Entries by TATIANA

So since a while now.....like almost two weeks when they first started talking about social distancing and all of that I have been making my coffee at home.
It's not as good as a vanilla latte at one of my favorite coffee shops but good enough! And some days I have no coffee at all which works too....I can do that without feeling irritated or like I am lacking something. I do not need caffeine to wake up.
I still go and get a vanilla latte at a cafe once or twice a week, today I got one with Oatly milk and it was delicious. I can watch the barista throughout the whole process. I would not get take out right now though. I have no way of knowing whether the people handling my food are sick or not and how they are acting while cooking, like coughing or sneezing. So no thanks to take out. I will handle my own food as much as possible, at least for now.
So here I have a Gevalia cappuccino. Gevalia is a coffee brand from Sweden.



And a Starbucks vanilla latte.



But certain things I can't live without....otherwise I do get cranky and one of those things is a daily dessert. Strawberry rhubarb pie with vanilla bean ice cream and whipped cream. Yes please.

It IS still legal to be outside so today I spent a few hours in Forest Park. 70 miles of trails smack in the middle of Portland with tall green trees and large ferns that look like they belong in Jurassic Park.
So nice. More people out hiking today then last week, I went to Forest Park then too.
I spent a few hours cleaning this evening and now I will keep on eye on a movie or a documentary and one eye on my laptop reading. Goodnight!

It is 1 26 AM and I just finished crying a little while watching the end of Ivanhoe.
I grew up watching this movie, it is a tradition to show it in Sweden on New Year's Day. A tradition since 1988 (!). I have not watched this movie in many years since I haven't been in Sweden for a New Year's day in a long time. Instead my friend Marie that lives there sent it to me and that is why I went to the post office the other day, to pick it up.
I watched it tonight. If you've never watched this movie, do it (if you can get a hold of it), I highly recommend it. Well, I like it a lot at least. The story takes place in England in 1194.
"You're about to see a story of bold knights and beautiful maidens. A story of love and hatred and prejudice. Though our story is old, the love, the hatred and the prejudice are ever now."



"It was told by all that Ivanhoe and fair Rowena lived long and happily together. Yet one can't help but wonder if fond memories of Rebecca did not reoccur to Ivanhoe's mind until the very end of his days."
The Ivanhoe I grew up watching is the third version of the movie filmed in 1982. Previous versions came out in 1913 and 1952. I would like to watch the 1952 version as well, when Elizabeth Taylor played Rebecca. The Ivanhoe films are based on a novel with the same name written by Walter Scott.
And soon it is going to be 2 AM, I can hear a train sound it's horn somewhere out there in the dark. I won't be able to sleep for a while because I will be thinking about the love triangle between Ivanhoe, Rebecca and Lady Rowena. It is a sad story in many ways. But I can watch it over and over again.

Hi! I am alive! We are a couple of days into the Stay At Home or Shelter In Place executive order here in Oregon. It was recommended prior to last Monday. Now it's a law and you can get in trouble if you violate it, it's a misdemeanor (Class C) and you could get a fine (a fine is never fun, less spending money) or do some time (could be fun maybe?). I am not sure how this will work with Portland's rather large homeless population that has basically taken over downtown.
A lot of places are closed down but I go to the grocery store and outside for long walks every day. I need food. The stores are recommending keeping a six foot distance from others and I also visited the post office and they have marked six feet separations on the ground with tape. As long as the stores have food I will be OK. I am down to four rolls of toilet paper but I have baby wipes, I have not stocked up on toilet paper and I have also not seen any in the stores. I guess I could always rinse off in the shower, cleaner and fresher like that anyways. I have been thinking about a more in depth blog about my COVID-19 thoughts from everything that I have gathered about the virus so far. Maybe tomorrow. I need to think about it some more and read the latest news tomorrow.
SO.....how are YOU? I hope well. 🙂
The other day I went to see the beautiful cherry blossoms here in Portland, they are kind of all over. I have a huge one not too far from where I live that I pass everyday, it is so pretty.
These pics are from downtown by the waterfront at the Japanese American Historical Plaza.







And the one by my house. Thank You cherry blossom trees for being so beautiful! ❤️

Finally! Today I found a coffee shop that offers Oatly, a vegan oat drink product from (guess where.....?!) Sweden! No more cow milk in my latte at the coffee shops that serve Oatly.
How did it taste? Really good! So if you order coffee somewhere and usually drink it with cow's milk I suggest that you try Oatly.
I have tried almond, soy, oat (other than Oatly) and macadamia milk in my lattes before.....Oatly is definitely the best for me. They have a special barista edition for that foamable foam. I am excited over this!
You can find places that sell or serve Oatly in your area if you search for Oatfinder.

I am a chef in the five star dining category. (Not quite). Let me take you on an extraordinary culinary experience in my kitchen - cooking with Tati!
I LOVE pierogis! My fave filling is kraut, then potato but potato & cheese will work too.
I found these, Kasia's at Costco and I was very happy when I did because I haven't been able to find any quality pierogis around here, until now. I always fry up some chopped red onion to serve with my pierogis.
Of course you can make them from scratch as well, I used to with my Mom but I don't really have patience for that now. Maybe one day.





Quinoa....there are many ways to serve this nutritious grain. I mix my quinoa with vegetables. Like white onion, red pepper and garlic fried up and then simmering with the quinoa in a vegetable broth.





Who doesn't like potatoes? I love to have my potatoes with this brown gravy (or sauce) that you can find at IKEA, best gravy ever!



That banana or two you have laying on the counter top.....you can slice it and fry it up with brown sugar and olive oil. So yummy!



See.....easy and delicious!