This Year at Pieliekamais: A round-up of 2014

In honor of 2014, and some of the lessons that this past year has brought me, here's a Top 10 of 2014:
10. A tool you can use -

this year, Pieliekamais got a bit more user-friendly with the addition of the "search" function (you'll find it at the top of the page, below the Pieliekamais heading). Use it to search Pieliekamais for content. Thank you to my sister for the idea!

9. The most popular post at Pieliekamais continues to be

the oven-baked salmon. This salmon is one of my favorite dishes to make, and it comes out great every single time. I've recently experimented with lowering the oven temp to 175C and having the salmon fillets in for 20 minutes, and that also works out great.

8. One of the most fun recipes I've tried this year is

the "dirt and worm dessert." I experience a very happy sense of satisfaction when I look at this picture, because it cracks me up. Smiley.

7. The most ambitious project here at Pieliekamais this year has been

blogging for 31 days straight - joining The Nester's 31 Day Writing Challenge. My topic was 31 Days to More Abundance. In this post, which also contains all 31 parts of my series, I share the lessons learned, and a few surprises.

6. I'm the most pleased that I tried this recipe in 2014:

the nettle soup. I love that I can go to the woods close by and pick some nettles that moose and deer mamas and their calves (occasionally) trample on. Nettles in soup taste excellent, the leaves are meaty, like spinach. And there is no stinging.

5. Speaking of woods, I've been very happy that I could share some of

the goings on of the local forests. I learned from a friend that there are people in, for example, Paris, who miss being out in the woods and in nature. If I can bring you guys some fresh air from Sweden via Pieliekamais, that makes me very happy. I am so very grateful to have all this bounty almost on my doorstep.

4. What would the great outdoors be without animals -

here are some happy sheep. I wish for you, my reader, to connect with some being every day.

3. One of the best things in life is


movies. Here's a list of five very cozy ones, perfect for winter-, and most other, evenings.
Photo credit: imdb.com

2. Pretty pictures - I was very pleased with how the photos for this carrot cake turned out:

And yes, I selected the flowers for my garden this year 90 percent based on how the flowers would photograph.

1. When in doubt, do dishes. Cooking is also almost always a good idea.

To you, my reader - thank you for being here this year! I hope you too are excited about a brand new year, a new leaf, a fresh start, a new beginning. Tomorrow morning, many things will be the same, but some things will be different. It is a new year.

For last year's Top 10 on Pieliekamais, head here (the post is in Latvian).

Also, for anyone who needs permission to change into pajamas and snuggle up on the sofa with a good DVD box - this is it. Happy New Year!

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais! See you next year!

Merry and Bright

I am so happy to have woken this morning to minus 11 degrees Celsius, and

 an egg-yolk yellow sun rising. I love winter.

Merry Christmas, friends!

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Fourth Advent 2014: Eat

Updated with pictures of Mr.Wasp and a couple of closing paragraphs, on December 25, 2014:

Eat. Eat for energy, eat for nutrition, eat for grace under pressure. If you have only so much of a certain resource this Christmas, be it time, energy, or money, spend it to nourish yourself.

It is my intention to update this post with a picture of Mr.Wasp enjoying some honey (yes, he's still alive).
Here's an update on Mr.Wasp:

Mr.(or Ms.) Wasp woke up the other day and started buzzing around the place. I gave him some honey again (see the above two pictures) which he enjoyed for about a minute. Then he started buzzing around again.
He tried to knock himself against the window and he was buzzing so loudly that I cracked the window open to show him how cold it was out. The cold air made Mr.Wasp come to his senses and he promptly crawled in a warm space in the windowsill, right above a heater (radiators).
We repeated the "I'll show you how cold it is outside if you don't stop buzzing" one more time, and again, Mr.Wasp buzzed off to someplace warm (I'm guessing, because he got quiet and disappeared). This happened a week ago and I haven't sighted Mr.Wasp since. I checked the windowsill this morning, but he wasn't there. We'll see if Mr.Wasp buzzes out again at some point.

   

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais! 

Lupines in December

Frost and snow make everything so beautiful. I had never before noticed how

beautifully shaped the lupine plants are this time of year. If someone put this pattern, these shapes and lines on a wallpaper, I'd lust after it.

Happy to have found such beauty almost on my doorstep.

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Third Advent 2014: Air Pockets

Yesterday I finally insulated my flowerpots in the hope that maybe it was not too late, maybe I would indeed wake up one spring morning to

happy tulip faces on the balcony.
As I made many, many "air pockets" for my insulation project, I thought about trying to apply a similar principle to the sometimes ruthless pace of December.

A tiny pocket of "nothing", just some scrunched up old newspaper in a plastic bag. Working with what you have, as things are. And yet all these pockets put together, there is potential that they will create a warm, cozy, and safe place for my beautiful tulip bulbs this winter.

I'm tired, and that's OK. It is possible to create tiny pockets of rest, peace, air.

In conclusion, here's a neat story for you. I found a wasp among my gardening supplies yesterday. I was about to shove the wasp out of the way, when I realized that the insect's alive. The wasp must have crawled inside my makeshift insulation pack that I made back in October.

I put the poor bugger on top of a flower pot, and gave him (her?) some honey on a teaspoon. The wasp was barely crawling, but it's body was definitely moving, it was definitely alive. Then we went out to get a Christmas tree. When we got back, the wasp was gone. Really?

And whom do you think we found, angrily buzzing about the kitchen this morning? Yes, Mr.Wasp. I have no idea where he is now. I am a little touched that I apparently have this new pet. The wasp made me believe in my insulation project yesterday. I hope he finds some warm place to crawl into for the winter. I hope I get some of his resilience.

Last year on Third Advent I wrote about "last minute gifts" (in Latvian). I wish I could truly internalize the message of that post. I'm trying.

Happy Third Advent! I hope we can all revel in some pockets of air.

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Second Advent 2014: Ice Road Trucking

What happens when you get in a truck and drive North for two days straight?

Well, if it isn't Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, and Comet (what are you doing in front of that car, Comet?)!
For the record, both vehicles stood still until the deer decided to move off the road - no one was hurt. These photos were snapped on a wintry (albeit not an ice-) road in Northern Sweden, the E10, a few miles North of the Polar Circle, by M.S., a member of our extended Pieliekamais pack.
What am I thinking this second advent?

I'm thinking about how many roads there are in the world. They all lead somewhere to connect us. Enjoy the ride, and your fellow travelers this winter!

This time last year, we had a really interesting discussion in the comments (both in Latvian and in English) about prioritizing this time of the year. Sifting through the to-do list, is it hard work or should we look at it as a privilege (=I get to choose)? Here's that post (half Latvian, half English) and the comments.

Happy Second Advent!

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

First Advent 2014

Sunday is generally a good day to get your ducks (geese) in a row. I love how

these beautiful birds are so evenly spaced. I think when we think about our priorities, the things that really matter to us, everything falls into place. If we hold what matters to us in a moment of calm consideration, we too will naturally find this even space between the "things" in our life, a good pace, in a good place.

Peace, rest, nature, love, and enjoying the daylight hours. Happy first Advent!

Here's last year's thoughts on first Advent (in Latvian).

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Eglites ir klat!

Shovakar pie veikala briinums -

klaat Ziemassveetku egliites! :) Es veletos Pieliekamajaa ielikt egliishu smarzhu.

Svetdien pirmaa advente. Iedomajos, ka diezgan daudziem cilvekiem ir iestiklots balkons, kuru ziemaa izmanto par tadu kaa ekstra aukstuma kambari (saliek visu ko, ko vajag turet aukstumaa, kam nav vietas ledusskapii). Esmu redzejusi egliiti shados balkonos, varbut to uzliek uz pirmo adventi, lai varetu priecaties visu decembri.

Paldies, ka ieskatiijies Pieliekamajaa!

A walk in the woods

An update on what's going on in the woods at this time of year:

it is still relatively warm out (but do layer!). I tasted a lingonberry - it looked and tasted soggy. I saw some blueberries too, but I figured they'd be soggy also. Then I discovered this -

a tree stump covered in very apricot-yellow mushrooms (fungi), brighter than chanterelles. The above picture is to show the surrounding flora and general conditions. Here is a closer look:

What's interesting is that the mushrooms seem to start out from a kind of "sprinkling", see below:

like a pinch of course sea salt or something on a chopping block, and from there on it turns into the bigger mushrooms. As you can see, the mushroom is growing both on the stump and between the layer of bark surrounding the stump.

The bright color just stood out between all the greys and browns, and the greens. It would be very neat to take a similar walk with a biologist. Why that particular stump, "out of nowhere"?

Where will you notice nature today?

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Vistas čili pret iesnām / White Chicken Chili

Ja izdodas noķert to mirkli pirms iesnas tā riktīgi sākušās un atņēmušas visu spēku, tad šis "ugunsrijēju mikslis" būs sildoša, sātīga, un ļoti garšīga maltīte, un man no tās paliek labāk. Vajag gatavu, grillētu vistu no veikala. Recepte no bloga Brown Eyed Baker, šeit.

Par balto čili (white chili) pirmo reizi lasiiju shogad, ziemas beigaas/pavasara saakumaa, izrādās, tas ir čili bez tomātiem. Loti, loti garshiigi.

Sastāvdaļas:

1 grillēta vista
2 vidēji sīpoli
2-3 halapeņjo (jalapeño) pipari
2 paprikas, būs skaisti, ja būs viena dzeltena, viena sarkana
2 garie sarkanie pipari
2 ēd.kar. olīveļļas
nepilna ēd.kar. malta kumīna (! ļoti svarīgi, tās nav ķimenes. Malts kumīns, ir, piemēram, Santa Maria sortimentā)
nepilna tējkar. paprikas pulvera
0,5 tējkar. kajēnas piparu
1 tējkar. sāls
6 daiviņas ķiploka, sasmalcinātas vai izspiestas ar spiedi
2 ēd.kar. miltu
1 litrs vistas buljona (jeb ūdens un buljona kubiciņi)
3 konservbundžas cannellini pupiņu
1 laims
1,5 dl saldā krējuma
gatavā čili vēl var likt:
sarīvētu sieru
pētersīļus
krējumu
un klaat eest tortija chipshus (nachos vai doritos)

Darba secība:
Ja ir kāds palīgs, lūdz palīgam, lai nolasa no grillētās vistas visu gaļiņu. Vai arī to dara pats. Būs smuki, ja gaļu plēsīs mazākos gabaliņos, bet var arī sagriezt ar nazi.
Nomizo un sīki sagriež sīpolus un visus piparus un paprikas.
Lielā katlā uz vidējas uguns uzsilda olīveļļu. Kad silts, liek klāt sīpolus, piparus un paprikas, kumīnu, paprikas pulveri, kajēnas piparus un sāli, un sautē minūtes 7.
Tad iemaisa izspiestus ķiplokus un pasautē vēl pus minūti.
Iemaisa miltus, tā, lai miltus vairs nevar redzēt, un sautē apmēram minūti.
Pielej klāt vistas buljonu.
Ņem 1 bundžu pupiņu, nokāš un noskalo, pupiņas ieliek katlā un ar kartupeļu stampu sastampā, lai dotu čili tumīgāku konsistenci.
Tad liek klāt atlikušās pupiņas (nokāstas, noskalotas) un saplucināto vistas gaļu.
Pārgriež uz pusēm laimu, katlā pieliek pus laima sulu. Otru pusi sagriezh daivinjaas un noliek malaa.
Uzvāra līdz burbulim, tad nogriež mazu uguni un vāra 20 minūtes.
Iemaisa saldo krējumu un silda vēl 5 minūtes.
Katrs savaa shkiivii liek laima skeeli, un ja grib, sieru, petersiilus, kreejumu, un ed kopaa ar doritos chipshiem.

Notes:
Garšīgākais ēdiens, ko pēdējā laikā esmu ēdusi - tik piesātinātas garšas. Silti iesaku. Visas ekstras (siers un chipshi) galiigi nav vajadzigas, tapat ir loti garshiigi.

Vel viena recepte pret iesnaam sheit:
Kiploku kremzupa

Paldies, ka ieskatījies Pieliekamajā!

Mārtiņdiena 2014

Mārtiņdiena - loti lielas puules virtuvee ar zosi? Nee, miilie! :) Visi shodien var svineet, jo izradas, ka Martindiena ir

ziemas sagaidiishanas sveetki, simbols daliishanaa ar citiem, un viena tradicija, ko shovakar ieverot var visi (faktiski es ljoti biezhi sho tradiiciju trennejos dariit):

"Mārtiņu vakarā vajag atstāt visus apģērba gabalus,

kas bija to dienu mugurā, uz grīdas; kas naktī tos

pacels, būs īstais brūtgāns." - Latviesu tautas ticejums 

"Mārtiņu vakarā vajag atstāt visus apģērba gabalus, kas bija to dienu mugurā, uz grīdas (...)"  - that is not going to be a problem.

Ko darit tiem, kuriem iistais jau ir?

1. Galvenais, neadiit - "Mārtiņa vakarā nedrīkst adīt, jo tad rodas ragaini jēri".

2. "Mārtiņa vakarā jāpiebāž istabas sienas ar sūnām, lai ziemā turētu siltumu." (optional)

3. Ja nepatiik ziema, tad priecaaties, jo "ja Mārtiņa diena miglaina, tad ziema būs silta" - pie mums shodien ir silts un apmaacies.

Visi shie ticeejumi un veel vairak, ja vajag ekstra smaidus, no shii avota. Kodoliiga un interesanta informaacija par Martindienu no shiis Wikipedia lapas latvieshu valodaa.

Shodien veel iipashi piedomaju par visiem tiem, kuriem gribas vairaak mezha, lauku, pljavu.

Lai visiem jauka, miila Martindiena!

Paldies, ka ieskatiijes Pieliekamajaa!

Pirmais sniedzins!

Ir klaat, ir klaat! Pirmais sniedzins ir klat! Shorit ara bija spalgs vejs, un ap pus desmitiem no rita saka snigt. Sniga, sniga, laikam visu dienu,

un es loti priecajos! I love winter!

Pagajusha gada pirmais sniegs shaja ieraksta.

Paldies, ka ieskatijies Pieliekamaja!

31 Days: Celebrate!

Hello, and welcome! Please join me in celebrating the close of this 31 day writing project, 31 Days to More Abundance.

Some notes -

The hardest part
The hardest part was letting go of my original plan. The willingness to make peace with the fact that a post will end up nothing like I had imagined was what helped me the most to get a post out every day.
Once I hit "publish", I was usually too tired to reply thoughtfully and "properly" to comments from you, my lovely readers, and that's one thing that I did not like.
I also had to let go of reading other 31-dayers "properly". Some days, I just took a quick glimpse at two or three other 31 day writers, but didn't read the entire post. That was the biggest difference from when I was "just" a reader of 31 days. As a reader, I could not get enough of my favorite bloggers' posts. This time, when I was one of the writers, I appreciated brevity.
Practical tip for next time: keep it short!

The most fun part
The most fun part is right now, when the project is done and I have this experience under my belt.
Practical tip for next time: enjoy the journey more!

The most surprising part
During this month of October, many things happened. Not a time to continue with a blog project, right? Wrong! The most surprising part about this challenge was that it gave me a constant. A feeling of "I've got this". This is something that I never expected. Thank you. I am grateful.
Practical tip for next time: Trust that something new will come out of going through a process and sticking with it.

Another plus
Another gain of this project is that I found two very neat series and actually learned something new: I read Amanda Bacon's 31 day series on Alaska (ever wondered what "termination dust" is?), and I also found what must be one of the coolest 31 day topics ever, "31 days from a tractor seat". I did not know that there are girl farmers who bring their kids in the tractor with them during harvest time. I am amazed and humbled, and thank you, Val, I really learned from your posts.
Practical tip for  next time: good graphics do sell. I clicked through to Amanda & Val's blogs because they had cool "buttons".

I'd like to thank the Nester for creating this tradition of writing for 31 days in October.

Thank you for following along!

You can read the entire series, 31 Days to More Abundance, here.

Note: This is not a sponsored post.

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Day 31: Connection, Together

Savor the connection with another being. A lake counts, as does a tree, a bird suddenly on your windowsill, a potted plant.

You know when your cat looks at you and you just know that she is thinking "oh yes, now is the time that I am going to (like every night) race around the apartment all wide-eyed and pretend that I do not understand that you're trying to make the bed. I am going to (like every night) run under the sheets and race around and cause you to squeal. This is our game!"

Play the Memory game with a kid and secretly chuckle and feel your heart swim over with love when the kid decides to "help" you when it's your turn by peeking under the boards just a leeetle.

Those times when you're plowing through a DVD box with someone, and an episode ends, and you look at each other and say, "another one?"

When such moments happen, drop your shoulders and your to-do list, melt into the moment and savor it. Time expands, or stands still. You're calm, and happy. Abundance.

Thank you so much for reading along this series! The 31 days have now come to an end, and the project is finished. To celebrate, there's going to be a little after-party tomorrow afternoon, November 1, 2014: I'll post some notes on the project, share some links, and I'd be happy to answer your questions about "31 Days to More Abundance" - please feel free to leave a question in the comments. See you tomorrow!

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Day 30: New Beets

Today, I have some new beets for you:

Friends, you are looking at a variety of the beetroot called "Polka" in Swedish and "Candy cane" in my translation. I am happy to report that I have now tried this type of beet twice, and I love it! Who knew that you could grow beets like this!

Let's take a closer look:

this is what the candy cane beets look like unpeeled. To cook the beets, I cut off the root part and the stem part, halved and/or quartered the beets, and cooked them for about 15 minutes in salted water.

As you look at these gorgeous roots, you might be thinking, what stunning beauties, I am going to show off with them very much. Well, hold your horses, because this is as pretty as it gets. Cooked, my candy cane beets lost much of their color and most of the pattern. (I don't know if cooking the beets whole would have made a difference.) One last look at these pretty ones,

and here is the cooked version (below). Note that the beets are already peeled in this picture, and I tried to make them look as attractive as possible.

What do candy cane beets taste like, then? They taste great. Like regular beets, but a little sweeter. I used these beets in a warm potato salad with cannellini beans, feta-like cheese, and fried button mushrooms. The candy cane beets lent lovely pops of color to the salad without making everything pink like regular beets would maybe do.

More beets?
Here are some beets that my friend grew and how to cook them (in Latvian).
Here is a beet-fennel cream soup I made from Gwyneth Paltrow's book "It's All Good".
And here is a traditional Latvian soup that we only make and eat during summer, when it's unbearably hot outside, our "cold soup" prominently featuring beets.

Finally, it is thanks to this post that I have a renewed interest in beets.

I hope you feel abundance when you try a new vegetable or a new root, and like it. I do.

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Day 29: Why Is There Sand in My Handbag?

Today's abundance tip is this:

whenever you can, empty your handbag at the end of the day. Nine times out of ten, you'll thank yourself for doing so.

I came to this realization one day when I was pawing through my bag in search of something and suddenly I felt sand there, rough grains of sand.

Why is there sand in my handbag?, I thought. There was no sand, but I had put a couple of digestive cookies in my bag "for later", cookies that I had forgotten about and carried with me for a good week or two, during which they'd crumbled to "sand".

When you empty your bag at night, you'll often find:
- food that can be popped in the fridge and eaten later
- an important receipt that you want to save
- some brochure or other piece of paper that you want to read later, but won't get around to for a while and will probably keep on carrying with you for a while (paper weighs a lot)
- your planner that you needed to take a look at anyway
- your overstuffed wallet (edit!)
- your phone that needs charging
- shoes (need to be aired)
- random tissues or handkerchiefs
- a water bottle that needs to be rinsed out
and much, much more.

I hope you feel abundance next time you have the energy to give your bag the once over (I'm not saying empty your bag completely and shake it out every night, a once over is enough). The feeling of abundance - if not immediately as you're unpacking the bag (old plastic wrapper from some sandwiches, nice), then the morning after, when you pick up your bag on your way out the door and feel that you did something seemingly small, but important, for yourself.

Here are two things that I also often carry with me: this, and this. I read in a glossy ladies' magazine that some women carry hard-boiled eggs in their purses for the perfect power snack on the go. I have yet to try this. I am fascinated (a hard-boiled egg in your handbag, really? A quick snack between those meetings? Almost the same as whipping out an apple, yeah?), but I am not saying no.

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Day 28: Stress Busters

What often gets in the way of feeling abundance? Thoughts that stress us out. Today, I'll tell you about two things that help me stress less, smile more:

1. "Un-dramatize!" This is something I learned from a very wise teacher. ("Avdramatisera" in Swedish.) Un-dramatize means don't give whatever is stressing you out so much power. Un-dramatize is the fastest way to help yourself feel calmer almost right that instant.
I usually say to myself (can't remember which book I got this from, M.J.Ryan, probably) - "millions of people in the world right now are experiencing this/going through this. You'll be fine."
Example: you're late for something for some reason, and you start to spin around and stress out. Un-dramatize! So, you're a little late. Millions of people in the world are late, we're human, that's life. You'll be just fine. And just like that, you can act more calmly, have your wits about you, and maybe even make it on time.

2. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I'll remember to think of some funny, talented people when I'm stressed out. I cannot simultaneously think of Will Ferrell and be stressed out. I just start to smile. The same goes for Owen Wilson (I love his work in "You, Me and Dupree").

I'll end with one of my favorite quotes from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy:

"I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal. (...) I have many leather-bound books, and my apartment smells of rich mahogany." 

Don't you feel better already?

Photo sources: 1, 2, 3. ´

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Day 27: Some Very Neat Feelings

Welcome to Day 27 of 31 Days to More Abundance! To read all the posts in this series, head here. Today's post was first published on September 28, 2013. For this post, I'm adding one new neat feeling at the end of this list, a feeling that makes me feel abundance in that way when you almost feel relief and well-being course through you whole body. Enjoy!

1. Settling in for a long drive
2. When you pick up your face cream and the jar feels heavy (=won't need to get a new one for a while)
3. Seeing that one of your favorite bloggers has posted again
4. Finding one more of something you thought you were out of
5. Putting on brand new dish-washing gloves
6. When you need to wrap a present in a hurry and you find you have everything you need on hand, and it's pretty
7. Seeing a bee gather honey from something you've planted

8. Being on time, a little early even
9. When your favorite magazine comes in the mail, and you discover that it's really thick this time
10. Slipping into clean sheets
11. When you recognize a moment that calls for kindness, and you choose to be kind
12. When you're in for the night

Happy Autumn!

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!

Day 26: Craftsmanship

Craftsmanship and the feeling of abundance go hand in hand for me. Earlier this fall, I had the pleasure of experiencing not one, but two types of craftsmanship in one day.

I did not know that there is a Latvian company that builds such luxurious beds and headboards (see below) right there in Latvia. I'm glad I happened to visit the store and showroom of Nakts Mēbeles, and even happier about the fact that I got to learn a bit more about the materials and how the beds are made, and that there is an actual old factory restored that's in use today. I loved the hot cocoa color of this headboard:

and the texture of the fabric was so cozy.

Very neat details, and I also loved 

this gallery wall (below) with the company history in photographs. I love the browns and the creams, and the gold here.

I am fascinated by people who are experts at something, people who are passionate about their thing, people who put in the time. It was therefore a pleasure to meet Žanis Raivo Behmanis, the sous-chef of the restaurant Kuk Buk, the creator of this:

My friend and I were presented with this "compliments from the chef" dessert tasting menu. I was very excited and so happy that someone would take the time to create something so beautiful. My friend said that a tasting menu like this would be an excellent ice-breaker for first dates, and I agree - there's nothing like bonding over a new experience, nothing like exploring all these tastes on one plate. I loved that the overall dessert theme was so Nordic early autumn:

we were treated to beetroot mousse made with cottage cheese and served with lingonberry chutney (above), pumpkin cream, a truffle brownie, meringue and a smoked apple jam.  And why not decorate with baby salads? Pretty and delicious. There were also raspberries and blueberries, the whole plate was a wonderful surprise, but the best part was getting to meet the chef and talking to him briefly about what's cooking now and in the future.

For another lovely combination, take a look at this chocolate-basil cake.

New here? Happy to see you! You can read all the posts in this 31 day series here.

Note: This is not a sponsored post.

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!