Triple Chocolate Truffle Pie

Hello everyone,
Today I am here with a new recipe. Those of you that follow me on Instagram (@curlsncakes) might know that I recently came back from a (more than) week-long holiday in London. It was fantastic and I managed to see plenty of shows, ballets and musicals, one of which were the Broadway hit: Waitress. The musical is based on a movie from 2007 with Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion, with music written by Sara Bareilles. I saw the movie some time ago and loved it, because it was tragic and beautiful, and had so many pies in it.

Waitress is about an unhappy woman, Jenna. She's in a messed up relationship, but works as a waitress in a diner. Jenna's only happy when baking her pies. All along watching the movie and then the musical (which is beautiful with lovely music, by the way) I kept wishing there would be a recipe book for all these incredible pies that Jenna bakes.

Coming out of the play I noticed a book in the little shop stand in the theatre. And lo and behold, it was what I had wished for: Sugar, Butter, Flour - The Waitress Pie Book.
I was so excited and instantly bought it (and some other things).

This first pie that I baked from the book is called the In the Dark Dark pie, and it makes 24 cm pie. I made some modifications to the recipe to suit me and my ingredients more, and I will present that modified recipe. For the original recipe, see the book. Without further ado...

Triple Chocolate Truffle Pie

INGREDIENTS

For the pie shell:

• 1 packet of Oreos (original)
• 75 grams melted butter

For the pie filling:

• 230 grams dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 dl skimmed milk (1.5% fat)
• 2 dl heavy cream (35% fat)
• 2 eggs

For the pie topping:

• 2 dl heavy cream, chilled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 dl powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• Decorations in the form of chocolate curls

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 175°C.
Crush the oreos in a blender and add the butter to it. Press the moistened oreo crumbs into your pie tin. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and then bake in the middle rack of your oven for 10 minutes.

Bring the milk and heavy cream to just before a boil in a saucepan and pour it over the copped chocolate. Mix until smooth. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and then pour the chocolate mix into the eggs. Pour the egg mixture into the cooled pie crust. Bake for about 45 minutes. The centre of the pie should still be rather loose and wobbly when given a shake.

For the topping mix vanilla, sugar and cocoa together in a bowl. In another bowl whip the heavy cream until slightly thickened, then add the dry ingredients and whip until stiff peaks form. Pipe the topping using a piping bag and a tip unto the cooled (to room temperature) pie. Add the chocolate curls on top, and voilà!

I personally preferred this pie chilled, rather than cooled to just room temperature. So if you're anything like me, bake this pie the day before serving and refrigerate until you are going to eat it.

Until next time!

Much love,
Mona

Autumn Allure

Hi all,
I've been longing to write a bit so here comes a blog post.
In the latest post I wrote about what had happened in 2017 and the beginning of 2018, and since then really nothing has changed. I'm still waiting for therapy, I'm still on sick leave, I'm still not doing any research, and I still feel a bit hopeless. It's difficult to keep up the hope when you still have 6 months to go until you get any proper professional help.

The physicians, that only contact me by telephone, keep changing my medicine because I'm still not doing well, but in reality they know, just like me, that the best treatment for depression and OCD is CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). The problem is that there aren't enough resources for mental illness. There is so much more funding for research of physical illnesses than there is for mental illnesses. I, myself, work with cancer research, but even I think that more money needs to be put into mental health/illness research rather than physical illnesses. I'm not saying that physical illnesses are unimportant, but if we keep saying that mental health is as important as physical health, but then do nothing to validate this saying the stigma attached to mental health issues will never ever come to an end.

Luckily I have the support of family and friends, and I'm dancing a lot to try and help me get out. I've also noticed that going into woods is very soothing. Anyone that knows me at all, knows that I am not an outdoorsy type of person not in the slightest. I much prefer to sit in my armchair at home with a nice book or a cuppa. However, autumn has a unique allure that draws me out into the woods.

Just a week ago my sister and I went out and photographed a bit. I was wearing my Son de Flor dress that in itself has an allure that can't quite be described. This dress makes me want to twirl to the end of the world and back. It a magical dress from an equally magical brand.

Dress: Son de Flor (here)
Cardigan: Lindex (old)

Belt: Can't remember

Scarf: Through LootCrate's Wizarding World Subscription Box (here)

Boots: A sporty shop in London that I can't remember the name of

Which season has an allure to you? For me, it is always autumn. The colours of the trees, the crunching of the leaves under your lace up boots. The cold sharp air and the pale sun, all have a special place in my heart.

I hope you are all enjoying the season. Much love,
Mona

Idols

Hello all you wonderful people!
Christmas is only two weeks away, and we've just had the most celebratory day in the science world - the Nobel day.

When I was a kid I remember we were asked once who our "idols" were. This way in the late 90's/early 00's, and most girls my age answered Britney Spears. I don't think that there's anything wrong with that. But I distinctly remember thinking "What's so idol-worthy about being a pop singer?", what can I say I was naive, and didn't quite understand that people have different goals in life. My goal was not to be a pop singer. No, I wanted to be a scientist. So when the question came upon me of who my idol was I answered "Albert Einstein". He was one of the most famous scientists of all time, and to the nine year old me - he was a true idol. I wanted to be just like him, become a person known for their great intelligence, make immense contributions to the world of science and, of course, win the Nobel prize!

Needless to say, I love the Nobel day! So all in all December is a great month, with advent calendars, Christmas music, presents, a bunch of cosyness and the biggest science party of the year!

On to my outfit, this is an entirely Book of Deer outfit, and actually it is also entirely AW14, but I got both of these lovely pieces that I had been pining for in the Black Friday sale of Book of Deer.

The lovely, warm, nice, soft, velvet jumper is available in some sizes, so make haste if you want it! The jumper is amazing, as you might have noticed by my description of it. I love everything velvet, and this jumper has a bow, which we all know elevates things to perfection! And the skirt is such a lovely ice-cold grey colour, and it has wee bears on it! How awesome is that?

Jumper: Book of Deer (here)

Skirt: Book of Deer (here)

Tights: Primark

Are any of the rest of you interested in the Nobel prize? I'm both Swedish and a scientist so it's close to home, but what do you guys think of the prize? And what did you think about Bob Dylan getting the literature prize?

Have a beautiful wintery Sunday!
Much love,

Kitties

Hello all,
Hope you are doing well!
So... It's December! Happy December everyone!
I blogged a total of zero times last month. I apologise for being absent, and I hope you can forgive me. I have no real explanation other than that I didn't feel like blogging, my mental health has been up and down, and I've been very busy at work.

Before I disappeared I promised to blog about my London adventures, and I'm still hoping to do that. Anyway... This outfit is from the beginning of September, right before I went to London with my darling family. I remember that it was very warm in London, but in northern Sweden it was autumn for sure. And now in December there is not a leaf in sight - just a whole lot of ice and occasionally (I'm sad to say it is occasional, damn global warming) some snow.

Anyway, you can never go wrong with black and white. And while it is minimalistic and classic, I decided to quirk things up a bit with a fun print.

I fell in love with this blouse when it first arrived to ModCloth. It has a super cute collar, and the print is darling! There's one cat with flat ears, one ear is black (in the very middle in the photo above) that I've decided is my very favourite. It would for sure be my cat, it looks so sweet. I'm a cat lady without a cat!

Blouse: ModCloth (here)

Skirt: H&M (old)

Cardigan: Zara (old)

Tights: Primark (old)

Meow!

I'm sorry the blogging has been so sparse during the autumn, but I update my Instagram (@curlsncakes) regularly - so follow me there if you want updates. As for the blog - I'm hoping to get back into it.
Hope you're all having a nice December day!

Much love,

Zebrawood & Champagne

Hello all,
Hope you are having a nice day!

I wore this outfit during my week+ in London, which I will blog about very soon. You might remember the pinafore and blouse, as I've worn them together before, but that time it was cold. I was in Sweden and winter was coming on fast, so I photographed the outfit indoors.

This time around, it is my favourite time of the year - Autumn. And since I was in London, which is way further south than where I live in Sweden, it was surprisingly warm. So I switched things up by wearing this outfit without tights and with open(-ish) shoes! I also added a unique wooden watch from Jord, that was sent to me. If you like the look of the watch, continue reading -- because I have an exciting giveaway in collaboration with Jord!

I used to love wearing watches when I was a child. It made me feel like an adult, like I was more important if having to check up on the time. I basically continued wearing wrist watches all the way until uni. In university I had a lot of lab work, and I wouldn't wear my watch because I was afraid I might ruin it during the lab, get it dirty or contaminated. So I stopped wearing watches, and since I still work in a lab setting, I never really picked it up again. That was until this was sent my way.

I had previously seen Jord's wood watches after I read a blog post by Emma of Emma's Looking Glass (here), and I remember thinking it was really neat that they make their watches from wood. So when Jord contacted me for a collaboration, I knew instantly which watch I wanted, since I had already considered buying it for myself. Jord very graciously sent me the watch I wanted, which is a watch in their Frankie series. The wood it is made of is Zebrawood which is native of West Africa, and has a very unique appearance with its contrasting dark and light grains. The face is a Champagne colour, which makes the watch minimalistic but very striking in all its natural glory. I think this is the perfect Jord watch. "Jord" means "Earth" in Swedish, and this lovely watch has an earthy feeling to it.

Blouse: Miss Patina (old)

Pinafore: Miss Patina (here)

Watch: c/o Jord (here)

Shoes: Asos (old)

While I was sent this watch, I will of course be completely honest in how I feel about it.
Wearing it is easy, and while I feel like it's the perfect watch for this season, I don't think I'll have any trouble styling it for any season as it is so neutral. It's comfortable on the wrist and sits well, but it is larger than any watch I've ever had, so it does take a bit getting used to it's size. If you wear big watches a lot I don't think you'll even consider its size because it's not exactly big, it's just bigger than my old watches. Personally I love it. I think it's very unique and sharp. I just love that it elevates an outfit. I've never had a watch that adds to the outfit, they've all been pretty non-descriptive so far, but this one from Jord is far from!

If you want to look more at the watch I have click here.
And if you want to look at all of their women's watches click here.

If you want a Luxury Wood Watch from Jord, then here is your chance!
Jord has very kindly offered to host a giveaway with me, where you can win a $75 e-voucher!

To enter click HERE

The competition will end on the 25th of September of this year.
And anyone who enters will also get a $20 e-gift card!

This is your chance to get your very own wood watch, so make haste, don't waste it!

I will be back with more of my London adventures on the blog soon!

I hope you have a very nice day!
Much love,

Cat hat by PattyMac Knits

Hello all you lovely people!

Today I want to share a special feature on an amazing person that is the creator behind the hat I'm wearing in these photos. I want to introduce you to PattyMac Knits, which is run by the talented, innovative and super kind lady Patty McGuire.

Patty is one of the nicest people I have gotten to know through instagram (@pattymacknits, @pattymac100) and I'm constantly grateful for IG for connecting me with people like Patty. It happens to be that Patty lives across the world from where I live, in Virginia Beach (which makes me imagine that it must be very different from northern Sweden as it's got the word "beach" in its name!). She's a photographer since 25 years, which is so evident from the artistic and beautiful photos she takes, often of her twelve year old Golden retriever, Willie, modelling her luxurious knits.

Patty describes herself as a Creative Entrepreneur, and I can but agree. She loves to encourage people to try something new, and she inspires people to craft and knit. Patty thinks that it is important to create things with our own hands and she loves to knit because it makes her feel happy, hopeful, alive and connected. Being the wonderful person that she is, she wants to help people experience these same fulfilling things, so she designs fun knitting patterns, and then show people how to make the projects!

Patty also wants to start getting into selling online classes in knitting and crafting, and I for one am looking forward to that, since my knitting knowledge spans only so far. So keep a sharp eye out! But for now, Patty's etsy shop, PattyMac Knits, is filled with her unique knitting patterns, and a limited quantity of finished knits. Everything you can find in her shop is handmade by herself.

I am lucky enough to have gotten a handmade hat from Patty. It is one of her so called "cat hats", which are ridiculously cute. It is quite a special one as it is made with Wool and the Gang luxury yarn. And let me tell you this yarn is incredible. It is soft and thick and so warm! It's the perfect hat to have when you live in northern Sweden. I just want to let everyone know about this hat, because I feel like all the people living in Umeå deserve a hat like this. But back to Patty, you can find the hat I'm wearing, finished and handmade with love here. And another version of the hat (in black) can be found here.

The little ears on the hat make it look so adorable and appeals to my quirky side. I find myself feeling very cute in the hat, and I get a bit silly-nilly wearing it. It's like the child in me comes out to play for a while. Or maybe it is the kitten in me.

For Patty it's not just about knitting, it's about changing the world one stitch at a time. She has a beautiful way of looking at life and she tells people to, in life as well as in knitting, not give up. I often find myself inspired, especially by her intelligent words but also by her beautiful blog. Lastly one thing that I cannot omit to mention is one thing that Patty and I both share a great love for and that made us connect in the first place - Harry Potter! She actually has made Gryffindor scarves for her dog Willie. If I had a dog it wouldn't go far without a Ravenclaw scarf.

I just had to add this photo (above), because it is so cute and I love it! Here is the woman herself (together with my favourite book series). The maker of all knitted things in the shop and the mind behind all of the patterns. One day I hope that we'll sit together and talk about Harry Potter and knitting, but until then this blog post is as close as we get to that.

Hat: c/o PattyMac Knits (here)

Dress: ModCloth (Stylish Surprise)

Cardigan: Lindex (old)

Tights: Lindex (old)

Shoes: Ecco (here)

Get connected with Patty.
Website: http://pattymacknits.com/
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PattyMacKnits/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/PattyMacKnits/
Instagram: @pattymacknits and @pattymac100

So, are there any knitters out there? I've got one of Patty's knitting patterns but have yet to go downtown to buy yarn. It looks like I can do it though, and I'm going to heed Patty's words - I won't give up!

Much love,