Vibrant Serenity

A Summer-y Summary

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 09:39:00 +0000

Hey y'all! I'm sure many of you have noticed, I've not been posting lately. Part of that is laziness, part of it is me being busy, and then another part is my brain is ready for vacation!

We leave in 8 days to go back to Texas for a month, and I am stressed about getting ready for the trip, but I'm still excited to go back home. I can't believe it's been over a year since I've seen my friends and family in Texas!

Friday, June 15th was my Dad's birthday. My brother and his wife gave him the ultimate birthday present.

This is the newest addition to the family, Drayson.

Here's my brother with his boys, Drake and Drayson.

We've also had several BBQs

and I went to a cocktail party

We've cooked an array of different foods.

We've also been to school, gone shopping, stopped to see the flowers, watched the spiders, and tried to get rid of the wasps, had blood drawn, enjoyed the summer fruits, and learned to dress ourselves.

Well, at least one of us knows how to dress.

We have stayed up too late, and slept in as long as possible, had terrible bed head, consumed plenty of coffee, and made sure to not skip meals. We've worked out, hung out with the kids, and played games with Mormor.

I even had my 1st bloggerversary, which I never got to celebrate!

All in all it's been a rather busy month.

I expect it to be even busier over the summer, so I will probably be pretty scarce until mid August-September. If you would like to see what I'm up to, I regularly post pictures on my Twitter or Instagram, and my personal Facebook account. I'd love for you to come follow me!

I hope y'all have a wonderful summer! I'll be dropping by when I can!

Stuffed Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 May 2012 19:28:00 +0000

Last week, I was trying to think of something different to do with my sad chicken breasts. I perused the fridge to see what I could come up with, and found some low fat prosciutto, spinach, and feta. I set out to bring a little excitement to my dinner.

It was a delicious success!

I shared the Instagram picture on my person Facebook page, afterwards, and had several recipe requests. So, I decided to make it again for dinner last night and share the recipe with everyone.

Stuffed Chicken
serves 1

1 chicken breast
1 tablespoon cream cheese
2 tablespoons crumbled feta
1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
3-5 asparagus spears (1 small handful spinach, chopped)
3 strips prosciutto
1 wooden skewer cut in half (or 2 toothpicks)

To begin, mix together the cheeses, chives, garlic, and spinach (if using).

Then, butterfly the chicken breast and pound it thin.

Evenly spread cheese mixture on top the the chicken, covering as best you can. Top with asparagus spears.

Roll the chicken up tightly, wrap it with the prosciutto strips, and secure with skewers or toothpicks.

Place in a foil lined roasting pan and bake in a 400F/200C pre-heated oven for about 25 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Remove and let sit for a few minutes.

And last but not least, enjoy!

*If you're wondering, this recipe needs no added salt, unless you really love salty food.

Better Than Caesar Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 May 2012 07:42:00 +0000

Because of the warmer summertime weather we've had here in Denmark, I've been enjoying a lot of BBQ's and salads. Temps have been hanging out around 82-ish Fahrenheit/28-ish Celsius. For those of you who don't know, that's hot for this country. Add on the fact that Danes don't do A/C or ceiling fans, and life can be a bit miserable when you have to turn an oven on.

Today I'm sharing with you my Better Than Caesar Salad.

For those of you who are new around here, I'm not one to follow a recipe very well. I add and subtract various ingredients and amounts whenever I feel like it. I love to experiment in the kitchen, and this salad is a perfect specimen. When I set out to make the Better Than Caesar, I didn't even have a specific flavor I wanted to achieve, I just wanted a good hearty salad. It all just came together organically. So, here's the 'recipe' and I hope you will try it and enjoy it as much as I did.

Better Than Caesar Salad

Salad:
Romaine lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
Green onions (whites and light greens only), thinly sliced
Zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced fairly thin
Raw peas, shelled
Sun dried tomatoes
Marinated mushrooms

Dressing:
Lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan cheese
Olive oil* - see note

I'm not giving specific amounts to the ingredients, I am confident that you are a better judge of your appetite than I am. I feel the same about the dressing ingredients, some people like a lot of salt, others want no salt. I am a firm believer in seasoning to taste!

*I will tell you though, If using marinated mushrooms (which I will provide my 'recipe' below) you will not need to add any extra oil for the dressing. Unless, of course, you like to get crazy and have a little salad in your olive oil soup. Who am I to criticize?

The easiest method to making this salad is to start in a big bowl, something big enough to hand toss the salad. I always start with my leafy greens on bottom and the move to the heavier items on top, because everyone knows the heavy stuff will sink to the bottom.

After you get the salad in the bowl add the dressing ingredients. Go easy on the salt, you can always add more later. Then just toss it all together with your fingers, making sure everything is evenly coated and the salad ingredients are well distributed.

Marinated Mushrooms:

Mushrooms (any kind will work, if they're small, use whole if they're huge, quarter them)
Extra Virgin Olive oil - the higher the quality oil, the better
Herbs, Spices, etc... (The batch I used on the salad contained fresh garlic, fresh crushed basil leaves, sun dried tomatoes, and crumbled feta.)

In a seal-able food storage container, add mushrooms, followed by herbs/spices/etc...

Once everything is added cover with olive oil. You can fill the oil to the top if you wish, I usually fill it about 1/3 - 1/2 full and rotate my mixture every few hours.

The mushrooms are best after marinating overnight , but can of course be eaten sooner.

After using the mushrooms, you can re-use the seasoned oil for another batch, as well.

Oh, and remember, these need to stay refrigerated!

Joanniel Creations Winner's Choice Winner

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:45:00 +0000

We have a winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations Lulu!

If you didn't win, don't worry! Jo will be back in the fall with some fresh new designs.

Jalapeño Ginger Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:36:00 +0000

This recipe is a fast, easy, healthy way to make some exciting chicken! I could seriously eat this every day for 2 weeks and not be tired of it.

I think it would work great as fajitas too! (If anyone tries before I get to, let me know how they turned out.)

Jalapeño Ginger Chicken
serves 2

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thawed if using frozen)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 teaspoon honey (or about 6-10 drops of liquid stevia)
1-2 tablespoons lime juice
1 jalapeño
1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated (about 2 tablespoons)

Start by removing the veins and seeds from your jalapeño, unless you like the added kick, like I do.

After you've gutted the pepper, cut it up onto small, uniform pieces; because I left my pepper intact, I just sliced it into thin rings.

Once the pepper is cut, add it and the remaining ingredients into a plastic bag, making sure to mix well and refrigerate for 30 minutes, up to 4 hours. (Any more and the acid from the lime juice will break down the chicken too much.)

Remove chicken from refrigerator and let come to room temperature while you pre-heat the oven to about 400F/200C.

Remove chicken breasts from plastic bag and wrap each breast in a foil packet.

When the oven is at 400F/200C place the foil packets on a roasting pan or directly on the rack and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until juices run clear and chicken is done.

Remove from oven, and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Next time, I will be sharing my recipe for the roasted vegetables I made to go along with this chicken dish.

Giro d'Italia

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:39:00 +0000

Last week, Denmark hosted the first stage of Giro d'Italia, and the towns were painted pink, literally.

Photos taken by my friends: Amanda and Shrabony

Over in my neck of the woods, the Gågade (walking street/shopping street) was filled with people. On the Church Square, there was an International Market, a free brunch, and a performance by Jasonitterne, Odin Theatre's Italian "friendship" troupe. They also had shopping, kayaking, spinning, and rappelling.

Photos taken by me

The Giro d'Italia riders arrived around 4:30 on Sunday afternoon, but I was far too short to see them! Thankfully, I have a very tall husband, and he loved me enough to get some video of the riders passing through.

Here is the first, small group of riders passing through.

Followed by the second, larger group about 2-3 minutes later.

The race was a nice end to a rather long, busy, weekend.

Giveaway from Joanniel Creations -Raffelcopter

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 04 May 2012 08:38:00 +0000

I've got another awesome giveaway from Jo over at

Jo is getting ready to close her shop for the summer and everything is on sale!

She's got something for every woman, from earrings, to rings, necklaces, and even hair pins! She has some beautiful pieces and her inventory is always fresh.

Jo has decided to give one of my readers the opportunity to pick ANY one item in her shop.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:47:00 +0000

Just stopping by quickly to let y'all know I have another awesome giveaway starting tomorrow from Joanniel Creations. She's having a summer closeout sale going on now and the giveaway winner will get to choose 1 of ANY item in her shop! So I will see you tomorrow!

Sorry I've been away again, Hans' morfar (mother's father) passed away this past Saturday. The funeral is today, and I'm planning for things to be a bit more normal tomorrow.

Oven Roasted Parmesan Zucchini Bites

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:46:00 +0000

This is a super simple and tasty way to eat your veggies.

I am seriously addicted to them!

Oven Roasted Parmesan Zucchini Bites

serves: 4, or 1 very hungry person

2 small-medium zucchinis (about 500 grams)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic or onion powder

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (about 25 grams)

Preheat oven to 400F/200C.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut zucchini into strips about the size of a steak fry and place them on your baking sheet.

Spray or brush with olive oil. (A sprayer works best because you can coat more with less.)

Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder (if 1 teaspoon each is not enough, adjust to your taste).

Add Parmesan cheese to the top and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until cheese has browned.

Let cool about 3-5 minutes and eat them all up!

Nutritional Value:

Per serving:

46.9 calories

2.04 grams of fat

1.08 grams of saturated fat

3.9 grams of protein

2.6 grams of carbohydrates

0.05 grams of sugar

1.38 grams of fiber

...or if you want to eat the whole thing

187.75 Calories

8.15 grams of fat

4.33 grams of saturated fat

15.63 grams of protein

10.3 grams of carbohydrates

0.23 grams of sugar

5.5 grams of fiber

Linking up here:
Simple Living
A Glimpse Inside

Avocado Egg Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 05:19:00 +0000

After eating too many of the cookies I made, I decided I needed make up for all those empty calories with something much healthier. I may be biased, but this was definitely the best egg salad I've ever had!

Avocado Egg Salad
4 Servings

4 large (about 50 grams each) hard boiled eggs, peeled
1 large (about 100 grams), ripe avocado
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon lime juice

Halve avocado, remove seed, and scoop the 'meat' into a small bowl.

Add lime juice and spices.

Smash together all ingredients until you have a chunky, applesauce-like consistency.

Take hard boiled eggs and tear into small pieces that are similar in size.

Add eggs to the avocado mixture and stir to combine.

Nutritional Value:

104 calories
8.2 grams of fat
1.7 grams of saturated fat
6.2 grams of protein
2.6 grams of carbohydrates
.25 grams of sugar
1.8 grams of fiber

Serve on rice cakes with fresh baby spinach and tomato slices for a healthy, but filling lunch, with only 45 calories more per serving!

Linking up here:
Michelle's Tasty Creations and Crafty Ideas
Be Different Act Normal
While He Was Napping
I ♥ Naptime
C.R.A.F.T.
Craft-O-Maniac
Naptime Creations
Simple Living
A Glimpse Inside

Homemade Chocolate Lofthouse-Style Sugar Cookies with Frosting

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:48:00 +0000

If you're on Pinterest then chances are, you have seen all of the Lofthouse copycat recipes. Most of them are exactly the same, a few call for salt while others dot not. I looked at the recipe for Soft Sugar Cookies over at The Novice Chef and decided I could make the same cookies for my Husband's birthday.

Since my husband is a chocolate whore (pardon my language), I decided to see if I could find a recipe for chocolate Lofthouse-style sugar cookies. I was very surprised to see that there weren't any. So, I decided to wing it.

Homemade Chocolate Lofthouse-Style Sugar Cookies with Frosting

Yield: about 4 dozen cookies

For the cookies:
6 cups (596 grams) all purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups (84 grams) cocoa powder, unsweetened
1 cup (229 grams) butter, at room temperature
2 cups (383 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (181 grams) light sour cream

For the frosting:
1 cup (229 grams) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 cups (130-260 grams) powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened
6 tablespoons heavy cream
Sprinkles (Optional, but fun!)

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk 5 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the flat beater attached, cream the butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, as needed.
**If you aren't fortunate enough to own a stand mixer, like myself, Using the regular beaters on a hand mixer, cream together ingredients.

Add the eggs, one at a time beating until each is incorporated.

Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat at low speed until combined.

Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
**If this proves difficult with a hand mixer, switch to dough hooks.

Dough should be the right consistency for rolling, so add additional flour, about 1/4 cup at a time, until this is achieved (up to 1 cup more flour).

Divide dough into two sections. Flatten into rectangles about 1 1/2 inches thick and wrap with plastic wrap.

Chill in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours or overnight, do not skip this step.

After the dough has chilled, remove from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 425F/218C.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.

Generously dust a work area and rolling pin with a mixture of flour and cocoa powder.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness.

Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet.

Bake for 7-8 minutes.

Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

For the frosting:
To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla.
**Again, use a hand mixer with regular beaters if you lack a stand mixer.

Slowly beat in cocoa powder, followed by powdered sugar.

Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired spreading consistency is achieved.

Once cookies have cooled completely, frost and add sprinkles.

Let frosting set and store in an air-tight container, allowing cookies sit overnight before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

Linking up here:
A Glimpse Inside
Someday Crafts
Ginger Snap Crafts
Michelle's Tasty Creations and Crafty Ideas
Be Different Act Normal
While He Was Napping
I ♥ Naptime
C.R.A.F.T.
Craft-O-Maniac
Naptime Creations

Strawberry Shortcake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 06:48:00 +0000

My brain is STILL on summer, even after waking up to a temperature of 23F/-5C! Perhaps I'm just trying to will summer to Denmark, or maybe it's because we've booked our flights back home for June/July. Either way, I'm ready for some heat! Of course, I will be eating those words come June/July when I am melting in the hot Texas sun.

The other day, Hans and I came across a kilo (2.2 pounds) of huge, fresh strawberries for 40kr. ($7). Not a bad price at all, around here. As soon as I saw them, in all their glory, I had to make some strawberry shortcake.

Last night, we had an early dinner and afterwards I put Hans to work hulling and slicing strawberries while I worked on the shortcake.

There are so many different versions of strawberry shortcake out there, but the one I am most familiar with is a sweetened biscuit-like dough.

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberries:

2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) strawberries, hulled and quartered

9 drops liquid Stevia (or 3 tablespoons of sugar)

Mix strawberries with liquid Stevia (or sugar, if using) and let macerate in the refrigerate, at least 30 minutes.

Cake:

4 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

15 drops of liquid Stevia (or 5 tablespoons of sugar)

2.5 teaspoon salt

2 cups skim milk

1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400F/218C.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

Add liquid Stevia (or sugar), milk, and heavy cream.

Mix until just combined.

Place mixture in lightly greased 9X13 pan and bake until golden, about 25 minutes.

Remove shortcake from pan and place on a rack to cool slightly.

Cut cake into 12 pieces and split each piece in half horizontally.

Spoon some of the strawberries with their juice onto each shortcake bottom.

Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and then the shortcake top, followed by more whipped cream and strawberries.

Whipped Cream:

3 cups heavy cream, chilled

9 drops liquid Stevia (or 3 tablespoons sugar)

2 teaspoons vanilla (or almond extract)

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (optional)

Using a mixer, beat together all ingredients, until soft peaks form - about 2 minutes. (5-7 minutes is using a reduced fat whipping cream.)

Bruschetta with Lemon and Rosemary Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:56:00 +0000

This is a super simple, throw together meal, that is full of flavor!

Here in Denmark we got a taste of spring last week, too bad it didn't last very long. This week it's been flirting with freezing during the day, and dropping a bit below at night, but my brain is stuck on warm, sunny, summers.

Yesterday while grocery shopping, I made the executive decision to have a light summer time meal. After my husband denied me sushi, I decided that bruschetta would be a nice alternative.

For those of you who like measurements, I apologize in advance. This recipe has no measurements, it's all about how strong (or mild) you like it.

Bruschetta:

6-10 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

1-2 medium onions, quartered (I used white, but red/purple onions are fabulous in this)

10 + Roma tomatoes, diced (or you can cheat and add canned tomatoes)

a lot of fresh basil, I used about 1 cup chopped - just gave my basil plants a badly needed haircut

lemon juice, about 1/2 - 1 lemon's worth

1 glug or so of olive oil +1/4 cup or so reserved

1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese (fresh is best, but the stuff in a can works fine)

crumbled feta cheese (more or less to taste)

salt & pepper to taste (always wait until Parmesan and feta have been added before adding salt)

1-2 french baguettes (or more)

herb mix (I used Greek seasoning)

Turn oven on to broil.

Add garlic to your food processor (or mince by hand). After it's minced, reserve about 1/3 for later.

Toss in the onions and mince, followed by the tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, cheeses, and basil. Check flavor and season as needed.

Transfer mixture into a bowl and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, but a few hours is even better.

Combine the reserved olive oil, garlic, and about a tablespoon or so of the herb mix in a small bowl.

Set aside.

Slice your baguettes thinly on the diagonal and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer.

Brush on your oil mixture, making sure to cover the bread well, but not drenching. *Optional - you can add feta or Parmesan to the bread before baking.

Pop in the oven for about 5-10 minutes, paying close attention that you don't burn your bread.

Remove from oven and let cool.

To serve, top each bread slice with a heaping spoonful of bruschetta mixture.

Lemon and Rosemary Chicken:

1 chicken breast per person, cut into fillets or chunks

a few glugs (yes it's a word) of olive oil

lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon for 1 breast)

1-2 teaspoons dried rosemary per breast (fresh is always better)

1 teaspoon or so of pepper per breast (black, white, pink - your choice - all work well)

Mix spices, chicken, lemon juice, and oil together and let marinate for about 30 min.

Heat a skillet (or frying pan....I'm a Texan, we say skillet.) on high heat, and reduce to med-high.

Add chicken and stir-fry until cooked through, about 5-10 min.

Bad Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:06:00 +0000

Yeah, that's me.

I've been such a terrible blogger lately. It's not that I don't have anything to write about, I've got a lot of things I could post about. I guess I've just been a bit lazy. I've been busy with life, and I've neglected my laptop for a while. Recently, I've probably spent no more than an hour a day online.

I am going to blame spring for this.

There is something about heat and sun that makes me want to get off my rear and get things done. By the way, I use the term heat loosely. Denmark is not well known for it's high temps. I don't think we've even hit 60F/15C, yet.

Hopefully with the cooler, more dreary weather coming this week, I will get some blog posts written. I've got a few recipes to share, as well as some randomness, and I even hit up Ikea yesterday. I love how you can buy a rug for $27 (149DKK) and a runner for $11 (59DKK). I returned home with a lot of stuff, and plans to purchase even more when I go again in May.

I hope you're all having a great week!

I promise to return soon, weather permitting.

Joanniel Creations Giveaway Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 08:45:00 +0000

I am thrilled to see we had so many entries! Unfortunately, we could only have 1 winner.

The winner of this Photo Art Keychain

from Joanniel Creations is:

Maegan M.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations, Maegan! I'll send you an email.

Raspberry Lemonade Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:27:00 +0000

I am a pretty good cook, most of the time. However, when it comes to baking, I suck. It's not that I am a bad baker, but I am awful at making it look pretty. I guess I just have a knack for making foods look 'rustic' aka ugly.

Today's fine example is this delicious, yet ugly Raspberry Lemonade cake.

Want another view?

Yeah.

Underneath this layer of ugliness is an amazing cake, perfect for spring and summer!

This view is a bit better.

I decided on a whim to make it for some friends the other day, and it was a HUGE hit. There were 7 people who ate this cake and it was all gone in one day.

Cake:

2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons (7 grams) baking powder

1 teaspoon (6 grams) salt

1/2 cup (115 grams) butter

1 1/4 cups (250 grams) white sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon (5mL) vanilla extract

1 cup (235mL) buttermilk

2 tablespoons (12 grams) grated lemon zest

Filling:

1/2 - 1 cup (about 250 grams) raspberry jam

Frosting:

4 cups (480 grams) confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup (115 grams) butter, softened

2 tablespoons (30mL) fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons (4 grams) grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons (30mL) milk

1 6oz. (200 grams) package cream cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F/175C.

Grease two 8 inch pans, and line with parchment paper.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy for about 3-5 minutes.

Beat in the eggs one at a time and stir in the vanilla.

Add in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pans on wire racks for about 10-20 minutes.

After cooling enough to handle invert onto wire racks to cool completely.

Frosting:

In large bowl, beat together confectioners' sugar, butter, lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth.

Beat in milk and cream cheese, increase speed and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

To assemble:

Place 1 layer, on a serving plate and Spread the raspberry jam on top.

Add the second layer, and spread with enough frosting (about 1/3 of the frosting) for a crumb coat.

Refrigerate cake for at least 30 minutes, before frosting the whole cake. (This will help the crumb coat to set and allow the second coat of frosting to be applied smoothly.)

Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting, and refrigerate cake until serving time.

This cake was the ugliest success I've ever had.

I didn't lighten this one up in any way, but I will work on that and post the lighter version, complete with calories.

Hope y'all have having a great week!

International Baby Shower

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:48:00 +0000

I don't know a single American who doesn't know what a baby shower is, but in Denmark it's a whole new ball game.

Many Danes don't even know what a baby shower is. Here it's regarded as bad luck to shower the soon-to-be mother with gifts. Instead, Danes wait until after the birth. Then, they have their babies baptised in the Danish Church. The Danish baptism is a cross between an American baptism and a baby shower. Guests shower the new baby (and at times the baby's siblings) with gifts of toys, clothing, and various other things like play mats and bedding.

This past weekend, Hans and I attended a baby shower hosted by our Australian friend and her Danish husband for our Japanese friend.

The house was filled with people from Denmark, Sweden, Holland, India, Japan, Australia, England, Germany, and of course myself, the American.

We had cakes, cupcakes, cookies, buns, vegetable sticks, pretzels, and several different kinds of beverages.

Sarah made a red velvet cake and cupcakes, and I made Cowboy Cookies and zucchini cake. It was a mass sugar consumption day!

Sarah and Dennis' bacon and cheddar cheese buns.

We played a few baby shower games.

Melanie and Demelza hid their answers under Mel's shirt, so they could move about without anyone stealing their answers.

Hans was totally lost trying to fill in the blanks on the nursery rhymes.

I stopped taking pictures long enough to help Hans with his nursery rhymes.

After the baby shower games, Hans brought out a travel version of Danish Trivial Pursuit.

It took us about 2 hours to finish a whole 5 rounds, but in the end I think Edward and Dennis were the winners!

Though I was exhausted and stuffed full of sugar by the time we got home, I had a blast.

I am very thankful to have all of these people in my life!

How was your weekend?

Giveaway from Joanniel Creations -Raffelcopter

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:15:00 +0000

I've got another giveaway to share with y'all from my friend Jo over at

I'm so excited!

Jo's got a lot of new items in her shop that are perfect for your spring and summer wardrobes, like these hand antiqued turquoise and swarovski crystal earrings.

Or how about these gorgeous silver starfish earrings?

I'm totally in love with these hand painted turquoise earrings of hers, as well.

Jo's jewelry is always beautiful and affordable, and I am a HUGE fan!

Today, we are mixing it up a bit. Instead of giving away jewelry you can wear, I am giving away jewelry for your keys.

(Photo edited to reduce glare, color doesn't 'pop' as much in person.)

This item is a photo art key chain/key fob.

It has a nickel toned metal heart shaped key ring, and a bird art decorative glass dome in a silver plated setting.

The heart key ring and the bird art dangle are both approximately 1 inch in diameter. The whole piece is about 2 inches long.

Retail value $12.99 USD.

(Photo edited to reduce glare, color doesn't 'pop' as much in person.)

Ends Saturday, March 17th, 2012 and is open to everyone, worldwide.

Make sure to view the Terms and Conditions (at the bottom of the Raffelcopter widget) for more information on this giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Leap Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:38:00 +0000

So, it's already the last day of February. I can't believe how fast this month has passed! Every day I sit down to write at least one post, and every day I feel so overwhelmed by everything I want to say.

This may be a long post, so bear with me.

First of all, I am going to be an aunt again. My oldest, little brother's wife is having a boy, due June 24th. I've known about this since October, but didn't think to mention it, until they found out the sex of the baby. They were hoping for a girl, and even telling Drake he was having a sister.

We spent Valentine's Day doing nothing, absolutely nothing. The Following Thursday we had Hans' parents over for a 3 course, candlelit dinner. (I apologize that most of the pictures are from my phone and a bit fuzzy.)

Hans' parents brought me some snowdops from their yard

and some gorgeous tulips, that made me realize spring was almost here.

I've also been moving/changing/replacing furniture in our living/dining room.

The arrangement with the new TV is working out well. The sideboard/buffet/skænk is working out perfectly...I'm just itching to paint it and replace the hardware.

I also bought a bookcase. I really needed a place to store our ever-growing book collection, as well as display a few things. We got it for a steal at 250kr. ($45). The woman we bought it from paid 2000kr. ($364) when she bought it new, about a year and a half ago.

I finally replaced the old coffee table. It wasn't that I didn't like it, I just wanted something a little 'cleaner' and something much smaller. We bought the smaller of the two Lack Coffee Tables at Ikea, and I think it is perfect.

I also added some curtains, which I need to get creative an re-hang them. Right now they look like they're at a bit of an angle. That's because they are. When the warmer weather comes, I won't be able to open my windows unless I take the curtains down everytime. For now, I'm still trying to figure out how I should re-hang them.

Now that I've got most everything a little more cohesive, I am working on some wall art, that I am excited to share, and those pillows on my sofa will be getting a small facelift. No, I'm not quite talented enough to make my own pillowcases. Yet. However, I have purchased some, and I am hoping they will fit into my re-vamped living area.

If only I had a curtain or screen to hide Hans' corner. Maybe one day when I hit the jackpot I will remove all the furniture (and his desktop monitor) and replace it with something a bit more modern.

What do you think?

A Trip to Sjelborg

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:33:00 +0000

About a week and a half ago, Hans and I went to visit his brother (and family) at a summer house they had rented in Sjelborg, a small town/village outside of Esbjerg.

The drive was beautiful, the skies were blue, the sun was shining, and the wind was nowhere to be found.

The frost on the trees was absolutely gorgeous! (Too bad we were driving too fast for me to get a good picture.)

Unfortunately, my foot was all messed up when we were there, so I didn't get to walk down to the beach, but judging from Jonas' face, it was mighty cold down there.

After all the excitement of jumping on the trampoline and going down to the beach, Jonas was ready to play cars with me,

and judging by this picture, Hans was ready to take a nap.

February in A Nutshell

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:27:00 +0000

I can't believe how fast this month has gone by! Since I last posted I have traveled, celebrated, and payed not one, but two visits to the doctor. I've been taking pictures along the way, which I am planning to post over the next few days.

Today, we will start with why I had to go see the doctor, twice.

Sunday, February 5th, I awoke from a nap with a sore foot. It was similar to the feeling of sleeping through the night with your arm extended and hanging over the edge of the bed.

I didn't think much of it until Monday morning when I got out of bed, stood up and quickly sat back down saying a few choice words as my brain struggled to comprehend what had happened. I couldn't put any weight on my right foot. I managed to hobble to the bathroom and then to the sofa. Once I got to the sofa I did what anyone would do, I took a picture and posted it to Facebook.

By Tuesday, I couldn't handle the pain anymore and went to the doctor. My doctor was not there, so I saw his partner who decided it was gout. He gave me 2 Prednisone tabs (because I am allergic to NSAIDs) and a prescription of Tramadol. Told me to ice it and elevate it and sent me home. I disagreed with his diagnosis and went against his advice. Because of the pain, I HAD to wrap it in an elastic bandage. The compression helped tremendously. (That is also one of the many reasons I disagree with his diagnosis.)

The next day, it was beginning to look a little better.

The swelling had gone down a bit and the Prednisone did wonders for the inflammation. The Tramadol was taking the edge off, but I was still in a lot of pain. I could put a little more weight on it, but not much.

By the third day, the inflammation was mostly gone. I figured everything was on the mend. I was in less pain, the swelling on the top of my foot was decreasing, and I was able to walk, with my running shoes on.

By the fifth day, the top of my foot looked much, much better. The swelling in my toes and the top of my foot had decreased. However, the swelling in my ankle was worse, as was the pain. In the beginning, my ankle didn't hurt at all, just the soft tissue along the top of my foot.

I decided to wait before returning to the doctor, thinking I just needed to let things heal. Then, on Wednesday night I was in tears from the pain. It was awful, a combination of soft tissue pain and the achey bone pain from arthritis. The Tramadol wasn't even touching it. I finally was able to relax enough to fall asleep, though I kept waking up from the pain.

I went back to the doctor yesterdsay. This time I saw my doctor and I told him everything that had happened. He had no idea what it was. (gout is still a possibility, given my familial history). He sent me to have blood drawn, I'm not sure what all we drew, but I know there was a CBC, C-RP, ANA, and Thyroid Profile. I'm sure we got a Uric Acid, and probably a Chemistry (it was hard to read the paper backwards, in Danish, and while she was moving it). In total they drew 8 tubes. I got on Monday for an xray of the ankle.

He did change my pain medication and put me on Lyrica. I am still in a lot of pain, but with the Lyrica it's like my brain is disconnected from it. Instead of focusing on how painful it actually is, my brain gets distracted and kinda spaces out.

Today, even after wearing my socks and shoes for support and compression and camping on the sofa with my foot elevated, it's quite swollen.

The pain is under control, which is helping a lot, but it's beginning to swell in my leg.

Right now I am hoping it's just something stupidly simple, like a stress fracture. I am ready to be able top get up and run around, I don't function too well when I am confined to the sofa.

P.S. I've got another giveaway from Joanniel Creations coming up soon!

Guest Posting

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:51:00 +0000

Hey y'all!

Just want to let you know, my friend Courtney from

is on vacation this week, so I dropped by to share one of my recipes with her readers.

I hope you will drop by to say hi, and check out my Buttermilk Biscuits!

Yes, that is a wine glass, and 2 bottles of wine on the counter, sometimes you need a little wine while cooking

My Artistic Side

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:28:00 +0000

Every since I was a kid I have been fascinated by art. I remember drawing everything I could, freehand. When I was about 10, I free-handed a whimsical unicorn that my mom had on a collectors plate. I just looked at the unicorn and drew. I remember cutting it out and showing it to my mom. It was almost exactly to scale, and very detailed. I remember how proud I was when it was finished, even though I drew with a blue ball-point pen. I remember around that same time I created my own cartoon characters. I think they were a family of monsters. Although, they were essentially the same character, they were very different. I remember wanting to draw like my mom and paint like her mom. Between dreaming of becoming a veterinarian or a doctor, I dreamt of being an artist.

I don't really know what happened, but one day I just stopped creating. I'm not sure if the life of a teenager got in the way, or what. I never lost that passion, or desire for art. I just stopped creating. I remember my mom's mom informing me there was no such thing as purple mountains, after I proudly showed her a painting I had done based on one of her own paintings. Which, by the way, her mountains were in fact purple! Maybe it was her comment alone, that made me put down the paint brushes and pencils and pastels.

Over the years I've tried to motivate and inspire myself to create more and more. Most of the time I get side tracked with life, but since moving to Denmark, I've felt the need to be more creative. Not to mention, I finally have the time to put into my painting.

So, you want to see some of the paintings I've done?

Please, try not to be too harsh, I'm still learning to like my own work.

This one currently hangs in my living room. A friend once described it as a dart player's worse nightmare.

I apologize for the terrible quality of some of these pictures, I would re-take them, but I no longer have the paintings.

I painted this one on an old drawer front.

Photo taken before the painting was complete.

This was a painting I did for my sister in-law Mathilde.

This one isn't finished yet, but it seems to be taking me a very long time finish it.

Now that you've seen some of them, what are your thoughts?

Happy Monday & A Few Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:06:00 +0000

Happy Monday y'all!

I've had one heck of a busy schedule lately, and there is a chance things may be changing here on my blog. I've had several encouraging conversations with a few friends about my paintings over the past week.

While I will still be posting about my life here in Denmark and the recipes I've been making, I think I will start adding in some of my art.

I would love to have a little craft blog, but the reality is, the supplies I need to make that a success are few and far between here in the land of Danes. Even with my cooking, some ingredients I would have to import in order to cook like many Americans (who make up the majority of my followers) do/would. In some cases you would have to search high and low for some of the ingredients that are readily available here. I try hard to list substitutions for some ingredients. If for some reason I fail to do so and you need help with a substitution, feel free to ask, I don't mind at all.

So, starting tomorrow I will be posting some of the paintings I have done over the past year, and possibly add some of the processes I used to create them.

In the meantime, I am leaving you with the video I took of my husband, Hans, and our friend Richard singing Hot Chocolate's "You Sexy Thing" on Sing Star.

An Unexpected Christmas Surprise

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:06:00 +0000

I know this post is WAY late, but I had forgotten all about it!

On December 9th I received an email from the USPS informing me of a package being sent to me from my mom back in Texas. When I talked to her she told me that is was a little surprise for "all the girls" in the family. She wouldn't tell me what it was or even give me a hint. Instead I had to sit and wait patiently. For those of you who don't know me very well, patience is not something I have acquired in the past 30 years.

The wait was agony, but the package finally arrived a couple of weeks later. I tore into it as fast as I possibly could. I'm pretty sure my husband hid under his desk, afraid I might cut him open in the process.

I refused to unwrap the goodness that awaited me until I had ready the attached letter and information. This had Hans rather perplexed. For someone so impatient, why would I wait to see what it is until AFTER I have read everything? Well, I guess it's the OCD kicking in. I have to do it a certain way, and that was the order in which I decided it should be done.

Anyway, got the letters read, and ripped off the bubble wrap to reveal these beautiful pieces.

Both of which were produced by the Cambridge Glass Company in Cambridge, Ohio. My Great-Great-Great Grandmother worked for the Cambridge Glass Company and there are rumors that my Great-Great Grandfather worked there as well. The factory produced some of the USA's most elegant glassware from 1901-1958.

This trinket box (also called a toilet box) is from the Mount Vernon line, which was produced in 1931 and continued for more than 20 years. This line was a modified Stratford line, which had a larger diamond pattern.

This pitcher is in the Fernland Pattern. Cambridge started with pressed glass which was called Near Cut. It was produced to allow the beauty of the cut glass to be more affordable to the general public. The earliest reference to the Fernland line was found in a 1906 Cambridge catalog. Fernland was phased out sometime around 1910, so it is safe to assume this pitcher is at least 100 years old!

There is some faint "sun-purling" to the pitcher. During and after the Civil War, lead was in short supply so manganese was used in glass products to give the same brilliance seen in leaded crystal. It was discovered that if these pieces were placed in direct sunlight, they would get a purple hue to them. The UV light causes a chemical reaction. Some people like it and other's don't. Some avid collectors feel it makes the pieced flawed. I personally think it shows age and character.

For more information on Cambridge Glass, check out cambridgeglass.org and check out the MVSG albums. There is a wealth of information. If you're interested in the history of the company, go check out A Brief History of the Cambridge Glass Company.

I think these pieces are by far the best gifts I have ever received!

Thanks Mom!