Homemade Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwiches

One of the things I miss most since living in Norway is Panera Bread. There is nothing like it here, and there is no Tomato Basil bread. Thus I was forced to make it myself, and it turns out it is really easy. After some googling and experimenting we were also able to get make the sauce they put on it as well. And like any true blog that includes a food section, I have taken photos of every step : )

The bread recipe came from Food.com. Its pretty easy and straight forward. 

Ingredients for Bread:

1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast

3/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup fresh basil, minced (substitute with 2 tablespoons dried)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/8-1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 1/2-2 3/4 cups bread flour

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Stir in basil, Parmesan cheese, tomato paste, sugar, oil, salt, pepper flakes and 2 cups flour. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough. It will look a little something like this (or at least mine did)

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. When that is done you punch the dough down and knead for 1 minute. Shape it into a loaf and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Once that is all done, cut a large "X" in top of loaf. Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

To make the sauce combine a bit of worcestershire sauce (only a few drops), ketchup, mayonnaise, and dijon mustard. I would tell you more about the proportions but it really depends on your taste and how strong your dijon is. For me equal portions works out fine. It will be this color when you are done

To make the sandwich you just add some bacon, turkey, gouda cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes!

And the winner is....

Linuz, a follower of the blog! See, I told you guys to follow me BOTH on Facebook and here : P

And so you guys know it was fair, I wrote down everyones name on a scrap of paper, crumpled them and drew the winning ticket out of the hat my husband isnt allowed to wear out in public. There are more elegant (electronic) solutions I am sure, but this seemed the most fair since I do have family and friends that follow me as well. Congrats Linuz!

Convertible Coffee Cup Cozy

So here is the idea behind my newest design, the convertible coffee cup cozy. If you live in America then chances are you are sipping your morning joe out of something that looks like this:

A fairly standard size and shape that is consistent across most brands. If you live in Europe, however, you are most likely doing your shopping at the easiest and cheapest place: Ikea. Unfortunately, Ikea rocks a different style, so your cup can look like any one of these: 

And the cup you use at home could be vastly different from the cup you use at work. So I thought why not make a cozy that could cover a multitude of sizes and shapes. Thus the convertible coffee cup cozy. 

If your cup is large, you can just use the top button, if its smaller or curvaceous (think the middle Ikea cup), use the middle buttons as well for a tighter fit. If your cup at work is shorter than your cup at home (think the first Ikea cup), just fold it down, button it underneath, and you're all set!

I will be making cozies for the "American" coffee cup as well and these are available in any color you can think of in my store, just ask!

Giveaway!!

I am giving away a piece of jewelry of your choice from my store! All you have to do is follow me on Facebook or follow my blog, and if you do both you will be entered in the drawing twice! Since you are clearly already following my blog, head over to my Facebook page to double your chances of winning. The drawing will be on August 1 so hurry!


P.S. My Etsy page is currently being updated with all of my jewelry

FredagsFavoritter

Now that I am getting back into blogging it's time for fredagsfavoritter again! From the top:

Badepraliner Mandarin by Grønn Såpe

Treat Skål Orange by Camilla Hounsell Designs

Orange og Gul Kjøkkenkluter by byVeronica 

LEGO Mansjettsknapper Gul by Ridley

Gul Knappøredobber by frk.knapp

Bokmerke Orange Ugle by FRIKLING

Adventures in Hacky Sacks

I get a lot of weird requests through my Etsy store, including one for a pokeball hacky sack. I had to look up what a pokeball was as well so don't feel bad. It turned out to be pretty fun, but as usual since I don't know how to read a pattern I just kind of had to figure it out on my own, resulting in multiple attempts at making something completely round. I started off putting uncooked rice in a bag and using that as a filling, but one of my customers wanted the filling to be plastic beads so he can play with it in all kinds of weather, so I switched to that. It's a good idea anyway since you will probably have to wash it at some point or another since the game is played outside on the grass. Turned out kind of ok : )

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who has gone to all of the markets in Bergen the last couple of weeks. I went to the one at Stranges Stiftelse and Finnemannsplassen and they were so much fun. Couldnt have done it without you!

Market

Come out and visit me tomorrow if you are in the Bergen area!

FredagsFavoritter

My first Epla fridays favorites! Starting from the top:

Ramme from Libbo- Seriously wish I had a place for this in my house

Turquoise Flower Bracelet by Little Shop of Wonder- This has been on my wish list for a while 

Oh Happy Day Headband by amyjaney- Too cute for people of all ages

Baby Carriage Blanket by Handmade Vibeke- I dont have a baby but I am thinking about getitng this for the future!

Ring FIA by Bazaar- Perfect accessory for a sundress

Be Present Today Necklace by SophiaRose- Also known as the current seller of the week on Epla!

Healthy Turkey (Almost) Burgers

One of my guilty pleasures is reality tv, and I love Bethenny Frankel. For those of you who don't who she is she was one of the housewives on The Real Housewives of New York City. She has since gotten her own show and she has published a few books on living a healthier lifestyle. I decided to try her turkey burger recipe on my husband and mother-in-law. Unfortunately, turkey meat isn't available in Norway (at least from what I could find at our store, not so many turkeys running around here : P) so I had to use ground chicken.  As she says on her website it is moist so that you don't have to use condiments, thus avoiding even more fat. I like recipes like this because you can be healthier without feeling like you are stuck eating salads for the rest of your life.

Ingredients:

- 1 package ground white turkey (1.3 lbs)
-1/3 cup barbeque sauce
-1 tablespoon mustard
-1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/3 cup bleu cheese (yummy!)
-4-6 whole wheat buns

All you do is mix everything in a bowl, slap some patties on a pan, cook for 5-6 minutes on each side, then put them on a bun and eat. For those of you who are noticing that there is no egg as a binding agent, they stick together surprisingly well, here is a photo of them mid flip

If you are still worried about the binding though you can add egg whites to the mixture before you put them in the pan. It tastes just like a regular burger without the guilt.

The Body Transformation Challenge and Tuna Melts

I am a huge fan and follower of the website Reddit, an online community where people shares news, stories, cute and funny photos, etc. Well I have now signed up for the 12 week body fitness challenge where we show our embarrassing before shots, work out for 12 weeks, then show off our hot after shots. I would like to lose about 20 lbs to get back to where I was in college since I lost my freshman 15 instead of gaining it (unfortunately, 5 years later its all back).


This means healthier eating, which means learning how to cook. I can manage enough to do simple things, but I would like to gradually expand my recipe repertoire. First up, tuna melts.


I used a recipe from Eating Well.


Ingredients:

• 1 medium shallot, minced (2 tablespoons)
• 12 ounces canned chunk light tuna, drained
• 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Dash of hot sauce
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 4 slices whole-wheat bread, toasted
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

I skipped the parsley, lemon juice, and hot sauce since I dont like to overcomplicate recipes. Basically you put everything but the tomatoes, cheese and bread in a bowl, mix it all up, and put on the bread.

Then you pile on the tomatoes and cheese (not as much as I did if you dont have the allowance in your diet) 

and just throw them in the oven until the cheese melts. I recommend putting the bread in the toaster first to avoid soggy bread coming out of the oven. Easy, simple, and something different for dinner.