Eat, pray, love

Home made so called "burek" (pie with meat)

Hello my dear readers! 

I am back and this time I will tell you more about my culinary adventures here in Sweden. Since they don`t have student`s restaurants here in Sundsvall like we do in Croatia, I really need to cook and prepare food by myself more often then ever before. 

People who know me for years, especially my mom, dad, brother and sister, they know ... well ... let`s say cooking is not something I enjoy doing every day. :D Making sweet things, cakes and cookies yes, but otherwise it was just not my cup of tea previous years. BUT I think I fell in love into cooking since I came here in Sweden! It is just incredible and I am pretty successful in it I think (shy::). Of course I have my mom`s great recipes and her help over skype and phone from time to time (online instructions rulzzz), but the point is that I can make actually edible food and not just me but even my guests like it. Weeee! It is a such good feeling and I am pretty proud of myself! (shy::)

In addition - this is a big step for me but small for mankind! :P

Pizza with vegetables

Anyway before I show you the meals I have prepared and cooked so far, let me just inform you about Croatian student`s restaurants, student mensa or as we call it in Croatian just "menza". 

It was so normal for me to eat in our mensa in Croatia every day. "Park" (park), "Raj" (heaven) and "Elektron" (electron), three mensas in Varaždin were there from the first day I came to study in Varaždin and most of the time I really thought they were supposed to be there by default. 

And ... ahhh ... students (even me) were complaining most of the time about the food and so many details in our mensas (we are just humans after all I guess) but I must say that they really have good and delicious food. 

My Croatian friends and colleagues know how easy is to come to one of those three mensas after your hardworking day at University and just choose the food you want to eat, take a seat and eat. And it is not expensive at all! You pay for the meal somewhere between 5 and 10 Croatian kunas (cca 5-10 sek) depending what you are eating. But in addition you can have the soup, the main dish, some kind of dessert (little chocolate, a piece of cake or even sometimes fruit) and something to drink for max 10 Swedish krunas (I don`t think you can buy anything here in Sweden for that amount of money. Maybe in IKEA I saw some sausages but ... that is a rare thing). 

It is so cheap because all Croatian students have special student cards called "Xica" and Croatia as a country covers some part of the costs.

My own Xica

Having student mensa around me for the last 4 years of study in Varaždin was great, easy, simple and cheap way of eating but preparing the food on my own now is also fun and something I needed to learn sooner or later since my student days are nearing their end. After all I will remember my days spent in Sweden also as a place where I finally started to cook. Funny but true!

So take a look at my "gallery" of gastronome photos. And taste?! Well, you have to try it some day! 

Bon apetit or in Croatian "Dobar tek!"! ;)

Peas with vegetables and meat or as we call it in my family "Graškići"

Paprika stuffed with mincemeat, vegetables and rice with potatoes

Homemade soup of veal

Veal meat with roasted potatoes 

Home made bread 

"Uštipci" - don`t know English word (nor Google translate), sth sweet. You can eat it with Nutella or marmelade

Baked rice with vegetables

Hamburgers with vegetables and stewed mushrooms

Zucchini with paprika, onions and ham topped with egg and cooking cream

Roast veal meat with potatoes

Fried zucchini

Chops with mushroom and sauce

Rhapsody of vegetables

The cooked beans

P.S. Speaking about food - here at Mid Sweden University they have microwaves in the hallways outside the classrooms. So cool! :) And really people bring their own food prepared at home and just warm them up at Uni and eat during the break. Awesome! I don`t think any Croatian Uni has microwaves inside its walls.

The proof - microwaves at MidSwed ;)

One of the first lunch at the Uni

See you!
Greetings from Sundsvall! :)