sorry!

I will try and attempt to update this within the next week or so. I have been doing a fair bit of reading, so... Yes. Sorry.

Talk to you later.

Booking Through Thursday

This week's questions:

1. Do YOU like books with complicated plots and unexpected endings?

I don't mind complicated plots, I can usually follow them if they're logical (even if they only do make sense in the end), and I have nothing especially against unexpected endings, unless it's a negative emotion for me, as "whyyyyy?".

2. What book with a surprise ending is your favorite? Or your least favorite?

Ah, this is a tough one. I like doing my background searches before reading books, so I generally know quite a bit about them. Sad surprise endings are my least favourites, all of them.
Although I have a feeling I knew how the book will end (as in someone told me beforehand), I still loved Veronika Decides to Die's ending. Can't remember any other book at the moment.


Frustratingly difficult questions this week!, and not very cohesive answers.

(b) a rabing fan-post, apologies

The Railway Station Man
by Jennifer Johnston

Another book by my absolute favourite Jennifer Johnston.

The protagonist is Helen Cuffe, a widow living alone somewhere in Co Donegal, near the coast. One day when her son Jack is visiting, she finds out an Englishman, Roger Hawthorne, has moved to the village, attempting to restore the old railway station, and to help with that - Damian Sweeney, a local rogue (kind of crushworthy material - he knits!). They fall in love, Helen and Roger. Also, Helen sort of rediscovers herself through her art. These descriptions were beautifully done, by the way.

The book has several themes, Troubles, for instance, and then also larger themes such as love, family relations, etc.

Although Johnston holds true to her tradition, providing us with an unhappy ending, there's also beautiful and powerful prose. I can't emphasize enough how much I enjoy her style. She's a natural with words, partly credited to her nationality, as well, perhaps. The Irish are great with words, and there's no denying that.

Anyways, this book is one of my favourites by her. Another 5/5. Heart-wrenchingly sad yet beautiful. And there are no more JJ's books available in Estonia! In English, that is. There is one in Estonian I haven't read yet, but I must say that she's better in the original. Even more amazing.

Enough, now. I'm boring you. Read Jennifer Johnston!, and that's an order.

(gf) vol 2

Ah, success! Second recipe of the day.

Pomegranate Ice Cream

2 dl pomegranate juice
150 g powdered sugar
1 lime
4 dl double cream (35%)

Add pomegranate juice and juice from the lime to powdered sugar. Mix. Add double cream. Whip until soft peaks appear. Put to the freezer for 4 hours or overnight.

This is nice. I've always wanted to make ice cream, but thought not having the ice cream machine would prove essential.. Well, as it turns out, a regular freezer will do! And you don't have to touch the ice cream while it's in the freezer, it needs no stirring afterwards.

A cool desert. Literally. Pun duly intended!

(I changed the bowl because you couldn't see the colour in a glass one, hence the bit battered looks)

(Recipe taken from Nigella Express with slight changes)

(gf) vol 1

The first recipe of today, another one should be on the way, if it turns out alright.

Mozzarella and [fill in the blank] Pizza

pizza powder 1 bg
mozzarella
basil
pineapple chunks
chopped ham (or minced meat, chicken, etc)
cheese (grated)
1 tomato
tomato sauce (crushed tomatoes, not ketchup)

I have purposely omitted the exact numbers since well it pretty much depends on what you want on your pizza. This isn't a place where I give you directions as to what colour and size your peppers need be. This is just.. a creative outlet. Not even that creative considering the fact I use a fair bit of pre-packaged foods.

Anyways, I made two varities. And I used a simple pizza powder which only needs to be mixed in a bowl with water and a bit of oil. So one bag of that powder. Then I spread the dough on the baking pan (the label claimed it's rollable, but I doubt that!) using my fingers. They didn't have rolling pins in the Stone Age, you know... Or pizza dough, for that matter.. Where was I?

Then I covered the dough with tomato sauce, and added the necessary toppings. For one half I used mozzarella, for the other ham for my parents. I prefer my pizzas with only tomato sauce and cheese, you see. Then I put the whole thing in the oven for about 15 minutes (see label of package). After that time, cheking that it's pretty much done, I added the cheese on the ham-covered part and tomatoes and pineapple chunks for those who wanted them. A nice touch: season the tomatoes with pepper, and add a bit of pizza-seasoning (chopped dried basil, I would imagine). And then 2 more minutes in the oven (225 degrees C), until the cheese melts, and it's ready! I put some basil leaves onto mozzarella-covered side. It tasted excellent!

And well.. with the pizza flour (or powder or whatever it's called) available, making your own pizza is really a matter of minutes, AND you can use whichever toppings you like! It won't affect the preparing time, unless the toppings are covering every visible inch of the pizza, then you can use the old knife-and-fork test.

And then, cut into however many pieces you wish, and enjoy!

I do excuse the pictures on this blog.. I assure you, the dishes are all delicious apart for my incapability of photographing, and my natural lack of talent for lighting.

(b)

Irish Proverbs: Traditional Wit & Wisdom
by Fionnuala Carson Williams

OK book, some nice proverbs. Overall quite old-fashioned, not very modern. It did give the English versions complete with Irish equivalents, which is unusual and quite welcomed. No explanations, though.

Nothing special. A quick read. Took no more than 30 minutes to skim through.

(b) book about good food

Julie & Julia
by Julie Powell

I'm all for projects and challenges like every other person. Whether you go through with them or not. Beginnings are always such a thrill, even more so if you actually finish them, I would imagine.

So, this book. It's about Julie Powell, a secretary in New York, quite dissatisfied with her job, who one September day decides she will cook her way through a whole cook-book within a year. Which may not seem such a big deal, but do keep in mind there are 365 days to a year, and there are 524 recipes in the book. Including preparing kidneys, brains and bone marrow sauces, and boning ducks. Not your average "mix flour and water in a bowl" type of recipes, but the old-fashioned ones where cooking took several hours. Nice.

I liked this book. It read quite fast, and I enjoyed Ms Powell's language, she has great style, and a natural knack for writing I might add. She finished her challenge, which is always great. Now I must find a way to see the film, as well.

It's not just a book about a cooking challenge. It's also the path to the proverbial self-discovery, and I would like to quote these words, I hope I'm allowed:

Sometimes, if you want to be happy, you've got to run away to Bath and marry a punk rocker. Sometimes you've got to dye your hair cobalt blue, or wander remote islands in Sicily, or cook your way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year, for no very good reason. (306)

So, yes, a good book. I'd recommend it. I have it, you're welcome to borrow it.

(b) in Estonian/eesti keeles

Elu sumedusest
Kalev Keskküla

Lühijuttude kogumik. Koosneb viiest peatükist: Tango viiekümnesele mehele, Meie aja kangelane, Armastuse formaat, Lihtne eestlane, Elu sumedusest.
Kaks esimest osa meeldisid väga, ülejäänud sellist vaimustust ei tekitanud... Või lihtsalt ei toiminud minu jaoks.

Sobib lugemiseks paari jutu kaupa üle pikema aja. Omamoodi stiil. Pole paha. Soovitada ei oskaks.

Booking Through Thursday

This is fun, a challenge taken on by bloggers every thursday.. I decided to participate, now.

Question: Who’s your favorite author that other people are NOT reading? The one you want to evangelize for, the one you would run popularity campaigns for? The author that, so far as you’re concerned, everyone should be reading–but that nobody seems to have heard of. You know, not JK Rowling, not Jane Austen, not Hemingway–everybody’s heard of them. The author that you think should be that famous and can’t understand why they’re not…

Answer: JENNIFER JOHNSTON! Of course. I mean, some people know about her.. some here, some in Ireland, and some in the UK. But elsewhere, not so much. Especially in America. She's not even published there! I can't understand why.. She's brilliant, really. And, if someone will start a popularity campaign or what-not, I'd be on board! I might consider starting one myself... by widely publicising my thesis, for instance.. My thesis on HER. Right, then... In the humour section somewhere, perhaps? But yeah, read her, she's amazing. Her prose is.. beautiful to say the least, really.

Anyways yes, fun challenge.

(b) spicy

After handing in my thesis a few weeks ago, I embarked on a journey of reading as much as I can, it is the Year of Reading, after all.
Do excuse my ... eclectic taste in books (for lack of a better word), I go by recommendations, and this received many.

The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl
by Belle de Jour

I don't have much to say about this book. It's non-fiction, a memoir of sorts, actually compiled of almost a year's worth of blog posts by a London call girl. A high class call girl. She's highly educated, I did some Googling and found out she actually received a PhD whilst this book takes place, so indeed.. not your usual stereotype of a prostitute.

She is very outspoken, with wonderful insights into the world of men. Her vocabulary is impressive, and rather academic at times. However, the book was a bit raunchy, to be honest, but this was not unexpected (see title of book).

I did manage to scribble down quite a few quotes, so for me it was worth the read. It's a difficult book to recommend, though. Perhaps for a bit of light reading, if none of your own favourites are at hand? Suit yourselves. I consider this blog more my own reading diary than anything else, anyway.

But yes, a word of warning: rather explicit contents.

(b) triple post

I've finished the Harry Potter series. My reviews of the last three books are as follows:


Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by J. K. Rowling

This was the fifth and largest installment of the series, all together 766 pages.
Lord Voldemort has returned, and Harry knows this, as do all his friends, but not all are so willing to believe the return of the Dark Wizard, and this what this book deals with. Harry will have to stand his ground, and to help him with this - the Order of the Phoenix, now declared outlaws by the Ministry of Magic for contradicting them.

It is also Harry's fifth year at the school, and he is about to receive his OWLs, a sort of a wizarding equivalent for... well I'm not sure what. The 6th year would present NEWTs, which are one step further and after that there would be the final year, after the wizards and witches are of age (17 in the magical world). So, indeed. And, present in the book, so far, my all-time least favourite character of all, I think (Ms Umbridge). She was just, pure evil! I mean Voldemort's horrid, but this woman is malign, if not in the expected way. Or maybe it's just my hate toward the bureocracy of the school systems talking...

After finishing this book, I claimed it was my second favourite (this changed later), since I read through the "last" 500 pages in one sitting, looking forward to what will happen, it was a great thrill and there was much suspense. Too much even. Not many books will make you cringe out of sympathy towards the characters if they have to deal with raging unfairness... This one did. A great book.
(ALTHOUGH, there were certain points were the sheer teenageness of Harry got on my nerves, he was quite a brat, but you know, it was only expected, lots of pressure on him.)


Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by J. K. Rowling

Harry is on his sixth year at Hogwarts, having received OWLs in the necessary subjects to go forward with his studies. He is looking forward to his favourite lesson of Defence Against the Dark Arts, and celebrates not taking Potions with his enemy Snape, BUT the teachers have changed, and well... What I was getting at, is that he is able to study Potions without Snape as a teacher, and he becomes top of class with the help of a text book once belonging to the Half-Blood Prince (I just wanted to clear up the title here).
In general, the magical community has now more or less accepted that Voldemort is indeed back. Lots of adventures and mishaps, as always. No one could be trusted for certain, and allegiances are tested (the official blurb helped me out here), and well, the book ends in quite a sad event..

Also a large part of the book dedicated to the relationships. Only natural for 16-year-olds. This was fun to read. And funny, too. Ron and Hermione are one of my favourite couples in fiction.. Nice.

The book read quite quickly, mostly because I couldn't wait to go on to the last book of the whole series. Just when you think Rowling has exhausted the plot and you think every character has finally been introduced, she presents another twist and then another. And the plot devices she uses are never dull.
I love the book is not a first, but a third person narrative. I've always preferred the latter.



Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by J. K. Rowling

Now, the end is here, well quite literally. The last leg of Harry's journey. He has left Hogwarts on a secret mission trusted to him by Dumbledore. And it is a dangerous one, Voldemort is now intent, moreso than ever before, to capture and kill him. The Ministry has been overthrown by dark forces, and danger lurks everywhere. In addition to his mission, a new thread is introduced, the search for the (Deathly) Hallows.. Just when you thought it was complicated enough.

This was my second favourite book of the series, the fifth installment thus reduced to the 3rd place among my favourites of them all. (Although it doesn't mean the rest are dull, but these I love the most; well, actually, I did not like fourth book that much, it just dragged).

The book had the ending I wanted. I had read about it before, hence I was unaffected by some of the surprises (thankfully! - I could've been miserable otherwise). Anyways, justice prevailed, and the Good guys won, of course. I think you guessed that much.
Nevertheless, I must emphasize yet again and again the sheer brilliance of Rowling's imagination. She is absolutely amazing and brilliant, and INVENTIVE. And I loved the epilogue, I like my happily-ever-afters! A perfect ending to a perfect series, no doubt (not easy to keep up the suspense 'til the last page!). And this is my final answer. I think I'll miss reading the books... Which just goes to show the quality, doesn't it?

(b) four

The fourth installment is as follows:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
by J. K. Rowling

Harry's still at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. This time the story focuses more on the summer, as well, and the whole book is nearly 400 pages longer than the previous ones. When he's back at school, it seems that by some mistake or unfortunate event his name has been added to the Goblet of Fire, and he is to enter the Triwizard Tournament, a kind of international wizarding event. Plenty of action ensues, and troubles, naturally.

The book is not one of my favourites, perhaps I've had a bit of an overdose of Harry Potter, having read the books on consecutive days, or maybe it was just the length - previous books were 200-300 odd pages, this one over 600. In fact, I had to stop reading it mid-way through and went on to another one. The last 200 pages picked up quite nicely, though, and kept me on the edge of my seat (is this expression used for books?), and I kept hearing myself saying "come on, now" and clutching the book, as if that would help. It didn't.

Although being a hefty book, I believe there was sufficient amount of plot to fill it, so it really wasn't dragging that much. Maybe I just needed a break.
I do not know the outcome of the next book, so I'm guessing that'll be more of a thrill to read, not having seen the film. I will continue on reading the series, of course.

I'm not sure I'd recommend this book on its own (though it can be read as such), it just wasn't as good as the previous ones, for some reason. In my own opinion! But if you're committed to the series, I'm in no doubt you will finish them all, so this is all quite pointless, isn't it? Well, I just like the sound of my own voice.. or, er, you know what I mean.

(b) three

I should read something else in between, because I'm sure you are bored to read about Mr Potter, already. Nevertheless, I finished No Three:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by J. K. Rowling

Harry has started his third year at Hogwarts. Every book being dedicated to one school-year. This time, the pupils movements have been restricted even further, since a dangerous murderer is on the run from the Azkaban prison (wouldn't have guessed that from the title, would you?). And for some reason, the escaped prisoner is after Harry... Or so it seems.

I have failed to mention that all of these books will actually stand on their own quite well, since at the beginning and during the books, the back-stories are rather concisely explained (this may get a bit tiresome for someone reading ALL of the books, however - though it has to be remembered that the books were published one per year, so .. nevermind!).

Generally, I think this is my favourite so far. The language, still great. The world is getting more and more detailed, and updated, naturally. There are new (technical) developments in the Wizardry world, as well, just like in ours. I'm amazed how, well, realistic it seems, if that's the right word to use here.
I laughed out loud I can't recall how many times, there were a few great one-liners and generally many situations played out brilliantly. Wonderful entertainment. I can understand why both parents and children are fond of the series alike. Oh, and I'm sort of crushing on Ron. Weird. I blame this on the films, though.

To sum up, Rowling's imagination never ceases to amaze me! And for the first time I'm dreading to reach the end, because there will be no more Potter books. Though I am looking forward to reaching book No Five, because I don't know how that one ends (haven't seen the film), so I'm guessing it'll be even more compelling to read.
Recommend the book, no doubt.

(b) part two

I've decided upon reading through all of the Harry Potter books, now. But since it'd be unfair to tell on the whole plot, and I've already described the general plot of the books, see last post, then I'll just make it as short as possible.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by J. K. Rowling

Well-well, the same general talk applies. Book about Harry Potter, naturally, and his friends Ron and Hermione (I feel a bit of a cool love-story evolving, in a very-very sweet adolescent way, you know "awww"-type of crushing).
When the last adventure seemed to be more out of curiosity than anything else, then this time it's a rather purposeful mystery-solving and quite a bit of detective work involved. Of course, the incentive being that a few close friends of Harry have been affected.

Overall, another riveting schoolyear in Hogwarts, with plenty of brilliant characters and back-stories (spells, potions, herbs!, esp "when they start climbing into each other's pots, we'll know they're mature"). Wonderful, indeed!

The books are indeed quick reads, and well, the quality has not faltered, and I expect them to keep it up. I'm sure another review will be up shortly. Great literature, I can understand why they're featured in so many best-books-of-the-decade, etc lists. Compelling stuff, I'd say. And I thoroughly enjoy Rowling's English!

To be continued... no doubt about it.

(b) and it has begun...

Yes, I set myself a challenge this year, to start reading the Harry Potter books. I was sure I didn't like them, or would feel rather impartial about them. Well, as it turned out, it is not a challenge after all. Here I go:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
by J.K. Rowling

I'm rather certain everyone knows what these books are about, even the people who haven't read them or seen the films.. Still:
The story is about an orphan, so to say, Harry Potter, who lives with his horrible aunt and uncle and their son. One summer day, on his 11th birthday, Harry finds out he is a wizard, and he is shipped off to Hogwarts, a school of wizardry and witchcraft. He befriends other students, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, and they embark on many adventures together, and Harry will have to face his mortal enemy from since he was a baby, Voldemort, the man (or whatever form he's currently in) responsible for his orphaned status. It's first in the series, as well you know, so the book ends with the schoolyear and a promise of more adventures to come. Can't wait.

As for my opinion, well.. I've always admired writers who can conjure up a new world next to ours, with a feeling that it could be perfectly real. This author has a real talent for that, everything is explained and no matter how unbelievable it may seem, you never doubt that this world coexists with ours. Well, at least, in the books...You know what I mean. (Though I might keep a look-out the next time I'm in London, for suspicious pubs or people with cloaks...)

I'd say it's a great book, and a series. I will have to rush through my work today, in order to continue reading the second book. I'm not enthralled by it like by another series (begins with a T and ends with a t, and in the middle you find the letters wiligh), since there's no love story in it, YET, and I'm just a sucker for those (I'm sorry), but nevertheless... It is a wonderful world and Rowling deserves the highest praise for it. The language, I read it as an original although I believe the Estonian translation is equally good, was amazing and just a joy to read. I laughed out loud several times, which is always a good thing. And despite being about children, and well, MAGIC, I still loved it. There was one bit which seemed a bit clumsy, but you know, it was only a few lines and purely for the sake of the plot, and did not ruin the pure perfection of the rest of the book.
If you haven't read it, and feel like you want, but are in doubt - do! It sure is a thrill. Read it in two sittings, but only because it was 3 am and I thought it best to get some sleep. I liked the book, and the beginning of the series, a lot, but then again.. I've always had a thing for outworldly creatures and things conjured up by overinventive and vivid imaginations.
The series isn't a legend for no reason, after all. No rating, you either read and love them, or you don't read them, because you don't like them. Easy as that, no?

(b) Team Cats

I buy a lot of books. Books I usually don't read afterwards, but which have for some reason spoken to me in the store (maybe I just hear things). This one did, too. And I read it. I have a thing for books where the plot contains either books or libraries. Like this one, called:

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
by Vicky Myron and Bret Witter

Well, I think it's rather obvious what this book is about. It is about a cat, Dewey Readmore Books, who lives in a library. And it's a true story.
One cold-cold December morning the manager of Spencer library (in a small-small town) found a little kitten from the book-return box. The little kitten was almost frozen to death. So they took him in, and named him Dewey. He spent the rest of his life living in that library, happy as can be.

It's a touching and a heart-felt story and there is no happy ending, as such.. But what this book does demonstrate, is how intelligent cats are. They can always sense the moods of people: who need comforting, who are mean... As did Dewey. And it's a lovely book, as well, even if a bit sad.
Needless to say, the cat became famous (see title above), and changed the lives of who he came in contact with, in one way or another. He had his own adventures, and misfortunes as every other character in the book, but he lead a long and interesting life.

It's a sad book, sort of, but I would still recommend it. Especially for people who have a thing for books about books and libraries, and/or cats. I liked it, and it affected me, and very few people could remain dry-eyed while reading this book, but then again.. I've always had a huge amount of respect toward cats, who are just.. adorable, but with a temper, you know? Overall rating I'd say about 7/10 (I read a translation, and the authors' writing style was a bit generic most of the time, but the emotions are there!), but still a nice book.

(b) first of the year

Well, the first book I finished this year, am currently reading about six more with a few waiting in line. I will read them one day :). As for this one:

84 Charing Cross Road
by Helene Hanff

This is actually a joint edition of two books, 84 Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. I have labelled this as non-fiction, as surely the first book is, the one which lent the name for the collection. The second one may very well have some fiction in it, to spice things up.
84... is a collection of the correspondence between Helene Hanff in New York and Frank Doel in London, who is the book buyer for Marks & Co. And they wrote to each other for 20 years, with an ocean between them. It is not a love story! But a story of a friendship, rather. The vast difference between the two countries and culture is extremely evident, from the food-rationed London to the liberal American woman, also their so very distinctive styles of writing. Wonderful. There are also letters from others since the word spread quickly about the American, buying books from London and having them delivered over the ocean, when she could have wandered off to a bookshop in New York, and thus Helene forms a circle of friends there.
The second book, The Duchess ..., is the diary she kept while in London. The city she had dreamt of visiting for whole her life, so that when "reading a casual description of London" she'd "put the book down suddenly, engulfed by a want of longing that was like homesickness" (110), and now - she was finally there. It, too, was a lovely book. She has a very approachable style of writing. You understand from the very beginning how deeply she feels for the city, which is very intriguing. How you can absolutely love a country even before you see it. And she is not disappointed, thankfully.
I will not say if she met her friend from 84 after 20 years, it would be giving the plot away, I'm afraid.
But the book comes highly recommended, it's good in the best sense of the word. And it's such a wonderful and a lovely book. A quick read (I wish it lasted longer!), and a must! It's one of the best books I've read in years, in fact.

5 out of 5, to be sure.

(gf) on the roll

My first desert on the blog. I'll wait for the applause to subside, and... Thank you.
On to the recipe. There's a bit of an introduction to this one. What do you do, when you want to make chocolate cake, and discover you have no eggs? Well, you Google the internet for "eggless cakes", and then discover it's a vegan thing. Which means no dairy or eggs. Wonderful. Here goes:

Vegan Chocolate Cake
4,2 dl flour
2,8 dl sugar
3 tb spoons of cocoa
1 teaspoon of baking soda
0,5 teaspoon of salt
2,8 dl water
1,1 dl oil
1 tb spoon of vinegar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Excuse the funny numbers, it's a translation from an English recipe. These are actually half of the ingredients on the original recipe, but it's definitely enough. More wouldn't have fit on my cake pan, since it rises quite a bit.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350F). Mix all the dry ingredients, then mix all the wet ingredients, and then mix them all together in a bowl, until there are no lumps. Pour onto the baking pan greased with a bit of oil (in the vegan tradition). Cook for 35-40 minutes. Use the match-test to check if it's ready.

On the picture you will see the cake covered with chocolate sauce, which was actually supposed to be frosting, but obvious enough, it isn't. I'm sure you each have your own recipe for the sauce, and I will not be able to reproduce mine, since I kind of improvised, a big no-no for me. But it consisted of milk, butter, sugar, vanilla extract and cocoa. In case you're interested. So I wasn't continuing the "no-dairy" path since, well, I'm not a vegan, just happened to be out of eggs.

The cake is best enjoyed, in my opinion, slightly warm with a glass of milk. Yum.

Good night, and thanks for tuning in!

(gf) healthy, more or less

So, tonight's dinner, recipe number Three. Quite healthy if you exclude the dressing.

Chicken Salad
~140 g chicken fillet
1 tomato
2 handfuls of salad
2 tb spoons goatcheese
handful of croutons

Of course, this recipe, according to tradition for one. You may alter any kind of ingredient you want, naturally. I used Frillice and Lollo Rosso salad-mix. Croutons were with herbs.

Fry the chicken with a bit of oil, season. Tear salads onto the plate, cut tomato into pieces, add to the plate. Sprinkle with black pepper. Then add chicken, goatcheese and croutons. Sprinkle with cheese, if you like. Easy as that!

As for the dressing, there is not certain recipe, since I just improvised. Mine went as follows:

Dressing
3 tb spoons of sour cream
2 tb spoons of extra virgin olive oil
0,5 teaspoons of mustard
1 teaspoon of mayonnaise
dill, black pepper

Mix all of the above together, add whatever ingredient you think it may need, and serve with the salad.

P.S. I'm quite horrible at dressings, so if anyone has a good recipe to share, I'd be grateful! Don't offer Cesar's Salad's dressing - I dislike that one, have tried to make it.
And next Christmas, Santa - I want a good camera, or a steadier hand. Thanks!

(gf) pictureless, but tasty

Oh, boy, this food blogging is severely addictive during the holidays. There's time to make the food look pretty on the plate, mind the lighting, change camera angles. Also, time to discover that minced meat sauce has a tendency to be utterly unphotogenic. Hence, this post will go sans picture. (Since this is a frequent recipe in my home, this post might be updated to include a photo in the future.) But I will jot down the recipe. It is a joint reciple for an Estonian classic, really. This recipe includes amounts for one, since I am home alone, and abandoned, for the time being, and I prefer not to reheat, if possible.

An Estonian Classic
(for 1)

This dish consists of the forementioned minced meat sauce, and mashed potatoes. But the sauce may also be enjoyed with regular boiled potatoes. Up to you. But despite the fact that I'm quite good at following basically any recipe, and producing edible dishes, I am incapable of boiling potatoes that actually end up looking good, but I rock at making mashed potatoes.

Sauce:
~140 g minced meat
3/4 glass of milk
1 tb spoon of flour
seasoning

Mash:
4 potatoes (medium-sized)
1/4 glass of warm milk
~25 g butter (2 tb spoons melted)
salt

Before starting: the minced meat I used was a mix of pork and beef, and the glass measured at about 250 ml.

Firstly, peel the potatoes and let them sit in cold water for about 10 minutes, to remove the excess starch. Or that's what I heard you're supposed to do.
Then, put them to boil, add salt. When they're almost done, you can get started on the sauce. Fry the minced meat, I usually don't add any oil, since there is enough fat in the meat, so it won't burn. Add seasoning according to taste: I used a general meat seasoning sold here, which consists mostly of salt, powdered red paprika and pepper (note, that the sauce may have a reddish colouring due to this). Also, I add garlic pepper, and no extra salt. Now prepare the milk and flour blend. I usually pre-mix them in a bowl: put the flour into a bowl, and then gradually add the milk and whisk through it, to prevent clumping. When the meat is done, add the mix to it, and slowly heat it, avoid boiling, until it's more or less of the right consistency. It will thicken a bit later.

Now for the mashed potatoes. Pour off the water from the potatoes, and mash them in the pot. Then add the heated milk and melted butter and keep on mashing with the - drumroll - masher. And then, eventually, the stick blender. Add salt before this, if the mash needs it. Also, it is difficult to establish the exact amount of milk and butter needed for the recipe, the best thing is to follow the consistency of the mash, and just add more, when needed.. or less when it's getting too mash-y. Pun intended, albeit not being very creative.

Add sauce to mashed potatoes and enjoy! Head isu!

(gf) ready, steady, GO

My first post, on top of the introductory one, featuring recipe number One. The two letters inside brackets in the title suggest Good Food, a distinction to be added to every title (so - either gf or b, for Book(s)..), just for the heck of it.

This recipe did not come from a cookbook. A bad workman always blames his tools, and I am blaming the camera, because the dish made an excellent dinner, and very tasty, if I do say so myself, despite its doubtable looks. Easy enough to do, will not take more than the time to boil your pasta, al dente, or otherwise.

Pasta with Chicken & Herb Sauce
(for 1 person)

~140 g pasta (penne)
~ 130 g chicken fillet
2-3 tb spoons of herb sauce (Felix Herb)
~2-3 tb spoons of grated cheese
salt, pepper, soy sauce etc

So, if you are an Italian, this is the best time to look away and stop reading this post. I did not make the sauce from scratch - I used a random sample of Tomato Herb sauce available in store. In Estonia, that would be by Felix, but of course, you are very much welcome to use any kind of tomato sauce you wish.

Put the pasta to boil, add salt (I'm well aware I may err in cooking proper pasta, but I did leave it slightly al dente, in which I hope to find redemption). Fry the chicken fillet, which is cut into pieces of your own choice of size, adding seasoning of soy sauce, curry and pepper according to your taste. A very ecletic mix, apparent enough I didn't stay true to one cuisine. It's the taste that matters, after all. Add the tablespoons of sauce to chicken if it's ready, it only needs a bit of heating up, no cooking necessary (check the labels of your sauce, just in case, you never know).

Drain the pasta, add the sauce, top with grated cheese... and a little crumpled bit of Lollo Rosso salad, if you do not have basil and you want to take a picture for your food blog... or then just basil and Parmigano, if you live in a place where stores sell it at an affordable price, or regular cheese, if you are in the mood for angering an Italian. *evil smirk*
Keep in mind that the recipe above is for one person! Double, triple or quadruple the amounts when necessary.

So this is it. I cooked this yesterday, in the last decade that is. I'm making dinner today again, and if it comes out even slightly presentable, I will upload a picture.. Ah, how wonderful to start blogging - full of such drive to add a post a day or every other day.

I so wish I read Harry Potter, already, because this quote would be spot-on!

"Life is a combination of magic and pasta." (Frederico Fellini)