Energy !

A sunny day make such a difference. Finally the sun showed today, after a few dreadful rainy weeks and a grey dark sky. 

Of course Californians are happy and beautiful people.

Just seeing the sunlight this morning made me jump out of bed and start the day with a smile.

Completed the 3 months of accounting that has been piling up. 

Cleaned the kitchen and pantry. 

Managed to complete a few washes and even get the laundry dried in a day. Such a magnificent smell !

Trimmed 6 rosebushes and planted 8 rosemary bushes.

Made an appointment with the vet for the spring check up.

Loaded Mad Men Episode 5 for this evening.

Let's hope for a sunny day tomorrow,

Gunn

TOKYO

Just arrived in Tokyo and feel that I arrived home.  A wonderful sunny day in Aoyama. Noticed a few green walls. That is the best trend ever.

Some of my first stops are one of my favorite shops , Drawer. They show a few good french brands and a lot of well designed own product. Feminine Chic and I always manage to pick up a new fine gauge sweater or the perfect tunic dress.

My first lunch or dinner is normally HONMURA AN, 7-14-18 Roppongi, Minato-Ku. 

They serve excellent food and give a warm and stylish atmosphere. Freshly made soba. It was also our very favorite place in NY.

Yellow is a color that is starting to pop up everywhere , just before Easter. I am not a fan of yellow flowers and plants, but I have to admit it brings sunshine and Spring fever to you.

After lunch a good cup of tea sits well at Tè Hong, back at Aoyama.

It doesn't matter if you are in Tokyo for a couple of hours or a couple of months, a stop at Tè Hong is a must. They have a great choice of both green teas, Sencha and Chinese teas. 

                                                 Select your cup for the cermony....

This is my arm and the Sencha I had.

Tokyo is really great. The best place for people watching.

Gunn

In Shanghai...

A few days later....

...these figures greeted us when entering the Grand Hyatt Shanghai....having breakfast at the Cloud 9 lounge on the 87 th floor.

 

Is this great ? No, it's pretty scary, if you ask me.

I think I would be more in tune with this message.

My passion for health and strange erbs made me purchase some roots at this herbal store. Nobody speaks English so you kind of have to help yourself. I trust my intuition and smelled all the strange items until I settled for a black rubber looking root called 

Chinese Foxglove /Rehmannia root, being fantastic for strengthen and nourish the blood. It is also excellent for the kidneys. Got a few other things, like Goji berries. Love them on the yogurt in the morning.

A nice visit to Old Shanghai teahouse for a good ambiance and a decent cup of Jasmine tea. If you like to avoid crowds, this is not the place to visit.

Unfortunately there was not enough time to see what I really would have liked to see. 

Modern architecture, clubs, trendy restaurants and fashion stores. This was my first time to Shanghai and perhaps not the last. 

It did leave me unimpressed... 

Gunn

What a mess !

This is an image of my office at 4 in the morning a couple of days before leaving for China.  Somehow the time originally carefully calculated disappeared and the deadline was coming up for an important job to be delivered.

We had to put in some overtime in the studio. My four legged colleges are very helpful....

I have seen the office in better days. 

I am normally a quite an orderly and precise person and pretend the same from my staff. 

Everything was packed a few days later and taken to China and Tokyo.

We have a new task....

To coordinate and help Mila Schon with a new style.

Gunn

Cardamom Spice

I unfolded one of my passions in the last post, Cardamom spice.

If we look into it a bit more it is a very useful spice.

 Egyptians chewed cardamom seeds as a toothcleener. Greeks and Romans used as a perfume. Vikings came upon cardamom about one thousand years ago, in Constantinople, and introduced to Scandinavia.

It is common in Indian cooking, just think of Masala Chai. How great is that....

CARDAMOM 

-when chewing on a few seeds, it takes away a bad breath. 

- it is also used to treat infection in gums. 

- it is good for the throat and lungs in general 

- if I remember correctly the Aurvedic medicine use Cardamum oils a lot for treating kidney stones 

 In India it is regarded as a cure for obesity. 

So, a good digestive.

For spice lovers !

Gunn

Garden and kitchen

The Silver Spoon kitchen made the most perfect cooking book,

 VEGETABLES FROM AN ITALIAN GARDEN. 

A season by season guide to cooking vegetables the Italian way. 

Wich is a a perfect way to eat healthy, economically, locally and sustainably.

The book is divided into 4 seasons and is explaining what vegetable is " in season " for the beginners. With instructions on how to grow them in your garden. 

Collect the produce and how to prepare them.

Each season got a colored ribbon as a divider. It's great.

 There is lots of classic tasty Italian recipes.

Another book I keep using lately is this sweet ( just as it's content ) little book of sponge cake recipes. It was made by Swedish Mia Ohrn ( with 2 dots on the O ) and Claes Karlsson

They probably love to "fika" as much as I do.

My very favorite cake this month is with a Cardamom spice. 

I thought I would be very kind and translate this for you. it is worth making it, believe me.....

It takes: ( I now it by memory...he he )

2 Eggs

1 Cup of normal sugar

1 Cup of brown sugar / caster sugar 

3 Cups of fine flour 

2 Teaspoon baking powder

75 Gram of non-salted butter

1 Cup of milk

2 Tablespoon of ground Cardamom

I start with melting the butter in the cake-form in the oven as it is slowly heating.

Let it cool and add the milk on the side.

I brush the cake-form and sprinkle grated coco on it's sides. I prefer this to the normal bread-crumps. It is lighter.

Whip the eggs and sugar into a soft foam.

Turn in the flour and baking powder carefully.

Add the cardamom. I have a tendency to exaderating this measurement. I love spice.

Add butter/milk.

Pour it all into the form and bake for 40 minutes. 

Leave some for licking clean the form...it is the best for an uplifting mood.

So enjoy it with a cup of tea ! 

FIKA is a word used called the coffee break at 11 am and 3 pm.

I am hooked,

Gunn

Green legs !

I am crazy about the idea of green legs and green shoes ! 

Such a fantastic look for February.

Gunn

Last days of snow !

Another lovely day with a bright sun and happily, luckily and fortunately the snow is melting. 

I actually could hint some snowdrops showing through the snow today.

Spring is started !

Tarte Tatin - Miracles Are Sometimes Made By Mistake

 

.

  Ever since my friend Larry Jasse served the most perfect Tarte Tartin for dessert in 

         December I have been completely hooked.

         That is, making and eating a Tarte Tatin every weekend. 

       The very first Tarte Tatin was first created by accident at the Hotel Tatin in France in the late 19 Century

The hotel owner Stéphanie Tatin, who did most of the cooking, was making a traditional apple pie but left the apples cooking in butter and sugar for too long. Trying to rescue the pie she added the pastry base on top and completed in the oven. It became an immediate success.

A classic recipe will serve 4 to 6 slices. 

Start with making the crust:

You would need; 100 gr Butter,  2,5 dl Flour,  2 tablespoon Icing sugar, 1 tablespoon Water 

Mix butter, sugar and flour to an even crust and add the water in the end. Leave it on the side for a moment.

Peel 1 kg Apples and cut them into four pieces, eliminating the seeds.

Next step:

Heat a cast-iron pan with 120gr Butter, 1 dl Brown sugar. When melted add the apples and move the apples around until they have taken some of the butter and sugar. Place them as the above photo at the bottom of the pan.

Cover with the crust and bake in an oven at 200° for about 20 minutes.

It will take a man to turn the Tarte around. Place a large serving dish on top and keep firm and concentrated...

I like to serve with Creme Fraise and perhaps some lovely Calvados.

It is not my character to follow recipes more than once and as I make the tarte every weekend it is always a new version and I think my new style is lighter and healthier. I use less sugar and add cinnamon and almonds to the apples before topping with the crust. 

The crust is lighter with butter ( a must ) and other kinds of flours for an alternative, like Spelt flour. It can also be less sugar in the crust. 

I think if you also make a pie every weekend you will get the hang of it....

It's fun and a perfect sweet for Sunday afternoon.

Gunn

Think twice:

I think this is a great slogan for today !

Gunn

Thinking Slim

Oh , how boring to start the year with a diet. But after a busy Holiday with too much good food and too many sweets it might be a good  idea to return to those veggies.

I keep receiving many newsletters about cleansing options from different enthusiasts.

I will share some of my favorites with you;

The GOOP ( Gwyneth Paltrow) blog  is suggesting Clean with Dr Junger. There is some lovely recipes to be inspired by.

OR,

Go directly to Mr CLEAN , DR Junger himself at the Cleanprogram. I am sure you will be taken by all the good ideas to eat light.

OR

Another wonderful blog in Sweden Life by Lisen with lots of great ideas for a better living  with some help from the nature and Lisen herself.

OR

go to a site called Macrobiotics for some healthy downloads...... 

AND

walk for at least 45 minutes a day.

Happy new year !

Gunn