Papers & Plums

Here in Sweden Fall is well on its way. Gone are the warm Summer days…hmm…miss them already. It might be a good time to remember one of the summery things I made this year. One of the very Swedish things I made – namely “Fläder Saft”. Inspired by my sister and mother, I too set out to make some of this Juice concentrate.

First, you need Elderberry Flowers. They have a real special scent to them. A bit lemony…

Which is perhaps why they pair up so well with sliced lemon, and of course, lots of sugar. Add water to the mix and let it sit in your fridge for five days to soak.

Next, pull out the “saft” strainer. A tool you’ll find available in most grocery stores here in Sweden.  Strain the juice, which has now taken on a thick, syrupy consistency. I love the look on Caleb’s face. “We’re gonna drink this??, Ok…” LOL

Pour the concentrate into bottles or freeze in ziplock bags. I did some of both. To drink, just mix with water at a ratio of about 1juice concentrate + 5 water.

So very refreshing and especially appreciated as the days get darker and the weather cooler.

If you’ve never tried this and you live nearby an IKEA you might be able to find Elderberry juice containers in their restaurant. It’s so worth a try!

Thanks for stopping by,

Sara

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I didn't get much crafting done this weekend except for a little bit of coloring. I hope to share that with you later this week. However, I did get to make dinner – every night as it were.  Thankfully, that happens to be one of my other hobbies. Cooking or baking is equally inspiring to me and rarely feel like a hardship. The only challenge as I see it is to know what to make every day, but once I've decided, I'm off and running.

This week I made a delicious Cobb Salad. It's so very simple to assemble and the presentation makes this weeknight meal seem even more special. Just chop up a bit of lettuce, rotisserie chicken, grape tomatoes, avocado, feta cheese and bacon and you're done.

Doesn't it look yummy?! But where's the bacon, you ask. Well, I thought I burned it a little (I obviously don't cook bacon very often) so I left them on the side. Turns out it was tasty anyway.

So, if you can't think of what to make this week, try it out.

I'm looking forward to a week of updates from CHA. I wish I could have gone. Perhaps another time. For now I'll live vicariously through those bloggers who did go.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sara

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