Finland Pictures

Finland is industrially highly developed and technologically advanced, sparsely inhabited country with a population of 5.2 million, including a Swedish-speaking minority of 290,000 people or 5.5 per cent, mostly living along the western and southern coastline.

In Lapland lives a Sámi-speaking minority of 1,700 inhabitants. Some 133,000 speak a foreign language as mother language. The area is of 338,000 km2 with a density of 17 persons per km2. There are 2.4 million households and 80 per cent of people live in urban or semi-urban municipalities. The share of aged population is slightly increasing. 86 per cent of women aged 25-54 are employed outside the home.

The total turnover of mass media makes 2.7 per cent of GDP. On average, a household spends 4 per cent of total expenditures on mass media. Expenditures on telecommunications by households have grown. An average household spends about € 1,000 per year on telecommunications charges.




Finland
Finland
Finland
Finland
Finland

Finland Pictures

Finland is industrially highly developed and technologically advanced, sparsely inhabited country with a population of 5.2 million, including a Swedish-speaking minority of 290,000 people or 5.5 per cent, mostly living along the western and southern coastline.

In Lapland lives a Sámi-speaking minority of 1,700 inhabitants. Some 133,000 speak a foreign language as mother language. The area is of 338,000 km2 with a density of 17 persons per km2. There are 2.4 million households and 80 per cent of people live in urban or semi-urban municipalities. The share of aged population is slightly increasing. 86 per cent of women aged 25-54 are employed outside the home.

The total turnover of mass media makes 2.7 per cent of GDP. On average, a household spends 4 per cent of total expenditures on mass media. Expenditures on telecommunications by households have grown. An average household spends about € 1,000 per year on telecommunications charges.




Finland
Finland
Finland
Finland
Finland

A gentle reminder

It has been a remarkably cold and dreary winter. On days like today, I need to be reminded we will soon have our beautiful weather back. Please indulge me while I show you a few photos to lift my mood.

The first thing that blooms at my house is the saucer magnolia. It doesn't bloom for very long so I have to make sure I don't miss it. When the buds are closed, they are a pretty pink but when they open, they become pink with white edges. I've had people stop and ask me just what they are. I really love them when they are in perfect bloom, like in the photo above.

I also really love dogwoods -- they're like white frosting sprinkled throughout the woods.

I also love calla lilies. I know this is not quite the same. Tulips or daffodils would have been a more fitting photo. But I just love them.

I also feel a little better. It was a refreshing for me to look up these photos and remind myself that we really will soon have spring.

Black Bean Burgers

At my house we LOVE burgers. We are American, so of course we do.

Lately though, I have been cutting down on meat and have occasionally bought frozen veggie burgers. They are good, but pricey. My other objection is that they are made mostly from rice or soy and I have been looking unsuccessfully for bean burgers -- so I have been working on my own recipe.

I made some the other night we really enjoyed. They weren't really all that hard to make.

I used black beans. This is a small can of drained beans which equals about a cup and a half.

I use a potato masher. It doesn't matter if the beans are totally mashed. I then added the other ingredients. The recipe is below.

I used parchment paper on my baking sheet. These burgers would stick to a baking sheet and be hard to turn over without breaking apart. I spooned enough for each burger and then formed them into patties.

After baking them for 25 minutes, I turned them over and baked them on the other side for 5 minutes. Then I added soy cheese and let it melt a little bit.

I then placed it on a warmed bun, then dressed my burger with the usual -- tomatoes, onions, lettuce, mustard, ketchup and mayo. I made them a little larger than the bun. I really didn't mean to do that. I will make them a little smaller next time.

It's not beef but it was still pretty good.

Southwestern Black Bean Burgers

1-1/2 cups black beans

1-1/2 tablespoons oat bran

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon salsa

garlic salt and pepper to taste

Optional, chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash the beans with a potato masher. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mixture will be thick and creamy. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper that is lightly oiled. Divide the bean mixture in two large or three smaller mounds. Form the rounds into a circle (about the size of a bun). Smooth them on top and sides until they look like a burger. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Carefully turn the burgers and return to the oven for five minutes. If desired, melt soy cheese on top and dress your burger. Makes 2 large or 1 small burger.

Buttermilk pie makes its own crust

I've always liked egg custards. I think this recipe is basically a lower fat version of an egg custard, plus this simple pie makes its own crust as it bakes. The "secret" ingredient is, of course, buttermilk, and my mother once told me this old-fashioned recipe was probably created to use up leftover buttermilk or made when regular milk wasn't available. When you consider this recipe is from an era when refrigeration wasn't widespread, this is understandable.

It is so easy. Mix it up and pour it into a pie plate, then bake.

I made two. They look very good. Yummy.

The great thing about this pie is probably that it is lower in fat and you can eat it plain, or dress it up as I have done with berries and whipped cream. I think this makes a spring treat. It would be a great Easter dessert.

Crust less Buttermilk Pie

3 eggs

1-1/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup plain flour

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Break eggs into bowl. Mix in eggs and the rest of the ingredients. Grease a glass pie plate with butter. Either fill greased pie plate with the pie mixture and place into the oven on a center rack, or to avoid spills, pull out the center rack of the preheated oven with an oven mitt and place pie plate on the rack. Then pour the pie mixture into the pie plate and carefully push the rack back into the oven. Be sure to do this carefully so as not to touch the hot oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

winter photos

A couple of weeks ago when we had the beautiful snow, I was too sick to get out and take photos. My sister sent me these photos of our garden in the snow. Thanks, sis!

The lake was frozen, too. This is a rare occasion in zone 7. We rarely get snow, much less a frozen lake. Maybe an occasional frozen mud puddle or major frost, but not this. Isn't it pretty? I think it is kind of a fitting tribute to the end of the Winter Olympics.

This is our garden, with snow on our electric fence. There is nothing new planted, yet. It's not that we don't want to plant. It's just taking a little more time this year.

You can't see our garlic, the scraggly leeks, carrots or cauliflower -- the only things left within the fence. In the herb garden in the forefront, a little lemon thyme is peeking through. The stems of the other plants are making a little snow covered tent. We may have more snow by Tuesday but after the melt we really must plant.

Norway Hotels

The hotel is located in the street Bogstadveien. It is a 4 star hotel. Bogstadveien is behind, or north if you want, the Norwegian Royal Castle and this street is famous for the great nightlife and upscale shopping. Approx. 10 minute walk from the Royal Castle. This trendy hotel offers contemporary designed, state of the art rooms at great rates and is located within walking distance to most of what the capital has to offer.

Norway Hotels
Norway Hotels
Norway Hotels
Norway Hotels
Norway Hotels