Weekly – Page 5 – Scandelights

Dinner out, nights in and a weekend in the country!

Published on May 23, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

Last Monday was a regular work day. Monday is definitely not my favourite day of the week but this one was made better with burrata left overs for lunch.

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For dinner I made an omelette with ham, cheese and mushroom. Such a great way to clear out the fridge and get a healthy supper at the same time!

The rest of the evening I took it easy reading the book club book.

Tuesday was a busy work day and I had to run for my dinner date with my friend Lotta visiting from Sweden. We had a lovely catch up at Temper Covent Garden and we sat outside even though it was a bit cold. So Swedish of us, haha.

Wednesday evening I took it easy at home and read Reese Witherspoons book Whiskey in a Teacup. Such a sweet book!

The next day I packed for the weekend, had a poke bowl for dinner and I got completely hooked on Station 19 (a spin-off to Greys Anatomy that I discovered that night). Love easy watching series!

On Friday we ordered pizza from our favourite Franco Manca before we drove north to Northamptonshire. On Saturday we did a lot of gardening during the day and in the evening we were invited to a dinner party.

Sunday we did some more gardening and then sat in front of the fire in the evening before driving back to London late in the evening to avoid the worst of the traffic.

Short week, cinema and Sunday roast

Published on May 21, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

I love short work weeks! Last week was short because of the early May bank holiday. And it was so nice to have an extra day in Northamptonshire. In the evening I made spaghetti carbonara for dinner before going back to London late that evening.

Tuesday was a regular work day and in the evening I just took it easy at home. the next evening I met up with friends and ex colleagues for drinks, snacks and a catch up.

On the Thursday I worked in the New Forest all day and was too tired to cook when I got home so ordered takeaway for dinner.

The Friday was also chilled out; after work I made broccoli cheese for dinner and then I went to the cinema (haven’t been for ages) and saw Long Shot.

On the Saturday I had a lovely lie-in, did some chores at home and stayed in all day because it was raining so hard. The weather got better in the evening so I went up to the roof terrace to get some air. I had cheese and charcuterie for dinner and had a TV night. First I watched one episode of Tin Star (it’s sooo good but very intense) followed by Darkest Hour.

On Sunday the weather was better so we had a Sunday roast and rosé at a cosy pub before hitting the driving range. In the evening I cooked supper and we caught up on Billions (love that series!).

Brunswick House and a long weekend in Northamptonshire

Published on May 17, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The end of April, beginning of May the weather was all sorts again. But we’ll persevere and hope summer is around the corner.

The Monday that week was a typical Monday with work and a quiet night in. The fridge was still empty (apart from all the Swedish food I brought back but sadly I couldn’t make up a supper from cinnamon buns, cheese and fish roe) so I ordered a poke bowl. If I don’t order a burger I usually order this, as it’s something I would cook myself when I have the ingredients.

On Tuesday we went up to the roof terrace of my building for a gin and tonic while watching the sun set over London. Afterwards we walked over the river to dinner at beautiful Brunswick House. We had the house cured pancetta and bread to start followed by the gorgeous côte de boeuf to share.

Wednesday evening I packed by weekend bag again while watching The Rookie. I’m quite liking this new Nathan Fillion series. The next evening we drove north to Northamptonshire where we had a nice dinner of steak and dauphinoise potatoes on arrival.

I worked remotely on the Friday (which made the weekend – because it was a bank holiday weekend – seem really long!) and in the evening we drove to Market Harborough to have a look around and we found this chocolatier with the most amazing hot chocolate, I will tell you more about later. In the evening I made potato salad with asparagus and wild garlic pesto that we ate with grilled chicken.

Saturday we did some gardening (we were here to help with that!) and I made asparagus with hollandaise sauce followed by lamb shank with potato mash and peas for dinner, which we ate in front of the fire and afterwards we watched The Greatest Showman.

We did more gardening on the Sunday and in the evening we went out for dinner but it wasn’t very good so I didn’t take a single picture (!). We still had a lovely evening and watched Billions and drank wine when we got back.

Norfolk, takeaway and a long weekend in Sweden!

Published on May 15, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

We were still in Norfolk on the Easter Monday. We went to the beach in the morning with the children and played in the sand. I even dipped my toes in the water but it was seriously cold! Afterwards we all had lunch together at the golf club before breaking up for the weekend.

We stayed the whole day though, going to Sandringham, the Queen’s private residence, in the afternoon. It’s open to the public when the Queen isn’t there (she usually spends the winter months around Christmas there) and I was so happy to finally go. It’s been on my hit list for quite a while. And we really enjoyed our visit to the house, the museum and the lovely park and gardens. We even had time to peek into the church on the estate on the way home.

Back in the house we packed our bags and emptied the fridge and made my best to use up as many leftovers as possible in a toasted sandwich I made us for supper. It had chicken, wild garlic mayo, Philadelphia, cheddar and parmesan in it and was topped with a fried egg. It turned out really great actually and perfect food before a long drive home.

Tuesday was a regular work day for me and in the evening I packed my bags once again, to go home to Sweden the following evening. As I was only home in London for a night I had a takeaway from Bleecker for supper.

After work on Wednesday I flew home to Copenhagen (and then went across the bridge to Sweden). My parents and I had a late night cup of tea catching up before going to bed – a little tradition of ours. So cosy!

The next morning I had a lie in and just enjoyed having a day off at home with my parents. Mamma and I went shopping in a few nearby shops and bought nice local charcuterie for dinner. Afterwards we had grilled steaks and asparagus with roasted Amandine potatoes and homemade bearnaise sauce. Love dinners like that at home!

On the Friday i had my hair cut and afterwards I had my favourite soft serve ice cream with daim sprinkles in the sunshine. For dinner I made roasted chicken with roast vegetables, a Greek-ish salad and tzatziki – proper summer food!

Om Saturday we drove to the summer house and harvested three (!) asparagus spears that we had for dinner that day together with store-bought asparagus and hollandaise sauce, oysters au gratin and smoked and regular prawns with homemade mayonnaise and wild garlic bread.

Sunday we had an impromptu photo shoot (you’ll see the result soon!) and I made chocolate covered meringue buns for dad because he likes them so much and they seemed fun to make! For dinner (before heading to the airport) we had mamma’s homemade meatballs (i.e. the best in the world!) with boiled potatoes, creamy gravy, pickled cucumber and lingonberry jam. Loved being home for a few days just spending time with the family! Need to do that more.

New Forest, cooking and Easter in Norfolk

Published on May 13, 2019 by Hanna1 Comment

Our girlie weekend ended on the Monday morning when Therèse went back home to Sweden and I went to the New Forest with work (and had a nice breakfast with my favourite sandwich on the train: baguette with salami and wild garlic mayo!) where I stayed the night to be as efficient as possible.

It was good weather and the animals roaming free always put a smile on my face.

Tuesday evening I got back to London, ordered a poke bowl for supper and had some Swedish chocolate for pudding as I watched Grey’s Anatomy before going to bed early.

On Wednesday I packed my bags once again, to go to Norfolk for Easter. And I really got into the cooking groove as I made a two course dinner for myself, just because I felt like it. Wild garlic soup to start followed by mac ‘n cheese. Yum!

Thursday I did some errands and worked until I was sitting on the train north. Most of my carriage was party central so I plugged in my headphones and listened to podcasts instead. For dinner we had spaghetti bolognese and a lovely glass of wine. (Much needed after that train journey!)

The following morning I was woken up by my boyfriend’s cute nieces who wanted me to come with them to soft play (which was really fun but also felt like a proper workout – lots of running around!). Afterwards I had lunch at the golf club and a nice walk on the beach before we did some food shopping and prepared dinner that I cooked for everyone.

We had asparagus with wild garlic mayo and parmesan, lemon and thyme chicken with roasted new potatoes and jus and dulce de leech cheesecake with whipped cream and raspberries for pudding.

We had a nice little lie-in on the Saturday and had breakfast outside in the sunshine before I had my first ever golf lesson followed by lunch at the golf club (once again).

After lunch I walked around the whole course while the others were playing and in the evening we all went out for dinner at a cosy pub.

On Easter Sunday we all went to church in the morning, then the children had their Easter egg hunt when we came back and after that we did presents and brunch in the garden.

In the afternoon I decorated some Easter cookies with the girls, using pastel coloured icing and sprinkles. Great fun for them, and me!

In the evening we had roast lamb with perfect roast potatoes, vegetables and jus. Such a lovely evening!

Girlie weekend, amazing sushi and afternoon tea!

Published on May 3, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

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I was quite tired in the beginning of the second week in April, so after work on Monday and Tuesday I just stayed in, watched Grey’s Anatomy and went to bed early.

But on the Wednesday I had more energy, so I did some errands for work and myself. Couldn’t resist going into Whole Foods to buy Easter eggs when I was nearby.

In the evening I made cookie dough so it could chill in the fridge over night.

The next day I baked them so Therése, a dear friend from home visiting for the weekend, could have freshly baked cookies – that’s when they’re the best!

In the evening we went out for tapas at Rambla…

…and afterwards we had a drink at Dean Street Townhouse nearby.

While Therése went shopping on the Friday I worked all day and so a night in seemed appropriate. For dinner we had small plates such as rösti with creme fraiche, red onions and bleak roe.

And baked camembert with saucisson, pears and baguette to dip.

As well as British asparagus, wild garlic mayo and calamari. Yum!

On the Saturday we went shopping in Covent Garden, and enjoyed all the spring flowers!

For lunch we had yummy burgers at Shake Shack (Therése’s first!) and afterwards we changed location and moved towards Oxford Street for some more shopping.

After a quick change of clothes we went out for sushi, which we both love, and we had such a lovely dinner I can’t wait to tell you all about it in a review soon!

After a sturdy breakfast of scrambled eggs and pancetta on the Sunday morning we went to V&A to see the amazing Dior exhibition. I have been before but it was wonderful seeing it a second time too!

Afterwards we went for a lovely afternoon tea (that I also want to tell you all about in a proper review!) and felt thoroughly spoilt! On our way home we popped into Liberty because I wanted to show Therèse this wonderful department store!

Back home I made dinner; this open crab lasagne I blogged about earlier this week, and a side salad to balance out all the rich food we had at the weekend. It was so much fun having my dear childhood friend here for what felt like a long sleepover, just filled with more shopping and eating out than we were little. SO MUCH FUN!

The return of the meatloaf, a trip to the countryside and the boat race

Published on April 29, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

Monday, sunshine and a lunch meeting in the park with a sandwich! Not a bad start to my week a few weeks ago.

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Afterwards I walked by the Thames and felt so happy spring had finally come back. Just love this time of year (minus the pollen) this time of year!

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In the evening I heated up a piece of aubergine lasagne from the freezer and felt very smug I didn’t reach for a takeaway. Utilising the freezer is the best!

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On the Tuesday I made the best meatloaf ever. I haven’t made it for years but got a sudden craving and it’s AMAZING! Will definitely make it soon again as it wasn’t just me who liked it! Post dinner we watched the first episode of Billions, that I had been dying to watch but had to wait a week for a certain someone to come back from a skiing holiday. Loving this new series!!

Wednesday evening I just took it easy at home and packed my bag for a little work trip.

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Thursday I went down to the New Forest for work and obviously made sure to go for a walk and take in the countryside as well.

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I had dinner at The Master Builder’s and really enjoyed my local asparagus and whole crab. Plus it was a really cosy setting with rustic wooden tables and a roaring fire.

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Friday was an intense work day that finished with a meeting back in London. In the evening we stayed in and I made carbonara. The best Friday meal with a glass (or two) of red wine!

Saturday we woke up late and a scrambled eggs for breakfast. I thoroughly enjoy the weekends where I don’t have to set an alarm!

In the afternoon we went for a lovely little walk checking out the ducks and swans and just enjoying being outside!

And then we went to the driving range… Not my comfort zone at all but tried to be a good sport (haha) and hit a few balls. Suddenly it was quite late so we ordered burgers for dinner. So good!

Sunday and another lie-in followed by another cooked breakfast. Heaven!

Then we met up with friends for lunch at a new to me vegetarian restaurant that was really good (and child friendly). Review to come!

Afterwards we joined the crowds for the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race and had a great time cheering, chatting and drinking rosé in the rain (it’s England after all).

Girl’s night, book club and an al fresco luncheon

Published on April 17, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

Sorry for the radio silence… It’s been non-stop lately but as I have a little time now I’m posting this weekly from late March, so let’s rewind until then.

The Monday was a sociable one for me (which is not my usual), with a girlie dinner at home.

I made prawn cocktail in lettuce leaves to start, then we had chicken satay with jasmine rice and a cucumber salad for mains and chocolate pots (or pudding as I found out it’s called in the US as well). It was such a lovely night catching up with dear friends!

Tuesday and Wednesday I took it easy in the evenings, but one of those nights I had the first asparagus of the season. With hollandaise sauce. So yummy!

Thursday night was book club night and Mary-Lou had made her own delicious pho for us! Really lovely evening!

Friday night I was really tired and didn’t feel well so ordered Shake Shack (love that I can now do that!!) and watched easy series like Grey’s Anatomy and The Rookie.

Saturday I met up with a friend visiting from New York for lunch. It was a beautifully sunny day so we sat outside in the sunshine at Daylesford Organic and had a lovely afternoon.

Afterwards I raced home, changed clothes and went to a friend’s birthday party. As always the nibble game was on point and as usual I had too much cheese!

Sunday was also a lovely day, but a little colder, so venture out for lunch and tried Market Halls by Victoria. Such a nice (but loud!) place.

Steak, surprise party and SPRING!

Published on April 4, 2019April 4, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

The week before last started with a quit day. Just work, and an early night at home.

On the Tuesday I had some work errands and as it was nice weather I put my trenchcoat on and enjoyed the sunshine as I went from place to place. In the evening I made fried halloumi with potato wedges, roasted peppers and red onions and tzatsiki for dinner. Love this kind of easy cooking on a weekday! And it’s SO yummy!

The next evening I met up with two girl friends for steak and a catchup at Hawksmoor. We had such a lovely evening drinking wine, eating steak and chatting away.

On the Thursday I went away with work for the day, but was all shaky and sweaty (very unlike me!) by the time I got to the train station, but luckily some paracetamol helped. But the day felt really long because of the travelling so when I got back to London we ordered burgers for takeaway and watched the first episode of the new series of Billions. Love this series so much!

More errands on Friday but I still felt a bit shaky so took it easy in the evening. And most of Saturday too, but in the evening I put some heels on and went to a friend’s really fun surprise birthday party!

On the Sunday I slept in and met a friend for a late lunch. It was sunny and although not warm the weather was still nice, so I put my trench and new sneakers on because SPRING! Obviously I got a nasty blister that took over a week to heal, but still…

Not the best week but a great weekend!

Published on March 27, 2019 by HannaLeave a comment

Is it spring now?! The calendar says so but not sure the weather gods got the memo. I’ve been longing for spring for so long now, it seems strange that it’s arrived. But I’m really enjoying the lighter evenings and no longer freezing (just cold!) temperatures. I even dared to put on a trench coat a few times.

But I’m really behind on telling you what else I’ve been up to, so let’s get started.

Week before last. Aaand go!

Well, it wasn’t the best week. I had a nice and relaxing Monday night (which is my preferred way – Mondays are hard anyway). But then on the Tuesday I didn’t feel very well and had to cancel my plans.

Same on the Wednesday. I had so little energy I ordered takeaway for dinner. Grateful for healthy options as I wasn’t craving burgers or pizza, so a poke bowl was the perfect supper!

Thursday I was a bit better but took it easy so I could enjoy the weekend. Friday was one of those days when it felt like the world (or London – which IS my world) was against me. It was incredibly windy and cold, lots of street were closed for road works or Brexit demonstrations (they all seem to blur into one) and no buses to be seen. So I took a taxi to my meeting the looong way around but luckily was on time. On the way back I thought I’d be good and walked to the bus stop. Where I and lots of other people waited and waited for buses that never arrived. Whitehall was empty (surreal) and the cab I hailed to get me home just breezed through. But after that excursion I was cold and tired and really windswept.

But I had just enough energy to cook a three course meal for us and a friend in the evening.

Crostini with smoked salmon spread to start, delizie alla romagnola for mains and chewy lemon cake for pudding. It was so nice with home cooked food after not feeling well all week and the others loved it too!

Saturday I had a lie-in and a chilled day. I read my book and feel asleep on the sofa but in the evening we went out for dinner to one of our (mine) favourite places for truffle pasta and other lovely food!

Sunday we slept in, had a cooked breakfast and went to visit friends in the afternoon. We played with Peppa Pig themed toys and in the evening after bed time we (the grownups) had pizza for dinner.

When we got home I made us hot cocoa with whipped cream and we watched another episode of Goliath. It’s still really good!

So to sum it up; pretty rubbish week but a lovely weekend!