lørdag 29. april 2017

Weekend Cooking; Jamaican Jerk Tacos

(Disclaimer; this is a sponsored post, in which I was given free items in return for an honest review.)

In late March, I was one of several people who were chosen to do a campaign for Santa Maria through Buzzador. What I was going to test were the new Jamaican Jerk Tacos items in the Street Food series. As I'm always into trying new flavours and I'm interested in street food, I couldn't resist the opportunity of testing it out. I also ended up googling Jamaican Jerk Chicken and came across this page, for those who are into jerk chicken made from scratch.


Here's the items that were included in the kit; coconut and pepper tortillas, mango sauce and Jamaican jerk spices. The steps were easy to follow and I enjoyed eating it as it was many flavours going on at once, though I might leave out the mango sauce next time.

Even though this was tasty, I might try making Jamaican Jerk Chicken from scratch another time, just to compare with this Jerk Taco kit.

fredag 28. april 2017

Friday Finds; The New Jewelry Brand Buddhism Enthusiast

I can easily admit that I'm by no means a slave-to-the-most-recent-trends fashionista or have a "thing" for expensive designer brands like Michael Kors etc (please don't even get me started on the fact that I've seen 12 year old girls having a Michael Kors bag as school bag here in Norway, as it's probably worth a blog post on its own).

What I wanted to share with you today is a new jewelry brand I came across, thanks to Instagram, which is called Buddhism Enthusiast and sells bracelets and necklaces at their online shop. The jewelry is simple, yet really stylish and for every purchase, 25 per cent is donated to help support buddism in war zones and protect buddhist patrimoine.

Personally, I ended up purchasing the Positive Mantra Bracelet, as I felt it suited me rather well considering my own outlook on life.


torsdag 27. april 2017

Thursday Movie Picks Television Edition; Police

As the blog Wandering Through The Shelves has this weekly meme called "Thursday Movie Picks", I wanted to start writing a few such posts. This week's theme was a television edition with focus on police, so here is my three picks when it comes to police TV-series.


NCIS; Even though the cast has undergone some changes in the later seasons, I still love that show, partially due to Abby.

Dexter; A bad guy killing other bad guys.

Midsomer Murders; Sometimes all I need is a British crime TV-series.

onsdag 26. april 2017

5 Poetry Collections to Read for Poetry Month

(This post contains affiliate links.)

Even though it is late in the month, I wanted to give you a list of five poetry collections to read for poetry month. It is some variety in terms of the collections and it is just a small number of poetry collections that are actually available. As there is a book for each reader, there is a poet/a poem/a poetry collection for each reader. Trust me, I know the feeling of being fed up by poetry analysis at school and I didn't really appreciate poetry until I started at university, thanks to an amazing teacher in American literature who introduced us to Allen Ginsberg and Sylvia Plath among others (thanks Eric, for sparking my joy of poetry).

Anyway, here is my tiny list of poetry collections and anthologies worth checking out. If you know of any poetry collections/anthologies you want to recommend, feel free to post in the comment section below.





tirsdag 25. april 2017

Making a Home; 30 Days to Domestic Bliss Challenge

A little while back I came across the 30 Days to Domestic Bliss Challenge at the blog The Decorista. As I'm into home decor et cetera, I became intrigued by the challenge, especially since it is pretty easy and straight forward. One day you might style up your shoes, another day you might frame and hang some art.

Even though it *might* be over 30 days since I discovered the challenge, I still have a few days I haven't done (*cough*), but hopefully Ashlina wouldn't get too mad at me, as I'm after all writing my BA thesis at the moment. I will finish the challenge though, so don't worry.

Here is by the way what I did for "Day 18" of the challenge, which was expressing myself with words. I found this pretty (and free) typography print online, printed + framed it and hung it on the wall in my entrance. It was something that I got done in less than 10 minutes and yet it says volumes.

Have you ever done a similar challenge or do you feel tempted to do the 30 days to domestic bliss challenge? Feel free to comment below.

mandag 24. april 2017

Menu Plan Monday Week 17

It's a new Monday, which means a new Menu Plan Monday post, thanks to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Sadly the Malaysian street food cooking course last week got cancelled, but luckily I got the offer that I could pick a new course. This weekend I'm also participating in Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon, which I'm really looking forward to.

Stock photo from Pexels
Here is my menu plan for this week.
Monday; Jamaican Jerk Tacos
Tuesday; Leftovers from Monday
Wednesday; Vegetarian Burgers
Thursday; Salmon and Pasta in Herb Sauce
Friday; Vegetarian Burgers
Saturday; Pizza Crescents
Sunday; Salmon and Pasta in Herb Sauce

What is your menu plan for this week if you have one?

torsdag 20. april 2017

Winner of Plant Labels and Herb/Vegetable Seeds Giveaway

First of all, I want to thank all of you who entered my Plant Labels and Herb/Vegetable Seeds Giveaway and all of your wonderful comments on the post.

I also wanted you to know that I have chosen a winner and that person has been contacted. Sorry to those of you who unfortunately didn't win, but I will potentially host another giveaway in the future, considering the success I had with this one.


onsdag 19. april 2017

30 Things To Do On Earth Day

As it is Earth Day this Saturday, I wanted to compile a list of activities one can do in order to celebrate that day. Even though Earth Day is just one day of the year, it is still important to take care of the Earth each and every day. Let’s face it, if the Earth dies, we will be in trouble big time. That is why it is important to take care of it while we still can.

If you want to find out more, feel free to check out Earth Day Network.

Stock photo from Pexels 

Here are some activities to do on Earth Day.
2.       Reduce your footprint
3.       Eat less meat
4.       Stop using disposable plastic
5.       Donate to plant a tree (https://donate.earthday.org/events/trees-for-earth/e76443)
6.       Recycle your trash
7.       Attend an Earth Day festival, fair or event
8.       Get involved
9.       Join an environmental organization
10.   Start composting
11.   Stop drinking bottled water
12.   Make a (vegetable) garden
13.   Buy local
14.   Join or organize a community clean up
15.   Volunteer
16.   Make your back yard/garden an oasis for birds, bees etc
17.   Go on a hike
18.   “Adopt” an animal at a wildlife preserve or similar place
19.   Don’t leave it just to Earth Day to do something
20.   Reduce your waste
21.   If weather permits, camp outside in a tent
22.   Get involved in a community garden
23.   Clean out your closet and donate to charity
24.   Educate yourself
25.   Spread the word
26.   Cook a special Earth Day meal
27.   Use the bike
28.   Use public transport
29.   Ditch the car
30.   Donate to charity

Do you have any other great ideas? Feel free to share in the comments section.

mandag 17. april 2017

Menu Plan Monday Week 16

It's a new Monday, which means a new Menu Plan Monday post, thanks to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Things are going to be slightly hectic this week, as on Thursday I'm attending a cooking course and on Friday I'm going to hand in my second draft of my BA thesis (phew). Luckily I'm not panicking too much, as I've got my thesis under control (or as much control as I can have).

Stock photo from Pexels
Regardless of chaos, I still need to eat, so here is my menu plan for this week.

Monday; Panko Breaded Cod Nuggets
Tuesday; Norwegian Meatballs
Wednesday; Leftovers from Tuesday
Thursday; The food I'll be cooking at the Malaysian Street Food With Tram course
Friday; Norwegian Fish Nuggets
Saturday; Leftovers from Friday
Sunday; Tomato Soup with Macaroni

lørdag 15. april 2017

Weekend Cooking; Slow Cooker Chickpea Tikka Masala

Some of you might have figured out by now that I enjoy to use the slow cooker from time to time, esp. since it gives me the chance of cooking a big batch of something, have a lot of leftovers and that the slow cooker do the cooking for me so I can focus on other stuff (like studying).

Last week I made a vegan Chickpea Tikka Masala in the slow cooker and now I wanted to share the recipe with you.


Chickpea Tikka Masala
(Serves 6-8)
1 large onion, choped
3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 400ml coconut milk
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teasoon garam masala
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika powder
1 teaspoon tumeric
Salt, to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Put everything, except the parsley, in the slow cooker. Cook for around 4 hours on high setting or 6 hours on low setting.

Serve with rice and fresh parsley.

onsdag 12. april 2017

Norwegian Easter Traditions

Most countries have some kind of traditions in one way or another. Norway is no different and I wanted to tell you a wee bit about Norwegian Easter traditions in this post.

One thing is that a lot of people travel to their mountain cabins during Easter break to go skiing, preferably they have packed oranges and Kvikk Lunsj (Norwegian version of Kit Kat) with them, so they can enjoy both chocolate and oranges while being out in the cold. Personally, I don't own a cabin and I'm better at falling while "trying" to ski than actually do some skiing, so I can debunk the myth that all Norwegians are born with skiis on their legs.

A tradition that is more to my taste, is reading crime novels (or watch a British crime series on TV) during Easter. I have watched a fair amount of Hercule Poirot TV/movie-adaptions due to Easter (David Suchet for the win). A bit information on how the tradition started can be found here.

When I was a kid I often recieved a paper mache Easter egg like these ones filled with candy when it was Easter time. A lot of kids still recieve Easter eggs, but since I'm "unfortunately" an adult, it is a while since I've recieved one.

If you want to read a bit more about Norwegian Easter traditions, you can check out this link; Norwegian Easter Traditions.

Stock photo from Pexels

lørdag 8. april 2017

Weekend Cooking; Scandinavian Campfire Bread

Americans have their s'mores and Scandinavians have their campfire bread. Scandinavian Campfire Bread is basically strips of dough threaded on a long stick or a metal skewer and grilled over the coals in the campfire. Over the years, I've had my fair share of these breads and even as an adult, I do enjoy eating them. The dough is made in advance and a lot of people take it with them while hiking or camping, so they have it already prepared for when they are doing to use it.

Stock photo from Pexels

Campfire Bread
500 g all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 dl vegetable oil
Around 2 dl luke warm water

Mix all the dry items. Then little by little add water and oil until you get a smooth texture.

Take a bit of the dough and shape it like a snake or hot dog and twirl it around a metal skewer or a long stick. Roast the bread over the coal in the fire until it's cooked through and letting go of the stick. Please remember to turn the stick while roasting the bread so it gets evenly roasted.

You can read a bit more about Campfire Bread here.

torsdag 6. april 2017

Over 40 Easter Egg Stuffer Ideas

In Norway, we usually don't have the tradition of Easter baskets or Easter egg hunts with Kinder Surprise-sized eggs, but Paper Mache Easter Eggs like the German tradition that we normally fill up with candy and give to the recipient. When I was a kid I got one of those paper mache eggs each Easter and I have to admit that I almost miss recieving one as an adult.

No matter the size of the Easter egg(s) or if you are used to make baskets to give away, I wanted to give you some ideas/inspiration for what to put in them, that is not chocolate or candy. I've also divided the list, so you can find something for "everyone".

For kids
Glow sticks
Hair clips
Marbles
Erasers
Temp tattoos
Lego
Small toy cars
Soap bubbles
Balloons
Glow-in-the-dark stars
Stickers
Play-dough
Crayons or coloured pencils
Colouring books or pages
Bouncy balls
Sidewalk chalk

Universal
Money
Fruit snacks
Lip balm
Nuts
Band aids
Nail polish
Popcorn
Key chains
Money
Gift certificates
Trail mix
Seed packets
Magnets
Chewing gum
Bath fizzies/bombs
Mini hand sanitizers
Mini cereal box
Hair ties
Movie tickets
Museum tickets
Guitar picks
Travel size shower gels etc
Mini carrots
Family time coupons
Face masks
Shoe laces
Book marks

Adults
Mini scratch-off
Naughty game dices
Tea
Single sachet instant coffee

Stock photo from Pexels

onsdag 5. april 2017

Giveaway; Plant Labels and Herb/Vegetable Seeds

I'm participating in the 2nd Annual Rain Rain Go Away! Giveaway Hop with this blog, so now it's time for me to post the giveaway and the prize to be won.


The prize is a pack of plant labels (six in total) and the following packs of seeds (from top left); Sugar Peas, Parsley, Beets, Carrots, Radishes and Chives.

This prize would work great for someone with (slightly) green thumbs who enjoy trying to grow their own herbs and vegetables. It could also work as a bit of an "educational project" for kids, learning where the food comes from.

Personally I've had varied luck in doing it, but that is part of the fun of trying to grow the veggies and herbs myself. It is a bit of trial and error; it is also really nice when things work out and you can say "These veggies are from my own garden".

By the way, don't panic - the giveaway is international.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

mandag 3. april 2017

Menu Plan Monday Week 14

It's a new Monday, which means a new Menu Plan Monday post, thanks to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Even though it's Easter break next week, it doesn't mean I have free time, which basically means I'm going to write on my BA thesis on Bram Stoker's Dracula. The "worst" part of it all is that I kind of enjoy doing it.

Stock photo from Pexels
Nevertheless, here is my menu plan for this week.
Monday; Spinach Soup
Tuesday; Fish & Chips
Thursday; Leftovers from Wednesday
Friday; Fish Fingers
Saturday; Tomato Soup
Sunday; Fish Fingers

What's your plan when it comes to dinners this week?