Ten Mountain Tops and Coca Cola Cake

The community I live in, has the last two years begun a hiking campaign in the summer months called Ti Topper. Which translated would be the Ten Tops. Ten mountain tops in our community. When you get to the top of these mountain tops there is a way to stamp your hiking book which the community gives out. If you get a stamp from all the ten mountain tops you can be in the running for a gift certificate from the local sports shop and also a weekend at a tree top cabin in the area. It is a fun way to encourage people to get out and visit the area they live in and the hiking trips are great for your health and the views are amazing. Take a look at the first mountain top which I visited today with my friend from work....

This is Amliberget which overlooks Moelv and the beautiful Mjøsa lake. It is 595 meters over sea level. The trip took us two hours up and down. Anne brought her 9 month old newfoundland pup, Artig (which means funny in Norwegian) and I brought Jackson. It was good for the little guy to have some alone time with me. We met lots of dogs and people up there and the boys did real well. I was so proud of my little Jackson!

I recently made a Cracker Barrel Coca Cola Cake for a friend whose daughter was being confirmed in the Norwegian church this weekend. When I put that out on facebook there was a lot of people who asked me for the recipe. So here goes folks:

Cracker Barrel Old Fashioned Coca Cola Cake

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup coca-cola

1/2 cup oil

1 stick margarine

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

***Frosting***

1/4 pound margarine

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

6 tablespoons cream or milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pound confectioners' sugar

PREPARATION:

In a sauce Pan, Bring Coca-Cola, Oil, Margarine, and cocoa to a boil, mix the sugar, flour and salt, Pour in the boiling liquid and beat well. Add the eggs, Buttermilk, soda, and vanilla and beat well. Pour into a greased and floured sheet cake pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

For Frosting: In a saucepan, combine the butter cocoa, and milk and heat until the butter melts, Beat in the remaining ingredients, and Spread on the hot cake. Cool and cut.

After I made my friend´s cake I decided since it was the weekend we needed one too as our weekend treat. However, I learned something important this past weekend. This is and will ONLY be a sheet cake. (langpanne kake) I tried to use to round cake pans to make the cake and that part worked great. When I tried to ice between the two cakes and then on top of the cake the top cake kept sliding off the bottom cake...and every time I pushed it back up it would slide off again. So it looked like SHIT...sorry for such a strong word, but the truth is what it is...but the taste of this cake is undeniably fantastic, whether it is put together correctly or not..it is amazing. Such a moist chocolate cake which will melt in your mouth!!

Have a great Sunday everyone....

Until next time my friends!

Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.....

These following quotes are more for me then you...but if you can gain something from them then I am happy to share them with you.

Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats. ~Voltaire

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day. ~Author Unknown

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things. ~Author Unknown

Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future. ~Gail Lumet Buckley

I am considering starting to write my blog in Norwegian and English. Although if yáll laugh at my Norwegian I am gonna get mad...and you don´t want that!! hahahaha...So what do you think? Should I start writing in both? Heck, my Norwegian can´t be any worse then my English- I hope!

Hope you all have a lovely Friday evening...

Until next time my friends

Using Your Time Wisely

Do you use your time wisely? I don´t. I wish I could say I did but I´d be lying and I try not to lie whenever I can. (Sometimes you have to lie so you don´t hurt someone´s feelings but otherwise lying isn´t very good)

I have a million projects I should be doing. I could be busy for weeks...maybe months...but I spend too much time on the computer. Some people are addicted to drugs...alcohol...sex...I am addicted to this little square thing-a-ma-jig. I have to check it first thing in the morning....I drink my morning coffee while reading online newspapers and facebook. Everyone else in the house is sound asleep. Even the dogs..

Me though? I am awake...I am here, reading, blogging, chatting several times throughout the day...I think after many years of living on the west coast of Norway and feeling very alone and disconnected from the world, the computer became my life line. My connection to the world outside of where I am. With Skype I can keep connected with my loved ones and while I can´t hug them physically I can SEE them, hear their voices, and not have to guess what they mean when they write something, I can hear what they mean by the tones in their voices or laughter.

It is summer...or getting there really fast and I love to play in my garden. I say play because I am not a gardner, I haven´t a clue what I am doing and while I am in the garden club in the area I never attend the meetings or get togethers....why? I´m not sure really...why don´t I? It´s a great question I have no answer too. I could speculate but the bottom line is I don´t prioritize it. Still, I do my best to wing it...visiting garden centers is some of the highlights of my summer and I almost never can go in one and not come out with something...anyone else experience that??

This is my latest purchases....I am missing one more plant for a wall hanger I have and then I need to start getting some more pots in order to get more plants...which I will....throughout the summer! The color in these flowers make me so happy. I love all the life plants bring to an area. You can take a boring veranda/porch and you´re like...yeah yeah...it´s big....but so what? Add a bunch of plants and some garden furniture...and voila, it is an outdoor paradise you love spending time in! In order to make our veranda a place we enjoy spending time in I have begun my quest for some new garden furniture and I started with this porch tent and two picnic tables. I got the picnic tables from work and I have bought sand paper so I can sand them down and then paint them with a oil base so they will look like the house in color. My plan is to put them together for one long party table where friends and family can gather, eat good food, sit outside into the long summer nights laughing, drinking and making merry. (I´m such a dreamer...hehehehe) The Captain is going to have to fix the one table as you can see there is a part under that is missing, but he can do it. He´s like McGyver, he can fix anything!

I also got some material for my little man (he´d kill me if he heard me writing little man as he loves to show me his muscles and how big he is getting these days), Thomas, to make me some bird houses which I plan to paint in really cute colors and I bought these tiny little terracotta flower pots to put on the porches of the bird houses and I will find some tiny fake flowers to put up in those...should be real cute!

I have also been on a mission to find a reasonably priced vacation for the Captain, Julia, Thomas and I this summer. Sarah has to work so she will get a vacation later on. (at our expense- as thanks for watching the dogs while we are gone) The kid´s request was a place to swim...pools pools and more pools. The Captain´s request was let it be cheap so we can do other things throughout the summer then just that one week. Me, I didn´t really have any requests...however it would be fun with something else interesting to do wherever we went then JUST lying by a pool. Right now, you can find airfare and hotel packages to under 1000 Norwegian kroner to many exotic and exciting places which we would love to visit, Greece, Spain, Turkey...just to name a few, however, if you want to go in July (which is when we can go because the Captain is home then) you suddenly pay over 5000 Norwegian kroner PER PERSON for the same trip! So what could cost us 5000kr for five of us anytime before or after July costs us 25000kr (or more) in July!! CRAZY! I am with the Captain on this one and would like to do more with my summer then just this one week. However, I do want to get away and we have been talking about trying to find something reasonable for the summer and then finding one of those cheap trips to one of those exotic places in the fall/winter.

Well, I found our destination. Leksand Strand in the heart of Sweden. This place is located around the beautiful Lake Siljan and right next door to this camping place we will stay at there is Sommarland Water Park with several activities to entertain my water happy children (and their dad). You can click on the English flag on this site and read about this place and the things to do in English. I have been looking around at what kind of shopping there is in the area and it is overflowing with antique stores and interior shops and quaint cafes. There is a lot of history in the area and a cool outdoor theater built in a cavern called Dalhalla. There is also a bear park, one of the biggest in Scandinavia here. So I think we will have a great week here and it will be the inexpensive vacation the Captain and I wanted so we can do something more exotic this fall/winter.

I am going to leave you with this question folks- what summer plans do you have?

Thanks for stopping by everyone! Until next time my friends...

Celebrating!

This past week was the 17th of May which is Norway´s national day like the American 4th of July. Although these two countries couldn´t celebrate their national days any differently. While Americans buy fireworks and BBQ supplies for their national day Norwegians celebrate by marching in human parades (meaning only humans participate, no floats like in American parades) eating hot dogs and ice cream and otherwise spending a relaxing day with family. I love how the area we live in decorates for the national day, all the flags are so pretty against the green fields and blue skies (which we were lucky enough to have this year)

The beautiful weather encouraged many to come out in their gorgeous bunads which are the national costumes here in Norway. They also have what they call "festdrakts" which are costumes anyone can wear. To wear the various bunads one must have a connection to where the bunad comes from (family homestead for example). Below is an example of a "festdrakt" (loosely translated meaning party costume)

This is a Lundeby Costume.

Then there are the gorgeous bunads..if my daughter´s wanted a bunad they could choose one of these..these are the various examples of the Nordmøre´s Bunad. The Captain comes from Nordmøre.

The men also have bunads but it is seldom you see men wearing bunads. Which is sad because they are really special.

Neat looking eh?

My kids looked good too even though they weren´t wearing bunads or party costumes..

I think it is a nice change from their regular look...

On the national day only the finest will do...as you can see by the type of transportation some of the locals used...say it with me people.....sweet.....

The best part of the 17th of May was that the weather stayed gorgeous the entire time we were down in Tingnes. Below is a photo of the crowds down at Tingnes and the two photos after that are beautiful Helgøya on the same day...

However, in the afternoon the clouds got thicker and darker and the heavens opened up with rain and hail. We have had a lot of rain lately and they say more is in store for us...on the positive side of rain...there often comes a beautiful rainbow or two to cheer you up and you don´t have to water the plants outside...win win if you ask me!

My kids have been asking me to make fylt horns which translated is probably inbaked pizza rolls? I used the following recipe for the dough:

HORNS

16 horns

45 g margarine

3dl milk

35 g yeast

3/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

about 400 grams of flour

(I used half spelt flour and half regular flour because I doubled this recipe)

Melt the margarine and add milk, stir until finger warm (about 37C) Stir the yeast in until it is pretty much dissolved. Add salt, sugar, and most of the flour. Knead on a floured countertop until the dough doesn´t cling to your hands. Let rest someplace warm under plastic for about 30 minutes. Roll out into a giant circle and cut into about 8-10 good size triangles. Place fill on the fat side of the triangle, and then roll from that side toward the point...hence you get the look of a horn. Brush with water before putting in the oven at 230C/400F for about 15 minutes. I brushed these with some olive oil and sprinkled a little garlic salt on them after they were done...

For my fill I used low fat hamburger (karbonadedeig here in Norway) and I made my own tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes and spices from my new kitchen garden, oregano and basil. I also had some onion and garlic which I sauteed first in olive oil and then added the tomatoes and rest of the ingredients. I love roasted red peppers and had a jar of them in the fridge so I threw in a few of those also. Use a kitchen mixer and puree these ingredients and let slowly cook as long as you can...the longer the better...

I also used some mozerella slices which were the perfect size for these horns. The photo below shows you the process and the final product...they were so good and they freeze really well so you can take them up for after school snacks or a late night snack!

Oh I also need to share with you what I made to be sold in the food stands on the 17th of May. I am really glad I did this as there were like 90% chocolate cakes so I am glad I didn´t decide to bake a chocolate cake which I honestly had been thinking about. This is the peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls (but with pearl sugar instead of frosting since Norwegians aren´t really keen on super sweet baked goods) When I got the tray back there was just a row left of cookies, so that was good! Just wish I knew what people thought of them but I didn´t see anyone eating them...

I am really grateful for the encouraging words left on my last post. I didn´t mean to be such a downer, my motto in life is to be as positive as you can be but every now and then life just hits you a little too hard and you fall a little harder then normal and it takes you a minute or two to get back up on your feet but you do...I do...I have too. I have noticed that anything is possible as long as you keep a positive attitude. I have to tell you, I am on these forums or groups on facebook with American expats living in Norway and the one group isn´t so bad but the other group is full of negative people and they complain so much about living here that I find myself wondering why do they live here when they obviously hate it so much? Everyone has choices, they don´t HAVE to be here, even if they say they are being "forced" to live here and one woman claimed this...everyone has choices so it is a lousy excuse in my opinion to say you were forced. I think to be successful as an expat you have to keep a positive attitude. You have to accept that you do not live in your home country, respect your new countries customs and mannerisms, respect that things could be done totally different then what you are use too but that doesn´t make it bad. It´s just different. Learn to accept and be ok with different and you can begin to see more positive then negative around you.

Ok, that is enough of my opinions for today...have a great evenings folks...I´m heading out to clean up some doggie poo...yes yes...I know it´s Friday night...I live an exciting life don´t I?

Until next time my friends....

The Up Sides And Down Sides Of Life

Life isn´t fair.

I love to go around and say that I truly believe everything happens for a reason and while you don´t always know the reason right away it does eventually become clear to you.

But what could possibly be the reasoning behind young people dying? Mothers and fathers passing away long before what seems like a natural time.

A friend of Julia lost his Dad yesterday. A man in his best age died during a bicycle competition here on the island. Everyone is left shocked and in disbelief...his family more so then any. To make matters even worse, it was Julia´s friend´s birthday. As if it isn´t bad enough to lose your dad so unexpectedly and tragically but also on your birthday! What is the reasoning behind that? How can that ever make sense?

My great Uncle recently passed away. He had cancer and had lived a good long life. His death was still tragic and heartbreaking to his family but also expected. I saw a quote somewhere that death was just a new chapter in our lives. Yet, how come some of us get a giant novel and others get a pocketbook sized life?

Since my Mom passed away, every time I hear of a death it brings thoughts of her passing back to me and reminds me again of my own mortality. How truly lucky we are for every moment we get in this life and it is moments my friends...not days, not hours, not weeks, or years...it is moments...because one moment you are here and the next you are gone. I always question if I am living my moments the best way I can? Do I tell those I love how much I love them and do I tell them enough? Do I do enough with my life to feel I haven´t wasted these precious moments? Do I take care of myself and really value this life I have been given?

With teenagers in the house there are moments where we don´t like what they do and they don´t like how we react to what they do. There are moments of great silence because we don´t know what to say, we don´t know how to solve a problem...so we say nothing. However, what happens if your moments end forever before you have had a chance to fix the problems within your family? Before you have had a chance to clear the air, solve the problem, move forward and forgive? I think it is one of the things that bothers me most about being out of sorts with someone, be them family, friend, or stranger. Being able to clear the air or solve the problem before it is too late. Leaving a loved one, friend, or stranger to always wonder how we felt or what we really meant.

I found a poem about moving forward after death which I used to honor my mother on Mother´s Day this year. I posted it on facebook but will post it here for those of you who don´t have me on facebook.

She is Gone

You can shed tears that she is gone

Or you can smile because she has lived

You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back

Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left

Your heart can be empty because you can't see her

Or you can be full of the love that you shared

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday

Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday

You can remember her and only that she is gone

Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on

You can cry and close your mind,

be empty and turn your back

Or you can do what she would want:

smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

David Harkins

I think that pretty much says it all my friends...I am sorry for the blue post today but digesting life isn´t always a rosy affair. I will be back again soon with hopefully a little sunnier outlook on things.

Until next time my friends...