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March 1, 2013 | 19 Comments

Swedified

This past weekend my five year anniversary in Sweden came and went without much more than the thought of “huh, today it’s been five years since I moved to Sweden.” Five years is kind of a milestone though, so I have been giving some thought to my half-decade here and my gradual Swedification. It ranges […]

February 20, 2013 | 4 Comments

Mom’s buttercream frosting and royal icing recipes

Things have been a bit quiet on Semiswede lately, and they become especially quiet in February as I gear up for my oldest daughter’s birthday. This year she turned six. I don’t know what it is about six years old that feels like a milestone. Perhaps it is because she will start school in the […]

February 1, 2013 | 0 Comments

Melodifestivalen – six weeks of singing Swedes competing to reach Eurovision

Melodifestivalen begins this weekend with a six-week long competition that will grip the nation until March 9th when we find out who will represent Sweden in the 2013 Eurovision song contest. Founded in 1956, Eurovision is the top-ranked program in Europe with 125 million viewers tuning in annually to watch musical performances from roughly 40 nations. […]

January 16, 2013 | 12 Comments

Bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese

A couple of years ago, I thought I had a stroke of brilliance when I decided to stuff some dates with blue cheese, wrap them with bacon, and broil them. Bacon-wrapped dates…good, but nothing new. Stuffed with blue cheese on the other hand, particularly good. So I rushed to the computer to look it up […]

January 12, 2013 | 14 Comments

Knut

In Sweden, Knut is considered the final day of the Christmas season. Knut was a Danish prince who was murdered on 7 January 1131 by his cousin. In 1169, thanks to his influential relatives, he was canonized by the Pope. By the end of the 1600s the name day of Knut was changed from the Epiphany […]

January 4, 2013 | 8 Comments

Trettondagen

Trettondagen literally means “day 13” and is the thirteenth day after Christmas, i.e. January 6th. Known in English as the Epiphany, it commemorates the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God, and when the Three Wise Men came to the Manger in Bethlehem. In Sweden it is a red day (an official holiday) with […]

January 3, 2013 | 0 Comments

Oranges in white wine syrup with cinnamon and cardamom

I seem to be late with everything these days. Life is quite busy with working full-time, two kids under the age of 6, and all of the other tasks that eat away at your day until there isn’t a moment left to spare. There is no space in my life for things that are too […]

December 23, 2012 | 12 Comments

God Jul – Merry Christmas

Despite the fact it’s extremely dark in Sweden during December, in my opinion, it is a really lovely time to be here. The season is full of Christmas lights, the julbord, glögg, seven kinds of cookies, and complete with dancing around the Christmas tree holding hands. The celebration essentially lasts from the First of Advent […]

November 6, 2012 | 0 Comments

White beans with tapenade and marinated artichokes

This is absolutely one of the easiest, fastest, and most versatile things I have ever made. It is definitely going in my have-it-in-the-pantry-for-emergencies recipe file. There are essentially 4 ingredients (3 if you decide to leave out the sausage). It will take you less than 5 minutes to make it and the ingredients can all […]

October 23, 2012 | 2 Comments

Fast White Bean and Tomato Soup

There are some recipes you come back to again and again because they are good, fast, and you can easily have the ingredients on hand. This is one of those recipes. I have made it countless times and for some reason my kids can’t seem to get enough of it.

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