Mickey Mouse GInger Bread Cookies (gluten free and vegan)

We are half way of December already and next week is Christmas week! To make our tiny room a little christmassy we bought a small christmas tree we decorated with the christmas ornaments we bought from Disney World last September.

Every year I love making ginger bread cookies, but this year I made them with a new recipe I never tried before. 

These ginger bread cookies are refined sugar free and vegan and so tasty! I wasn't sure how these are gonna be, because I was using some of the ingredients for the first time in my life. 

I wish I would have used more of the spices, since when I tried the cookies I didn't get too much feel of ginger and nutmeg, but still they tasted pretty great ! 

2 Cups of        coconut flour 

1/4 Cups of     Blackstrap Molasses 

2 Tbsp             melted coconut oil 

2tbsp               Tapioca Starch 

2tsp                 Xantham gum / baking powder

2tsp                 Coconut sugar / other sweetener
                       splash of water 

                        Ginger 

                        Cinnamon 

                        nutmeg 

                        clove

Add the coconut flour, spices and rest of the dry ingredients into a bowl and since the mixture doesn't really taste good smell it and if you think you need more spices just add it. I didn't add any amount for the spices, because I usually add them according which flavours I like the most. But you can start with 2-3 tsp of all of the ingredients and add up from there. 

Next add the black strap molasses and coconut oil and coconut sugar (or another sweetener you are using) into the dry ingredient mixture. Start mixing it with your hand and you can add little bit water in to make form a dough. In case you wish to use another kind of flour you can do that but you might not necessarily need add the water, because coconut flour needs more liquid than other flours. 

when the mixtures is looking like a nice take a bit of Tapioca Starch and sprinkle on a table and roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter to do the cookies. 

Bake in the over in 200°c for about 10 minutes or until the cookies looks ready

Christmas Wishes

Happy Christmas 

to all of you!

Christmas Eve's Chocolate Mug Cake

This year I'm spending my Christmas eve little different way than how I would be spending it in Finland, in other words I'm not celebrating Christmas this year at all.

Couple months ago I found amazing little book I wanted to buy and I actually did buy it, but after that I never had any time to try the little recipes of the book. The name of the book is Mug Cakes and it is full of cake recipes that you are suppose to bake in microwave and in a mug.
I found out that the recipes are so easy and quick to do! I will definitely do them another time!
The only thing I didn't like was the mess afterwards, but I can't blame anyone else than me

Also if you can see there is the recipe for this little cute mug cake on one of the photos, but in case it is not so easy to read for all, I will also write it at the end of the post

1 Slice of butter (1cm cube or 30g) 

1 egg 

4 tablespoons of very fine sugar 

6 table spoons of all purpose flour 

3 tablespoons of cocoa powder 

1/2 teaspoons of baking powder 

1 tablespoon of single cream

2 tablespoons of chocolate chips 

2 tablespoons of crunchy hazelnut spread

So first step is to melt the butter in the microwave about 20 seconds. 

Then in the mug beat the egg and add all the dry ingredients, mix well before you add the next ingredient. In the end mix well together with the butter. Bake in the microwave for 5 minutes in 800W 

It's Nearly Here...

...Christmas!  I have to admit that I don't feel like christmas at all. One reason can be that I'm working on a christmas day and I really don't have too many christmas decoration at home. Earlier today I did buy two mini christmas trees to have at least a little christmas feeling.
Also I made porridge for breakfast.

Otherwise I haven't done any christmas present shopping yet, well I still got time...one more day. Sometimes it is great that here in Uk we celebrate christmas on 25th of December, one more day to have time to buy some presents

For tomorrow I do have two presents to open, one from my dad and stepmom and one from my sister and her partner. Finally I get to open them! they gave it to me early December so I had a long time to wait to open them, since they said I must wait until christmas

Today was really lovely day, I wish the weather will keep going like this and it would be as sunny as last christmas also this year, even though it really doesn't matter, since I dont' need to walk to work

Yesterdays Hullabaloo

The plan was to go to Winter Wonderland in Hyde park, but unfortunately it was raining all the afternoon, so we pushed away that idea. We decided to do something much better, at least more delicious, we went to Holborn to My Dutch pancake house. The pancakes are amazing there, I chose one with blueberries, strawberries, maple syrup and whipped cream.

After the pancake house we went to Covent garden and to Urban decay shop, I'm happy I was totally out of money, so I couldn't have buy anything from there. But we did find something pretty great in Covent garden, a christmas train with lights and made of legos. When you get on the train, there is a button you are able to press and you can see  smoke coming out from the chimney, how cool is that!

We also did go to Sommerset House too, I love the christmas tree there and it is so christmasy there. I really like it and now for the christmas they did Fortnum & Mason shop inside Somerset house. One of my favorite tea shop in London. 

When it becomes to Christmas, I'm pretty much like a Grinch. Christmas is not my favorite holiday, actually I dont like Christmas at all, but I have to admit that this year London looks really nice with all the christmas lights and decorations. 

I really need to start thinking christmas presents! I don't have any idea what to buy... 

Restaurants Phones & Pancakes

Eilen oltiin Italialiasessa ravintolassa Zizzi'ssä jouluillallisella työporukan kaa. Kivaa oli ja hyvää ruokaa ja viiniä, joka ei ollu niin hyvää, mut piti sitä ny yks lasi juua.
Ja sain vieläpä aikasulosen askarrellun enkelin yheltä työkaverilta! Oma huonekki on saanu vähä siis joulukoristelua

Suomesta tuli muuten tänää postia! Joulukortti mummilta ja vaarilta. Maanantaina tai tiistaina pitäis tulla uus puhelin, Nexus 5. Kaikki joilla on se puhelin on kehunu sitä, saas nähä tykkäänkö vai en kon oon tottunu käyttämää ios käyttistä, mut tällä hetkellä ei oo varaa uuteen Iphoneen

Little Christmas Spirit

Vaikka en niinkää joulusta tykkääkkään, päätin silti tehä jotain joulujuttuja. Youtubesta katon joka päivä The Joulukalenteri- jakson ja tieteski avaan joulukalenterin, jonka iskä pakotti raahaamaa tänne asti ja lähetin muutaman joulukortin johonki päi Suomeen ja yks meni jopa naapurimaahan Ruotsiin

Ton verta suostun tekemää jotain joulusta. Töissä soi koko aika pelkät joululaulut tuli korvista ulos jo kolmantena tai neljäntenä päivänä, joten niitä ei enää sitte muualla

P.S on tullu huomattuu et britit tykkää paljon värillisistä vilkkuvista jouluvaloista, ainaki täälä iha joka pihassa sellatteet, ihan kamalia miusta!

Different Kind of Christmas Biscuits

Yesterday I did the biscuits, I was lazy and I used the dough I bought from Finland. But it's quite good.
And today I decorated them with royal icing. With different colors.

This year I didn't do quite normal biscuits, I got an Idea on Internet. Asses with different kind of panties. It was so fun to do! Just the cleaning afterwards wasn't so fun. And probably my room mate will kill me when she comes back home. I tried to do as less mess as possible...

Lights On in Foligno

Viikon aikana tällä oli ehtiny tapahtua paljon! ainaki paljon ko puhutaa Italiasta. Suurimmat ja kauheimmat työmaat oli lähteny poijes ja ny tosta mein oven edustalla olevalla kadulla saa taas pöristellä autoilla, tosin se oli iha kiva ko se oli suljettu, mut ny saa kyydin aina kotia lähemmäks ;) eli jotain hyötyä siitäki oli.

Ja sitten kaikki jouluvalot mitä tänne on laitettu ympäri kaupunkia on viimein saatu päälle! Ja ihania on ja ne tuo aika kivasti valoa tänne, tosin on täällä muutenki, mut kiva et on välillä vähä erillaista.
Niistä tosiaan olin tänää räpsimässä kuvia. tuli vähä taas turistiolo, mut ei sillä väliä, sain uusia kuvia Folignosta.

Niin ja tänää tosiaan oli Lucian päivä, mut ei täällä oikeestaan sitä ees sillain vietetäkkä.

Joulun Tunnelmaa

I reached to Finland, 30mins earlier than estimated time, that was good! But changes of 35 degrees was way too much, when I left from Rome there was +20 degrees and in Finland -15 degrees!

Something awesome about yesterday; I made my first finnish christmas pies this Christmas and glogg with them of course.

It was great to see my dad and stepmom. Today is Independent day and it's going to be busy. I'm running to Helsinki, back to home to have a late lunch with my family and then I'll go at my friend's house for the evening.

Ensimmäinen Adventti sunnuntai ja pakkailua

Keskiviikkona onki jo si lähtö suomeen päin! Folignosta taijan kyl läksiä jo tiistai-iltana, pelkään että en jaksa herää ajoissa ja en oo ees vama läksiikö täältä 4 aikaa aamulla junia.

Nyt sitte yritän miettiä millä ihmeen vaatteilla tuun selviämään siellä pakkasessa. Täällä pärjään just ja just näillä mitä tuolta kaapista löytyy. Mut Suomen ja Italian välillä on 20 asteen ero ja nyt oon menossa sinne kylmempään paikkaan! Pitääköhä sitä menn suomessa vähä shoppailemaa ;)

Ja niin tosiaan tänää on jo ensimmäinen adventtisunnuntai! Vielä kolme (onneks!) kynttiläää saa sytyttää palamaaan ja sitte vasta joulu, ehin käymää ehkä hankkimassa ne muutamat lahjat mitä oon aatellu.

Thinking of Christmas

Nyt miekin sen alotin! Viime yönä heräsin kesken unien ja keksin mitä ostan kaverille joululahjaks. Ei oo mitää kovin erikoista, mut ainaki tiiän että se tulee tykkäämään siitä, toivottavasti.

Tosin oli tarkotus etten osta mittää. Mut oiskoha ollu viime viikolla se kerto, että tykkää Jekusta ja joskus kesällä mainitti, että jekku redbullin kaa o hyvää ja sitte viime yönä tajusin että pakkaan nää pari asiaa sille pakettiin. Ja tosiaan uskon, että ei tuu oleen mittää ongelmaa etteikö maistus. Kohan vaa on alkoholia ni alas menee!

Ciao Bella!

First week has gone fast! Much has been done and happened. Also the Christmas passed away already, and we didn’t totally find out Italian people traditional Christmas. We tried to ask that from everyone and we got millions of different answers.

But we got know that Italians celebrate the Christmas on 25^th of December, so we Finns are inpatient and start celebrating a day before than rest of the world (expect the Nordic countries)

on 24^th of December we had a Finnish Christmas dinner, well not so traditional, but at least we had it on the Christmas Eve. We had Christmas porridge at first and then pesto pasta… We didn’t get glögi for this Christmas, cause we had to throw them off at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport, we had too much over weight and we didn’t want to pay nearly 70€ of that.  And I got one Christmas present on this year, I didn’t expect it, but it was really nice to have. I got Italiano- Finlandese dictionary! : D And we have got so many laughs with it.. we have some common words, pronounced same way, but the spelling is just different.

            

25^th of December we didn’t do much during the day, just slept and watched sex and the city- series and moomins (: But on the evening we went to a opening of a new club, ‘Serendipity’

Soon I'm going to Rome, so probably I will take some photos and post them here later when I find some time and if we have internet connection!

Problems!

I started packing some days ago, but now I'm doing most of it. And I already got some problems. Airlines has that stupid weight limit for luggages, 23kg, in some airlines it's even less! I can't understand how people can go for a holiday without paying any fees of over weight!

My problem is + 5kg! I've took only the most important things and clothes I have to take, but still it's nearly impossible to close...
I need to pack my hand luggage so full as possible : D And if it's a bit over weight still, I really wish they wont take any fees of that. I have had luck with that twice when I have had over weight. Other times I've had lot of kilos to spend... Let's see what my luggage will say when I'm coming back to Finland.

I have to give few liters of glögi off. It's way too heavy, I just need to try survive with little less of glögi this Christmas / New year's Eve... But they're waiting me here, when I'm back here in January (:

For the staff of Ostello I made a Christmas card today. I went to tiimari to buy some card stuffs, but almost eveything was sold out, all the Christmas things. But then I found something and bought them also I used some papers which I found from home. But this is the card I was able to do today (:

Piparitalkoot ja Glögiä

Our Saturday morning started well. We had to go to Finns with my friend. To make cookies with Italian and Estonian students. Well the person who was arranged this called us and said we have to handle this thing today, cause she's sick.
 Well we were there in a morning around 10.30am and we heated glögi for them. It came 11 o'clock when all the students was suppose to come, well there wasn't anyone. We decided to make few cookies for us first. The  cookies was suppose to be in a oven for 5 to 7 minutes. After 10 minutes, they wasn't ready yet, so we let them be there little longer. And now there came few Estonian students, they were looking for their tutor, the one who were arranged this ting. We told them that she's sick and won't be here today. They were really happy and left in a same second away. Now the cookies were in a oven for 30mins and still they were raw.... We checked them after an hour and still the same!! Now we little gave up and went to sit and talk on couch.
Now after another 30 mins my friend noticed that there was pretty familiar smell (to us :D) and we realized the cookies were burn!

Well we had 4 liters glögi to drink. And when my friend's mom came to pick us up we gave some for her too, but we still couldn't drink that all together.
I never seen cookies like this before : D We're just the best in the kitchen. To be honest, we should never be in the kitchen together :P
At least we had really fun and hilarious Saturday morning ;)

12 Giorni e arrivo in Italia!

Okei, now there won't be so much time for the departure! Just 12 days, and before that is happening so much everything, so time will fly! Tomorrow I'm going on one info event to Opteam. It's for new workers and I need to bring some papers there, so I can start working, but I'll start working on January when I have come back to Finland.

So for tomorrow my shopping list would look something like this;

- Brush for dishes
- glögi (traditional finnish Christmas drink)
- Christmas pie dough and plum marmalade
- Baking sheet
- porridge rice

We're trying to have all the possible stuffs to Italy from here and take from home, so we'd save a bit more money. But I wanna have a Christmas tree there, but I think I have to get it from Foligno. My mom told me to take one from here. Small one of course and plastic, but let's see what I'm gonna do. But I do want the tree!

Oh, and today I found out that we have an exam tomorrow. I didn't know anything about it, but maybe it doesn't matter so much, cause I wouldn't bother to study anyway. I'm lazy student, just sleeping at school and won't do anything at home (:

Christmas... Not quite yet!

All the shops has started already their Christmas... Well started little while ago, in the end of October. And now it's 9th of November and there's all the Christmas trees and all the decorations. It's way too early for Christmas! In my opinion they start Christmas way too yearly, they should wait at least nearly to the end of November. When you enter a shop, you really feel like you have skipped one month

This week has been quite full and busy. On Monday I was at my friend and I cut her hair. I'm not hairdresser or anything like that (at least not yet). I just love to cut hairs. I even cut my own hair, it doesn't always look so perfect cause it's difficult to cut your hair yourself from the back, but it's never been so horrible that I would been shamed to go outside :)

And on the next day, on Tuesday I met 2 of my friends. One was my class mate, we tried to go to library, but we really didn't end up there. And after while I went to Helsinki to see one other friend. We went for a coffee and we were just talking about everything for few hours. But then I had to go home, cause it started to be little late... and on that evening I tried to go bed early, but it little failed :> And I noticed it in a morning, I overslept, but not too bad, just about 20 mins, and I still had time to get ready for school ://

But today I really did spend over 2 hours in library with books and I actually read 16 page of one. That's a lot for me, I never read books : D But I'm so stressed of this final project and I even felt like I could stop school now (which would't be smart at all) but anyway, my friend helped me and I was happy again and I did something done, a plan about what I'm gonna write :)