Another yardsale!

My last yard sale was quite a success and many people stopped by. The sun was shining, people were happy and so was I. It was so much fun that I have decided to do it again (still have a lot left!). This time together with a sweet neighbour I got to know that day + my good friend, Purpur´s Krista :-). She will be selling of leftovers from her wonderful shop that closed down last Friday.

The sale will be held in my garden in Bispeveien 8, this coming Saturday, July 2.nd from 12.00-18.00.

PS! It´s a big market (Toftedagen) downtown Tofte the same day, so why not take a family outing to Tofte with a stopover at wonderful Villa Malla on the way home? :-)

Lemoncurd stuffed cupcakes

These cupcakes are really delicious with a perfect combination of sweet and sour.

Blueberry and lemon curd stuffed cupcakes with lemon buttercream

Makes 12 cupcakes

You need:The lemon curd

280 g sugar 170 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes 230 g fresh squeezed lemon juice (preferrably Meyer) 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel 1/8 teaspoon salt 5 large eggs, beaten to blend
for lemon frosting: 110 g unsalted butter, room temperature 450 g powdered sugar 50 g fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons lemon zest (or more if desired)

Combine sugar, butter, lemon juice, lemon peel and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until butter melts and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk in beaten eggs. Whisk constantly over medium-low heat until curd thickens, about 2 minutes, being sure not to boil. Strain curd through a sieve into a bowl.
Place plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd and chill overnight.

The cupcakes

240 g flour 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt
210 g sugar 170 g unsalted butter, room temperature 180 g buttermilk ** 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice 2 teaspoons fresh grated (organic) lemon rind 100 g fresh blueberries, frozen for 4 hours
200 g lemon curd for filling (see recipe below)

You do:

The cupcakes

Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until well combined. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Mix the buttermilk and lemon juice together in a small bowl.
Stirring well, add a third of the dry ingredients into the butter and sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Make 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of buttermilk** mixture, finishing with the dry. Scoop batter into cupcake cups filling 2/3 of the way to top.

Bake cupcakes at 180°C degrees for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Transfer to rack and let cool completely. Cut the tops from cooled cupcakes and scoop in one tablespoon of lemon curd. Replace tops and press down gently.

**If you are unable to find buttermilk, make your own by combining 230 g skim milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and let sit five minutes - Buttermilk!

The frosting

With an electric mixer, whip butter until creamy (about three minutes). Add 300 g of sugar, lemon juice and the lemon zest and mix until combined. Add *140 g of sugar and mix until light and fluffy about 2 minutes.

*Add additional sugar if needed to achieve desired consistency.

Cooks tip:

These cupcakes have one extra step - the lemon curd. If you are in a hurry, you can skip the filling - they are also lovely without curd as blueberry and lemon cupcakes.

Photography: Trine Thorsen
Food & styling: Tara Ballantyne

Lovely clusters!

For you that has followed me for a while may know that I have a real love for pictures mosaics (when they are put well togehter that is!). Came across the wonderful blog of Rachel Follett the other day that I have to share with you. Here are the most amazing images, color coordinated and put together with a color chart to go with each set. Even a "no color" person like me wants to paint every room in the house when I see these. How very inspirational!

Under the themes color inspiration and moodboards you´ll find tons of color inspirations for your future wardrobe and your home.

No wonder she calls it the pretty blog!


http://lovelyclusters.blogspot.com

For image references visit Lovely Clusters/moodboards

Floral fabrics

On Wednesday I had the most inspiring day in a long time. The apple orchard outside my home was transferred in to a cool setting with furnitures swept and decorated with the loveliest fabrics, and with a tall and long legged model to top it all off. We shot from early morning and till the sun went down, only being interrupted by a few rainshowers in between (surprise, surprise!).

Photography: Trine Thorsen

Styling: Tara Ballantyne

Model: Frida H.A/Pholk

Couldn´t resist...

Guess what I ordered on Amazon today?

The latest book by Dutch stylist, Pia Jane Bijkerk.

Love her style, love her blog, love her books!

PS! It is sold out on amazon.com, but check out the UK site instead!

www.amazon.co.uk

Image by Pia Jane Bijkerk

Thinking...

My new kitchen is getting there, but there´s a few things still missing. I really need a new picture to go above my kitchen table and would really like an image with a food theme... I am thinking about a large one, app. 90x160 cm, or a triptych- a serie of three images. The cheapest is of course to create one myself, but it would also be fun if I found an image taken by a fellow photographer (I have seen a few that I like!).
Large format prints are quite expensive, so I have to be sure that I have chosen the right one before I go ahead and have it made.

Right now I am considering this one...Maybe this can help me get a love for baking?

Photography: Trine Thorsen
Styling: Tara Ballantyne

Chris Court

If you read Donna Hay magazine, I guess you have seen the wonderful images of Australian photographer, Chris Court. Not only does he shoot stunning food images for Donna, but also wonderful interior- and lifestyle images.

Chris is the brother of stylist Sibella Court and is of course the man behind the great images in her fabulous books.

Check out more of Chris´s images here

All images by Chris Court

Iced coffee

Summer is here and so is my urge for iced coffee. My favourite is the "greek style" made from instant Nescafé. I make mine "the healthy way" with no sugar and milk, and you should try it too! It is very addictive and can be consumed without feeling guilty. What more can a woman ask for? ;-)

You need:

For 1 serving/big glass

Instant coffee (Nescafé or other brands)

1-2 tsp tamarind sugar (low in GI) Can be bought in healthfood stores

Water

Soy milk (with or without vanilla)

4-5 ice cubes

You do:

Take 2 tsp of instant coffee, 2 tsp of tamarind sugar ( 1 tsp if you use soy milk with vanilla) and a little water (app.1 dl), and put in a blender or a mixer and blend until you get a creamy and fluffy consistency.

Put the ice cubes in a big glass and pour the mixture in. Add soy milk of your choice (I prefer vanilla).

Voila!

Easy peasy!

PS! The greeks makes it with milk and sugar and your are of course welcome to do so too! Either way, it taste delicious!

PS II! And if you really want a killer one, add some Bailey´s ;-)

Photography: Trine Thorsen

Shopping on a Saturday

Last week I found the kind of typewriter I´ve been searching for for years... it was in a thrift store nearby.

I left the store without it because I didn´t feel that it suited my budget at the moment (you know the "nice to have vs.need to have"...). Of course ALL I could think about in the days after, was the typewriter. It really had my name on it. Yesterday, I rushed back to the store hoping it wasn´t sold to someone else. And guess what, it wasn´t!!!

I went beserk and came ou with a whole bunch of other great findings for almost nothing. Like a pair of vintage boxing gloves, a cute little stool and all the great things you see in these pictures.

Photography: Trine Thorsen

Spray it!

Being a fleamarket shopper I tend to come home with things that needs a little fixing. Either it is missing a screw, some glue or just a fresh layer of paint. Found these incredible handy cans of spray paint the other day. Check it out:

-it can be used on vinyl, plast, fiberglass, concrete, glass, metal, wicker and wood, and has an oil based formula for both indoor and outdoor use.

- it dries in as little as 30 minutes

- has a coverage area up to 35 sq ft. ( app. 3 sq meters)

- the 360 degree spray nozzle provides a fast and efficient coverage without loss of pressure

- has a finger shield that prevents drips and an ergonomic grip that helps your fingers from tiring

- a rust preventive formula

And last, but not least... the old fashion style makes them wonderful to look at!

www.amazon.com

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