been a while since the Fall Break, even though it is just 3 days away  - Maybe because of the familiar routines of everyday life?

Wishing you a great week &
A warm welcome to all new followers!

Saturday 20 October 2012

Evening in the Tivoli Gardens



The sun was about to set as we entered Tivoli Gardens. 
Lanterns, pumkins and other beautiful decorations 
gave a bit of a magical, fairytale-like atmosphere.




The air was filled with delicious and spicy scents
coming from numerous small food booths.
We enjoyed a late supper at the bagel booth...




... followed by a delicate sweet treat - chocolate off course!





Bows and arrows captured the attentions of the boys.
Their arrows in the yellow circle in the middle
 released two sets of dracula teeth :)







The Town Hall bells were ringing nine times 
as we were making our way back home
after an eventful and cozy evening
in the Tivoli Gardens.









Ni Hao Yall

LorikArt 

Serenity you

Friday 19 October 2012

Couscous Salad with Grilled Vegetables


In the autumn I prefer the salads to be a bit more filling and juicy than in the summertime. This couscous salad with grilled vegetables has become one of our favorites this fall!

Grilled zucchini, eggplant and peppers give a luscious consistence while lemon, leeks and pomegranate adds sweet and sour flavors. Moreover, the cooked vegetables are easier to digest than the raw - so the salad is gentle to the stomach as well.

I have adapted this recipe from Claus Meyers book Salatværksted.


Ingredients (6 servings)

Couscous

200 g whole grain couscous (couscous consists of pre-cooked durum wheat)

1.5 dl of water (0,8 cups)
a pinch of sea salt

Grilled / sauteed vegetables
1 eggplant
1 courgette
2 bell peppers
olive, canola or some other oil for frying
pinch of salt
1 pomegranate (I replaced the sugar from the original recipe with a pomegranate sugar - you can also sweeten the salad with honey, acacia syrup, or even grapes) 


Other ingredients:
1 clove of garlic
1 dl leeks, chopped (0,5 cups)
4 tomatoes or 8 cherry tomatoes, diced
Juice of 1 lemon (and zest - if you want to use the lemon zest, I recommend using organic lemons)
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch of fresh herbs to taste (mint, coriander, parsley etc.)





Instructions:

Couscous

  • Put the couscous grains in a flat-bottomed bowl, boil water and pour it over the couscous grains. The grains should be covered with water.  Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or a plastic wrap and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. 
  • Fluff the couscous with a fork.
Grilled vegetables
  • Cut the eggplant and the zucchini lengthwise into slices. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on the slices and let it sit for 20-30 min. 
  • Wipe the liquid from the surface of the vegetables liquid with a kitchen towel. 
  • Cut the peppers cut into strips. 
  • Sauté / grill vegetables on a pan in hot oil.
  • It is important that the eggplant cook is sauteed until well cooked, soft and smooth. 
  • When the vegetables are slightly cooled, cut them into cubes.

  • Chop garlic into pieces. 
  • Dice the tomatoes.      
  • "Peel" the pomegranate - remove the seeds of a pomegranate.
  • Finely chop the herbs. 
  • Grate a little lemon zest if you wish, and a squeeze the lemon juice      
  • Stir in garlic, tomatoes, herbs, pomegranateseeds, lemon juice and zest together.
  • Add the vegetables and stir the remaining ingredients together. Taste,add salt if necessary.

Couscous salad tastes delicious served both warm and cold & keeps for a few days in a refrigerator.


Bon Appetit!




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