Oh la L.A

I NEED THESE SHOES

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:08:00 +0000

Happy new year, Mexico, and all that jazz

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:27:00 +0000

No comment. I was this happy all the time. And 2012 WILL ROCK! My new years resolution is to watch the sunset every day. That´s how much it will rock.

Quinoa salad

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:39:00 +0000

Sooooo much food left over from last night, enough to keep us going until we leave Friday morning... One of the things I made that I actually ate was this quinoa salad; pretty yummy if I can say so myself.

Just a mix of quinoa, orange, different kinds of lettuce, and some nuts, dried fruit and seeds (almonds, brazil and walnuts, apricot, dates and pumpkin seeds if I remember correctly). A squeeze of lemon, some good olive oil, salt and pepper and you´re good to go. A bit lighter than the typical christmas food!

Just got back from watching The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, good movie I have to say but what is UP with the fake swedish accent everybody but Daniel Craig has??? Is that really necessary? And Rooney Mara saying "hej hej" everytime she walks into a room.... I don´t know. It made me miss Sweden though, I´ll give you that. Maybe some "sillsalat" for dinner will help:)

Monsieur Marcel

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:41:00 +0000

Warning warning, don´t enter this gem of a store if you´re poor and hungry. French and spanish cheeses, olive oils, wine, super dark chocolate...

Found it at the farmers market in ... actually I don´t know what part of the city it is. Bev Hills? Hollywood? Bah. Somewhere in LA. Check it out here. Right now I´m mixing together my own little goodies, including meatballs from IKEA, smoked salmon rolls, a citrus quinoa salad and herring. Pabster is in charge of the spanish flavors; tortilla and wine. Time for a Norwegian/Spanish "christmas" dinner! Muak.

Oh my

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:58:00 +0000

Shopping for a bikini in a funky store by the beach made for fourteen year old SoCal girls with itsy bitsy boobs is a lot of fun. First they assaulted me and wanted to look in the other shopping bags I brought in with me containing books and a couple of t-shirts, and whined a bit over that for around five minutes. Then they wanted to know all about why I needed a bikini and where I was going. One of them then proceeded to hand me a dozen of pink, turquoise and leopard patterned tops, and send me into a fitting room. I managed to sneak in a couple of black ones without any glitter.

I got complemented on my ass (??!!) and they tried to sell me all kinds of slutty beach cover-ups. I managed to choose the most expensive bikini they had in there, and when I paid with my norwegian credit card showing a picture of my 16-year old self, the girl charging me started screaming at her colleagues (I swear, she was shouting all over the store) "You have to come look at this picture! It´s soooo cute! Did you ever, like, model or something like that?" Oh. Come ON. That´s the oldest flattering trick in the book, and I´m already paying for this right, so you don´t need to smother me in compliments. So this is the reason I normally shop at H&M. No customer service whatsoever. Me likes.

Ta-da! The briefs are from H&M actually. I couldn´t afford to buy new ones. But here´s a tip if you´re over 14 and over a B cup; Vix. Good support for aging women with fallen madonnas, if you know what I mean.

Semi-raw dinner

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:05:00 +0000

I can not believe how cold it is here right now... I´m sitting glued to the tiny little oven we have to heat us up. My feet are ice. But that´s not news I guess. Anyway, last night I made this SURPRISINGLY good dinner. Squash pasta with macadamia and tomato sauce. It took me two minutes to make. Just take a squash and a carrot and make "tagliatelle" with a potato peeler.

The macadamia sauce is just a handfull of macadamia nuts with lemon, sea salt, pepper and basil thrown into a blender. Since I wanted something warm, I heated up some tomato sauce and mixed it in there. Voila.

The warm tomato sauce kind of cooked the squash so it actually felt like I was eating real-life spaghetti. I am so amazed at this dish, really. You have to try it. Healthy, quick, GOOD. You´re welcome.

Go nuts!

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 01:03:00 +0000

Walnuts with sea salt, pepper and nutritional yeast (God, I hate that name, could someone come up with another please?). SO good!!!!! Bought them "ready-made" at Whole Foods, but it must be easy peasy to make at home. Tastes like a mix of salt pepper chips and... cheese doodles:) I am obsessed.

Santa baby

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 11:03:00 +0000

This is me looking festive:

Because we were going to a festive party. What´s more festive than a sequined vest I thought, and took an instagram of myself in a semi-public bathroom. Wearing salmon colored jeans because salmon is christmas food in Norway. Pablo wore christmas tree lights.

The price for cutest bottle of vodka went to this little man, who was wearing a tiny sweater his grandma had knitted for him. Seriously. How awesome. Don´t you just feel like giving him a hug?

Andrea was hiding behind the dessert, but there was really no need to do that as both she (her?) and her apartment looked spectacular.

These berries made me very happy. Even though the berries here seem to be ten times the size of Scandinavian pick-in-the-forest-berries. No problem though. Everything´s bigger here. Including my ass.

Goodnight ladies and gentlemen!

The only way to start the day

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:32:00 +0000

... and please notice the best part; complete lack of people. Aaaah. Happiness.

Little Spain

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:07:00 +0000

Imagine how happy we were, walking around the farmers market and finding this!!!

Felt like an hour in la latina...

Don´t know if it was the olives, the jamón or the red wine (probably), but I started dreaming about finding that perfect house in Mallorca and opening my store... Just you wait and see!:)

Christmas Grove

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:06:00 +0000

Wanted to look at a real American christmas tree. So we went to the Grove. Yep, this was basically the only reason we went there. And I´d heard it was supposed to be "a European style outdoor mall". Everything European gets my attention.

Does this look European enough?

Maybe it sort of does. People were actually eating bread in the "parisian style" café down there to the left. Bread! With wheat! White poison! Refreshingly European.

This was the christmas tree. It was too tall to take a picture of, so Pablo had to lie down on the ground to capture its entire glory. As you can see, it was definitely worth it. What was even better:

Santa´s house! We didn´t go there because we weren´t invited. I paid a visit to one of my best friends Zara instead. Hadn´t seen her in a long time. Tried on approximately 30 tops but didn´t buy any. I don´t know what is happening to me, but I didn´t want to buy something just for the sake of buying (!?) I know, it doesn´t make sense to me either. As we were leaving, there was a crowd gathering around a stage.

I could be bluffing, but that´s Katy Perry. See if you can find her! Because I can´t. I do however remember her being up there when I took the pic. Wearing a very pink, very tight dress. American christmas tree/Santa/superstar day complete! Now some Modern Family.

Librarian

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:20:00 +0000

Decided to take half the library with me.

Now I just have to choose which ones I will be playing with in the sand...

Aín´t no need to go outside

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:31:00 +0000

Here´s what I woke up to:

And we were gonna go sightseeing today! For real. I read Lonely Planet in bed last night. Was all jazzed up to look at bikinis made out of hair at Ripley´s believe it or not, Chinatown, Hollywood boulevard, jewelry district. The Grove! All gone. Not walking around in this rain. Don´t even have a raincoat. Or an umbrella, for that matter.

I´ll just stay in and listen to this.

It´s beginning to look a lot like.... ¿christmas?

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:21:00 +0000

Yesterday I got this feeling of winter and festivities. Which I guess you do if you start your day in a pub called Underground watching a soccer game and sipping beer. Right? And it was SNOWING in Hermosa! Look!

See, there in the background. Snowfest they called it. Snowboarders jumping around and kids marvelling at melting spots of gray snow. I´ve seen a lot of snow before, so we went to the pier and spexed around in the cold sun instead.

I was pretending to be in a movie. It would have been called "Love boat: Don´t let the sun go down on me". Or in Spanish: "El barco de amor: La puesta del sol". Or something like that.

Then we looked at Santa and Santa´s little hooker, sorry, helper.

Nobody wanted to sit in Santa´s lap, besides me, but Pabs wouldn´t let me. Went to get another beer instead.

Don´t be fooled by the palmtrees and the sunset, it was getting very chilly. So we went home, had some more beer, and played Spotify-Scrabble. Christmas can come now, I´m ready. Oh, have I mentioned that we´re going to Mexico for christmas? I have? Ok.

Shopping around the christmas tree

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:42:00 +0000

Oh blimey. I just realised that I´m going to be soooo tempted to buy a bunch of STUFF in Mexico (yes, Mexico is all I think about lately). First of all, they have the most amazing silver jewelry, which I am addicted to. I´m actually starting a course in silversmithing in January, that´s how addicted I am. Can´t wait. And look at these.... vases!

I WANT THEM. Wouldn´t say no to a rug or two either.

What else, what else.... Oh. Clothes, of course. Something like this maybe?

Or maybe not. How about the traditional white blouse with flowers? You know what I mean. But wait. Look at this BAG!!

Swooon. Do you know what? You don´t have to go to Oaxaca to get one, you can just buy it here.

Don´t tell anyone.

Hammocks!

And this belt is already mine, so I won´t have to worry about that. My grandmother made it! So ahead of her time. Imagine if she knew I´d be wearing it in Mexico! Life is weird, guys.

Brrrrrr

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 02:51:00 +0000

California dreamin´ on such a winters day... Yeah right. Because here it´s all hunky dory, rolling on the beach, surfing in the waves. Not so. It´s COLD. Under 40 Fahrenheit! I still don´t know what that means, but it does mean wrapping up in a huge scarf, a hoodie, etc etc to go for that horrible morning beach walk (sorry, I grew up in the 90s and am a victim of irony).

My nostrils don´t seem to like it either, since they´re out of sync. How FUN taking instagrams of yourself and discovering new flaws every day. Who needs a job.

Update: 40 fahrenheit is 4 degrees?!!!??? I´m moving to Mexico.

Go get it!

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 03:55:00 +0000

.... because how can you resist buying this, right?

SuperCocoChoco

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:42:00 +0000

When I want something sweet, this is what I stir together:

Palmsugar, coconut flour, cocoa powder and/or carob, a dash of virgin coconut oil and a pinch of sea salt. A little cinnamon doesn´t hurt either. Then I add some coco water or just plain water until it´s mushy. It´s extreeeemely good. I know I´m weird, but seriously, it´s like chocolate mousse or something. Not saying it´s healthy, just healthiER. But listen to what my beloved virgin coco oil can do to you:

-Control blood pressure and cholesterol

-Strenghten immune system

-Help stabilize weight

-Reduce work load of liver and kidneys

-Improve digestion

You can also use it as a moisturiser or conditioner...

And it tastes so goooood!

(No one paid me to post this. I wish someone would)

LA babes

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 01:57:00 +0000

So, after almost half a year in LA, I decided it was time to get lip surgery:

No I didn´t. I might have grown an adams apple though. So. Dear diary. Today it´s the 5th of December, and Mexico is only 19 days away, yay! I´ve realised we´ll probably have to sleep under the stars since we haven´t booked a hotel, but that´s a risk you have to take. We do have a room for the first two nights, here:

With crazy Americano Daniel and his parrot. If it hasn´t died yet (the parrot, that is). I do not remember it looking like this at all, but things change in seven years I guess. I for one am a lot blonder, wiser and marrieder.

Happy advent:)

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 05:07:00 +0000

... and all of a sudden it´s December. Can´t really tell living here in California though. Which is why we´ll be celebrating christmas in Mexicoooooo, can´t wait. Sand beats snow any time. Pictured: This years calendar. I´m a real geek slash housewife and make one for Pablito every year. He needs some candy every day, studying so hard poor boy. I totally blinged out the birdcage, so it also acts as our christmas tree. Will try to check in here a bit more often, my computer ís not very cooperative at the moment though. Anyway. Hepp!

What´s for dinner? Awesomeness

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 03:17:00 +0000

Aka scampi with cashewnut cream and pasta. Want to know how to make it? Of course you do. If you still read this blog that I´m neglecting even more than my evening prayers.

Chop up some garlic, chili, ginger and red pepper. And something resembling onion, but with a milder taste and a long green stalk that´s always full of mud when you buy it. It´s called purre in Norwegian and puerro in Spanish. I can´t seem to remember the English name at the moment. The cashew cream here to the left, sorry right, is simply made by throwing a bunch of cashews into a blender, squeezing a lemon in there, and adding water that almost covers the nuts. Blend. Add salt and pepper. Even idiots can do this. And measuring is for sissies. Boil spaghetti. Again, idiots can do this too. By this, I´m not saying you´re all idiots, I´m just trying to tell you it´s really really simple.

Here´s the scampi, and everything else. Besides the pasta and cashews, obviously. It´s in a wok. On a gas stove. You don´t need a gas stove to do this however, you can just do it on a normal stove. Ok. So I probably fried this for around two minutes (timing is for sissies), that´s enough. Otherwise you´ll get rubber scampi, not very tasty. Your pasta should be done by now. It really should. So mix everything together in a bowl, add some parsley and sea salt, and voila, this is what you get.

Bit of an anti-climax? You were expecting something a lot fancier-looking? Well, this is what you get. I´m not a food blogger. Now eat!

Viva España!

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:52:00 +0000

I haven´t been around for a while because I´ve been busy fighting off computer viruses, hiding behind pillows while watching American Horror Story (do not watch that show if you want to stay sane, and never ever say the words "Piggy, piggy" in front of a mirror), trying to learn how to drive a car again, returning to bikram yoga hell after a very long break, and that´s pretty much it. Most importantly though, I spent Saturday morning looking at this delicious plate of Spanish yumminess. Madre mía. Speaking of jamón, Almodovar was screening his new movie at USC Friday evening, but we didn´t risk standing in line without getting in. Maybe we should have.

Coconut oil as conditioner

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:53:00 +0000

I know, I'm addicted to coconuts. As we speak, I'm eating an amazingly good mix of basically everything you can squeeze out of a coconut, plus some cocoa powder. And it tastes like chocolate. More about that another time.

If you want thick, shiny, lustrous, awesomely smelling hair you should also crack open a coconut. I've started using virgin coco oil instead of conditioner, mostly because I couldn't find an affordable, non-toxic, good alternative. I use the oil the same way I would use a "normal" conditioner; after shampooing, I take a grape-sized piece of the oil (it's usually solid, in my experience it melts if the room temperature is somewhere around 25-30 degrees), warm it in my hands, and massage it into the hair. Leave it there for as long as you can, it's even great to use as a mask, or for a real treat leave it in over night. It does take some extra time to rinse, but we're talking minutes here, so it's no big deal. The hair does NOT become greasy as many people seem to think; the oil leaves it feeling really silky and smooth. Try! Maybe you'll end up getting hair like this:

Sunset from the inside

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 01:12:00 +0000

For when watching the sun set in the Pacific gets boring. Watch it on your wall instead.

Palm sugar, sugar

noreply@blogger.com (SiljeOhlaLA) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:54:00 +0000

Hello!

I just wanted to pop by and tell you a bit about palm sugar, or coconut sugar.

First of all, it's bloody delicious. It tastes like brown sugar, but better. Sort of caramelized.

Second of all, it has a GI of 35, which means it doesn't make your blood sugar go all hoolabalooza, whatever that means (sugar has a GI of around 70, honey around 60, and agave somewhere around 40).
And it's all natural, made from sap from the flowers of the coconut palm.

Here's a man climbing a palm tree to get us some sap:

And here he is on his way home, biking as fast as he can,

with the sap in little plastic cans:

...and somehow it ends up here:

... and I can use a ton of it on my buckwheat porridge on a Sunday afternoon, to the point where I get nauseous and promise myself I will never eat too much palm sugar again. Which we all know is a lie.

That was my weekend, how was yours?