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Year three with books: “Bridget Jones’s Diary”

By Rasa Pelham on August 7, 2017 in Book worm

I bet everyone knows this book! It’s a classic cringe comedy as Joni would call it. Oh, and it made into the movies! To be honest I felt like the movie actually polluted my imagination as I was reading this book as I could just imagine Bridget as Renée Zellweger (there is no way from running away from that image now!). Although as expected there are plenty of differences between the book and the movie.

What I liked about it? Writing style of course! As you know me well, I really like casual chatty writing style ;-). Besides, I could really relate to Bridget and all her awkward moments. Not her lifestyle thankfully although I do envy her freedom a tiny weeny bit. One think I couldn’t agree more with Bridget is the subject of Christmas gift giving. This sums it up exactly how I feel: “Ugh. Would that Christmas could just be, without presents. It is just so stupid, everyone exhausting themselves, miserably haemorrhaging money on pointless items nobody wants: no longer tokens of love but angst-ridden solutions to problems…”. There you go, I said it!

What I did not like about it? Hmm… nothing really. I must be a fan of cringe comedy then (lol).

Is it worth buying? Certainly! it’s an easy read, perfect for holidays. Even if you watched the movie million times!Have fun while reading!

Rasa xoxo

BBQ Lithuanian style (volume 2)

By Rasa Pelham on July 26, 2017 in Lithuanian, Outdoors, Recipes

We are off to Lithuania today so I thought to I will share another Lithuanian recipe for the barbecue (last year we shared a recipe for these pork shashlik that was a hit).

Few weeks ago we had some family over and of course we wanted to do bbq again since the weather has been great. Was not sure about pork so I thought of making them with safer meat option such as chicken (who does not like chicken?!). These are lovely and moist, can be served with rice and salad, same way as the pork ones.

CHICKEN SHASHLIK feeds about 4

1kg chicken breasts, chopped into chunks
4 tbsp mayonnaise
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, finelly chopped
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp curry powder
salt and pepper

1.Place all the ingredients into a large bowl, mix it well and cover it with plate so it is well compressed. Refrigerate the meat overnight.2. The following day, put the meat onto the skewers and you are ready to bbq. 3. Serve it with plain rice, green salad and good quality ketchup or tomato salsa. Enjoy those lovely summer days while it last ;-)

Rasa xoxo

How John Smedley knitwear is made

By Rasa Pelham on July 17, 2017 in English, How is it made?, Knitting, Learn something new

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be able to look around the John Smedley knitwear factory. I left Lukas with Nanny and took Tomas with me on the tour all the way to the beautiful Peak District. It felt like my fashion years are back again!! For those who don’t know John Smedley knitwear I really recommend to visit their website where you will find more detailed info (the whole history if you want). John Smedley is a family business that is owned by many generations of the same family. They still handcraft finish their garments and still maintain many traditional craftsmanship methods. So buying their knitwear is really worth the money if you want to add some staple jumpers and cardigans to your wardrobe as they are made to last ;-). John Smedley knitwear starts with a good quality yarn, mostly made with sheep hair (or cotton for summer) which I was quite surprised by. My memories of sheep wool is not great and I remember it being rough and stingy on the skin. But wait, this yarn comes from special sheep that come from New Zealand (called merino sheep). Their hair is softer because of better weather conditions. The yarn then gets washed and conditioned to achieve maximum softness. As I was visiting John Smedley factory it was obvious that the quality is the top priority here. The knitting is checked and checked again at many different stages and gets rejected when it does not meet these high standards. But it does not go to waste. These clever machines unravel the knitwear so this beautiful yarn have another chance to become a piece of knitwear again. Pfew! Thats good to know ;-). I especially loved some of the older machinery that although it is vintage is still very well maintained and making quality garments(however these are a little louder than modern ones). Every piece of knitwear is kept on needles as you would expect (If you are knitter yourself you would understand what I mean here). There is special compartment for trims as you can see here that get later attached to the main body. This is where the garment gets its handcraft finish. The neck hole is cut by hand and then a special machine knit stitches the body and the trim together. Finally each garment gets a final steam press.The factory building has it’s old charms as well. The original water mill is still here, although it is no longer used to power the machinery it still makes a very pretty feature. Hope you found this post interesting as much as I did when visiting this fine knitwear factory ;-).

Rasa xoxo

My favourite kids lunch on the go

By Rasa Pelham on July 6, 2017 in For little ones :), Lunch or Dinner, Recipes, Savoury Delights

We have been traveling lots lately (I am talking day trips not an actual holiday) and to have something handy for lunch is essential (unless you want to spend the money at the cafe or something). This is why these muffins are amazing for obvious reasons. They are dry meaning the mess don’t stick to clothes, they are full of hidden veg (so hard to make Lukas eat veg these days) and they can be frozen for whenever you need them. Besides, they are carbs that children love to eat, su no fuss here ;-). FULL OF VEG SAVOURY MUFFINS

makes 12 muffins

2 handfuls of chopped veg of your choice (I had broccoli and cherry tomatoes)
230g plain flour
3tsp baking powder
140g grated cheese
200ml milk
3tbsp olive or sunflower oil
1 egg, beaten

1. First, finelly chop all the veggies. Especially broccoli as it needs to cook through when baked. 2. Combine the veggies with the rest of ingredients. 3. Mix everything well before spooning the mixture into 12 hole muffin tin (all lined and ready). Bake for around 30min in 180C preheated oven. Enjoy your lunch!

Rasa xx

Caribbean chicken curry with pineapple

By Rasa Pelham on June 27, 2017 in Lunch or Dinner, Recipes

The other day I tried curry on the waffle? What? Yes, me and my sister in law visited waffle house few weekends ago and this is what Waffle House had on offer! I absolutely loved it and tried to repeat the same at home. Except I did not have so much luck with waffles, but otherwise it makes a great family meal. Mild and sweet, something that is ok with kids. CARIBBEAN CHICKEN CURRY WITH PINEAPPLE

makes 3 meals for a family of three

2 tsp sunflower oil
5 chicken tights, diced (about 1 kg)
2 large red onions, chopped
2 red peppers, sliced
3 tbsp mild curry powder (could be more if prefer more spicy)
2 X 400g can coconut milk
2 X 400g can black eyed beans, drained
1 pineapple, pealed cored and diced
small bunch coriander, chopped
cooked rice or waffles to serve with

1. First fry the chicken, then transfer to the slow cooker or a large pot (if not using slow cooker). Add the onions and peppers to the same frying pan, and cook for 5 mins until the veg starts to soften.

2. Transfer the veg to the slow cooker together with chicken. Then add beans, curry powder and the coconut milk. Season and cook as required. If you are using slow cooker then cook it on low all day, medium half day or on high three hours. If its in the pot then for about 40min-1h. You get the idea?3. Serve it with chopped pineapple, coriander and rice or waffle if you are brave ;-). Enjoy!

Rasa xx

Year three with books: “The 80/20 Principle”

By Rasa Pelham on June 17, 2017 in Book worm

This book turned out to be exactly what I expected to be. I am not sure if 20/80 principle is common sense or if I knew it deep in me but I feel like I have not learned much. I have been reminded of few things, but certainly it have not been ground breaking! The 20/80 concept states that the world is unbalanced and 20% of what we do and have are more important (produce the main results) than the rest of 80%. So essentially we should focus on those 20% and try to do more of it to improve productivity. Doesn’t it sound a bit familiar to you? Don’t we all try to prioritise anything that we see is producing highest results or enjoy it best?

What I liked about it? Although it was not life changing, I loved authors honesty. He often writes how you should not read everything in his book and learn to skip pages. It is true only about 20% of this book is important and applicable personally! I also liked that data is not everything in finding out what is efficient and worthwhile. The book strongly suggests to use intuition when making decision and not to be afraid to experiment and not persevere with losing solutions. Which is what I kinda knew, but not put it into practice much. I now know that is best not to act immediately, but do some quiet thinking first.

What I did not like about it? I think writing style was my biggest dislike here. It made me drowsy every time I read this book (or was it sleep deprivation?). It was too repetitive and had many dry technical words that I did not even understand.

Is it worth buying? Yes and no. It depends if 20/80 principal familiar to you. If you have never heard of it then it is definitely worth reading about it.Hope you found my little review useful!

Rasa xoxo

Pinterest challenge: savoury waffles with blue cheese and bacon

By Rasa Pelham on June 2, 2017 in Break-the-fast, Pinterest challenge, Recipes, Savoury Delights

Lately we have been very tired. One moment I thought we were handling our lot as parents of two really well, the next day I feel like I am back at square one. Tomas is going through a bad sleep patch (hope thats temporary) and I for the first time ever have got a painful back.

At least one thing have not changed! We are still having our luxurious breakfast every Saturday that have become a tradition in our family. We always start our weekend with something special ;-). Here is what we had last weekend, savoury waffles with blue cheese and bacon, from Pinterest of course! I thought they were little rich so serving it with tomato salsa or salad is perfection. SAVOURY WAFFLES WITH BLUE CHEESE AND BACON adopted from What Should I Eat for Breakfast Today

serves two exhausted parents

130g flour
1 egg
250ml buttermilk (or 125ml milk mixed with 125ml yogurt)
3 slices bacon, fried and cut into small pieces
50g blue cheese, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp maple syrup
3 tsp baking powder
30g butter, melted
tomato salsa or salad to serve (optional)

1. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl2. Heat the waffle iron pan or the waffle maker, grease it liberally (I do it with butter) and pour the waffle mixture in ready to fry (1-2 spoons at the time). I use fork to detach the waffles from the pan but this probably would not work with the non stick pans, so be careful. Hope you all have a fab weekend!

Rasa xx

IKEA hack: custom laundry baskets

By Rasa Pelham on May 27, 2017 in Budget £, Embroidery, Home improovements, Organisation, Projects

Well…. hello here looking through my never ending laundry pics. I never quite manage to have all baskets empty completely! This is why I was looking for ways to organise my dirty clothes while I work my way through it if you know what I mean. I thought under the sink in the bathroom would be the most convenient for them since this is where we get undressed and changed most often. Except I struggled for a while to find a right size baskets…. until one day it occurred to me that the storage boxes from Ikea we already have fit perfectly! I know I know, they are storage boxes, not a laundry baskets, but I saw a vision how I could alter them a little. All it needed are some handles, a little bit of lettering embroidery and its done! Yey! So this is how I did it. I purchased some fabric storage from Ikea. I know I know I said I had them already, but wanted in different colour and it’s not like £2.50 breaks the bank! Then I found my fabric pencil, embroidery tread & needle + some ribbon to match. First I marked the writing I wanted to embroider. You don’t have to use special pencil for it, but it helps since you can rub it off if you make mistake. Otherwise regular pen mark would be hidden behind the stitches (I have gone this risky route too many times before).For embroidery I chose my favourite stitch which is the chain stitch. You can get more inspiration for your embroidery here. Next I stitched the handles. I folded the ribbon at the ends so it does not fray ;-). Hope you found this inspiring

Rasa xoxo

Chocolate oat porridge with dates and bananas

By Rasa Pelham on May 9, 2017 in Break-the-fast, Healthy, Recipes, Sweet Treats

After drowning my post pregnancy sorrows in sugar (as I often say) for past few months, I finally feel like ready to go sugar free again. Ok, maybe not totally cutting out sugar just yet, but definitely reducing it by at least removing added sugar. Here is what I have been having for most of my breakfasts past two weeks, which is a simple porridge that is sweetened with just dates and bananas. Chocolate for breakfast have not been more satisfying than this, yum!

CHOCOLATE OAT PORRIDGE WITH DATES AND BANANAS serves one

1 sachet of 27g oats porridge + milk according to package instructions
1 tsp coco powder
1 tsp coconut oil
3-4 dates, chopped
1 banana, sliced

1. Place all ingredients into microwavable bowl (except dates and banana) and mix briefly to combine.

2. Microwave for 2min or according to the oat porridge package instructions

3. Top the porridge with chopped dates and banana

Sorry but not sorry that it is so simple. I thought I need to share this recipe anyways as it makes a very satisfying breakfast, without giving into sugar

Rasa :-)

Nicola’s birthday cake

By Rasa Pelham on May 3, 2017 in Cake decorating, Let's Celebrate!, Recipes, Sweet Treats

Last weekend we headed down to Devon again to celebrate my sister in law Nicola’s 30th birthday and I was asked to bake a cake (what a privilege!!). It had to be gluten and dairy free so it was a fun challenge to accept. If you have been following me on social media then you probably have seen me doing bake tests over the past few weeks. I originally wanted to make a matcha cake, but was not sure if that would have been a crowd pleaser. At the end I decided to go with more simple flavours such as lemon and poppy seed. I used a very similar method to this chocolate orange cake which essentially uses citrus fruit pulp instead of butter or oil. This method has never let me down producing a very moist and tasty cake. I just need to find a way to reduce the amount of sugar (hmmm…a tough one to do in cake!). GLUTEN AND DAIRY FREE LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE WITH COCONUT BUTTER FROSTING

(for the cake)

16 lemons
18 eggs (it’s a very large cake!)
750g golden caster sugar
750g ground almonds
6tsp baking powder
4tbsp poppy seeds + for decorating

(for the frosting)

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil (butter)
juice from 2 lemons
about 1kg icing sugar

1. First things first, cook the lemons as that takes the longest. Peal them and try to pick out any pips out of them (I know I know this might take forever, but its worth it as your cake might end up tasting a little bitter). Boil the lemons for about 30 min. Once they are cooked, drain them and check any leftover pips. By now your lemons should look like puree, but whizz them anyways with the hand processor just to get it extra smooth.

2. Whisk the eggs with sugar till its pale and creamy. Add the rest of ingredients into eggs (including lemon puree) and mix to combine everything well. Split the cake mixture into three lined baking springform tins. Bake the cakes in 150C preheated oven for 1.5h.3. Meanwhile make the frosting. Sift the icing sugar into the coconut oil and add lemon juice. Mix everything using electric mixer until smooth and creamy.4. As for frosting the cake I did it very lightly. I applied thin layer of frosting between the layers and more on the sides so I could scrape it off later (still keeping a natural “naked” cake look). 5. Decorate it with poppy seeds, berries and flowers in keeping with the “au naturel” look ;-). Hope you are feeling inspired.

Rasa xoxo

Devon in spring

By Rasa Pelham on April 21, 2017 in Outdoors, Spring, Travel

A week or so ago we had a pleasure of visiting Devon again. This time in spring! This is one of the benefits of having family somewhere far and dreamy (many negative aspects as well unfortunately). Like everywhere else in spring outdoors are filled with many bright coloured flowers like daffodils and bluebells, however here I found primroses as well (strangely it reminds me of Teletubbies scenery… hmm). Although we stayed in Honiton we have been lucky to explore further in Devon. We took a tramway to Seaton through dreamy marshes… …and explored the seaside :). We also had a chance to visit Escot Park that happen to have this lovely cafe. Hope you all had a lovely Easter break too ;-)

Rasa xx

Year three with books: “The Shack”

By Rasa Pelham on April 13, 2017 in Book worm

I finished this book just in time for Easter, which reminded what relationship with God is really about. Thanks for iBooks version I could read it on my phone while in labour or while feeding Tomas to sleep. Basically I have been reading this heart warming book just when I needed, during the most challenging times in my life!

What I liked about it? Creative way of describing about God as a trinity and how relationship with God looks like. In the story the God himself invites the main character for a weekend away just to fellowship and demonstrate what real love is. And what’s a better way to do this? I think it also explains why bad things happen in the word to most innocent. Which sort of answers the biggest question people tend to ask “where is God when there is so much wrong in the world”.

What I did not like about it? Is the writing style that I found was too descriptive in parts and covered with unnecessary adjectives. This made the reading not as gripping as it should have been and therefore I found my mind wondering off often as I read.

Is it worth buying? Well… are you interesting to find out the real meaning of Easter? Do you wonder if there is more to life than this? Have you been hurt and wondering where God is? Than this is a definite read for you ;-) Enjoy reading!

Rasa x

Easy slow cooker moroccan chicken

By Rasa Pelham on April 5, 2017 in Lunch or Dinner, Recipes

Let’s be honest, life is already complicated to cook complex dinners. I even struggle to make myself cup of tea! No wonder I often rely on slow cooker. Few weeks ago I came up with this recipe, which is even easer than my usual slow cooker recipe. I did not even spend any time for pre-frying anything or transferring. I just quickly chopped everything and thrown into one pot. At the end I was surprised with the results as it was very flavoursome yet a very lazy way to cook. EASY SLOW COOKER MOROCCAN CHICKEN serves 8

1kg chicken breasts, chopped
1 butternut squash or 2-3 sweet potatoes, pealed and chopped
2 large onions, chopped
6-7 garlic cloves, crushed
2 handfulls dried apricots, chopped
500ml chicken stock
freshly ground black pepper
2 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
4 tbsp clear honey
bunch fresh coriander or parsley, chopped, to serve
couscous, to serve
natural yoghurt, optional, to serve

1. Place all the ingredients (except coriander, couscous and yogurt) into slow cooker in the morning or lunchtime on high or medium setting. To be ready for dinner. 2. Serve cooked chicken stew with couscous, fresh herbs and yogurt. And that’s it! Enjoy!

Rasa xoxo

Meet the new baby Pelham :-)

By Rasa Pelham on March 21, 2017 in Updates

And finally I have got a moment to introduce to you our new baby Pelham, Tomas. It has been hectic couple of weeks! Not only that I had to get used to looking after two kids but also Lukas got sickness bug last week (bad timing for sure). I been screaming “help” through the roof. And I did receive some help, so thank you for all those who gave advice and came round our house just to hold Tomas so I can do some laundry. Sleepless nights are still on, but strangely I feel fine although a bit depressed sometimes when I count the hours of sleep (better not). Hopefully will come out of the fog very soon and share more stories and stuff here like before.

But less about me, more about Tomas. It is his introduction after all. I am very impressed with the pics I took of him and Lukas, although it was quite a challenge to coordinate them. These are taken when Tomas was just two weeks old (today he is four weeks old and one month at the same time thanks to February being a short month). So I been asked a lot of questions about the birth of Tomas and how Lukas is reacting to his new baby brother. Well, I thought I will quickly answer them here.

The birth of Tomas was a quick one, 8 hours in total. 4 hours of hormone drip sadly (I just could not say no to it). He was a big boy, weighing 4.84kg and before you squint let me tell you that it was ok and did not cause any trouble. Lukas was born even bigger (5.34kg), so I guess I have been made to make big babies ;-).

Lukas seem to be interested in Tomas, sometimes strokes him not in the most gentle way. He also gets upset when he hears him cry, but not all the time. So I guess all normal. Thanks for letting me share and I hope to do it more often (if time allows)

Rasa xx

Pancake day in a French style

By Rasa Pelham on February 24, 2017 in Book worm, Break-the-fast, Recipes

Since the pancake day is approaching soon (the day surely not to be missed) I have been practicing making pancakes the French way. I of course were learning from the best, Rachel Khoo and her book “Little Paris Kitchen”, that I am reading right now. It turns out that French don’t only live on crepes but also galettes, which is tricky type of pancake made purely from buckwheat flour. While I have made similar pancakes to crepes before, I was clueless about the galettes. This is why I decided to share the recipe with you here.

GALETTES adopted from Rachel Khoo book “Little Paris Kitchen”

200g buckwheat flour
a pinch of salt
about 600ml water
melted butter for frying

1. Mix the flour and salt in the bowl (or jug). Gradually mix in the water, adding only enough for the batter to have consistency of double cream. Don’t overdo as this will make rubbery galettes. Place the bowl into the fridge for an hour at least.2. Melt the butter in well heated frying pan. Pour one spoonful of batter and immediately start swirling round the pan to get nice even layer. Loosen around the edge with a spatula once the top “dries up”, then turn the galette and cook for further 1 minute.These can then be eaten with sugar and cinnamon, or any other filling, I think savoury ones suits best. Like the cream cheese with salmon, Yum!Happy pancake once it comes!

Rasa xoxo

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