Texas no bean chili

I am a big fan of chili. I'm always keen to try out a new recipe, so when I found this recipe at a Swedish blog called Elsies päron, I knew I had to try it. Since then, I've it saved in my recipe folder (which is way to big and not organized in any way), and it's just been waiting for me to give it a go. So, I finally did it. It's a really delicious, flavorful and easy chili to make. The prep time is not more than about half an hour and after that you just let it cook, for about 4 hours. Next time I think I am going to make a bigger batch and put some in the freezer.

While it cooks you can do something else. Take a run, clean the house, or why not play some poker with your dog?

Serve with bread, salad, rice, nachos or whatever you feel like. We had the chili with warm nachos with a little cheese on top.

Guisados

Mexican food is a must here in LA, and it's always fun to try out new places. This past Saturday we found our way to Guisados, which is a little Mexican joint in Echo Park. We had a couple of tacos and ice cold beer at their patio, which was heaven on a crazy hot day like Saturday.

My favorite was Bistek en salsa roja (steak with salsa roja). 

Acai bowl

A couple of days ago I decided to finally try this recipe that I found a while back. It's been unusually hot in California these last couple of days so a refreshing and delicious Acai bowl is the perfect snack to beat the heat. We had it for breakfast, but it will also do well as a substitute for ice cream, or as an afternoon snack. Whatever you like!

So, what is Acai? It is a berry from the Amazon rainforest, and it contains a lot of good stuff, such as iron, omega fatty acids, and it has higher antioxidant levels than blueberries! 

I used this recipe and it turned out very delicious. Next time I think I will add a little lemon juice. Feel free to play around with it and use your favorite frozen fruit. We had it with sliced banana, granola and cocoa nibs, and I can really, really recommend to serve it with cocoa nibs. It gave it a bit of chocolaty taste which I like.

Wednesday night

Hi there,
it's me. I know I've been away for too long this time, but here I am. Ready for a fresh start!
It's been kind of hectic these last couple of weeks. I feel like I have tons of stuff to do, but at the same time I wouldn't want to have it any other way. The summer is coming, it's getting warmer by the day. I am really looking forward to spending my weekends at the beach.

Since we last spoke I've started running again, and I love it. It's been almost a month now, with runs every other day. I actually just got home from one.
After dinner I'm picking up Mattias at the airport. He's only been gone since Saturday but for some reason it feels a lot longer, and I've even had trouble sleeping when he's not here. Silly, isn't it?

Malibu wines

One of the best days when my parents were here was the day we spent at Malibu wines. We'd never been there before, but I had heard a lot about it and since we had a day off we decided to give it a try. We went to Whole foods and stocked up on goodies like crackers, cheeses, italian salami, marinated artichokes, strawberries etc. Then we headed up to Malibu wines for some picnic and wine tasting. It was truly an amazing place and I'm so glad that we found this hidden little gem!

 

Family time

My parents have been here visiting for a couple of weeks, and we've had so much fun. When you live on the other side of the world from your family and most friends, you really come to appreciate those everyday moments, that you might not even think about when you live close to them. Having a glass of wine with mum while preparing dinner, watching a movie together, go on a hike in the mountains or quietly eating breakfast together in the morning. I try to save all of these little memories somewhere in the back of my mind so that I, when I feel lonely or sad, can remind myself of what a wonderful and loving family I have, and that even though we might not see each other all the time, we're just as close as we've always been.

Tacos

 

One of many things I love about LA is the food culture. I loved tacos when I lived in Sweden, but I never really had authentic Mexican food until I moved to LA.
I must say, I was rather sceptical when my husband insisted on me trying the korean tacos that the Kogi truck has to offer. Korean tacos? Really?
But I was wrong. Their tacos are delicious, and a really fun alternative to the traditional taco that you can find in every corner of LA. My favorite Kogi taco is the one with spicy pork. It's definitely worth a try.