i love to cook. my goal for each meal is try and maintain some kind of seasonal logic to the ingredients. we eat lots of root veggies in the fall and winter, but no lettuces for us during the cooler months. instead i stock up on various squashes, potatoes, cabbage, carrots and onions. there are so many different ways to prepare the simplest ingredients, like potatoes, which people dismiss as bland, fattening or a useless starchy thing. potatoes are in fact quite healthy and important to your health; like fiber they can even offer protection against colon cancer. oh, sweet potato! my favourite winter foods to make are various soups and stews. 

red cabbage, empire apple and tomato salad.

locally grown garlic with flecks of last summers soil still on it. yum!

fresh, locally prepared ready-made pizza dough for only $1.89!

i also consider where the food was grown or produced when doing my shopping. i try to buy close to home, because i want to try and leave a smaller foot print. in the summer months we shop at local markets or try to grow our own veggies. for us organic often means it is not local, but luckily, we have a dairy that is fairly close to home and they make organic dairy products. eating lots of dairy is a huge part of the finnish kitchen and something i love and bring to our family’s traditions. recently i have switched from skim products to full fat, as dairy fat is not bad for us. just google it and you’ll see. 

bear has a healthy appetite. grrrr.

tofu and veggie stew.

lion devours hummus on local rye bread.

now that spring is in the air and the snow is almost gone, dear hubby and i are making big plans for our garden. last year we produced very minimally as i was VERY pregnant and it was bloody hot! this year dear hubby is especially excited as he read “square foot gardening” by mel bartholomew. we have limited sun in our backyard, which makes it ideal for playing in, but tricky to grow stuff in, so we have plans to remove a few patio stones next to the house and build a small veggie garden. i want to try and utilize vertical space as well as the horizontal land area. bear was thrilled last summer with the minimal gardening we did do, and i think this season he will be even more enthusiastic. oh, i can’t wait to dig my fingers into the cool earth and dig around planting various seeds and seedlings. 


and speaking of spring, here are some pictures to wet your palette…

~puddles~

chalk art. this is a snake.

umbrella’s.

feel free to share suggestions, recipes etc on the comments section.

pinaattiletut

these delicious little spinach crepes are a finnish staple and offered as part of the school lunch program. in finland children are provided with a hot, nutritious meal during the lunch hour as described here. i remember in primary school my friends and i would compete to see who could eat the most pinaattiletut; our teachers were thrilled! bear loves having these delights for dinner and i think one day he and lion will compete to see who will cram more into their bellies. pinaattiletut are traditionally served with puolukkahilloa (lingonberry jam), which luckily can be purchased at IKEA. 

and, what about that pan or lettupannu! my mom brought that heavy cast iron beast from our northern homeland and i just love it. reminds me of finland so much. this amazing pan is also great for cooking the perfect eggs for bagels!


*please let me know if you tried the recipe!