Food

Food 1: Sugar

A week ago my baby turned two years of age. It's hard to believe that it's two years since he was born. It feels like yesterday. On the other hand, life before him seems so far away. Anyway, I made a birthday cake, or rather my mum and me made several cakes, as quite a number of people were expected to call.

I couldn't shake this guilty feeling though: last year I had made a sugar free cake for Aidan's first birthday, it was sweetened with bananas and blueberries, but this year white sugar played  a big role. (I made this chocolate cake, which is fairly healthy, though the buttercream I used for the frosting is full of sugar, and mum made her famous version of a Milka Torte) Of course it's not the first time that Aidan had sugar. I don't want to be too strict and I don't want to deny him the pleasure of eating sweet things. And it undeniably is a pleasure! But I also want him to be healthy and I certainly don't want him to become a sugar addict. Awareness of how bad sugar is for your health is constantly rising and I've been trying for a while now to reduce the amount of sugar that my family and me are eating. When you have a baby all the nurses and all the books and leaflets tell you not to give your child sugar in the first two years. I do love cake and biscuits myself and so does my husband and of course Aidan got to nibble some biscuits even before he turned one. I don't think this is so bad when it doesn't happen every day. Still I will try to keep sugar at a low level though we could never succeed to eliminate it completely in this house. But since I started to reduce sugar in my home baking I have found a lot of sweets that I used to love nearly unbearably sweet. I think I can regard this as a success!

Food 2: Kefir

A few months ago my husband's colleague gave me some kefir grains so I could start making my own kefir. My mum used to make yoghurt at home but I had never heard of home made kefir. I'm not even sure if I ever had kefir before. I did get hooked very soon! Even when I had to drink all the kefir myself as Adrian absolutely refused it after taking his first sip. And you do get a lot of kefir as it takes only a day for a glass of milk to turn into kefir.

And recently I don't have to drink it all myself: Aidan discovered that he loves it, especially with a bit of orange juice through it. Maybe he likes it because I let him help me to sieve the kefir and then lick the bowl? Whenever he sees the sieve or the bowl or the glass with the kefir grains he demands to sieve the kefir and drink a good bit of it. It's supposed to be very good for you so I don't mind to let him have some of it daily. Apart from drinking it you can use it in loads of recipes. I like using it instead of buttermilk in soda bread and scones. Apart from having lots of kefir you also end up having lots of kefir grains as they keep growing as you make the kefir. I hate throwing them out so  I hope I will find someone I can give them to. I think my mum might take some home. My sister Marina already did and has been making her own for a while.

Food 3: Recipe

This is a recipe that I meant to share for a while now: it's a pasta dish I make for Aidan when I need a quick dinner. I've been making it since he was about a year old.

Tbsp butter
1 green onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated
Tbsp flour
about 200 ml milk
handfull frozen peas
20g baby pasta
grated cheese

Cook the baby pasta according to the instructions on the package. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a pan and add onion and carrot. Fry a little over medium heat then dust with flour and add milk, stirring constantly. You might want to add more milk for a runnier sauce. Cook for a few minutes then add the the peas and cook for another few minutes until peas are soft. Pour sauce over pasta and serve with a bit of grated cheese.

Family matters

Last week the postman rang to deliver an unexpected parcel. It was from my sister Bille who had given me an umbrella for Christmas and had offered to post it as it was quite complicated to bring on the plane. She hadn't told me that she had sent it so it was a real surprise.

And she had included an issue of my favorite magazine and wrapped around the umbrella (!) a beautiful jumper that she knitted a while ago and never wore.

As much as I like the umbrella, it's the jumper that I cherish most as a gift. A lot of work has gone into it - the Norwegian star pattern is not easy - and I remember how disappointed she was when she didn't like it on herself. I always thought it looked great on her but I know too well how it is when you put a lot of work into something and it doesn't turn out the way you imagined it. No matter how much praise you get you're just not happy with it. I wish it had turned out better for her but I am really delighted to have a new warm jumper now.
I have already mentioned my sister Marina's blog where she frequently publishes her amazing paintings and drawings. My sister Bille has a blog as well that she seems to have revived after a several months of silence. I hope she will blog regularly now.
I am very lucky to have two creative sisters who share my love for making things. And it's obvious where we got it from: our mum used to always sew and knit for us and our dad and these days her knitting needles are always out to knit jumpers for her grandsons. And her mother, our Oma, was the same. At a time when you could still save money by sewing your own clothes she made most of my mum's and her siblings' clothes herself. Nowadays you don't do needlework out of necessity but for enjoyment and all my aunts and cousin like to knit, sew or crochet. I am very thankful that I grew up in a family where it was a matter of fact that you learnt to do needlework at a very young age.

Spring Is On Its Way

February, which is still deep winter in Germany, is considered a spring month in Ireland. Saying this, it certainly doesn't mean that the weather is any nicer than in January. They say you can have four seasons in a day any time of the year in Ireland, so there is no point arguing if February is winter or spring. I went for a walk yesterday and it really did feel like a lovely spring day. And that was the last day of January! The sun was shining, the air was mild and we saw the first lambs in the field. Or at least I did, Aidan was fast asleep by that time. I decided to take the longer route which I don't do that often these days. And I'm glad I did. I passed one of my favourite ruined houses on the way. Ireland is a good place if you're into old houses and castles.

There is something sad and beautiful about ruins and they never fail to fascinate me. I always wonder what happened to the people who lived there. Did they leave or die? Why did nobody else move in? I got the impression that most people in Ireland don't share my enthusiasm about old stone walls but then I discovered The Irish Aesthete. It's an interesting blog and I've learned a few things about nearby ruins. Yet my poor old house is just one of many, too common to be of historical interest. Maybe it is better not to know its story, it would probably be disappointing. I'd like to leave it as it is: an old farmhouse covered in ivy, with broken window panes and trees growing inside. ( I snooped around with a friend once). Very soon the birds will be nesting in the attic, so it's not as deserted as it seems.

It's hard to believe that it's already February. I haven't posted as regularly as I would have liked but I had good excuses as I had to finish a customer request:

And the present for my cousin's baby:

Both are on their way to Germany now, so I have time for other projects that have been lying around for a while.