Cheddar ostasalat

Cheddar cheese salad

In case you are still looking for a recipe for a very quick, very simple dip, for example for a picnic or a nice visit on a holiday or on the weekend, I can recommend this cheddar cheese salad here - completely uncomplicated and quick to prepare, and it was really well received by my family, even my youngest was thrilled, although he actually doesn't like chili.

Simply place on the table with a few salted crackers, crackers, or the like, as an appetizer or just in between, while sitting and chatting and feeling comfortable - perfect!

Ingredients

250 g grated cheddar cheese

3 Tbsp mayonnaise

4 Tbsp cream cheese

1 - 2 Tbsp of frozen chili pieces

2 red bell peppers

1 pinch of freshly ground pepper

Preparation

In a large bowl, stir the mayonnaise with the cream cheese and the frozen chili pieces (alternatively, you can also use chili seasoning).

Grate the cheddar cheese into the bowl.

Wash the bell peppers, clean them, cut them into pieces, and also grate them into the bowl.

Stir everything thoroughly, then season with fresh pepper to taste.

Then serve the cheese salad with crackers or similar.

Enjoy your meal!

Translated from here.

Skyrterta með jarðarberjum

Skyr cake with strawberries

This here was the Skyr cake that I made for us for Easter.

However, this is not a classic 'cake', but rather a very creamy, fluffy dessert cake. The 'cake' is prepared without baking, needs to set somewhat overnight in the refrigerator, and is then served well chilled. (And no, we did not eat the cake outside in the snow. I just thought the still half-snow-covered terrace was a nice background for the photo..!)

Ingredients

200 g oat cookies or similar

50 g melted butter

450 g vanilla skyr

1 tsp cardamom

1 pinch of ground vanilla

100 g white chocolate

500 ml whipping cream

4 - 5 tbsp strawberry jam

Preparation

Crush the cookies thoroughly - preferably put them in a bag and roll over them with a rolling pin until really fine cookie crumbs have formed.

Then put the crumbs into a springform pan (about 24 cm) lined with parchment paper, mix with the melted butter, and press the mixture onto the bottom.

Stir the vanilla skyr with the cardamom and the ground vanilla.

Melt the white chocolate, ...

...let cool slightly and mix with the skyr mixture while stirring constantly.

Whip the cream until stiff and fold it into the skyr-chocolate mixture.

Then carefully spread the cream on the cookie base and smooth it out.

Let set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Carefully warm the strawberry jam a little so that it becomes nice and runny, and then spread it on the cake.

Then let it set overnight in the refrigerator and serve well chilled.

I wish you a good appetite!

Enjoy your meal!

Translated from here.

Ný lopapeysa tilbúin

Another new Iceland sweater finished

We had on Easter Monday (once again) a weather warning, this time even one orange weather warning. Snowfall, strong winds, wind speeds here in this corner of up to 36 m/s, i.e., just under 130 km/h (from 120 km/h one speaks of a 'hurricane').

So absolutely no travel weather, the police called on everyone to stay at home if possible and to avoid unnecessary trips at all costs.

We did that too - we watched TV, and I finally finished knitting a pink Lopapeysa (Iceland ic woolen sweater), which I had started here last summer, but then could no longer continue knitting after my terrace fall with the injured shoulder. But now it’s possible again - and now the Lopapeysa is finally finished!

The sweater is made of Icelandic Léttlopi wool, that is, the 'medium-thick' Icelandic wool.

The main color is '1412 - Bleik', which is pink, the pattern color is '1414 - Fjölublá', which is purple.

I am satisfied with the result!

The March was here in Iceland this year cold, wet month:

The average temperature in Reykjavík was with 0,2 °C  around 1.5 °C below average of the last 10 years. In addition, it amounted to the monthly precipitation just over 126 mm, that lies 56% above average of the last 30 years. On the other hand, in the capital 128 hours of sunshine measured - good 17 hours above the average. 

The last few days the weather was then very changeable, typical April weather, constant changes between rain and sunshine, and relatively windy. One moment I stick my head out the door because it’s so wonderfully sunny - then the next rain and hail shower hits me in the face!

But at least the snow has almost completely melted in the past few days. Yesterday in Reykjavík, we even saw crocuses in the garden behind the Parliament! A hint of spring is in the air - before in the air, as it is currently always said on the radio.

And it is getting louder outside again now. When I lie in bed in the morning, I can already hear it again birds. The geese are back again, at Easter the first sandpipers and black-tailed godwits were also spotted. Also the Arctic tern (kría) is here again - 11 days earlier than usual, they reported on TV today.

Neighbors have also already had the first one golden plover (lóa) spotted in their meadow. The golden plover is a migratory bird and overwinters on the British Isles or further south along the coasts of Western Europe. Normally, it returns to Iceland at the end of March or the beginning of April. The arrival of the lóa is considered here in Iceland as the 'arrival of spring'.

Even if spring is still a bit wet and windy at the moment!

P.S. from 10.04.2026:

I probably shouldn't have been so happy about the first hint of 'spring in the air' yesterday. This morning at half past five it looked like this again at our place - and it keeps snowing!

Translated from here.