Just want to wish all of you around the world a very merry Christmas.

Dinner with friends is always nice

and on these occasions I think it's so much fun to decorate the dinner table...

since it's winter and snowing , not really, and with Christmas  almost here it was easy…I made a winter table with snow balls, candles and stars….

I wanted to try and make béarnaise sauce for the first time ever ! I'm so glad that I tried it out and tested it before our guests arrived…. you see, I realised I had used the wrong vinegar…so….. I had to run to the store and get some good white wine vinegar …then it turned out really good actually….good food, good wine and good company….

good night !

How to make the paper stars !

as some of you wanted to know how to make the paper stars I made some pictures for you…just follow the steps and you will feel like a star and also have one in your hand !

oopsy daisy…pieces got a little mixed up….

Good luck and enjoy...

Second sunday of advent in the House of Susanna.

I can't believe that it's already the second sunday of advent…time just fly by when you are having fun….or when you have a lot of things to do….today we've just had a lazy sunday at home…we did work out and then I started preparing for making

saffron macrons with orange buttercream…oh so good….and I made oh so many….first time I did these with saffron….so fun to try and make new ones…I only wish I had a food scale,weighing machine…when you make macrons it's really important that you weigh the ingredients…otherwise they turn out a little "weird"…. anyhow mine almost turned out the way they should….

 then I also made lucia buns-saffron buns….again yummy….made them small because they are for a special occasion this week…I need plenty of them….so after an afternoon with all this baking our house smells so wonderfully saffrony…it really smells like christmas again…

today it was only Mr M and I who lit the candles…of course we had to taste the macrons and the buns. I can tell you that the taste of orange goes well with saffron, as if you didn't know....today we didn't heat up the glögg though….we made hot chocolate with rum instead…

we also decorated the christmas tree…since my mother left yesterday morning we did a little decorating before she left…just so that we all can get into the christmas spirit…I don't think my mother has a christmas tree at home so…it turned out just fine don't you think ? I made the star in the top…one of my D.I.Y projects….if you're interested in how to make them I'll show you…also if anyone wants to make the saffron macrons please let me know and I'll post the recipe.

Hope you all have a wonderful second sunday of advent.

My Christmas hibiscus is in bloom on the balcony.

My mother has been visiting us for two and a half weeks and we have been looking  at the hibiscus every day wanting  it to bloom but….. on the day my mother left she said "tomorrow" and guess what…..

of course they did…big beautiful flowers and lots of buds waiting to bloom...

it's not a bad Christmas flower…..like it better than the traditional julstjärna…but I wouldn't mind a 

christmas rose….I so like those….in Sweden I have a couple of them out in the garden…not in bloom at the moment though, because the ground is covered in snow and it's below zero degrees ! 

I'm kind of proud of myself that the hibiscus is still alive because I have a tendency to kill all flowers….

it gets my love every day out on the balcony…I spray them and give them a sip of water from underneath…and so far so good…

Hopefully it will be as beautiful when christmas comes ?!

On request..christmas in a cake recipe.

so here comes the recipe to this yummy orange polenta cake….I made it in a 26 cm baking pan with removable edges…I put baking paper in the bottom and on the sides….

6 oranges

120 gr butter

150 gr sugar

3 eggs

140 gr polenta

120 gr grounded almonds

1 tablespoon flower ( overfilled )

2 teaspoons baking powder

2-3 teaspoons grounded cloves

for the sirup to put on top:

the juice from 1-2 oranges

about 1.5 dl sugar

1teaspoon grounded cloves

the above is depending on how much sirup you want to put on the cake

start out with chopping 2 oranges with peel and all and put in a pot with a little more than 1 dl water. Let it boil for about 20 minutes…put a lid on…don't want it to boil dry. Stand aside and let it cool off.

Whisk together room temperated butter and sugar. REALLY whisk it together,

Add one egg at a time and beat it in.

Add the polenta,almonds,flower,baking powder and the grounded cloves. Whisk together.

Chop the cooled boiled oranges…chop them well….mix it in.

Cut of all the peel and the white on the oranges and slice them thinly.

Put the slices in the baking pan starting in the middle and then working your way out to the sides.

Poor over the mixture and bake in the middle of the oven in 180 degrees for about an hour.

Take it out of the oven and turn it upside down and slowly peel of the baking paper.

Poor over the sirup ... you make it like this:

put juice,sugar and  grounded cloves in a pot…stir and let it boil on low heat until it gets thick..like sirup…avoid stirring…

poor over the cake..

enjoy with either whipped cream with some vanilla in it or vanilla ice cream.

I discovered that the cake was actually even better the day after !

Good luck and enjoy the smell of christmas.

It's a perfect Christmas gift since it is made with so much love !

Christmas flowers turned into Christmas chillies.

I was out to get some white christmas flowers for our balcony…but when I got to the nursery

I saw these chilli plants and decided to go for chilli instead !!??…and since I can actually use them when I cook….so I guess we'll be chilling this Christmas…hahahaha…I know…I'm so funny…

who can resist this purple variety..I was warned though…really hot-spicy mam !

ok..guess I need construction gloves when cutting up these ones…

then I got whitish-red ones and she said "a little less hot but hot"…guess I only need cleaning gloves for cutting up these ones..and finally

these are just normal ones, so I guess I can stick to my old ways?..just a plastic bag on my hands?….if normal in India it often means hot-spicy in Sweden….I'll let you know on a scale how hot the different ones where..maybe like the jalapeño scale?….hmmm I wonder for how long the hot stuff sticks to your fingers….you see I wear contact lenses ! or maybe there's a remedy to get that hot stoff off your fingers…does anyone know?

I'd prefer if I'll get some advise from someone who has actually used the really hot purple chilli and if anyone can tell me the name of it. ( I think it is the purple tiger chilli )

First sunday of advent in the house of Susanna.

even though I'm are far away from "home" it doesn't mean that I can't stick to traditions…I just have to do with what I can find here…and some D.I.Y projects…

advent candleholder out of mango juice bottles (preferably empty), white paper and ribbon from all my shopping bags, stars made out of wrapping paper or again shopping bags…so much fun to make these stars…the christmas tree I bought of course…isn't it cute ?

when we where driving home from the national park I said " since we are so cold we really need go home and warm up the glögg…hahaha"….the AC was on and we where anything but cold….. a couple of hours later though

I lit the star in the window….and also the BIG one in one of the guest rooms

I turned on christmas music and started to prepare for….

glögg with almonds and raisin….and yes I had to make my own out of red wine, spices (cinnamon sticks,cardamom seeds,cloves and some sugar) and vodka ! (it actually turned out quite ok according to Mr M and Mrs S since I don't drink glögg)

gingerbread cookies with Danablue cheese and fig marmalade,gouda cheese, dades wrapped with bacon, christmas cookies and of course we did light the first candle….

I used cinnamon sticks instead of spoons ……..it wasn't easy to get the raisins and almonds out of the glass with those but they looked good and it made the glögg taste even better….

we did get a feeling of christmas coming along….next time I'm going to try and make white glögg out of apple juice !? sounds good ?

Deutscher Weihnachtsmarkt….German Christmas Market….in Delhi !

Today we've been to the

in Delhi…..

We did our best to get into the christmas feeling…even though it was around 30 degrees ..

and I must say they did their best to help us out…... with christmas songs and santa claus around…not to forget the gluhweine, beer and german food …...

christmas decor made in papier machee' so beautifully done….I just had to get some…but I will not show you until later…..

I now know what I want for christmas….Mr M doesn't have to look anymore…I made it so easy for him…didn't I ?

After the german christmas market we went to the french christmas market ! Yes I know, it can't get any more christmissy than this…

Red moon Bakery made it even more christmissy..yes, I got something here also ! just had to….

Now I'm kind of in the mood for  the first sunday of advent….which is tomorrow !

Can you believe it ?

Christmas in a cake ?

Today I made this orange polenta cake with cloves and all of a sudden my kitchen smelled like Christmas..

a little different cake since it has polenta and lots of grounded cloves in it….I saw it being made in one of the best TV series ever….the spice trip….it was only 6 or 7 episodes but it was so interesting….anyhow, in this episode they go to Zanzibar and tell us everything there is to know about cloves….how it grows and how it's picked…how to use it in cooking and baking..if you get a chance to see it do so…that is if you like spices…

anyhow, the cake was yummy with some whipped cream…so fresh…

Interested in the recipe ? then send me a comment and I will give it to you

Christmas in a cake….

In search of Christmas.

Today was the day to try and get into the Christmas mood even though it's

28 degrees and the sun is shining and we need AC in the car…

You see today we finally made our way to 

everybody I know have already been there so I was quite curious of what to find…..

we should have had Christmas music in the car because it was quite the journey to get there though….

In this warehouse he sold all different kinds of christmas ornaments….

 I found this glittery christmas moose…..he was actually cool….no, I didn't buy him…if I had a store I would have for decor….

I'm not so sure about this glittery christmas rhino though !

I did find Christmas...things that almost didn't cost me anything today but the Christmas feeling….not really feeling it yet….I'm sure it will come to me…hopefully in time.

Strange feeling.....christmas in a cup

Yesterday while sitting at Starbucks I found myself telling M

" I'm having a cup of Christmas " and it really felt like Christmas at that moment....

can you imagine that all it takes is a cup of Chai Tea Latte ?....the smell and taste of those spices....

it was such a strange feeling.....I closed my eyes and I was at home....open fire, kids , gifts ....and then in an instant I was back.....at Starbucks at Ambience mall in Gurgaon, India...hmmmm

it was a good cup of Chai Tea Latte !

Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store.