Long time no see...

I might be the worst blogger ever, but I blame it all on my busy life and the fact that I haven't had that many extraordinary gluten free experiences in a while.

Never mind, I'm now living in Norway, about as far north you can come on the European main land. You might ask  "Why?!" and to be honest I would like someone to tell me that myself. Ha ha, no but seriously, I'm up here because of a new job. This autumn I'm working in an abattoir. Again you might ask "Why!?!!"... If you're Swedish you probably know why, perhaps not about the choice of work place, but about why go to Norway. For all the rest of you, I can tell you that the salaries are much better in Norway, and a lot of young (and old) Swedes go to Norway. I can also say that for people who doesn't have an education it's much easier to find a job in Norway than in Sweden. But you need to know Norwegian to be able to work here! (Swedish and Norwegian are very much alike.)

I don't think this is the most glamours job in history, but I'm trying to save up enough money to be able to go on a long vacation this upcoming spring. Hopefully I'll be able to get some nice stories to this blog (and post them while they're still fresh)!

I have however one really good gluten free tips for you :) - Peppes Pizza! This is an Norwegian pizza chain, and listen to this - they make one of the best gluten free pizza bases I've ever tasted! They have a notice on their menus that you can order almost all of their pizzas with a gluten free base. But they only make them medium sized (which I thought was more then enough for one person... more than a foot across)

I was at Peppes Pizza in Alta last Saturday, and the staff was really helpful and when I asked about a certain topping, they went and checked that it was okay - I picked a delicious Stars and Stripes pizza, half with salami and half with ham. One thing which I thought was very good is that they had a sticker on the paper, which the pizza was on, saying "this is a gluten free pizza". I should also say that this is the place for you if you like the pizza base thick, like I do, and if you're in the mood for a freshly baked pizza!

Check out their website so you can plan a visit! www.peppes.no

 

Love Erika

A little update on this post after my second visit to Peppes.
Again I had a Stars and Stripes Pizza - I love that pepperoni - but I had the topping mixed over the whole pizza this time.

  

On the sticker it says "This Pizza is baked according to our strict routines for gluten free food."

(Sorry about the bad quality of the pictures, I so need a new phone!)

I Love Lemon Curd

Today I found a recipe I really like.

4 Eggs

170 g Sugar

2 Organic Lemons (juice from both + zest from one of them)

50-75 g Unsalted Butter

1 Gelatin Leaf

Place some water in a saucepan and warm until it's simmering.

Mix eggs, sugar, lemon juice and zest together in a heat proof mixing bowl and place the bowl over the water. Keep stirring the mixture until thickened.

When the mixture is thick remove the bowl from the water and add the butter. Mix it until the butter is completely melted. Add the gelatin leaf, which has been laying in cold water for a few minutes, and mix thoroughly.

Pour the lemon curd in jars and put the lids on before leaving it to cool.





Enjoy!

Love Erika

Back in Berlin

After a couple of terrific days spent with Pauline I headed back to Berlin to see another friend Annegret, who is living and working in Berlin. We did some more sightseeing (there's so much to see!) and were just browsing around.

We went to a Thai take away restaurant and had dinner - I love Asian food and they are always so good at making gluten free alternatives! After that we wanted to go see a movie (in English) so we went to the biggest cinema in Berlin. Unfortunately the cinema was closed to the public because of a big premiere of "Männer Herzen", and all we got to see that evening was a big bunch of German movie stars on the red carpet - bummer.

My Berlin stay was ended in the best of ways, at a cafe - Eis voh! This is an ice cream cafe, but for all you gluten free people out there (and the rest of you as well of course) this place is not to be missed if you're in Berlin! I went there in hope of having maybe one or two gluten free cakes to choose from, Never I said NEVER had I expected to find what I did - a gluten free HEAVEN with.... wait for it.... 12 (!!!!) different kinds of cake all gluten free and organic. The slices were big and the price very good. The owners, an older couple, were very sweet and spoke English very well and they told me a lot about their cafe and I got to write in their guest book and all :) I will definitely go back here next time I'm in Berlin!!!

Check out their website, it's all in German, but you don't need to know the language to read the pictures :P http://www.bioeis-berlin.de/index.html

  

(The pictures are borrowed from Eis Voh's website.)

EisVoh
Bundesallee118
12161 Berlin

It's not exactly in the city centre, but the underground station is only a block or so away, and I've said it before - GO THERE!

Love Erika

Arriving in Germany

Last autumn I decided to go on a trip to visit some of the friends I made when I was an au pair in England. And as I promised before, here are some of my experienses from when I was travelling around in Germany and the Czech Republic. My trip lasted for more then three weeks, and altough I did all the travelling on my own I spent most days with my lovely friends!

Berlin was my first stop and I got there really early in the morning. Nothing really was open yet, so I sat down on a bench and ate my breakfast sandwiches that I had brought with me from home. After a while a coffee shop opened and I bought myself a cup of tea to go with my breakfast.

After 9 my dear friend Pauline came and we went around in Berlin doing some sightseeing, before we went to Bernau - a lovely little town outside Berlin - I loved it! Paulie had to go to work, but I stayed in Bernau to run some errands, important things like buying a German Sim-card and checking out the range of gluten free products.

I went to a supermarket EDEKA center close to a shopping mall. At first I had some difficulties in finding were in this big supermarket I could find what I was looking for. But then, a BIG shelf full of gluten free goodies! I filled my basket. Then I continued to look around in the shop and after a while I realised something that made me very happy, as a coeliac person, on the price tags there was a gluten free symbol on the products not containing gluten!!! VERY helpful to me who doesn't speak any German at all, especially when it came to sausages, yoghurts and other things where they might hide gluten. Why can't supermarkets have that everywhere?!??

Happy with my gluten free findings, I went to a cafe and had a coffee before I took the bus to Lobetal where Paulie and her family lives. I was shown to where I was staying, in an overnight apartment close to the church where Pauline's parents work, I was so tired I had to take a little nap.

I had a lovely home cooked gluten free dinner with Paulie and her family. When I went to bed that night I was dead tired, but very pleased with my trip so far!

To be continued...

Love Erika

Back in my home town...

Hi everybody!
I'm very sorry I haven't written anything lately, but there is not much going on at the moment... I've left Brighton an England and are now back in my home town in Sweden - where there is a lack of gluten free experiences. Sad, but true.


To make up for this I will try to give you some of my goodies that I've saved from before I started this blog, what do you say about hearing something about the time I spent in Ireland, the trip I took to Germany, or what I found in Prague? I might also tell you a bit about the cafe I've been in charge of during my home town's festival week :)


Love Erika

New favourite...

During my last week in the Brighton area I have found a new favourite cafe in Hove next to Starbucks - i gigi! It's a very nice shabby-chic country kitchen style to this cafe which is on the second floor (only a few steps).
This is an absolutely lovely place for a coffee and homemade cakes - even gluten free ones. I've been here a couple of times this last week, and both times they've had something I can eat. The first time I had a wonderful orange cake and the second time I could choose between three different cakes, but decided to take one with lemon and poppy seed.
The staff is all very nice and friendly and just ask what's gluten free today, and they'll tell you!
Next time I'm in the Brighton area I will most definitely visit again!

Why don't you check it out?
http://igigigeneralstore.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=62

Love Erika

Crêperie Angélie

On Saturday when I was in town I decided to go to this nice little crêperie that I've passed so many times. They have a big sign outside the shop where it says "gluten free" so I thought I really have to check it out then - for your sake ;)

When I got in I saw that it's really tiny, only a couple of tables so best for a take away, which was perfect for me. Oh, but then I started to read the menu and I tell you: I could eat everything! So many yummy combinations... After 10 minutes or so :P I finally decided to treat myself with a milk chocolate and banana one. And I was not disappointed. After five minutes I was on my way out in the sunshine with my crêpe and a can of coke (only £3.50 for the whole thing!) and I couldn't even contain myself - I had to try a bite before taking a picture... yum yum yum! I'll definitely go back there!

Check it out yourselves: http://www.qype.co.uk/place/1763702-Creperie-Angelie-Brighton 

Love Erika

Erika's American Pancakes

Today I made some really yummy American pancakes. I like to make them with different flavours and blueberry and banana are two favourites, and today I choose banana :)

Sorry about the bad quality on the picture, I took it with my mobile and I don't have one of these fancy ones...

If you'd like to make these yourself here comes the recipe:

300 g Gluten free flour mix (choose white or brown - you decide if you like fibers or not)
2½ tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
3 tbs Sugar
200 ml Milk
3 Eggs
50 g Butter (melted)
if you like, add:
2 Bananas (mushed) and 1 tsp Vanilla essence or Vanilla sugar
or
80 g Blueberries
or something else you like...

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add milk, eggs and butter and blend it together to a thick mixture.
Fry in the seize you like them.
Enjoy!

Love Erika

Sunny day in London

I've had a lovely, gluten free, day in London today. My friend and I was up for shopping and headed to Oxford street (a bit of a nightmare on my side, but Maddie loved it!) After a couple of hours I could feel my tummy rumble - a cup of tea and a small yoghurt simply isn't enough for breakfast... Anyway, I went to the foodhall at John Lewis (Waitrose) - I LOVE foodhalls! There I found Gluten free readymade sandwiches - free range egg and salad - and they were delicious! It's by far the best sandwich I've had, and I've tried a few; tuna sandwich from Starbucks, chicken sandwich from Sainsbury's, ploughman's sandwich and ham and mustard sandwich from M&S. They are all okay, but nothing I would like to have too often, apart from my newly found sandwich delight, of course!

In the late afternoon Maddie and I went to Covent Garden, wich is a lovely place just to stroll around in, and we came across a cafe with a big sign in their window saying: GLUTEN FREE MUFFINS. I had to go in, of course! So there at Muffinski's I had the pleasure to by the last of their blueberry and white chocolate muffins. Yummy!

Love Erika

Muffinski's
5 King Street
London
WC2E 8HN

And so it begins…

I have thought about starting a blog for some time now, a place where I can tell you about my gluten free life, travel experiences and possibly some of my secret recipes. This is my first ever blog, so have some patience with me. I hope you will find something here that interests you and perhaps some nice tips and ideas.

Love Erika