Yesterday was a furlough day, today is the midsummer public holiday and I will have at least Monday off on furlough too, so a 5 day weekend is pretty good - though the money sucks.
Midsummer here is one of the biggest party weekends of the year and one that I quite like, as it is far more about friends and family and generally, people will head off to a summer cabin with a small group of familiars to grill and cook. We are heading to the neighbor in the afternoon with some of the local families joining us.
Where we are located is aroun 600 kilometres south of the arctic circle, so we don't get the full midnight sun here, something I haven't experienced - but I have been in the eternal night in the winter. However, the days are "pretty long" here too and you can see from the chart below what is happening. Technically, Tomorrow is the longest day of the year as it is 12 seconds longer than today - but with today being 19.5 hours long, I don't think those 12 seconds will be that noticeable. If I remember correctly, the fastest rate of change in the light is around 45 minutes a week in either direction and even after 17 years in Finland, it always feels like it gets light fast and then, suddenly it is dark again.
Traditionally, the weather sucks for most midsummer weekends, but this year we have some lovely 25-26C (80F) weather, so I took 
When I was growing up, my parents didn't take us often to places where there is water and as a result, I never learned to swim well and have a bit of an aversion to being in the water. Drowning and being resuscitated on my 8th birthday, likely has something to do with this too. I don't want
My wife and I bought her a floaty toy and she was pretty happy, because watermelon is a new addition to her diet (though she can't eat too much). She is one of those kids that is (unless grumpy) a joy to be around, she is talkative and intelligent and a bit of a cheeky smartass - I have a feeling that the "sarcasm force" is strong in her.
We could stay long though, because I have some pavlovas to prepare for the evening and with about 15 people, there will have to be at least two prepped. I love pavlovas which is lucky, as it is the only cake I know how to make well. I could literally eat one to myself if given the opportunity. These will have strawberries, blueberries and perhaps some rhubarb from our garden on them. The first is in the oven now and I will decorate them on site, so I don't have any pictures of the finished product. I will take my camera to the barbecue though, so will try to grab one.
What I like about pavlova is that they are extremely easy to cook as long as being careful to not have oil or egg yolk in the whites when whipping and, they are kind of rustic. It isn't about being super polished in appearance, it is more about the enjoyment of the flavors. I like to bake mine so the surface is a little crisp and supports the whipped cream well, as the change in texture in the mouth is good. That, and the browning process caramelizes the sugar and gives a variation in flavor between the edge and the marshmallowy center. I play around with ingredients and amounts slightly, but this recipe is a pretty good base to start from if you want to give it a go.
Oh, as I was saying, if you get egg yolk or there is even a little bit of oil in the whites, they will not whip to the stiff peaks necessary, no matter how much you scream while beating them - I have tried.
Well, I am off to get the other one started while the first will get pulled out of the oven. I should let it cool down in the oven so that it doesn't cool too fast and collapse, but I just don't have time today to do that, which means I might very well end up with a doormat of a base, but once cream and the berries are on, no one will care while eating it.
Do you celebrate midsummer in your region? Any traditions?
Taraz
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