nedelja, 8. december 2013

NEDELJSKI ZAJTRK - TRETJIČ / SUNDAY BREAKFAST No. 3

Pa se je spet zgodilo.
Nedelja zjutraj, po napornem tednu in dežurni soboti in brez kruha.
Nekaj bo potrebno otrokom dat za zajtrk.
Manumajček ne je mlečnih jedi (gresa, mlečnega riža...), palačink ali vafljev pa se mi ne da delat.
Raje bi nekaj podobnega kruhu.

Odločila sem se za mlečne kruhke (nemško Milchbrot, angleško Scones) - pripravljeni in pečeni so hitro in iz sestavin, ki jih imamo vedno doma. Pa še dobri so in ni potrebno čakati, da se popolnoma ohladijo, saj so najboljši z maslom in marmelado, ko so še mlačni.

Priznam, da moji še nikoli niso izgledali tako, kot v kuharskih knjigah, saj testo vedno razvaljam na pretenko in ne narastejo toliko, kot naj bi, ampak okusni so pa vedno in še vedno jih je zmanjkalo.



2 skodelici moke
2 žlički pecilnega praška
ščepec soli
30 g masla razrezanega na majhne kocke
125 ml mleka
125 ml vode

V posodo damo suhe sestavine in dodamo kocke masla. Maslo s prsti vtremo v moko (nastanejo drobtine in ne čutimo več večjih kosov masla).
Dodamo mešanico mleka in vode  in hitro zgnetemo v gladko, zelo mehko testo. Pri gnetenju moramo biti res zelo nežni in hitri, saj bodo kruhki trdi, če bomo gnetli predolgo.
Testo stresemo na pomokano površino in ga sploščimo do debeline približno 3 cm.
S pomokanim okroglim modelom (ali pa s pomokanim nožem) iz testa izrežemo kruhke, ki jih polagamo na pekač obložen s peki papirjem in pomažemo z mlekom.
Kruhke pečemo 12-14 minut v pečici ogreti na 220°C, dokler niso zlato zapečeni in zvenijo votlo, če na njih potrkamo.
Pečene kruhke ohladimo do mlačnega in postrežemo z maslom in marmelado (bolj dekadentni pa s smetano in marmelado).




It happened again.
It is Sunday morning after a long week and having to work on Saturday and we have no bread.
The children will need something for breakfast.
Manuboy doesn’t like dairy meals; I am not in the mood for making pancakes or waffles.
I would prefer something more like bread.

I decided to make Scones (Milchbrot in German) – they are quickly prepared and baked and I always have the ingredients at home. They are very tasty and they don't need to be cooled completely, because they are the best served with butter and jam, when they are still lukewarm.

I admit that my scones have never looked like the ones in cookery books, because I always pat the dough too thinly and they don't rise like they are supposed to, but they are still delicious, and we always eat the whole batch.

2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
30 g butter cut into small cubes
125 ml milk
125 ml water

Put the dry ingredients in to the bowl and add the butter cubes. Rub the butter with your fingers in to the flour.
Add the milk and water mixture and quickly kneaded all the ingredients into smooth, very soft dough. You have to be really gentle and quick with the kneading. If you knead for too long, you will get very hard scones.
Transfer the dough on to a floured surface and flatten it to a thickness of about 3 cm.
With floured round cutter (or with a floured knife) cut out the scones and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush with milk.
Bake the scones 12-14 minutes in an oven preheated to 220 ° C until golden brown (they should sound hollow if you knock on them).

Let the scones cool to lukewarm and serve with butter and jam (if you feel more decadent serve them with whipped cream and jam).



sobota, 16. november 2013

NEUSPEŠNO TEKMOVANJE / FAILED COMPETITION

V naši družini imamo kar nekaj nasprotij. Že samo mož in jaz se zelo razlikujeva v določenih pogledih. In eno takih področij je tekmovalnost. Moška polovica je tekmovalna in vsak izziv izkoristi za spodbudo, da postane sam še boljši. Jaz pa tekmovanja in tekmovalnost (sploh športno) raje prepustim drugim in bi se nasprotniku najraje umaknila in ga spustila naprej in od tekmovalnosti ne dobim nikakršne vzpodbude in zagona.

V nasprotju s temi občutki sem se v oktobru odločila pridružiti tekmovanju - kuharskemu tekmovanju. Bolj natančno sem želela objaviti fotografijo svojega  izdelka na Cookalong, ki ga vsak mesec razpiše Nigella Lawson. Oktobrski recept mi je bil zelo všeč in zato sem si en oktobrski vikend vzela čas in se lotila peke.
Njeni recepti so vedno lepo napisani, jasni in celo v metričnem sistemu, tako da s tem ni bilo nobenih težav.
Težave so nastopile, ko sem želela objaviti sliko. Po prijavi na njeno stran, mi je stalno javljalo, da se uporabniško ime in geslo ne ujemata. Po približno desetih poskusih v štirih dneh sem obupala.
Na mojo pritožbo na njeni FB strani tudi ni bilo nobenega odziva (pa nisem bila edina s to težavo), tako da sem pač (spet) vrgla puško v koruzo.

Torto smo z največjim veseljem pojedli in večja verjetnost je, da bom prej spet pekla to torto, kot poskušala sodelovati v kakšnem tekmovanju.

TESTO:
50 g grenkega kakava
100 g rjavega sladkorja
250 ml vrele vode
125 g mehkega masla
150 sladkorja
225 g moke
1/2 žličke pecilnega praška
1/2 žličke sode bikarbone
vanilijev sladkor
2 veliki jajci

Sestavin je dovolj za eno torto s premerom približno 20 cm, ki jo po peki prerežemo ali pa spečemo dve ločeni plasti.

V posodo damo kakav in rjav sladkor ter dolijemo vrelo vodo in dobro premešamo.
V drugi posodi penasto umešamo maslo in sladkor, v tretji pa pripravimo mešanico moke, pecilnega praška in sode bikarbone.
Mešanici masla in sladkorja dodamo vanilijev sladkor nato pa prvo jajce in zvrhana žlica moke ter drugo jajce in nato še ostanek suhih sestavin. Na koncu umešamo še kakavovo mešanico.
Testo damo v namaščen model za torte (ali dva) ter pečemo približno 30 minut v pečici segreti na 180°C.

KREMA:
125 ml vode
30g rjavega sladkorja
175 g masla, narezanega na kocke
300 g dobre temne čokolade, narezane na majhne koščke

Takoj, ko damo testo v pečico začnemo pripravljati kremo.
V kozico damo vodo, rjav sladkor in maslo in stopimo na majhnem ognju. Ko začne tekočina vreti, kozico umaknemo iz ognja in dodamo narezano čokolado. Vsebino kozice narahlo "zavrtimo", da pride vsa čokolada v stik z vročo vsebino. Pustimo za kratek čas, da se čokolada stopi, nato pa z metlico premešamo kremo dokler ni gladka in sijoča.

Krema naj stoji vsaj eno uro, da se ohladi in strdi, vendar jo v vmesnem času občasno premešamo.

Ko je testo pečeno in ohlajeno in krema lepo trda, sestavimo torto.



We have quite a few contradictions in our family. My husband and I are very different in some aspects. One of them is competitions. My better half is extremely competitive and he uses every chance he gets to compete and to use the competition to improve him.
On the other hand I don't like competitions (especially the sports kind) and am perfectly fine to let my opponent win. And I don't get any motivation from competing.

In put those feelings aside in October when I decided to join a competition – a cooking competition. I wanted to join the Nigella Lawson Cookalong. I really liked the October's recipe and so I took some time for baking on one weekend in October.
I find all Nigela's recipes nicely written, clear and they are even in the metric system, so I had no problems there.
Problems arose when I tried to post a picture. After logging on to her page, I constantly got a message that the username and password do not match. After about ten attempts in four days, I gave up.
I even complained on her FB page, but got no response (but I was not the only one with this problem), so I just (again) threw in the towel.


We ate the cake, which was gorgeous, but the odds are that I will sooner bake this cake again then enter another competition.




nedelja, 6. oktober 2013

NOVI ZAČETKI / NEW BEGINNINGS

Kot sem omenila v starejši objavi se trenutno ukvarjam z oviro na moji poti.

Imela sem izdelano celotno strategijo, ki se je potem sesula zaradi dodatnih okoliščin. Kljub vsemu pa je prišlo do preboja - sicer na popolnoma drugačen način kot se mi kdaj koli predstavljala, ampak nekaj pa se je le premaknilo.
Za oceno posledic je še dosti prezgodaj, ampak resnično pričakujem, da ne bo negativnih in da so lahko spremembe samo na bolje. Očitno je nekaj optimizma še ostalo v meni.


Sem se pa istočasno lotila še nečesa novega. Nečesa, ki tudi zahteva veliko dela in energije, ampak mi daje zadovoljstvo.

Pridobila sem uradni papir, da lahko svoje izdelke tudi prodam.

In tako zadnje čase pridno šivam, fotografiram, razmišljam....
Vse je seveda še v povojih, ampak začetek pa je.

Tukaj pa malo za prvi vtis:
Torbice za robčke
Kozmetične torbice
Vrečke za malico
Ovitki za sendviče
Vrečke za prigrizke


As I mentioned in an earlier post I am currently dealing with an obstacle in my life.

I had a strategy all planed out but it all collapsed with additional circumstances. Nevertheless, there has been a breakthrough - in a completely different way than I ever imagined but it happened.
It is too early to make in assessment, but I really expect the consequences won't be negative and that the changes will be for the better. Obviously some optimism is left in me.


In the mean time I started something new. Something that also requires a lot of work and energy, but it gives me satisfaction.

I have gained an official paper that I can legally sell my products.




And so I am eagerly sewing, taking pictures, thinking…
I am only at the beginning, but things are moving in the right direction.


Here you can take a sneak preview:

sreda, 21. avgust 2013

MOJ ANGEL / MY ANGEL

Razmišljanje mojega malega angelčka na poti domov

Manumajčica št. 2: A tisti, ki so res v nebesih, kdaj padejo na tla?

Jaz: Mislim, da ne.

M. št. 2: A v nebesih govorijo?

Jaz: Verjetno.

M. št. 2: Kje so že tisti, ki so poredni?

Jaz: V peklu.

M. št. 2: Ja točno pekel, tam je pa velik ognja, mi je Manumajčica št. 1 povedala.


Sem se pa zadržala, da ji nisem rekla, da ne bi imela nič proti, če bi kdaj kdo iz nebes padel na tla, samo da tisti iz pekla ne bi stalno hodili nazaj in mi grenili življenja.

Še krilca se skoraj vidi, a ne? / You can almost see the wings, don't you?

The way my little angel thinks:

Manugirl No. 2: Do the ones who are really in heaven ever fall to the ground?

Me: I think not.

M. No. 2: Do they talk in heaven?

Me: Probably.

M. No. 2: I can't remember where the naughty ones go?

Me: To the hell.

M. No. 2: Yeah, exactly hell, there is a lot of fire; Manugirl no. 1 told me so.



I really had to hold myself back and be quiet. But I wanted to tell her that I wouldn’t mind if someone would occasionally fall from heaven, if only the ones that are in hell stayed there and not keep constantly returning and keep making my life a living hell.

sobota, 17. avgust 2013

PREDSTAVE / IMAGINE

Trenutno sem v življenju naletela na veliko oviro. Obstajala je že nekaj časa, zdaj pa se je mala snežena kepica zakotalila po dolgi strmini in pred menoj pristala kot snežni zamet. Očitno je ne smem več ignorirati.

Že samo življenje s to oviro je bilo težavno, spoznanje, da moram nekaj ukreniti glede te ovire pa mi je pobralo vso energijo, ki bi jo lahko v normalnih razmerah drugače porabila. Samo odstranjevanje ovire me izčrpava tako psihično kot fizično. Na mojo srečo in veselje mi mož popolnoma stoji ob strani in me podpira pri mojem boju. 
Seveda pa na račun tega trpi tako družina kot moje ustvarjanje, ki ga v zadnjem času skorajda ni. Ravno tako sem bolj kot ne neaktivna v kuhinji, kakšnih novih kulinaričnih dosežkov pa že dolgo ni bilo. 
Na tem mestu se moram zahvalit še svojemu tastu, ki veliko pomaga pri otrocih in nas pogosto reši pred stradanjem s svojimi juhicami, mineštrami in drugimi dobrotami.

Trenutno imam začrtano strategijo svojega boja in že to mi daje nekaj upanja, čeprav si možnih posledic še ne znam predstavljati.

Lahko pa si predstavljam okus čokoladne pite z malinami, s katero smo se sladkali mrzlega junija.

TESTO:

250 g moke
100 g masla (na sobni temperaturi, narezano na majhne kocke)
100 g sladkorja v prahu
ščep soli
2 jajci

V posodo damo moko, maslo, sladkor in sol ter s prsti mešamo dokler ne dobimo "drobtin". Nato dodamo še jajci in gnetemo dokler ne dobimo gladkega testa.
Testo oblikujemo v kepo, zavijemo v prozorno folijo za živila in pustimo počivati v hladilniku eno do dve uri.

240 g ohlajenega testa  na pomokani površini razvaljamo na debelino 2-3 mm in z njim obložimo dobro namaščen okrogel pekač za pite premera 20 cm in ponovno postavimo v hladilnik za vsaj 20 min.
Testo večkrat prebodemo z vilicami in "slepo"  pečemo 20 minut v pečici ogreti na 190°C (na testo položimo papir za peko in nanj natresemo suha fižolova zrna). Nato znižamo temperaturo pečice na 180°C, odstranimo papir in fižol in pečemo še 5 minut.
Testo vzamemo iz pečice in pustimo, da se ohladi medtem pa pripravimo nadev.


NADEV:

250 ml sladke smetane
200 g drobno nasekljane dobre temne čokolade (delež kakava 60-70%)
25 g agavinega sirupa
50 g masla, narezanega na majhne koščke

250 g malin

V kozici na srednjem ognju segrejemo smetano. Ko zavre, umaknemo iz ognja in dodamo sirup in čokolado. Z metlico mešamo dokler ne dobimo gladke kreme. Ob stalnem mešanju dodamo še maslo, košček za koščkom.

Na pečeno testo razporedimo maline in čeznje prelijemo kremo. Počakamo, da se ohladi, nato pa postavimo v hladilnik za vsaj dve uri preden postrežemo.

Pito režemo z zelo ostrim nožem, ki ga pomočimo v vročo vodo za vsak kos.
Postrežemo jo hladno, vendar ne takoj iz hladilnika.



I ran in to a major obstacle in my life right now. Actually it has been there for some time, but now the small snow ball roll down the long slope and landed in front of me as a large pile of snow. Obviously I can not longer ignore it.

Admitting the existence of this obstacle was a difficult thing to do, deciding that something must be done about it was even harder. I spent all my energy on these decisions, the energy that could have been otherwise spent. Working on removing the obstacle is draining me both mentally and physically. Luckily for me, my husband fully stands by me and supports me in my fight.
Of course there are some consequences in our family life and my creating is suffering badly. I am also inactive in the kitchen. Lately I haven't made any new culinary achievements.
At this point, I have to thank my father in law, who is helping us a lot with the children and he often saves us from starvation with his soups, stews and other delicacies.

Currently I have outlined the strategy for the fight and it gives me some hope, even though I can not even imagine the potential consequences.

But I can vividly imagine the taste of chocolate pie with raspberries, which we had back in the cold month of June.

DOUGH:
250 g flour
100 g butter (at room temperature, cut into small cubes)
100g caster sugar
pinch of salt
2 eggs

Put the flour, butter, sugar and salt in a dish and mix it by hand until you get "crumbs". Then, add eggs and knead until you get smooth dough.
Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in transparent foil and let it rest in the refrigerator for one to two hours.

Roll out 240 g chilled dough on a floured surface to a thickness of 2-3 mm and put it in a well-greased pie mold (20cm diameter) and put back in the fridge for at least 20 min.
Prick the dough several times with a fork and "blind« bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 190 °C (line the dough with baking paper and put some dry beans on it). Lower the oven temperature to 180 °C, remove the paper with the beans and bake for another 5 minutes.
Take the dough out and allow it to cool while you prepare the filling.


FILLING:

250 ml whipping cream
200 g finely chopped good dark chocolate
25 g agave syrup
50 g butter, cut into small pieces

250 g raspberries

Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat. When it boils, remove from the stove and add the syrup and chocolate. Mix with the whisk until you get a smooth cream. Carry on mixing and add the butter, piece by piece.

Spread the raspberries on the baked pie and pour the cream over them. Allow to cool and then place in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving.

Cut the pie with a very sharp knife, dipped in hot water for each piece.
Serve it cold, but not straight from the fridge.


sreda, 17. julij 2013

NEW GIRL IN TOWN

Tema moje današnje objave me navdaja hkrati z navdušenjem in rahlim razočaranjem, ampak na koncu prevlada navdušenje.
V torek sem šla po dolgem času v službo s kolesom in se domov vračala po Trubarjevi ulici in popolnoma presenečena zagledala trgovino Šivilja in the House - trgovinica namenjena šivanju krpank, da se izrazim po slovensko (oziroma patchworkov ali quiltov mednarodno). Danes pa sem si vzela deset minut časa, da sem si ta mali raj tudi ogledala. Ponujajo različno blago, dodatke, opremo in celo tečaje ob zelo prijazni postrežbi.
Nekaj takega sem močno pogrešala v naši mali, ljubi Sloveniji, občudovala v različnih internetnih trgovinah in vzdihovala zaradi ogromnih poštnin.
Skratka veliko razlogov za navdušenje.

Zakaj sem pa razočarana?
Ker se je na dnu moje duše, nekje potlačena skrivala idejica, da bi "ko bi bila velika" imela neko tako trgovinico. Z dodatkom aparata za kavo in čajnika in dnevno svežega peciva, da bi lahko združila dva svoja hobija oziroma veselji.

Ker pa seveda nisem tako podjeten in avanturističen tip človeka, da bi pustila trenutno službo in se podala v samostojne vode in ker so moje šiviljske sposobnosti pravzaprav ljubiteljske in daleč od profesionalnih, sem izredno vesela, da je nekdo prišel na podobno idejo in bil tako pogumen, da jo je uresničil in da zdaj obstaja kraj kamor grem lahko po material in nasvete.

Skratka na koncu dejansko prevlada navdušenje!

P.S. Naj povem, da se s šivanjem krpank še nisem prav veliko ukvarjala. Pravzaprav imam samo nekaj začetkov, ki sem se jih naučila po brezplačnem internetnem tečaju , ampak blago je uporabno za veliko različnih projektov.





sreda, 5. junij 2013

POLETNA PISARNA / SUMMER OFFICE

Kot sem že obljubila, je čas da razkrijem svojo novo poletno pisarno.

Naše stanovanje ni ravno pretirano veliko, pa še mansardno je. In kar nas je trenutno pet, prostor pa si delimo s tremi računalniki, dvema šivalnima strojema, likalno desko in šiviljsko lutko, veslaško napravo, vsaj tremi dojenčki, množico plišastih igrač in konkretnim številom škatel z lego kockami (poleg vsega ostalega), je prostora lahko hitro premalo. Predvsem pa včasih zmanjka kakšna "luknja" kamor bi se človek umaknil ali zatekel po malo miru.
Zadnjih nekaj let imamo v uporabi še balkon, ki ga nismo uporabljali za kaj dosti drugega kot za sušenje perila. Ob zadnjem obisku priljubljene Švedske trgovine preko meje, sem po dooooolgem razmišljanju in razpravljanju kupila lesene plošče za oblaganje balkonskih tal in tako je naš balkon dobil novo, dosti bolj privlačno podobo.

Bila sem celo tako pridna, da sem naredila posnetke PREJ in POTEM.



As I promised, it's time to reveal my new summer office.

Our apartment is not particularly large, and partially in the attic. There is five of us living here, but we share our living space with three computers, two sewing machines, ironing board and dressmaking dummy, rowing machine, at least three babies, a large amount of plush toys, and quite a few boxes of LEGO blocks (in addition to everything else). As you can imagine there is quickly not enough space for everything and everyone. Sometimes you need a place to hide and there isn't any.
Few years ago we acquired balcony but haven't used it for much more then hanging our laundry to dry. At my last visit to the popular Swedish store across the border, I bought (after a lot of thoughts and discussions) wood panels for balcony floor. And so our balcony got a new, much more attractive appearance.

I even remembered to take BEFORE and AFTER pictures.



PREJ / BEFORE





POTEM / AFTER




Na žalost od prenove balkona vreme ni ravno omogočalo posedanja v prelepem okolju, ampak glede na to, da se je začel že prvi poletni mesec, čakam nove priložnosti. Takrat pa izpod strehe potegnem klopco, na mizico pripravim pijačo in UŽIVAM.

Trenutno se ukvarjam z mislijo kako na balkon postavit šivalne stroje. Ampak verjetno že rahlo pretiravam, a ne?

Kje se bo pa po novem sušilo perilo, pa tudi še ne vem.


Unfortunately, after the renovation of the balcony the weather is not exactly allowing me to sit end enjoy the beautiful surroundings, but hopefully the summer is jut around the corner (it is already June). When it warms up a little bit, I will pull the bench from under the roof, prepare the table and enjoy a drink.

I am trying to think of a way to bring my sewing machines out, but I am probably slightly exaggerating, or am I not?


I also haven't figured out where we will hang our laundry now.



sreda, 22. maj 2013

KONČNO / FINALLY

Z obžalovanjem moram priznati, da je od zadnje objave minilo toliko časa, da moram kar malo pomislit kako se zadevam streže.
V zadnjem času je bilo zalo naporno obdobje (hm, če pomislim, kdaj pa ni) in bila sem tako fizično kot psihično zelo utrujena. Kljub vsemu mi je uspelo kar nekaj narediti in ustvariti, ampak zvečer, ko je ponavadi moj čas za objave na blogu, pa mi je zmanjkalo štrene. Ne samo, da nisem bila sposobna tvoriti stavkov, ampak sem ponavadi ob devetih zvečer že spala.

Prejšnji teden pa se je zgodilo nekaj tako pomembnega, da se moram pohvaliti tudi tukaj. Zadeva sicer ni idealna, je daleč od tistega kar bi imela in še dlje od mojih sanj, ampak začetek je pa vseeno.

Imam namreč svojo MIZO. 

To je bila že zelo dolgo moja želja, ki pa se ni in ni hotela uresničiti. V pripravi je načrt za še eno mizo, v temnem kotičku mansarde, trenutna pa je dobila mesto na prehodu iz kuhinje v dnevno sobo, točno ob oknu. Kaj hočem lepšega. 

Zdaj pa novim zmagam naproti!

P.S. To objavo sem napisala v svoji "poletni pisarni", ki jo bom razkrila v naslednji objavi.




Sadly I have to admit that it has been almost two month since my last post.

These two months were really exhausting (um, if I think about it, which month is not) and I was both physically and mentally very tired. Nevertheless, I managed to do quite a few things and create some stuff, but in the evenings when it is usually my time to post on the blog, I was so ran down that I was not able to produce sentences and was usually asleep by nine o'clock.

Last week something happened, something so important that I have to share it here. The thing is far from ideal, it is not at all what I would like to have even further from my dreams, but it is a start anyway.

I have my own DESK.

This has been on my wish list for a very long time, but somehow it did not happen. We also have a plan for another table in a dark corner of our living room (tucked under the roof).
My brand new desk is placed between the kitchen and the living room, right next to a window. What would I want more?

Now let's get busy!

P.S. This post was written in my "summer office". Wait for the next post.

torek, 26. marec 2013

MATERINSKI DAN / MOTHER'S DAY

Včeraj smo v Sloveniji praznovali materinski dan.

Saj ne, da ga prav aktivno praznujem, se pa vsako leto razveselim kakšnega izdelka, ki ga otroci prinesejo iz vrtca ali šole. Sreča je v malenkostih, pozornostih in zavedanju, da nekdo pomisli nate.

Tako se je moj materinski dan začel že krepko pred sedmo uro zjutraj, ko sem na poti v službo prejela nasmeh in pozdrav neznanca. Nadaljeval se je z objemom sodelavca vsem mamam.
Vrhunec pa dosegel, ko mi je preponosna Manumajčica št. 2 izročila darilce, ki ga je v vrtcu izdelala zame.



It was Mother's Day in Slovenia yesterday.

Not that I actively celebrate this holiday, but each year I am happy and proud when my children hand me the presents they made in kindergarten or school. Joy is the little things, attention you get from another person and knowing that someone thinks of you.

This year’s mother's day began well before seven o'clock in the morning when I received a smile and greeting from a complete stranger on my way to work.
Later a got an embrace form a colleague (he was giving them to all the mothers at work).
The highlight was, when my proud Manugirl No.2 handed me her gift.




Zdaj imam vsaj mavrico, če že sonca noče biti.

At least I have a rainbow now, if the sun refuses to shine.



Dan se sicer ni končal tako lepo kot začel, saj je Manumajčica št. 1  v nedeljo, po dveh tednih zdravja, ponovno zbolela in sem zaradi nje bedela do skoraj ene ure ponoči (med drugim sem študirala znake akutnega vnetja slepiča). Ampak to paše k materinstvu, je tako?
Če hočeš praznovati materinski dan, moraš biti mama in se spopasti z vsem kar spada k tej vlogi.

Danes se seveda ne počutim ravno blažene v svoji materinski vlogi, ampak bi jo raje zamenjala za vlogo medveda med zimskim spancem.

Me pa pokonci drži misel, da sem pretekli vikend izdelala torbico, ki bo darilo za neko mamo.

Te mame sicer osebno ne poznam, poznam pa njeno hči, ki je izbrala obliko torbice in imela glede blaga samo eno željo - da so na torbici mačke. Ostalo pa je bilo prepuščeno moji umetniški svobodi.











In torbica je polna mačk, krasnih mačk.

Ob pogledu na torbico je še kar nekaj mam (in hčera) izrazilo željo, da bi imele kakšno mojo torbico. Vključno z mojo mamo!










The day did not end as well as it started because Manugirl No.1 fell ill on Sunday, just two weeks after previous illness and I was awake almost until one o’clock in the morning because of her (among others I studied signs of acute appendicitis). But it is a part of motherhood, right?
If you want to celebrate Mother's Day, you have to be a mom and that means you have to deal with all that comes with this role.

Today, of course, I do not feel really blessed in this role of being a mother and I would prefer to switch roles with a bear during hibernation.

But I have one thing that keeps me happy. I made a bag last weekend, which will be a gift for a mom.



I do not know this mom personally, but I know her daughter. The daughter chose the pattern for the bag and had one wish regarding fabric – there should be cats on the bag. The rest was left to my artistic freedom.
And the bag is full of cats, wonderful cats.


Seeing this bag, quite a few mothers (and daughters) want a bag made by me.
Including my own mother!













nedelja, 24. marec 2013

TORBICA ZA LIČILA / MAKE-UP BAG

Zadnje čase stalno nekaj ustvarjam, kuham in pečem. Za objave na blogu pa mi zmanjka časa in zagona. Sem pa resnično vesela koliko mi je že uspelo ustvariti v letošnjem letu.

Začelo se je z januarskim obiskom pri moževi teti. Takoj sem dobila idejo, da bi ji sešila torbico za kozmetične pripomočke - podobno kot sem jo sešila za srečelov.

Vse potrebno je bilo doma, tako da smo bili hitro pripravljeni za obisk.




Lately I am constantly creating, cooking or baking something. But when it comes to posting on my blog I don’t have any energy or time left. But I'm really happy how much I already created this year.

It started with the visit to my husband's aunt in January. As soon as we got the invitation I decided to sew a make-up bag - like the one I sewed for the raffle.

I had all I needed at home, so we were soon ready to go for a visit.





Le kaj se skriva notri?

I wonder what is hiding inside.




sobota, 9. marec 2013

8. MAREC / MARCH 8

Sama nikoli nisem bila pristaš ali ljubitelj osmega marca, pokazati pa moram letošnjo bero cvetja.

Na željo Manumajčice št.1 smo se ženske iz naše hiše lotile izdelave rožic iz krep papirja.



S končnim izidom sem več kot zadovoljna in bogatejša za šopek rož.








I have never been a fan of March eighth, but I have to show you the flowers I got this year.

Manugirl No.1 wanted to make me something. So the women in our house sat down and made flowers from crepe paper.

I am more than satisfied with the final result and I am richer for a bouquet of flowers.




Še posebej ponosna sem na rožico, ki jo je popolnoma samostojno izdelala še ne štiriletna Manumajčica št.2.

I am especially proud of the flower, which Manugirl No.2 made completely herself (she is not even four years old).



nedelja, 3. marec 2013

SONČEK / SUNSHINE

Končno nekaj lepega vremena tudi v naši kotlini. Po dolgotrajni oblačnosti in megli da sonce človeku nove energije in zagona.

Če človek le lahko uživa v njegovih toplih žarkih.

Na žalost sva z Manumajčico št.1 obsojeni na stanovanje in opazovanje sonca skozi okna.
Počitnice se počasi zaključujejo in Manumajčica št.1 si jih je podaljšala z boleznijo, ki vedno bolj izgleda kot gripa.
Mene pa tudi daje viroza, ki sem jo verjetno podedovala od Manumajčice št.2, saj imam podobne znake kor jih je imela ona v začetku tedna (boleče grlo, uho in zdaj tudi vneto oko).
Bolezen gostimo že deset dni in očitno jo bomo še.

Zdravi družinski člani so šli danes uživati na sonce in začeli s prvimi pomladanskimi opravili na vrtu - obrezovanjem kivija.

Medtem pa sem jaz prinesla malo sonca v kuhinjo na drugačen način.






Finally we have some nice weather in our valley. After long period of cloudy and foggy weather it gives you new energy.

But you have to be able to enjoy the sunshine.

Unfortunately I am sentenced to indoors with Manugirl No.1 and we can only observe the sun through the windows.
Holiday is ending and Manugirl No.1 is going to extend them with illness, which increasingly looks like flu.
I personally am fighting a virus which I probably inherited from Manugirl No.2, since I have similar symptoms like she had in the beginning of the week (sore throat, ear pains and now a sore eye).
We have disease in our hose for ten days and obviously we will have it some more.

The healthy family members have gone to enjoy the sun and begun with gardening - pruning the kiwi.

And meanwhile I brought a little sunshine into the kitchen in a different way.




sreda, 27. februar 2013

ČOKOLADNA KEMIJA / CHOCOLATE CHEMISTRY

Po zelo uspešni proizvodnji domačih pralin prejšnji vikend sem želela poiskati kakšne nove recepte za te dobrote.
Na žalost nisem bila kaj prida uspešna. Večina receptov je samo stopljena čokolada, ki se jo vlije v modelčke. Jaz pa sem želela nekaj domiselnega in drugačnega.

Pa sem se odločila poskusiti kar sama, s sestavinami, ki so mi všeč. Saj ne more biti tako težko. Kaj pa bi šlo lahko narobe?

Kaj kmalu sem ugotovila, da gre lahko kaj narobe.

S čokolado nimam dosti izkušenj (razen, da sem jo veliko pojedla in da jo uporabljam v pecivu) in zato ne poznam njenega obnašanja pri dodajanju različnih sestavin.

Začetek je bil obetaven - uporabila sem mešanico samih dobrih čokolad z visoko vsebnostjo kakava, jih stopila in dodala mandljev krokant.
Še vedno vse krasno.

Za boljši okus sem se odločila dodati dve veliki žlici pomarančnega likerja Cointreau.

In sem bila v težavah. V trenutku se je tekoča čokolada spremenila v lepljivo gmoto, ki nikakor ni bila primerna za vlivanje v modelčke. Okus je imela sicer božanski, izgled pa rahlo manj.
Ker sem se namenila delati bombone v modelčkih in ne pralin oblikovanih v kroglice, sem to neugledno maso pač natlačila v modelčke in upala na najbolje.

Končni rezultat ni seveda izgledal nič bolje kot sama masa, dober okus je pa ostal.

Na moje veliko veselje sem se že na začetku odločila, da polovico mase naredim brez alkohola in sem tako imela dovolj sestavin, da sem naredila še nekaj pralin lepšega izgleda.

Očitno se bo potrebno še česa naučiti!





After a very successful production of home-made chocolates last weekend I wanted to find some new recipes for these goodies.
Unfortunately, I didn't have much success. Most of the recipes I found were just melted chocolate poured into molds. But I wanted something different.

So I decided to give it a try myself, with the ingredients that I like. It can not be that hard. What could go wrong?

I soon realized that things can go wrong.

I do not have much experience with chocolate (except that I ate a lot of it over the years and that I use in it pastries) and therefore I do not know how it behaves when adding different ingredients.

The beginning was promising - I used a mixture of different good quality chocolates with high cocoa content. I melted them and added almond crocant.
Everything was great.

For better taste, I decided to add two large tablespoons of orange liqueur Cointreau.


And I was in trouble. When I added the alcohol the melted chocolate turned into a sticky mass, which was is no way suitable for pouring. The flavor was superb, but the appearance slightly less.
Since I wanted to make chocolates in molds and not truffles, I packed the sticky mass into molds and hoped for the best.

The end result is still awful, but they at least taste good.

I was glad that I previously decided to make half of the chocolates without alcohol. So I had enough ingredients at hand to make a batch of pretty chocolates.

I guess I still have some learning to do.




nedelja, 17. februar 2013

DOMAČE PRALINE / HOME MADE CHOCOLATES

Zadnje čase kar malo zapostavljam svojo zvesto pečico in pripravo peciva. Novembra in decembra je bila skoraj dnevno v uporabi, zdaj pa kar nimam navdiha za pečenje. Mogoče tudi zato, ker se trudim odložiti kakšen kilogram, če pa je doma sveže pecivo, se mu težko uprem.

Danes imamo posebno priložnost, ki je klicala po nečem domačem in odločila sem se pripraviti domače praline, ki so drugače že nekaj let na decembrskem prazničnem repertoarju. Pa še priprava je preprostejša in hitrejša kot kakšna torta, rezultat pa božanski. Zdaj, ko imam še posebne silikonske modelčke za praline, je tudi izgled skoraj profesionalen.

SESTAVINE:
250g lešnikovega nugata
150g mlečnega preliva za torte (ali čokolade)
80g temnega preliva za torte (ali čokolade)
20g nesladkanih praznih vafljev
40g sladkorja
40g olupljenih mandljev

Mandlje rahlo prepražiš v ponvi, sladkor v kozici stopiš do zlate karamele, dodaš mandlje in dobro premešaš (PAZI ZELO VROČE!). Z žlico razporediš na rahlo naoljen pekač in pustiš, da se ohladi.
Hladno karamelo in vaflje na drobno zmelješ.
Na vodni kopeli stopiš nugat ter oba preliva in v stopljeno maso vmešaš zdrobljeno karamelo in vaflje. S tekočo maso previdno napolniš modelčke in daš v hladilnik, da se dobro strdi.
Če nimaš modelčkov, lahko kakšen model za peko obložiš s folijo, vliješ maso in jo, ko se strdi, razrežeš na manjše koščke





Lately I am neglecting my oven and pastries making. In November and December it was almost daily in use, but now I am lacking inspiration for baking. Maybe because I'm trying to loose some kilograms and if there are fresh pastries available, it is difficult for me to resist.

Today there is a special occasion that called for something homemade and I decided to prepare homemade chocolates, which I always make for holidays in December. And it is even simpler and faster to make them than any cake. The result is heavenly and now that I have special silicone molds for chocolates they look almost professional.
 

INGREDIENTS:
250g hazelnut nougat
150g milk chocolate
80g dark chocolate
20g unsweetened empty waffle
40g sugar
40g blanched almonds

Lightly roast the almonds in a pan, melt the sugar in a saucepan to golden caramel, add almonds and mix well (TAKE CARE, IT IS VERY HOT!). With a spoon spread on a lightly oiled baking tray and leave to cool.
Crumble the cold caramel and waffles.
In a water bath melt nougat and both chocolates. Stir in caramel and waffles and carefully fill the molds. Put in the fridge to harden.
If you do not have molds, take any baking tray, cover with aluminum foil, spread the chocolate and cut in to pieces when hard.



ponedeljek, 11. februar 2013

PIKA IN ANICA / PIPPI AND ANNIKA



V naši hiši smo spet šivali pustne maske.

Čeprav sama nad pustom nisem ravno najbolj navdušena, se skušam potruditi za otroke, da se lahko zabavajo.
Manumajček se je letos odločil, da je že prevelik za maškaranje, Manumajčici pa sta si izbrali precej enostavni maski - Pika Nogavička in Anica.

Za Anico mi ni bilo potrebno nič šivati, samo en meter satenastega traku za pentljo v laseh in roza obleke iz omare (ki nam jih res ne primanjkuje).

Piki pa sem v skladu z opisom njene garderobe v knjigi sešila rumeno obleko in modre hlačke z belimi pikami. Ostalo pa smo nabrali po hiši.




I was sewing costumes again.

I am not a big fan of masquerade myself, but I try to do my best for the children so they can have fun.
Manuboy decided this year that he was too old for dressing up. Manugirls luckily chose very simple costumes - Pippi Longstocking and Annika.

For Annikaa I did not have to sew anything. I just bought one meter of satin ribbon and put it in her hair and took some pink clothes out of the closet (which we have in abundance).

For Pippi I stayed true to the description in the book and made a yellow dress and blue shorts with white polka dots. The rest was gathered around the house.



sobota, 2. februar 2013

OBLEKICE ZA KINDL-A / KINDLE COVER

Naša družina je znana po tem, da vsi radi beremo. Še posebno Manumajček.
In da na dopust tovorimo nenormalno velike kupe knjig.

Rešitev bi bila Kindle, težava je samo v tem, da zanj ne obstajajo knjige v slovenščini oz. da Manumajček zaenkrat še ne bere knjig v tujih jezikih.
Dokler se eno ali drugo ne spremeni smo obsojeni na cele potovalke knjig.

Ne glede na to, da v našem gospodinjstvu še ne premoremo Kindla, pa sta pod mojimi prsti nastali že dve oblekici zanj po navodilih najdenih na internetu. Za mojo prijateljico in njeno taščo.

Popolnoma zadovoljna sicer nisem, sta pa v bistvu prototipa in sta bila narejena ob odsotnosti samega objekta.












Our family is known for the fact that we all like to read, especially Manuboy.
And that we carry enormous amounts of books when we go on holiday.

A solution would be a Kindle. But there is a problem – there aren't books in Slovenian and Manuboy doesn't read books in foreign languages yet.
As long as one or the other does not change we are doomed to a whole suitcase of books.

Even thou we do not own a Kindle in our house, two Kindle-covers already came »from my hands«. The instructions were found on the Internet. They were for my friend end her mother in law.

I'm not completely satisfied, but those are basically the prototypes and were made in the absence of the actual objects.



petek, 1. februar 2013

NOVE VREČKE ZA MALICO / LUNCH BAGS UPDATE

Odkar sem pokazala prve in druge vrečke za malico je minilo že kar nekaj časa. Seveda pa med tem časom nisem počivala in jih je nastalo še kar nekaj. In vse imajo že zadovoljne in nikoli lačne lastnike.


Skrajni čas, da se lotim nove serije.






It's been quite some time since I showed you the first and second batch of lunch bags. I didn't rest during this time and I have some more bags to show you. They all have happy and never hungry owners.

It is time for me to start a new series.