Remember Last Summer?

When days are short and dark, it is good to take a look at the pictures captured last summer. This was taken one sunny day in June when Helsinki showed her most charming side and allowed us to cycle aimlessly around in warmth and brightness.

Independence Day

Today is Finland's Independence Day. At six o'clock I lit two candles and placed them on a window sill. As we do every year on 6th of December. I watched the Independence Day concert from the television and shed a tear or two when a choir sang Finlandia Hymn. I thought of my grandparents who lost six year of their lives fighting for us in the war, and I also shed a tear or two for the great man of South Africa, who passed away on the eve of our Independence Day.

Rest in peace, all you heroes.

Pressies

 

Every Christmas present ready and wrapped and it is only the beginning of December. I am super early. I am also aware that the gifts in the picture do not illustrate my Christmas handicap. I did it so early to get over with it, not to drag Christmas obligations along too long.

And if you wonder, the recepients of the gifts do not read my blog. For them this will always be elves job made in secret.

My toes at the bottom of the picture are wrapped in self-made woll slippers I was supposed to wrap in paper too, but after felting them, they came out different size and I gifted them to myself. What a generous elf I am.

Baking Spinach Feta Pies

Today's achievement was Spinach Feta Pies. I used a recipe my friend uses in her spinach feta pasta inside ready made puff pastry. Here you go:

Spinach Feta Pies

Puff pastry
spinach
feta
pine seeds

I got ready made puff pastry and a bag of frozen spinach from the shop. Defrosted them at home, fried the spinach lightly on a hot pan and mixed feta in in small crumbs. I stirred until the cheese melted and added pine seeds in and lifted the pan off the hot plate. The pastry was already rolled out, so I just needed to cut the set squares into halfs and thus make them even. I then measured a spoon full of feta-spinach mix in the middle of the square, folded the tough into triangles and sealed the edge with water. Before baking the pies in 200 C for 15-20 minutes, I brushed them with egg.

Super easy and super delicious.

The Advent

Christmas time is officially here. There are two things, which tell me that. The first is the first Happy Holidays card, I received on the last day of November. The second teller is the date. The first Advent. I am not a big Christmas fan, as I find it way too loaded with expectations. If I could, I would delete Christmas from the calendar, but since there is no such an option, I do my best to co-exist with it. So, I lit a candle today and try to allow Christmas in.