During one of their trips to Finland, Grampa taught me how to make Banana Cream Pie. It is one of those recipes that I know by heart. I’m not sure if I have the actual written version anymore. It has been a well-loved recipe that has been made many, many times. This past weekend we […]
Author: Laila Uljas
I've just turned 40 the other year, and to tell you the truth, I like being forty. I'm a mother to nine beautiful children (including one set of twins). Previously I have done product and concept development for coffee shops and bakeries. At the moment, I have been focusing on the wellbeing of our communities. I graduated from the University of Helsinki with a Master's in political science. The welfare of our society and community we live in is something I have always been concerned about ever since I was young. But life sometimes takes you into unplanned and exciting places. Soon we will be returning to our home city of 17 years, Kouvola, Finland after spending nine months on a dairy farm in northern Finland. It has been an experience of a lifetime. I have been telling the story of life on the dairy farm on my youtube channel Jenkkimutsi maalla interspersed with issues that affect our society. Most videos are in Finnish, but a few are in English. Welcome along.
Rocky Road Party Treats
These Rocky Road treats have become a regular at our birthday parties. The first reason is that they taste good, the second reason is that they are so simple to make and the third reason is that they store well up to week so they can made a few days in advance if preferred. I’m […]
The Mother’s Gift
Tomorrow is Mother’s Day! Motherhood is all about growth as a person. Little ones are good teachers about the simple pleasures in life. A peal of laughter, a burst of a song in the middle of the day. Rarely are adults as spontaneous expressing their feelings as freely. Life isn’t all about the laughter and […]
The Season of Celebrations
As the season of celebrations approaches I thought I would share a very traditional Finnish savory dish that has been done in a very non-Finnish way. The sandwich cake or voileipäkakku is served at many graduation and confirmation parties as well as at baptisms. I was able to make one for a friend this past […]
Happy May Day! Hauskaa Vappua!
May Day or Vappu in Finland is a celebration of spring. In the past it has had a stronger association with the blue collar workers, their demonstrations and speeches on behalf of their rights. Today the festivities have become more carnival and street party-like with paper streamers, silly string, balloons and picnic brunches. Students across […]
Rise and Shine
I was quite sure we would still have snow on the first of May, but thankfully I was wrong. We had an exceptionally long winter with night time temperatures that really dipped and kept the scenery white. I went skiing for the last time about three weeks ago on the lake. The lakes are still […]
Mocha Monkey
Some coffee shops have a special atmosphere, something that pulls you to come there again and again. Here are a few of my favorite ones. This list is by no means complete and it is always fun to discover new ones. Mocha Monkey A year ago I was visiting the US and we visited a […]
A Cupcake Birthday Party
As I’ve mentioned sometimes before, we get to celebrate birthdays quite often. Our birthday season starts in March, then we have another one in April, May, June, July, August and then the last one of the year comes right before New Year’s in December. We finally had the official birthday party for the Niner! As […]
Who Killed the Cow Part 2 and Whipped Lingonberry Porridge
The criticism that I have sometime heard about blogs is that they give an unrealistic view of life. The house is shiny clean, the food looks perfect and the kids have their ponytails just so. I agree. Often blogs do show what we might see as an ideal lifestyle. The main thing to realize is […]
Happy Easter!
Last week on Palm Sunday, the children visited the houses in the neighborhood bringing them decorated pussy willows. In return they received chocolate eggs. The tradition is actually a cheerful mix of two traditions. In Eastern Finland the pussy willows symbolized the palm leaves on Palm Sunday and a blessing for the new year. The […]
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