December 4th--Advent at ADAFT!

This recipe is good all winter long, and really even in the fall too. As far as I can tell, it tastes exactly like the traditional, non-vegan version. Highly recommended by the Scandinavegan.

Cranberry Orange Nut Bread

from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

1/2 cup soy milk
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground allspice (according to Isa and Terry, but I like nutmeg better)
1 TBS grated orange zest
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries (B says it's important to cut them in quarters)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (pecans are also good)

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the soy milk, orange juice, canola oil, sugar and vanilla.

Sift in the flour, baking soda and powder, salt and allspice. Mix until just smooth. The batter will be thicker than a normal cake batter.

Fold in the orange zest, cranberries, and walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake for about 1 hour. Let the bread cool for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan and inverting onto a cooling rack. Flip it right side up to cool further.

December 3rd--Advent at ADAFT!

I had a vague idea that there is a big Christmas tree at the White House, and that the President officially lights it each year.

Wikipedia kind of backs me up on this, explaining that each year there is a big tree on the South Lawn, which the President lights for the nation. The actual White House tree, though, is inside, in the Blue Room. It is the unofficial job of the First Lady to choose a theme and decorate the indoor tree. Certain First Ladies have stirred up controversy with their themes and decorations--like when Laura Bush invited American architecture students to contribute handmade ornaments, and then rejected only one out of the over 350 submissions, a red and white ball that read "Impeach Bush." Other First Ladies, like Pat Nixon, weren't that into the whole project, and just reused the same decorations every year. It's tough to win.

If you're the Queen of Denmark, on the other hand, everyone fully approves of your tree. Because you're the Queen, and therefore extremely popular. And also because you will decorate your tree with red candles and traditional ornaments, like pretty much everyone else in Denmark. And why not? It looks classy and festive! Observe.

Dronning Margrethe with a traditional heart basket ornament.

Maybe you're not really supposed to say this about a monarch, but she's so cute!

December 2nd--Advent at ADAFT!

Today is something so sweet and charming that I can't even describe it. Just follow the link and listen to these old friends!

Sesame Street--A Christmas Pageant

December 1st--Advent at ADAFT!

B and I agree that one of the best things about Christmas is having special music. Being the sort of traditionalists that we are, we are very happy to listen to Nat "King" Cole, Bing Crosby, and John Denver sing their Christmas albums over and over and over again.

But maybe you're not like us. Maybe you find the same old albums stifling, or maybe you (gasp!) don't especially care for John Denver's "Rocky Mountain Christmas." Or, maybe you're even more awesome than we are (yup, you two, American M and S!) and are the kind of person who is always discovering new things and then sharing them with your friends.

In any case, today's a good day for something new. Here's a lovely British carol that you probably don't know, sung by the delightful Kate Rusby (who was introduced to us by M and S)!

Enjoy!

Kate Rusby Sings "Sweet Bells"

Advent at ADAFT!

It's the last day of November, and that means just one thing--tomorrow everyone starts their Advent calendars!

We love Advent calendars of all kinds: chocolate, Flash-animated, candles... but we know there's always room for one more! So we, the Daring Duo, are proud to present Advent at ADAFT. Visit the blog every day between now and Christmas to discover a delightful treat that's Danish, festive, and maybe even both!

See you tomorrow when all the fun begins!

Tired of Turkey? Why Not Try a Vöner?

I figured in these days after Thanksgiving, when everyone's been eating turkey, turkey sandwiches, turkey soup, even turkey pancakes--well, what better time for the Scandinavegan to make her move?

You're sick of turkey, I know you are. You're wishing there were some delicious, high-protein, plant-based alternative... one that doesn't have a dumb name like "Tofurkey." Something tasty and exotic, yet not too frightening...

Behold the Vöner!

As I was saying: high-protein, plant-based, exotic yet somehow familiar, non-stupid name... well, you can't win them all.

But what IS it? And why does it seem so familiar? It's a vegan döner, the Turkish street food that's taken Germany by storm in the last 15 years. You can find döner everywhere in Germany, but if you're lucky enough to wander by Boxhagener Straße 56 in Berlin, you'll find yourself here, at Vöner, home of the vegan version.

So German, and yet so Berkeley.

Of course, we were there on an October evening, so it actually looked more like this.
Still super-hyggelig, though!

And if you're worried about authenticity (who doesn't worry about the authenticity of their soy-based meat analogs?), well, fret no more. It comes on a spit, just like the real thing. Yes, you saw it here on ADAFT, a giant sizzling spit of seitan.

All jokes aside, though, it was tasty, filling, and very reasonably priced. So next time you're in Berlin, remember what the Scandinavegan told you, and head right over to Vöner!

A New Shoreline

Before I moved to Denmark I used to like the Ingrid Michaelson song "Far Away." I still like that song, actually, and while listening to it the other day this line caught my ear:

"Far away, far away, I want to go far away, to a new life on a new shoreline...."

The thing is, I think almost everyone secretly wants that, the chance to have a totally new kind of life. And I got it. I have done just exactly what this song is about. Wow.

Here's the "new shoreline," as we mostly see it in Aarhus.




It reminds me a lot of this painting by P. S. Krøyer, which I absolutely love.


The first time I saw it was in the art museum ARoS, where they have a nice big original. I liked the painting so much then that we bought a poster reproduction, which now has pride of place in our living room. Whenever Danes come over, they get very chuffed that we're also Krøyer fans. He's a really famous Danish painter, best known for his paintings of the sea and Danish seaside life. Most of his work was done up in Skagen, where he was friends with a whole bunch of other well-known painters and writers. Even though he painted at the turn of the century, Skagen still looks like it does in those paintings.



There's just something eternally appealing about ships and the sea, I think. Lately I've been listening to this folksy playlist of songs about sailing.

Longer Boats-- Cat Stevens
Greenland Whale Fisheries--Peter, Paul and Mary
Far Away--Ingrid Michaelson
Blues Run the Game--Simon and Garfunkel
The Water is Wide--John Gorka
Oh, Sail Away--The Kingston Trio
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald-- Gordon Lightfoot
Sloop John B--The Beach Boys
I Courted a Sailor--Kate Rusby
Birds and Ships-- Natalie Merchant
The Sailor's Grave on the Prairie--Leo Kottke
Traveling II (I Love, I Love)-- Dar Williams