IMAGE: Helena Wahlman/imagebank.sweden.se
...a very merry christmas. God Jul.
A GREAT LAST MINUTE GIFT 2
A classy bottle opener Barbara flasköppnare by Thomas Sandell for Skultuna will delight (adult) recipients.
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE ROYALDESIGN.SE
A GREAT LAST MINUTE GIFT
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE WWF.SE
HOPE IN A BOTTLE
Mette Ditmer has designed soap dispenser Yin Yang that turns your regular refill soap into foam. Is this what will make our five year old wash his hands without the neverending parental nagging? If so, it's worth its weight in gold.
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE TING.NO
23rd OF DECEMBER
IMAGE: PHOTO BY ANDERS/AWESNES VIA FLICKR, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, USED WITH PERMISSION
LET IT RAIN, LET IT RAIN, LET IT RAIN
It's a wet winter. This rain coat from Garda of Sweden looks nothing like a hiker's outfit and is perfect for city pedestrians who want to stay dry on their way to work. Available from Inreda.com among others.
IMAGE: INREDA.COM
TIED UP WITH STRING
These lavender bags from Axlings look darling tied up with string. Plain is pretty. Available in several colours or an easy DIY on this night before christmas.
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE AXLINGS
DON'T FORGET
We've finalized the menu for the holidays, stocked the kitchen, fridge and freezer, and we are going over the ingredients over and over and over again, because stores close tomorrow night and don't open again until Friday...
IMAGE: PERSPEKTIVET MUSEUM
CHRISTMAS STAMPS
IMAGES: PRESS IMAGE POSTEN.SE
POKER
Besides tasting, there's only one way to check whether your cakes, potatoes and carrots are cooked.
Our tester is broken and its substitutes are leaving ugly holes in our food. The best looking potatissticka from Iris is now available at Bagaren och Kocken.
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE BAGAREN OCH KOCKEN WEBSHOP
GIFTS FROM SCANDINAVIA
Mixing jug with utensils from Rosti Mepal, Bowl Mine from Kosta Boda, Tray from Svenskt Tenn, Fridge carafe from Eva Solo, Paper star from Clas Ohlson, Ceramic box from H&M Home, Santa Family Ornaments from IKEA, Tealight holders from Royal Copenhagen.
IMAGES: PRODUCT IMAGES CERVERA, KOSTA BODA, SVENSKT TENN, EVASOLO, CLAS OHLSON, H&M HOME, IKEA, ROYALDESIGN
SIZE SMALL
What a brilliant shortcut for those gifts you'll be making and baking for neighbours, friends, teachers and everyone else. These tart pans measure 15 cm across and made from light cardboard, they are perfect for petite pies, buns, cakes, and look fantastic in a clear plastic bag and tied up with ribbon or string. These looked great as well when I checked them out at the store.
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE CLAS OHLSON WEBSHOP
RASPBERRY
My fondness for necklaces and charms haven't waned much. Silversmith Eva E Eriksson makes these sweet raspberry charms that have captured my heart lately.
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGES EVA E ERIKSSON WEBSHOP
MINI ME
These sweethearts remind me of myself as a young girl. I had a pink nightgown with that kind of neckline and bangs and barrettes, just like her! Which is why these are being removed from my wish list and upgraded to the must-have list. Available at the museum shop at Nationalmuseum.
IMAGE: NATIONALMUSEUM BUTIKEN
TIME FLIES
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IMAGE: By Pearson Scott Foresman [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
LUCIA
IMAGE: LUCIA IN GUSTAV VASA KYRKA, Ola Ericson/imagebank.sweden.se
INGEN ANNAN ÄN ANNAS
Call me crazy, but the new packaging for Annas Pepparkakor is enough to make me buy a box! Paired with a bottle of great glögg, almonds and raisins, this is a great hostess gift when abroad in December.
PS. Their factory outlet is located in Tyresö.
IMAGE: PRESS IMAGE ANNAS PEPPARKAKOR
TOP THREE READS 2
My favourite magazines for christmas: Gods & Gårdar, Lantliv, Hem & Antik.
IMAGES: TIDNINGSKUNGEN.SE
TOP THREE READS 1
After being named a favourite christmas blog, I thought I'd return the favor and show some link love myself. My favourite Swedish christmas blogs are:
ANNAS JUL
JULBLOGGEN: MIN VITA JUL
HEMMA MED HELENA
ANNAS JUL
JULBLOGGEN: MIN VITA JUL
HEMMA MED HELENA
EASY GLISTENING
After the introduction of more delicate details into our holiday home, I've fallen in love with Rebecca Uths tealight holders for Georg Jensen. Brass coated in palladium or 24 carat gold.
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE GEORG JENSEN WEB SHOP
OH WELL, WHAT'S A ROYAL BALL?
Mom: Remember the Nobel museum we visited in Stockholm?
Son: The one with images on the floor and old things from hospitals and experiments?
Mom: That's the one. The man who named that museum also gave money, millions, to people who came up with great experiments and inventions. To celebrate those experiments the king give them a gold medal and then they have a fancy dinner and dance in a golden room.
Son: GOLDEN room!?
Mom: Let me show you. (Shows the photo above)
Son: Oh. What a boring party.
Those who feel differently can read more, or view it here tonight.
FINALLY!
"Äntligen!" was the annual exclamation from Gert Fylking at the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Literature. I feel the same way about these sophisticated bottles of julmust. Apotekarnes Årsmust and Nygårda Julmust Vintage Oak
IMAGES: PRODUCT IMAGES CARLSBERG & SPENDRUPS
IMAGES: PRODUCT IMAGES CARLSBERG & SPENDRUPS
PLOWING THROUGH
Yesterday the air was thick with gray rainfog and snow. Standing outside the house, I looked down towards the airport and the only thing I saw was three blinking lights going back and forth back and forth. Clearing snow is a neverending job on that landning strip. IMAGE: Malmström, Axel (1872–1945) (Stockholmskällan) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
PIGMENTALLY CHALLENGED?
A small beauty tip for those missing the sun as much as I do. You couldn't exactly describe me as tanned. My summer tan is sort of your winter pale, and the polar night takes me beyond pale into... transparent? Face Stockholm to the rescue with its great range of foundations for pale Scandinavian skin tones.
PS: Their products are a great souvenir for those hard to shop for teens that have outgrown Pippi Longstocking gifts.
IMAGE: PRESS IMAGE FACE STOCKHOLM
PS: Their products are a great souvenir for those hard to shop for teens that have outgrown Pippi Longstocking gifts.
IMAGE: PRESS IMAGE FACE STOCKHOLM
KANONBRA SENAP
Aside from flavourful hard cheeses I miss Swedish mustard. If my kitchen was large enough to house the traditional bowl and ball, I'd love to make mustard myself. Or punish disobedient teenagers by making them perform this ardous task. Until then, I'll take the shortcut a.k.a a blender.
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE SKEPPSHULT
EASY LIKE SUNDAY MORNING?
My ventures into baking aren't as aesthetically pleasing but let's pretend that life is always this pretty. Swedish Saffron Buns from Green Kitchen Stories.
WARM
Mittens are a great gift in the bleak midwinter. A new take on the traditional Lovikkamitten for those of us unable to knit ourselves: Sigrid from Heart of Lovikka.
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE HEART OF LOVIKKA WEBSHOP
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE HEART OF LOVIKKA WEBSHOP
A TOTAL FAKE
The elements are against us. Every time we open a window to let in fresh air, a flower dies. In the hallway I've resorted to fake flowers (gasp!) and despite its old-lady-resputation it looks great. So I have a new botanical strategy: Let's fake it 'til we make it.
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE IKEA
2nd SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Adolf Fredriks kyrka, december 2012.IMAGE: BY ARILD VÅGEN(Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Common
BOOK REVIEW: SCANDINAVIAN CHRISTMAS
Trine Hahnemann is a household name in Denmark as a self taught food entrepreneur with a passion for Danish cooking. She has a number of Danish cookbooks under her belt, several successful catering ventures, and appears in TV and magazines on a regular basis. This is Hahnemann's collection of recipes for December celebrations, the time of year when she takes four weeks (!) off work to decorate the house and entertain family and friends.
Disregard the publisher's misleading blurb claiming this is your guide to a Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and Danish Christmas (it's absolutely not), and a decorated holiday home (unless my book is missing a chapter). This book is no such thing. Instead, it is a great introduction to Nordic christmas flavours since many ingredients and some dishes are common to the whole Nordic region.
The recipes are mainly modern takes on traditional dishes or ingredients, such as kale bruschetta and orange pickled herring. Sometimes its the addition of a single flavour that upgrades a simple dish, such as the grated horseradish in the dressing for the root vegetable salad.
A closer reading of the recipes drew me in. I look forward to exchanging hot dogs for lamb stew cooked over open fire (see photo below) on a winter outing. Pairing brussel sprouts with chili and clementines sounds daring and fantastic. Exchanging the cured salmon for cured cod may also be a stroke of sheer brilliance.
The true test lies in whether this book can guide us to duplicate her results and so far the cookie and glögg recipes I've tried were easy to follow and delivered good flavours. It does seem as though the author assumes some familiarity with Nordic ingredients since the level of detail in the instructions is inconsistent, and at times lacking. Unless the kitchen is your gaming zone, you'll find yourself googling for explanations on how to roll a log of rolled pork belly, truss a goose, or how to handle raw fish when curing and salting salmon and cod.
Sea buckthorn vinegar, pickled herring, and liver paté may not suit the innocent novice palate nor children, but the brunch recipes featuring baked spinach omelette, kale, root vegetables, salmon and sweet rice pancakes are less intimidating.
Scandinavian Christmas is a great source of inspiration for "Scandinavians" wanting to update their winter menu. It's also a great gift to a "foodie" with a curious palate, who wants a modern take on Danish Christmas flavours without unnecessary elaborations on tradition. Lars Ranek's photography is wonderfully moody with a great dose of atmosphere and decidedly Danish styling. If only the publisher would have dared to present it as a unique peak into Trina's personal Danish holiday recipe box, instead of placing it in a broader Scandinavian lifestyle context, this book would have found its audience amongst international foodies with greater ease.
Scandinavian Christmas, Trine Hahnemann, Alhambra House, Quadrille Publishing Ltd, 2012, 144 pages, ISBN 978 184949 192 1. PHOTO CREDIT: COVER IMAGE QUADRILLE PUBLISHING, ALL PHOTOS ©LARS RANEK; USED WITH PERMISSION
EASY DOES IT
Always on the lookout for items that organize, sort and store, I've seen my share of designer boxes. Yet I keep returning to the basic ones. Plain wooden crate from Clas Ohlson.
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE CLAS OHLSON WEBSHOP
WE'VE GOT ISSUES
Christmas decorated Scandi interiors for your inspiration as you deck the halls for the 2nd Sunday in advent. Click on a cover to access the e-zines.
IMAGES: SCREEN DUMPS NIB HJEMME/ NORDIC DESIGN
A GREEN HOME
Why green? Well, would it look good on a harvest table? Yes. Would it look good in a christmas decorated home? Yes. Would it look good filled with the first flowers of spring? Yes.
Done deal. I just have to find IRL to make sure the screen doesn't lie.
IMAGE: TOREBRINGS WEBSHOP
THE RESULTS ARE IN!
THIS IS the best recipe for Lussebullar! Tjohooo! (800 gr of flour made mine waaaay sticky so I added about 1,5 dl of flour and then some while shaping the dough.)
IMAGE: LUCIA 1943, PUBLIC DOMAIN VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
LET'S GLÖGGA LOSS
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE, SCANDINAVIAN DESIGN CENTER WEBSHOP
SEE THE LIGHT
I bought a simple plastic green battery powered version last year just to be well stocked this December. I regret that when I see this fancy version available at Åhléns (among others).
IMAGE: PRODUCT IMAGE ÅHLENS
IS THIS BRAIN REALLY SWITCHED ON?
I can't believe it. I finally located the embroidered christmas ornaments that I made, ehem, 5 years ago. I never pieced them together and lost them in the move here. Or so I thought. Found them a month ago, and did a little happy dance. Men säg den lycka som varar. I have no idea where I put them after that. Sigh.
IMAGES: KORSSTYGNSBOLAGET; USED WITH PERMISSION
THE CALENDAR
Those of you looking for inspiration can have a look at this board on Pinterest with more than 200 ideas to spark your creativity.
KNOT AN AVERAGE GIFT
HRH Queen Silvia of Sweden founded the World Childhood Foundation 1999 and in celebration of their 15 years they are releasing a more exclusive version of their colourful childhood bracelet. Available in 20 colour combinations and a larger leather version for men. The perfect gift in many ways.
IMAGE: PRESS IMAGE WORLD CHILDHOOD FOUNDATION
CHRISTMAS AT IKEA
Beautiful styling from IKEA. View their christmas collections here.
IMAGE: PRESS IMAGE IKEA; USED WITH PERMISSION
CHRISTMAS MUSIC
The Swedish Public Radio has two channels devoted to christmas music only. The channels are available between the 26th of November and 9th of January. Both stations are available online:
P2 Klassisk jul, traditional christmas music
P4 Bjällerklang, popular christmas music
Happy listening!
P2 Klassisk jul, traditional christmas music
P4 Bjällerklang, popular christmas music
Happy listening!
SHOW ME THE CHEESE!
One of the few things from Sweden I miss is hard cheese. These new releases from Kvibille have been cured for 18 months and will be on my wish list of contraband* gifts for christmas.I'm already dreaming about what I'll pair them with...mulled cider... cloudberries... fig marmalade...
(*That was a joke, it's perfectly legal to bring these cheeses across the Scandinavian borders).
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