Comfort Quiche

Tonight for dinner I made a quiche…what kind? Well, that is what I love about quiche, what can’t you put in them? I had a bunch of Cantarell mushrooms to use and nothing is better then mushrooms, bacon, and onion together..so that is what I made..I used the canatrell mushrooms, one yellow onion and half of a red onion because that is what I had..and three packages of bacon slices chopped up. The pie dough is the double pie dough recipie in the Better Homes and Garden cookbook (the little red and white cookbook I couldn’t live without!) I doubled this and it made two pie buns but also I had enough left over for one more pie bun but not enough fill. The single recipie is as follows:

2cups flour

2/3 cup margarine

6-7 cold TBSP (SS) of water (but this never is enough for me to get the dough workable, so I just keep adding a little until I can work with the dough.)

a dash of salt

Crumble the margarine and flour together (I use my hands) until it resembles crumbs

Add the salt and water and roll out onto a lightly floured kitchen counter. Place in a lightly greased pie form and prick with a fork over the whole thing. I do not cook my pie crust first…some do, I don’t…takes too much time..but the results are still good.

 

Chop the mushrooms and add to the frying pan. You can use whatever mushrooms you want for this, I happened to have a box of cantarell mushrooms I got at the store the other day..

Onion onion onion!!! I love onion, I could have added garlic to this also but it was one of those after thoughts, after you get it in the oven…hmmmm…

But I did add garlic pepper to the mix after I added bacon….

Once everything is fried up you add it to the pie bun..

When I make the egg mixture I use anything from 6-8 eggs depending on how big my pie dish is..I’d rather have more then less I always say…hahaha…I don’t measure it but I add milk to the egg mixture, just to make it a little smoother and not so thick. For spice I added some Old Bay spice which I discovered at an eatery in the Philadelphia airport on the way to my mom’s funeral…we had these french fries with Old Bay spice on top…HOLY SNIKEYS…that was GOOD STUFF MAYNARD!! hahahaha…so I bought several boxes and brought them back with me…hmm, what could my Norwegian friends use? I’d say a good grill krydder would work. You want a little kick to the egg and milk mixture because let’s face it, it’s pretty plain otherwise. I also add a dash of salt to the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into the pie dish covering the fill…top it all off with the most comforting ingredient of all- CHEESE and pop it in the oven..

This little baby cuddles up in a nice and toasty 400F (200C) oven for about hmmm….30 minutes?? I don’t time things either, did I mention that?? hahaha..I just check on it a lot..and when the knife goes in and comes out clean..it’s done…let it sit a minute on the counter and then slice and serve..

A nice salad and some garlic bread and you have a yummy comfort pleasing meal that even the kids LOVE. Sarah was just sure I had some other meat in this besides the bacon and I said nope, it was just bacon but what I think she tasted was the mushrooms. All three kids went back for seconds and Stig ate so much he had to unbutton his pants afterwards…always a good sign with unbuttoned pants after dinner…hahahaha….

In answer to yesterday’s question as to what Stig was doing…well, no he wasn’t in the dog house…OR I mean dog cage…he was just entertaining the fur babies..they were so confused why he was in their cage and Birdy here was trying to figure out why he wouldn’t come out…KIDS!!!

Speaking of fur babies, my sweet little “lion cub” Redman has been rehomed finally with a very sweet lady and her two children..I’m very hopeful that he will have a great life with them, but it sure was hard to see him leave…he has such a great personality and is such a sweetheart. But we will have the chance to see him often thankfully as they only live 20 minutes from us, they will be taking puppy classes with us, and Sarah knows a close cousin to this woman..so it’s all good…and I really hope Redman has a great life and is the spoiled prince in the house…he deserves it!!

This is Redman and his new mamma, Linda! Aren’t they cute together?

I’m outta here folks…taking the babies that are still here and the big doggies for an evening walk. Friday our friends from Japan come to pick up Sou..they will be with us until Wednesday so I might be missing in action a few days but I’ll get back here as soon as I can…

Until then my friends…

Born To Be Wild….

This is my wild child….Julia…when she was little I kept her hair cut short because she has these amazing curls but only if her hair is short. As she got older she wanted longer hair, but she didn’t want to brush her hair…I thought she never would…she would just look like some cave girl or something. I seriously thought for a long time she was colour blind because she would come up in the strangest outfits..but I later learned when she really wants to make an impression she is long from colour blind..so this mix-n-match style is just plain ol’ Julia.

Julia is the electric guitar playing, dirt bike/ATV driving kid who lives and breathes for speed and danger…the crazier something is the more fun she thinks it is…she is great at sports (gets that from Stig) but lazy (gets that from me). I once told her as she was cross country skiing next to me (I was walking- not skiing, thank you!) that people made a living just skiing, she couldn’t believe that. I thought perhaps I had inspired her into a future career…but no…

We like to watch Rally car driving races where you have one who drives and one who read coordinates. I use to joke that Thomas and Julia would make up a Rally team and Julia would be reading the coordinates…she flashed me a dirty look and said, “NO WAY! I’ll be driving!!!” I believe her when she says stuff like that…

When I see this video I think, I’d never be able to keep balance like this, let alone have the speed she has. But that’s what I love about her, she is so different then me. I admire her for all the things she can do that I can’t! She never stops amazing me and I love that too!

Now you might be asking yourself- what is Stig doing in this photo?

I’ll let you ponder on that one until tomorrow my friends…..

An Interview With Sarah And Julia

Thanks for all the compassionate messages to my posting earlier…my blue moments come and go, I’ll try hard not to post all of them but thanks for understanding when I do!!

Tonight we are having twenty teenagers come over to celebrate Julia and her best friend Tor Olav’s 14th birthday. Yes, our house was chosen as the place to be for this “specatacular” event! I’m going to make the best of it..but while I wait for seven o’clock and everything to break loose I decided to interview my two gorgeous daughters just for the fun of it…they are sitting here and I have no idea what to blog about tonight, so they get to be my guinea pigs..hahaha

Just so you know who we are talking with- these are my beautiful, intelligent, and funny girls…two of my dearest and bestest friends ever…

Sarah on the left and Julia on the right…

Amy: Where do you see yourselves in five years..

Sarah: Vegas! No, just kidding I’m not going to be in Vegas…

Julia: I’ll have a job and a boyfriend!

Sarah: What kind of job Julia?

Julia: I dunno…I could think to be a dyrlege (vet) but you’re going to be that (points at Sarah).

Sarah: Mommy would probably love to have two vets in the family…she could save even more money on vet bills…

Sarah: Next question…

Amy: You guys haven’t completely answered the first question!

Sarah: Ok, I’ll be a star student at Texas A&M or in Oslo…maybe…probably be in America..probably be so bored with Norway by then I’ll want to be in America.

Amy: If you could get to do three things you’re not allowed to do right now, what would they be?

Sarah: I’ll have to go with B….hahahahaha….(just lots of laughing….)

Julia: I’d steal my parents car and go for a joyride….drink….get so drunk so I couldn’t remember anything and do crazy stuff….

Amy: please don’t say you’d have sex…my dad reads this blog…

Julia: (laughing) no no….(knocking herself on the head like she is thinking hard)

Sarah: you’re writing that Julia is hitting herself on the head like she is thinking aren’t you? (laughing hard now)

Sarah: I’d have a party where I could stay out all night long and then I’d drink to see how much I can drink before I’m drunk. Or get so drunk that I’d never want to drink again- hahahaha…teach myself a lesson…

Amy: You guys have only said two things…what’s the third thing?

Julia: I said it already!!! I’d kill my brother!!!!!

Sarah: I’d steal your credit cards to buy really hot clothing…

Julia: Oh yeah I’d love to do that too, but I’d buy a car also…

Amy: hmmmm…ok….What is the best part of me being your mother and the worst thing?

Both laugh very smart alec like…

Sarah: Oh I’ll say something deep….because you’re not only my mother but my best friend….(Bats her eyelashes at me)

Julia: You’re a great chef that’s one thing….

Sarah: the worst thing?? Can we just mention one?

Julia: Did you write that you’re the best cook?

Amy: Yes……

Julia: You aren’t a strict parent…you are actually kinda cool….

Sarah: you’re fan freakin-tastic at giving us guilt …that is the worst thing..

Amy: What about daddy?

Both cackle again….

Thinking hard both of them….

Julia: I know the best part…you can tell Daddy something bad that you’ve done and he doesn’t yell…

Sarah: Sorry you can’t claim that one mom…

Julia: Yeah well, we need someone to yell….

Sarah: He always has an answer for everything you can learn stuff from him…

Sarah: the worst part is you can’t get contact with him unless you’re talking about an engine or something like that..

Julia: When we go on walks, he can’t walk slowly, he’s always stressed….

Stig walks in and Sarah says…and there is he….

Stig air lifting weights in front of us to show us his machoness..

Amy: ok, back to the questions….what makes a happy life?

Julia: Ice cream

Stig: BEER!

Amy: what were your answers again? Julia you said Ice cream?

Julia: no no, not just ice cream…it’s gotta be….beer…no just kidding…(stig is heading out the door to the store and Julia loses concentration)

Amy: Julia!! What is your answer??

Julia: (running out the door) I said ICE CREAM!!!!!

Amy: Ugh….Sarah???

Sarah: Laughter…

And with that folks….I wish you lots of ice cream, (beer), and laughter!!!

Have a great night and we’ll see ya again real soon..

In The Worst Times….

It’s been about 3.5 months since my mother passed away. My life is moving forward, of course it is….that is what life does…it doesn’t slow down for anything…it keeps moving forward which can be both positive and negative. Thankfully the millions of things going on in my life keep me from constantly thinking of my mom, but every now and then in the moments of quietness I think of her. I try hard not too, but I see her photo, her beautiful smile and I think of her soft skin, her wonderful smell (I smelled my mom yes, I admit that) her sometimes irritating but always witty humour, and the way she was always there and now she isn’t.  I miss talking to her. She said to me once that she talked to her dad and her grandmother even though they were gone…but I always blew her off when she said that because it wasn’t the same thing as talking to someone directly and getting feedback. And it isn’t…I try and talk to my mom sometimes but I get so angry that I can’t hear her answering me. I want to hear her voice again. My dad has her voice on their answering machine and I’ve called it a couple times to hear her voice, but I’d love to hear her say something else then just, “We’re not home right now, leave a message and we’ll call you back.” But it’s better then nothing, right?

One of my favourite poems of all times is Footprints In The Sand. I’m not a die hard religious person but I have my faith, whatever that might be and I like to believe this poem is true, it’s a comfort to know that during the hardest times in our lives someone is there carrying us and helping us through…

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND

One night I had a dream--
I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord
and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints,
one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life.
This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you would walk with me all the way,
but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life
there is only one set of footprints.
"I don't understand why in times when I needed you most,
you should leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child,
I love you and I would never, never leave you
during your times of trial and suffering.
"When you saw only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."
...Mary Stevenson

I’ve now found this poem in song form, sung by the beautiful and heavenly blessed talent Leona Lewis

I’m glad life goes on, I’m glad that I’m being carried through these tough times, it makes it easier to deal with the dark moments in life when you know you aren’t alone. My mother will always be missed and always be a part of my heart and I’m the luckiest kid in the world to have had her as my mom and my friend…

A Little Bit Of Autumn From Me To You

I woke this morning and looked out my window to see this…

The air is crisp and cool and autumn is announcing her arrival clearly. The other day we were walking the pups down by the lake and saw other examples of autumn arriving…mushrooms are everywhere right now, a good sign of autumn, I don’t know the names of these (if you do please let met know) but I know for sure the cute red ones with white spots are extremely poisionous! I had never seen the little orange ones before but thought they were funny looking….

Leaves are slowly changing their colours and it’s only a matter of weeks..perhaps days before autumn explodes in all her glorious colour!

Lazy summer boat rides around the Mjøsa lake are becoming more and more seldom these days…

I love how nature always finds a way….despite the conditions it might find itself in…

My lion cubs are getting bigger by the day…here are my two boys, Bently to the left and Redman on the right…we’re still looking for a good home for Redman and we’ll use the time we need to make sure he gets the very best. I can not lie though, it will be a big relief when I only have one puppy vs. three…I have to admit that!!

I’m going to leave you now, my coffee is getting cold and my breakfast is smelling divine…heading  to the gym after breakfast for a workout, have been really good about working out so I’m proud of myself. The hardest part is getting going but once I’m going I can go and go…

Hope you all have a great autumn day where ever you might be in this world…it’s really great to see new people reading my blog and I adore the comments that are being left by old blog friends and new ones…thank you so much for taking time to comment!!

Until next time my friends…

I Need Your Help!

I have two things I need help with folks and who better to help me then the amazing blog world. I’m sure out there somewhere in the world someone has an answer for me so here are my two questions:

What in the world do I do with this?? I know you cook with it, but what??? Any recipies or ideas for what to cook in here and HOW to cook it please!!

My second question also revolves around food…this year’s first pumpkin was bought yesterday…I’ve seen these guys in the stores for 600kr before..so when I got this one for 60 (he was going to take 80 originally but told me 50…and I only had 60…so I gave that too him) I have baked with canned pumpkin before, pies, breads, muffins…but how do you work with a fresh pumpkin? How do I make the stuff inside like the mashed stuff in a can so I can bake with it and so on? I also know that there was something you could do with the seeds? And is it the meat on the actual pumpkin or the nasty stuff hanging inside that is what you use? I need help and that was more then two questions I know but be kind too me, I just want to figure this out!! So I’d love suggestions, recipies, you name it of things I can make with my pumpkin besides a scary Halloween face!!

Not completely sure of the plans for today, probably in general a lazy Sunday, but I’m sure there will be some dog walking, food that is made, things cleaned, and if I’m lucky a nap…hahahahaha…Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday no matter what you do or where you are!!

Until next time my friends….

Black Gold

No folks I’m not talking about oil here, I’m talking about this little baby…

COFFEE!!! Why does this stuff taste so darn good in the mornings??? I love tea also, but my day has to start with coffee. I didn’t drink coffee really until I lived in Kansas near my grandmother. It was our morning ritual to have some coffee with sugar and milk in it (I call that baby coffee and it’s really the only way I drink my coffee). I drink a couple cups of this maybe three if I’m home for the day and not working and then I switch to tea. But this is what I need to start my day!!! Some experts tell ya this stuff is bad for you and others say it’s good for you…I think if you want a good life you stop listening to experts and listen to yourself…your inner you…and my inner me agrees with me that this is good stuff!! :-)) HAHAHA!

PIcked up the Captain last night at 11:30PM and got to bed around 12:30AM, the pups were kind enough to give me an extra half an hour this morning so I got to sleep until 6:30AM and then we headed out. The farmer has cut his field down so we can now walk in the field which is great because I’m really scared to go too far into the woods these days because of all those cute woodland creatures with the long legs and big horns…So I took the three pups with me into the field and we walked toward the forrest and then up into it just a bit and then down the road and into another little forrest I’ve been taking them in almost every day. It was a good 45 minute walk and I worked up a little sweat and certainly woke up more then I was when I first started, so I guess it’s what you could call a healthy start to the day.

My new lifestyle is going great also. I’m still struggling with the food slightly…I think I’m a grazer..so I’m just trying to provide healthy snacks to graze on and it’s going to be fine. Exercise wise, I worked on Wednesday and Thursday and so didn’t get time for a workout at the gym so I took the dogs for a long walk. Yesterday I went with my friends to the gym and did a corebar class which is actually a lot of fun. I just have to remember to stop wearing white t-shirts because I sweat so much and well…it becomes pure wet t-shirt contest type conditions which isn’t a contest I would have won, so I might as well stick with dark coloured t-shirts..hahahaha..

Busy day ahead, kids have various activities they want to do, the biggest is to go to this “fair” type thing going on in Hamar with rides and concerts and such.

Perhaps Stig and I will take the pups for a walk around Koigen which is a strip along the lake in Hamar that leads to the domkirke in Hamar. A very nice walk..

I hope whatever you all decide to do this sunny Saturday you’ll have a great day! I know I will!! :-)) See ya soon…

Dog Gone Crazy

Hey!! How are you today??? I’m fine, sitting here taking bites of my breakfast in between writing to you all….I’m going work soon and then walking the dogs…yesterday I went to a step/strength class which combines step aerobics with weight lifting. Say it with me people- PUH….that is how I felt when I was in that class…PUH..but afterwards I felt great and I came home and took the dogs for a walk and the pups…so a very good day yesterday. I hope today will be good too, despite that I’m really busy with work and then the walk with the dogs and then a parent meeting for the barnehage. There was a parent meeting last night for Thomas’s class and there is one tomorrow night for Julia’s class…ugh…I HATE parent meetings..those people act like they have nothing better to do then sit and yick yack about boring stuff and plan “fun” get togethers where they can get to know each other…UGH…sorry, this is the anti-social me speaking…UGH….I don’t have time to be social…my life is dog gone crazy right now..

Me who loves and adores all fur animals is up to my eyeballs in dog right now…having three male pups is HARD…no no wait, it’s BEYOND hard…ugh…I can’t describe it, I can just tell you that one way or another me and my house will survive these three, but it’s not going to be easy. They ate into my Better Homes and Garden Cookbook which was looking a bit shabby to begin with, well, they took the pages and put them all over my kitchen floor. They’ve eaten part of my bed so you can see the coils in the bed, that was interesting. They are chewing on the wood in the door frame of my bathroom and the gummy stuff that surrounds the door to the veranda is totally chewed up and gone. And they do this….

(note the two peeing and pooping in the background) They do this all the time…sometimes even synchronized…but usually one goes…then I clean it up and while I’m doing that the next one does it, and I clean that up and then the third one does it..I think they plan this…they are probably laughing to themselves and sending out each other one by one to see how far they can push me….ugh…Only a few more weeks and Sou will go to Japan..I keep telling myself that…and then I’ll just have two…and hopefully Redman will find a new home soon and then I’ll just have my nice big ol’ lazy boy, Bently….Ahhhh….this is my happy place that I keep thinking of when I’m going dog gone crazy….

Well, I guess I should finish my breakfast, gulp my coffee, and get my day started. Hope you all have a great day and thanks again for your motivating words yesterday- I am going to do my best to not disappoint you or most importantly myself…

Until next time my friends….

Superwoman Diets!!

So “Superwoman” aka- ME, has had a tough summer…starting with the loss of my mom and then all the trouble with my first litter…excuses excuses…my weight has sky rocketed…and the bottom line is it’s time to do something about it once and for all.  Yes, I did blog about this once upon a time before also, before all hell broke loose in my life- that time things didn’t work out…so this is take number two…

I don’t care how nasty it looks to see all of me piled on top of an exercise bike….everyone has to start at some point and if you have let yourself go so badly, then you deal with the ugliness to get to the good stuff…

I’ll be walking my dogs also…more then they’ve been walked..I have an easy breed, they don’t demand things like a border collie…so it’s easy to say, “eh, it’s raining today, we will walk tomorrow” but no more…and I won’t be walking my dogs like this guy…

Nope, we’ll be using the beautiful nature around us to take the gang out for some exercise…they love it and we love it..

My attempt number two at this new lifestyle has started off great. I went to the gym this morning and took 20 minutes on the treadmill to warm up, then a round with the weight machines and then 10 minutes on the bike to warm down. Came home took pups for a walk in the woods (the one you see above) and then made some of that scrumptious roasted tomato soup I had made the other day, for lunch.

Now I’m going to go shower and go to the hair salon and get my hair cut and highlighted. Have to try and look good for the Captain when he comes home on Thursday!!! ;-))

Hope you all have a great day, do something good for yourself and I’ll see ya again soon….

Update: Below is a photo of my new hairdo I spoke of earlier :-))

Signs

So I like signs that make me laugh or make me think..signs that are true and sarcastic at the same time..think how great it would be to sit around and be a sign maker all the time, just sit and come up with witty things to write down…I’m unfortunately not that witty but when I see one I love I have to buy it…like this one..

I got this one from Hjerterom check out her pages..if you find something you like I’m sure she will work out a way to send it too you and she has alot of cute things!

Another lady with some great signs and cute things is a part of our family!! Audhild is together with our our nephew Tommy and she makes some adorable signs, check out the one I got from her and then check out her website here: Vintage Garden

 

That sign above is SO MY HOUSE!!!! :-))

The sign below I bought at a quaint mennonite gift shop in Kansas while visiting my grandmother in 07’. It suits this family to a tee…

These next two I’m a little uncertain where I got them but I love their how witty and sarcastic they are…hahaha..

Finally a sign I got from my grandmother. I admired it in her kitchen and she told me to take it! I love my grandma..

 

Ok, I’m off to church….yes, you read correctly…have to put in my yearly appearance so the big man upstairs doesn’t forget me….no, uff..sorry that was BAD. Julia has begun confirmation exercises and has to attend church a certain amount of times throughout this year before she is confirmed next year. Today they are presenting the coming confirmants and giving them a bible. So we are going with her. This whole confirmation thing rubs me the wrong way but that is a story for another day…

Hope all of my dear blogging friends- both new and old, have a wonderful sunshiny day!

Until next time my friends…

Captain My Captain

Most sea captains we read about have parrots on their shoulders….that’s what I love about my sea captain…he’s different. I love that and so many more things about him..

Fact is, I’m totally in love….

With him….

I admit it though, I’m not always the best at showing him how much I love him. We’ve been together 17 years, through good times and bad and I imagine and hope we have many more years of good and bad together..but it’s easy to lose sight of why you fell in love with someone when life gets busy, complicated, difficult, exhausting…etc etc.

I plan to make more of an effort to show him how much he means to me starting when he gets home next week…But I’ll start with this little post as I know he sometimes reads my blog when he gets time (which isn’t very often)…

I love you “Homer”

Wet And Gloomy But Never The Less WEEKEND!!

It’s the weekend again and I’m so pleased to have several days free from work to do as I please- I function best when I can do whatever I want whenever I want. I am a Sagitarious to the bone…

It’s wet though…so whatever can we do when the weather is like it is? It’s not only wet but gloomy looking, if I didn’t have dogs who needed out I think I’d bake all day….my dogs are probably saving my arse from growing even bigger- bless the little fur balls.

Sarah is sick, can barely talk and feels miserable. So our activities will be limited somewhat because we are one person down and need all the help we can get with so many four legged fur balls walking around here…

I have to say I’m glad that I didn’t come across as morbid as I thought you’d think of me when I said I had gotten my flower shots in the cemetary at the local church. I was a bit worried what you’d think of me after I wrote that…Norway has a lot of churches…funny thing is they hardly ever go to church unless there is some big event like a baptism or wedding. A lot of the churches are old and I think about how important the church probably was once upon a time and how many went to church before as a place of social interaction and not just worship. This local church at Nes is a simple church but pretty in it’s own way. It overlooks the Mjøsa lake.

It was one of those wet and gloomy days so sorry for such a dark photo but I tried to lighten it up as much as I could without ruining the photo.

As I was walking around the cemetary I noticed this arrangement of headstones…do you suppose these people knew each other in real life? Perhaps they met like this when they were alive and stated in their wills that they would like to be placed in a circle after death? Certainly interesting the way they were all placed and some of the headstones do not look mounted into the ground but rather just laying against the wall.

I was wondering if any expats out there think about when they die, where they want to be buried? Would you want to go back to the states and be buried near a family plot and expect that your husband/wife will be buried near you or would you expect that if you live in Europe you’ll be buried in Europe? I am not planning on going anywhere anytime soon but it’s a thought that has creaped into my head especially since my mom passed away and wished to be buried in Pennsylvania near her father. My Dad is in Texas but will someday be buried near my mom..it just got me thinking, where do I want to be when my time comes and considering I live here in Europe.

Well, on that gloomy thought I’ll leave you…tomorrow the exciting conclusion to the question…”what did Amy do on her wet and gloomy Saturday?” Stay tuned my friends and have a wonderful Saturday!! :-))