Today I grabbed my camera and went for a walk in the park and cemetery. Sometimes when I am on a photo walk a theme presents itself. Today it was “hanging on”.
Hanging on to the last bouts of fall.
Hanging on to the last hope. 
Hanging on with all it takes.
Hanging on to the last color.
Hanging on until winter is here…
Happy evening,
After being locked up for the last few days I needed to get outside today. I knew it got cold but I was still a bit surprised how cold it was. Winter was in the air. I could almost smell snowflakes but not quite yet. When I was strolling the streets I thought to myself this will be a really cold long winter. We hadn’t had those in a while. I am looking forward. Just need to get used to the cold. Cold air makes everything feel fresh and new. However when I came home I was chilled to the bone. Time for a spicy fruit punch to warm me up.
Good thing I had all the ingredients already at hand. Let me invite you for a glass and if you are not able to stop by let me share the recipe with you.
What you need:
♥ bag of homemade chai tea
♥ redcurrant juice
♥ mint
Preparations are quite simple. Boil the chai tea in water and let simmer for about 30 mins. Add approx. same amount of juice to the concoction. Heat up. Fill in glass and decorate with min leaves.
If you enjoy this recipe you might also like Kuuma Karpalomehu – Finnish Hot Cranberry Juice. Now I wander what your favourite hot drink during winter time is. Let me know so I can give it a try.
Happy winter,
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Good morning,
Once a year I invite you for a Finnish meal on my blog. We had cake and breakfast and last year some Salmon Soup. High time for a warming drink.
When we enjoyed our honeymoon in Lapland we were often served a hot drink when sitting by the fire warming up after our outdoor adventures with huskies and reindeers.
As vegetation is scarce so far up north it doesn’t surprise that there isn’t a huge variety of juices, fruits and vegetables available. It is mirrored in the food and drink choices. So besides coffee – that is served religiously – you can drink Hot Cranberry Juice everywhere. And I mean everywhere…
For me this was somewhat of a light bolt moment. I mean sure I know of hot cider and shared my recipe here but for some reason I never really thought about heating up other juices. But I really took a liking to it. Now when I drink this it takes me right back to my honeymoon, the snow covered countryside, the crystal clear air, my cold cheeks and this deep felt happiness. Come join my be making yourself a pot!
Here is my personal version of this Finnish Hot Cranberry Juice – Kuuma Karpalomehu
♥︎ 1/2 cup cranberry sirup (I used the one from here)
♥︎ 2-3 cups of water
♥︎ one bag of my homemade chai tea
♥︎ a slice of ginger
Bring water, ginger and chai tea to boil and let simmer for 30 min. Add sirup and let simmer for 5-10 min. The longer the sirup will cook the sweeter the concoction will get. I prefer spicy over sweet but adapt to your liking.
I will dream a bit more of my honeymoon, enjoy my fourth wedding anniversary and dream of more trips and vacations. And you stop by for dinner next year. I already know what I am serving.
Or please sooner I don’t mind!
Happy day to you,
I mentioned that I attended the blogst conference last weekend. One fun thing about this conference is that during coffee breaks you not only drink coffee but can craft. Because those sponsors are cool. They don’t just set up a booth no they set up crafting tables for the attendees to get creative. One of the sponsors was PonyHütchen a natural cosmetics shop from Berlin. And we were able to make our own vegan bath bombs.
It was so very simple and most all ingredients are either already in your house or are available in any grocery or drugstore. Now that does sound good right. Not only because the product really is natural if you can actually (almost) eat it. So I asked Lucie (head of marketing & Berlin store fairy) if I can share this simple DIY with you here. She said yes!
So lets get started (recipe makes two vegan bath bombs):
♥ 100 g baking soda (Natron)
♥ 50 g citric acid (Zitronensäure)
♥ 35 g corn starch (Maisstärke)
♥ 15 ml almond oil (Mandelöl)
♥ essential oils, food colors, nonpareils – optional
This is a wonderful gift idea. It could also be a cool idea for a girlfriends night. Oh the possibilities.
I’ve heard from PonyHütchen before the event but I was happy to have gotten a better idea what they are doing. I have to admit I am usually not the biggest fan of natural cosmetics. Not because I think it is not good valid cosmetics more so because of the fanatics behind it. Fortunately this was not the case it was just lots of love, enthusiasm and joy. I loved the displays they put up in the bathrooms and the packaging is so cute too. It is nice to see such a young fun brand.
After I tried their hand cream at the event – it smells amazing and makes the smoothes hands, really no joking here – I was really happy to find a sample of the deodorant cream in the goodie bag. I will give this a good try during my business trips as I like to travel with the smallest amount of weight and it comes in a tiny cute tin. I am excited how it works.
Anyhow, I just wanted to share this discovery from my weekend with you. If you are into vegan handmade cosmetics this could definitely be something for you as they do have some decorative things too. And they own an online shop for everyone not in Berlin. I am not sure about worldwide shipping though.
Now I am wondering, have you ever tried making cosmetics yourself?
Happy Tuesday,
PonyHütchen Store Berlin | Straßburger Straße 37 | 10405 Berlin
linked to creadienstag | Dienstagsdinge | Handmade on Tuesday | MMI | Freutag
It has become a bit of a tradition that I share a Finnish recipe to celebrate my anniversary. In year one we had cake, year two I shared pancakes and today I invite you for soup. Lohikeitto – Finnish Salmon Soup.
And let me say this soup is amazing! I am so glad I actually know about it. When we spent our honeymoon at the attic circle I’ve seen this soup everywhere. Unfortunately I felt sick most of the time and fish soup just didn’t sound appealing.
On our last night in Finland we slept in an ice hotel. And there Lohikeitto was served yet again. I decided to give it a try. Been angry with myself for not ordering it earlier ever since. It comes as no surprise that I immediately googled a recipe for this Finnish Salmon Soup.
You can find original recipe easily. I made my own version the other night and really enjoyed it.
You need:
♥ 1 Tbsp Ghee (you can also use regular butter or olive oil)
♥ 1 Finely chopped onion
♥ 1 sweet potatoe
♥ 1.25 litres vegetables broth (alternatively you may use fish stock)
♥ 1/2 kg fresh cubed salmon fillet
♥ 250 ml cream (use milk for a thinner soup)
♥ 1 handful finely chopped baby spinach
♥ 5 pieces Bay Leaf
♥ 5 grains of allspice
♥ 5 grains of junipers
♥ dash of sea salt
♥ dash of pepper
Lets get cooking
So can you image coming back home after a long day outdoors with freezing numb cheeks? This soup is a total game changer than. Its warm, it’s reach, it’s filling.
Let me know how you liked it.
Happy Soup Sunday,