Sunday, November 18, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
J-Day! (or J-Dag, for the Purists)
In case you're not intimately acquainted with Danish holiday customs, we're going to fill you in on an important one--with a little help from NPR.
Christmas beer.
Yes, special beer to drink only at Christmastime, flavored with extra licorice and sold in festive holiday cans and bottles. In Danish, "Julebryg."
You can start drinking in on J-day, which is the first Friday in November, and that means it's time, as the Danes say, to be festy. I have to admit that although I'm not a beer drinker, I do like the smell of this one. And if I'm recommending licorice-flavored seasonal beer, I must be feeling super-Danish!
For more on the topic, check out this informative piece on NPR.
Christmas beer.
Yes, special beer to drink only at Christmastime, flavored with extra licorice and sold in festive holiday cans and bottles. In Danish, "Julebryg."
You can start drinking in on J-day, which is the first Friday in November, and that means it's time, as the Danes say, to be festy. I have to admit that although I'm not a beer drinker, I do like the smell of this one. And if I'm recommending licorice-flavored seasonal beer, I must be feeling super-Danish!
For more on the topic, check out this informative piece on NPR.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Uncharted Territory
She's here! The Daring Duo is proud to present our tiny daughter, C! She is two weeks old, and already a real pipperoo.
C was born on October 17th at 2:36 AM, weighing in at 3.2 kilos, and 50 cm long. By now she's picked up a little extra length and a few extra grams to go with that. B and I think she's pretty great--and we're excited for the biggest adventure we've ever had together.
C was born on October 17th at 2:36 AM, weighing in at 3.2 kilos, and 50 cm long. By now she's picked up a little extra length and a few extra grams to go with that. B and I think she's pretty great--and we're excited for the biggest adventure we've ever had together.
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| The Daring Duo heads off to the hospital, childless for the last time. |
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| There she is! Feisty already. |
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| But sleepy too. |
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| B is the best. |
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| Gearing up for C's first outdoor adventure! |
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| B takes the pram out for a spin |
Monday, October 8, 2012
Funny
Sometimes Danes are funny. This is a post about that.
1. You may recall that Danes are really into "coziness," or hygge, as it's known in Danish. Anything can be cozy, from a dinner party to an apartment to a cafe or market or neighborhood. Blockbuster (yes, the American video rental store) has caught on to this. Every day we walk past the Blockbuster store on the way to work, and we get to see all the posters with their Danish slogan:
2.We've written before about how Danes love bikes. Here's a (totally not comprehensive) list of things we have seen Danes do on bikes.
1. You may recall that Danes are really into "coziness," or hygge, as it's known in Danish. Anything can be cozy, from a dinner party to an apartment to a cafe or market or neighborhood. Blockbuster (yes, the American video rental store) has caught on to this. Every day we walk past the Blockbuster store on the way to work, and we get to see all the posters with their Danish slogan:
Blockbuster: Vildt hyggeligt!
or,
Blockbuster: Wildly cozy!
2.We've written before about how Danes love bikes. Here's a (totally not comprehensive) list of things we have seen Danes do on bikes.
carry 2x4s home
carry floor lamps home
hold open umbrellas over their heads
hold hands with other bicyclists
talk on cell phones
text on cell phones
drag rolling suitcases
drive another bike at the same time
eat an ice cream cone
ignore traffic signs (it's the only time! God help you if you do it on foot!)
3. We've also mentioned before how Danes love scarves. And weird haircuts. Well, turns out we're not the only ones who've noticed this. Check out the link below, "How to Look Like a Dane." Completely accurate and verified by actual Danes.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Break for Berlin
On Saturday, we went to Sanssouci, one of E and my favorite spots in the world. Here's my brother (let's call him A) in front of the big fountain.
We also walked up to the Orangerie at Sanssouci. There was a small chamber ensemble playing classical music here, which definitely added to the overall highly classy feel.
That's it for now - just a few of my favorite pictures. The Scandinavegan asks me to assure you that she will be back soon with her regularly scheduled food updates, and we'll also get some stuff about our recent trips to Portland and the Bay Area up soon!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Scandinavegan Summer: Rhubarb Runs Riot!
I know that it's September now, and it's getting late for rhubarb--though if you're in the Midwest or Pacific Northwest, maybe you can still have it. But I can't leave rhubarb out of the picture this summer. It's so Danish to me! See, before moving to Denmark I had actually never eaten rhubarb in any form at all. Here, of course, it's at the farmers' market all spring and summer, and maybe your friends even give you big bunches of it because it's taking over their yards. So I had to try it. And since my first try was such a huge win, we've been eating it ever since in ever-evolving forms.
(I'm not putting up the original recipe. My first rhubarb vehicle was a strawberry-rhubarb crisp, and it's true that it's delicious and tastes like the essence of summer. But come on, it's a crisp! You put the fruit in the pan with some sugar, and then crumble stuff on top! Who needs a recipe for that? Also, I'm vain and don't have a photo of it).
We have now had rhubarb crisp, rhubarb coffee cake, rhubarb bar cookies, and rhubarb muffins. Here's one of the muffin recipes--the very one, in fact, I chose for my probably-the-last-of-the-season bunch of rhubarb.
Raspberry Rhubarb Corn Muffins
1 1/2 cups cornmeal/polenta
1 1/2 cups flour (I like whole grain spelt, but whole wheat or white flour work too!)
dash salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup soymilk
1 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar
3/4 cup applesauce
about 1 cup rhubarb
about 1 cup raspberries (frozen is just fine)
Preheat the oven to 400 F and prepare a 12 cup muffin tin.
Wash the rhubarb really well. If it's anything like mine, there's a bug in it. Chop it into half inch long pieces and put it in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and let sit.
Combine the lemon juice and soymilk. Whisk briefly and let sit. It will curdle; that's the goal here.
In a big bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, the rest of the sugar, the baking soda, and the salt. Stir.
Add the applesauce, oil, and vanilla to the soymilk. Stir well, then fold into the dry ingredients. Fold in the rhubarb chunks. Very gently add the raspberries.
Fill the muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes.
(I'm not putting up the original recipe. My first rhubarb vehicle was a strawberry-rhubarb crisp, and it's true that it's delicious and tastes like the essence of summer. But come on, it's a crisp! You put the fruit in the pan with some sugar, and then crumble stuff on top! Who needs a recipe for that? Also, I'm vain and don't have a photo of it).
We have now had rhubarb crisp, rhubarb coffee cake, rhubarb bar cookies, and rhubarb muffins. Here's one of the muffin recipes--the very one, in fact, I chose for my probably-the-last-of-the-season bunch of rhubarb.
Raspberry Rhubarb Corn Muffins
1 1/2 cups cornmeal/polenta
1 1/2 cups flour (I like whole grain spelt, but whole wheat or white flour work too!)
dash salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup soymilk
1 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar
3/4 cup applesauce
about 1 cup rhubarb
about 1 cup raspberries (frozen is just fine)
Preheat the oven to 400 F and prepare a 12 cup muffin tin.
Wash the rhubarb really well. If it's anything like mine, there's a bug in it. Chop it into half inch long pieces and put it in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and let sit.
Combine the lemon juice and soymilk. Whisk briefly and let sit. It will curdle; that's the goal here.
In a big bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, the rest of the sugar, the baking soda, and the salt. Stir.
Add the applesauce, oil, and vanilla to the soymilk. Stir well, then fold into the dry ingredients. Fold in the rhubarb chunks. Very gently add the raspberries.
Fill the muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Scandinavegan Summer: Mushroom Eating!
B and I were just in the US last week, where we admired the juicy tomatoes and peaches and corn that abound on the West Coast. We both felt like those were real summer foods. So we went to farmers' markets and the Berkeley Bowl and the Monterey Market and ate absolutely tons.
Sadly, those aren't really things that the Scandinavian summer specializes in, but we're not too sad, because there are a lot of other interesting and tasty things around here. The Scandinavegan will be presenting the best of the Danish summer, foodwise, and how to eat it. Stay tuned!
Today we're starting with mushrooms, since last time we wrote about mushroom hunting. Now you're probably loaded up with chanterelles, something like this, right?
Well, if you're anything like us, you have a much smaller basket of mushrooms, which is perfect for today's recipe: Woodsy Chanterelles on Toast!
(I like to say "on toast," but the truth is, we never actually toast the bread. One could, though).
ca. 100 g of chanterelles, washed carefully and sliced
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
woodsy herb of choice; ie sage, thyme, or lavender
salt and pepper
a pinch of flour
sturdy crusty bread (sourdough is always nice)
Start off with a good slosh of olive oil in your skillet. You could use butter, if you roll that way, I suppose. When it's hot, begin sauteing the garlic; then, carefully and gently add the mushrooms. Sprinkle them with salt so they release their juices. Crumble in your herb of choice, just until it smells good. Now gently use a wooden spoon to separate the veggies from some of the oil and juice. Imagine the skillet divided in two; one side mushrooms, one side sauce. Whisk in the flour--probably about a teaspoon will be plenty. Whisk really well so there are no lumps, then gently fold in the mushrooms again. Season to taste and serve with the good bread. Delicious!
Sadly, those aren't really things that the Scandinavian summer specializes in, but we're not too sad, because there are a lot of other interesting and tasty things around here. The Scandinavegan will be presenting the best of the Danish summer, foodwise, and how to eat it. Stay tuned!
Today we're starting with mushrooms, since last time we wrote about mushroom hunting. Now you're probably loaded up with chanterelles, something like this, right?
Well, if you're anything like us, you have a much smaller basket of mushrooms, which is perfect for today's recipe: Woodsy Chanterelles on Toast!
(I like to say "on toast," but the truth is, we never actually toast the bread. One could, though).
ca. 100 g of chanterelles, washed carefully and sliced
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
woodsy herb of choice; ie sage, thyme, or lavender
salt and pepper
a pinch of flour
sturdy crusty bread (sourdough is always nice)
Start off with a good slosh of olive oil in your skillet. You could use butter, if you roll that way, I suppose. When it's hot, begin sauteing the garlic; then, carefully and gently add the mushrooms. Sprinkle them with salt so they release their juices. Crumble in your herb of choice, just until it smells good. Now gently use a wooden spoon to separate the veggies from some of the oil and juice. Imagine the skillet divided in two; one side mushrooms, one side sauce. Whisk in the flour--probably about a teaspoon will be plenty. Whisk really well so there are no lumps, then gently fold in the mushrooms again. Season to taste and serve with the good bread. Delicious!
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