Sweden is a small country that aims to be a big country. Most real Swedes have at least one pair of Levis’, some wear them all year round. Instead of the American institution Taco Tuesday, Swedes have Taco Friday, and throw in chopped cucumber and radishes in the mix. There are coke and popcorn inContinue reading “Burgers the Swedish way”
Category Archives: Writings
Baby-sitting the Fil
(Acidophilus vs Buttermilk) Finally I could find crème fraiche in my local California food store! Maybe Smetana on a good day, but the true acidophilus is a tougher nut to crack. Buttermilk is, to a Swede, a weak substitute for the stuff Vikings are made of. Or at least what their common breakfasts are madeContinue reading “Baby-sitting the Fil”
UC Davis Picnic Day
In April it is already shorts and Birkenstocks in Davis, California. That is when University of California at Davis arranges its annual Picnic Day; a kind of Open House event for prospective and current students, alumni and the public. Davis is a big university town and more than 50 000 visitors usually show up forContinue reading “UC Davis Picnic Day”
A true cup of coffee
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”
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”