shrimp mush & design humidifier...

mush? yes, eventhough i liked the taste, this wasn't perhaps one of the prettiest dishes ever made, but taste comes first, right?

it all started already last week, you remember, not enough eggs to bake, etc? well, eggs were not the only thing that i'd forgotten. anyways, i decided that there just has to be something in the pantry and/or freezer that will make up a lunch and some left over to take to work.

first i raided the pantry, got plenty of rice (all kinds...), i chose quick cooking brown rice. then checked the fridge and found these







then the freezer, plenty to work with there! like these shimps







this corn







these green beans







these peas







a merry mix in colander, thawing away







now, will this become a recipe, i doubt it, but here's what happened: i cooked the rice (plenty of it), sauteed 1 minced onion, added the thawed corn, beans and peas, chopped spanish pepper and grated peel of 1 lemon, mixed all this well. then added some chilli oil, ginger paste and pad thai sause (can't give amounts, 'cause i used what was left in the jars and bottle), perhaps i should say "add to taste"







had the thawed shimp in a bowl into which i added juice of 2 lemons ('cause i like lemon...) and 2 tsp of chilli powder, mixed well and poured onto the pan with other ingredients. it looked like this, there was plenty of it, like for 10 people.

tastes equally good cold (had some for lunch today). certain someone seemed to enjoy his share, said it was tasty and easy to eat (go figure what that means!) feel free to leave the shrimp out and go all vegetarian







the air indoors is very dry because of this frosty weather. i do hang my laundry indoors to dry, but that isn't enough to humidify the air in my apt. i tried to figure out how to fix the problem and remembered that way back when we used have a humidifier that was hanging on a radiator. this made me think hard, very hard...

then i saw this alvar aalto vase sitting and collecting dust... and came up with a solution. i poured some water in the vase and placed it on my warm raditor... i now have a design humidifier






luckily the radiator is wide enough for the vase to lay on properly and balanced (and that there is kinda "flat" side to the vase to lean on the wall). perhaps not quite how mr aalto intended his vase to be used but on the other hand, i now have a use for the vase (other than collecting dust, i mean)

belated b'day present

go this this cute package from certain someone's mother







inside was this runner







i do like the design, not yet sure where i'll put it to use, back at my apt, or here at the shack... also, not sure if it's autumn, but i'm graving to do some redecorating, my place could use some paint, furniture could be shuffled, curtains might be good... we'll see

another veggie soup & home decorating tip

first "bring lunch to work" after rehab. i'm not sure i should be using that particular word, rehab isn't primarily associated with getting fitness, nutrition and vocational advise. for a lack of a better word (any suggestions?) i will use it anyway.

had these veggies in the fridge and wanted to make some soup







i coarsely grated the celeriac, parsnip, carrots, potato, chopped the leek and sweet potato (that cooks fastest). put all that in a pot, add water to barely cover the veggies and bring to a boil, cook for 15 to 20 mins, or until the sweet potato is starting to fall apart, all other veggies will be cook by then (since they're in smaller pieces). i used vegetable fondi from this company. if you have homemade stock it's best to use that.(i was making this at my apt, all my stock is frozen at the schack)







i also had some cream cheese (light!), added approx ½ dl to the pot, along with chili powder (to taste), white and black pepper and thyme. the fondi has some salt in it so i didn't add any, you can actually taste the veggies when not using salt. i had wanted to make this very smooth, but my immersion blender wasn't home, so i used hand held mixer







this was what i got, almost smooth but yet some bite. somehow i always end up making too much soup, this time was no exception. i had it twice for lunch, froze 2 portions and there are some left for a very light dinner tomorrow







the soup was yesterday's lunch before work, i took these to work: lingonberry pudding, slaw-type (cabbage, carrots, red bell pepper, leek, no sauce) salad with cottage cheese and a sandwich (i did have some sinfull chunky blue cheese dressing left at work, but only a tbsp!)







i got a new chair for my desk at home not too long ago. i like the chair but the seat gets kinda warm after some time on it. one day i remembered i have these indian style pillow covers tucked away somewhere, took one out and it was a perfect fit for my chair







the covers are made of sari fabric and are quite stylish, i think. i've had these covers for ages, they are a bit tedious to wash (dry cleaning isn't that big in finland) but since they didn't cost that much, and i'm not using them for anything else, i might as well use them up one by one and toss them out after they start showing tear and wear







it's a wonder i haven't cut myself more seriously when chopping and peeling veggies. these 2 fingers lost only a small piece of nail... although i do remember one time, when i was approx 16 and working in a huge kitchen, that i cut my left middle finger quite bad. i was chopping lettuce and the cutting board suddenly turned red... they didn't let me touch a knife for a week







ps. although i managed to surprise myself with my computer skills not too long ago, i have some, well big, problems with downloading pics from my new camera to my laptop which refuses to recognize the new camera. i've done all the tricks to test all possible variations, no luck. so i took the easy way and switched the memory card from the new to my older camera and we're back to business, but there has to be another way... and yes, i do realize that i'm in a desperate need of a manicure