semiswede

When the rhubarb (rabarber in Swedish, ruh-BAR-bur) comes up in Sweden, you know spring is here. This past week the warm weather and sunshine made a welcome return to what seemed to be a very cold spring, and the rhubarb in my mother-in-law’s garden is just big enough to make use of.

We had a lovely summer, and an unseasonably warm fall, but now the dark and rain are settling in. It’s time for soup season and looking through the pantry for inspiration, I came across a lonely bag of wild rice. I love the nutty flavor of wild rice, and this slow cooker soup has turned […]

Despite the fact I have now lived in Sweden for six years, I still have not adjusted to the reality that summer can be downright cold. It hovered in the low 60s for much longer than I appreciated, and then suddenly we had three weeks of temperatures that reached up to the 80s. It was a […]

The first Christmas we were dating, my husband spent the holidays with my family and made Janssons frestelse as his contribution to the Christmas Eve meal. Translated at Jansson’s Temptation, the casserole of julienned potatoes, onions, pickled sprats, and cream is standard fare for the Swedish julbord (Christmas table). The idea of fish layered with potatoes […]

Several times I have been asked about Swedish gift recommendations, so here are 10 of my favorites. Lightweight and easy to pack, these teas are available in most Swedish supermarkets and come with some very Swedish ingredients. On the far left is Vit Fläderdröm, a white tea flavored with elderflower and apple. In the center […]

This may not be one of the most photogenic recipes ever, but it’s definitely a good one that is worth sharing. It’s also unusual in that it has black currant juice concentrate (svartvinbärssaft) in the sauce. The subtle flavor of black currant, paired with thyme and juniper berries, is an intriguing combination for this quick […]

Early fall has arrived in Sweden. The nights are cool, and the days struggle to reach 70°F (21°C). A sure sign of the change in seasons is the appearance of lingon (LING-ohn) at local markets, and even supermarkets. Lingonberries, as they are most commonly known in English, are native to Scandinavia and have a long-standing history […]

Spring has been a long time coming this year. It seems that cloudy and cool has prevailed which makes it hard to believe it is the end of May with the temperature stuck in the 50s and 60s (12-18C). But there is one thing that reassures the fact we are headed into summer, and that […]

Now here is a riveting post……baked potatoes in Sweden. What could possibly be so different? Well, for someone who grew up in northern Utah bordering Idaho Russet potato country, the answer is….a lot. I miss fluffy Russet baked potatoes so much that they are always on my list of “must eat” when I travel back home. […]

I am just going to squeak this post in before Waffle Day 2013 is over! Last year I wrote a post about the history of how Waffles + The Annunciation = Waffle Day. It all seems to be a bit of a word mix-up that Waffle Day ended up being on 25 March, but so […]