Hey! How y’all doing? I’ve had my first Airbnb guest, a guy from Finland and today I’m expecting two American guys who are renting the whole apartment. We’re a bit stressed out, since we were planing on using the apartment this weekend, with a Halloween party going on and all, but hey, at least I’m in business at last! 😉 Paying off some bills and dreaming of a couple of new wardrobe items- a new coat, a pair of boots, a skirt and a couple of sweaters. 
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Pizza buns
Grey, drizzly weather, drinking coffee and writing invoices when I suddenly feel the urge to bake. And since lunch hour was approaching, what better than pizza buns? 
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My future abode
I’m a diva to the bone- crazy about the real bourgeois feeling with dark colors, heavy velvet/silk curtains, wooden board flooring and industrial windows. Also I’m a sucker for the artsy chaos you see in the magazines, but find it hard to stop when the look is just right and end up with a bohemian look instead.
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On fall and life
This week has been crazy busy, I´ve been working like mad, travelled to Molde and back, which ruined me for a couple of days, shone the house for an airbnb guest, bought some flowers and a much-needed pair of jeans from Filipa K. 
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September
These pictures are from September, I completely forgot about them. It was such a lovely month- good weather and lots of goodies to eat. A new café/wine bar opened in the neighbourhood- Galgen and we took Sammy there for a treat. Lazy mornings- perfect for scones and elderberry jam. 
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Sunday in the Woods
Today I took my Sammy to the woods by Nøklevann. First we had our morning coffee at Gordanas’s, where Sam chased a toy mouse and a tennis ball when he was not tickling the girls and stealing kisses from them.
“Did you bring woodsy clothes today?” (the girls)
“This.”
“Will you be warm?”
“I think so.”
“Where’s your wind jacket?”
“I don’t own one.”
“Alina!”
Come stay with me at my Airbnb
Hi, peeps! What are you up to? I’m done painting, throwing stuff away and organising, now I’m ready for guests! 😉
This is my humble home, come stay with me and let me show you around (and bake you cookies). 
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Chanterelles and Chèvre Pizza
A couple of weeks ago my friend Marion gave me a bag of chanterelles and I was thrilled! I thought to myself- I´ve just had some risotto porcini the other day, already made my yearly chanterelle stew , don’t feel like fussing with the process of pickling, but I have to do something super yummy with them!;-)
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Minibreak in Ålesund
Hi, peeps! What have you been up to? I hope you´ve missed me, I know I have! 😉 I´ve been busy worrying, working on my accountancy, painting the spare room for the airbnb (almost there!) and walking Sammy. On Tuesday however we flew to Ålesund for the world´s shortest fall break. I had a small assignment there yesterday and so I thought we should use the opportunity to spend some quality time, especially since Frederic hadn´t been there before, this was as good a chance as any. 
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Guinness cake à la Nigella
And it was quite a party! There was lots of Prosecco, the world´s bestest friends, gifts to be unwrapped, food to be eaten and, last, but not least- THE killer cake. 
One of the things I´m really good at is putting together cool people with great parties as a result. Since I´m such a rare thing as a sociable people-hater, I tend to choose my friends very carefully, resulting in a fantastic bunch of folks. 
There was no music- I completely forgot about it- but there was a jolly atmosphere with lots of laughter and a touch of kinky conversation. 😉 haha!
INGREDIENTS
Makes: about 12 slices
FOR THE CAKE
- 250 millilitres guinness
- 250 grams unsalted butter
- 75 grams cocoa powder
- 400 grams caster sugar
- 142 millilitres sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 275 grams plain flour
- 2½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
FOR THE TOPPING
- 300 grams cream cheese
- 100 grams icing sugar
- lemon zest
- lemon juice from half a lemon
METHOD
- Preheat the oven at 180°C, and butter and line a 23cm / 9 inch springform tin.
- Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter – in spoons or slices – and heat until the butter’s melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the brown, buttery, beery pan and finally whisk in the flour and bicarb.
- Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.
- When the cake’s cold, sit it on a flat platter or cake stand and get on with the icing. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sieve over the icing sugar and then beat them both together. Or do this in a processor, putting the unsieved icing sugar in first and blitz to remove lumps before adding the cheese.
- Add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.
It was fantastic! Absolutely yummy and not hard to make at all. I hope you feel like trying!
xxx, Alina
life in a bubble 