kaiku lifestyle

Finnish cabbage casserole (gluten free, dairy free, egg free)

2011-12-21T15:14:00.000-08:00

Cabbage casserole is one of my favorite traditional Finnish foods and I make it often. It is especially good with IKEA's lingonberry preserves. You could also eat it with crushed cranberries.

1 big of 2 small heads of cabbage
1 lb ground meat
1-2 carrots
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp molasses (can be left out too if you avoid sugar)
water, stock or bone broth
(gluten free bread crumbs and Earth Balance soy free spread)

Shred the cabbage and carrots and boil them in water until soft. In the meanwhile, fry the meat. Mix the meat and spices with the cabbage in the pot and pour the mixture in an oiled baking pan. Pour some stock, broth or water in (you can add some later if it loos too dry). If you want, top it with bread crumbs and a a couple of spoonfuls of Earth Balance. Bake in 350 F for 2 hours. Add water/broth if needed.

The best apple spice cakes.

2011-10-23T19:10:00.000-07:00

The recipe is inspired by one from Gluten free cupcakes by Elana Amsterdam. I have modified quite a bit though.

1 cup coconut flour
2 tbsp potato starch (or some other starch like tapioca, arrowroot or corn)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 cup apple sauce
egg replacer for 4 eggs (or 4 eggs :))
4 tsp ground flax seed or chia seeds
0.5 cup apple juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup honey (to make vegan, substitute with agave or other sweetener)
1 apple cut in small pieces
1/2 cup raisins

Mix dry ingredients together and wet ingredients together in separate bowls. Combine and last stir in apples and raisins. Bake in 350 F for 25 minutes or until they seem ready.

Let cool and eat them as they are or sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with coconut cinnamon frosting.

Frosting 1
Soyatoo Rice whip (or some other type of whipped cream)
cinnamon to taste

Frosting 2
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup margarine
1/4 cup coconut milk
cinnamon to taste

Apple crumb

2011-10-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

Apples, apples and apples. We love apples. I got some from a friend's tree (thanks Christina!) and from our weekly Farm Fresh to You organic produce box and although we eat a lot of apples, I have had to get to work to use all these delicious apples. I have been baking apple cupcakes, making apple sauce and today I made apple crumb. The recipe is inspired by a recipe from The Allergen Free Bakers Handbook by Cybele Pascal but I made some slight changes.

Fruit filling:
5 apples, peeled, cored and cut in small pieces
1/2 cup raisins
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup maple/agave/coconut or similar syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp tapioca or potato starch

Crumb topping:
3/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch/potato starch
1/4 tsp xanthan gum (optional, was in the original recipe)
1 cup quinoa flakes (I had the flour out first accidentally if it confuses you in the photo)
3/4 cup coconut crystals (or brown sugar)
1 cup palm shortening
1 tsp vanilla sugar or powder
some alternative milk or juice if it is too dry

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix the fruit filling and pour it in a greased 8 x 8 inch pan. Mix the crumb topping and crumble it over the fruit. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling up around the sides and the top is golden. let rest a while before serving (difficult, I know!).

The end result was really yummy but slightly dry so I poured some thick vanilla hemp milk on it and it tasted a lot like vanilla sauce. Delicious.

"Peace is making sure everybody is ok.”

2011-09-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

My son goes to a Montessori School and they celebrated World peace day last week. They ate peace cake, sang songs about peace, stiched a peace dove and talked about peace. This is what the 3-6 year olds thought about peace (take out a tissue if you are like me, this touched me to tears).

“Peace is not throwing plastic on the ground.”
“Peace is keeping your hands to yourself.”
“Peace is doing everything nice.”
“Peace is not pushing people down.”
“Peace is being kind to people.”
“Peace is respecting each other’s bodies.”
“Peace is making sure everybody is ok.”
“Peace is loving and caring.”
“Peace is sharing and caring for people.”
“Peace is taking care of nature.”

Clothes that fit cloth diapering babies! (and coupon code)

2011-09-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a discount code I got today for this little clothing company in the UK, Frugi. They make cute clothes for kids and also for breastfeeding moms, all organic and fair trade. And their collection for younger babies is made to fit over cloth diapers which I think is so cool. I struggle so much with clothes not fitting my cloth diaper babe. I also like it that they sell unisex clothes, another important issue for me. The company's work practices are ethical, and I am told that they're super nice quality and will last and last.

http://www.welovefrugi.com/

Discount for 10% off, enter code: moomins at checkout.

DIY: Vegetable broth powder

2011-09-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

I have been using Rapunzel Vegetable broth powder. Since I like making stuff myself, I made this mix after I ran out of it. The ingredients are ordered from Frontier coop.

2 tbsp fine sea salt
3 tbsp nutritional yeast powder
1-2 tsp sunflower oil
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp carrot powder
1 tsp dried parsley
pinch of turmeric

Mix everything together. It is not maybe as good as the real thing but a good substitute. And homemade! I add a spoonful instead of salt in soups, casseroles and sauces.

Coconut vanilla pancakes

2011-09-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Coconut pancakes/crepes
Dairy free, egg free, gluten free, nut free, soy free, corn free

2 cups coconut flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp corn free and gluten free baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp flax seed meal/ground chia seeds
3 cups hemp milk or coconut milk
1-2 cups water until the consistency is right (more water/try sparkling water for crepes like pancakes)
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sunflower oil for frying

For variations: sprinkle blueberries, dried pineapple pieces or chocolate chips on the pancake right after pouring the batter in the pan.

Fry on low to medium heat until golden brown. I used a Scandinavian pancake pan to make little pancakes (bought one from Amazon). They were a little hard to get to stay together so next time I will maybe add a little more starch instead of so much coconut flour.

Pancakes were eaten before I managed to get a photo. The reviews from the eaters: Best pancakes ever! I served them with agave nectar and fresh raspberries.

This is a good cooking project to get your little ones to help.

Please no more Sponge Bob!

2011-09-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

Last spring we spent a few days in San Fransisco and in the hotel I let my son watch tv (at home we don't have cable, we let him watch some carefully chosen dvd's but not tv). He watched Sponge Bob. I remember paying attention how he seemed to go wild after the program and was acting really fast and kind of aggressive afterwards. I thought: Never again Sponge Bob to my kids. I have stuck to that promise and I am glad because today I read this on Facebook:

SpongeBob impairs little kids' thinking, study finds

[...] "To test what those might be, Lillard and Peterson randomly assigned 60 4-year-olds to three groups: one that watched nine minutes of a fast-paced, "very popular fantastical cartoon about an animated sponge that lives under the sea;" one that watched nine minutes of slower-paced programming from a PBS show "about a typical U.S. preschool-aged boy;" and a third group that was asked to draw for nine minutes with markers and crayons.

Immediately after their viewing and drawing tasks were complete, the kids were asked to perform four tests to assess executive function. Unfortunately for the denizens of Bikini Bottom, the kids who watched nine minutes of the frenetic high jinks of the "animated sponge" scored significantly worse than the other kids" [...] Read the whole article from here.

Same day I also read from Mothering blog that a new study finds that early TV watching has detrimental impact on literacy and language skills. This is because there is then less contact and talking with the parents. I don't think this last study is such new information but still, reading these both harmful TV related news today made me decide that today Miio isn't watching any dvd's. I will have to restrict it even more and same applies to little Leo in future.

Cloudberry caramel cake (lakka-kinuskikääretorttu)

2011-09-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

I baked this delicious thing for an international potluck at my son's Montessori school. It is a variation from a Finnish popular cake, a rolled cake. It is super fast and easy to make. It is called Kääretorttu (rolled tart, a rolled cake). I don't have a photo, but by clicking this link you will see pictures of the cake roll.

Cloudberry caramel roll
gluten free, dairy free, corn free, soy free, egg free

1 cup potato or tapioca starch
1/3 cup superfine rice flour (or starch or some other gluten free flour)
2 tsp baking powder (gluten and corn free)
1 tsp vanilla extract (gluten free)
3/4 cup coconut crystals or sugar
3/4 cup and 2 tbsp milk alternative
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Line an inch deep baking sheet with parchment paper. Oil the paper. Pour the dough on it and bake in oven in 435 F for 8 to 10 minutes. Let it sit for a bit and then spread good stuff on it. I used caramel sauce (recipe below) and cloudberry jam from IKEA. A traditional and delicious way to stuff it would be whipped cream (or rice whipped cream from Wholefoods Market) and fresh strawberries...

Caramel sauce

1 1/3 cups water or (alternative) milk
1/2 cup coconut crystals or sugar
1/4 cup agave/coconut nectar
4 tbsp potato starch
3 tbsp coconut oil

Put all ingredients except the oil in a pan and mix while getting it to boil. Turn off the stove and add the oil. Mix until blended. Spread on a cake or pour in molds to make candies (you might have to use actual sugar to get the candies to harden, but I am not sure).

A new way of thinking. And baking (blueberry coconut cakes).

2011-09-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

So last year we found out my son is sensitive to gluten. Then to dairy. And soy. And some other foods. Then I had another baby and went on elimination diet because he seemed to react through my breast milk to a lot of foods. This is the way I found out that many of those foods weren't good for me either (or my husband). We also did a gene test to my son and found out he has got two genes related to gluten sensitivity, one from each parent. So our family is now gluten free, dairy free, soy free, corn free and mostly egg free (little experiments done with my son) and my husband might not completely follow my program ;). I am also trying to be grain free since I noticed that the last grain in my diet, rice, doesn't make me feel that good in large quantities either. My diet starts to resemble paleo diet!

I have had to learn a whole new way of cooking and baking. And thinking. I guess at first I thought of our new diet as limiting. But then I noticed that actually it opened a whole new world for me. I have tried so many different recipes, ways to prepare food and bake and new foods even that i would have never maybe tried if I had continued on our old diet. I have also been eating healthier than ever. And felt healthier. I realized that our new diet is not limiting but vice versa. It makes us feel better! I will start sharing my experiences on this journey with the food sensitivities (or allergies if you wish) here too I hope.

Today I made these little blueberry cakes. I baked them in the toaster oven in little cute Finnish Arabia baking dishes. They are ceramic. Four of them fit in the toaster oven perfectly. You could also use four muffin cups. I have been contemplating on buying those muffin cups made of silicone? Any experiences or thoughts about them anyone? Are they safe? No toxins leaching out?

Blueberry coconut cake
gluten free, dairy free, egg free, corn free, soy free, no refined sugars

1/3 cup coconut flour
1/3 flour potato starch
1/2 tbsp Ener-G egg replacer
1/2 tsp flax seed
1 tsp gluten and corn free baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
1/3 cup pineapple juice (or any other light unsweetened fruit juice)
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted

Mix dry ingredients together and add the rest. Mix, pour into ceramic little dishes or muffin cups and bake at 350 Fahrenheit (175 C) for 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

The Stay At Homer

2011-05-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

My son Miio goes to Montessori school (and loves it by the way). His friend's dad writes a blog which is fantastic. Not only is it hilarious but it also makes you think. Just wanted to share the link with you here. :)

http://thestayathomer.com/

Mothers Day Happiness.

2011-05-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

This has to be the best Mothers day ever. Miio had selected the theme (Thomas the Train). According to the selected theme I got a Thomas the train card and Miio performed the Thomas tune and told me Thomas stories. Miio is also planning the same theme for Fathers day but it is a secret! Shhh!

I also got breakfast to bed and a shirt, text by Miio that says Äiti on meidän paras (Mom is our best), which in Miio language means that Mom is their favorite. :) And a rose from the garden, a big beautiful rose.

I loved the part of the morning where I was pretending to be sleeping and my husband and son were preparing breakfast in the kitchen. Miio kept running in and whispering to me excitedly things like: "We are baking you a cake! It is a surprise!" Four year olds just can't keep secrets (three year olds neither, it was the same thing last year). And why not, if the secret is so much fun, why not share it right away? ;)

Actually the best part of my mothers day is that I am now a mother of two. Leo Kiian is now 2 months old.

Photo by Erin Maher, check out her site!

Baby hammock

2011-02-22T20:10:00.000-08:00

I got a tip from a friend about a baby hammock. It was pretty easy to make yourself. You can also buy these for 200 dollars or so. I used instructions from this blog (thank you Life on the roof!). All you need is 3 yards of fabric, some twill tape or bias tape, a 2 foot piece of wood, a couple of hooks, a spring (might be too tough for the light weight baby) and durable string (we used string that is used for parachutes, don't even ask why we have 100 ft of that).

I didn't want a polyester foam mattress like it is suggested on the blog post I had as a reference though so I made a more natural mattress. I sew first a pouch (14 x 30 inches) and left one end open. I stuffed it with sheep wool from an animal friendly farm and a reclaimed all wool sweater piece. Then I sew the opening and by hand I sew from eight points through the mattress to get the wool stay in one place. A pillow case is a good sheet for it.

We put hooks to a few places so we can change the place of the hammock.

I am now 39 weeks pregnant and ready for the baby to come!

Free baby slings (just pay shipping).

2011-02-22T12:55:00.000-08:00

I just did this and got a sling and baby legs with $16.95. It was a Valentine's special but the code still seems to work. Here is what you have to do if you want to use it:

1. Go to SevenSlings.com.
2. Click on "Shop Now" and select any baby carrier you like. Be sure to go
to the sizing page to get the correct size.
3. Once you have selected your size, you'll automatically be directed to the
shopping bag. Enter the promo code " CUPID " and we'll deduct 100%
of the cost of the carrier - all you pay are the shipping fees!

Remember: the promo code is " CUPID " and you can use it more than once - just open a new browser window each time you do.

These Baby Carriers make great gifts.
Selections dwindle quickly, so get yours today!

Participate in a $35 dollar gift card giveaway!

2011-01-30T21:18:00.000-08:00

I did recently a review of Iittala glassware from CSN Stores. They have now kindly given you the opportunity to participate in a giveaway! Post below by February 7th and I will put all the names in a hat and draw my eyes closed a giveaway winner who will receive a $35 dollar gift card to their online stores. There is a lot to choose from how to use your card because CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find anything you need whether it be modern dining furniture, fitness equipment, or even cute cookware! So it is worth participating! Sign up below or email me at info at kaikulifestyle.com . Please note that the gift card won't cover international shipping.

What do you recycle or reuse?

2011-01-26T13:53:00.000-08:00

I ended up discussing reusing freezer bags with the writer of Shockingly Delicious. We both wash and reuse plastic freezer bags. I reuse also bags from store bought breads etc. and of course any plastic bag if I happen to get one when I have forgotten my reusable bags in the car/home. My son is gluten intolerant so any bag that has had a gluten product in it, we have to toss though. Plastic bags I use for garbage cans, bread bags for storing home made bread and other products. I freeze mostly in glass Pyrex jars because I am suspicious of the chemicals in plastic and so I end up rarely buying freezer bags. We don't use them for packing lunch either, for my son's sandwiches I made a fabric wrapper (with an inside layer from an old rain coat to keep it fresh) and for other lunch we use Pyrex glass jars or stainless steel containers.

What kind of (re)uses for plastic bags have you come up with? What are the craziest things you reuse? I have to confess that my craziest reuse is probably little note cards for grocery lists etc. I cut from empty food card board boxes! Baby steps to save the planet ;)

A perfect real first glass for small hands.

2011-01-19T15:42:00.000-08:00

I wrote recently about the chance I got from CSN stores, to get $50 worth products of my choice free from their store if I wrote a review of them. I chose Finnish design Iittala Kartio glasses that I miss from my kitchen in Finland.

I have years of experience with these glasses. They come in different beautiful colors and two sizes. They are durable, I have dropped a Kartio several times without breaking or even chipping them. I am sure they would break when dropped on a tiled floor though!

I love the smaller size Kartio (in the photo) because it is perfect for little child's first glass. It is small and fits well the small hands. I am not a big fan of sippy cups or even plastic cups. I believe in giving them a real glass like the rest of the family as soon as they can hold it to start practicing. They can start learning to drink from a real cup surprisingly early, long before their first birthday, actually they can start practicing when they can sit up and can sit in a high chair - one of the signs that they are ready to start trying solid foods (other signs for solid food readiness here), around the middle of their first year.

I gave my son a glass pretty early and I don't remember he ever breaking one but instead learning very fast to drink from a cup. We used sippy and straw cups mainly in the car. Some people are worried about the spills. If the main drink from a glass is water, this isn't a big problem either ;)

Natural home made diaper cream - unpetroleum jelly

2011-01-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

As I am eagerly waiting for my baby to be born (week 33) I have already been (in addition to taking care of my toddler) practising hypnobirthing, preparing my home birth supplies (yes, I am preparing for an HBAC, homebirth after cesarean!) and taking out baby clothes and cloth diapers. Suddenly I remembered that we needed diaper cream when my older son was a baby. I have been making many of my cosmetic products recently myself so I decided to make a diaper cream too.

With a quick web search and search through Wholefoods baby shelf I ended up trying to make my own unpetroleum jelly since I have most ingredients used in the commercial unpetroleum jelly.

What is wrong with the traditional petroleum jelly? It bothers me that the petroleum jelly is derived from the same crude oil that is used to make gasoline. I want to make a cream that has wonderful plant oils.

Here is the recipe I used:

1 small bar of beeswax (I would think it is about 3-4 tbsp), half an ounce or an ounce (bought mine from Mountain Rose Herbs while ago so I have forgotten the weight, they sell 1 oz bars so that is what this probably was too)
1/2 cup of oils - I used half coconut oil because it has amazing healing properties and half protective castor oil that makes the skin soft
2-3 drops of vitamin E oil(optional)
2 drops of lavender essential oil (optional)

It turned out beautiful. I noticed that it works wonderfully also as a lip balm. It is quite solid so I would reduce the amount of beeswax in relation to the oils. If you want very loose spreadable cream, maybe even double the oils in the recipe. I am not sure how good it is for the cream but I did this once: If the cream becomes too solid, you can melt it again and add oil. When you heat it up, the vitamin E and essential oil might get ruined and evaporated so you might have to add those.

Organic kids clothes.

2011-01-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

Teres Kids Coco Pants (this is not a paid ad by the way, I just want to advertise this great company!)

Some time ago I tried my luck and participated in a giveaway on Teres Kids website. They carry beautiful, simple organic kids' clothes. I won a pair of cocoa brown pants (worth $38!). They came in the mail and they seem like they are very good quality, the fabric is nice and sturdy and of course organic. My four-year old son loves them, they seem to be comfortable and he thinks they are very stylish too :)

They say the pants are for boys but I would use them on girls too, I am not that into the gender specific clothing, I always try to buy unisex looking clothes. I think if I had a girl (which is unlikely since this baby in my belly is a boy too and I think two will be enough for us), I wouldn't dress her in pink unless she started wanting pink herself at some point. I could write a lot more about this gender thing but it wasn't the original purpose of my post so more on that later.

The prices of organic clothes are of course higher than those of supermarket clothes but consider this:

1. Organic clothes are often better quality so they will last better than the cheap ones and you can use them on several kids or even sell them after you are done.
2. They are safe. There are no harmful pesticides or chemicals used that harm the environment and your child.
3. Teres kids organic cotton clothes are sourced and manufactured entirely in the United States, keeping the carbon footprint to a minimum and supporting the local job markets. No cheap (or child) labor so you can feel good about your purchase.

I just wanted to let you know about Teres Kids website and their wonderful organic clothes - and the giveaway! They give something away for one lucky participant once a month.

Our new beautiful nontoxic bed.

2010-12-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago we bought an all natural mattress from Soaring Heart and I have been wanting to get also a nontoxic wooden platform bed to go with it. I searched different options online but always drifted back in the end to the Sachi Organics website. Their simple beautiful, nontoxic and handcrafted (Ramblin Wood in New Mexico) beds appealed to my Scandinavian simple taste and the prices were reasonable too. I ended up purchasing a maple wood Edo bed, two underbed drawers and night stands.

We have been using the bed now for a few weeks and couldn't be happier. It looks beautiful, feels beautiful and I love the smell of it, or actually the lack of smell - nothing like the furniture finished with toxic varnishes etc. This is finished with linseed oil. You can also get them unfinished and with different wood, also ecofriendly bamboo! I would have gotten bamboo otherwise but it was out of my price range and I wanted really light wood to go with our birch furniture.

The only problem we have with one of the night stands is that during last week's humidity caused by heavy rains here in Southern California the wood swell so I can't open or close the drawer now. Have to see if we can do something about it ourselves after the humidity goes down. There is usually no humidity so this shouldn't be a problem and it doesn't seem to be a problem with the other one.

Coconut ginger bread (gluten free and vegan)

2010-12-13T11:48:00.001-08:00

Gluten free Vegan (Dairy and Egg Free) Ginger bread
Modified and developed from different modern American and traditional Finnish recipes

1 3/4 cup rice flour (a coarse flour like Bob's Red Mill or Frontier rice flour, I noticed when I did this later with superfine rice flour that the amount of flour had to be significantly less.)
1 1/4 cup potato starch
1 cup light sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup molasses
4 tablespoons coconut milk

Preheat oven to 390 degrees.

Mix molasses, sugar, coconut oil and spices in a pot. Bring to boil and let cool down.

In the meanwhile combine dry ingredients - flours, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt.

When the molasses mixture has cooled a bit, mix in coconut milk and flour mixture. It is easiest to mix with an electric hand mixer. Mix well and let sit overnight or several hours in the fridge.

Use a rolling pin and roll the dough pretty thin. Use flour if it sticks to the table or rolling pin. Use cookie cutters and move the cookies on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes or longer if you made thick cookies.

Happy Independence Day Finland! Gluten free cake and yet another pie.

2010-12-06T11:51:00.001-08:00

Today it is Finland's 93rd Independence Day. We celebrated it yesterday along with my husband's 35th birthday. We had friends over and served Karelian pastries, Strawberry cream cake and blueberry pie.

In Finland you can't get fresh strawberries in December (a benefit you have in California, although the strawberries might have been Mexican) so it felt slightly absurd to have the cake topped with fresh strawberries this time of the year. But the strawberries looked almost like little elf hats so it turned out to be very appropriate for December. We made the cake gluten free since my son has wheat allergy. Here is the recipe.

Gluten Free Traditional Finnish Birthday Cake

1 cup (we used a coffee mug as a measurement for all ingredients) eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour (we used gluten free potato starch)

To moisture the baked cake:
apple juice or pineapple juice

Filling:
whipped cream, quark (rahka), strawberries, bananas...

My filling:
whipped cream (whipped yourself of course, not from a spray bottle :))
quark (can be bought from Wholefoods or make yourself, see the blueberry recipe below for a link)
frozen thawed mashed strawberries
mashed bananas
stevia to sweeten
vanilla extract

Topping:
whipped cream (again, whip it yourself for best results)
fresh strawberries

Whisk the sugar and eggs to white hard foam with an electric mixer (might take 15 minutes with so many eggs), gently mix in the potato starch through a strainer to avoid lumps. Pour in a round cake pan you previously buttered (we put also some gluten free bread crumbs to avoid sticking) and bake in 390 F for 30 minutes of until the cake is golden brown.

Let the cake cool down, cut in half horizontally to make two layers. Moisture the bottom part with a 1/4 cup or so unsweetened apple/pineapple etc. juice, spread the juice with a spoon evenly. Add filling that could be anything like whipped cream and mashed/sliced bananas or strawberries (I mixed together the ingredients above in the ingredient list's filling part), add top layer of the cake and moisture it like the bottom part.

Top with whipped cream and strawberries.

Gluten Free Blueberry Pie

A stick of butter
8 oz of quark (can be bought from wholefoods 4.49 a jar... or make yourself follow this link, I have also substituted it sometimes with thick greek yoghurt or ricotta cheese)
A generous cup of flours (I used gluten free all-purpose flour)

Topping I used:
About half a liter frozen wild blueberries (Trader Joes, half a package or a bit more)
2-3 tbsp potato or corn starch
Half a cup of sugar or other sweetener
Mix the topping ingredients together in a separate bowl.

Dough: Mix everything together (first quark and butter, then flour), put it in a baking dish, top with the topping - use also for other kinds of pies, salty or sweet and bake in 390 F for 30 minutes or until it looks ready.

A product review coming soon!

2010-11-19T16:03:00.001-08:00

CSN Stores have offered me a chance to review a product available on their site in my blog. They sell pretty much everything under the sun so I have plenty to choose from, anything from children's luggage to cookware. They even sell Finnish designer glassware, silverware and cookware by Iittala which I think I will review. How can I turn down the opportunity to get a $55 gift card to buy Iittala products?

We left our Iittalas to Finland to storage when we moved to the United States. My husband is traveling in business to Finland in January and I have asked him to bring some of my favorites with him, I miss them too much but can't afford to buy new ones from here. Here are some Iittala products.

Blueberry Pie in Finnish Style (variations: rhubarb or apple pie!)

2010-11-17T13:03:00.000-08:00

I have been craving blueberry pie for weeks now and finally today I made two of them! One with a sugar cookie type crust and frozen wild blueberries from Trader Joe's and one gluten free blueberry pie with fresh blueberries and yoghurt (in Finland a different dairy product called 'kermaviili' is used but the exact same product doesn't exist in the US so yoghurt or sour cream will do). For the gluten free pie I used a ready crust from Wholefoods but you can use any gluten free crust recipe. Here are the recipes for the other crust and two fillings that can both be used also with the crust recipe below.

Crust:

1 stick butter (or just a little less, 100 grams)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 generous cup of all purpose flour (2.5 dl)

Topping 1:

2-4 cups wild blueberries (frozen are fine)
2-3 tbsp potato starch
1/3 cup sugar

and

half a stick of butter
1/4 cup sugar
half a cup of flour

Topping 2:

2-4 cups blueberries
1 cup of plain yoghurt or sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1-2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix soft butter and sugar well, add the egg and mix well. Add flour (baking powder mixed in it) and stir the mixture until it is smooth or in crumbs. Press the dough on the bottom and edges of a 9 inch pie pan or similar size oven dish. Add topping. If you use topping one, mix first the blueberries, potato starch and sugar and pour them in the pan on the crust. Then mix the flour, sugar and butter with your fingers in crumbs and put the dough crumbs on the berries. If you use topping 2, just mix all the ingredients (first without blueberries) and pour it in the pie crust. Bake in 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the crust looks ready (mine on the photo was in the oven a little bit too long). If you use a ready crust, follow the instructions on the package.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce (recipe below).
1 generous cup of milk (2.5 dl)
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp sugar
vanilla extract to taste

Mix all ingredients in a pot. Heat the mixture while stirring it constantly until it thickens. Do not let it boil! If it boils it will become lumpy and nasty. When it has thickened put the pot in a sink where you have some cold water on the bottom to cool down. ix from time to time. When it has cooled down, add vanilla. Keep in fridge in a small container, maybe a tiny pitcher so it is easy to pour.

Especially with topping 2 instead of blueberries you can also use pieces of rhubarb or apples instead of blueberries and make a delicious rhubarb or apple pie. To the apple pie, you can even add some cinnamon. You can also use rhubarb with topping 1 but use more sugar and leave out the potato starch. Topping 1 pie works also as an apple pie, but same thing, leave out the potato starch, add sugar and just place the apple slices on the crust and the flour-sugar-butter mixture on top of the apples (or pieces of rhubarb).

Decorating with fabrics from IKEA

2010-11-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

I confess, I bought fabrics from Ikea AGAIN! I just love them. I bought this beautiful red white fabric ($8.99/yard) to make some curtains. Our little house looks now like a summer cottage or an elves house.

This bird fabric went well to cover glass doors in a built in cabin in the living room. The fabric covers now all the mix match dishes we keep inside and it looks almost like an art work itself! I turned the edges and sewed them and then stapled it to the inside of the door.

Mailordering dairy cultures.

2010-11-02T18:18:00.001-07:00

Especially now when pregnant (Yay! 23 weeks!) I am missing Finnish Viili, a cultured dairy product a little bit like yoghurt but nothing like it anyway. I found a website in the US from where you can order fresh cultures, also for viili! What a lucky day. I will order some soon, it is now too hot (95F/35C tomorrow) for mailordering fresh dairy cultures. Here is a link to the Gem cultures. More about viili in Wikipedia. I will let you know how making my own viili goes.

Gem cultures sells also sour dough rye bread starter. We brought that with us from Finland, a 15 year old starter and we use it to make our own sourdough rye bread weekly. My husband bakes it so I guess I can't say "we" ;) The bread has only the starter, organic rye flour and water. It is good!

Gluten free play dough

2010-10-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Making your own play dough is fun because the kids can participate in the process too. My son has been recently diagnosed with wheat allergy and I just realized today that it of course means that he can't use the regular wheat play dough we used to make (it took me a few months to connect the dots!), or even the store bought ones I guess. I found this recipe online and we made it since my son is home with a cold (he started this fall in a Montessori school!) It turned out ok, a little stickier than the one with wheat. It sticks to the table at least now when still a little warm so I am not completely happy with it but it is better than nothing!

I got the recipe from here.

Gluten Free Play Dough

1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tsp cooking oil
Food coloring (optional, try also cooking spinach or beets in the water you use for natural color)

Mix ingredients. Cook and stir on low heat for 3 minutes or until mixture forms a ball. Cool completely before storing in a sealable plastic bag (or a jar you can close, Sirpa's note).

Home made deodorant!

2010-09-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

I have been making my own deodorant for a while. I have a very sensitive skin so most of the commercial deodorants don't suit me PLUS I am worried of the possibly harmful substances in many of them like aluminum. I also like making my own stuff, don't you?

I got the original recipe from Angry Chicken (thank you!). I was still living in Louisiana at that time and we held a I am not a Dirty Hippie Party. Oh that was fun.

I have modified the recipe since just a little bit, added coconut oil for a softer consistency because I found the original a little hard to spread, especially in the winter when it became hard in colder room temperature.

NATURAL HOME-MADE DEODORANT (4 oz)

3 Tablespoons of shea butter
3 Tablespoons of baking soda
2 Tablespoons of corn starch
2 Tablespoons of cocoa butter
1 Teaspoon of Coconut Oil
1/4-1/2 teaspoon of vitamin E oil
A few drops of essential oil you like (I like for instance the combination of sweet orange and lavender). Don't add a lot of essential oil, they are strong and it is good to make a skin test before by adding a drop of oil in a carrier oil like sweet almond oil and trying it on your skin first.

Melt them all in the micro wave or stove top, mix well and pour into a jar. Put in the fridge and let it solidify. Spread by hand :)

Clean clothes with soap nuts.

2010-04-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

When I first heard of soap nuts in Finland some years ago it sounded strange, a little bit like neti pot sounds strange first and after you have been doing it for a while it just becomes part of your life. But I like to try new different things, especially if they are environment friendly, and so I tried soap nuts. I was surprised how well they worked! Then we moved and I forgot about soap nuts since they weren't sold in any store I went to and I started using other environmental friendly detergents. I even made my own detergents for a while.

Soap nuts are the dried fruit of the Chinese Soapberry tree (Sapindus mukorrosi). When the nuts get wet, they release saponin, a natural cleaner. They have been used in this purpose in Asia for centuries. They appeal to me mainly because of their natural nature. I love it that there is nothing artificial about them. They don't contain harmful chemicals, synthetic fragrances or other stuff that is bad for health or environment. You put a few soap nuts in a little pouch (provided at least by Maggie's soap nuts) and put it in the washer. You can use the same nuts for a few times and then compost them. There is also available a liquid made of the soap nuts. I find the nuts almost easier to use than the liquid but the liquid is great for pre treating stains. And I know some people prefer the liquid over the nuts (like my husband who is our laundry responsible).

I got some soap nuts from Maggie's Soap nuts to test them and report the results on my blog. We have been testing the soap nuts now for a few weeks with my husband and I find they work as well if not better than some other natural detergents I have been using. The laundry comes out very soft and nice smelling (= no scent to me!).

Like with any detergents I have been using for best results it is best to treat the worse stains before washing. I have used the soap nut liquid to pretreat the stains, I have been soaking the dirtiest and drying some white stained clothes in the sun on our balcony. Kids cotton clothes, towels and sheets I wash in hot water. Blueberry stains I get out by soaking them in vinegar and water before washing, for grease stains I use dish washing liquid or shampoo (I have some old shampoo from the time I still used shampoo, now I use baking soda and vinegar once a week) 15 minutes before washing. The dish washing liquid seems to work sometimes for many other stains too. And I also use gall soap. It works for fruit, pen, blood and grease, and cloth diapers.

We have a lot of laundry because I am a massage therapist so there are a lot of sheets to wash. I try to keep my massage practice as natural and ecofriendly as possible just like my home. To celebrate the Earth Day this week I decided to start washing my massage sheets only with soap nuts too, it seems to work great for them and it feels like the most natural option for them.

If you want to try soap nuts, now is your chance! Maggie's soap nuts are sponsoring a giveaway through Kaiku blog. The first three readers to respond get to try soap nuts for free! All you have to do is be one of the first three to respond AND commit to blogging about your experience using Maggie's Pureland Soapnuts. If you don't have a blog you can also report about your experiences by commenting on this post. Contact me at info (at) kaikulifestyle.com or by commenting on this blog to sign up for the trial! You can choose if you want to try the liquid or the nuts. I will let you know as soon as possible if you were one of the first three! (I realize now I didn't check if this applies to international blog readers or only Americans, but since the company is American, I assume only American readers can participate. I will let you know if I get other information).

You can also buy soap nuts from here:

.

Better than play dough (pulla).

2010-03-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

We sometimes bake Finnish "pulla". My son thinks it is better than play dough, maybe because the end result is edible.

Baking is such a great activity to even small kids. Even if they are playing they also feel they are doing something real and helping out. It is a great learning experience too. My three-year old son likes to stand on a chair in the kitchen and help us bake or cook. My husband and him bake together pizza and our daily sourdough rye bread. When we don't look he quickly snatches little pieces of dough to his mouth, rubs his tummy and says: Tastes good!

I don't know what pulla is in English so I looked it up from Wikipedia. It says that "Pulla is a mildly-sweet Finnish dessert bread flavored with crushed cardamom seeds and occasionally raisins or sliced almonds."

Pulla, just like cabbage casserole, helps me in home sickness even if I don't like to eat it so much but the smell of it baking in the oven brings a lot of memories. I relate it in my childhood memories to Saturday evenings when we also always went to the common sauna of the apartment building as a family. After sauna we sometimes ate pulla and drank milk.

Baking pulla is fun for kids. They can measure and stir and knead by hand and finally bake little buns, or different shapes, decorate them with raisins, braid strands of dough to a loaf (look Wikipedia for photos) and finally eat them after they are baked.

The basic recipe of pulla is not the healthiest with its white flour and sugar. I made a little bit healthier version today. I replaced a lot of the white flour with fine whole wheat pastry flour and reduced the amount of sugar basically because since we rarely use sugar for anything I could find only a third of the amount required.

Here is an americanized (= metric measures changed to cups etc.) recipe. The amount of flour is not necessarily accurate, I forgot to measure, but add as much flour that it is easy to knead and the dough is still soft, not hard.

Pulla

2 cups of milk (alternative milks for probably just fine)
1 package active dry yeast
1/2-1 cup of sugar (I used less, maybe 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 egg
about 5-6 cups of flour
1 stick of butter or margarine melted
1 egg, beaten
to decorate raisins, sliced almonds, sugar

Take the ingredients out from the fridge to warm up so they don't cool down the dough too much and prevent the yeast from working. Warm the milk if necessary so it is close to the body temperature. If you warm it too much, let it cool down so you don't kill the yeast.

Dissolve the yeast in milk and add sugar, salt, cardamom, the egg, raisins if you wish, and about 2 cups of flour. Beat until the dough is smooth. Add rest of the flour little by little and knead by hand (fun for kids!). Make sure you only knead with one hand because the dough sticks and like this you always have one clean hand for pouring in more flour, answering the phone or other things like that. Be careful not to add too much flour. Add the melted butter or margarine, knead again until the dough is glossy, smooth and stiff (but not too stiff) and it doesn't stick to your hands anymore. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave to rest in a warm, not a drafty place, for an hour or so.

Bake buns and have fun. Place the bakings on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet, cover again with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until when you stick your finger in a bun, it bounces back. Brush the buns with egg (break an egg in a cup and mix it) and sprinkle with sugar or almonds if you wish. Bake at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit 15 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the bakings. If the buns are very small you can raise the temperature a little bit. Take them out when they are golden brown. Watch for the bottoms, they burn easily! Let cool down a little bit and enjoy.

The Taste of Christmas. Part 2.

2009-12-08T14:17:00.001-08:00

So we baked the ginger bread today. The dough had been over night in the fridge and was perfect. I had to sprinkle some flour on the table and the rolling pin to prevent it from sticking. They turned out so good, so good. The recipe is in the previous post. Try them also with blue cheese!

I took also a few Christmas photos of decorations at our home. Recycled snow flakes as you can see! :)

The Taste of Christmas.

2009-12-07T22:32:00.001-08:00

This week I have been decorating for Christmas, just a little bit. Candles, a white Christmas star light in the window and we made some decorations with my son - white snow flakes to the window and little red gnomes. The cold and rain is helping me to get in the Christmas mood too, a break in the California sunshine.

Tonight I made a Finnish ginger bread dough while sipping Scandinavian Christmas drink Glögg I bought from Burbank's Ikea. Ikea's Christmas section made me so home sick. The Swedish Christmas decorations look just like the Finnish ones. Tomorrow we are going to bake ginger bread. I want to share the recipe with you. It is not mine, it is an old traditional recipe (Paraisten piparkakut) that I have used since I was a child. They are not healthy, they are not sugar free, they are not vegan but they are the best ginger bread cookies I have ever tasted and they taste like Christmas.

Finnish Gingerbread (Paraisten piparkakut)

1,5 dl (0,65 cups) dark syrup or molasses
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground allspice or black pepper (I prefer allspice, the so called Jamaica pepper, which is also good for fish soup :))
A dash of salt
0,5 tbsp orange peel
250 g / nearly 9 oz butter (or vegetable margarine suitable for baking), take out to soften some time before you start baking
2,5 dl / 1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
8-8,5 dl / 500 g / 3,5 cups white flour or whole wheat pastry flour

Measure the syrup or molasses and the spices in a pot, bring it to boil and let cool down. Beat the butter and sugar to a fluffy mixture. Let the syrup and spice mixture cool down and then slowly mix it to the butter and sugar fluff. Stir well in between. Add the eggs one by one stirring well in between. Mix the baking soda in the flour and add the flour to the dough. Let it set overnight in the fridge.

Baking tips: Roll out small batches at a time, it doesn't stick to the rolling pin and table as much if it is cold. If you roll it over and over again several times, it gets warm and starts to stick to the table and the pin. Use flour to prevent stickiness. Don't try to make it too thin, although I prefer thin ones, they are crispy.

Bake the ginger breads in 350 F (175 C) for 10 minutes or depending on the thickness less or more. Be careful not to burn them!

Happy December to everyone!

Sirpa

PS. Look how the ginger breads turned out from here.

Sneaky veggie pancakes.

2009-10-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

(the photo is old, we were so hungry today that there was no time for taking photos.)

I am not sure if I really believe in sneaking in vegetables for the picky, oh no, sorry I meant to say selective little eaters because do they really learn to eat the vegetables then if they don't taste or see them? I still do it though, I am not going to lie. I sneak in garbanzo bean powder to tomato sauce, grated zucchini to lasagna and so on.

These spinach carrot pancakes we made today could be categorized in the "sneaking in the veggies" group but the veggies can be seen and tasted too so they are a good bridge to healthy eating. They don't have any sugar either and I serve them with unsweetened apple sauce. My son absolutely loves them. I didn't tell him though that they are spinach carrot pancakes but "space pancakes with green and orange spots". The pan cake recipe is from Finland, and can be made without the veggies too. The traditional recipe is with only spinach, I added the grated carrots for extra color ;)

The pan cake dough is thinner than in the American pancakes and the pancakes are fried bigger and thinner too.

Space pancakes with green and orange spots

A handful of frozen or fresh spinach (I cut the fresh spinach in tiny pieces with scissors and boiled in a small amount of water for a minute or two before adding it to the dough)
One carrot, grated
1-2 eggs
2 cups milk (you can also use soy or rice milk)
1 cup or little bit more flour (the amount of flour depends also a bit of the amount of veggies, you can substitute some of it with whole wheat, oat or even rye flour)
(1 tbsp oil)
1/2-1 tsp sea salt
butter or margarine for frying

Mix the thawed, fresh or boiled spinach, grated carrots and eggs in a big bowl. Add milk, flour, salt and oil. Mix well and let it sit for a few minutes, it thickens if you let it sit. Or you can just add a bit more flour. Do a tiny test pancake to see if you need more flour or liquid. It should be thin enough that it spreads on the pan to a thin pancake, not quite as thin as crepes but something like that. Fry on both sides in butter on a frying pan. I use a steel skillet because I don't like nonstick pans. For crispy pancakes, add the dough on an already heated pan (little bit over medium heat should be good, if it is too hot it will burn) and use your spatula or wiggle the pan to spread the dough evenly on a larger area.

Serve with unsweetened apple sauce - or for a real Scandinavian effect with lingonberry preserves (in the US you can buy lingonberries at least from IKEA). You can also fill them with something. I filled the pancakes once with shredded cheese, alfa alfa sprouts and unsweetened apple sauce and for myself sometimes with feta salad.

Soon-to-be massage therapist reporting

2009-10-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy that it is not even true! The massage school (Hands on Healing Institute) has been life changing experience for me. Further understanding the connection of body, mind and spirit, how to help the body heal itself and increasing my own body awareness has been an amazing experience. Learning Swedish massage has been wonderful but I think I will also take a lot more electives in other modalities. I am now taking myofascial release, aromatherapy and craniosacral therapy classes first and probably some more later.

I also figured out a way to combine the crafts with the massage business. Kaiku Lifestyle will offer holistic bodywork services and natural recycled and handmade crafts, but maybe with a slight emphasis on heat therapy wraps and possibly some other therapeutic products in the future. I will open the Etsy store soon when I have everything set up.

We are definitively enjoying our new home and life in California although I find moments when I miss my other homes in Finland and Louisiana too.

Stamp stamp stamp!

2009-07-20T23:56:00.000-07:00

We are getting settled in our new home. There is still a lot to unpack, but you can't unpack all day so today we made potato stamps. We made these a lot when I was a child. I didn't have any rubber stamps at least early in childhood but we had always potatoes.

Basically you just take a raw potato, cut it in half and carve a shape on it. I carved the outlines of the shape first with a knife and then cut the outsides of it off. But you could just leave the outsides too and carve from the middle (look at the photo below to understand better what I am trying to explain). Dip the stamp in paint, or paint the shape with a paint brush. We used poster paint and it was a bit thick for this purpose so next time I will mix it with water. You can also use water colors.

When you get bored with the shape you carved, just cut a layer off and make a new one. You probably know this already but boiled potatoes you can use as a non toxic "glue stick"! Try also what kind of stamps other cut vegetables make.

(My son has a phase in which he only paints with red paint!)

New home and other kind of handicraft.

2009-06-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

We are back from our vacation in Finland. It was wonderful to be home again. I enjoyed the familiar food, walking everywhere and the public transport. And the nature of course!

Meanwhile my husband moved our stuff to Los Angeles and now we are living in the middle of boxes. I don't have much time for unpacking, or for my Etsy shop for that matter (I opened it again though, but there aren't any new products right now), because I started my massage therapist course! I am very excited. When we get settled in, I will resume my sewing again.

Talk to you more later!
Sirpa

Gone to Finland.

2009-05-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

We are almost finished packing and on Wednesday I will fly to Finland with my son and leave the rest of the move to my husband. I closed my Etsy shop temporarily because I can't ship orders while I am on vacation. I will open it up again latest in July!

My son has been asking for Finnish oven pancake today and I am so glad the recipe was in my blog because I had packed my fridge magnet with my favorite recipe. I added blueberries we picked last summer because I need to empty my freezer. It was soooo good.

I don't know if I have a chance to update while in Finland, if not, see you in July!

Sirpa

Play dough!

2009-05-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

The internet is full of play dough recipes and all that I have tried have worked well. I made somewith my son today and we used Kool Aid for color (I would never let him drink it though). I am planning to make pink play dough by boiling some beets and using the water instead of Kool Aid or water and some artificial food coloring. Boiling spinach might work for green, haven't tried it yet. Tea for brown, but who wants brown play dough? Do you have tips for making natural dyes for play dough?

Play dough

1 cup flour
1 cup water / Kool Aid / other naturally dyed water
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 cup salt
(food coloring)

Mix everything and put on medium heat mixing constantly until it thickens. Let cool down before using.

Moving from LA (Louisiana) to L.A. (Los Angeles)

2009-05-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hi!

I have been so quiet for a long time because I have been occupied with our move to the Los Angeles area. I haven't had time to sew as much as I wanted either and I miss it dearly. I have been sewing desperately needed items like a pouch for the navigator when my husband left with it to France (and he lost it of course, I refuse to make a new one) and a pouch for my new iPhone I got after I had put my open SIGG water bottle in my purse with my old phone. It really was an accident!

Today I made a custom order purse which turned out really nice. It will be hard to part with it (as usual...). The customer said which colors she likes, size etc. and otherwise I had complete freedom. I enjoyed the bag creating process immensely. I really like to work like that, that when I start, I am not sure how the end result will look like.

It is reversible. Fabrics are all recycled. The turquoise with flowers is from a vintage table cloth, the solid color turquoise is from a cotton linen dress I shortened. The yellow-orange fabric is a thrift store find, maybe a table cloth (the tag said: "Made in Hawaii"!)

We are now packing like maniacs and in two weeks me and my son will fly to Finland for a holiday and my husband will see that our stuff gets to California. We will get a moving service and he will fly because it is a very long drive from Louisiana to California. I will close my Etsy shop for when I am out of the country because I won't be able to ship anything in three weeks and where I am staying there might not be internet connection. But I will open the shop in the end of June again.

With love from the middle of the boxes, trying hard to be present and not to worry,

Sirpa

Kaiku Lifestyle's most popular item until now!

2009-04-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Kaiku Lifestyle's most popular (most sold / requested) item this spring has been this cell phone cozy, made with vintage fabrics. The cover fabric is from an old curtain and the lining is from an incredible yellow quilted robe. Both fabrics are most likely to be from 1960's or 1970's.

The phone cozy is available through my Etsy store ($15)

Built a house.

2009-04-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

I got a big cardboard box from a friend and made a house for my son. It was such a fun project because we painted it together. It has a window and a door. And when we don't want it anymore we can throw it away! Or patch the window, close the door and use it for storage. I love it.

Sirpa

Cute cute phone cozy.

2009-04-01T17:56:00.000-07:00

I made these cute cute cell phone / iPhone cozies with a wonderful vintage fabric I bought the other day from Goodwill. The fabric is from an old jacket that looks like it might have been part of medical scrubs. The fabric is rather interesting blend of cotton and polyester and 1 % stainless steel! Lining is made of white recycled fabric, interfacing is new cotton flannel. Velcro fastening inside.

Available for sale at my Etsy store or through custom order as long as I have fabric left. I tried the cozy for my 3G iPhone and it fits well (without any extra shells, skins etc. at least).

Oooooh, 70's fabrics.

2009-03-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a good day. I found beautiful fabrics from a thrift store not to mention outfits for next week's 70's party.

I am so deeply grateful to someone who in the seventies bought all this fabric (yards and yards of it). Maybe his or her intention was to make curtains. But it never happened and the fabric ended up 30 years later to a thrift store. It was a bargain too, 15 dollars for maybe around 10 yards. I have no idea what to make of it yet! It would be so good for many things, curtains, pillows, bags and so on. Look, here is a close up below.

And some other fabric finds.

Cabbage casserole helps a Finn in homesickness.

2009-03-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

When I am homesick, I often make Finnish cabbage casserole. The smell of the food fills the whole house and it smells like home. Today I just made it because I had a cabbage in my fridge and remembered to start cooking early enough before dinner time. Cabbage casserole takes a long time before it is ready.

The traditional one has meat in it but I make it with soy. Here is my recipe. I rarely measure when I cook so I can't say exact measurements, but you can't really go wrong with cabbage casserole.

KAALILAATIKKO, Finnish cabbage casserole

1 head of cabbage
Approximately 1-1,5 cups of barley (if you don't have barley, you can use also rice
1 package of some kind of soy crumbs or equivalent amount of dried crumbs soaked in water (or I guess some kind of meat will do too)
Butter
Water
Vegetable bouillion cube
Pepper
Salt
App. 2 tbsp of dark syrup (I use in the US the one from IKEA, because it is most like the Finnish dark syrup, it is made of sugar beets, but again I am sure molasses will work fine)
Bread crumbs
(Cheese, grated, optional)

Boil the barley or rice tender or almost tender depending how much time you have to keep it in the oven later.

Cut the cabbage in small pieces, I prefer short and thin strips. Fry it in a big sauce pan small amount of butter, mix well so it won't burn. Add the soy crumbs (if they are from the freezer or cold section you don't have to do anything to them, but if they are plain and dry, soak them in water and some spices like soy sauce and paprika and after that fry them separately). Add also a bit of water, not much, 1 cup or so, just so that the cabbage and soy won't burn. Add vegetable bouillion and put the lid on and wait until the barley is done too. Mix them all together and add syrup, salt and pepper.

Grease a baking dish, big enough to fit all this in. Pour the mixture in the pan and put (grated cheese and) bread crumbs on the top. On top of everything, drop a few little lumps of butter. Bake in the oven in about 350 F for an hour or two. If you have a lot of time, you can keep the oven on a very low temperature and keep it there for hours. The better the taste. I usually turn off the oven after an hour or so and let it sit in the warm oven until we get too hungry.

Keep an eye on it though while it is in the oven. If it gets too dry, add a bit of water. Don't let it burn either. If you are in a hurry, you can bake it in 400 degrees and it will be ready in a little bit less than an hour.

Serve with lingonberry preserves (I buy mine in US from IKEA) and finely grated carrots (add a bit of orange juice and raisins if you wish).

Eggplants from heaven.

2009-03-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

My blog friend who lives in Israel has this amazing eggplant recipe on her blog. I have been planning to make this for ages and finally I had all the ingredients at the same time (well, almost, I didn't read the whole recipe and I didn't have fresh tomatoes so I replaced them with canned diced tomatoes, probably not as good as the real things). This was so good that my husband was speechless. The recipe behind that link above is in Finnish so here it is in American:

Eggplants with yoghurt-tahini sauce

2 eggplants
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1/2 cup greek plain yoghurt
juice from 1 lemon
3 crushed garlic cloves
salt
pepper
2 tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil

Cook or actually blacken the whole unpeeled eggplants either straight on top of your gas stove in the flame or in the oven under the broil until they are soft inside and black outside.

Mix the sauce. Mix tahini, yoghurt, garlic, lemon, salt and pepper. Grate the tomatoes.

When the eggplants are ready, cut them in half lenghtwise, top with the sauce, tomatoes and olive oil (and some fresh thyme if you have some).

Greener, healthier and cheaper homemade detergents.

2009-03-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

I ran out of laundry detergent and decided to try to make my own. Why not? I already make my own dishwasher detergent, deodorant, all-purpose cleaner, body butter, after shave for my husband and so on.

I read recipes online and found this site helpful. My close by stores didn't have washing soda so I used only baking soda and altered the recipes a little bit. I made two to try out different ones.

Laundry detergent 1 (hmmm, original recipe said this would be powdered, but I would call it foam and later liquid)
USE 1/2 cup per full load

1/4 cup Dr. Bronner's liquid soap (original recipe says castile soap)
2 cups baking soda (original recipe says 1 cup washing soda, 1 cup baking soda)
1 cup white vinegar
25 drops lavender essential oil (optional)
10 drops tea tree essential oil (optional)

This was hard to make because vinegar and the baking soda foams (looked at some point a bit like whipped egg whites!). Add vinegar in small batches to the soda and mix well.

Laundry detergent 2 (powdered)
USE 2 tbsp per load

1 cup borax
1 cup baking soda
1 bar castile soap, grated
1/2 cup sea salt
25 drops lavender essential oil (optional)

Not any onf the recipes I have found have salt, but I read it is a great stain remover so I wanted to try it. After trying both detergents once they seem to work fine. I will report further after using them for a longer time.

I make most of my other detergents myself too.

Homemade dishwasher detergent (works when washing by hand or in the machine too)

2 cups liquid castile soap
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
A few drops tea tree oil (sometimes I add other oils too like eucalyptus, lemon or orange)

Homemade window cleaner / all purpose cleaner

Spray bottle
1 cup vinegar
1-2 cups water
a couple of drops of liquid soap

Enjoy parenting.

2009-03-24T06:20:00.000-07:00

Today's Daily Groove from EnjoyParenting.com was so good that I have to share it. If you want to get more wonderful thoughts like this to our mailbox 5 times a week, go to www.enjoyparenting.com/dailygroove. I love to start my day by reading the daily groove.

Sirpa

THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle
www.enjoyparenting.com/dailygroove

:: "What's GOOD about that?" ::

If it's raining, you're supposed to call it "bad
weather" and complain.

Complaining makes you feel bad, but you've been led
to believe that the source of your angst is the rain
-- the weather *conditions*. That's conditionality.

UNconditionality means wanting so much to feel good
that you stop using conditions to justify feeling bad.

One way to practice the Art of Unconditionality in
the face of "bad" conditions is to ask yourself,
"What's GOOD about that?"

What's GOOD about the rain? It vitalizes the soil
and plants... It makes the air smell clean... It's
fun to get drenched and then go take a hot bath!

What's GOOD about children "misbehaving"? It means
they're trying to engage, explore, connect, create,
etc... It means you get to practice loving and
feeling good unconditionally, which is the key to
your Authentic Power.

Eventually you'll realize it's neither good nor
bad -- it just IS. Welcome to Reality. :-)

http://www.dailygroove.net/unconditionality

--> Get "The Daily Groove" book!
http://www.enjoyparenting.com/book

Feel free to forward this message to your friends!
(Please include this paragraph and everything above.)
Copyright (c) 2009 by Scott Noelle
_____________________________________________________

"Inspiration & Coaching for Progressive Parents"
http://www.ScottNoelle.com
http://www.EnjoyParenting.com

Finnish afternoon with pancakes and Tove Jansson.

2009-03-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

Me and my son celebrated the spring equinox yesterday afternoon by making a Finnish oven pancake. As we were eating it we read a Tove Jansson book. The spring sun was shining brightly to our dining room and all was well.

My pancake recipe is always at hand on my fridge door on an Iittala fridge magnet.

PANNUKAKKU (Finnish Oven Pancake)

4 eggs
1 liter milk (1 quart in US) (I replace some or all of it sometimes with soy milk or rice milk)
5 dl white flour (2 cups in US) (I often replace 1/4-1/3 of it with barley flour or whole wheat flour)
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, melted

Mix the eggs with milk and add flour. Try to avoid lumps! Last add salt and melted butter. Mix well. Line an at least 1 inch deep rectangular baking pan with parchment paper and pour the dough on it. Bake in the oven in 225 celsius (435 fahrenheit) until golden brown and firm (took me about 45 minutes). Eat with strawberry jam or as we often like it: with unsweetened apple sauce.

The pictures in Tove Jansson's book Kuka lohduttaisi Nyytiä? (translated in English as Who Will Comfort Toffle?) from 1960 are just incredible. And in the book they ate pancakes too! Tove Jansson was a Finnish writer and illustrator whose maybe most famous work are the Moomin books.

I wish you all a happy spring! I have heard that it has arrived even to Finland.

Sirpa

First custom made recycled purse ready, customer thrilled to bits.

2009-03-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

I finished a custom order purse for my friend Aimee. I have never made a purse before so it took me a while to figure out which part to sew together with which one. But here it is! It is brown, it is lined and reversible, it has pockets inside and out and it has Finnish Marimekko Unikko fabric (Unikko means poppy). The customer chose the reclaimed fabrics plus fabric remnants (Unikko) and the vintage button. According to Facebook, she is "thrilled to bits". I am thrilled too, I have to say.

Oh yes, I forgot that I took a picture of the lining fabric too when it was ready, here it is:

Thanks Aimee!

Sirpa

Oh and the business cards came today too.

2009-03-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

They look good. Recycled paper, vegetable ink. 25 dollars for 1000 cards plus shipping. I know it is quite a lot but I can use them also as tags for my stuff. I can even print a text and glue it on one side and have the pretty picture on the other side.

New shoes made me happy today.

2009-03-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

I was on the sewing lesson tonight in the sewing machine store from where I bought my machine a week or two ago. It was great, I learnt so much! As a sewer, I don't have much actual skills, I just sew. So in 1,5 hours I learnt a great deal, I think it will be very beneficial for me to go there a few times.

I don't buy shoes that often. But I bought now a pair from Gudrun Sjöden, remember I mentioned her in my post earlier? These could be the prettiest shoes I have ever seen. I feel like taking them next to my bed so that I can see them the first thing in the morning when I wake up. But I probably won't and will look at my son's face in the morning instead.

We don't wear shoes inside as it is not a habit in Finland, but I made an exception today!

Sirpa, happily skipping in her turquoise shoes

Oat seeds for booboo birds and therapy wraps.

2009-03-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

Years ago I bought in Finland a wrap filled with oat seeds. You heat it up in the microwave for a couple of minutes and use on shoulders, your back or where-ever you need heat therapy. I used it even in my labor for pain. The good thing about it is that it has strings so you can tie it on your hips.

I have been making these myself too, see my Etsy shop.

I also tried the oat seeds for booboo pals for children. My son loves his booboo bird. We keep it in the freezer and take it out when he has a booboo, or "pipi" as he calls it in Finnish. It doesn't get too cold but I think the psychological effect is very good.

A path to the magical forest, part 1

2009-03-12T06:32:00.001-07:00

Hi!

I wrote in an earlier posting about a magical forest for the children's room. I have been asked about instructions how to make the fantastic hiding place, "Suikalemätäs". In English the translation could be something like "the fabric strip shrub". Mätäs is hard to translate, it is not exactly a shrub, it is more like a big bunch of moss, grass and stuff like that.

The instructions in Finnish are in the book Maja by Mari Savio and Kati Rapia, that I referred to in my previous posting.

Find an old round table cloth and a small table that your children can fit under (round table is probably best, but I used a rectangle shaped and it works fine too). Check that the table cloth covers most of the table.

You can use all your old fabric strips for this! Cut or rip them in strips (I made about 8 inches or 20 cm long and an inch or 2 cm wide). This is fun to do with your child too.

Draw annual rings on the table cloth. Make sure they are less far apart than the fabric strips are long so they will cover each other.

Sew the strips from one end along the annual rings so that they are a little bit on top of each other. You can make a hole for the head in the middle and wear the creation too (or your children can if you don't feel like it).

I cut an opening for a door too and pulled it aside and tied it to a table leg with a couple of the strips.

TTYL,
Sirpa

Pretty bird label.

2009-03-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

The labels are ready. They turned out SO cute. They had made them wrong though, with an endfold instead of a centerfold. They are making new ones but I got a few to try. If I iron them under a wet cloth they work ok, but they are a bit tricky because the fold in it is so strong. I am trying to negotiate that I would also buy these ones that went wrong but for a reduced price. It would be a horrible waste to throw them away, not very environmentally friendly.

I made today new produce bags from my old Ikea curtains that don't seem to suit any room in our house. The teal color fabric is so beautiful. I love these bags. Buying vegetables with them must be such a joy. :)

Peace and love,
Sirpa

I love my Brother.

2009-03-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

My new Brother machine is great. I am a bit scared of it still, it is so high-tech compared to the older machines I am used to. I am used to the old sewing machines sounding like machine guns when you sew so the quietness of this new high-tech machine of mine is amazing. It is a bit strange and sad too. I will get used to it. Generally I love the smoothness of this new machine.

When I started another blog I am involved in, Living naturally in Louisiana, I started a no poo, shampoo free, experiment. I just realized that I have been now shampoo free for five months. I wash my hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar twice a week and my hair and scalp feel so good. I guess it is not an experiment anymore, but it has become a part of my lifestyle. I love it because I don't want the chemicals shampoos contain on my skin and my body.

Free reusable produce bag!

2009-03-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

To celebrate my new Etsy store, I decided to give all new customers in March a reusable produce bag for free with any size purchase!

I got the brilliant idea of the produce bag from my friend in Finland who makes them too. I make the produce bags from old sheer curtains. They are lightweight, washable and of course - reusable! Use the bag in the grocery store or Farmers market instead of a plastic bag for your fruit and vegetables. It breaths better than plastic too. And the environment thanks you!

New sewing machine and woolen socks.

2009-03-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

I bought a sewing machine! Brother Innov-is 80. I am really bad in making decisions so I just chose one. I know you are supposed to try sewing with them in the store but I couldn't, I was so nervous. I was debating in my mind between a Husqvarna Scandinavia 100 that was in the same price range, because the "Scandinavia" text made me feel like home (even though I am from Finland, not Sweden, I speak some Swedish though). I liked the looks of the Scandinavia machine too. But this Brother machine had so many stiches and buttonholes and you name it that I was scared I might need them at some point. And it had a place for two spools I think which is good when knitting with a twin needle. You can also stich ready letters with it, which is another feature I am not sure if I will even need. At least it had the Scandinavian letters like Ä and Ö. Well, anyway, it is here now and I am a bit scared to try it. It is much fancier than any machine I have used before. I am a bit terrified about all the buttons. I will let you knwo how it goes.

The store I bought it from offers free lessons with purchase so I will go on Monday night to learn to use it.

I just listed on Etsy these woolen socks. They feel so nice but are a bit slippery on hardwood floors!

Don't these socks look like elf socks?

Green business cards and dreaming of a new sewing machine.

2009-03-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

I ordered business cards today from Wizard Graphics - on recycled paper and with vegetable ink! They were 25 dollars for a thousand cards. I can't wait for them to arrive. I will let you know then how they look.

Kaiku Lifestyle has started well: Four customers by now, mainly custom orders. So I am busy and happy.

I am looking into buying a new sewing machine because I am returning the one I am using now to my neighbor who was very kind and borrowed hers to me - for two years or so! If you have any tips for buying the machine, let me know. I don't know much about sewing machines.

No more loose knitting needles.

2009-03-01T19:38:00.000-08:00

I made a needle roll today. Either for myself or my friend who wants one too. If she likes it, it is for her. If not it is mine, I like it! I am not sure how well this works, it is my first and I didn't have a pattern, or actually even a plan before I started.

Mini pillows for a magic forest.

2009-02-28T17:35:00.000-08:00

I have been truly inspired by this Finnish book my friend sent me: Maja by Kati Rapia and Mari Savio. Lovely book, ladies.

I made the "Suikalemätäs" from old fabric scraps and a thrift store table cloth (it has a hole for the head so it can also be worn, I wish I had taken a photo when my husband wore it.)

And then made some spruce tree pillows, from the book too. The little mattresses I made too, they are just some foam covered with fabric from old duvet covers I have carried with me from Finland only to notice that they were too small for all the duvets and blankets we bought here. The yellow one is actually an old duvet cover, a Finnish thrift store find.

The spruce tree pillows made me think of other kinds of pillow shapes and I made some mini pillows for my Etsy shop. Not only a spruce tree pillow, but also a mushroom and a cloud! Perfect for a magic forest.

My Etsy shop is open!

2009-02-28T14:09:00.000-08:00

I opened today my Etsy shop. I have still a couple of items I need to add. I am so happy!

Technical problems. Trying to stay calm.

2009-02-26T21:11:00.000-08:00

After writing the last posting my computer broke. All the photos I took and texts I wrote in the last days for the shop are there, out of my reach. So it will take some more time to get it opened! I feel very frustrated.

Working on Etsy and relaxing by knitting and by reading Gudrun Sjöden catalog.

2009-02-26T19:18:00.000-08:00

I have been working on getting my Etsy shop opened. I will be ready to open any day now! I just didn't realize it is so much work so it is taking me longer than I was expecting. Luckily I had a babysitter come today to watch my son, so I had an opportunity to do my preparations in peace.

I have also been relaxing in two of my favorite ways: I have been knitting woolen socks (I will put them for sale too though) and browsing Gudrun Sjöden's new catalog that came in the mail last week. I love those clothes. They cost a lot so I can't buy them often but I like too look at them. All of them I wouldn't wear either, but it is still nice to look at the beautiful photos. And I like it that they use ecofriendly materials. Another ecological thing about their clothes is that they last. I bought a pair of organic cotton pants from Gudrun Sjöden last spring and they look still like new.

Photo: http://www.poshyarn.co.uk/images/blog/270508d.jpg

I love my bird.

2009-02-21T18:48:00.001-08:00

My dear friend Päivi Tiittanen who is a graphic designer has been working on a logo for my new business! She has come up with such cute designs. I am impressed.

The bird's red boots are traditional Finnish felted boots called huopikkaat. The designer said they remind her of me. Here is a photo of huopikkaat.

Photo: Huopaliike Lahtinen Oy

The header picture of this blog is her work too. The birch trees remind me of Finland and it is my favorite tree. I miss those snow white birch trees here in Louisiana.

We are actually hiking in Arkansas today and I always criticize my husband for working when we are on vacation but now I am guilty myself too. I have my laptop with me and I ordered some woven labels today from Labels4U. I wanted to get eco friendly lables, but the ecofriendly label companies wouldn't answer my e-mails so I ordered a small amount from this other place to try them out. Next time I want some with organic cotton or hemp or something like that. I promise! More later.

Going into business on Valentine's Day.

2009-02-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

Hi! I am a Finnish woman living in the US. My husband is Finnish too and my son has a dual citizenship, he was born here. When we came here, I was on parental leave from my communications job in Finland (we can have pretty long parental leaves, I love it!) and my plan was to return there. BUT a couple of weeks ago I resigned because we are not making it back by the end of my leave. It was a hard thing to do, though, I felt like I had closed my back door!

To help myself not feeling so trapped I decided to start a small business, that I can run from home and do as much or as little as I like. I am taking care of my little son at home and in my free time I like to do crafts, sewing etc. Because some people have been interested in buying them, I decided to start my own business. I registered a trade name, kaiku lifestyle. I did all the paper work today, on Valentine's day.

I am planning to start an Etsy shop very soon. And I am working on my website.

Kaiku means echo. I chose the name because I like to utilize old and recycled materials and make something new out of them. The new product is in a way an echo from the original product that was just going to be thrown away. I use old clothes from our household, from my friends and I buy old fabrics and materials from thrift stores. Sometimes I buy fabric remnants from fabric stores or in very rare cases completely new fabrics if I really like them. I can't resist for instance fabrics from Ikea or Marimekko.

I wanted to start my business as Kaiku design, but someone had already a website under that name. Because I might expand my business later to some other things, I decided to go with Kaiku lifestyle.

I am interested in living as naturally as I can. I have been keeping this blog, Living Naturally in Louisiana. Now we are going to move for a while to California, so I am going to pass the responsibility over the blog and the Living Naturally group to someone else. I will keep writing about the living naturally stuff though in this blog when I have something to say.