Handmade Italian popsicles in Copenhagen

Are you also addicted to Italian ice cream ? Well, if you are in Copenhagen this summer and you fancy some delicious Italian ice-cream, we know where to go. In April this little ice cream shop, called HVIID'S IS (Hviid is the name of the owner, Is means ice cream in Danish) on Olufsvej 6 at Østerbro in Copenhagen. 

They produce fresh, handmade Italian ice cream on a stick (popsicle), in Italian called Gelato su stecco,  with all kinds of coating and topping (white, milk, dark or pistachio chocolate, strawberry or pistachio paste, hazelnuts, almonds, coconut).

The gelato is based more on milk than cream - which means less fat than normal industrial ice cream. Besides the milk-based ice cream, they also have sorbet-like ice cream bars made ​​from whole strawberries.

Enjoy your ice cream !

The Little Architect

One of our kids is really into architecture - at the age of 5 he's convinced that he's gonna be an architect and an astronaut - "They also need houses on Mars mummy!"

To variate the load of astronaut-space-solar-system-books we read every night, we tried to find some on architecture.

Here's the selection we got and are quite happy with. They are all quite different, but they have a phenomenal graphic design in common and a very kids friendly approach to architectural themes.

Tous les Gratte-Ciel sont dans la nature is written by the French architect Didier Cornille. This is his second book (the first was about houses) and it's a first approach to the most unique, most symbolic and most impressive skyscrapers in the world, from the Eiffel Tower to the Chrystler Building to the Torre Agbar in Barcelona. Cornille is a Professor of Design and Architecture and his minimalist drawings are both subtle and precise. You can get  this book at bookstores in France or check with the publisher helium

.

Iggy Peck, Architect is a classic story about a boy who is a bit different but turns out to be a hero on his request to become an architect. The book is funny and the illustrations are very urban and inventive by the fantastic David Roberts - You can get this book in large bookstores worldwide. The book is available in English and in French.

Jeu de piste à Volubilis is a fantastic treasure hunt at the villa Volubilis, the architectural masterpiece portrayed by the illustrator in fascinating way with beautiful images, many hint to the art of the 20.  century paintings by Matisse, Mondrian,Warhol. You can get it in larger online bookstores or in France.

Hope you enjoyed the post.

Happy reading!

Granola

The other day we made our first batch of granola bars. Oh my. Why didn't we think of this before. We served them at a girls come together, to our kids for their afternoon snack and as a bring to work snack for the gourmand husband. They all loved it.

You can find thousands of different granola recipes on blogs, Pinterest and magazines. 

We made a mashup of different recipes and added our own touch. The result was quite good, so here's the recipe if you wanna try it yourself.

If you are vegan try these all-natural granolas or if you prefer a more raw kind try these no-bake granolas.

15-20 bars or squares

75g almonds

30g pumpkin seeds

50g walnuts

200g old fashion oats

70g sunflower seeds

30g sesame seeds

80g dried cranberries or goji

100g of dried apricots

60g muscovado sugar

80g honey

75g peanut butter

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

        Chop almonds and walnuts coarsely.

        Mix together all the dry ingredients (almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, 

        oats, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds). Pour the mixture into an 

        ovenproof dish. Bake at 200° C for 15 min.

        Cut the apricots into small squares and mix with raisins cranberries or 

        goji.

        Now mix together muscovado sugar, honey, peanut butter, maple syrup, salt                                 

        and egg in a saucepan over the stove. Let the “glue” to merge at low heat.

       When the dry ingredients come out of the oven, pour into the bowl and mix 

       with of cranberries/gojis and apricots. Then pour the hot mass over the 

       granola and stir thoroughly.

       Cover a ovenproof dish with baking paper and pour the entire mass in. 

       Press gently on the mass to make sure it is evenly distributed and fixed.

       Bake at 180° C for 15-20 min.

       When you take the dish out of the oven, it's important to let the mass 

       cool completely before you cut the granola into bars or squares.

Enjoy !

Happy Birthday

We still love the traditional Danish birthday cake made of buns, decorated with sweets and shaped as a "girl" or "boy". It recalls all kinds of sweet memories from our childhood and is a nice way to carry on a tradition while making your child happy on their big day.

Hope you will like it!

20 pieces. Danish birthday buns

5 dl. warm water

25 g yeast

2 eggs

900 g plain flour

75 g of honey

15 g salt

75 g soft butter

1 tsp. ground cardamom

1 egg for brushing

         Pour water into a bowl and dissolve yeast in it.

         Add egg, flour, honey, cardamom and salt, mix it all thoroughly.

         Mix the soft butter into the dough and mix the dough thoroughly so it 

         becomes smooth and firm.

        

         Put the dough in a bowl and allow it to rise for approx. 2 hours, 

         cover with a towel.

         Turn dough out onto a floured kitchen table and divide it into 18 small 

         balls and one big ball to use for head.

         

         Put the buns on a baking sheet with wax paper so it looks like a bun 

         "girl" or "boy".

         

         Leave to rise approx. ½ -1 hour, so the buns rise to double size.

         Brush the buns with beaten egg and bake them in a preheated oven 

         at 200° C for 15-17 minutes.

         

         Take the bun "girl" out of the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

         

         Garnish finally with candy and icing.

Serve together with hot chocolate.

The making of a food article

These photos are from the making of a food article for the Danish magazine    

MAD & BOLIG. 

The location is Northern Italy. 

Credits · MIKKEL KARSTAD · food · ANDERS SCHØNNEMANN · photos

Liebe + Bonton

Photo · Bonton

New joint venture between the Danish brand Liebe and Bonton. Liebe creates porcelain accessories that goes really well with the Bonton universe. 

We love the « Bonton family by Liebe » line already.

Hope you will too.

Deco deco deco

We are definitely both very into all aspects of interior design. Our style has elements from our Danish background, simple lines, wood and light colors - and from French deco inspired by a Bobo-style - mixing vintage and shappy-chic with designer classics.

We are INSPIRED by...

SHOPS - Our NUMBER 1 favorite shop is the legendary MERCI. It's just really hard to find something you don't like in that store and each time we go there, we are just stunned by their flawless taste in decoration and styling. 

If you can't make it to 11, boulevard beaumarchais, MERCI just recently opened their online shop with a smaller selection of their products. But please - allow yourself to visit the MERCI shop, we are pretty sure you will like what you find.

If you want your kids to dress the MERCI-way, you just go a couple of blocks down the boulevard from MERCI to BONTON (founded by the son of the MERCI founders) or to BONPOINT (the MERCI founders are also behind the BONPOINT universe!).

photo · merci

NUMBER 2 would be the absolutely gorgeous online shop BODIE and FOU. It is a UK registered shop but the founders are two French sisters and it's definitely a very French inspired, chic style you'll find there. They also have several Danish brands including some of our favorites from NORMANN COPENHAGEN and FERM LIVING. You can get the fab bedlinen from LINGE PARTICULIER here.

photo · bodieandfou · linge particulier

HAY and NORMANN COPENHAGEN are a shared NUMBER 3 - both great shops with stylish, Scandinavian design and new modern classics. They both have online shops, but you best get the real deal in their Copenhagen shops.

The NUMBER 4 is the French online shop HAPPY HOME. We love their selection of stationary, posters, books, magazines and small objects for the home. The products are all from a soft toned universe. They do international shipping too.

photo · happyhome

Last but not least our NUMBER 5 is LES HAPPY VINTAGE - a online vintage shop dedicated to old French retro objects for the home. Their pricing is reasonable and it's your chance of adding some French vintage objects to your home - if you can't make it to the local marché aux puces.

READING - We like the books from édition PAUMES a lot. It's a Japanese publisher with great taste in photo books of Nordic, French, English interior design and styling with different themes (childrens room, Parisian style, Stockholm apartments). You can buy their books directly from their online shop or in stores like BONTON or LILLI BULLE in Paris.

TOC-TOC-TOC magazine is a French magazine (texts in French and English) with a passion for creativity, art and entrepreneur spirit. All in soft tones and beautiful photos. You can buy them in their online shop or at happy home.

photo · toc toc toc

Hope you enjoyed our post. Happy home styling!