I woke up early, walked to the store to get a load of banana boxes (yes, I'm moving!!) and had buckwheat walnut porridge for breakfast with blackberries, dates (if I was only able to eat one sweet thing in the world it would be medjool dates), cocoa nibs and shredded coconut. A new favorite!

People who bake you banana bread in an instant when you ask if they would make life wonderful. There's so much goodness and love around. (Also people who knit you socks are quite amazing!)


"A good story simply gets better with every new chapter."

Grandma spent her life in the kitchen and now that she only has others cooking for her I love using some of her old kitchen utensils and carrying on the traditions; last weekend I made banana bread in a cake mold inherited from her with Green Kitchen Stories' recipe (the only sweeteners in this recipe are bananas and applesauce). And I discovered Rachel Khoo and her inspiring kitchen.

This weekend I started off with 13 hours of sleep and I continue slowly. I find it very intriguing to suddenly be absorbed in a new place and a new group of people. People and their stories and ways of doing things are so interesting! A new job takes so much of your energy though as everything is new. Learning it all (the routines, the new pace, the people) takes time and drains you but is also very rewarding. I came across a wonderful statement:

"Taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it's more like a cha-cha."

We drove up north with mom and my sister yesterday. I'll be spending July here. It's quieter and smaller and I love how people actually walk slower here than in Helsinki, no one's in a hurry. It's calming.

On my last night in Helsinki I made pizza, and pesto for it, for me and the girls. I knew that once I'd made my own pesto there'd be no going back, and I picked a very good recipe for a first one. I don't think I'm changing.

JAMIE OLIVER'S PESTO

half a clove garlic
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 good handfuls basil leaves
a handful walnuts (Jamie uses pine nuts)
a good handful freshly grated parmesan
extra virgin olive oil
(a small squeeze lemon juice)


Pound the garlic with a little pinch of salt and the basil leaves in a pestle and mortar or pulse in a food processor. Add the pine nuts/walnuts to the mixture and pound again. Turn out into a bowl and add half the parmesan. Stir gently and add olive oil – you need just enough to bind the sauce and get it to an oozy consistency. Season to taste, then add most of the remaining cheese. Pour in some more oil and taste again. Keep adding a bit more cheese or oil until you are happy with the taste and consistency. (You may like to add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to give it a little twang, but it's not essential.)

(I've made my pesto so far with a food processor because I've only had a tiny pestle and mortar, but today I bought myself a proper big one!)

Happy independence day America!

I had my little sister over for lunch and I decided to try a raw brownie recipe I ran across the other day. I was a little in a hurry making them in the morning so they didn't end up as pretty as I wanted to. They tasted amazing though. In the evening I rolled the remains into pretty truffels! (Next time I'll propably substitute almonds with cashews. Cashews are just so good.)

ALMOND DATE TRUFFELS

(makes about 30)
(adapted from My New Roots)

250ml raw walnuts
300ml good quality, soft organic dates, pitted
125ml raw cacao powder
125ml raw almonds
1/4tsp sea salt


Put walnuts in a food processor and blend on high until they are finely ground. Add the cacao and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the dates one at a time through the feed tube of the food processor while it is running. (What you should end up with is a mix that appears rather like cake crumbs, but that when pressed, will easily stick together, My New Roots says. And that if the mixture does not hold together well, add more dates. Well, I added dates till it went from crumbly to a big soft ball but I didn't mind.) Remove the batter to a bowl and mix roughly chopped almonds by hand. Press into a lined cake pan or mold. Place in freezer or fridge until ready to serve.

PS. I recently got myself a food processor inspired by Jamie's 30 minute meals (gosh, I haven't been watching them in ages!). This was the first thing I made with it. A very happy start! Spreads and nut butters, see you in a bit!