seeking warmth and sunshine, sri lanka

the boys and i are on our way to sri lanka!  we plan to go on safari and spot some elephants and leopards.  filling our bellies with curry and roti is top on the list.  we will travel by train and gaze out at tea plantations and spice gardens. can't wait to laze on the beach, swim, and have the warmth envelop us.  i will be back here in a couple of weeks, until then have a lovely time.

friday interiors

i love this apartment.  the textiles alone are swoon worthy.  the owner, liselotte watkins, is a swede living in milan as a fashion illustrator.  i'm a sucker for eclectic interiors; flea market finds mixed in with eames chairs and lisa larsen ceramics mixed with ikea pieces.  she says, “i like it when you don’t know if a piece is really good or really bad.”  

 

 

 

photos from here and here.

8 / 52 weeks

kai: after-school, on our way to the pool, chatting about the girl whose friend told kai 'she likes you'.

so good, chocolate chip cookies

stefan and kai made the most delicious chocolate chip cookies last week.  crisp and moist.  the secret ingredients according to kai, "dad browned the butter and he used two kinds of sugar.  that's why they are so good."  

as most good things stefan cooks up, this recipe comes from cook's illustrated magazine.  stefan says to reduce the sugar a bit, "maybe take a bit out of the 1/2 cup white sugar (a few tablespoons) and do the same for the brown sugar."

* warning: it's really hard to eat just one cookie in a sitting so make sure you drink your green juice the next day.  enjoy!

perfect chocolate chip cookies

 

ingredients you will need:

1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

14 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon table salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips (stefan used lindt baking chocolate from our neighborhood grocery store)

what to do:

adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

                   

whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl.

stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

add both sugars, salt and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated.

add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. let mixture stand for 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny.

using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

using a tablespoon, scoop out as much cookie dough as necessary to make the size of cookies you desire. 

bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 9-11 minutes.

transfer baking sheet to wire rack; and allow cookies to cool.

stockholm weekend pics, rosendals tradgard & moderna museet

travelling by boat

we went to one of our regular hangouts and checked out a new one.  one of our favourite places to lunch is rosendals trädgård on djurgarden island.  again, it did not disappoint.  they had this most delicious beet soup that is seriously one of the best soups i have ever tasted.  i crave it already.  we ate outside warmed with blankets while others stood by the outdoor fire to get warm.  rosendals trädgård is a series of greenhouses, a couple used for their cafe and the rest for their garden store and workshops.  they have a lovely shop too.  you must go if you are ever in stockholm. i have a feeling you will thank you me.  

we have always wanted to explore the park - the royal garden takes up much of the island - in which the rosendals trädgård cafe sits but previous visits were always too cold.  so this time we wandered around the perimeter of the park enjoying the pretty views.

 

 

the boys found the perfect climbing tree

we also went to the moderna museet, located on skeppsholmen island.  they have a varied collection of art but our favourite exhibit belonged to louise bourgeois, including her giant spider standing guard outside the museum.  she worked in all sorts of mediums from painting to fabric to sculpture. her work has feminist influence and it was all very interesting.  definitely a nice way to while away a few afternoon hours.

 

 

a way of life, photography exhibit

double scene exhibit by hakan rehnberg

waiting for the ferry to take us back home

on skeppsholmen island, a castle i always thought housed the moderna museet but doesn't... something to explore next time

hope you had a lovely weekend.