I´m back at home and I´ve already started work. I woke up early, made myself a cup of Zespresso (´cause we´re too cool to have a Nespresso, like everyone else),  walked Sam for half an hour, including the mandatory ´scratch my belly´on the grass, then off to work. At 14:30 I´m home already and it feels unreal to have all this time on my hands. I´m thinking of baking something, I make a pretty good focaccia, and maybe a soup to go with. I´ll share some pictures of food I love making or just dream of making some time. What are you having for dinner today? Have a good week!

I´ve been making focaccia for a while with the occasional tapas, but it was never the real deal until I checked out this recipe. For my Norwegian followers I recommend this blog: http://www.frumaela.no/2013/05/oppskrift-pa-verdens-beste-foccaia/

For my English-speaking readers here it goes:

1kg flour
1 small bag of dried yeast
2 spoons of honey
1-2 spoons of sugar
1-2 spoons of salt
7-9 dl finger-warm water

It´s important to sift the flour and the yeast twice, so the dough gets more fluffy.
Assuming that you´ve baked before, I go straight ahead. You make the dough, you put it on the washing machine and wash some clothes while you´re at it, close the door so the cat doesn´t get curious and then leave it for an hour to rise.

Meanwhile mix some olive oil with rosemary, oregano, thyme and basil. You can also chop some sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese or olives if you´d like the focaccia to be more consistent. Have a glass of Prosecco for the best result!;-)

Before putting it in the oven, make some pits with your fingers and pour in the olive oil and herbs. If you add some tomatoes, olives or cheese, be sure to stick them into the dough. Cut the foccacia then into square chunks. Use a sheet of baking paper under and let the dough rest a while. Bake at 220 degrees C for 15 minutes, then take it out and let it rest for 15 min again. Voilà!

I´m totally in love with this lovely wooden board from Jamie Oliver! And because I find it so pretty I try to grab the chance as often as I can to present it in a mediterranean way, abundant with cheese, cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley or basil. It´s decorative and inviting!

One thing I make that makes my French friends to go wild about me (in a foodie kind of way, of course!) is meringues. This is one of my prettiest, but they usually taste amazing regardless of their appearance. For my Norwegian followers, I use this site for the recipe:http://shabbyas.blogg.no/1240555893_verdens_beste_marengs.html

For my English speaking readers, the recipe is as such:
4 egg whites
1 pinch of salt
175 g sugar
2 tea spoons potato or corn flour
1 tea spoon white wine vinegar

1. Warm up the oven to 180 C, use baking paper for two baking trays
2 .Whip the egg whites with salt in a clean bowl until they form soft peaks. Add sugar and whip it in, little after little, until you get a homogeneous meringue mass. Whip in the potato or corn flour and vinegar. Arrange the meringues on the trays with a spoon. Leave some space in between.
3. Bake them in the oven for 5 min, then reduce the heat to 150 C and leave the meringue in the oven for 1 hour and 15 min. Leave them rest for 15 min before digging in!;-)

Lasagna is classic and we all have a way of adding our own personal touch to it. I myself try to vary between spinach and white sauce, cheese sauce and broccoli, but everybody´s favourite is the one with meat, tomato sauce and white sauce. I find bechamel sauce to be too heavy, so I usually mix an egg with some cream and pour it on top of the lasagna. Be sure to have enough onions in the sauce and parmesan on top. Otherwise, it´s only the imagination that sets boundaries. Mushrooms, zucchinis, take your pick. But don´t rat on me to any Italian nonna, she´d eat me fried!

This is a Sunday morning breakfast or brunch tradition! Just ask my friends! I love most things old fashion, including baking. No fancy schmancy cream cake will ever live up to grandma´s donuts or my nanna´s biscuits. So I started making horns some ten years ago, using DEN STORE NORSKE RUTETE KOKEBOKA- THE BIG NORWEGIAN CHECKERED COOK BOOK. Don´t you just love the name? I see some grandmother working on the book and thinking: well, this must be a good title for a cook book. After a while, I discovered this recipe on the internet and it´s even better. For Norwegian, check: http://liveterheeerlig.blogspot.no/2008/09/ost-skinkehorn.html
For English:

16 Horns

45 g butter
3 dl/300 cl milk
35 g yeast
3/4 tea spoon salt
1 spoon sugar
ca 400 g flour

Melt butter, add the milk and warm up to 37 degrees. Stir the yeast in some of the milk, then add the rest of the milk. Add salt, sugar and flour. Knead the dough by hand, but not too sticky. Do the same trick with the washing machine and if you´re anything like me, it´ll give you a chance to wash some clothes, too. (Hate washing clothes, you see) Let it rest in a warm place for 30 min.
Take the dough on some flour and divide in two. Roll it to a round loaf. Divide it into 8 triangles.Fill it with whatever you like, my favourites are ham, cheese, a dash of olive oil, oregano and salt. Mmm!