LIFE OF LINUZ

Kumihimo tutorial - square braid - firkantfletting

2012-01-25T23:24:00.001+01:00

Kumihimo firkantfletting med 8 tråder

Kumihimo tutorial - square braid with 8 threads

Du trenger til et armbånd: 4 tråder i valgfri tykkelse ca. 75 cm lange, i en, to eller fire farger.

Instruksjonene viser 2 farger satt opp symmetrisk som gir et stripete mønster. Det er brukt satengtråd i tykkelsen 2+ mm, "rattail". Det gir et kompakt og forholdsvis stivt armbånd. Tykkelsen passet i 8 mm endestykker.

Sett opp trådene som til den vanlige 8 tråders runde flettingen. Ps: Bildet viser startposisjonen etter at det er flettet en runde. Når du starter fra begynnelsen vil ikke trådene oppe og nede være krysset som på bildet.

English text will be added!

Startoppsett.

Flytt tråd fra 1 til 7 (øverste høyre tråd ut til høyre over de høyre trådene).

Flytt tråd fra 17 til 23 (nederste venstre tråd ut til venstre under de venstre trådene).

Flytt tråd fra 24 til 1 (midterste venstre tråd krysser over tråden på toppen).

Flytt tråd fra 8 til 17 (midterste høyre tråd krysser over tråden nederst).

Flytt tråd fra 32 til 26 (øverste venstre tråd ut til venstre øverst).

Flytt tråd fra 16 til 10 (nederste høyre tråd ut til høyre nederst).

Flytt tråd fra 9 til 32 (midterste høyre tråd krysser over tråden på toppen).

Flytt tråd fra 25 til 16 (midterste venstre tråd krysser over tråden nederst).

Juster trådene til høyre og venstre inn et hakk på hver side slik at du kommer tilbake til startposisjon (bare med omvendte farger).

Resultatet!

Lykke til......

Lightbox

2012-01-07T12:27:00.002+01:00

Let me present my christmas gift from Mr. Linuz: A small at-home photo studio! It consists of a lightbox with changeable backgrounds and two daylight lamps. Perfect for the dark season here in Norway. The box is quite large, so I can photograph much more than bracelets!

After experimenting a bit we realized that we need a better camera... but for now I´m using the old one.
I think the photos are much better already, what do you think?

Here is some of the new pictures of my bracelets, I tried using some Japanese props as well.

New blue flower bracelet.

Preparing for the new year dinner, part 1

2011-12-30T21:05:00.002+01:00

New Years Eve is Mr. Linuz´ favorite day of the year. It´s like Christmas to other people, he loves it soo much.
To make him (and me) happy, I always cook a nice dinner. This year it won´t be anything Japanese,
but classic gourmet food.
Look at all the nice stuff we got today! I feel almost embarrassed...
The clams and veal are Norwegian, but we "moderated" ourselves and got Canadian lobster.
We have such great seafood in this country, and I try to eat it as often as I can.

I will show you the results of our efforts tomorrow, but this is the menu:
(Champagne with all courses)

Passion fruit sorbe & champagne
-
Grilled lobster with parmesan & herbes
Pan seared scallops with chorizo and granat seed apple cores
Veal wrapped in pancetta with sweet potato cream, gnocci, chestnuts, salvia sauce and carrots
Comté cheese with cherry jam and crackers
Citrus salad with mint sugar and whipped cream
-
Macarons

My little girl will get the "child menu":

Passion fruit sorbe with strawberry "child champagne"
-
Cod with parmesan crackers
Veal with gnocci and carrots
Comté cheese with crackers
-
Macarons

Welcome 2012!

Look what is soon coming my way:

2011-12-19T00:27:00.003+01:00

Oh, today I feel so happy... I just ordered a tofu mold made of hinoki wood.
You can see the beauty here:
Tofu kit at "toiros kitchen"

I´ve looked around for some time now, and this is the nicest one I´ve found.
It´s made in Japan too!

I also got some new furoshiki´s coming from England, can´t wait to see them.

I´ll be posting pictures of my new Japanese goodies as soon as they arrive.
The tofu mold will be taken back to Europe by my in-laws, so I won´t get it just yet.
But I can wait..... and be prepared to get overloaded with tofu recipes!

Julegaver?

2011-12-11T22:34:00.001+01:00

Ja... jeg bare *kremt*....
.... minner om at hvis du går med julegaveplaner og vil ha pakken før 24.12., så må du bestille fra meg innen 15.12. slik at jeg får postlagt pakken innen 16.12. Dette gjelder innlandspost i Norge.
Jeg sender ut varer til 23.12. og tar en liten juleferie til 28.12., etter det er butikken åpen som vanlig.

Kumihimosmykker er fine gaver; til en vennine, mor, datter, svigermor.... Håndlaget og unikt.

krysantemum design butikk

Julehilsen fra Line / krysantemum design :)

Øreringer til de glade vinnere er i produksjon!

2011-12-08T23:49:00.001+01:00

Det er jammen fint å se hvor forskjellige fargevalg og størrelse vinnerne av trekningen har bestemt seg for.
Jeg har flettet både fram og tilbake på båten de siste to dagene og i kveld har jeg limt.
Nå ligger 3 par og herder på hobbyrommet, og jeg venter på beskjed fra siste vinner om hvordan det 4. paret skal se ut!
Beklager dårlig bilde, det er tatt sent på kvelden under lampen på badet....

While I wait for my daylight lamps to be ordered...

2011-12-07T23:37:00.001+01:00

I found that the light in the bathroom can be used in worst case.... the hours of daylight in Norway during winter are few, and I spend them in an office.....

In picture: 16-braid bracelet in striking Christmas red.

I´m going to order a small "lightbox studio" soon. Can´t wait to get my hands on it. And retake all my pictures for the shop.

Give away - jeg gir bort: Øredobber

2011-11-21T12:30:00.001+01:00

På tide å feire litt?
Mamma har åpnet butikk, siden her har over 10 000 besøk, det er snart vinter....
... mange fine grunner til å gi bort noe.

Du kan vinne:
Et par custom øredobber fra krysantemum design.
Velg: Farge/r og forsølvet/ forgylte endestykker + sterling sølv eller goldfilled ørekroker.

You can win:
A pair of custom earrings from krysantemum design.

Du må:
- Skrive en kommentar under (og legge ved din e-post hvis du ikke allerede følger bloggen).
- Fortelle meg hvilken farge du tror blir den store fargen på smykker i vinter.

I tillegg er det jo hyggelig å få delt Facebooksiden eller bloggen da, men det er ikke noe must. :)

What to do:
Write a comment to this post and tell me which color you think will be in fashion this winter!
If you want to, please share my blog or Facebook page.

krysantemum design - Facebook

Trekning:
5. desember (en veldig fin dag! :))

x Linuz

ps: Jeg må godkjenne kommentarer før de synes, så trykk 1 gang!

Ny butikk på Lillehammer - "JoBeKa" butikk og verksted

2011-11-20T23:45:00.001+01:00

In Norwegian only....

I morgen, mandag 21.11.11 åpner det en ny butikk på Lillehammer.
"JoBeKa, mykt og miljøvennlig" heter den og der finner du min mor og hennes to venniner sine tovede kreasjoner, samt bl.a. mine smykker i kumihimo fra krysantemum design.

Butikken ligger i Storgata 91, et kvartal nord for Lilletorget, mellom Uno dameklær og blomsterbutikken, og rett over gaten for Jernia.

Utstillingsvinduet med helt ny logo.

Fram til jul kommer butikken til å være åpen hver dag, (ikke søndag), og etter jul vil det være stengt på tirsdager. Men de driftige damene har verksted i 2.et. og vil være der både sent og tidlig, så det er bare å ringe eller ringe på hvis døren er stengt.
Det vil også være mulighet for kurs i toving og kumihimo i lokalene i 2. et. Startpakker for å kunne tove og flette selv er til salgs i butikken, samt materialer til toving (ull og silke).

Slik ser det ut i dag, det gjenstår litt rydding og vasking, men i morgen skal det være strøkent!

Her er et bilde fra smykkeskapet og veskeveggen!

Velkommen!

Kumihimo tutorial - spiral braid - spiralfletting

2011-11-13T20:40:00.001+01:00

Spiral braid with 12 threads

Spiralfletting med 12 tråder

Du trenger til et armbånd:
2 tråder, ca. 1,20 m lange (dette er randfargen).
4 tråder, ca. 75 cm lange (dette er midtfargen/e).
Bruk 1 - 1,5 mm tykke tråder.

You´ll need for a bracelet:
2 threads, aprox. 1,20 m long (edge color)
4 threads, aprox. 75 cm long (core color, one or up to 4 different)
Use 1 - 1,5 mm thick threads (mousetail). Rattail won´t work as well.

Her er startoppsettet.

De 4 lengste trådene (røde på bildet) settes rett ut til høyre og venstre. De 8 trådene i midten settes slik at det er 2 ledige hakk mellom hvert trådpar øverst og nederst.
Start setup: The 4 long threads go to the sides, and the other 8 in the middle as shown above.

Den første tråden som flyttes er den nederste, innerste tråden til venstre. Flytt den opp på utsiden (til venstre) for de to øverste trådene til venstre.
Move the first thread: The inner, lower one goes up to the left of the upper left threads.

Den andre tråden som flyttes er den øverste, innerste tråden til venstre. Flytt den ned på innsiden (til høyre) for de to nederste venstre trådene. Flytteregle: Ned - opp - ytterst, opp - ned - innerst.
Move the second thread: The inner, upper thread (of the 3) goes down on the innside of the lower left thread. Chant: Down - up - outer, up - down - inner.

Nå flytter vi over på høyre side og tar den nederste, innerste tråden og flytter den opp på innsiden av de to øverste høyre trådene.
We´ll move to the right side and start with the lower, inner thread and move it up on the innside of the two upper right threads.

Så går den øverste, ytterste tråden til høyre ned til høyre for den nederste tråden til høyre.

Flytteregle: Ned - opp - innerst, opp - ned - ytterst.
Now, the upper, outer right thread goes down to the right side of the lower thread.
Chant: Down - up - inner, up - down outer.

Nå snur du fletteskiven 90 grader mot klokken slik at de to trådparene som var til venstre kommer rett ned.
Turn the braiding disc 90 degrees anti-clockwise. The longer side threads will be up and down now.

Flytt den venstre av de to nederste trådene opp til venstre for de to øverste trådene.

Flytt den høyre tråden av de tre trådene øverst ned til høyre for den nederste tråden.

Snu fletteskiven 90 grader mot klokken slik at du kommer tilbake til startoppsettet. Gjenta til armbåndet blir så langt som du vil ha det.

Slik ser spiralbåndet ut når det vokser under skiven.

Lykke til!

Winner = me! 2

2011-11-03T19:03:00.002+01:00

Ok, so I promised to show off the 2nd gift I won:

This lovely Japanese paper.... oh, it´s so very nice, I had big problems cutting in it. But now, a small part is decorating one of my gift boxes and more will be decorated as I get hold of boxes. The gift boxes are for my most exclusive kumihimo jewelry with sterling silver findings. A perfect Christmas gift if I might suggest something....

Anyway, please visit the very inspiring blog of babyramen here:
http://babyramen.blogspot.com/

And for Japanese treasures, including paper and ceramics, the shop is here:
babyramen on Epla

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T19:53:00.002+01:00

From me to you:

Nekobasu!

I need to get better carving tools.... but at least we have a Japanese theme pumpkin!

Best day of the year in our house... we love scary things and to make fun of them. To get some candy + creative outlet also helps.... :)

Winner = me! 1

2011-10-30T14:13:00.001+01:00

I´ve entered some draws at different blogs lately and has been lucky to win,
not once, but twice....
So, I´m showing off my new-won stuff:

I´m now the proud owner of an Anniemal clutch. I love, love, love butterflies,
so it´s perfect for me. I can´t wait to get an opportunity to use it.... before my daughter steals it, she´s already tried once...

Inside it has cute little stars!

You can visit Anniemal and get your own clutch here:
Anniemal butikk på Epla

Soon I´ll reveal what I won at Babyrames draw.....

Basic kumihimo 8 strand - grunnteknikk 8 tråder

2011-10-19T20:47:00.001+02:00

I´ve been asked to post some more kumihimo tutorials, so that´s what I´m going to do.... The spiral braid is coming, I just need some daylight to take pictures. While I work on that one; here´s the basic round 8-strand setup.

Jeg har blitt spurt om jeg kan poste noen flere kumihimoflettinger, og det skal jeg selvfølgelig. Mens jeg venter på dagslys for å få tatt bilder av spiralfletting poster jeg grunnteknikk for 8 tråders rund fletting:

Basic 8-strand cord, round braid

Grunnteknikk 8-tråder, rund fletting

You need 4 cords, 2 (1,5) mm thick, aprox. 80 cm long and a small piece of thread to tie.
Du trenger 4 (sateng)tråder, 2 (1,5) mm tykke, ca. 80 cm lange og en liten trådstump til å binde sammen med.

Here´s the disc, and cords cut in the right length. Cords lay double and are secured by another thread.

Her er skiven og trådene kuttet i riktig lengde, ca. 80 cm for et armbånd. Trådene ligger dobbelt og knytes sammen av en annen tråd.

Pull the cords through the hole in the middle and secure each thread in the indicated slot on the front side of disc.

Dra trådene igjennom hullet i midten og sett dem fast på forsiden av skiven i riktig posisjon mens du holder fast på baksiden med en hånd.

Setup for 8-strand round braid. Spiral pattern.

Oppsett for 8-tråders rund fletting. Spiralmønster.

Move the lower right cord to the right of the two upper cords (16 to 1).

Flytt den nederste høyre tråden opp til høyre for de to øverste trådene.

Secure the cord.

Sett fast tråden.

Move the upper left cord down to the left of the bottom cord (31 to 18).

Flytt den øverste venstre tråden ned til venstre for tråden i bunn.

Turn the disc 90 degrees anti-clockwise. Move the lower left cord up to the right of the upper cords,

Snu fletteskiven 90 grader mot klokken (mot høyre). Flytt den nedre høyre tråden opp til høyre for de øverste trådene.

.... and the left upper cord down to the left of the lower.

.... og den øverste venstre tråden ned til venstre for den nederste tråden.

Turn and repeat: right up, left down.

Snu og gjenta: høyre opp, venstre ned.

Look at the braid grow under your disc.

Den flettede tråden vokser under fletteskiven.

Packing kumihimo kits...

2011-10-07T19:46:00.001+02:00

Finally! Yesterday the last items for my kumihimo kits arrived; some Kraft boxes that fits the braiding disc perfectly. I´ve decorated them with washi-tape and my new calling cards.

Now I need to sit down and finish the instruction sheet, and they´re all ready.
5 boxes are for my first ever kumihimo course, 2 is for my Epla shop and one is for a friend.
I still have 4 Kraft boxes, so I´ll have to order some more braiding discs if this turns out to be popular.

My mum is opening a shop/ workshop in Lillehammer, in main street Storgata, next month.
I will have my kumihimo products there + I can come for courses if someone is interested.
More info coming on that, with pictures! I´m currently working on displays for my bracelets + a new line of earrings to go with the kumihimo and my mums felted products.

Redesign/ vintage kumihimo

2011-09-27T18:05:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I was lucky to get a parcel with some nice, vintage silk thread I got on Etsy.
The thread is about 100 years old, or even more, the quills say "Patented Dec 18 1870. Brainerd & Armstrong Co". Each thread is quite thin, so I´ve used 3 threads x 16 to make this delicate braid.
I´m not done yet, it takes ages with such thin braiding, but I though I´d show you some pictures of the process. When done, I´ll finish it with sterling silver details.

The threads curl because the´ve been on the quills.

What do you think?

This will be one-of a kind, and if I can bare to part with it, it´ll come in a beautiful handmade box with documentation of the process and the quills used.

New patterns and some upcoming news.

2011-09-21T19:20:00.002+02:00

I´ve been busy lately, learning new patterns for my kumihimo disc.
I thought I´d show you what´s being made on the boat and in front of the tv!
I´ll post tutorials for some later, when the light is good for pictures.

16 strand round braid diamond pattern

16 strand round braid hearts pattern

8 strand flat pattern with edge color

I´m also working on creating both start-up packs and courses in kumihimo.
I´ll be arranging my first course in a few weeks, and for now, they´re on request only,
for minimum 4 people attending. I´ll need about 2 weeks to prepare start-up packs,
and can hold the course in the evening or on the weekend. 4 hours duration.

Vil du lære kumihimo? 4 timers kurs med startpakke kan bestilles hos meg.
Kurset holdes i Oslo-området og evt. i Lillehammer-området. Kontakt meg på mail for mer info.
E-post: thomasine@gmail.com
Jeg trenger ca. 2 uker til å forberede kurset (bestillingstid på utstyr) og dere må være minimum 4 stykker.

More Japanese items sneaking their way into my house.

2011-09-13T01:05:00.004+02:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Copenhagen. I used to live there, so to me it´s a little bit like a second hometown. I always drop by "Sticks n´sushi", to eat and to stock up on Japanese items. This time I got away with a nice selection of soy, miso dip and sauces, plus a brand new matcha sifter! Oh, and me and Mr. Linuz had a great evening with food and sake off course....

Check out my new matcha sifter! (Matcha-what? you say...) I´ll show you how it works soon. Or wait; it sifts matcha! ;)

You can check out Sticks n´sushi´s menu here, if you happen to be in Danmark/ Copenhagen area (lucky you!): Sticks n´sushi website
Pst: We would love to have one in Oslo you guys....

New adventures in silk!

2011-09-10T16:19:00.000+02:00

So lately I´ve been thinking of new things to make jewelry with, and as I searched Etsy, I found some nice silk threads.
I bought some and a few days ago they arrived from England. The rose and lilac color one was a bit thin so I had to double them up twice to get an ok braid. But the pastels worked fine. I´ve made one bracelet with flower pattern in soft pastels.

Now I´m waiting for some vintage silk floss to see if I can make an exclusive line of krysantemum design bracelets and earrings in vintage (1890-1920) silk floss and sterling silvers findings. Oh, let the parcels come quick!
Let me know if you´d like a very special silk bracelet, they´re going to be "one of a kind", in limited quantities...

I also have some more ideas regarding my braiding, both "start-up packs" and courses. Stay tuned!

Bought and won in August:

2011-08-21T12:04:00.001+02:00

I was lucky to win a give-away at Elle designs; a nice necklace made out of a Scrabble-piece!
I wore it to work and got a lot of compliments for it...

"Good housekeeping" is a joke in my home, as cleaning the house is my least favorite activity....

And the piece is a "L" offcourse - hey! Only 1 point for an "L"? Outrageous....

You can get one here (they´re very reasonably priced):
Elle designs jewelry

I also bought a pair of earrings from Laterna Smykker for a wedding in September.
I´ve made a bracelet with fresh water pearls, and these will fit perfectly! Picture of bracelet coming soon, it´s in the making.

More lovely, hand made items, can be found here:
Laterna Smykker

Weekend fav´es!

2011-08-13T23:25:00.002+02:00

My first favorite list, week 32:

(All pictures are borrowed from the shops on Epla, see list under:)

Check out the nice shops featured here:
"kimono" på Epla
"renna deluxe" på Epla
"HONK MER" på Epla
"babyramen shop" på Epla

...but don´t buy my favorite things before I have a chance to!

A small pause since 22.07.....

2011-08-11T21:08:00.000+02:00

Since 22.07. I haven´t found too much to say, I´ve been a bit paralyzed I guess.
Anyway, I´ll get back to blogging again soon.

Roses grow in my garden, tomatoes too.
I enjoy a quiet moment, a cup of matcha, freshly made,
a hinoki-wood cup with sake.
Visitors from abroad.
A day off in my yukata, no need to dress up.
I let my hands run through soaked soya beans that soon will be made into tofu....

I look out of my window, dawn is pink and yellow,
lights from Oslo shining.
We are safe here.
Life is good,
I am blessed.

Sommerutlodning av øredobber.....

2011-07-20T00:29:00.001+02:00

For å feire at jeg har fått noen uventede gaver, er over 7000 besøk på bloggen og har dyrket fram min første tomat: Jeg gir bort et par øreringer i fritt valgte farge/r til en heldig vinner!
(Jeg har sterling sølv ørekroker eller antikkgullfargede klips til de uten hull i ørene).

Jeg har mange fine farger!

Se også min Epla butikk for mer inspirasjon: krysantemum design på Epla

Hva må du gjøre sier du? Legge kommentar under denne posten og si at du vil ha øreringer (1 lodd), trykke "liker" her: krysantemum på Facebook (1 lodd), følge bloggen min (1 lodd) og eventuelt legge link til min blogg på din/ dette innlegget (1 lodd)!

Jeg trekker en heldig vinner den 08.08. (fordi det er en fin dato!).... så heng deg på!

x Line

ps: Jeg må godkjenne kommentarer manuelt før de publiseres, så ikke fortvil om du ikke ser kommentaren din umiddelbart!

(Text in Norwegian only - give away.)

Gifts!

2011-07-17T14:49:00.000+02:00

I have no idea what I´ve done, but last week I got 2 very nice presents!
From my friend Turid, I got two new furoshiki, from Japan. She visited Japan a little while ago.
One cotton with flowers, and one in 100% silk, two colors on opposite sides. I can´t wait to try them!

From my colleague I got a nice summer present; a candle holder shaped as a lotus flower, beautiful!

I also got some chrysanthemum tea I´ve ordered. I plan to pack the tea in small bags and
send them to the people that orderes items from krysantemum design.
I´ve been contemplating for a while what to pack as "free treats", and landed on the tea.

Now I need to get some small see-through bags and we´re set!

Kumihimo - tutorial; flat braid with hearts

2011-07-08T19:47:00.000+02:00

I thought I´d post a tutorial of a kumihimo pattern; flat 12-tread braid with heart pattern:

For about 2 bracelets (finished length 30+ cm), I used 6 x 1,20 m lengths; 5 x 1 mm cords in dark blue satin and 1 x 2mm cord in pink satin. The thicker cord might be a bit shorter if you want. Lay the threads double and place the 12 threads in the starting position as shown under.
(I will refer to the disc as a clock: 12 o´clock is on top, 3 o´clock is to the right, 6 o´clock is bottom ans 9 o´clock is left.)

This is the starting position of the threads. I mark the top with a pin to keep track.

First take the inner right thread in the 12 o´clock position and move it down below the two threads on the left side, in the 9 o´clock position.

Take the inner left thread in the 12 o´clock position and move it down below the two threads on the right side, in the 3 o´clock position.

Move the two top threads closer, replacing the moved threads.

Now, take the inner left thread in the 6 o´clock position and move it up above the two threads on the right side, in the 3 o´clock position.

Do the same move with the inner right thread in the 6 o´clock position to the left side.

Move the two bottom threads closer, replacing the moved threads.

This completes the first sequence. You should have two threads top and bottom, and 4 threads left and right.

Take the top inner thread in the 9 o´clock position and move it down to the left side of the two bottom threads in the 6 o´clock position.

Take the lower inner thread in the 9 o´clock position and move it up to the left side of the two top threads in the 12 o´clock position.

Move the two remaining threads on the left side closer together, replacing the moved threads.

Now, it´s time to repeat with the right side. Take the upper right thread in the 3 o´clock position and move it down to the right side of the lower threads in the 6 o´clock position.

Take the lower right thread in the 3 o´clock position and move it up to the right side of the upper threads in the 12 o´clock position.

Move the two remaining threads on the right side closer together, replacing the moved threads.

This completes the whole sequence. You need to repeat the sequence 3 times to get the pink threads back in the starting position, creating 1 heart.

The braid in progress!

A while later.....

Good luck!

Ps: I would love to have the startup position (pattern) of the round 16-thread heart pattern. If anyone cares to share: Please leave a comment!

Tea ceremony - making matcha

2011-06-30T22:58:00.001+02:00

Finally I have got all the equipment for making matcha... I have a whisk, a scoop, a hemp towel, whisk holder, iron tea-kettle for water and good quality matcha.

So, here´s my version of a tea ceremony:
I apologize to all you Japanse out there who find me to be too much of an amateur for this; I will practice!

First I heat water and warm the bowl with hot water inside, wipes it off dry.

Kettle with hot water, ceremony grade matcha, whisk on holder, bowl with matcha scooped in.

For this matcha (Yuuki Midori, organic) I use 2 scoops and aprox. 70 ml water.

I let the water cool to about 70 degrees C and pour it in, holding the bowl in one hand.

Whisk in a W-shaped pattern using your vrist only, not the whole arm.

Until you get a frothy foam with lots of bubbles.

Enjoy!

My utensils and tea displayed on a piece of hemp cloth.

A day at the art&crafts fair in "Blå" (Søndagsmarkedet)

2011-06-26T22:12:00.000+02:00

Today I decided to go and try my luck at the art&crafts market at "Blå" in Oslo.
The sun was shining, and the journey with the boat pleasant. A lovely day, I sold
a few items, talked to a lot of nice people, other creative people selling their stuff,
enjoyed the nice weather.... and I even got to braid some!

Here´s the result of todays braiding, I love the dusty pink and freshwater pearl combo.
This is a yatsu shippou-braid; flat with holes, that I later fill inn with pearls.

The market has it´s own blog: Søndagsmarkedet på Blå
Check it out, or even better - come next sunday if you´re in Oslo, or any sunday....

Things are growing in my garden...

2011-06-22T23:00:00.000+02:00

The weather is varying there days; sun, rain, sun, overcast and then rain again. But my plants are doing ok. The new rose is coming along, and the one I had for 3 years is slowly growing too.

Meet Mr. Braithwaite!

The tomatoes are still green, but they look good! I hope for some nice, sunny days to get them all red and ready for Mr. Linuz´ mozarella & tomato salad!

You say tomato......

Mail from Japan

2011-06-17T19:55:00.000+02:00

Two parcels in one day! I almost forgot the pouring rain.... The trip to the post office was rewarded with this:

My new chasen has arrived + some nice organic matcha I can´t wait to try.
Today I just enjoyed unpacking and touching the hand cut bamboo.
Tomorrow or later tonight it will be put to the test when I´m making a nice cup of usucha matcha!

My workroom

2011-06-13T22:36:00.000+02:00

I thought I might let you take a peek inside my workroom these days.
Where I spend my free time creating little braided pieces for the store or for my friends and family.
I find the mess quite beautiful.... all the colors and pieces of shiny string, little crystals and silver bits and bobs....

And I hope the room will soon be complemented with a genuine marudai in wood. The only problem - I have no idea where to put it!

Where to get it (contact me if you´re abroad and would like something):
My Epla shop

Wating for mail... from Japan

2011-06-11T20:42:00.000+02:00

Soon in use!

I´ve finally ordered a new chasen (matcha whisk) and this time a hand made one from Japan!
I´ve also ordered some organic matcha from the same store. Usually shipping from Japan is
fast and safe, so I have big hopes for the parcels to arrive next week!

I will post pictures when it arrives, but for now you can see it for yourself here:
Matcha whisk and tea

I need to order more utensils for the tea ceremony, but I like to try a store first and see if everything works out fine.

Yakitori / kushiyaki

2011-06-08T23:18:00.002+02:00

Today I decided to make yakitori - grilled skewers with chicken and pork for dinner + for a summer party at my daughters kindergarten tomorrow. I made up a big batch of chicken, pork and asparagus ones.

There really isn´t much of a recipe... I made two different marinades, a traditional tare marinade for the pork and a ponzu/ ume one for the chicken.

Tare:
Soy
Mirin
Sugar
Salt
Dashi

Sour marinade:
Ponzu
Umeboshi, honey marinated
Salt + pinch of sugar

I put the whole batch in the oven, as I don´t have a grill at hand. I think they stayed about 15-20 minutes on 200 C. Half I packed down for tomorrow.

We had them with a simple carrot salad (sliced carrots in ponzu sauce), rice and miso soup. The sprinkle is furikake and there´s some sweet soy too.

3rd time lucky?

2011-06-06T22:31:00.000+02:00

Yes, I decided to get another rose.... my "Graham Thomas" seems to be alive, but a bit shaken after frost, but my "Heritage" didn´t make it this winter. I decided to try a "L.D. Braithwaite" this time, it has a higher hardiness-number than the Heritage... maybe it´ll last me more than one season.
Anyway, pictures are coming. It´s been raining all day, and there´s no flowers yet anyway...

David Austin promises me something like this:

Picture courtesy of David Austin Roses

I also browsed my blog-links and enjoyed, as always, reading baby ramens updates + checking her new Japanese items in store. You should too! Visit store here: (Link to blog in my blog-list on the right hand side):
Baby Ramen shop on Epla

Lucky me! Soap in the mail.....

2011-05-29T20:28:00.000+02:00

Last week I was lucky as I pressed the "like" button of the Facebook page "Grønn såpe" and won a piece of home made soap.
Grønn såpe on Facebook
Today it was waiting for me at home as I arrived from a weekend at my parents.

Look at the nice package! It smelled wonderful... I tried it at once. It left a nice, clean feeling without too much scent or no residue. A very good soap! I will get more for sure....

Get your own here: Grønn såpe på Epla (Norwegian customers)

My choice was the soap named "Ruby" because it had cherry blossom fragrance.... (yes, you figure why!)

- Clean Linuz

A new toy....

2011-05-25T22:56:00.000+02:00

Today, I was so lucky, lucky, lucky...... because my new kitchen machine arrived.

Yes, my dear dad got me a Kitchen Aid! I can´t wait to put it to use... today I just cleaned it and looked at it. :)

My first test will be to make matcha ice cream I think, so stay tuned!

I went for a black one to match the coffee machine!

I also got some lovely flowers from Mr. Linuz: Isn´t he the best?

Yes, it was my birthday - I don´t get these things every day....

Creative weekend

2011-05-23T00:05:00.000+02:00

This weekend I went to a market in Oslo to sell my kumihimo jewelry. I always bring the mobidai to show people that I´m actually doing this by hand - and this is a big surprise to them.
Anyway, it was a nice day and I sold a few bracelets, talked to a lot of nice people and braided some cords. I´m working on some bracelets for legs, that´s always popular in the summertime + I made some earrings.

Here´s some new stuff:
http://epla.no/handlaget/produkter/225930/

And this is the market I went to:
http://www.sondagsmarkedet.blogspot.com/

Sadly, being away doesn´t help my garden.... and it´s been raining quite a lot the last week. I hope for some sunny days this coming week, in that way I can make up for lost progress and get my garden in shape. At least the tomato plants are still alive, with some flowers!

Earrings in the window (on chopsticks - they´re so versatile!)...

Planting and braiding!

2011-05-11T22:49:00.000+02:00

Besides my everyday duties; work, husband, child, home, I find time for my two favorite things to do these days. Sunday we went to the local garden center to look for plants. The arrival of Austin roses was delayed, so I couldn´t get a replacement for my dear Heritage II who died this winter. Two very cold winters in a row has killed two lovely roses.... I still haven´t decided if I´ll get a Heritage again, or if I´ll try some other rose.

I´m looking here:
David Austin Roses
(but only a few varieties can be bought in Norway....)

I still got tomato plants, lavendel and a mint plant. They´re currently in my front garden (sunny side).

On the kumihimo front, I´ve made quite a few bracelets and some necklaces.

This one I like a lot:

Pink with blue flower

Most of my products can be ordered custom color and length, with a choice of silver or gold plated details.

:) Linuz

Og vinneren er.......

2011-04-26T18:11:00.000+02:00

..... etter god, gammeldags lappetrekning ut av en blomsterpotte her på jobben (har bilde på mobilen, men dere får tro meg på mitt ord så lenge)......

Ble vinner av et armbånd i fritt valgt farge/r og fletteteknikk:
The winner of a bracelet is:

* Turid Bylund *

Gratulerer! Takk til dere som deltok. Det gjenstår fremdeles trekning på Facebooksiden til krysantemum design + at butikken på Epla alltid er åpen (hint, hint...) :)

Turid: Vil du sende meg navn, adresse + ønsker når det gjelder armbåndet (mål i cm, farge/r, rund/ flat fletting, sølv/ gull-detaljer, låstype) så starter jeg på det med en eneste gang! :) Send melding via krysantemums side på Facebook eller via Epla.

Beste hilsen Line

Rice! 米

2011-04-19T11:31:00.001+02:00

Rice and new sakura rice bowl

Oh, simple happiness... yesterday I went to the japanese grocery store with my little girl and got supplies. I decided to get rice grown in Japan, much more pricy than the Italian or US-grown types, but worth it I think. We also got nori, kids crackers and furikake.

So we had dinner; new cooked rice, salmon and asparagus with nori on top.

ご飯 Still with training chopsticks....

New creations

2011-04-17T17:44:00.000+02:00

While you´re waiting for me to draw a lucky winner; why not check out my bracelets for inspiration?

Ta en kikk i butikken på Epla; hvis du er den heldige vinner kan du velge fritt mellom rund eller flat fletting, og med fritt valgte farger (desverre ikke armbåndene med perler/ stener innflettet).

Hva med dette armbåndet?

http://epla.no/handlaget/produkter/205455/

:)

Celebration!

2011-04-12T18:36:00.000+02:00

Why not? We´re fast approaching 5 000 page hits here on Life of Linuz.... so, after we hit the magic number I will give away a bracelet to one lucky winner!

What do you have to do? Leave a comment on my blog + click "like" on krysantemum design´s Facebook page. If you´re not using Facebook, leave a comment anyway and mention me in your own blog (if you have one), and that´ll be okay too.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Krysantemum-design/113532282056909

Jeg gir bort et armbånd for å feire 5 000 sidebesøk (snart). Hva må du gjøre? Legg igjen en kommentar i bloggen og klikk "liker" på Facebook-siden til krysantemum design. Har du ikke Facebook, kan du legge en kommentar i bloggen + evt. linke til min blogg i din egen/ nevne min blogg eller Epla-butikk og du er med allikevel!

:) Linuz

You choose the color/s!

Fritt valg av farge/r!

New design

2011-04-11T16:38:00.001+02:00

Sorry for changing my mind so often the last days. But finally I´ve made up my mind and picked a custom design for my blog. I hope you find it nice, and still easy enough to read.
I´ll continue to make small adjustments regarding text, sizes and so on. But I hope it won´t be too confusing!

x Linuz

New background pic.

New matcha 抹茶 bowl.... 茶碗

2011-04-10T15:30:00.001+02:00

茶碗 Black beauty

While buying a print at The Yooniverse studio http://www.theyooniversestudio.no/ last week, my eye caught some nice, japanese bowls. So, off course I had to get one, perfect for making matcha. And my litle girl got one with an owl.

Back home I realized I´ve lost my matcha whisk... so I´ll be getting a new one next week!

Hoot, hoot!

Please support Japan:

2011-04-04T20:50:00.000+02:00

For my Norwegian friends:
If you want to give a contribution to Japan + have a nice print on your wall, please buy one of Kazuhiko Yamadas wonderful prints or original paintings. He sends 100% of the money to aid children in Japan. What a wonderful thing to do!

The prints can be bought here:
http://www.theyooniversestudio.no/index.php/cPath/73

The originals are for sale in Studio Kampen / The Yooniverse studio, Sons gate 7, Oslo.

Parcel arrived!

2011-03-16T23:32:00.000+01:00

I´ve ordered more satin cord to make kumihimo with. This time rayon satin cord for the US. What a nice material! So soft and with a great luster.... I had to make a bracelet at once, and went for the Navy color. Sadly it was a sample, so I only braided one. But I´m waiting for more.... I also got thinner cord in satin, so I´m ready to explore more complicated patterns. And I started playing with the idea of having a marudai made here in Norway... I just need to get in touch with a furniture maker.

Navy - dark night

On a different note - I forgot to buy soil, so shiso sowing hasn´t started yet.... I better get on with it!

Creative week

2011-03-13T16:47:00.001+01:00

http://epla.no/shops/krysantemumdesign/

Please visit my Facebook-page too:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Krysantemum-design/113532282056909

If you click "like" you have a chance to win a mobile charm/ bracelet!

Earthquake...

2011-03-12T14:36:00.002+01:00

... I don´t know what to say, Japan was just hit by an earthquake and a tsunami. I´m heartbroken and my thoughts go out to everyone there. I hope as many as possible of the missing people are unharmed, and that cities and the whole society will be rebuilt and back to normal as soon as possible....

Check out this link / competition: Håndlaga 2011

2011-03-08T21:50:00.002+01:00

http://handlaga2011.blogspot.com/

"Handmade 2011" / "Håndlaga 2011" - a competition of the best handmade products and blogs about handicraft in Norway. Please follow the link and nominate your favorites!

I´ve nominated one of my bracelets in the category Jewelry + a pair of earrings from Mirjam H.
You can find her shop here: http://epla.no/shops/mirjamh/
Be aware: Lot´s of "candy" for girls.....

I´ve nominated this bracelet from my own shop:

"Spring": Lilac, green and white bracelet with silver details.
from my shop: http://epla.no/shops/krysantemumdesign/

Norwegian sake!

2011-03-05T23:30:00.003+01:00

Our dear friends at the microbrewery Nøgne Ø (Naked island) have made the first (?) Norwegian sake. Today I went and got two bottles + their beer Red Horizon, based on sake production.
I will taste the sake tomorrow, but for now, I´m posting a picture of the bottle. It looks nice....

Check out the blog of the producers on:
http://nogne-o.blogspot.com/

Ps: I´ve added a column on the side bar showing off my custom made kumihimo bracelets. :)

Sunday update: I´ve tasted the sake, (in hinoki wood sake cups). What a taste explosion! The first notion was honey, then a hint of beer, rice, and all in all I´m impressed. This was a very nice first date with "homegrown" Norwegian sake, and I will continue to buy it. I hope they will be able to distribute the other types as well, or summer vacation has to be spent in Grimstad this year!

First of March - means one thing:

2011-03-01T11:04:00.001+01:00

It is time to go get soil for seeds, check my storage of shiso seeds and maybe order new;
get everything ready for planting season 2011!

Happy, green-fingered Linuz!

Warm soba noodles - winter food

2011-02-28T21:01:00.001+01:00

Soba is a typical summer dish eaten cold in Japan. But in the winter we make it in a hot broth with vegetables and meat or fish, just like ramen or udon noodles.

So this is a non-frill winter dinner in our house:

Warm soba with salmon

- Soba noodles, cooked after instructions and rinsed in water.
- Hot broth (soy, sake, sugar, salt, mirin or menmi with sugar and mirin).
- Vegetables; I used lotus root (renkon), fennel and pak choi.
- Grilled salmon with teriaki glaze and sesame seeds.
- Nori.

Instructions:

Cook soba, rinse, set aside.
Grill a piece of salmon in the oven untill done (while you´re cooking the rest).
Simmer the renkon in oil, soy and sugar (broth base) until soft but crispy, add fennel and pak choi and fry some 5 more minutes. Pour in the broth, heat and add soba.
Serve with grilled salmon, sesame and nori on top!
Yum!

I ruined the tofu + making more kumihimo...

2011-02-27T21:55:00.006+01:00

Ah, I can´t believe I did that! But after 2-3 hours of making tofu it took me 30 seconds to ruin it.... It all went fine up until when I added vinegar. The tofu didn´t curd so fast, so I thought I´d better heat it some more. I put it back on the heat, turned around, focused on the dishes, and then it boiled! Oh... it burned and boiled.... I scooped up the curds and made the tofu anyway, but it didn´t come out right. I don´t have any pictures... and I just want to forget the whole thing. But I still want tofu... *sulk*... so tomorrow I have to get more soy beans.

"Red on red": Faux leather and satin braid with silver details and red glass pearl.

On the other hand, kumihimo braiding is still fun! Yesterday I tried flat braid with heart pattern. I will post a picture soon when the light is better for pictures.

I´m adding a few pictures of other braids; satin, 100% silk and satin/ faux-leather combo.

I´m working on a small surprise for a friend right now. I hope she will like it!

"Mother and daughter": Satin braid with gold plated details and glass pearls.

"100% silk": Hand colored silk in red and lilac with silver details and red glass pearl.

(Thanks to my mum for the silk!)

http://krysantemumdesign.epla.no

Still making bracelets....

2011-02-22T23:28:00.006+01:00

I´m happy spending my evenings making kumihimo bracelets!

Two friends have ordered custom color and fitted ones, so I´m about to finish my first order.
I can make most sizes and a lot of different colors, so don´t be afraid to contact me if you
want one, or check out my Epla store:

http://krysantemumdesign.epla.no

I´ll be posting a small give-away soon!

On the food front, I´ve got soya beans soaking to make tofu tomorrow. Still missing a real tofu press made out of hinoki wood, but I will buy one at some point. It´ll cost me quite a bit to have one sent over from US.

Kumihimo - news and a shop!

2011-02-13T11:31:00.006+01:00

Look what I´m making! My braiding really took off, so I´ve got myself a small shop on the "norwegian etsy"; Epla! My shop is called krysantemum design - krysantemum being both a flower and a japanese hair braiding style.

Check it out (Norwegian customers):

http://krysantemumdesign.epla.no

Looks like I´ve got a hidden passion, and maybe talent?

Kumihimo - braiding

2011-02-02T16:25:00.003+01:00

So, I've been braiding a lot lately using an old Japanese techniqe called Kumihimo.

Some info:
The most prominent historical use of the cords was by samurai as both a functional and decorative way to lace their lamellar armour and their horses' armor (barding). Kumihimo cords are now used as ties on haori jackets and obijimes, which are used for tying on an obi (kimono sash).

I'm using a portable marudai made of flexible foam, and it works really well. It's my past-time activity in front of tv! I would like to get a real wooden marudai as well, to add to the Japanse-stuff-in-my-house list...

Pictures coming soon!

...I don´t really like them that much!

2011-01-20T17:11:00.002+01:00

Yes, the truth will always come out.... And finally my daughter had to come clean (after 2 mochi half eaten): Mummy, I don´t really like those sweets that much!

Here she´s pretending to want some! For the camera....

Daifukumochi - the candy that makes Norwegian kids cry...

2011-01-19T19:17:00.020+01:00

So I came home from Japan two years ago with loads of Japanese sweets. They´re mainly made of rice flour and beans. The taste is somewhat different from western sweets. My daughter has set her mind on liking everything Japanese, so she ate them with all the enthusiasm only a small kind can. She also invited the neighborhood kids in for a treat... the result; tears.

They looked so tasty, pink and green, in such a nice box!

Two years later I thought I´d try to make my own. I didn´t have azuki beans to make the filling, so I made plain without filling, but with green tea. They came out very well on the second try!

Here goes:

Daifukumochi

3/4 cup glutinous rice flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp matcha

potato starch to dust with

Sift matcha into flour in a large bowl.

Mix sugar and water in a pan, bring to a boil.

Pour the liquid into the flour and whisk as hard as you can.
Transfer the mass back into pan and simmer while stirring for 2 minutes or so.
Put the mass on a plate and cut small pieces that you drop into

potato starch
and roll into small balls.

Enjoy! (Ps. Be careful when handing them out to kids - might case unwanted reactions!)

Tea-marbled eggs, o-cha tamago

2011-01-10T22:31:00.007+01:00

New year - new things to try!

Marbled eggs are originally a Chinese tradition, but they´re used in Japan too. In Japan there´s also sho-yu tamago (eggs in soya), that´s an easier fix.

Anyway, recipe is easy, but cooking takes some time.

Put 3-5 eggs in a pan (one layer). Hard boil them and let them cool down.
Take a heavy spoon and crack the eggshell all over without breaking off pieces.
Put the cracked eggs back in the pan.

Mix:
2 tbsp black tea ( I used Darjeeling first flush - fancy me)
2 tbsp soya (I used organic Tamari)

extra salt if you use low-sodium soya

4-5 star anises
2 logs cinnamon or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
Pour it over the eggs and fill enough water to cover the eggs.
Let it simmer for 1-3 hours, refilling water if needed.

The egg will look brown and a bit scruffy when done... and can be kept in the fridge in the cooled down, strained liquid in a jar for quite some time or for 2-3 days wrapped in plastic.

Peel the egg and eat it as a part of a bento box, a snack, with dinner... I had mine with furikake!

While I´m waiting for my camera to return...

2011-01-08T00:54:00.002+01:00

.. here´s some random creativeness! Just for fun....

Waiting for nori.... shopping fabric!

2010-12-04T01:25:00.003+01:00

...from a very nice friend in Japan!
I haven´t been cooking much japanese food this autumn I´m afraid, but I hope to get back in the swing of things very soon!

My only purchase in the japanese stuff department has been some stationary and very nice fabric for my daughters room from
www.superbuzzy.com. Comes highly recommended, but you will shop too much!
Pictures of my 3,5 yards of medium japanese fabric from November Books coming soon.....
...and later the final result when fabric has been made into pillow and curtains for my daughters room-makeover.

Kimono day!

2010-08-29T16:56:00.004+02:00

Sunday is kimono day in our house.... or, to be correct; yukata for me. Sadly I didn´t get a real kimono for myself in Japan... but next time I will! My daughter is just beginning to fit into hers. She looks fantastic! Never mind my bad sash knitting skills, at least I managed some kind of bow.

J has a pink child cotton kimono with sakura and chrysanthemum flowers.

I´m wearing my Hasseludden (www.yasuragi.se) yukata.

Sake

2010-06-13T21:03:00.003+02:00

I was lucky to get hold of this bottle... Kikusakari, Kioke shikomi, Junmai Daiginjo quality. Happy times! It´s not often one can get hold of Japanese sake of good quality here. I´m also waiting for the first Norwegian sake to reach the stores, it´s under production in the south of Norway.

Shiso

2010-06-13T21:01:00.003+02:00

Just a few pictures of this years shiso.

Spring!

2010-05-27T00:35:00.005+02:00

Spring has been generous to my garden... I have daikon and shiso growing and will plant japanese cucumbers soon. Pictures coming!

One rose died this winter, but the replacement is now in its box and slowly growing. The surviving rose looks good too!

Inari with shiitake

2010-03-28T19:49:00.004+02:00

Today´s Sunday treat: Inari with shiitake mushrooms and rice.

I cheated and bought ready-made inari this time.... I usually make them myself from abura-age, but the inari no-moto is so handy when you have no time for that... I managed to get some without msg, so I´m happy!

Today I used:
2,5 cups of rice: white and brown mixed
3 large, dried shiitake´s, left for 30 minutes in warm water to soften
1/2 carrot, diced
Sesame seeds, black and white mixed
Mix of mirin, soya, dashi, salt and sugar

Rice is boiled, and while this happens I cut the shiitake and carrot into strips and boil them in a mix of mirin, soya, dashi, salt and sugar.
The boiled rice is mixed with this + sesame seeds and filled into the inari.

We eat the inari with soy sauce and ginger. Yum!

Surfaced

2010-03-28T14:06:00.002+02:00

... the shiso has finally surfaced.
I think my first seeds were planted a bit too deep, about 1.5 cm, so a few days after the first sowing, I decided to plant a few more seeds, this time just under the surface.
This has done the trick, and now I have about 10 little shiso plants on their way.
Today they´re going into larger pots.

This is the same shiso seeds I´ve been using since I got them from Japan 2 years ago,
so they keep well.

Pictures coming! Have to locate the camera....

It's that time of year again...

2010-03-04T17:28:00.002+01:00

...planting season!

Snow is still heavy and deep on the ground.
But spring has arrived with sunny and longer days.
Little Shiso seeds will soon be planted, this year in a brand new mini greenhouse on my kitchen bench.
Stay tuned!

Daughters bento

2010-01-29T01:39:00.002+01:00

My daughter gets her bento too! Now in a spanking new Totoro box with egg made in Hello Kitty eggshaper and Hello Kitty small bottle with drinking yoghurt! Sandwich flowers and petals.

Okara - cereal

2010-01-25T00:14:00.002+01:00

So, what to do with all that okara? I turned mine into delicious cereal and muffins (recipe later), and then I froze down some. You'll get a lot of okara, so it's a shame to throw it all away.

I mixed 3 cups of okara with:
1 cup of rolled/cooked oats
1/2 cup of raisins
1 cup of shredded coconut
1/2-1 cup of agave syrup
1/2 cup of coconut oil

Mix well and spread on a greased baking sheet, maximum 1 inch deep. Dry it in the oven on about 150 degrees for a couple of hours. Store in a container, in the frigde to keep it longer. Eat it with milk or youghurt as breakfast.

Homemade soy milk and tofu - step by step, part 2

2010-01-18T20:39:00.010+01:00

My first tofu.

So, after making your own soy milk from beans, you're left with about 2 liters of fresh soy milk.
It's time to turn it into tofu!
(The tofu you make at home will come out as "cotton", not "silken", just for the record.)

First, you need a box or special tofu form to press the tofu in. I made my own out of a plastic box with some holes pinched, and the lid cut a bit smaller to fit inside the box with a weight on top. Line it with a cheese cloth or similar piece of loose-woven fabric, damp from being rinsed in cold water.Heat the soy milk up until about 80-90 degrees, hot, but not boiling. Use a thermometer if you have one. Switch off the heat and add your coagulant of choice, stir a couple of times and wait. You might have to add some more, but the less, the better.

I used apple cider vinegar because I couldn't get hold of nigari or gypsum. I added about 2 tbsp to 2 liters of soy milk.
When you see the whey and the solids separate into small curds, put the lid on the kettle and wait 10-15 minutes.
Take the lid off and check the state of things. If the curds are quite large and separated from the whey, you're all good. If they're small and still kinda integrated, add a bit more coagulant and put the lid back on. If you're happy, try to get most of the whey out before scooping the curds into your tofu form. Use a sieve and a large spoon.
Spoon the curds into your form lined with sieve cloth. Your final tofu block will be about half the size of the initial mixture. You might want to pour some in, wait for it to drain some, and then add more. When all is in, wrap the cloth over the top, put the lid on and weigh it down with a can or something else heavy. Place it in a bowl or in the sink so the liquid that comes out is collected. Leave for 20 min - 1 hour depending on how hard you like the tofu.
I drained mine for about 30-40 minutes.
Carefully slide your tofu out of the form and into a bowl of cold water. Remove the sieve cloth. Take the tofu out of the water and dry it with some kitchen paper. Enjoy!
It keeps 2-3 days in the fridge if you store it in a box with water.

My bento stash

2010-01-17T00:57:00.006+01:00

Since I've ordered some more bento stuff, I decided to check what I've got now... before it arrives. And it is some, but I sure could use more! So, it's all good! Can't wait to get the egg shaper, small bottles and Totoro bento box!

From left: Furoshiki x2, drawstring bag, rabbit 2 tier box, Hello Kitty single box, ongri box x2, bento onigri box, 2 tier bentobox with shut-close lid, small boxes inkl. Hello Kitty mayo box with spoon, silicone shapes, training chopsticks for my daughter, vegetable cutters in various shapes, animal pins for food, nori stapler.

My bento equipment has been bought at Tokyo Hands in Tokyo and from J-box online. Plus a few household items from Norway like silicone molds, heart cutters, etc.

ps. most of this is my daughters! If you were wondering....

Bacon tofu!

2010-01-16T23:44:00.006+01:00

Turkey wrapped tofu with soya sauce!

Yes, we got tofu, and now we must eat it! (Part 2 of tofu making is coming soon....)

And what better way to eat this all vegetarian treat than to wrap it in.... bacon? You got to love Japan!
Anyway, as I didn't have any bacon I decided to make turkey wrapped tofu instead...

You do it like this:
Put a block of tofu in kitchen paper, put a weight (plate) on top and drain it for about 30 minutes. Cut the tofu into bite size pieces.

Cut bacon or turkey into pieces that match the tofu pieces and wrap them. Fry in a pan until crisp.
For a traditional sauce put some soya in the pan with 2 tbsp of brown sugar and cook until a thick sauce. Add the tofu pieces. Eat with rice and vegetables. Or put it in your bento box.

Yum!

Homemade soya milk and tofu - step by step, part 1

2010-01-16T00:00:00.022+01:00

First of all, thanks to one of my favorite bloggers at http://www.justhungry.com/ I got the overview on tofu making. I couldn't get hold of nigari or gypsum, so after further research I decided to try Apple cider vinegar as a coagulant. And it worked just fine! I'm working on getting hold of nigari though.

If anyone knows a store that ships nigari to Norway, please leave a comment!

So here's how I did it:

First I made soya milk. This is step 1:

I bought soya beans and soaked them aprox. 20 hrs. I could've soaked them less, but I had to go to work! I used 500 grams of dried beans.

This is how dry and soaked soya beans look like (I actually didn't know!):

The soaked beans goes in a food processor with enough cold water to just cover them. Depending on your food processor (I got a very small one) you might have to do this in batches. Pulse on full spead for 2-3 minutes untill you get a foamy white mass. Put this into a large pan.

When all the beans have been processed, measure the amount of soya mass and fill the same quantity of water in the pan.
My bag of 500 grams dry soya beans gave me about 2.5 liters of mashed soya foam...

Put it on the heat and let it boil. At this point it'll probably start foaming a lot. If the foam reaches the edge of your pan - pour some cold water on it and stir. Or take it off the heat a bit. After a while the foam will subside and your soya beans + water should be left to simmer for aprox. 20 minutes. Stir it now and then.

The soya grain (okara) will separate from the milk and all that is left now is to strain the liquid. Pour it through a sieve cloth and squeese it with a big ladle or your hands (it's hot!).

Voila: soya milk! Use this as you normaly would use soya milk, it keeps for 2-3 days in the fridge. Or make tofu.... see part 2! Picture shows the fresh soya milk and the okara that was left after sieving.

Don't throw away the okara! It's great stuff, full of nuticious value, so keep it for baking etc. Recipes coming... Dry it in the oven on low heat or freeze it for later use. It keeps fresh in the fridge for a couple of days.

Homemade tofu

2010-01-12T23:40:00.003+01:00

Well, homemade tofu is on it's way. I've put soya beans in water to soak tonight, and tomorrow I'll complete the making of soya milk... then I'm just one mold and the right coagulant away from tofu!

Stay tuned - to be updated!

The recipe:
500 gram of dried soya beans - soak in water overnight, rinse, soak again (max. 24 hrs)

16 cups of water

1 teaspoon nigari or other coagulant, like vinegar, lemon, gypsum.... working on this

Cheese cloth
Tofu mold (square mold with weight on top)

........ fingers crossed!

14.01.10:
Yes! It's done... more pictures and instructions coming!

Some kind of Japaneese dinner + snack

2009-11-26T21:56:00.006+01:00

Posting this easy recipe I'm using for my normal, no-frill style dinners.
It's basically a wok or stew, and you can add any kind of meat and veggies. Then some marinade made out of the holy triangle (soya, sake and mirin) and a few more additives, and you're set!

Today it went like this:
Quantity of pork (tender part)
Fennel, carrot, shiitake, lotus root, shiso leaves; chopped.
Marinate in a mix of soya, sake, mirin, dashi, sesame seeds, salt and sugar.
Fry fast in a pan or wok, add the marinade when the meat is done and simmer for a few more minutes. Serve with rice, umeboshi, and in this case deep fried lotus root.
As a pre-dinner snack we had some edamame (soya beans in pod).

Quick fixes...

2009-11-21T19:40:00.004+01:00

Sorry for not posting in such a long time! Buzy days in the Linuz home...

Anyway, posting a picture of my "not wanting to cook" dinner.... simply rice topped with shiso, nori, sesame seeds, bonito shavings, umeboshi and soy sauce.

I will be posting a few more recipes in near future, pictures are ready.

Project: Food bases. First base: orange

2009-09-16T19:52:00.004+02:00

So, while making dinner tonight I got the idea of making "food bases" and freeze them for easier and faster cooking without using ready-made food from the store.
So far I've come up with 3 color bases, and from these an endless variety of recipes.

Here comes the recipe for the first base:

Orange base

5 cm chunk of ginger, peeled and chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil

Fry this for 5 min and add:

1 kg of carrots, peeled and diced
1,5 liters of water with 1 cube bullion or stock

Boil until tender and run through a blender or mash it any way you like.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Use this for carrot soup:
To the base, add 2-3 deciliters of cooking cream or Oatly cream, bring to boil.
Serve with orange wedges and parma ham roasted in oven until crisp.

Use it as mash:
Boil some extra carrots or potatoes and mash them with butter or oil. Add the carrot base.

Pictures coming!

2.flowering of roses

2009-08-30T18:05:00.004+02:00

My lovely Heritage is flowering for the 2nd time, even more fragant and pink than the first time. Good times in the garden!

Weekend treat: Maki

2009-08-30T17:45:00.009+02:00

This weekend I decided to spoil Mr.Linuz with maki, as it is one of his favorite food.
Maki really is very simple, once you got some decent sushi rice going, it's just about filling and cutting. We choose salmon (sake), scallops (hottate gai) and trout caviar (ikura) this time. I'd gotten hold of 1.class Salma salmon, so fresh you don't have to freeze it before you eat it raw.
I also made a small sashimi starter; salmon sliced with caviar and ponzu sauce.

For the maki you need:
Sushi rice, about 3 cups, uncooked
Sheets of nori
Seafood and vegetables to fill, I used rew salmon, raw scallops, trout caviar, boiled aspargus, sticks of cucumber, wasabi and mayonaise.

Rice
3 cups of sushi rice (I've got a steamcooker, so I just wash it, put it in with required water and push "cook"), if you don't have one, it's about 3 cups of water to 3 cups of washed and soaked rice (20 min) + a small sheet of kombu in the cooking water if you'd like. Let it boil up under a lid, switch the heat all the way down and cook under a lid for 20 min. Rest the rice 10 min.

The cooked rice goes into a hangiri or another large bowl for cooling. Pour over sushi-zu (3 tbsp rice vinegar brought to boil with 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp salt, cooled down) and flip the rice over with a spatula to mix it. Let it cool. Put a wet towel over the bowl to keep it moist.

Maki
Put a nori sheet on a rolling mat covered with plastic. Put an amount of rice on the nori sheet to cover about 3/4 of it, add filling in the middle of the rice. Grab one end of mat and fold into a roll. Squeese the mat to make it real round. Cut in 6 or 8 pieces.

Cold noodles

2009-08-08T17:40:00.006+02:00

Yesterday I made some real Japanese summer food. It hardly requires a recipe, you just boil noodles, cool them off, mix some dipping soup and some garnish. This is great food if you don't feel like eating at all. In Japan they sometimes serve this in a bowl with ice cubes or in a running stream of water!

I "cheated" and bought ready-made menmi (dipping soup) that only needs to be mixed with 3 parts of water. If you want to make your own, try this recipe: 1 cup of dashi, 1/3 cup of mirin, 1/3 cup of soya. Heat the mirin in a pan, add soya and dashi. Bring to boil and cool down. Dillute with water if you like, and add garnish like ginger, chopped onions and shiso.

With our cold soba noodles (buckwheat), we had carrots, cucumber, omelet strips, ham and silken tofu.
Mr. Linuz really liked it, and he added some cold, grilled salmon from the day before as well. We also added some red shiso to the menmi.

Japanese grocery shopping

2009-08-08T15:48:00.002+02:00

Vacation is over, and it's time to fill up the closet/fridge/freezer! From left: Rice snacks for kids, bottle of menmi, 2 types of miso, konyaku, umeboshi, soba noodles, cold tea drink, tofu, rice vinegar, mirin, frozen lotus root and inari!

Russian pirogi non-Japanese food

2009-07-12T19:48:00.013+02:00

Yes, we do eat other stuff than Japanese food! Especially lately, I've been trying to mix it up a bit.. and being a "Russian housewife", I thought I'd try to make pirogi.

So, here we go:

Dough
7 g dry yeast
2 ts brown sugar
2/3 cup skimmed milk (abt. 2 dl ), lukewarm
1 large egg
1 tbsp water
1 cup (=240 ml) melted margarine, lukewarm
1/4 ts salt
3 3/4 cup flour (= 9 dl) (I used dinkel)

Filling
1/2 head of cabbage
2 tbsp hacked dill
1 clove garlic, hacked
2 tbsp oil
2-3 hard boiled eggs
2-3 large potatoes cut in small cubes and boiled
salt and pepper

+ any meat, fish or chicken and maybe peas as well
1 beaten egg

Make dough
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in lukewarm milk, leave for 5 min, then add the egg beaten with water and lukewarm margarine, plus salt. Stir together and add the flour, cup by cup, leaving 1/2 cup out. Form the dough into a ball and knead in the rest of the flour. Leave to rise for abt. 10 min. Use at once, or refrigerate for up to 24 hrs.

Make filling
Boil eggs and potatoes until done. Sieve potatoes and peel eggs. Chop them into small pieces.
Cut the cabbage into strips and boil for 2 min in salted water. Strain and chop it up more.
Put the oil in a large pan or wok, add garlic, fry 2 min, add cabbage and dill. Fry until soft, add potatoes and eggs + any other filling. Adjust taste with s/p.

Make circular pieces of the dough and put 2 tbsp filling on one half. Close it into a half circle, close the edges with a fork and put beaten egg on it.
Cook the pirogi for 20-25 minutes on 200 degrees C until brown.

Serve with soup or sour cream dressing. Great for picnic!

Roses non-Japanese plants!

2009-07-07T21:49:00.004+02:00

I'm proud to present: Mr. Graham Thomas and Heritage.
The lovely Austin roses currently growing in my garden. Planted in mid-May, they're now full of fragrant flowers, Graham Thomas (above) has pale yellow, almost peach flowers. Heritage (under) has light pink, almost white, some more pink, full flowers. I have high hopes for these ones!

My garden

2009-07-07T21:36:00.007+02:00

Growing daikon has proven to be quite interesting and quite tricky for a garden-virgin like me.
But, this one I think will be a success, after a few attempts that has ended with small, withered ones...
I have no idea if this pot is deep enough or how long this root is now, but I'll try to let it grow for another week or so to see if it gets thicker.
The daikon is Hybrid Daebu Summer, and it should be grown in 60 days after sowing.
It was planted around May 15th, so that gives it another week to grow.

My green shiso is also growing well these days. After a rocky start in the beginning of summer, they got pale green and were bothered by insects, they've matured into rich, dark green plants with huge leaves. I will salt the leaves for onigri wrappers this week - so stay tuned!

Happy morning

2009-07-07T12:24:00.002+02:00

Japanese tea in my tetsubin (iron tea pot) and aka-shiso growing in the background....

Instant Tsukemono

2009-06-21T00:15:00.004+02:00

I bought a mix for instant pickles in the Japanese market, so I thought I'd give it a go.
Since the instructions on the packet is in Japanese, I had to search a bit to find out how, but hey, it's not that hard... I did get an advice to add some lemon juice and shiso, so I did that.
Otherwise: 200-250 g of vegetable of choice, I used cucumber and aubergine, add a pack of instant tsukemono powder, lemon juice, shiso to a plastic bag. Leave in the fridge for a few days.

I've already tasted some, and they're quite good. Next time I'll try to make my own tsukemono powder though... to escape the msg...

Cake! Pavlova... non-japanese food

2009-06-19T22:34:00.008+02:00

Oh, I found this picture of the Pavlova I made for 17th of May (Norway's constitution day).
And it looks so nice I want to share it... and post recipe...

Pavlova

6 egg whites
4 dl sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vinegar
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp vanilla essence

Whisk together, starting with egg whites and salt, then adding sugar and eventually vinegar and corn starch + vanilla.
When the meringue has become thick and shiny, pour in on a baking sheet where you've drawn a circle of about 26 cm in diameter. Form a circle of the mass.
Put it in an oven heated to 250 degrees C, switch the heat down to 100 degrees. Fry it on 100 degrees for at least an hour. Cool down.
Decorate with whipped cream, berries, vanilla cream....

Renkon no ebi hasami-age, lotus root with shiso

2009-06-16T21:39:00.009+02:00

So, I've taken a liking to renkon, lotus root. I bought fresh one this spring and used it all for chips, but I picked up a pack of frozen renkon as well. It's been sitting in my freezer waiting for inspiration... Then I got 2 renkon recipes from my Japanese friend Ryoko (thanks!), and yesterday I tried out one of them in a moderated form.
The recipe calls for a shrimp mixture to be put inside the renkon "sandwiches", but I decided to do it as a vegetarian side dish as I had no shrimps.
Update: I made it again with shrimps! Also good, and I took new pictures for this post.

Here's the recipe (including shrimps):

Deep-Fried Lotus Root and Shrimp Sandwiches

4 lotus roots (or frozen pieces to double to the number of shiso leaves)
6 - 8 shiso leaves
1/2 sheet nori, cut into strips

7 oz/200g shrimps
4 inch naga-negi onion (or spring onion)
1/2 knob ginger
1 tbsp katakuriko starch (or potato/corn starch)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sake
1/2 lemon

hakurikiko flour (normal flour)
oil for deep frying

Eat with ponzu, soy sauce with ginger, sansho salt or lime juice.

How to make it:
Shrimp filling:
De-vein the shrimps, and rinse them in cold water. Chop the onion and ginger finely. Place it in a food processor with the katakuriko starch, salt and sake. Run it until it becomes a fine mixture.

Cut the lotus root into 1/8 inch pieces, if too big, into half moons again. Soak them in water with vinegar for 4-5 minutes.

Dust the lotus root with flour and put a shiso leaf on one piece. Add shrimp mixture, if using, put another lotus root on top. Seal with a nori band. Sprinkle with more flour.

Deep fry in hot oil until crisp, but not brown. Turn once.
Garnish with lemon. Serve with dressing of choice.

Happy times in my garden, except for some bugs..

2009-06-13T23:21:00.005+02:00

Bok choi, daikon and green shiso outside.

My plants have finally moved outside, all except the small aka-shiso's
that are happy in the window of my kitchen for now.
The mini bok choi is growing fast and happy, and the green shiso is quite
large now. My daikons and sugar snaps are also coming along.

There's a small problem though --- bugs.... some small insects have attacked
a few plants and left stripes in the green leaves. So Monday, I'm off to the store
to get something to protect my plants. No toxic stuff, but I hope there's something
I can do... My kitchen will be pretty crowded if I'd have to move it all inside...

Todays dinner for Mr. Linuz was salmon sashimi with ponzu dressing and fresh
shiso. Served with rice and carrot wedges. No photo of that I'm afraid...

Birthday bento

2009-05-25T00:51:00.004+02:00

My quick bento made with whatever was in the fridge;

inari filled with rice mixed with furikake
aloe vera segments in juice
pickles
tofu with shiso and soya (soya not added yet)

jum-jum!

Quick dinner and homemade furikake

2009-05-25T00:44:00.004+02:00

A quick sunday dinner, maybe not entirely Japanese, but we try... Sake shiso - salmon with fresh shiso baked in the oven and served with rice, pickles, miso soup and salad.
Here's the lovely salmon ready for the oven: Topped with sweet soya, salt and shiso:

And for the rice I've made homemade furikake (rice topping):
Nori (in strips)
Black and white sesame seeds
Salt
Sugar
Shaved bonito (fish)

Mix together and put on top of your cooked rice!
Or mix with rice inside onigri or inari...

More planting..

2009-05-17T20:57:00.002+02:00

Oh boy, I do enjoy having a small garden! Well, at least a large terrace and a small piece of soil next to my kitchen wall..
Last week I received my parcel from Oriental Vegetable Seeds (fast service, good selection). I've ordered seeds of shiso (3 types), daikon (4 types), a bok choi variety and Japanese cucumber.
This week I've planted baby bok choi, aka-shiso (red shiso) and one daikon variety called Daebu summer. Daikon and bok choi surfaced after 2-3 days, I'm still vaiting for the shiso to sprout.

Both daikon and bok choi grow easily, just plant them right under the surface in moist soil, keep it fairly moist and warm and they'll grow fast.

Pictures coming!

Hijiki no nimoto

2009-05-03T19:56:00.009+02:00

Today I've made hijiki for the 2nd time, this time I included konnyaku as well. It came out good, half was for dinner, the other is for bento box tomorrow, with rice, ume, egg and chicken. What a nice start to the week!

I'm including the recipe and some action shots:

Hijiki no nimoto (simmered hijiki sea vegetable)

1/3 cup dried hijiki (rinse and soak for 20 minutes in cold water)
1 piece abura age (oil removed and cut into small strips)
1/3 block of konnyaku cake (cut in slices)
1/2 large carrot (in julienne)
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

stock:
1 1/2 cups dashi
2 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tbsp soya
1 tbsp mirin or sake with sugar

Prepare everything while the hijiki is soaking in cold water for at least 20 minutes.
The abura age needs to be rinsed with boiling hot water and rolled on a clean towel with a chopstick to remove excess oil.

Fry the carrot strips in the vegetable oil until tender. Add konnyaku and abura age and cook for another 2-3 minutes, without burning the vegetables.

Add hijiki (without soaking water), fry for a minute and add the stock. Simmer everything in the stock until it has boiled down to aprox. half of the quantity. Serve hot in a bowl or cool down and add to your bento box.

Happy shiso

2009-05-03T19:54:00.002+02:00

My happy, little shiso is growing... and soon it will come out in the garden! Notice the daikon in the background - growing way to fast!

Shiso replanted

2009-04-16T23:36:00.003+02:00

The shiso is coming along and today it was replanted in larger pots. I expect them to grow faster now, hoping for sunny, warm days to come... This is the 3 pots I'm keeping, I've got another 5 for friends.

I also test-seeded some daikon today to check seeding dept, how long it will take for them to surface and so on. Because daikon needs deeper pots (it grows downwards..), I'll have to wait until weather gets good enough to plant them outdoors. My kitchen is already crowded with shisoplants!

My window

2009-04-13T14:50:00.005+02:00

sugar, wakame, tempura flour, shiitake, bonito, sesame seeds, tea

Stocking up on necessities!

Sauteed chicken and tamago yaki

2009-04-13T14:31:00.013+02:00

One of our everyday Japanese meals; chicken marinated in soya, mirin, sake, salt and sugar.

It's about 500 gr of chicken thighs with skin on, marinating in a tbsp each of the above mentioned ingredients. Fried in wok with the excess marinade, and that's it!

Served with shredded cabbage, rice, soup, pickles. The soup is chicken stock from the chicken bones with a bit of white miso, wakame and shiitake mushrooms.

As a starter we had salmon sashimi with ponzu dressing and carrots.

Oh, and for my sister I'm posting recipe for tamago yaki:
This is for a large omelet, feel free to halve it, I usually do, as I have a small pan:

Tamago yaki

6 eggs
1,25 dl dashi (Japanese fish stock)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sake
1 tbsp mirin (or replace with sugar)

1 tbsp oil

Mix eggs with the other ingredients, heat a pan. Oil the pan with a paper towel dipped in oil.
Pour in 1/3 of the mixture. When it sets, fold the omelet as a roll towards one end of the pan.
Pour in another 1/3 of mixture, lift the rolled omelet to let mixture under, let it set. Repeat with the last part of mixture. Leave to cool and cut in shape if you're using a circular pan.

Growing shiso (perilla)

2009-03-29T21:04:00.004+02:00

Good news... the first shiso shots have surfaced! I guess it's about 30-40 sprouts that have surfaced now. It looks really good, just like last year.

Soon I'll replant them in individual pots and they'll grow nice and big. Happy times for me and the other 3 that are waiting for their plants.

If the nice weather continues and spring really is here, I'll try to plant daikon next week.

Hang in there for exciting updates!!

Various cooking this week, bento and lotus root

2009-03-25T13:45:00.009+01:00

Yum! Lotus root chips.....

This week has included two days of bento at work, tonkatsu and making lotus root chips. My daughter went crazy for thoose chips! Will do them again now that I've found fresh lotus root here in Oslo. It wasn't so large, but it made great chips!

Bento with rice, tamago, pickles, chicken, carrots and cabbage.
The day after I had rice, pickles, bok choy, chicken and some aloe vera segments as well.

All wrapped up in my furoshiki and ready to go!

Slicing lotus root on my newly bought mandoline. I peeled the root and left it in water with some vinegar to prevent it from colouring.

Cooking lotus root chips in sunflower oil.

Green tea ice cream

2009-03-16T21:28:00.008+01:00

Ok, this is my first attempt making this ice cream. I thought I'd start a new post with the pictures.

Here's my ingredients all lined up. Organic milk and eggs. Matcha from Japan. Very few ingredients and a quite simple recipe.

I whipped the eggs with sugar and milk over a pan of boiling water. I stirred quite a while. Then cooled it down in a bowl of cold water and added the dissolved matcha.
Amazing colors!

The final whipped cream goes in, gave it a stir and off to be frozen in a plastic container.

This is how it looked after the second stirring. It's very creamy already. Maybe it'll be done tonight?

And here's our dinner by the way... maki with shrimps and california rolls + inari (my favorite). Very lavish on a Monday, but hey...

The result: (It was good, good! I've stopped myself from eating it all...)