The Garden Project | Final stage?

I spot little baby chilli peppers!

The garden project is definitely making progress despite the lack of sunshine the past few days.

Yay! A Chilli pepper!

One of the chilli plants has 4-5 little chillies emerging from the remains of the white flowers.

One of the Tomatillo plants has also finally started blooming with yellow flowers.

The Garden Project | Further developments

Our little livingroom garden project is still going strong. We have now re-planted our little tomatillo and chilli plants twice. The first time, about a month after we first planted the seeds and the second time this week since the plants had outgrown their pots. The chilli plants are now about 25-35 cm tall. The tomatillo plants are taller - about a meter by now.

There have been quite a few flower showing on the chilliplants and I think the first chillies have started to appear. The chillies need some help pollinating since they are stood inside and this can be done by using a cotton bud to move the pollen inbetween the flowers.

We have 4 large Tomatillo plants and one that is about half the height, probably because it was placed in a Northern facing window after the first potting. 

There are signs of flower buds on the Tomatillo plants as well, but they have not yet started to bloom.

I hope this little bud will turn into a flower.

It is actually impossible to get fresh Tomatillos in Norway - not even canned tomatillos are sold here as far as I know.

Burgers with mango-jalapeño salsa

This weekend has been lovely - summery warm and sunny. I've spent most of it relaxing and being a good girlfriend. This includes making some delicious burgers with a mango and jalapeño salsa.

Dinner for 2:

The burgers

400 g of good quality meat (beef or pork - whatever you prefer).
1 egg
1 tsp thyme (preferable fresh)
1-2 tbsps grated lime rind
A pinch of a equal amounts of nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper and cloves
1/2-2 tsp of finely chopped chillipepper

Mix it all together and shape the burgers. These can stay in the fridge for a day or so, or you can freeze them for later.

The bun
7 dl flour
1/2 pack of yeast
3 dl water
3 tbsps olive oil
Salt
Sesame seeds

Add the yeast to lukewarm water (appr. 37 degrees C).
Mix the liquid into the flour. I used my Kenwood for this.

Leave the dough for 40-60 mins.

Divide dough into equal pieces and shape into smooth balls. Leave them on a baking tray or sheet and let rise for 20-30 mins.

Bake at 225 degrees for 12-15 mins.


The salsa

1 ripe mango, pitted, peeled and chopped into little pieces
1-2 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped
1/4-1/2 red onion, finely chopped
Fresh lime juice (appr. 1/2 dl)
Mint, finely chopped (I used about 4 tbsps)
Salt

Mix it all together in a bowl

- - - - - -

Add some oil to a pan and cook the burgers until medium rare (if beef) or until cooked through (pork). (Stick a thermometer into the burger. It should be about 70 degrees C for the latter.)

Critical thought | No. 1

For those with strong beliefs and convictions - especially relating to anything organic.

Every idea can be questioned and every conviction can be disputed. History shows that what you believe to be a fact can often be proven to be wrong or untrue, usually in the name of science. This post is not so much about whether you, or I, for that matter believe that organic food is better but it is about critically reflecting over your own convictions. There will in most cases, especially regarding facts that are not 'universal', exist some studies or proof that contradict your beliefs.

I believe that organic food is better for us. I therefore do not take this article too seriously because it seems somewhat less serious and less scientific. However, what if it had been a study conducted over several years with larger sample groups across different countries and the conclusion was the same as in this study, namely that organic food is not better than non organic food? Would you be able to alter you belief if you were convinced that the opposite was true?

The Garden Project | Developments

Things are happening in our mini-greenhouse.


My chili plants seem to be growing at a steady pace and there is so far a 100% success rate!

The tomatillo plants on the other hand are growing in a more uneven manner, with a success rate of only about 50%. Only 8 plants have started to grow and there must have been about 15 in total when we started.

Well I am in the lead so far. The plants will be put in larger pots this weekend and then we will just have to wait and see what happens. Exciting stuff!

Garden Project continued

Thought I'd just show you all the beginning of our Garden Project.

Good night everyone.

The Garden Project

Yes, you heard me right. We have started our own gardening project - a very small gardening project, but nevertheless a project involving gardening.

My fingers are not at all green and I generally do not enjoy too close contact with nature. I know, some of you may think it is somewhat ironic since I support everything organic and am a spokeswoman for organic products, but I don't think there are any conflicting beliefs here (!) I just enjoy some of the advances of modernity/post-modernity/post-post-modernity - electricity, proper housing, technology - you get my point right?

Mr. T got all excited about Tomatillo seeds at the Gardening store. We are both fans of Mexican food, i.e. not Norwegian-style tex mex Tacos (although they are tasty at times as well, but kind of tasty in the same way that pizza-on-the-door is tasty sometimes). It is impossible to get fresh Tomatillos in Norway and they are often used when cooking Mexican food. It would be fabulous if we could grow them ourselves.

I decided to try chilis. Most chili plants require to be put in greenhouses, so my choices were limited. I did however find one type, not a very spicy type, that may grow inside. We don't have a terrace, nor a garden so there is only really the window in our living room. It faces south so there should be plenty of sun as long as it doesn't snow during spring and summer (like yesterday - one of the glorious things you have to live with here in the North - Snow in May).

This must be the most organic method of obtaining this type of food considering that they are usually grown on the other side of the world!

A Saturday afternoon

Saturday the 1st of May was the International Workers' Day and a public holiday in Norway. Well, it was a holiday for most people - not for the cafes in Oslo.

It was a chilly spring afternoon so I met up with a couple of my friends at Kolonihagen, Frogner.

Kolonihagen has a very nice and warm atmosphere and they serve lovely organic food and drinks.

The girls tried out a fantastic brunch platter with organic ham and cheese, brown bread, Belgian waffle with blueberry jam, yogurt and muesli, and organic fruit. They really really enjoyed it!

I was freezing cold and decided for a nice Tomato and Courgette soup. Some toast and an avocado dip followed on the side.

I finished off with a lush and frothy capuccino paired with a White chocolate cookie. Yum!

A perfect Saturday lunch!

Jeg har plassert min blogg i Oslo på norske bloggkart!

The Nighthawk Diner | Second time

What could be better after a late night out or a lazy Saturday afternoon than going for some proper diner food?

We made another visit to the Nighthawk Diner on Grünerløkka in Oslo.

This time, I decided to try a chilidog. Yummy sausage in a soft bun-bread with some chilli on top, pickles, fries and roasted veg on the side. Add a milkshake and you don't have to eat any more all day! (Chocolate milkshake for chocoholics like me - I was halfway through when I realised that I should have taken a picture). Mr. T went for the chili which was very nice, but not as nice as his special homemade chili. The chili portion was smaller so my fries managed  to find their way across the table.

The Nighthawk Diner is meant to have a green/organic profile, i.e. use as many organic ingredients as possible. Most visitors probably wouldn't know this and Oikos (Organic Norwegian organisation for  producers and consumers) would like to see some clearer descriptions of which dishes/ingredients on the menu that are organic. (See an article on Oikos' website about it here).

Anyways, this diner is highly recommendable, but remember to book in advance if you want to avoid queing on the outside!

Får du vondt i magen av påskesjokoladen?

Påsken nærmer seg og butikkene har i flere uker satt ut store mengder påskegodterier. Noen har kanskje allerede smugsmakt litt, mens andre, slik som jeg har ventet med å kjøpe de deilige fylte små påskeeggene som kommer i en mini-eggekartong.

Grunnen til at jeg har fått litt vondt i magen er altså ikke fordi at jeg har kastet i meg store mengder sjokolade. 

Aftenposten la onsdag den 17. mars ut følgende artikkel om menneskehandel og barnearbeid i det vestlige Afrika. Bakgrunnen for denne saken er den danske dokumentarfilmen "The dark side of chocolate", som ble vist på dansk TV tidligere denne uken.

I dokumentaren fortelles det om barn som er ofre for menneskesmugling og menneskehandel. De ufører tungt og farlig arbeid og lever under generelle umenneskelige forhold.

Jeg har ikke noe lyst på sjokolade lengre. Se filmen på SVT2 28. mars kl. 22:00, gjør deg opp en mening og legg gjerne inn kommentarer.

Dersom det ikke fungerer kan du følge denne linken til

traileren

The Nighthawk Diner | First time

How about that, an American 30s diner in Oslo.


We decided to try out this new pheonomenon, called The Nighthawk Diner, last Sunday. Finding the telephone number in order to book a table proved harder than the usual; punch in a google search. When we eventually found the number and called the diner, we were told that they weren't taking any table reservations until the coming week.


I was really craving a burger and a chocolate milkshake, and after queing for 20-30 minutes we were shown to our booth. I was very excited!


...and so very terribly disappointed when I was told by the waitress who sounded very American, that they didn't have milkshakes (yet). They could offer softdrinks (boring), some draught beers and cocktails (that just doesn't feel right in a diner).


Well, I got my burger and a soft drink. My burger (grassfed beef) was perfectly prepared (rare as ordered) with fries and chipotle mayo. I felt quite satisfied despite the fact that I didn't get my shake. This only means, that I have to go there again as soon as they are up and running properly!

Helg

Det er så deilig med helg. Slappe av og kose seg med sine kjære. Det blir vel som regel en del ærend i tillegg til å pusle litt hjemme. Lørdag var en kjempefin dag med sol og blå himmel tidlig på dagen. Det var fremdeles et par flytte-relaterte ting som måtte gjøre unna før vi kunne tusle ut i Oslos gater.

Planen var å dra til Kolonihagen på Frogner, men plutselig var det blitt litt sent og det var grått ute, så da endte vi opp på en annen favoritt; Food story på Grünerløkka. De endrer jevnlig på menyen i forhold til de råvarer sesongen har å by på, og med disse tilby et godt lunsj tilbud. De Amerikanske pannekakene så fantastisk fristende ut, men jeg var klar for en lettere lunsj og valget falt på en deilig Kyllingsalat med granateple og bacon blandet i med masse grønt. Min kjære endte opp med Potet og jordskokksuppen med biter av bacon. Lunsjen ble kanskje noe mindre og letter enn vi hadde tenkt oss etter en formiddag med en del jobb i leiligheten, men vi var som vanlig fornøyde da vi gikk ut døren der.