Impromptu Avocado Pasta

I was down to my last avocado that needed to be eaten or it would have been overly ripe on the next day. So my roommate suggested avocado pasta. Where did I turn to for inspiration... my good ol' Pinterest :)

So here is what I used: 

• 1 1/2 Cup Noodles
• 2 Tablespoons Cheese Powder (Cheese sauce/soup would work)
• 1 Avocado
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Dash of Lemon Pepper
• 3 cranks of Pepper

***NOTE*** these are the amounts I used and my inspiration from Printrest (here) and my taste buds :) For a proper recipes and other pins, click here.

AND how I made this quick dish. I started off by boiling my noodles, I used elbow, but any of your favorite noodles would work for this dish. While my noodles were boiling, I sliced up my avocado to make it easier to smash up. Next I added my minced garlic to the avocado and mixed it up well. In a different bowl, I mixed up my cheese powder and milk, I just had into a cheese sauce. 

Then the fun part, add everything into the pot after you've strand your noodles. 

Then I just added my seasonings to taste. Since most recipes I saw asked for lemon juice, I “cheated” by adding lemon pepper to add the tangy flavor. :) I didn't really feel like walking to the store in the snow for just lemon. But once I was happy with the seasoning, I added some chopped tomatoes and scooped me a good size and enjoyed! 

Making the cheese sauce, I bought mine from a bin, but it is okay if you can't find cheese sauce or soup, I just found it helped my avocado become creamy. 

This is a great new spin for my when I want to have mac and cheese, why not add avocado to the mix. Adult version of mac and cheese maybe? And what would REALLY make this dish great, chicken and fresh basil on top! I can taste it now. :) 

Anyway, as a student in Finland, I love being creative with cooking because having the same meal day in and day out gets boring. So let me know if you have ever made this type of dish and how did you prepare it? AND if you live on your own, what is your go to home-cooked meal? 

Thanks for reading! 

Avocado Pizza

It's dinner time!!!!! What's on the menu? Avocado Pizza from Pinterest. 

My homemade pizza dough is from this website. So simple and no yeast needed :) 

Making of the dough.

What are my toppings:

Minced garlic and Spring onion

Mushrooms and cheese

Cherry Tomatos

Spread sauce and add the garlic and onions.

Then add the rest of toppings. You can also add olives if you like. 

From Pinterest it asked for basil, I didn't have any so I just took some lettuce from my mix salad and sliced up the avocado. 

Once your pizza is done, I topped it with avocado and my lettuce. 

After eating the WHOLE thing, don't worry it was little bigger than a personal size, I realized I wish I had some ranch dressing or added extra tomato sauce, but other than that, it was very different and not that bad. I did enjoy it. This just proves there is no right or wrong way to make a pizza!

 Thanks Pinterest! 

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Gel Nails in Finland

Back in December my friends talked me into getting gel nails, and thus my addiction begins. Some friends eh? :)

ANYWAY... So being back in Finland, gel nails are a little more than back home. I paid $25 and in Finland they can range from €35-€60. I know, it hurts the wallet. 

It was coming up 4 weeks since I had gotten them first done and my nails had grew and the bed was showing, it was time to take action. So I hoped on Groupon.

Before

I was lucky to have found a Groupon for gel nails in Helsinki. It had cost me €20 for the Groupon and the normal price was €60. What an offer!!

So I did some research of the place and they had a Facebook page, good, nice reviews, also good, and I had a friend that had worked there before, triple good. Done deal!

What was this place????  It is called Fabulous. They are in Helsinki on Fabianinkatu. Very cute shop. Appointment only.

The customer service was great and the lady that did my nails was very gentle when filing away the old gel from my nails. Down side, it was €10 for the removal since the Groupon did not cover it, which is common in other salons to charge for removal I guess. But when I had asked for next time, this is included with the service. But the plus side, she used a nail file not a machine.

There weren't many colors to choose from, which was a downer, but the ones they had, it was tough for me to choose still. The brand they use is Cuccio.

After

In all so far I'm pleased with the outcome, though I've noticed a big difference from my first ones, the gel I had before was thicker whereas this time it's thin. However, they said if something was to happen within a week I can come back and they'll fix it.

So I'll recommend Fabulous. I also encourage checking out Groupon and do your research, I've read some horror reviews and great ones. Good Luck!

Thanks for reading!  

Banana Nut Bread

Hey Friends!!! In this post I'll be sharing my banana nut bread recipe. I bake this all the time and it's my go to when my bananas start looking a little brown and I wont have time to get to them. So let me just get into this. :) 

Ingredients:

-2 cups mashed bananas (I use 2 medium size bananas)

-2 cups flour

-2 cups sugar

-1 cup butter

-2 teaspoon baking soda

-1 teaspoon salt

-4 eggs

-1 cup chopped walnuts

Super Simple Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F (175C)

IN A LARGE BOWL 

Sift flour, salt and baking soda.

 (I just mix very well with a fork since I don't have a sifter.)

IN A SECOND BOWL 
Mix butter & sugar till smooth.

Stir/mash bananas.
(I break them into pieces and smash them into the mix with a fork.)

Add the eggs.

Then add walnuts.
 (Putting them in a small ziploc bag and break them with a cup makes it much easier to get them in small pieces.)

Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture.
Stir until well blended.

Bake for 60-70 mins. Let cool in the pan for at least 5 mins. 

(I bake 30 mins and turn it around in the oven and have it bake another 30 mins. Every oven can be different, so this way burnt bread can be avoided.)

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading! :) 

Back in Finland

I'm back! It has been a week now and I'm all settled in my apartment. I have some jet lag and troubles sleeping, but other than that, I'm transitioning just fine. 

I had a great send off from my girlfriends on my last night home. We went to the new casino in Sonoma County called the Graton. Oh what a night! I love them so much and from what I said in my last post, very grateful that they are in my life. <3

Then I was off for my 10hr flight to London, then my connection to Finland.

So now my blog will be taking a turn and I'll be writing about my experiences here. Sharing my last semester living in a country that I've called home for the past 3 years. 

So let my adventures here begin! 

Thanks for reading! :) 

Hello New Year

Wow 2013 went by so quick! I had spent that past 6 months living in LA for my internship, and now it's time to have a birthday and head back to Finland to finish up school.

I've grown so much the past 6 months and a lot has happened that I had to learn to power through. Turning 25 has made me realize that every decision I make will determine what my future holds. I wont get into my life epiphany or dive in deep into the meaning of my early 20's, since I don't like when people do that on FB and I'm guessing you might find that annoying too. PLUS this is a positive, go lucky blog.

All I know is that I gain close friends that I'm very grateful to have, and they stuck by me and made me feel whole again. I don't know what 2014 has in store for me anymore, I thought I knew, but all I know is that graduation and thesis is on my brain.

That's all I can come up with, with an impromptu post.

Happy New Year Friends!

and 
Thanks for Reading!