Baking - and not babies

Baking breads has become one of my weekly activities lately. I find it cozy and fun, 'hyggeligt.' Plus, there is the added bonus that baking your own bread saves alot of money while at the same time just tasting sooooo much better.

Normally I bake normal "grovboller" - whole wheat rolls and sandwich/sub rolls. I then felt inspired to try out a recipe that stands for 24 hours in the fridge. The upside to this recipe is that it doesn't require any kneading. Sometimes I find kneading thereapeutic - you know, really giving the dough a hard time, tossing it and hitting and so on. Other times - not so much. It just leaves a messy counter, messy hands, stickiness everywhere. And no one, no one, likes being sticky



I don't remember where I found this specific recipe, but alot of similar recipes exist on different sites and blogs around the internets.

1.5 l lukewarm/cold water
50 g yeast/gær
a large pinch of salt
appr. 2 tbs oil
appr. 2 tbs honey
ALOT of flour (about 2000 gram). I used a blend of (apr.) half normal, a bunch of oats, 1/4 whole wheat (rugmel), 1/4 (groft speltmel). You can really use any blend or combination.
Optional: 1 cup of seeds/nuts (I used a 5-corn blend, or you can use sesame, sunflower, etc.)

this was the second bowl....

Mix everything together with a wooden spoon in a LARGE bowl. The dough is wet and still mixable when you put it in the fridge.

Cover, and leave in fridge for 8-24 hours.

(After 2 hours in the fridge my 5L bowl was overflowing, so either use a REALLY big bowl, or split it into 2 bowls. OR, alternatively, make a smaller portion)

Place Wax paper on a baking sheet, and use two spoons to shape out rolls on the baking sheet. It takes a little practice to get them nice and round, but try dipping the spoons into a glass of water between each roll.

Let stand while oven preheats. Bake at 200c about 20 minutes (depending on size of rolls and quality of oven)

As you can see, the last ones ended up prettier than the first few.

I decided to make the second bowl into a loaf of bread in our new pan.
The loaf needed about 45 minutes in the oven.

After baking

We eat alot of this type of bread, either as a supplement to lunch, as a snack, or for breakfast. So I like to bake really big portions and stock the freezer. The nice thing about this recipe though, is that you could potentially mix the dough at night, place in fridge at night, and bake fresh in the morning. I haven't tried it yet personally, but I've been told that the dough can last several days in the fridge. So, if you are really energetic, you could make a big portion of dough and bake new bread every morning, just for what you need that specific day.

The boy commented "It looks like real bread!"
Thanks honey.

P.S. As with all bread, it freezes well if frozen soon after baking. Defrost in oven or on counter.

The cutest thing!

Today I am feeling a bit tired, but overall feeling good and fresh. We went swimming this morning, which always leave me needing a good nap by the time it becomes the afternoon. Also, feeling big-bellied today - YAY. The boy commented that it looked big today too, so maybe it grew overnight??? hmm.

I guess really I shouldn't be complaining about wanting it to grow because soon enough I will be cursing the giant bely far, far away - I just really want to stop asking "Fat or Pregnant?"

Anyway, found this video on youtube after it was linked somewhere, and wanted to share it. My baby will have a cousin just a few months older than him/her. Maybe we will be overhearing conversations like this one in a few years??



Find it here

Personally, I think they are discussing the missing sock... Mayben the one kid is hiding it in the freezer?

I also love how you can hear that it sound like they are asking each other questions by the tone of their voice. Also, they are remarkable good at nok speaking while the other one is sill talking - No interrupting!

Missing Danish boy on CNN?

Godmorning Blogger world!

This weekend the main Sunday story here in Denmark was the story of the missing boy "Holger," who ran off from his parents while out in the woods. He was missing for 24 hours. During that time, the military, the locals, and the police wereall involved in the search for the kid.

Today, I found out the story made it onto CNN, which I thought was pretty cool, since Denmark hardly ever makes world news, and this isn't really a world-changing story.

From CNN

I guess since it is a feel good story with a happy ending, CNN felt that they could garner some extra points on a "fluff" story. The kind of story that makes women/moms cry, smile, and hug their children.

Advice needed

This weekend we are having company over x2. First a friend of the boys, plus her boyfriend, are coming to dinner friday night. So it is kind of a couples night-diner.

Saturday morning the boy's brother and family are visiting for brunch.

So what to serve?

At first I was thinking different Tapas for friday night, but since I don't know them that well I also don't know if they will appreciate it - not to mention that it will require alot of time and prep. I am honestly blank for ideas - I am feeling uninspired. I don't want to just serve a roast/steak/good meat with potatoes and bernaise sauce - I want it to be more exciting than that. HELP?

For saturday morning we are making a good, old American brunch. I don't need as much help with that one, but suggestions and recipes are welcome. So far, we are thinking of:
pancakes with syrup, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, baked beans, biscuits, baked tomatoes, fruit (melon and grapes), fresh pressed juice, coffee/tea.

mah Belly, (18 weeks))

Here is me and my belly, which is slowly starting to live a life of its very own, even though I kind of wish It would grow a little bigger, because you can only tell it's a baby belly when I wear an elastic shirt like this one.

Altough I guess it is starting to look more like a pregnant belly, and that's a good thing.

Did I do that...?

AHhh one more thing -
I shopped - I finally caved in and shopped. I've been SO good so far - I haven't bought anything! I've been given some presents and such, but other than that - Nothing.

We've been mainly waiting until we move so that we have a place to put everything, and also waiting until we found out the sex of the baby.

Then I found this adorable little sunhat....

And then it just kind of snowballed - because then I found this little shirt with matching little underpants...

(it's unisex, right? right?)

okay, maybe it is a little girly but .... when their that little they don't care, right? right?

And then to balance out the Denmark hat:

 Little tiny bodies that are somwhat America inspired...



it's not much bigger than my hand!

Happy Anniversary!

Today, the boy and I are celebrating a very special, one month early, 18 month anniversary.

I'm still not sure why we decided to celebrate it one month early. Well, for starters, he decided he wanted to give me a present, and wanted an occasion to do so. We don't usually celebrate our "anniversamonths." I mean, we celebrated 6 months and 1 year - but those are kind of obligatory. He didn't want to wait another month, and we also discovered that the real 18 month anniversary is right in the middle of our next move.

Today is also only 5 months until my Birthday! And 5 months + 1 day untill my due date. And it is also 18+0 weeks for little dude.

So this morning he was so excited that he gave me the present early!

Flashback Thursday - remember when...?

Remember that time at Towson when we went to go climb on the tiger, but much to our dismay we found out it was GONE?
Let's go back - back to the year 2006

 First we went to campus to find the Tiger.

But where did it go?
Why is the Tiger gone?










Sad faces all around



No one understands the sudden dissapearance of the Tiger.

 So everybody starts looking for the Tiger.

Is it in the bushes back here?



Is it out there in the horizon?



Hmmm....

Hmmmmm..... where can we find a dangerous Tiger kitty?

A replacement Tiger has been found.




People seem to be pretty excited about it.












Hey, remember back in college when we used to be fun and spontaneous?

Another reason I'm pretty sure I've found my match.

For the Danes out there:
The other day I am lurking around the apartment, making the bed, packing my bag, etc.
From the kitchen, I hear boy singing to himself:

"aah ja, mig ka' vi li', aah ja, mig ka' vi li'
AAAHH jaa, mig ka' vi li'
Jeg skal i glas og ramme
Lige med det samme!"

Rhubarb cake

Lately I've been on a mission to clean out the freezer. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of a well-stocked freezer (perhaps a post on how much I love my freezer in the future?). Recently though we/I realized that we had alot of random stuff in there and that we were running out of space.

So I decided to clean it out just a little bit.

These rhubarbs are leftover from this past summer and originate from the beachhouse where my grandparents have spent summers for the past 40 years!

I used a recipe from here , except I didn't make it vegan.

mah Belly!

This picture probably should have been posted on friday, since this was my 17 week picture.

This is the first time that I feel like you can tell that there is a baby in there and that I'm not just fat.

It's small enough still that I can hide in looser clothing, which is also kind of the trend lately. In a tight shirt like this though it is getting to be pretty clear. The biggest difference is that I am not pushing out at all in this picture and that I can't "suck it in" anymore. The belly is also getting pretty hard!

life

This is another "life lately post." It's just some of those things I don't necesarily mention during other posts. Especially since I don't update all that regularly.

First of all, I've taken to swimming again lately. This is in part because my boy is in training for a half ironman. Crazy. So 1-2 times a week we trek to the pool for some swimming. This is good, because

• I am currently functioning as a personal swimming trainer/coach for boy. As far as trainers and swimming lessons go, I am pretty cheap (free).
• Swimming is supposed to be oh, so healthy! Especially for the preggo. It is good solid exercise that doesn't put excessive strain on joints and limbs.
• It makes me feel happy and good. And exhausted. And hungry.

As for school, I am only taking one real course this semester: Project Management, as well as doing a self-study for another course: Organization and Culture analysis. These are two fairly complex courses. Both are interesting in their own ways,  both have fairly difficult literature, and one especially grueling final exam.

I am hoping to hear more about a job that I applied for a while back. They contacted me for more information and to discuss more again, so hopefully a few part-time hours of work are in my near future.

That's all!

knit knit knit

In an attempt at finding something productive to do with some of my time off, I started a knitting project!

I sort of remember how to knit the basic knitting way, which is what we learned in home-ec way back when.

This was the first little project, which was mostly a practicing project.

It is pretty much useless but I guess it is somewhat nice to look at.

Then, I started a blanket project!:

This is another learning project, as I am learning a few different techniques and practicing the whole "changing yarn/changing color" thing.

But hopefully this will end up as a little blanket/wrap for little dude. It is unisex, as you can see, since it will be another month bore we (hopefully) find out the sex of junior.

hot food, hot drinks, hot hot hot hot

We now have a microwave!

It's the little things in life...!

CRAVE!

One of the most well known pregnancy 'symptoms' are the odd cravings. It is one of two main questions:

1. Have you been feeling sick, have you had morning sickness?
2. Have you had any odd cravings?

"Cravings"
I wouldn't describe them so much as cravings so much as things that just taste really good these days. They are all food items that I already like/love, but that I just REALLY like now.

Avocado
I always loved avocado. Apparently my mom ate alot of them when she was pregnant with me. I like to eat them plain, I like to eat them in salad, I like to eat them on toast, I like to eat them as a part of a tomato sandwich - it's just plain delicious.

Cheese - especially stinky cheese and blue cheese
Cheese really isn't the worth craving to have since it counts as part of my dairy/calcium requirements, but I'm technically not really supposed to eat unpasteurized cheese and moldy cheeses. Sometimes I cheat and do so anyway - it's the one thing I do that I'm not really supposed to - and I am perfectly okay with it.

Rice, potatoes, bread - starch?
This may have to do with the "plain food" thing that some people talk about - that they only want to eat plain pasta or toast with butter. I haven't had any problems with spices and flavor, but starches are especially delicious these days.

"Things I don't like"
Some people describe certain foods that made them gag throughout their pregnancy. This kind of changes for me from day to day. Sometimes I just really don't feel like eating chicken, or I start eating a salad and suddenly don't really like the tomatoes. The next day I have no problems with tomatoes nor with the chicken.

Sushi
Even though I love Sushi, the thought of sushi has made me somewht queesy lately. I'm not supposed to eat raw fish anyway, so I guess it's a good thing that I'm not craving sushi.

And on mondays we eat fish....

(Except sometimes it happens on wednesdays instead)

In an effort to improve our diets, palates, and overall health, we have incorporated "fiskemandag" or "fishy monday." On mondays, we eat fish!

This week was a pretty simple, all in one dish in the oven.

Potatoes peeled and diced. Carrots peeled and diced. Squah diced. Onion quartered. Garlic cut into medium pieces. Lemon pepper, salt, and a tablespoon of oil mixed with veggies.

Bake in oven about 20 minutes

Place fish on top, sprinkle with salt, squeeze a lime over fish and vegetables. Bake for another 25 minutes.

(the times are of course dependant on the thickness of the fish and the size of the vegetables)

We had it with hollandaise sauce because we are just sauce lovers. We also contemplated making a mustard-dijon sauce, which I think would also have fit well with this dish. Or you could make a dressing of some sort woth sour cream, garlic, and parsley. The options are endless!

Those headaches

Overall, I'd say I've been blessed with very few bothersome pregnancy symptoms and side-effetcts so far anyway.

Oh, but those headaches. If you know me you also know that I've always been a bit botheres by headaches, but carrying a tiny child and producing mass amounts of hormones has not improved that situation. Actually, the opposite has happened. I should be happy to be having a healthy pregnancy, but my head has been throbbing and so it is a little hard to find the joy right at this moment.

Snakes on a train?

A few weeks ago I started writing a post about this news article, but somehow never finished it to post.

http://ekstrabladet.dk/112/article1503419.ece

Anyway, on a train from Copenhagen to Aarhus on February 13, a passenger had a snake in his bag (why?) that got loose (of course), and scared all the passengers. Reports started flying around that a Python was loose on a train and that everyone was on lockdown, etc. Turns out it was "just" a milk snake, which was probably a relief for alot of the passengers on the train, but probably not enough of a relief to make them feel a whole lot better.

Pretty scary, right? And funny, of cours.e

http://jp.dk/indland/trafik/article2338716.ece

Thoughts on the Preggo situation

I've actually spent quite a bit of time considering how much I wanted to discuss and disclose about my pregnancy online. For various reasons, I'm staying off facebook for a while still. That may sound wierd, but I know for sure that I have very few readers on this blog. I know it is open for strangers, and facebook is only open to my "friends," but alot of thsoe friends are people that I don't actually talk to or interact with on a regular basis. If people find out on here, that's fine too. It's just a personal decision.

Anyway, being pregnant is what occupies most of my brain these days, so it would seem unnatural not to discuss it on my blog as well.

Today, I am 14(+4-ish), so I am in the 15th week of pregnancy. A 'normal' pregnancy is estimated to last 40 weeks. Of course, a full-term baby can fluctuate up to to 3 weeks before and 2 weeks after the due date.

Overall, I am excited. A little bit nervous, but in a good way. Like butterflies in my stomach (is it the baby kicking or is just gas...?)

There are lots of questions and concerns. Will we be good parents? Will the baby be colicky? Do we have enough money and financial security? Will the baby be healthy? Will labor and delivery be healthy and without complications? Will I be able to go full-term?

I think any pregnant woman has some worries about losing the baby. I know, I know, there are alot of varying opinions, but in my mind it is a baby. It's about 4 inches (10cm) long and weighs about 100 grams. I still have another 14 weeks before the baby is considered viable outside the womb if it was born, and it would most likely have alot of medical issues. I/we try not to think too much about it, and just remember that 98-99% of pregnancies that last past 12 weeks end up with perfectly healthy, full-term babies. It is starting to grow hair, pretty soon it can hear sounds, it has developed most of the major organs, it has hands, fingers, feet, and toes.

For now, we are referring to baby as "little dude" (or dudette") "blopper," "junior" or just baby or "it". We plan on finding out the sex of the baby, and after that it will be easier to call it "him" or "her."

Anyway, that's just a little bit of thoughts on preggo-ness. I am sure there will be lots more!

The new crib!

It's a picture post, yippee yay!

So, as you may know, we moved a few weeks ago. (Yes, my perspective has already changed from "me" to "we". Pretty soon I'll be one of those annoying people talking about my "hubby" (no we're not married) and saying "we think that brunch is so totally awesome.") Anyway, these are only our temporary digs, but I figured I could share a few pictures from our new little home.

Yes, these pictures were taken with my camera phone.

This is our awesome shelving unit. On it you see loads and loads of books. We are clearly a liberal arts/arts and humanities/behavioral and social sciences sort of home. Also, we have loads of alcohol and wine. Yippee.

This is our messy corner. The view is from the couch and into the bedroom. We have a bed frame and a closet/dresser standing in boxes in the corner, since we figured we don't really have room for those things right now and also they are easier to move in the original boxes. The TV is placed so that it can be used in both the living room and the bedroom. There is a sliding door between the rooms but it is hardly ever closed.

Keep in mind that we are only living here for 2 months...

This is my kitchen! There is very limited counter and cabinet space and I am pretty much excited beyond words for my new kitchen in the new apartment, because itis about double the size of this kitchen. I am sitting on the couch taking this pictures - so yes, this is an open kitchen-living-dining room.

My boyfriend wanted you to know that he cut his finger the other day. Poor baby.