CUPCAKES FOR LITTLE GIRLS

I had some nice young visitors at Gåsö. And little girls get easily bored so I decided to make cupcakes. Here are the final results with (from left) Hannah, Moa and Celina.

We made small ones, big ones, with icing and with butter cream. The raspberries and blueberries are wild ones all picked by the girls themselves for this occasion.

This is some of the ingredients we used. The cases are from www.kalasform.se.

 We made some with lemon rind and some with chocolate.

Here are the chocolate ones. This is what you need

 125 g flour (2 dl), 1,5 tsp baking powder, 125 g sugar (1,5 dl, 125 g butter (softened), 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla sugar, 2 tlbs milk. If you have a food processor just mix all the ingredients together till you get a fluffy dough. If not. Start by mixing the sugar and butter and whisk it until white and fluffy. Add one egg at the time and whisk them in in between. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Add some lemon rind or cocoa powder (4 tbls) if you wish. Put into cases and bake for 15-20 min at 200 degrees C.

The girls busy decorating the cupcakes.

Celina busy sampling the cakes!

Cupcake with butter cream. Mix 125 g soft butter with 240 g icing sugar (4 dl) and 2 tbls milk until it is white and fluffy. Twirl onto thw cakes and add some decorations. If you prefer icing,  mix icing sugar with water, add a tiny bit at the time and whisk until you have the right consistency. Colour and spoon onto to cakes and decorate with berries etc

Fwd: Studs @ Kurt Geiger, if I was 17 I would have these right away. Fantastic disco shoes. Love them. £120 @ Heathrow .

Ann-Katrin Berggren
Freelance Journalist and Interior Designer
Member of the Swedish Union of Journalists,
http://www.stylistgruppen.se, http://www.creativecampden.co.uk
http://www.livingwithankan.blogspot.com
chairman of CCTC,
www.chippingcampdentennis.co.uk
The Castle
Castle Gardens
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England
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Gåsö
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-----Original Message-----
From: Ankanberggren <ankanberggren@aol.com>
To: ankanberggren.gasosodra <ankanberggren.gasosodra@blogger.com>
Sent: Tue, Jul 17, 2012 1:06 pm
Subject: Studs @ Kurt Geiger, if I was 17 I would have these right
away. Fantastic disco shoes. Love them. £120 @ Heathrow .






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Studs @ Kurt Geiger, if I was 17 I would have these right away. Fantastic disco shoes. Love them. £120 @ Heathrow .

TWO WAYS OF CONSUMING STRAWBERRIES

Two different ways of consuming the lovely summer berries. Yesterday I did this salad for lunch. Fried Halloumi, sliced mushrooms,sliced strawberries,  chopped cherry tomatoes on a bed of salad and topped with fresh coriander and a garlic vinaigrette! Fresh and full of spicy notes.

Soon time for the traditional crayfish parties in Sweden, and with it the traditional snaps. Try this fruity variation. Or just enjoy it with a herring lunch or with some tonic as a drink. In a glass bottle mix sliced strawberries with lemon rind and a sprig of rosemary! Top up with vodka. Let it rest for at least a couple of hours. Freeze or chill before consuming! Refreshing and uplifting!

NEON AND MELLOW YELLOW FROM H/M AND TOPSHOT ETC

My colour this summer, is as you already know, neon yellow. Here the best nail varnish. Nail polish from H/M, "I am not a kiwi", Neon Yellow form BarryM/Topshop and "Sunshine" from Rimmel. Animal print scarf in black&yellow and pink and plastic bracelet from H/M. 
Get mellow yellow now!

http://skynetplus.it/dofpla.html?rak=jwposw

SALADS AND SIMPLE SUMMER LUNCHES

I often have a simple salad for lunch. Depending of what i have in the fridge it will dictate my lunch. Here, boiled eggs, broccoli, green beans and feta cheese on a bed of salad.

Green beans again, my favourite green, cucumber, celery, leak on a bed of rucola. Topped with a mint sprig and a dressing made from sunflower oil, french mustard, light brown moscovado sugar, salt and pepper. Fresh!

This has become a summer favourite. Cooked chicken, strawberries, tomatoes, rucola and basil. Serve with a garlic based vinaigrette.

Tomatoes, rocket, cauliflower and ham. Simples!

And finally. My personal Swedish lunch special. Crisp bread with boiled new potatoes and mustard herring. You can get the bread and the herring at Ikea and Waitrose!

BLACK IN THE GARDEN

My garden is turning blacker and blacker with white roses, Jasmin, a hint of blue and some traditional Swedish Geraniums, Mårbacka, in pale pink! The magnificent tulips this year, Queen of the Nigh, has already flowered. I got them at a very good price at Ikea, and I bought hundreds!

Just look how gorgeous they look in my contemporary black pots and outdoor furniture by John Reeves.

Japanese blackish plants mixed with tulips and white lavender. The glass bowl sculpture is by Björn Vingård/Skåne/Sweden. Not forgetting to mention the dry stone wall that we had made when we moved in just over six years ago.

The paved garden with its black furniture, plastic fantastic by Tomas Sandell for Ikea and John Reeves exquisite metal chairs and tables for Heals.

Petunias "Black Satin" a novelty two years ago. Now in my garden in these lovely pots by Arabia/Finland.

In the early spring my garden was yellow and black with these lovely Primroses.

At the front of the house, pots with black violas and the primroses that has now stopped flowering. But the violas has gone bananas and are reaching far out from the pot!

More violas and primroses.

Fantastic plant at Hampton Court Flower Show. Like a big peace lily in purple black, Tacca Amargii.

Finally, Black Poppy, also from Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Mixed with the white and blue, astonishing effect!

Serena made it and I was there to Greer her!

Wimbledon ladies finals now starting!

URBAN OASIS AT HAMPTON COURT PALACE FLOWER SHOW

Chris Beardshaw, famous gardener and TV-presenter designed the URBAN OASIS at Hampton Court which celebrated the community work of both the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) and Groundwork in a unique partnership aimed at getting local communities gardening and helping to transform their neighbourhood.  A result that felt realistic and with a garden that will be within economic reach for the communities around the country! Well done Chris. The garden was big so these pictures does not quite give it credit but you will get the idea! I will be back on Monday with some more inspiration from this lovely fair!

 

Just look what you can do to enclosed areas around houses with the help of hanging baskets and pots!

Create a centre point  with an open fire/barbecue with a social seating area close to you!

Use boring walls and let talented young artists design the walls and create this exciting contrast between urban landscape and a lovely garden!

more Hampton Court Palace tomorrow with Urban Oasis etc...

URBAN OASIS more tomorrow!

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2012

This years Hampton Court Flower Show was even more into communal and urban gardens. Reuse, recover and recycle again, and stronger than ever! Here one of the small gardens that shows what you can achieve with vintage and recycling and handmade! Lovely!
This year was also an international year, perhaps due to the Olympics with gardens from all over the world from Switzerland to Jordan.

Just see what you can make out of some old teacups!

The outdoor area at this community garden and shop!

Ecover is one of the big sponsors of this show this year and they are introducing some new product and flavours. Also making it obvious that the bottles are made out of sugar cane and are recyclable!

Inspired by the London riots last year and graffiti this garden gets your mind going. Urban gardens and the use of the graffiti when at its best. More of that, thank you very much. I recently went to a graffiti exhibition at the Kulturhuset in Stockholm. They should have done their research a bit better!

Having your own hens have become very popular. Here some Gypsy inspired hen houses for your fresh eggs.

Best in show went to this unusual garden, Bridge over Troubles water, set like a bridge over a tiny river with pinks, whites and greens. Thoughtful!

Back to one of my favourite gardens. The little and Communal garden with a kitchen and shop area taking us back to the 50-is. Comforting.

More of the Communal garden, recycle is the word.

The Badgers Beer Garden. When can we build and open it! Would suit my hometown of Chipping Campden (The Cotswolds in England). Just look at how they have used and recycles the bottles.

A lot of unusual ways of gardening was shown. Just look at these lovely animals, from the Loch Ness Monster to cuddly dogs.

The Italian Job! Graphic and architectural! Blues and whites, somehow it made me think more of Greece!

The Jordan garden. They do not have many plants in this country but the garden was calm and peaceful and full of space.

Just a still life to highlight that simplicity is more. An old wooden box, a jug and a peony. Do you need more?

I will definitely copy this way of growing your own salads, herbs and flowers. Stilt the growing boxes up! No slugs or caterpillars, hopefully. The deer's will unfortunately still get to them!

This was my favourite garden, and I just heard it got Gold!

 Also the 

cheapest garden at this show. It only cost £7.000 altogether. Designed by a Turkish girl living in the UK you can see the Mediterranean influence.

Another cheap garden with lovely sunny walls. No need for sun to get burning!

 Finally the scarecrows made by local schools. Andy Murray now in the semifinals at Wimbledon!