Weekly – Page 4 – Scandelights

My second week in Sweden!

Published on September 2, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The second week in Sweden by dear boyfriend came to visit. So on the Monday morning on my way to pick him up from the train from Copenhagen airport I stopped at Ikea to buy a few things. It was almost empty and a breeze to shop (i.e. the opposite of the Ikea shopping experience in the UK!).

After I had picked him up we drove into central Malmö and went for a nice walk in the sunshine to the west harbour, and afterwards we had lunch at Saluhallen, the foodhall. We shared a huge burger and a crab ravioli and neither of us could decide on what we wanted.

In the evening we had dinner with my parents. Starting with bubbly and parmesan biscuits, then barbecued chicken (so yummy!) with slaw, crispy potatoes and tzatsiki.

For pudding mamma had made crema catalana which we enjoyed with berries.

The following day we had some friends coming for fika, and so to avoid a sugar overload we started with a savoury quiche and salad and then had a lovely apple and blueberry cake with vanilla and blueberry ice cream to finish. We played a bit with the children in the garden and had a lovely time catching up!

In the evening we bought pizzas and had a very chilled night in watching a Swedish sing-along show (!) and a good documentary.

The following day we had a morning swim in the sea and then started prepping for our little dinner party that evening.

As a starter we had melon and prosciutto as well as a caprese salad and for the main course we had shrimp rolls, skin-on oven fries and a nice salad. For pudding I had made lemon posset that I served with whipped cream, apricots from the garden and blueberries. Such a lovely evening!

Thursday my boyfriend played golf with my best friend’s husband and his dad most of the day so I met up with a childhood friend in the morning.

We played on the beach with his children until suddenly a rain storm drew in, so we took refuge at a nearby restaurant that was just opening for lunch. As we had finished eating the dark clouds disappeared and we could go outside for a nice walk in the sun and an ice cream. After I had said goodbye to them I quickly went to the supermarket and stocked up for dinner that evening and then met up with my best friend Emma for a glass of wine while I was prepping dinner and we waited for the golfers to come back.

To make it easier with my goddaughter’s bed time we had our started – the much loved bruschetta bar – before she went to bed, and the rest of the dinner after.

So while my friends put her to bed I finished cooking the pasta carbonara with girolles and for pudding we had a lovely frozen daim cheesecake. It was one of those lovely evenings where you forget about time and just sit there chatting, laughing and sipping wine until you suddenly realise it’s late and we should all go to bed.

We stayed over so the next morning I got to play with my goddaughter some more before we went back to the summer house. As it was my boyfriend’s last day in Sweden we made the most of the afternoon with a little outing to Smygehuk (the southernmost point in Sweden) where we had delicious (and huge!) prawn sandwiches, then went for a little walk and finished off with an ice cream before we went back home to pack.

After I had dropped him off at the train to the airport I had a very simple supper with my parents; grilled hotdogs! We were still full from the prawn sandwiches so didn’t want a full-on dinner so sausages were perfect!

On the Saturday I did some sunbathing before we went home to our other house to pick a few things up and get a few things done. In the evening my parents and I had a little mini crayfish party, as we all love seafood and especially crayfish at this time of year. First we had a girolle toast, then the Swedish crayfish with bread and cheese and aquavit!

The next day (my last in Sweden, sob…) mamma and I went to a flea market where I bought some bouillon bowls and plates (I’m such a crockery addict!).

Then I packed my bags while mamma and pappa organised fika for my best friend and her family, so I could see them one last time before I left. We had Danish open-faced sandwiches with prawns and brussels pate respectively and a chewy toffee cake with lightly whipped cream afterwards. It was a short fika but lovely seeing my friends and god daughter once more.

The journey back to London was easy, so I hung out in the lounge a bit before my flight, enjoying a light supper of smoked salmon and potato salad before I boarded, already missing Sweden. Thank you for two lovely weeks! ❤️

First week in Sweden!

Published on August 28, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The last week in July I was on holiday in Sweden. On the Monday morning I flew to Copenhagen where mamma and pappa waited for me with (quite literally) open arms and brought me and my heavy bags to our summer house.

We started with fika. Mamma’s homemade bread rolls, Swedish cheese and the best prawn mayonnaise ever. And a Swedish ice cream to finish.

After I unpacked mamma and I went down to the beach to check it out and soon after it was time for fika number two, with cinnamon buns this time.

In the evening we packed a little basket with champagne flutes, a cold bottle of Champagne and some crisps and went down to the beach and enjoyed it on the sand dunes. It was just so wonderful and in that moment I definitely felt like I was on holiday!

When the bottle was empty we went back up to the house and had shrimp rolls with skin-on oven fries for dinner and for strawberries and cream for pudding. It felt so lovely being back home!

The next day I had about 30 minutes in the sun before I needed to get ready for an afternoon with friends. My best friend and her family were hosting and we had such a nice time relaxing in the garden and eating barbecued burgers and Nutella semifreddo.

On the Wednesday we had our annual family meet up with a few cousins and aunt. It was so nice to catch up, eat lovely food and enjoy each other’s company.

In the evening I introduced my parents to the bruschetta bar and as expected it was a great success!

The next day it rained a lot so I couldn’t sunbathe as I had planned. Instead mamma, pappa and I went on a little road trip to Österlen.

We stopped at a few beaches, had ice cream, stopped at a harbour, went to a few shops and finished our day with pizzas at Kronovalls Slott. Such a lovely day!

On the Friday the weather was lovely again and I had lunch with friends at my favourite café in Höllviken, Märtas, eating my usual prawn sandwich.

Afterwards we went for a walk, had an ice cream and walked some more.

Then it was time for a dinner party at my friends’ house. There were a group of us and plenty of children so we had a drink outside by the swings while the children were playing before we sat down for dinner. Such a lovely day and evening catching up with dear friends!

The weather was lovely on Saturday too, which was perfect four a trip to Copenhagen with Maria and Daniel. I love our little tradition so much! We don’t really plan ahead (because in Copenhagen you don’t need to!) but still manage to eat great food, experience new things and we have a jolly good time doing it all!

This time we had lunch at 108, then more lunch at Torvehallerne, ate ice cream and finished it all off with a late dinner at Bæst, which we loved last year! In between meals we explored the city and did some shopping. A perfect day!

Sunday was one of (very) few unplanned days so I sunbathed a little; first in the garden and later on the beach with mamma and in the evening some friends came for dinner. We started with G&T’s and the best parmesan biscuits ever, followed by barbecued pork fillet, crispy potatoes, tzatsiki and a tomato salad. For pudding we had elderflower parfait and berries. Such a lovely end to my first week in Sweden!

Birthday week!

Published on August 19, 2019 by Hanna2 Comments

July’s fourth week started as usual with work, of course, and in the evening lots of prep for a little party the following day. I made a huge batch of crostini and a square chocolate cake.

The next day I had to go down to The New Forest for work, and when I got back home I quickly assembled the food for the evening on platters, and together with the first guest we carried it all upstairs to the roof terrace.

We had olives, crisps and dips and lots of crostini and toppings (more on this in a separate post), prosecco and rosé.

The sun was shining and the night was worm and it was so lovely to catch up with a few of my girl friends before heading off on holiday while also celebrating my birthday a little. I hesitated on organising something this year because the last week before holiday is hectic enough anyway. But I’m glad I did as we had such a lovely evening!

When I brought out the cake with ‘Happy birthday’ candles the girls first thought I was lighting candles for myself, but no, instead they were for my friend Gaby (her birthday is two days after mine and in the same week) to blow out (although the wind sort of did this for her!).

When the roof terrace closed we all squeezed into the same lift with food platters and baskets with glasses etc and I couldn’t resist taking a selfie as we giggled all the way down to my floor. Where we finished the party in the living room (which was almost too warm!) drinking a last little glass of rosé.

The next day the heatwave continued, and got a little worse, so after doing errands in the afternoon I headed up to the rooftop to relax after work.

Oh, how I love this terrace! The view is incredible despite the taller buildings surrounding it, and on a hot day the breeze and the fresh air (far away from the polluted streets below) is so refreshing.

As the weather forecast had promised the heatwave culminated on my birthday, with a whopping 38,6 C – the highest temperature in the UK ever (or at least since measuring temperatures in the mid 1800s began). It was not just hot, but also humid and stifling at the same time. I’m a seasoned sun-worshipper and by a beach this temperature is lovely to me, but trying to work from home in a flat where the windows don’t open enough it was less enjoyable. So I took my water bottle filled with ice (that melted in a flash) and my laptop and worked from the roof. There wasn’t much shade to be had midday but it was still much nicer than indoors.

In the evening I took a taxi south for dinner, and as I was sitting there reading my book and enjoying the air con, the rain started. The sort of rain where the skies literally open and pour out buckets and buckets of water. I’m sure you can imagine the humid afterwards as it evaporated from the scorching streets.

For dinner I had plenty in advance booked us a table at The River Café, the iconic Italian London restaurant by the river, that I for some reason hadn’t visited yet, although it’s always been high on my list.

So it was a real treat to sit outside in a lovely breeze enjoying champagne and a lovely dinner with my handsome man while the sun was setting on the Thames.

The following day we treated ourselves to a cooked breakfast before work, and in the evening we drove to the countryside to spend the weekend there.

On arrival we drank rosé on the deck and I toasted two weeks of holiday starting right then and there!

For dinner we were served Coronation Chicken, this iconic dish invented for the Queen’s coronation. And although it contains yellow curry powder (which is not a favourite of mine), it was just a hint of it and really enjoyed the creamy chicken with a hint of fruity sweetness.

The next day we had a lie-in followed by a dip in the pool and in the evening we had steak and chips for dinner.

On the Sunday we helped out at the village fete, selling tea and cake to visitors. Unfortunately the weather had turned since earlier in the week and it was torrential rain and quite cold for summer, but luckily people came anyway and of course they all wanted tea and cake to warm up!

After the fete we had pizza for dinner before I caught the train back to London, but I also had time for some doggy cuddles – much needed after the cold downpour!

Monday drinks, pub party and a baby shower!

Published on August 13, 2019August 13, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The third week in July started with drinks! My food blogger colleague and friend Malin, from Malin’s Diner and her friend Jenny were in London for a few days. So on the Monday night we met up for drinks at Rooftop St James’s by Trafalgar Square, to enjoy some mojitos and the lovely view!

It was lovely to catch up and chat for a bit, but afterwards I went home to have an early night after a full-on weekend away.

On Tuesday I worked as usual and in the evening I made scrambled eggs for supper. I topped them with parmesan and served them with wilted spinach and fried courgette. Super simple but sooo yummy!

Wednesday I had another night in, but had store-bought mushroom ravioli with fried mushrooms and heaps of parmesan for dinner. A quick supper I eat fairly often when I want real (i.e. not processed or takeaway) but can’t be bothered to cook.

Thursday was very similar but I made rosti with creme fraîche, lumpfish roe and chopped red onions for supper. Another speedy weeknight favourite.

On Friday after work I quickly whipped up some cake bases before I went to Earlsfield for a friend’s 30th birthday celebrations.

It was a fun evening and I was clearly too busy chatting as the only picture I took was this one of my burger.

Saturday I woke early (for me) to get the cake ready for my friend Laura’s baby shower. I panicked slightly decorating it and although it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it too it looked quite cute and tasted lovely (always use tried and trusted cake recipes when attempting more advanced decorations, as that way at least you know the cake will taste good!).

It was a cosy Mummy-to-bee themed brunch in Wimbledon and afterwards we mooched around the shops for a bit before saying goodbye.

Sunday I had a long awaited LIE-IN and as I didn’t have any plans (that was my plan!) and needed to recharge I stayed in bed reading most of the day. What an utter luxury! In the evening I ordered sushi instead of cooking to really have a full day to myself without any chores or tasks. Heaven!

Cinema, nights in and a weekend in the country

Published on July 19, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

Last week was really nice! On Monday after work we had dinner (steak frites and affogato for me) at Sophie’s Steakhouse before we saw Yesterday at the cinema. It was the perfect summer feel good film! So cute and great music of course, but fairly predictable.

I was supposed to meet up with friends on Tuesday but it got cancelled so instead I had some leftovers from the weekend for dinner and watched Big Little Lies.

Wednesday I went down to The New Forest for work and had lunch in the sunshine. In the evening I had some more leftovers (so handy) for supper and chilled out with Chicago Med.

On Thursday I packed for the weekend and caught some sunshine on the roof terrace.

And on Friday I took the train north to spend the weekend in the countryside. Friday evening we had a cosy dinner and on Saturday there was a big party with people of all ages, games in the garden and a lovely lunch outside! In the evening we had a small dinner and on Sunday we slept in, had a nice breakfast and watched the Wimbledon final (so intense!!).

We went back to London in the evening. It was a full on weekend but it’s also very restorative to get away from London for a few days and breathe some country air!

Girls night, pub dinner and another concert!

Published on July 14, 2019July 14, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

I started last week with a terrible head cold, so apart from work I didn’t do much the first three days of the week. Monday I worked, heated a frozen pizza for dinner (oh, the glamour!) which I ate in bed in front of Chicago Med before going to bed early.

Tuesday I substituted the pizza for a Shake Shack delivery and on Wednesday I ordered a gyros, but otherwise the days were very similar.

By Thursday I finally felt well enough to leave the house in the evening and met up with my friend Laura for a burger and a catch-up which was SO lovely!

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Friday I did some work errands in the day (coincidentally the weather was lovely!) and in the evening we had dinner (calamari, steaks and fries) at the pub in the beer garden. So nice to sit outside and eat!

On Saturday we slept in and had eggs and pancetta for breakfast. Then we just chilled and watched some How I Met Your Mother before we got ready to go to yet another Wembley concert.

We wanted to get there early so as not to miss the bands we wanted to see and the concert started already in the afternoon. We really enjoyed Kaiser Chiefs, Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam and of course the main attraction – The Who! Such fun!

For dinner we got burgers as soon as they opened at 5pm, as everyone in our little group of four either already were, or were about to be, hangry. We had some drinks too and before The Who came on stage two of us got a Belgian waffle with chocolate sauce and ice cream to share. Yum! As the concert ended we left as soon as we good and as it was raining we walked as soon as we could to the tube station. So lucky not to have to queue like we have done in the past.

Sunday morning I had a lovely lie-in (while somebody else was playing golf), ate cold pizza for breakfast and read on the sofa with a face mask on. In the afternoon I went food shopping and later I cooked us a nice dinner of baked aubergine with tomato and mozzarella, creamy chicken thighs and roasted vegetables and salad. For pudding we had berries and lightly whipped cream. We also managed to book flights for a little trip in August!

Opera and a sunny weekend in Norfolk!

Published on July 3, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

Last week was great fun, but as usual I started the week quite calmly. On Monday I had Ocado deliver my food order and for dinner I just had an oven pizza. Not terribly exciting but I was so tired from all the concerts the week before.

I had another evening at home on Tuesday when I watched the latest episode of Big Little Lies and made a cheese toastie with pancetta for dinner. Another chilled night as I tried to get rid of my cold.

Wednesday it was nice weather and I went down to The New Forest for work. I had breakfast on the train down and lunch outside in the sunshine. The train was freezing as always but I came prepared with two large wraps despite the sunshine!

Thursday was also lovely and in the evening we went to Opera Holland Park to see Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera about Swedish king Gustav III and the masquerade ball, really enjoyed it! I didn’t have time to eat dinner before leaving work so I was very happy when I could have a big hotdog and camembert popcorn in the interval. Great dinner!

I cooked a lot more on the weekend though… We went up to Norfolk on Friday night and went straight to the beach for a sundowner.

Then back to the house to cook. We had a an elevated caprese salad as a starter, with buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, basil, tomatoes and rocket.

For the main course I barbecued pork fillet which had been marinated with lemon, garlic and herbs, a potato salad and parmesan crème.

We had pudding (strawberries and ice cream) inside as it got really cold in the evening, but still it was such a lovely evening first on the beach and then eating outside. And love a barbecue!

On Saturday we had breakfast in the garden before we went to the beach.

We had brought a picnic for lunch and as it was lovely and hot (30C) we even swam in the sea. Well, I didn’t really swim, but I did go in twice! The North Sea was cold but it was still really refreshing on such a hot day.

We lit the barbecue again in the evening, but not until we’d each had a nice shower and an ice cold gin and tonic.

Our starter was ham and melon (so simple but very summery!) and pan con tomate.

For our main course we had barbecued chicken (I spatchcocked a whole chicken and marinated it in a barbecue type sauce), with it we had sweet potato oven fries, Mexican corn salad and homemade mayo. So yummy!

For pudding we had strawberries and ice cream again while watching Stan Lee’s Lucky Man.

The weather was a bit cooler on Sunday so I stayed in resting and trying to get rid of my cold and read a book. For dinner we finished off all the leftovers before going back to London. It was such a lovely weekend it felt like a mini holiday! Much due to the gorgeous weather – more of that, please!

A week of concerts!

Published on June 26, 2019 by Hanna1 Comment

Last week started with grey skies and boring weather, but as Mondays are my least favourite day of the week the weather fit my mood quite well (and no, it’s not working I have a problem with – it’s the Monday morning alarm!). For dinner I had leftovers from Saturday’s tapas (one gets many portions out of an eight egg tortilla, I can tell you!), did some chores and watched the new episode of Big Little Lies. Then I went to bed early (before 10pm) as I needed to catch up on sleep after the concert the night before.

Tuesday was also grey and rainy (seriously, what happened to summer?) and I had another night in. I made a lovely salad with new potatoes, rocket, lardons and girolles for dinner, watched an episode of Tin Star (love it) and Madam Secretary before bed.

It rained all day Wednesday but it had stopped in the evening so I seized the moment and went for a walk along the Thames. About halfway on my walk it started raining again so I was rather soggy by the end of it, but still lovely to go outside, breathe fresh air and listen to a good podcast.

Thursday the weather wasn’t bad! It wasn’t that sunny but around 20C and no rain. I had chicken and potato salad for lunch and in the evening we went to Twickenham to see Metallica perform. It was a great concert and a real stage show with fire and flames – just what one would expect really! And they played lots of the old songs I like. The food and queues however were not to my liking, but all in all a great night!

We finally had nice weather on Friday (hurrah!) when it was time for another concert – Bon Jovi, supported by Manic Street Preachers! Jon Bon Jovi was even more charismatic on stage than I had imagined and he had so much energy! One could really see how much he loved being on stage performing, and it was so special seeing them perform live in front of a completely full Wembley Stadium. Pretty epic with a 90,000 people singalong!

Saturday we had a much needed lie-in, followed by a cooked breakfast and some chilling in the park. It was nice weather so we walked to St James’s Park near me, put down our hammam towels and just enjoyed the sun on our faces. For lunch we shared a toasted sandwich from the park café and had some homemade cookies we’d brought with us.

For an early dinner we had some pasta back at mine befor meeting up with friends and going to the third concert of the week – the legend Billy Joel! It was another amazing evening and such a treat to hear his classic songs like Piano Man and Uptown Girl live. I swear I had goosebumps!

I was pretty tired the next day, but we had a lazy morning and my dear boyfriend cooked me breakfast. As the weather was quote cloudy we stayed inside and watched the last episode of Billions in the afternoon. We also had some visitors calling and then we were off to Wembley yet again.

This time to see the Eagles, but Sheryl Crow opened for them. In between acts we had a quick dinner of burger and chicken and chips at one of the restaurants and then we sat down to enjoy our final concert of the week.

It was really great and of course everybody loved Hotel California. The stadium vibrated as they played the opening chords. So special to experience a song I grew up with like that! Afterwards we hung back to allow the crowds to dissipate before we left, celebrating our amazing week with a drink. It will definitely take a while to digest it all!

Nights in, lots of cooking and Fleetwood Mac concert!

Published on June 18, 2019June 18, 2019 by Hanna1 Comment

As I’m writing this I’m listening to Fleetwood Mac and reminiscing about Sunday’s lovely concert, but first things first – let’s start from the beginning.

Last Monday was a real write off, as I was ill in bed the whole day, either with a stomach virus but more likely food poisoning from the burger I had the night before. Luckily it was over quickly but takes its toll on you. I couldn’t do much at all, but Madam Secretary kept me company while I was just willing for my body to get better. In the evening I felt a little better and managed a shower which felt like a huge achievement (and the only thing I had accomplished that day) and late in the evening I felt well enough to eat again. And ordered pizza. Maybe not standard procedure but it worked for me. My body was screaming for carbs and fat and I ate it slowly. It worked and I felt so much better afterwards!

Tuesday morning I was still drained but could work from home and took it easy in general. Dinner was the leftover pizza from the night before.

Wednesday evening I made a simple supper of store-bought mushroom ravioli topped with fried mushrooms, heaps of parmesan and a little brown butter. So yummy and a perfect shortcut without compromising on quality.

On the Thursday I went to The New Forest for work. It rained (of course!) but seeing the semi wild animals always cheers me up!

Friday night we had a cosy night in, and it was lovely to see my boyfriend again after he’d been away on a trip. I made an easy three course meal for us which we drank with prosecco while chatting away. After dinner we watched Billions and US open.

On Saturday we had a cooked breakfast consisting of duck eggs (to change it up), toast, pancetta and orange juice. I spent most of the day in the kitchen baking and cooking.

In the evening we had lots of nice tapas, and watched the 3D film Gravity, which was super tense but also really good!

On Sunday we slept in, had another nice breakfast and then went round to my boyfriend’s sister and her family for a quick visit before we went back home to eat a late lunch (tapas leftovers) before heading to Wembley and the Fleetwood Mac concert! It was brilliant and we had such a nice time!

Nights in, gyros and cinema

Published on June 13, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

Last week wasn’t the best. But it started off well with eggs for breakfast (love a cooked breakfast on the Monday, it makes the weekend seem longer).

In the evening I stayed in, made myself a nice salad and garlic bread for dinner and watched Chernobyl, which is amazing and scary in equal measures. Highly recommend it!

On Tuesday I woke up with a terrible headache and it didn’t lift all day despite what I did. So I watched a film in bed (Frost/Nixon) and had an early night hoping sleep spilld help.

Unfortunately it didn’t go away, so I took it easy the following evenings too. Watched Sex and the City in bed and ordered gyros (have finally found a good place!). I did the exact same on Thursday night (even ordered the same food) but finally started to feel a bit better then so could also read How to Dress that I bought a while ago.

I finally felt better on Friday and ventured outside to get some fresh air and to go to the cinema. I saw Late Night with Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling, which was nice and lighthearted but still had a little depth.

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On Saturday I had a lie-in, read Vogue and really enjoyed just having time off, no plans and that I was feeling better. I did some errands and went to the cinema again, this time watching Booksmart, which was nice and entertaining!

I took it easy on Sunday too, as I felt my body needed some more rest. The last few weeks (maybe longer) has been quite full-on with weekends away and lots of plans and as I slowed down this week my body told me to stop. It’s just so annoying I got a terrible headache already after I had started to slow down, but maybe it was too little too late. Even though I find it really difficult to find that balance I do try and I’m slowly getting better at it, even though I often fail, but I used to push on even more so in a way I also have to be proud of how far I’ve come. I still have far to go, and achieving balance while living in a city like London with things to do all the time might be near impossible, but I’d still like to try.