Norwegian Advent

My husband comes from Norway, I come from Ukraine, and we live in the United States. Therefore, in our family we have wonderful traditions from all three cultures. One such tradition is the advent season.
It starts on the fourth Sunday before December 25. This year, for instance, it started on November 29.
Each Sunday of Advent is marked by lighting one of the four candles, which are arranged on a wreath or special plate. On Christmas day, all four candles must be lit up.
In our family, each year I make the Advent wreath. I simply use the material from my backyard and the neighborhood, such as small branches of fur tree and holly, little pinecones, and/or scarlet-red branches of berries (whose name I don’t know); I also use small ornaments and decorations. Traditionally, the candles in a Norwegian Advent wreath would be purple, but I use red ones.
Our Advent wreath is placed on the dining table and a candle (or candles) is lit up during every Sunday meal.

Christmas Cards Etiquette

If someone asks me to name three things that Christmas is impossible without, I would name the Christmas tree, the presents, and the greeting cards. Well, actually I would name the holiday cards first because for me, the holiday season starts with signing Christmas cards. It’s a perfect way to get into the holiday spirit. However, when sending greeting cards, there are several things to be considered.

When choosing holiday cards, keep in mind that not all people celebrate Christmas though it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t wish them happy holidays. Simply choose a card that has a non-religious message such as “Holiday Greetings”, “Happy Holiday Season” or “Peace on Earth”.
For a business colleague or partner, a good quality store-bought holiday card would be the best choice. With the cards for the family members or close friends, however, you can get a little bit more creative. You can add a photograph of you and your family or even make a card yourself. Recycling old Christmas cards by making new ones out of them is a great paper-crafting project; if you have children, they will love it. Other possibilities are stitching, cross-stitching, or crocheting. A few years ago, I made several cross-stitched Christmas cards; they were very cute but it took some time and patience to make them.

Once you’ve bought, printed or handmade your cards, consider a few things before signing them.
Always sign each card personally. When the card is from more than one person, the person who signs it should write her or his name last. Many cards have printed messages, but adding a couple of lines is always nice. Another thing that must be handwritten is the address on the envelope. However, it is okay to use printed return address labels, which brings me to the point that the return address should always be included.

The only thing left to mention is when to send Christmas cards. In the US, the holiday season begins right after Thanksgiving. So sending holiday cards any time after that is all right, but the first two weeks of December are preferred because that way your cards will definitely arrive on time.

Lentil Loaf

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law (a professional chef from Norway). It’s better to make it ahead of time, so all the flavors have time to develop.

1 1/3 cup lentils, soaked overnight
2 bay leaves
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 cup tomato juice
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup fresh chopped herbs
salt and pepper

Drain soaked lentils, cover with water in a saucepan. Add bay leaves and garlic. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender (about 20-30 min). A few minutes before the end of the cooking, add 2 teaspoons of salt. Drain.
Mix the lentils with chopped onion and grated cheese. Add the tomato juice and well beaten eggs. Season with herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Put in the loaf tin and bake in pre-heated oven (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 1 hour.
Allow to cook in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn over and leave until completely cooled.

Stuffed Mushrooms

12 mushrooms
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ (8 once) package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Break off stems and chop them finely.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet. Fry until all moisture has evaporated taking care not to burn garlic. Set aside.
When garlic and mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Mixture should be very thick. With a spoon, fill each mushroom cap with stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes.

Carrot Soup

2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cups stock or water
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 potato
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried basil

Put carrots, stock or water, potato and salt into a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature.
Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until the onions are clear. Add the seasoning – thyme, marjoram and basil.
Puree everything together in a blender until smooth. Whisk in the milk. Garnish with breadcrumbs or toasted nuts.

Knitted Baby Socks

The autumn has finally arrived to California. The temperature has dropped to 60 F, and while it is quite warm compared to other parts of the country, warmer clothes are needed. To keep my baby’s feet warm, I knitted him a pair of socks.
I learned to knit socks when I was little; my mother taught me. I didn’t follow any particular pattern while knitting these socks; I simply knitted what I remembered from my childhood.



Knitting baby socks or even adult socks is fairly easy. The most difficult part is the heal. I made several attempts before I remembered how to knit it. It took me a few days to complete the socks.
As I said, I didn’t follow any pattern, but here are a few free patterns of similar baby socks in case someone might need them.

Baby Socks Pattern I
Baby Socks Pattern II
Baby Socks Pattern III

Caramel-Glazed Apple Cake

It’s the apple season! Here is an apple cake recipe. This cake is easy to make and delicious to eat (the recipe is from Costco Connection Magazine).



Cake:
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5 Washington Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and cut in ½-inch pieces
• 1 ¼ cups chopped pecans or walnuts
• 2 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract

Caramel Glaze:
• 4 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• ½ cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch pan.
To prepare the cake, beat both sugars and oil in a mixing bowl until very well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, mixing just until blended. Stir in apples, pecans, and vanilla; pour into pan.
Bake for 50 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan while preparing the glaze.
To prepare the glaze, melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in both sugars and salt; cook over medium-low hear to 2 minutes. Add cream and boil for 2 minutes stirring constantly.
Poke holes in the cake with a skewer or toothpick. Pour on the glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream or ice cream. Makes 12 servings.

Help! Mysterious Rose Death

My heart is broken; I am devastated. Look at the picture bellow and you will now why… My gorgeous rose bush is dead. But let me start at the beginning.


When we moved into the house a year and a half ago, we were so excited about the beautiful little side-yard that the previous owners created. The absolute jewel of that yard was the arch of roses. It was magnificent. In spring, if the windows were open, our sitting room would be filled with the sweet fragrance of roses. But soon something terrible began to happen.
About two months ago, the first dried branches appeared on one of the two bushes. The leaves began to fall off. We searched the net for any possible reasons for fading of our rose, such as too much or too little water, insects or fungal infection, animals eating the roots, but none of these seems to take place. The exact same rose bush on the other side of the arch is alive, though it doesn’t look as healthy and beautiful as it used to.
What am I to do now? Should I prune the small branches, but leave the main vines and hope that my rose bush will miraculously revive? Or should I remove the vines but leave the roots? Or perhaps it will be better to get rid of it completely and plant a new one. I wonder how long it will take the new one to grow big enough to cover the arch again…
It is so pitiful to lose such beauty.

Simple Tomato Ideas

It is October already, yet my little garden still provides me with its fruits. Everyday I pick beautiful and ripe tomatoes, and almost everyday I try some new ways to serve them. Here are two simple ideas – Insalata Caprese and Roasted Tomatoes.
The first time I had Insalata Caprese was a few weeks ago in a restaurant. I was impressed by the simplicity of this beautiful and delicious starter.

• 2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Simply arrange the mozzarella slices on top of the tomato slices. Add basil, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.



Several days ago, I was sitting in a café enjoying a cup of tea and the only vegetarian sandwich they had – pesto, mozzarella and roasted tomatoes. The taste and texture of the roasted tomatoes were intriguing – not as juicy as the fresh ones, yet not as chewy as the dried ones. The following day, I roasted some of my homegrown tomatoes. They turned out quite well.

• 1 lb ripe tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• a dash of mixed dried herbs (rosemary, marjoram, and thyme)

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in halves and lay them on a cooking sheet cut side up. Mix together olive oil, garlic and herbs. Put the mixture on the tomatoes.
The roasting time varies depending on how tender or chewy you want your tomatoes to be. I roasted mine for 25 minutes.

Strawberry Bliss

No, I don’t grow strawberries in my garden (at least, not yet). However, every three weeks a Mexican man comes to my door selling them. I always gladly buy a box from him because his strawberries are locally grown, always fresh and cheaper then at a local grocery store.

Fresh strawberries with a little bit of light cream make a perfect dessert. However, if I want something fancier, I make chocolate cowered strawberries. The recipe is simple.

1 pound fresh strawberries (washed and dried with a paper towel)
16 onces milk chocolate chips
1 – 2 tablespoons of butter (optional)

Insert toothpicks into the tops of the strawberries. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and butter (adding butter will make the chocolate cover shinier). Dip the strawberries into the melted chocolate and insert the toothpick into Styrofoam so the chocolate may cool.

You can stop here, or you can go additional step and decorate your strawberries with white chocolate stripes. Just melt a little bit of white chocolate chips and use a wooden spoon to make imperfect lines on the strawberries.

Tasty, Beautiful, and Healthful: Homegrown Tomatoes

For the past two months, I haven’t bought a single tomato, yet every day we have tomatoes in salads and/or other dishes. Where do these tomatoes come from? From my garden!
The homegrown tomatoes are so much tastier then the store-bought ones. Picking these sun-warmed, rich in color, and shiny tomatoes from the vines in my garden is much more fun then choosing those hard-as-stone clones in the store.
To grow their best, tomatoes need three things – heat (we have plenty of that in California), water (unfortunately, it is not as abundant here as heat, yet the sprinklers turn on three times a week), and fertile soil (unfortunately, the soil in my garden is very poor).



Being an inexperienced gardener, I made some mistakes with my tomatoes. I didn’t pinch the suckers (side branches that form in the joints where the leaves meet the stems). As the result, my tomato bushes became too big and soon outgrew the two-foot sticks that I used for support. The branches began to fall and some of them broke; it was a lot of pain tying them to each other, to the fence, to the near growing tree… Next year, my tomato bushes will definitely have nice and tall wire rings to support them.
Despite all these hardships, all of my six tomato plants (one “Beef”, two “Early Girl Hybrid”, and four “Grape”) produce wonderful fruits.

To Keep Those Tiny Feet Warm

When my baby was born, he got a pair of lovely baby booties as a present. Once, when I was putting the booties away, I looked at them closer. Though they were store bought, they looked a lot like handmade ones – the bottom was crocheted and the top knitted. I told myself “Hmm, I could probably make a pair like these myself.”
Back in Ukraine, I used to knit a lot, but once I moved to the States, I never had had time for that. This was the time to start again. The following day, I started making my booties. A friend of our family was about to give birth, and I decided that if my knitted booties turn out fine, I would give them to her little boy as a present.
The booties turned out okay, not perfect, but still decent looking. I hope they kept little Brian’s feet warm and cozy.



While knitting those booties, I discovered that I had missed knitting a lot. Moreover, the thought of creating something for a little person who is about to arrive into the world gave me a lot of joy. That is why I was so eager to start knitting another pair for the baby girl of our friends. I used the same type of yarn (100% cotton) for these booties, but this time they were pink. I also made them a little bit bigger than the first pair because the baby girl was to be born in August (a very hot month in California), so they would fit her in autumn and/or winter months.



With my next two pairs (for twin girls of my husband’s coworker), I tried something new. I found a photo and description in an old magazine. At first the description didn’t make any sense to me, but after a few attempts, I finally got a cute little bootie. Then it was easy to knit the remaining three. For these I used light pink 70% acrylic - 30% nylon yarn.
Now I am establishing a tradition of knitting booties for my friends’ babies. Two more friends of mine are expecting little ones, which means that I have two more knitting projects to do.
My own baby is too big for booties now, but as the winter is approaching, I plan to knit him a few pairs of warm and cozy socks.

Pesto

Homemade pesto is a great and easy way to use fresh basil. The most popular dish with pesto is pasta-pesto. You can use almost any pasta you like, long or short. Pesto is great for sandwiches too (for example, pesto, mozzarella, and tomatoes make a brilliant combination).

Makes about 1 cup
• 2 cups (2 ounces) basil
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) pine nuts
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2/3 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
Using a blender or food processor, blend the basil, garlic, and pine nuts to make a coarse paste. Add the olive oil and blend until quite smooth. Add the grated Parmesan and process briefly. Season with salt and pepper.

Herbs from My Garden: Basil

One of my favorite herbs is basil. Unfortunately, this aromatic and flavorful herb is not good for storing fresh. Basil starts to decay almost as soon as it is picked. That is why it is a great idea to have basil in my garden. I can pick my fresh basil any time I want (during the growing season that is).
To conserve the limited growing space in my garden, I grow basil in pots on my deck. Basil is a very adaptable plant, and grows well in containers. The one that I am growing is called “Genovese” basil and is a cultivar of sweet basil. Harvesting basil is easy – simply pinch out the topmost set of leaves.
I once dried some basil, but I ended up with very small amount of final product. I decided that it is wiser to buy dried basil rather than make it myself. Even though it is a good addition to many dishes, dried basil is not as flavorful as when fresh. That is why I now use my fresh basil to full extent – in salads, in some tomato-based dishes, and, of course, in pesto.

Lentils. Lentil Soup Recipe

Lentils are one of the essential products for a vegetarian diet because of two reasons – high protein and iron contents. In addition, lentils is a great source of dietary fiber; they contain Folate (also known as Vitamin B9 or folic acid), and they simply taste great. There is a wide variety of lentils, but so far I have only came across two kinds – brown and red.
Today, I have a great (brown) lentil soup recipe to share. The ingredients are simple and inexpensive, but the outcome is nutritious and delicious. I found the recipe online about a year ago, and since then this soup (with some minor changes) has been our family’s favorite.

Provides 6-8 servings
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (14 ounces) can chopped stewed tomatoes
• 2 cups dry lentils
• 8 cups water
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. Stir in vinegar, season to taste with salt and pepper, and add parsley.

Herbs from My Garden: Parsley

I sowed parsley seeds early in spring, and now throughout the summer I have a splendid, versatile herb to my dispose. I have limited space in my backyard, and I am a beginning gardener, so I am experimenting with planting locations for my vegetables and herbs. I sowed parsley in a moderately sunny location. The soil in my garden has not been fertilized, yet the seedlings came up well and developed into beautiful dark green herb. I harvest it regularly by cutting outer stems about one inch above the soil. I add fresh finely chopped parsley to soups and casseroles; I use it in grain and pasta dishes, and, of course, in salads.

Herbs from My Garden: Rosemary

One of the first herbs that I planted in my garden was rosemary. This evergreen shrub doesn’t require any care at all; it grows so well on its own. It’s a drought resistant shrub that is also widely used for landscaping in California. I, however, grow it for the culinary reasons. Its narrow dark green leaves can be used fresh or dried. I harvest rosemary throughout the summer by cutting new stems above woody growth. I wash them, and using kitchen scissors, I cut off the aromatic leaves. I let them dry and afterwards I store my rosemary in a glass jar. Rosemary can be used in recipes that include potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants. Grinded rosemary can be added to soups or stews. One of my favorite dishes with rosemary is baked potatoes with mushrooms, onions, and olive oil.