Goodbye 2010

2010.

January:

Exams and not much more. I really started baking a lot, I think I found real passion in it.

February:

A fantastic trip to Berlin with my friends. My nephew was born and I love him.

March:

Roberto moved and went living on his own. The house ended p being a mess: cold, slimy and smelly. After just 3 months he was back living with his parents. He was extremely right, that wasn't a place where one could live, but it was a disappointment for both of us.

April:


We celebrated Easter, baked muffins and made my first meringues. (Actually, I don't remember much of April -.-)

May:

I started working in the Hotel. My first real job ever.

June:

Lots of exams, a lot to do at work and alitle bit of time for ourselves.

July:

Lots of rides on our bikes on the wonderful bycisle path along the seaside. We visited a small town where R's father comes from several times and decided that that would be a perfect place to live, if we decided that we'll stay in Italy. (I don't think we'll stay actually ^^).

August:

Wasn't the best month. I felt tired and really wanted to have a break. I was working and studying and I also had to go to work which was far away from here, every day. Fortunately September was approaching..
Roberto and I celebrated our 3 years together!

September:

Roberto and I left for a not-so-much organised trip around Europe. It was the best experience ever. If I loved traveling before, now I love it even more. If I loved Holland before, now I feel it's my place.
I had more exams, but passed them with good marks.

October:

I started studying and loving bread more and more. Got quite addicted to it. I love knowing every variety of bread exists in the whole world. I love trying out new recipes, different kinds of flour, yeast and combination of ingredients. But most of all I love smelling the bread when it's baking in the oven, I love the sound of a crispy crust and the softness of the crumbs. (Ok, this was an Ode to Bread ^^)
We celebrated my mum's birthday, we had so much fun, a lot of people came to celebrate with us.

November:

I had a difficult time because of the distance between Roberto and I. I always have some difficulties seeing each other only once a week. We want to do so many funny things together that we're overwhelmed by thing we've to do and want to do.
We went for long walks in the park, met a new friend (the squirrel!) and I studied lots and lots for a very hard exam. And I passed the exam.
Miele, my cat, didn't come back home. I am not over it, I still can't believe it and am still watching around if I see her everytime I walk out of the door. I follow cats in the woods if I think they look like her and simply cannot believe I won't see her pretty face ever again.
I went to a concert of Lady Gaga, I wouldn't have ever thought it'd be such a great show.

December:

Roberto and I celebrated Sinterklaas toghether for the fisrt time, it was fun.
My birthday was better than that of a year ago. My parents were around and stayed home without doing anything special. I baked of course. A lot.
My brother came back from Holland I had the chance to see him and my nephew again. Christmas was with my parents and my brother's family.
New year's Eve will be just Roberto and me eating a pizza, enjoying firework and wishing 2011 will be the year when we'll finally have the cahnce to start our lives together, travel a lot and maybe move to Holland. Oh, and graduate. Keep your fingers crossed.

I always think I never do enough to enjoy my live, I feel as if I were a couchpatato, just hanging around and doing nothing every day. But when I have the chance, like now, of writing down what I've done and experience in this year I am quite satisfied. 2010 has been a stupid year, but I also had so many nice things happening around me.

I think the review of next year will be more accurate, thanks to the 365 project, if I'll finish it.
I wish you a wonderful start of this new year.

Juliette

Project 365 - Week 3

Yesterday I was so tired and I don't even know why. I woke up tired and grumpy and went to bed tired. Today I am going to do yoga, hopefully that will help. Anyway, I woke up more relaxed today fortunately, and the sun shines like crazy.

These are the photos of the third week of my Project 365.
The week of family gatherings, Christmas, eating, baking, going for walks and being home.

15/365 23122010

The magic of being home. This morning I left an empty, bare house at 7am, at 2 pm I opened the front door of my parents' house. I knew they'd have decorated the whole house like usual. This year they did so many creative things. Three gigantic wreaths hang in each of the rooms, each with another color scheme. Two jars and one glass (the one above) are filled with the most colorful (but relaxing, not too shiny) lights. I said I didn't feel the Christmas atmosphere, but wait until I will be baking tomorrow, in this wonderful house, with my parents hangign around, my cat seeping on the couch, my brother and my nephew who'll come for a visit and Roberto of course. Then everything will be perfect.
Have a nice Christmas!!

16/365 24122010

I saw my nephew again today, for the first time since almost three months. He obviously has grown so much, he's adorable. This is my mum playing with the christmas decorations with him.

17/365 25122010

Merry Christmas.
I hope everyone had the most wonrdeful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I stayed at home, ate a wonderful breakfast with my family, baked, read and so on. I made this Chritmas decoration at the kindergarten. I was about 3 or 4. I remember making it, I was so proud of it. Now it hangs on the wall every year and still I am not sick of it.

18/365 26122010

Today Roberto and I baked a cake from Leila Lindholm's cookbook. That book is perfect. We had a wonderful family dinner all together. We hd really so much fun and I loved spending this time with them. In this picture you can see my dad, me, Roberto, Mattia (my nephew), Lara and Casper (his parents and my brother). My mum is taking the picture. I am thankful for moments like this.

19/365 27122010

Roberto and I had a breakfast date: a latte macchiato at the seaside, wonderful. The rest of the day was filled with reading.

20/365 28122010

This was my elementary school. I went back there today with my mum, because in my old class now there's a course of yoga. The room that once looked enormous are now so little. Everything is different and seeing everything again brought back many memories. In the whole school there were 17 students, that's the reason why, when I was 9 the school closed. There were only two rooms that contained 2/3 classes each. In each class there were between 1 and 5 students. I was in a big one! 4 kids.
I had the most wonderful time there, and when we had to go to a whole new school all of a sudden I felt baffled. I landed in a 13 kids class with so many teachers and so much people.
We went to yoga and then gave my first lesson on Italian Conversation.
I didn't do much for the reast of the day.
This evening Roberto and I are going out for a drink.

21/365 29122010

We didn't do much. Read a lot, went for a walk into the fog, read even more.

Wow, in two days a whole new year will start. We had no plans at first, then we had a big plan and now we're just planning on going for a pizza and then just walk hand in hand to meet 2011.
I hope it will be a better year, this year, as I already said, has been wuite disastrous, and I don't want to go through another year like this. Seriously, we need some peace now.
Roberto and I have been taling about this a lot lately, and we're really trying to get everything on its place, but no matter how hard we try there's always something (usually lots of things) going wrong.
But we keep doing our best.

Juliette

Apple and Almond Paste Cake

Hello people,

I am sorry for the short Christmas break, even my mum asked me why I didn't blog these days. I was here, but had many things swirling in my head and to do.
But I'm back with a recipe, I baked so much these days!



Where did I find the recipe for this soft, fruity cake?
I opened my favorite cookbook! Leila Lindholm's "A Piece of Cake".
I found a recipe for Apple and Almond paste Rings.
I haven't got any ring mould, but that's ok, no ring for us, just a normal yummy cake.

Ingredients.
(Adapted from Leila Lindholm's "A Piece of Cake")

Yields: 2 cakes (I used one half of the recipe)

For the dough:

• 1 tbsp black cardamom seeds, crushed (I used fennel)
  
• 300 ml milk
• 50 g fresh yeast
• 120 g sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 150 g butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 660-720 g all-purpose flour

For the filling:

• 200 g butter, softened
• 80 g brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 200 g almond paste (see recipe for this below).
  
• 2 apples

For the topping:

• 1 egg
• flaked almonds

How can I make almond paste? You'd never thik I'd be so easy!!
(for 500g)
250 g almonds
225 g sugar

Boil the almonds for 5 minutes.
Blend the almonds until they're reduced to powder.
Add the sugar and mix for 5-7 minutes until a thick paste is formed.

Directions.


Crumble the yeast in the lukewarm milk. Add the crushed cardamom (I used fennel) , sugar, salt, butter and egg.
Slowly add the flour and mix until a soft dough is formed.
Cover with a dishcloth and allow to rise for 45-60 minutes until it has doubled.
(This is the dough for the classic swedish sweet bread (yummy!) )

In another bowl mix butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and almond paste until it's creamy.
Divide the dough in two parts. Flatten one part with a rolling pin to form a disk that can easily cover the baking pan.
Butter tha baking pan and lay the dough disk in it.
Fill with the filling.
Rasp the apples and spred one apple in each baking pan.
Roll out the other dough disk (like the other one) and lay it on the cake.
Fold the dough endings.
Allow to rise for one hour.
Preheat the oven at 175°C (350 F).
Spread the whisked egg on the cake and add the flaked almonds (I forgot).
Bake for 20 minutes.
Allow to cook before pulling the cake out of the baking pan.


I can assure you it's a success. Especially with the cute Christmas tree Roberto cut out of the remaining dough.

Have a nice evening you all,
what did you bake for Christmas?

Juliette

Merry Christmas!

Hello,
I hope you are all enjoying time will your families,
surrounded by a cosy Christmas atmosphere.
I'll write when I'll have spent enough time with my family ^^
My brother and my nephew are here and I haven't seen them in such a long time.
Have some nice days!

Thursday - Loves Christmas

Hello!
I am home for the holidays, yay! I am so happy. Tomorrow I'll see my brother and my little nephew after a loong time, and this evening Roberto will come here and I am planning to bake tomorrow, and just stay cosy and enjoy this time at home.
Hope you're all doing the same!

These are a few things I loves lately.

Hot Chocolate on a Stick. Find out how to make it here


Harry Potter



Cute Braids. I'd love to know hoe to make this.



I love ice cream (even when it's cold outside) , and even more if it's in this lovely small cup.


These pretty prints.


(for the source click on the image)

Have a nice Christmass weekend you all,
maybe I'll be posting some nice recipes soon!

Juliette

Project 365 - Week 2

Today I went to the last classes, hugged my friends, watched "A Nightmare before Christmas" in class. It was a nice day, except for the rain that is still winning against snow which really won't arrive.
Here you have my week in pictures.


8/365 16122010

Today I woke up, had a class, went back home for one hour, went for a coffee with two friends, and..spent an hour in the photocopy shop because our teacher left some photocopies at the library for us to copy. Each of us had to go, take the photocpies, go outside, make our own copy and bring the photocopies back. Turns out he forgot to copy the last page! So we had to go back and do it all over again today (+ another 100 copies of other notes and stuff). Thanks amazing someone who invented the photocopier!

9/365 17122010

Everytime I go to the supermarket to buy my daily amount of food (I love doin the grocery shopping, therefore I go once every two days insted of once in a week how normal people do), I bring this reusable bag with me. I have been aware of pollution, separate collection of rubbish, reuse things and so on. I always try to use as less plastic possible and I remember my mother telling me that a little bag with sweets contains so much plastic, because every sweet is wrapped in plastic. I can recall it as if it were yesterday and since then, or arounf that time (I think I were 8) I have been aware that doing small things can help just a little, but a very important little.
Whenever I forget to bring this reusable bag with me I ask a plastic bag, but then I use it for the garbage.
I could make a prettier bag one day, this is a plain, sad reusable bag, but I'm proud of it.

10/365 18122010

Today was a wonderful day.
I woke up because my mother texted me they were coming to visit me. They haven0t been here since July 2009 and I was so happy. I cleaned the house in an hour, and they were here around 11am. We went to the Ikea, which is sooo near!, we enjoyed this time together like we maybe haven't ever done before. No complaining, no judging or being upset. Just smiles and happiness. I bought a cakeholder and some spices containers. Then we went to a pretty Christmas market, with many pretty things, like these cute garlands, but it was extremely cold! Now we're realxing a bit. Later we'll go to the Chinese restaurant and watching the pretty coloured lights which decorate the city during the holiday season. I am so grateful for this day.

11/365 19122010

This morning I woke up hearing the voices of my parents in the other room. So strage, it has been a long while since they came to visit me. They drunk coffee and left to go back home. Roberto was still sleeping, so I made a cup of coffee for him too. We woke up slowly, talked for an hour or two, showered, looked outside with a scry face because of the cold and then got ready and challenged the weather. We were looking for some bread (we both love bread) but there were not many shops open, being 1 pm. We found ou usual market after a long walk through the city and bought half a loaf of kamut bread and a bit of cheese. We went home and turned the oven on. Sliced the bread and the cheese, and this is the result. Warm, crispy bread with molten cheese and such a delicious smell. He then went back home as well and I finished revising for my English literature exam of tomorrow. Wish me luck!

12/365 20122010

Today I woke up late because I had an exam at 2 pm. Usually they're in the morning but this time I had the chance to wake up slow, not being overwhelmed by anxiety and getting ready at my pace. I revised everything and then met a friend to go to Uni. Three hours writing a composition about "A Passage to India" by E.M. Forster. When I finished and went outside it was getting dark already and the day was nearing its end. I never study the day I have done an exam in order to realx a bit and get ready for the next one.

13/365 21122010

These are the headphones I was given by my parents for my birthday. I am superhappy with them, the acoustic is fantastic, I can isolate myself completely if I want and the bass is awesome. They have customizeable earthings (I don't know how to call them) and I thought it'd be nice to wish a merry christmas to everyone. I secretly hope someone sees it and I can make someone smile.

14/365 22122010

Professional photo, right? Well, I have not a nice lightning here and I was packing to go back home tomorrow. I thought that resumed what I've been doing today: last classes, goodbyes to all my friends and classmates, giving the cookies I baked yeasterday to my two best friends, and..packing. That's it. Tomorrow I'm going back home for two weeks, I'm so happy, and my big brother will be there too =)

Have a nice evening.

Juliette

Looking for Christmas

Hullo!

Yesterday I had the exam, all went well, at least I think so. Now I still have two days filled with classes, cold and shopping for books I have to read for the next exams. I feel pretty lonely right now, because everyone out there is feeling Christmas getting nearer and I can't share these moments, so I just stare out the window and wait for thursday, when I'll be home, at my parents', again (and I cannot complain, I already had Sinterklaas a few weeks ago).

The weekend, however, was lovely. My parents came here and Roberto came as well a bit later, but I am so happy we saw eachother.
My parents and I went to Ikea, to a small, cute Christmas market and then with Roberto at the Chinese restaurant. Then we went for a walk in the city which is filled with woderful lights at Christmas (there are many awful lights too actually).
So here are a few photos of the weekend; tomorrow the second week of the 365 project.

[source]

Tomorrow at 2pm I have an English Literature Exam. This is the main reason I hadn't got any time to write, get inspired, craft amd take pictures (well I did that actually). And my parents came to visit me for the weekend so I was busy going to Ikea and to Christmas markets with them. I had a tough week and a lovely weekend and now just another few of busy hours trying to revise everything over and over.

I will resume normal posting on Tuesday, but I'm still posting the project 365 photos on my flickr page. See you Tuesday, have a nice two days!!

Juliette

Ok, the temperature is perfect.
Now I only need the house, the lights, those windows, the fireplace (because I know there's one in there), the wreath on the door, the trees, the balcony, 6 ore 7 more rooms and..the snow.
Oh and someone I love to spend my evening with.

*source*

Juliette

365 Project - Week 1

I have been 21 years old for the last 7 days and not much has changed, but I like this idea of the 365 project. Here you have the first photos.


1/365 9122010
Apple cake. I baked my own cake for my birthday. Not because I am alone, not because nobody wants to bake a cake for me, not because they don't want to buy one of the fantastic cakes we buy for some birthdays. Just because the thing I love doing the most is baking. Seeing the cake shining like gold in the oven, smelling the scent of a rustic cake is fantastic. But the thing I love even more is seeing people eating with pleasure. Not getting compliments, just seeing them eat and enjoy their piece of cake.




2/365 10122010
A sunny day, incredible for this time of the year. At the TV I hear that it should be snowing, people from all over the world are complaining about the cold and I am sitting in the sun reading a book. I love the valley I live in and living far from the civilised world gives me the possibility to learn from nature so many things. Sitting outside, hearing the birds and the bells every now and then who remind me how late it is and just waiting until the sun sets and it's time to go inside the home, at the warmth of the stove.



3/365 11122010
The only picture I took today. My dad and I went to the mall to the mall to buy new dishes. I am so happy. I love having a set of dishes with nothing missing.




4/365 12122010
Description later haha, now I'm going to eat them!
(..)
For my birthday I wanted to make Ravioli, my favorite dish. I haven't eaten them for months. Roberto and I had only yhe chance to make them today, so we asked his grandma for the recipe and ..voilà.
I just finished eating them, and they are still my favorite food.





5/365 13122010
Today was a total disaster, spent on the train for 6 hours and waiting for a train for 2 hours. I won't write the whole story again, but I got home at 6 pm exhausted. And I still had to do the gocery and meet a friend for some notes he needed.
A not creative, not culinary, not happy day.
Fortunately I won't get on a train for more than one week.




6/365 14122010
This is the peak of today: laundry. Exciting day was mine, right? I only went to a class in the morning, then studied, washed the dishes, did the laundry, studied and studied, drunk coffee and went to another class (6-8pm, crazy!). Tomorrow will be pretty much the same, and it's getting really really cold outside, but no snow to be seen.




7/365 15122010
Today was colder than normal, I wrapped myself in thisenormous cosy scarft that Sinterklaas (aka Roberto) gave me. I was going outside fighting the cold to go to the afternoon classes (2-6 pm). Next week I'll have an exam and I haven't found the time to study yet. Maybe I should stay less on Internet, but I am getting better at it (not too many hours on Google Reader ^^)

Next week other 7 new photos.
Have a great evening, I'm going to study.

Juliette

When I am studying..

*Random thoughts*

Or better
When I should be studying a lot happens:
(Is moisturize even a word, or is it used only for hair? Anyways I meant "to hydrate")



Tomorrow my first 365 project weekly post!
Have a nice evening,
I hope it's warmer wherever you are than here.

Juliette