Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup

I have to give credit where credit is due…this recipe I got from Big Black Dog and you can also find the recipe there so I’ll spare you having to read it twice..it’s also a nice excuse for you to check out another great blog!!

I have to tell you folks this soup is AWESOME. I also made some homemade bread to go with this and I don’t know how it happened but the bread got burned on top..so I’ll spare you photos of burnt bread….but burnt side apart it tasted scrumptious with this soup. I love fall and for me fall is a time for soups. So I’ve decided the next weeks I’m going to test out some soup recipes. If you have a great soup recipe I should test out let me know ok!

It’s really great to see new names in the comment section- Welcome to you all!! And a big thanks for all the ideas and encouragement about the chickens…I’m sure Stig thanks you also…hahahaha…NOT….but I’ll work on him…I mentioned it on the phone to him and he told me to be nice…again, I’m always nice I don’t know why he keeps saying that too me!!! I told him we only needed a chicken a piece so we could each have a fresh egg each day…I’m not demanding…really….

Ok folks, check out that soup recipe, write it down and better yet, MAKE IT!!!

Until next time my friends…

Auction Time Again!!!

Today it was time for the local auction again.  They aren’t held very often (thank goodness- I’d be poorer then poor if they were!!!) so I took the chance to spend a few hours there this quiet Sunday afternoon. Sat next to a very nice chatty older woman who was telling me about various things and cheering me on when I was bidding and just as excited for me as I was when I would get things…kind of a bad combination for me…usually Stig is with me at auctions and keeps his head cool about things so I have more control also…but this woman was as bad as me and as excited as I was…so finally I had to say I was leaving early, I couldn’t afford to stay anymore…hahaha…

But check out what I got…

These are “Hollandsk Krukker” Dutch Pots is the direct translation. A big collector item here in Norway. At almost every auction I’m at there are several of these little guys for sale. They come in various sizes, from tiny to giant and everything in between and they all look like this…greyish blue with some blue design painted on them. They can get quite expensive so I have usually just admired them from afar…not being able to go up as high as everyone else when bidding on them. But today there was between 10-15 of these things and so everyone seemed to be able to get some and the prices didn’t get TOO crazy. So I decided today was the day to begin my collection…:-))

This coffee bean grinder is over 100 years old and in really great shape. I’ve admired several of these at auctions in the past and today this one called to me…and the auction God’s smiled upon me and my bid won!!!!! WOOOHOOO!!!! The wooden tray’s age is unknown, but I just liked it…I thought it would be a great place to put our bread on the kitchen counter…country and quaint…love it!!! I’ll move the modern metal bread box up to the apartment now..

So I’m completely satisfied with today’s purchases. There was a moose head I seriously considered staying for..but figured I’d been hard enough on my wallet and decided to give up the moose head thought for today…I suppose the chance for another head will come around some other day or it wasn’t meant to be!!

Thanks for all the chicken advice from yesterday’s posting…I’m even more convinced a few chickens would be COZY…when I suggested this to Stig today on the way home from the auction he told me to be nice….I AM nice…I’m always nice…I’m TOO NICE…..hahahaha…

Have a great Sunday folks…

Funny Farm

Hi!!! I’m still here, have you missed me???? Well, it’s been a bit of a funny farm around here with eight dogs, three kids, and a husband out at sea so I haven’t meant to not write, it’s just been busy. The boys are growing like bad weeds and into EVERYTHING…

Yeah, you can just guess how my floors look after a walk with these three….

Today I baked a yummy coffee cake with cinnamon, brown sugar, pecan topping with a vanilla icing drizzle. It was to say the least…SCRUMPTIOUS….we took it with us when we went to visit the female we co-own from this litter and her new family….

The recipie is as follows:

2C Flour

1/4tsp Salt

1Tbsp Baking Powder

1C Butter/margarine softened

1C Sour Cream

1 1/2C Sugar

2 Eggs

1Tbsp Vanilla

Cream the butter, sour cream, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, add the dry ingredients. Put in a greased and lightly floured 9x13 pan and top with the following:

1C Brown Sugar

2C Pecans chopped

2tsp Cinnamon

4 Tbsp melted butter

Bake at 350F for about 30-35 minutes. Once cooled- mix together a vanilla glaze- I used about 2tbsp margarine melted…um, about 1-1 1/2C powdered sugar, 1tsp vanilla, and some milk until you get the right consistency to drizzle over the cake. I really didn’t measure the glaze recipie, so these are all estimates..

We had a great visit to the family Shakira lives with. They have sheep, rabbits, chickens, pigs, ducks…the whole works..I LOVED IT THERE! So did the pups…

Stig will be home in little over a week and then I will have some extra hands here. That’s going to be great. It’s not my intention to have so many dogs, but Sou won’t be leaving until the end of September- so another month here with us, and we will keep Redman until we can find a suitable home for him, however long that will take! Then we will be down to six..but old mamma Heidi doesn’t count, she doesn’t take walks anymore, sleeps most of the day and night and is just here. I’d like to be down to two or three in the future, but I’d like just boys here eventually which is why I’m keeping Bently here.

I’d also love some of these..

Aren’t they gorgeous?? Any hobby chicken owners out there who could give me some tips and advice about keeping chickens? Who lay the best eggs, how many do you need? How do you clean their cages and how often? Would love to know what all is involved…could burst my romantic thoughts about keeping chickens….Stig can hope right??? hahahaha..

Have a great Saturday folks..until next time..

Mistress Fall Is On Her Way

Fall is on her way….she isn’t here yet, but I feel her coming. The air is crisp and cool, Summer is definitely on her last leg for this year and her season’s reign is coming to an end for sure. It’s ok though, I love fall. Mother Nature explodes in a burst of colour as only she can and you feel for a brief moment like you’re living in a very vivid painting. You light a morning fire in the fireplace, coffee and fresh baked goods taste better then they have in months, and you pull out a warm yummy sweater and its as if the sweater gives you a warm hug…it’s all good. Fall is beautiful!

This morning I took mother Isabella and her two little bumpkins out after we woke and a mystic fog lay low over the field and deer jumped about in the field. It was all I could do to get Isabella to not bark and just enjoy the moment..her body quivered and she let out a small whine but I kept her quiet and we watched…I wish I had my camera but it was just a moment for us, perhaps I can share it with you next time.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

My Legacy

There is a sale on one of these online photo shops where I can get giant size copies of my photos. So I was thinking it would be great to have some photos of the kids for the walls..I’ve had intentions of getting blown up photos of the kids before to set in nice frames but just never gotten around to it.

So today I told the kids to spit and polish themselves and we’d do a little modelling. The girls enjoyed the modelling more then Thomas (as you can see by more photos of the girls then Thomas) Everytime I told him to pose he’d say, “Mom…I’m a guy!” So I guess I’ll have to go with that one..I think I’ll blow up these photos, what do you think?

Yeah, I’m proud of my legacy…my kids are all amazing individuals who I am extremely proud of and who I admire for various things. They are my best friends and we share the good and the bad times together and always come out as a stronger family I think. I hope they will always stay this close, if not closer in the years to come.

Now I’m making homemade potatoe soup with bacon and chives and a little cheese to have on top, fresh baked ciabatta bread (unfortunately not homemade but still good) A relaxing Saturday evening awaits with my best buddies..hope you have a great evening in the company of loved ones…Until next time my friends…

A Quiet Time

I spoke with my doctor yesterday about the symptoms I’m experiencing and was told that I mostly likely had swine flu. To be on the safe side I am to stay home for seven days. I feel horrible but had to explain to Thomas that I wasn’t dying. He told me he heard people die from Swine flu, I told him if they were weak to begin with they could have troubles but otherwise it was just like a normal flu- not fun but you’ll survive. So now my kids are avoiding me like the plague, they walk in big circles around me and blow me kisses…ok, I’ll accept that, I wouldn’t want to be sick either if I was them. I was asked how I could take photos when I’m not feeling well. Well, I usually try and keep going when I’m sick, if I stop up and admit I’m sick I usually FEEL really sick and fall apart, but sometimes I can trick myself and keep going and I still feel bad but not as bad as I would if I stopped up completely. Well, I felt worse after that walk yesterday..and when the doctor said stay home for seven days, I finally allowed myself to stop up…have nothing better to do for seven days, so why not let myself feel sick and get better?

Until I’m able to take more photos again I’ll leave you with this beautiful video with some amazing photos of the Norwegian countryside. Looks like a lot of photos from the west coast of Norway which is truly God’s country..amazing breathtaking views that leave you extremely humbled. If you ever plan a trip to Norway, the west coast should absolutely be on your to see list. Enjoy folks- see ya soon- oink oink…

Walking The Dogs..

I’m in terrible shape, my head feels like it’s ready to explode but in order to get any rest I had to wear out these two..

How do we do that? We walk them down by the beach and through the woods of course!

Here are some photos of some of the things we saw on our walk..

Finally worn out, we headed back up to the house where the pups fell fast asleep in their usual spots and before my head hit the pillow I took the chance to take some photos of flowers in my garden to share with you..hope you like them..

Those yellow flowers remind me of sunshine..sorry I don’t know the name of them for you, anyone who does feel free to enlighten me!! :-)

Have a Sunny Day my friends!! :-)

Carrot Whole Grain Rolls

Grab a pen and paper- you’re going to want to write down this recipe and TRY IT…YUM…

Go ahead…I’ll wait on you…got everything?? Ok, here we go..

Carrot Whole Grain Rolls is the name of this recipe and here’s what they look like (recipe follows under the photo)

This makes 16 rolls

5dl Light Milk

1pkg dry yeast (50grams)

4SS (TBSP) Oil

2ts Sugar

1ts Salt

1ts Cardemome

2 Carrots (shredded- about 3dl)

2dl sunflower seeds (without shell- duh)

1dl Wheat bran (hvetekli)

350grams whole grain flour

500 grams regular sifted flour

Warm milk to finger warm temperature..add yeast and stir well..blend everything else together in a large bowl, add milk/yeast mixture and knead well. Let rest under plastic for about 30 minutes, roll out into medium to large balls and let rise again for 30 minutes. Brush with water and bake at about 350-400F or 180-200C for about 10 minutes…watch so they don’t burn on the top.

I used this recipe as a basic outline for a second batch of rolls I made, only I omitted the carrots and cardemome and added more bran. On one tray of this dough I added shredded cheese on top before baking so we’d have cheese rolls. You can freeze these and have fresh yummy bread throughout the week. The kids and I have decided we’re going to get creative when it comes to lunch ideas for school and work, I’ll keep you posted what we come up with…

Have a great weekend folks..

Here is the puppy photo of the day:

Breaking The Law…

This is looking at Tingnes from Helgøya and the bridge you see is the bridge that will take you from Helgøya to Tingnes or vice versa…it’s a one lane bridge with a little extra room at the top which was used before in case you met someone. There use to not be a street light on either side so people took their chances going up and if you met someone you met them at the top and went slowly past each other. Now they have installed street lights and they are suppose to stay green for 50 seconds or something like that and then switch. Well today while I got into line the light turned red but the vehicle in front of me- a large truck went ahead and drove over the bridge. I pulled to a stop and a car behind me drove around me and went over also- ON RED!!! Irritated me- why are people in a hurry to go no where?? And even if they had some place to go, no one has to be somewhere so fast that it warrants breaking the law- unless you’ve got a baby on the way for example..Wouldn’t you agree??

A Lion Sized Interest

I’m sorry I’ve been busy lately and haven’t been able to update my blog, but I’ve checked it daily to see where you are all coming in from and one thing I’ve noticed is a lot of people from around the world are coming in on my post “A Lion Cub For Sale”. Now, do you suppose that is just a coincidence or could people really be thinking they’d find a lion cub for sale??? Who in their right mind would want a lion cub as a pet?

Sorry to disappoint those hoping to find a real lion cub for sale…I was actually talking about my lion dog, the Leonberger…but I don’t know….this little guy looks more like a bear cub then a lion cub don’t you think?? This is my Bently Bear…the boy who will stay here with us…isn’t he delicious? LOVE HIM..

Tomorrow the first of our pups leaves..I promise a more interesting post after things settle down some..have a great day folks!!

Me and Ralph Again…

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Morning my friends, it’s been great fun seeing where in the world you are all coming in from and even though not everyone leaves comments (EH HEM…and thanks to those who do) I think it’s fun that people are at least reading these pages. I figured today I’d just share some photography I took yesterday while we were letting the pups swim at the beach and I’d share some interesting quotes, I started with my buddy Ralph…hope you enjoy these..Have a great day everyone!!

A woman is like a tea bag- you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.  -Eleanor Roosevelt

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. – Buddah

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit. – Robert Louis Stevenson

Silences make the real conversations between friends. Not the saying but the never needing to say is what counts. –Margaret Lee Runbeck

Live Feed

Good morning my friends…hope you’ve slept well wherever you laid your head down last night…as you may or may not notice I’ve added some new gadgets to my blog..Live Feed is what it’s called and it logs all the people who’ve been to my page and where they come from in the world…the little map gives those who don’t want to read a quick summary of where in the world my readers are from. I think this is cool- I still don’t know who you are but at least I know where you’re coming from in the world!! When I went to bed last night there was one little dot on the map so it was really fun to see several more this morning- yes, I’m that easily entertained!!! :-))

I’m still learning how this blog world works, I’ve had new people read my blog and actually leave a message and I’ve not been sure where to respond to them, so I guess I’ll take this moment here to welcome everyone to my blog, both the faithful readers and those who just stumble in by accident!

My blog is still in the baby stages, even though I’ve been doing this almost a year- I honestly don’t know when I began this, should probably look back in my archives..isn’t that horrible, some people have blog anniversaries…but I haven’t a clue when I started mine..that shows you how attentive I am to details!! I’ve promised my readers that I wouldn’t just write about my dogs, they have their own website: Seapride Kennel but when you have nine dogs in the house that is usually the dominating topic. No, I do not want nine dogs but next week one of our pups leaves, then we’re down to eight…hopefully the end of August Redman will leave, there is a really great family who has been in contact with me and I’m hoping and crossing everything I have that they want him, I think he’d have a great life with them…then we’re down to 7, the last man to leave will travel the end of September and we will finally be down to 6. Six!!! Yes, you’ve read correctly, but technically old mamma Heidi doesn’t count…she’s 13 on the 4th of September, spends most of her days sleeping, she isn’t as demanding as say…the 7 month old Aussie…so technically…5 dogs..still a lot I know but a passion and a  hobby, what can I say?

I’m hoping in the future I can share many interesting things with you, such as the beautiful nature here in Norway….no the above photo isn’t the nature here in Norway…that was taken at my dad’s in Texas…but we have beautiful nature here in Norway and I hope I can share this with you in the future. My oldest is entering a new and exciting phase in her life, she will be starting the equivalent of high school here this fall and next year she is planning a trip to the states to live with my dad and attend a year of high school in Texas. She’s looking into taking Jenny with her for the year and then back again, so any advice on travel with pets is welcomed!! I’m sure that year will give both she and us many interesting experiences and we’ll miss each other terribly but I feel this experience will help Sarah grow and become more independent….and to be honest, help me grow also…when you’ve had someone around you for 16-17 years day in and day out, you get attached to them but one day they move on and you have to learn to adjust and keep going…so I hope I’ll figure it all out, so that when number two goes and number three goes and I’m alone I’ll be able to handle it.

Speaking of number 2…Julia is 14 today!!

Yeah, she’s gorgeous…it’s quite obvious Stig’s genes and mine are a good match!! With three gorgeous kids how could I say anything else!! hahaha! Julia has always been my tom-boy daughter and even though she still retains some of these qualities, she is also becoming increasingly aware of her appearance and right now clothing matters..I guess this is typical for the age but had you known Julia earlier you’d never assume this day would come..I guess I should be grateful, she’s a lot cuter when she looks like she cares then when she doesn’t!! I have a feeling this girl is going to amaze us someday, not sure how but I think she will. She is often fearless, strong, and determined. I think those are qualities which will carry her far in this world..Happy Birthday Julia!! Love you more then I could ever write here..

I’ll leave you with a photo from my corner of the world…the island you see straight ahead here is the island we live on..see, I’m at the top of that island there waving…can you see me?? :-)) Ok folks, enough with this silliness, as you can see this posting was a little of this and a little of that but there isn’t ANYTHING exciting happening really…you don’t want to hear about the thousands of loads of laundry I do….do you??? About how I’m going to wash my floors this morning and bathe puppies…and it looks like it will rain….smart eh?? Yeah…that’s me… in a nutshell!! :-))

Be good people- have a Sunday worth remembering..

Snickerdoodle Saturday

Today is Saturday and I baked something yummy as our snack today. Snickerdoodles. For my European friends who might be saying, “Snicker who??” These are almost like a sugar cookie, but not as sweet and they are rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Really lovely cookies which taste wonderful on a cool Norwegian summer day…hahahaha..This recipe is wonderful- you get a crispy cookie on the outside and chewy on the inside..can it get any better?? This gives you maybe two- two and a half dozen cookies, enough to satisfy the sweet tooth…

Snickerdoodles…

1/2C Butter

1/2C Shortening (I used Margarine)

1 1/2C Sugar

2 Eggs

2ts Vanilla

2 3/4C Flour

2ts Cream of Tartar

1ts Baking Soda

1/4 ts Salt

2Tbs Sugar

2ts cinnamon

Preheat oven to 200C (400F)

Cream butter, shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and blend all together. Form small balls and roll in the sugar and cinnamon (last two ingredients) and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light golden colored. Do not overbake, remove immediately from baking sheet. I was taking mine out at about 8 minutes. For my European friends who aren’t lucky enough to get hold of Cream of Tartar this is the answer I’ve found for what you can use in place of Cream of Tartar:

The answer is, there is not a good substitution. If cream of tartar is used along with baking soda in a cake or cookie recipe, omit both and use baking powder instead. If it calls for baking soda and cream of tarter, I would just use baking powder.
Normally, when cream of tartar is used in a cookie, it is used together with baking soda. The two of them combined work like double-acting baking powder. When substituting for cream of tartar, you must also substitute for the baking soda. If your recipe calls for baking soda and cream of tarter, I would just use baking powder.
One teaspoon baking powder is equivalent to 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar. If there is additional baking soda that does not fit into the equation, simply add it to the batter.

Have a Snickerdoodlish Saturday folks…:-))

And you thought I forgot the puppy photo of the day….NOT!!! This is my little princess, Shakira :-)) She will live with a lovely family about 45 minutes from us but she is owned by me.

The Beach

Next to the forrest, the beach has to be one of the most peaceful places I know- especially if you go on a summer day in Norway- it’s usually too cold for anyone to actually be there, so you’re pretty much alone….ok, that was sarcasim, did you notice?? ;-))

Still…the view is so peaceful…

I could sit here a long while and just take it all in. Watch the bees gathering nectar from the wild flowers that dot the beach..

It’s so peaceful you could almost fall asleep…but just as you’re ready to close your eyes…some noisy beach hooligans come trotting along causing a bunch of noise and splashing and the peace is gone…ugh…

I’m off to work folks- make it a good one today!!! See ya soon…

Lion Cub For Sale…

I can promise you he won’t get this big as an adult…

But there is a strong possibility he will be just as laid back as this big guy…

Right now he’s just a little guy…the smallest in the pack..but his daddy is 31.5 inches and 165lbs and his mamma is a sleek 27.5inches and about 121lbs, so his potential is big!!

He really is adorable, isn’t he? Despite the size he will become, gentle giant is a worthy description of the Leonberger. With proper training, exercise, love and care you’ll have a friend for life who has the heart of a lion…

My only stipulation is you have to come to Norway to pick him up. But hey, think on the positive side of that…you get to meet me and the rest of the gang at the same time and you KNOW we’ll feed you well while you’re here!!! :-))

Until next time my friends…

Peace….