Weekend Wanderings - Part 2

Poorvoo

Just about an hours drive from Helsinki,Poorvoo is Finland's second oldest city. Makes for a great day-trip as this picturesque place is all about history and timeless charm.

We made the trip on a cold summers day (we've had several uncharacteristic cold spells this summer...wonder what the winter holds for us!)and were actually thrilled that Poorvoo did not have a huge tick-off list. This is a place that's best explored on foot and at a very leisurely pace. There's a century old cathedral (where all the famous weddings apparently take place), quaint little shops selling antiques and candy and ceramics, a weekend market, narrow, winding cobble stoned lanes and of course the outstanding brick coloured wooden houses by the river (which served as warehouses centuries ago).

All we did was take in the spectacular scenery, enjoy a fabulous lunch, eat ice cream, window shop and spent an hour or so by the cathedral watching the flurry of weddings (and collecting the balloons that the wedding party was floating away). Unwinding at its best!

Watching the sun glint over the white cathedral left us feeling reflective. Soaking it all in with no particular agenda was very relaxing!In short, everything about Poorvoo's small town feel was oh so refreshing!

A different kind of learning!

It all started with Vaibhav's class spending the last few weeks learning about the food groups, hygiene and health. It was part of their unit of inquiry, where they usually take on a new subject every few weeks and basically juice it up till they've got the essence of all they need to know in that area. The class has been very busy getting first hand information from direct sources regarding food. They first visited the Hakkaniemi market hall and then it was off to the Fruit and Vegetable Packaging Centre and finally it all culminated in a Lunch sharing session this morning.

The kids put up a fantastic show and each of them spoke about their 'food experiences' these past few weeks and gave us tips and ideas on how to stay healthy. The parents had a bit of homework too! We had to send in a healthy recipe that our little ones enjoyed making with us along with some tasty samples to show and share.

The minute Vaibhav heard this, he said he wanted to make Chocolate Walnut Banana cupcakes. A recipe that he and his sister almost know by heart. We made a batch and I took the customary picture that had to be sent to his teacher and then Vaibhav told me that we could not use the recipe! " I just remembered that my friend is allergic to nuts and I want everybody to be able to eat the dish we take to share" !

Sigh, I loved his empathy for his friend but just wished it had come on a little sooner. Anyway, the Dad and sister were happy to have warm cupcakes for dessert and Vaibhs and I finally decided to take along Oats Potato Burgers. No dairy, no nuts and super healthy!


Vaibhav tells me that his friends loved the burgers. I was too busy to notice what was happening to our burgers as I was happily concentrating on the Korean Chap Jae (glass noodles) and Argentinian Cheese balls!

What a double treat it was- listening to all those sweet little second graders talk and laugh

while feasting on an array of delicious International delicacies. Eagerly looking forward to the second Food sharing session ...in March 2013!

Chocolate Banana Walnut Cupcakes
Ingredients
• ½ cup flour
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup of sugar
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup melted butter
• ½ tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ripe banana
• A handful of chopped walnuts
• ½ cup of Chocolate pieces


Method
• Heat the oven to 250
• Melt the butter, stir in the sugar and keep aside
• Whisk the eggs and add in the remaining ingredients
• Mash the banana and add it in to the above
• Add in the cooled butter+sugar mixture
• Grease a muffin tray and pour in the mixture. Bake for 20 minutes.

Tastes great warm along with a scoop of vanilla icecream

Potato Oats Burgers (big thanks to my mom for sharing this recipe and a lot more on oats)
Ingredients:
1. 4 mashed potatoes
2. 2 cups of oats
3.1 tbsp grated garlic
4. 1 egg
5. Oregano or any other spice
6. Oil for frying
7. Salt & pepper
8. Onions (optional)
Method:
Mix ingredients 1, 2 and 3 in a large bowl along with some oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Fry some onions and add to the above when cooled. Shape the mixture like patties, dip them in the egg and shallow fry in the heated oil or grill them.
You can arrange the patties on hamburger buns and add in condiments like mayo, mustard and an assortment of salad veggies.

Weekend Wanderings 1- Fiskars

We're trying to make the most of whatever little summer that is left. Saturdays are being taken up by classes and catching up with friends. So the last few Sundays we've been up early, maximizing on our weekend and playing tourist in our home country.

Fiskars

A cute little village is what it is. One clock tower, two restaurants and endless charm. It all started in the 1600s when the Fiskars Corporation started manufacturing iron and slowly built the business and went on to make the Internationally known Fiskars scissors (orange handles). The village used to house the Fiskars family (their handsome manor is still in great condition), all 60 employees along with their families, the factories and a Public House!It's now home to a bunch of extremely creative writers and artists. Its that small a place! But what is so appealing is the peace and beauty around. Its like a scene thats jumped right out of a postcard, all tranquil and lovely.But that's not all, its not just a pretty sight.Fiskars captures all the senses! There's a meandering river that slices right through the village which gurgles and gushes and tells the story of long gone years as it flows by.

We did this trip with friends which made it all the more fun. Kids had an entire hour of unadulterated happiness at the village playground followed by a leisurely lunch at

a restaurant by the river. A visit to the Fiskars museum, some exploring of the ancient steam engine that was apparently used to transport all the iron that was made in the village and then it was off to the local Farmers Market to sample home made goodies and stock up on the berries.


Fiskars Village makes for a wonderful weekend day-trip, if not for anything else then atleast to recharge the senses!