When I started this blog there was a regular post series called “Soup Sunday“. Pretty soon I realized I can’t post soup every Sunday. Still my love for soup has not diminished. I love soup and eat it often – specially during winter time. So when I started cooking today my hot tomato soup with rice I had left over, I figured why not share a recipe.
When I cook soup I usually don’t do anything fancy but whip up something with ingredients I can find in the fridge and the pantry. Often times it is made of left-overs.
Soups with added rice are a childhood favorite. When I used to be sick and my mom would ask me what I’d like to eat I would always say rice soup. It was basically just some chicken broth with a few carrots and rice. I loved it.
So today I got a bit more adventures – or choose the quicker recipe.
Ingredients you need:
250 ml Tomate passata (sieved tomatoes)
250 ml water
2 tsp pesto
1/2 tps chilli flakes
salt
1/2-1 cup of cooked rice
1/2-1 cup cubed feta cheese
Pour tomato and water into a pot and start heating.
Add pesto, salt and chili flakes. Let simmer for a bit.
When close to being done add rice for three minutes.
Winter is here. At least for me. As you may know winter starts December 1 or with the first snow fall. It least in my house. The snowfall usually comes later. This year however I am somewhat caught off guard. I just haven’t gotten all the things done I felt I needed to do. I have still too much work stuff to cross off the list to enjoy the season. I can’t craft as much as I’d like to due to my arm injury and in general life just flies by. To make the most of my favorite season I wrote yet another bucket list. But let’s do a quick check-in of the fall list first:
1. ✔𝗫 Finishing #the100daysofcraftaliciousimages project. Crossed off a few days. 2. ✔𝗫 Participating in #inktober – painted twice… better than nothing 3. ✔𝗫 Participating in #NaBloPoMO again – I made it on half the days. 4. 𝗫 Sew a pencil skirt 5. ✔ Baking pumpkin muffins – so yummy 6. ✔ Take walks and enjoy the changing season. 7. ✔ Sell stuff on eBay 8. ✔ Read Dracula 9. ✔ Spending a weekend in Venice 10. ✔ Getting cozy 11. ✔ Getting started on xmas presents
Here is my winter bucket list to celebrate my favorite season.
1. Take a walk in the snowfall. Nothing better than watch the dancing snowflakes and feeling the cold air on your cheeks.
2. ✔ Go to a Christmas concert. As every year I am invited to a classical concert my godfathers wife is organizing. It will be my own personal Christmas party since I don’t work in an office anymore.
3. Get into Holiday spirit. As I said I was caught by surprise this year. So I will try to find the spirit in all the odd places.
4. ✔ Celebrate our 6. Wedding Anniversary I can not believe it’s been that long but it’s true. I feel like treating ourselves to a little anniversary trip. Maybe after seeing Helsinki for the 4th we go see Oslo now…
5. ✔ Visit Roncalli Christmas Circus My littlest sister asked to spend an afternoon together eating cookies and visiting the circus since she won’t be home for Christmas this time around.
6. Plan vacations for 2020 It’s never too early thinking about a vacation. Usually we are always too late, everything is booked and we end up doing compromises. Maybe if you start spitballing ideas now, we might go on a bigger trip coming year.
7. ✔ Unravel 2019 and find a word for 2020 I am so looking forward to Susannah Conways workbook. I think it will be year 5 I am doing it. It’s the best during the years to reflect and get focus.
8. Go ice skating I know this one makes the list every year. Hopefully it will be cold enough so the lakes are frozen and this will happen.
9. Try to catch a snowflake on camera. I always wanted to do that but never did. Hope to find the the time.
10. Spend some cozy days with Mr. ♡. He plans on a three week vacation over the holidays so I foresee lots of relaxing and movies.
11. Be kind In times where everyone runs around hectic and stressed I want to make a conscious effort to be nice. This pdf should be a good reminder.
Did you make a list for the season? I’d love to have a peek. If you need inspiration you might find it here, here and here.
Inspiration can hit you anywhere and at anytime. This years natural advent wreath is inspired by one of my autumn walks across the cemetery. It was a beautiful day, I needed to clear my head, the air was already crisp and the smell of rotten leaves drifted by. While I was listen to one of the many podcasts on my phone I was hit with this view.
I tried to remember if that tree was really a cottonwood. I remembered someone once told me that the cottonwoods are not native to Germany and Germany. And that during/after WWII US pilots dropped many seeds over Berlin to re-grow vegetation that was cut down by the population during the years of war for firewood. I was also wondering why it shed its bark. And if it is a re-grown material… how much supplies will you get. Only an idea…
Well and here we go. The squirrel in me started picking up scraps of bark and putting them in my shopping bag. I had just decided no groceries today. On top I added some hazelnuts and walked home. There I let the bag sit near a heater until advent season was just around the corner..
My initial idea was to wrap a wreath form in bark by bending it. This didn’t really work as the bark was too porous. It kept on breaking and splitting. I briefly considered wetting it as wood usually is more agreeable to be worked with but decided against it. I actually quite liked the scale-kinda-look.
Ok, let’s get started by gathering materials:
dried bark of a cottonwood tree
wreath form
glue gun and enough glue
candles
decoration
The tutorial is rather easy.
Break bake in smaller pieces.
Make sure there are not dirty or wet areas.
Glue on wreath form, The outer bark will be put on form so you will see the inside of the bark.
Once done place the candles. I decided to go with all candles close together.
Add decoration to your liking. I went with a brown golden color theme and really liked it.
That’s all you actually have to do. The most intriguing part of this natural advent wrath is the material. Most people I asked would not figure out what it was.
What is your favorite material to make an advent wreath? As you probably know I always try to figure out some new ways and rarely use fir-branches. Leave a comment and tell me about yours. It’s never to early to plan for next year.
I have said it before and I do so again: For me winter starts with Advent. Screw the metrological calendar and the date December 21. Lets start right now and compile a Winter Bucket List. They are fun. But be before we dive head on in lets have a quick look on my fall list and how I did there.
✔ Making apple sauce. with my friend and it was fun
✔Sewing a maxi skirt. A picture of me wearing it ended up on this blogpost.
✔Make a tassel necklace. Do you want to see a picture?
✔ Work on my craft lab. Well, this is semi done I’d say. Not as far as I would like but you can see progress. However I won’t manage my yearly goal I am afraid.
✔ Making a floral arrangement for Sunday of the Dead. I made two arrangements however only for my grandparents grave.
Sitting on the balcony listening to the rain.
✔ Reading more blogs and commenting. Definitely did that and commented almost daily.
✔ Enjoying a spa day with myself.
Wow I did not expect to have this much crossed of my list.
Now lets get on with the most happiest season of the years WINTER
Read a Christmas Book
suggestions welcome, could be a classic too. If I can’t find a new one I might just re-read a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Spread Random Acts of Kindness
It’s been on my list last year but it doesn’t hurt to re-activate: smiling to the cashier, meeting the postman half way, let an old lady in front of the line in the post office, etc. something like that.
Ice Skating
another one that keeps re-appearing on my list but it just hasn’t been cold enough to go on the lake. And no I don’t do ice rinks. This girl doesn’t like going in circles…
Christmas Movies
I’ve got 5 weeks to watch them all. Already put some on the watchlist. Suggestions welcome.
Cancel all appointments in December
Last year I read on someones blog that she never schedules doctors appointments or any “friends” meet-up in December. Because why, if you haven’t got time to do so all year why squeeze it in last minute. So I won’t do it. Instead have already planned it in January. If people ask to meet who are not too close – next year. Only things I do is stuff I like – spa days, hair cut, etc.
Planning next years Christmas
Mr. 🖤 and I want to spend a snowy Christmas in Lapland and trying to convince my family to join for two years now. Cabins are booked early so if we want to make it happen we need to book like right now.
Taking a photo walk
I love being out and seeing things when I have camera in hand. Somehow the view is different and I start hunting pretty scenes. The focus shifts.
Crafting
I want to sew, make jewellery and paint. But I set a goal to only use materials I have already at hand and not buy new stuff. It’s kind of cleaning up and making something pretty.
Christmas Concert
I would love to go to a concert maybe even the Christmas Oratorio. Maybe I can get my Mom to join.
Celebrate Dads 60th
It’s going to be a big celebration with it’s annual tradition.
Find a word 2019
I love to Unravel my Year and then set goals for the new one. For many years now I do so by setting a Word of the Year. Who else is doing that?
I am excited for the last month of 2018 however also a bit sad as it means I have only 4 more weeks to get everything done I set out to achieve in 2018. Now let me know if you compiled a winter list so I can steal a few items.
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.
