Skåne calling

Each year when Easter rolls around, I'm surprised by how much a 4-day holiday can do to break up a long winter from the start of a struggling spring. This year, spring is still struggling, although I've heard promises of a turnaround from tomorrow(!). One can only hope.

Anyways, a quick glance back at our Easter adventure in the southern Swedish region of Skåne...

Swedes+Easter=feathers everywhere

First of all, let me explain that Easter in Sweden is a little bit like Halloween in the States. Except everyone dresses up as the same thing - an Easter witch. Just imagine the cutest witch you've ever seen knocking on your door: hankerchief tied around the head, freckles and rosy cheeks painted on the face, long skirts with aprons over-top, and a of course a broom in hand for fast get-aways. 

The kids make dozens of little "Happy Easter!" cards to hand out at each household. How sweet is that? In return, they get candy. We had two covens of witches at our door the Thursday before Easter, and sadly, were incredibly unprepared with zero candy - but they just smiled and wished us a Glad Påsk. My heart nearly melted!

Okay, back to our Easter road trip. We headed down to the charming town of Helsingborg on Friday, stopping for lunch in a tiny village called Gränna, home of the infamous Swedish peppermint candy, to break up the 6-hour drive. 

the view from Kärnan - and that's Denmark across the water

Perhaps it was because of the warm, sunny weather, but in the 20 hours we were there, I fell in love with Helsingborg. On the map, it's Sweden's closest point to Denmark in the southwest corner. Between the two countries is a 20-minute ferry ride across the sound of Oresund. With a population of 100,000, it's the perfect size - and so beautiful! 

Our friends J&J showed us the best of Helsingborg on Friday night with a gorgeous, sunset dinner at Sillen & Makrillen (thanks guys!) and drinks at one of the downtown clubs. And on Saturday, NS and I wandered through downtown and climbed to the top of the medieval tower, Kärnan, the highest point in the city.

afternoon tea in the suuuuuuun!

We said goodbye to Helsingborg on Saturday afternoon and headed to Örenäs Slott (castle) for an incredible champagne weekend. Afternoon tea (with champagne); truffles in our room (with champagne); oyster hors d'oeuvres (with champagne); a 7-course dinner; and brunch the next morning - yep, that had champagne, too. 

I've never had so much bubbly - or food - in my life, and in such a beautiful setting. The castle overlooks a grassy ridge over Oresund sound and is surrounded by farmland. It was divine. And a slightly different experience from last time we were there in 2010 ;) Thank you J&M for an amazing wedding gift we will never forget!!

On Easter Sunday, we visited dear friends in the neighboring town of Lund to celebrate baby H's first birthday, and then drove onward to stay with NS' grandmother in Malmö for the night. 

Our trip ended with a stop in Nimis, a place unlike any other I've ever been to. In the summer of 1980, a very eccentric Swedish man named Lars Vilks decided, among other unusual projects, to start building an enormous, castle-like structure out of driftwood - and call it Nimis. He's been nailing away ever since. From my understanding, this castle has actually been declared a country of it's own, proclaimed so by Vilks himself. 

To get to Nimis, we had to drive out to a remote spot along Sweden's west coast. Then hike through a forest, following a series of yellow "N"s painted sporadically along the way. The trail eventually sloped down to the water's edge, and then, all of a sudden became a tunnel of driftwood haphazardly nailed together every which way. The tunnel continues downward - downward - downward - and then starts upward to several shakey towers (which of course we climbed). 

We climbed all over this chaotic structure, and when we'd had enough climbing, we found ourselves "surfing" along the nearly vertical, leaf-covered ground leading down to Nimis (this leaf surfing was not quite intentional, but rather a slightly indirect route out).

Nimis was quite an experience, to say the least, and a very memorable end to our southern escapade through the wild side of Sweden.

And to quote the ever-entertaining Dave Barry on kale

Since we're talking about kale (see Monday's post), I thought I'd shared Dave Barry's words on the leafy green, since I've ingested so much of it lately...

   Were there any new trends in 2013? Yes, but they were not good. Kale, for example. Suddenly this year restaurants started putting kale into everything, even though it is an unappetizing form of plant life that until recently was used primarily for insulation. Even goats will not eat it. Goats, when presented with kale, are like, “No thanks, we’ll just chew on used seat cushions.”

 

At this point, I have to agree with the goats. Although hopefully a kale hiatus for the next 3 weeks will bring back some of the allure for me. 

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/12/27/3830019/dave-barrys-year-in-review-2013.html#storylink=cpy

Thank you, Dr. Oz

A lot's happened since I last wrote and I do feel the need to fill you in - but perhaps I'll come back to that another time. Now I'd rather gloat about my latest health feat: Dr. Oz's 3-day Detox Cleanse. 

mmmm?

Let me begin by saying that I hope I never have to wash a juicer as many times as I have in the last 3 days. Seriously, there are so many small, oddly-shaped pieces of plastic and countless teeny bits of spinach - kale - cucumber - berries - flax seeds - getting stuck in each little crevice and without a dishwasher, it is honestly the most tiring thing about going on a detox. 

That being said, my longest run of raw food only - or should I say juice only - diet is coming to a close this evening at midnight and I've never craved the most mundane things more. A bowl of this cereal with a banana and milk. A slice of this sausage. A bite of this candy which was tempting me from the counter at work all day. It's not even good. But I'm daydreaming about how much of it I'll have tomorrow. And those are just the things I don't care about.

Despite all my cravings for everything, I do feel cleaner, healthier, fresher. I hope these 3 days are a starting point for a long-lasting health kick, as the last couple weeks of gluttony really put me over the edge. 

But now for a new start. Tomorrow my mission is to maintain a somewhat healthy intake without gorging on pounds of candy.

And I'll add that even with the extensive cleaning required to use our juicer, I do plan to use it on occasion so please share any juice recipes you like or detoxes you've done - I'd love to try them!

Stockholm is waking up again

Spring is in the air. Summer really. Not so much in the temperature, but more in the whole ambiance of Stockholm. The sun helps. But it's more the attitude. 

Schools are closed this week for Easter. And the streets are a bit sparse in the mornings. Some offices have signed off already for the occasion. This Friday and next Monday are national holidays, but I guess they figure why wait? In fact, some offices are even off next week, too. Easter is certainly a big deal for a country with so little religion. 

Not that I'm complaining. It's glorious! 

Half of my office is empty. My received emails are down by about 3/4. And this is just the start of the season. The pace will only slow down more as summer gets closer. May is scattered with sporadic, mid-week days off (also religiously affiliated). And once June hits, the offices won't be full again until September. I swear it's true.  

photo inspiration: GAE

 

These coming 4 Easter days off could not be better timed. To celebrate our temporary freedom, NS and I are road-tripping down south to Skåne [pronouced Sko-nay - emphasis on the Sko], the southern region of Sweden. Strangely enough, Skåne has been a part of Sweden for less time than Finland. Sweden's deep south - another world, some say. We shall see for ourselves.

Anyway, I'll be back next week to tell of our travel adventures. And God willing have a bit of color - come on sun!!

Along the belt

Do you ever examine other people's groceries as they line them up on the conveyor belt? I mean, you're standing right there waiting for them to finish anyway, so you probably at least have a look. But do you make observations? Judgements? Conclusions? Frozen pizza and 1L coke: home alone tonight. Kale and Coke Zero: on a diet. Mini juice packs and Cheetos bags times 30: snacks for the football team.

I always think it's interesting to see what other people are buying. What will they do with that combination? Sometimes I almost ask them.

...

When I first moved to Sweden, I dreamed of starting a food blog. I love food and I love writing, so it seemed like a perfect match. Swedish food is exciting! And strange! Despite what you may have heard, I've discovered lots of delicious treats over here, of both the sweet and salty persuasion. Some I was hooked on from the start, others took months and years to grow on me (ie salt licorice aka getting a mouthful of chewy ocean saltwater). Regardless, my food blog never took off - or even started - but food is still often on my mind. 

As much as I love to eat, my experience behind the stove is quite limited. There is always something else going on, or something I need to get done - and since NS has a lot of experience in the kitchen, it's much easier to throw the reins to him instead. His specialties (read: full extent of his repertoire) are meatballs and pasta, hamburgers and pasta, fish fingers and pasta, and best renowned, his meatsauce and pasta. Do you see a trend? 

Now I love a good bowl of pasta as much as anyone, but day in and day out pasta is not my forte. Nor is the ketchup garnish that so many Swedes resort to. Ketchup instead of tomato sauce is not okay. 

Which is why there's been a gradual change in the Syk household. I go through cooking kicks and occassionally get sudden urges to create something tasty, but now it's becoming more of a habit. Tonight, it was this crustless broccoli and cheddar quiche, last night it was this cannelloni with goat's cheese. Last week, I discovered this incredible salad: kale salad with sweet potatoes and apples. A-m-a-z-i-n-g! 

What are you cooking right now? Where do you get inspiration? What's your newest favorite meal to make?

The land of sun and falcons

As it's snowed today in both Stockholm and my hometown, Annapolis (how is this happening on St Paddy's Day?!?), I thought it might be a good time to re-visit NS' and my trip to visit M & N in Abu Dhabi last month. A reminder that warmer temperatures do exist somewhere at least...

Have you heard of falconry? The practice of hunting with falcons? I would say it's an art, if not a way of life for many people in the United Arab Emirates, as our trip to Abu Dhabi brought to light. 

me feeding a quail to this falcon

The sheikh (pronounced shake) - the ruler of the land - has 300 falcons at his disposal, and brings them all along on his 3-week trips into the depths of the desert in search of what little wildlife is out there. His entourage sets up a mini-city transported by hundreds of vehicles to the middle of nowhere as a base camp - the most luxurious camping you've ever seen. And each day he chooses a few prized falcons to bring on his excursion. What a life.

Falcons can even have their own passports, and are given their own seats on flights. Can you imagine sitting next to one?

Abu Dhabi is also home to one of the world's largest mosques - and undoubtedly the most grandiose - the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. There's space for 40,000 worshippers inside, lined up in straight rows along the world's largest hand-woven carpet. It's truly a life-size Aladdin palace, no expense spared.

I thought I was safe with my head scarf and long skirt, but I couldn't show my arms either so here I am

NS and I splurged on an escape to luxury at one of Abu Dhabi's many beach clubs, this one at the Monte Carlo Hotel on Saadiyat Beach. A warm, turquoise infinity pool overlooking the Persian Gulf flanked by enormous sun beds was all we needed for an afternoon in the sun. It was heaven...

yesssssssssss

And on our last day in AD, we got to see the Red Bull Air Race soar through the skies above Abu Dhabi. It was by far the most impressive display of aerial feats I've ever seen (sorry Blue Angels, but you just don't compare). 

I guess the colored smoke helps (it's food coloring!)

Thank you so much to our fabulous hosts M&N for an incredible week of discoveries, sun, and amazing smoothies and falafel. 

we don't wanna leave!

And so it begins

Finally! The breakthrough of my modelling career has arrived! I am The Local's official model of how to eat a semla. At least how to eat a semla the "aristocratic" way and the "milk bomb" way.

Semlor (plural of semla) are Sweden's precursor to Lent. I would venture to say that many, if not most Swedes don't know what Lent is. No matter, it's only important that we eat semlor this time of year, and mandatory on Fat Tuesday. 

And what a great tradition. These amazing treats consist of sweet buns cut in half and filled with almond paste and TONS of whipped cream. They're incredible. 

I've been known to go overboard on my consumption of semlor on Fat Tuesday. Last year I think I ate 4. Doesn't sound so crazy, but each one of these is the size of a hamburger - and probably double the calories. 

Anyways, this year, I kept it to a modest 1.5 on the day (add a couple more for my season total). But hey, I've got to compensate for my annual tradition: since I was about 13, I've given up all desserts for the 40 days of Lent. Some of you, I can imagine, are thinking that's no big deal. For me, I can say this is a very big deal. And of course that's why it must be done. There has to be some point throughout the year during which I practice a bit of self-control, right? 

So here it goes. 1 day down, 39 to go...