Half Apron

Last month I had a sewing day with LinnLinn and made a couple aprons. This is one of them (and my favorite).

After some not so extensive google searching I found a bunch of suggested patterns and liked this one the most (in no small part because it gave step by step pictures).

I'll definitely make this one again. Although, as you can see from the picture, I'm not much for ironing, so imagine it smoother.

Pigs have people eyes...

So I made it through my first week of school in Sweden, real school rather than swedish for foreigners classes. I'm taking a gardening program out at Förslunda, the bus schedule to get out there and back is absurd by the way. There are several days in my schedule where I'm either out there two hours early or (and sometimes 'also') not able to go home until two hours after class as ended. Luckily I've always been a rather self entertained person and have a stack of books that need reading.

The program has several different classes which I'm really looking forward to and a greenhouse that makes me all smiley to stand in. I went out to the farm part of the school and looked at the cows, pigs, and sheep. I learned that I have a slight desire to own a cow, something I had not previously considered about myself, and I also discovered that monstrously large pigs have very human looking eyes. I'm not sure what to make of that.

The classes are all in Swedish and I seem to be the only foreigner in the program but everyone has been really nice. With the exception of the biology class, I'm following the Swedish pretty well. I think I just need to get ahead in the biology textbook and learn the words.

I hope to get some pictures of the school up soon!

Sewing Machine Cover

This was really easy to make. I've made one before but somehow I managed to lose it. I did the first one with a big pocket on the front but I found that it was really just aesthetic since putting anything in it made the whole thing hang funny.

To make it you only need to cut two 15x23inch (38x58cm) squares. Place them faces together and sew the short sides and one long. Cut 2.5inch (6.5cm) squares out of the top corners (the ones sewn on both edges) and then pinch together and sew. Hem the bottom and you're done!

I love this fabric. I wish I had more of it.

Christmas

We had a food filled Christmas Eve with our friend Haruka over and she even made sushi. Phong and I had vegetarian meatballs in sauce, salad, deviled eggs, and potatis gratang (which is my very most favorite potato dish). Phong made a beautiful red velvet cake for dessert and LinnLinn made her super amazing gooey chocolate cupcakes. We watched Kalle Anka, Home Alone, and The Grinch (the one with Jim Carrey, though I'm thinking I need to get the cartoon one for future christmas's, since it's an american classic and it's certainly not on television around here. I'm also thinking of trying to find those old christmas claymations on dvd, the ones that are played on tv every year.)

On Christmas day we ate left overs and marathoned the super extended blue ray editions of Lord of the Rings. Phong made a sword, which was actually really impressive, and I'll try to get a picture of it. We're thinking about making it a yearly christmas tradition.

I hope everyone else had a great holiday!

Heartless Series

Where have I been lately, you might be wondering. There have been classes, sewing attempts, strange colds, and new recipes, but most importantly- I've been finishing the fourth book of Gail Carriger's five book series, The Parasol Protectorate.

 

I won't go into details because I would hate to spoil anything, but if you happen to be reading this and you haven't tried this series I really do suggest it. The books are consistently adventurous, humorous, and all around fabulous. Carriger has created an wonderfully entertaining series. Dirigibles, Stuffy Vampires, Werewolves, Mummies, and Tea. If any of that sounds interesting to you, give this series a try. The final book, Timeless, is supposed to be coming out in March 2011. As you can see above, they already have a cover.

Also, I suspect that the woman on the last two covers is the author herself. I only have her half photo in the book to go off of since I haven't actually looked into this theory, but I thought I'd note it anyway. Plus it looks like she's wearing the same outfit and hat in both covers, the colors have just been changed. Not that I'm complaining, just observing. The first cover is still my favorite.

Book Reviews

So it's been nearly forever since I last posted! I've was preoccupied by classes but am more than happy to report that I've passed those classes and am now being set free to enjoy summer! In the time since we last spoke I've read a few books.

The first of which was 'Blameless' by Gail Carriger. It's the third in a five book series. Like the previous two it was a joyful read filled with strange action, steampunk adventure, and the kind of absurd mental images that will force you to laugh aloud no matter where you happen to be or who might be around. Of course, I would suggest starting with the first book, 'Soulless'.

The second book I read was required for my swedish language course, entitled 'I taket lyser stjärnorna'. I gather that it's a roughly autobiographical retelling of the author, Johanna Thydell's, tragic youth, but honestly it was one of the worst books I've ever read. So bad, that I won't even be putting up cover art for it. I'm leaving open the possibility that I just don't appreciate teen angst in autobiographical form. The main character was incredibly unsympathetic and for the most part I just didn't understand what the author was trying to express with this book. I wanted her to make the right choices, wanted to know more about her mother, to understand better who this person was, but every page was riddled with disappointments and things left unsaid. In the end I wasn't impressed and won't be seeking out any more teen angst any time soon.

The third book was also for my swedish class but for this one I was given a list and allowed to choose. I picked Mio, min Mio by Astrid Lindgren- a dearly beloved swedish author that also wrote the Pipi Longstocking books.


It was quite the classic children’s fairytale- before anyone cared about ratings anyway. It's dark and at times quite creepy. I'd also like to note that Ms. Astrid Lindgren was using invisible cloaks long before Harry Potter came about. When I first started reading this book it had a hint of a Harry Potter vibe to it, what with the little boy being an orphan who just knew deep down that his parents couldn't have been bad people and that someone somewhere wanted him, housed by peopled that didn't like him, in a life that didn't suit him, only to find out one day that he was meant for a world of magic and wonder.
It was sweet and hopefully not the last Astrid Lindgren book I try- in Swedish of course.

The last one, which I just finished yesterday, was Twilight's Dawn by Anne Bishop. Ignore the cover art on this next one! Sometimes I really hate cover art. Luckily Ms. Bishop's books are now published in hardcover versions as well, so I can buy those and take off the dustjacket with the picture. This one was the... ninth? book in her Dark Jewel's series which I began reading back when I was starting highschool, so it's been quite a while.

I'm incredibly attached to the characters of this series, which isn't at all normal for me. I think I could be quite content if she would just continue writing books in this series for the rest of my life. It can move on to their children's lives or side characters or whatever she wants! I just hate the idea of not having another book from which to continue the life of this world she's created and sadly this last book left me feeling quite worried that Ms. Bishop intends to stop writing them. Hopefully I'm wrong... or rather, hopefully she just won't be able to stay away. I know I wouldn't be able to.

Cinnamon Buns

So these are wonderful and I hope other people get a change to try them. Unlike a lot of cinnamon bun recipes, this one doesn't need a bread machine or yeast and you don't have to wait for the dough to rise. I tried my hand at making the ingredient quantities european friendly (even though I live in Sweden I've still managed to continue using cups) so use your best judgement when you try it. Don't be afraid to make changes to recipes... they're more suggestions than rules and you know best what you're going to like in your food.

 

Ingredients

For the Dough:
(110g) 3/4 cup cottage cheese
(1,2dl) 1/2 cup milk
(0,5dl ) 1/4 cup granulated sugar
(4msk) 4 tbs unsalted butter, melted
(1tsk) 1 tsp vanilla extract
(4,5dl) 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
(1msk) 1 tbs baking powder
(0,5tsk) 1/2 tsp table salt
(0,25tsk) 1/4 tsp baking soda

Filling:
(1,4 msk) 1 1/2 tbs unsalted butter, melted
(1,6 dl) 2/3 cup brown sugar (brun farin is wonderful for this if you're in sweden)
(1,5 tsk) 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Glazing:
(1,6 dl) 2/3 cup confectioners sugar
(2-3 msk) 2-3 tbs cold milk
(1 tsk) 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees (celsius). Grease the sides and bottom of a 9 or 10 inch springform pan.
2. Blend cottage cheese, milk, sugar, melted butter and vanilla until smooth.Pour into a large bowl. In separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to liquid mixture until smooth and doughy- pour out onto floured counter and roll the dough into a rectangle.
3. For filling, brush the dough with the melted butter. Mix brown sugar with cinnamon and then sprinkle over the dough.
4. Starting from the long edge, roll the dough and use butter to press the seams. Cut the roll in half, the halves in half, and then those halves in half- you should end up with eight.
5. Arrange in pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brown.
6. For glazing, mix confectioners sugar, vanilla, and cold milk. Drizzle over rolls.