Before I had a steam convection oven with 76 pre-programmed settings, a digital kitchen scale, and an auto-timer on the kitchen fan there were recipes where the measurements were coffee cups, pinch, dollop, and a splash. That was a time when real coffee cups were used; the ones with a thin edge and a slenderContinue reading “A true cup of coffee”
Category Archives: Writings
Is the Basil fresh?
Food recipes often call for spices, indicating whether they should be fresh, dried, or ground. Sometimes the choice is obvious and does not have to be spelled out. The basil should in most instances be fresh. At least not old and moldy. Some flavorings we mostly use fresh, although sometimes as dried and ground, soContinue reading “Is the Basil fresh?”
Halloween
Sweden has slowly adopted the Halloween tradition. Probably because of the candy. But people still get discombobulated when it falls on a weekday. What to do? Can we take the kids out on Saturday instead? Or maybe Friday? But surely you can’t have a holiday in the middle of the week? Even a Sunday feelsContinue reading “Halloween”
Matching fall leaves
This old enameled cast iron pot from Descoware, Belgium, with the Maple Leaf design was well loved in San José, California, in the 50´s and for many years on. This week it met a new fall leaf shaped bowl from Målerås Glassworks (https://www.maleras.se/en/). They now hang out together whenever they can! Both items are symbolsContinue reading “Matching fall leaves”
The Gold of the Forest
Chanterelles and Funnel Chanterelles. Life is good!
Unpeeled shrimp
On 24th Street in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood, there are many small shops and restaurants catering to the area’s affluent clientele. There also used to be a Bell Markets grocery store on 24th. Bell Markets was founded in the 1940s when Dominick Bell and his two brothers opened a supermarket in San Francisco. Alas,Continue reading “Unpeeled shrimp”
Guacamole at the Buffet
On Freeport Boulevard there is a popular Chinese restaurant, featuring a giant lunch buffet with a number of different ethnic foods. It’s an all-you-can-eat place still in business probably because it hasn’t been discovered by body builders, yet. In front and center, there is the section with Chinese food; Spring Rolls, Dumplings, Bao Buns, ChowContinue reading “Guacamole at the Buffet”
Cider Party
When I was ten years old, my maternal grandmother arranged the birthday party for me and invited my friends. She served apple cider with the cake. Obviously, she thought that it was non-alcoholic cider. It wasn’t. It was the most fun party I’ve ever had!
Formal Parties
The Formal Dinner or Luncheon served by the houshold staff will be found thoroughly discussed on pages 64 to 82. (From the American Woman’s cookbook, 1947). Yup, those were the days. 18 pages in all with half a page dedicated to five different kinds of tumblers. Further including how to measure for monogramming, how toContinue reading “Formal Parties”