Fall Fever: Norwegian Cinnamon Buns

Fall is here, I keep saying that.. fall is here! But in Norway, fall is really here! When im not busy cursing the cold (and I do spend a lot to time doing just that (if there are more of "me" out there I can recommend tank tops from SmartWool it washes like cotton but warms like wool, AMAZING and that statement is not even sponsored note to Smartwool, PLEASE sponsor me!!)) I am busy baking pastries and enjoying the harvest! Butternut squash, sweet potatoes and lam, YUM! (Food is basically one of my fav parts of any season, haha!) 

The best pastry by far is what we call "kanel boller" (cinnamon buns), but this isn't like the once you get in a can in the grocery store or at a fancy bakery, these are DEVINE! They are sweet without being too sweet and the cinnamon just gives it that warm fuzzy "I just spent an hour making a snowman and now I am snuggling in front of the fireplace with an Abercrombie model in offwhite RL cable knit " kind of feeling! I would call it perfection in pastry form! 

(I am sorry but I am using european terms to measure weight, volume and thickness, there are several online calculators that will convert it for you) 

You will need:

7dl Milk

1 1/2 pk of Yeast 

3dl Sugar

250g Butter

3ts Vanilla sugar

1 1/2 ts cardamom (its a spice, I am sure you can get it at bulkbarn)

2 eggs

Flour 

For the cinnamon buns you also need: extra sugar, butter and cinnamon. 

For the chocolate buns you also need: semi sweet chocolate-chips. 

Doug:

Melt the butter and add the milk to the pot to warm it (no boil) before you pour it in a mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and the eggs. Before you add the yeast make sure the temperature of the mixture is not warmer than your body temperature (you do that by dripping a drop of the milk on to your wrist. Its supposed to feel like its the same temperature, so not warm and not cold) stir in the yeast till it disolvs. Then you add the four, vanilla and cardamom. You want a doug that doesnt stick to the sides of the bowl, but the key is to add just enough flour so that it kneads easily but not more, you really want to add as little as possible while still being able to work with the doug. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it raise somewhere thats warm. I normally put mine in a corner in the bathroom floor since my floors there are heated! (Isnt heated bathroom floors the best??) 

Next step:

Divide your dough in 4 equal parts. Add some flour to the work surface and roll your doug out to form a rectangle about 1cm thick. Spread on a layer of melted butter, sprinkle the sugar (dont hold back) and cinnamon over. Fold 1/3rd of your rectangle over the center, then repeat on the other side. 

Cut the dough in 4 cm pieces. Pick up a pice, twist it a few times around and form a circle with it on your baking paper. (It was literally impossible for me to take a picture of myself doing this to show you, sorry but its super easy) Keep doing this to all your pieces. 

Let them raise for another 20 min before you cook them in the center of the oven on 225C for 10-12 min. 

Trust me, this will be the best thing you bake this fall, no doubt! 

I had extra dough, and these "boller" (buns) with chocolat chips are so delish so I just had to make a few.You use the same doug but you add some chocolate chips before you roll them out. 

I really hope you guys love these as much as I do, cause to me its an on going addiction! 

Let me know, k?

Business Cards

SOO I have completely forgotten to show you my new business cards! How cute are they??

DIY Inspiration: Madewell T

Did you notice my obsession for bows? I have already done quite a few, but I just cant seem to get enough. When I saw these Madewell T I was totally in L.O.V.E but I guess there were more people like me, cause this T sold out instantly! This is such an easy DIY though so this is for sure my first project when I get back from Chicago!! (let me know if you beat me too it, I want to see how it turned out :) )

For more Bow tutorials check out my BowRing, MarcJacobs inspired BowBracelet, KateSpade inspired BowSleeveT-shirt.

Tata Norway, Chicago here I come

Today is a day where I am actually overly excited to get up at 05.45 (and trust me that isnt something that happens everyday)

I am leaving cold and rainy Oslo via Stockholm to see my family in Chicago! Family time that also includes Target, Trader Joe's, Michaels and vast amounts of Starbucks and greasy foods! YES OH YES! I am blessed with an amazing family and visiting my Aunt&Co in Chicago is one of my favorite places to go! My parents and brother are coming over next week. Then a trip to Houghton to visit lil'sis, before we go back and my other brother that works in Seattle, joins us in Chicago. We are only missing my lil'brother that is in the Army and couldn't join us (I know, there are 5 of us :)). I am sure it will be as eventful as ever, all of us meeting is sort of like a version of My big fat greek wedding, so I might need a vaca after my vaca! haha :) Anyway, dont stay away cause there are post lined up even thought I am spending all my time shopping and eating and at times shopping while eating and also eating while shopping! Stories to come!

By the way, check out my cousins version of my favorite song by Jason Mraz.  

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Hi Everyone. As you can see today is another Sister Sunday on a Monday posts :) Sometimes the sunday post gets pushed to monday. (They tend to happen when I have had a good time with friends...... and wine the night before, haha! I hope you forgive me cause the wine was good and the friends were better) But here it is, and does it ever look delish?? Love K

 

I love cheesecake and I love cupcakes, why not combine the two so you get the best of both cakes!

Here is a recipe I really enjoyed making, the recipe is adapted from joylicious.net.

There are quite a few steps to follow, and you will need a lot of mixing bowls, but all and all they are really easy to make. 

Cracker crust

18 graham or digestive crackers in crumbs (save 2 crackers for decorations)

8 tablespoons of room temperature butter

Cupcakes

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

4 large egg whites

1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, chopped (+ half a cup for decorations a couple of strawberries)

Cream Cheese frosting

1 pack of cream cheese (8 ounces total)

1 sticks of unsalted butter (8 Tablespoons)

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 360 degrees and prepare 10 large or 16 medium cupcake liners.

Crust

1. First crumble the crackers either by banging them in a plastic bag (fun) or in a blender.

2. Mix in the room temperatured butter until it is properly blended together with the cracker crumbs.

3. Put the cracker mix into the cupcake liners. Press down using your fingers

4. Prebake the crust for 4 min and cool

Cupcakes

Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until fluffy and foamy (3-4 min).

Set a side.

In a large bowl mix together the room temp butter and the sugar until it is white and foamy. Blend in the vanilla.

In a smaller bowl mix together the dry: the flour, salt and baking powder.

Add half of the dry mix to the butter and sugar mix. Then add the sour cream to the mix and then beat in the rest of the dry. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter until properly combined, and try not to mix more than necessary. Add the rest of the egg whites and fold in the chopped strawberries.

Fill each cupcake ¾ full and bake for approx 20 min or until the cupcake looks like a little volcano about to erupt.  Cool down.

Frosting

Mix together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla. While still beating, slowly add the powder sugar until it is properly blended together.

Decorate with frosting, cracker crumbs and sliced strawberries! Just as good the day after!

Good Luck!

Chan Luu inspired Version#2

I dont know about you, but I had to scrape the Ice of my car window yesterday before driving to work... Actually!!! Puh, the start of a new season.... a very COLD one! I am literally always cold, so for me winter means spending a lot more time inside. Not that thats a bad thing; crafting, apple cider, fireplaces and relaxing times with friends.
Hows the weather were your at? If you feel like some inside crafting time (and who doesnt??) check this out.

The first Chan Luu inspired tutorial I made got really popular on Pintrest  (thanks guys :) ) so now I have decided to make one more, hope you love it. (the first one)

You will need 30 inches of cotton thread (I am using brown), fishing or beading line abt 40 inches, (this is for a bracelet that will wrap 31times around my wrist (which is small)), one button, beads and as always scissors.  

1. Tie the button to the end of the fish line.

2. Tie the button to the center of the cotton string.

Ok, I will admit the start is a bit tricky. Add a bead to the fishing line, take the fishing line around the cotton string, then back through the bead. Tighten the string. 

3. As you can see on this picture the line is just coming out from a bead, and OVER the cotton string (lets call this, the right cotton string nr 1)

4. Take the line around string nr 1, and trough an other bead and UNDER string nr 2. Tighten the line. 

5. Take the line around string nr 2 and back trough the same bead and tighten. 

6. Keep repeating the steps 3. 4. and 5. until you have your desired length. 

7. When you are done: make a knot (remember to include the fish line), then make an other knot but make sure there are enough space in between the two so that you can get the button in to lock the bracelet. 

Mum's Birthday DIY bracelets

Yesterday was my Amazing Mum's Birthday and as a part of her gift I made here these two bracelets using this and this tutorial (with this lock). For more inspiration check this out. 

Happy Bday Mummy!

DIY CupCake Wrappers

Today Annette is with us to share this great CupCake post for sister sunday :) 

Now a day we seem to dress everything: dogs, iphones and even trees!!! (The trees are dressed in knits as a part of a Sandvika city celebration in Norway) If you can dress trees, why not dress your cupcake!

Today I am going to show you how to do just that in an easy and cheap way.

This is what you will need:

Paper doily (maybe you or your mother/grandmother have some ones lying around) The round once work best!

Scissors

Glue/tape

Ruler

If your doily is squared like mine (couldn't find a round one unfortunately), cut out 6 inches of the doily. You will then need to cut your doily like pic 1 since the cupcakes are round. If your doily is circled, simply cut of the lace part of the doily and your wrapper is ready!!

Put some glue or a piece of tape at the end of the wrapper, and wrap it around your cupcake! 

Pretty and easy!

Happy Sunday! 

I < 3 Amsterdam

So Iv just got back from Amsterdam and im in love with the city. So many cool shops (I only got to look at them through the taxiwindow going from one meeting to the next!) and awesome restaurantes!! 

Below are some of my Instagram pix's for the trip. (If you want to see more of my Instagram you can follow me here or search for katrinesorum)

//Arriving at the central station / Amazing Black Cod @MoMo//

//Passionfruit margaritas @ Rosa's Cantina / So many funny signs and stores//

// Street Art / Steaks ate on our lap @ Castell//

// Funny Ale "Raging Bitch" / Who wants a new T?? //

Zebra Details

I am finally back home (finally is a bit exaggerated here since Amsterdam is officially one of my new fav cities!) after a week of work. As much as I like traveling for work its always so nice to be back home. There is just something about sleeping in my own bed with my own pillow! I am actually considering bringing my pillow with me next time! Who can sleep on the 50inch hotell pillows without getting a neck injury anyway???

So even on travel I am always thinking about the decore I want for my new place. I have been obsessed with animal print since I was a child: me as a 9 year old: Mum, when Angle (my rabbit, named after Aron Carters twin sister, yaiks SO embarrassing!!) dies can we please make her fur into a handbag?? I know, special!! very special! But anyhow, zebra looks awesome an I need some in my appartement. I feel more comfortable with cow hide being dyed though, the real zebras with the mane still poking up and tale hanging down freak me out!! Who wants to trip in a mane on the way to the washroom!? 

Check out these amazing rooms with zebra details: (I must say the taxidermic zebra is my fav, but I think it would freak me the f out every time I had to pass it in the night time, actually just looking at the pic closely freaks me out!!) 

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Sister sunday: Black Bean Dip

It is finally fall and with that comes apples, colors changing and lots of hot chocolate. For me, it also means the start of a new semester with blank notebooks and full schedules. For my sister, this year it means a work trip to Amsterdam. Which is why she has been MIA for the past week. 

Although I really want to embrace the awesomeness of fall, I still feel slightly sad that summer has come to an end. This dip is a staple in our family and the fresh vegetables are a great way to prolong summer. When both my sister and I still lived with our parents, we would make this almost every Tuesday to enjoy while watching Grey's Anatomy. Nothing like some healthy snacks on your plate and a McSteamy on your screen.

You'll need:
1 small box corn
1 box black beans
3 tomatoes
1/2 red onion
2 avocadoes
fresh cilantro
2 tsb neutral oil
2 tbs red wine vinegar
a squeeze of lime

Cut all the vegetables and herbs (minus avocadoes) and combine them with the corn, oil, vinegar, and lime juice. Leave in fridge for 30 min before you add the avocado.
Enjoy with chips!

All Mirror (everywhere)

So for those of you that didn't read the Home post last week, I have bought an appartement that they are still building that will (cross you fingers) be ready to move in to this January (YAAY). A lot of my time goes to researching decore and how to make the most out of small spaces. Lately (as in the last two years) I have been obsessing over mirror furniture. Its just something about it that instantly feels exclusive. Mirrors are a great way of making a small space seem bigger, so why not add some to your furniture as well? (If you want to see more of my inspiration, you can follow my inspiration board on Pintrest here)

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Cheap option:  Mirrored furniture is often very expensive (now thats no shocker when its on my fav list! I curse you expensive taste..!!!). BUT Ikea decided to follow the trend in their fall line, so the classic Malm dresser now also come with a mirror finish! In real life it looks a bit more like metal than the more exclusive mirror dressers, but definitely an option if you want the effect and is on a budget. 

Malm dresser /via/

DIY Option: Which is (if you ask me) always the best option!!

Tutorial here

Tutorial here 

Good luck! :)