Christmas Traditions- Family Breakfast

Hey,
Generally Norwegian families will have a sit down family breakfast during weekends, and more frequently during Christmas. Bread is an important part of the Norwegian diet, and we grow up having bread for breakfast, lunch and what we call Norwegian supper. For this reason Norway has a wide range of toppings to put on their bread, such as shrimp salad, liver pate and brown cheese to name a few.During Christmas we also have a few seasonal toppings that we 'only' eat during Christmas, such as a particluar type of herring, 'julesylte' (pressed pork) and 'syltelabb' (boiled pigs feet) . There is nothing better than having a big breakfast spread, sitting around the table with your family and eating breakfast together. Hence I decided to share a roll recipe today, and show you how Christmas breakfast is served in Norway. We were so lucky we had lots of snow that fell overnight, hence it really put us in the festive season listening to Christmas carols whilst looking at the snowy landscape from the breakfast table.

Christmas Traditions - Lussekatter

Hey, 
I am so sorry that my blog has been so quiet the past three weeks, I have been busy at work preparing for a long holiday, and just arrived back in Norway last Friday. It's been great to be back home with family and friends, and there is nothing like a cold Norwegian winter to get in the Christmas spirit. Like any country Norway has its unique Christmas traditions, and the 13th of December is no exception, as we celebrate Saint Lucia Day. It is a big thing when you are a kid, and across all schools and kindergardens in Norway it is celebrated through some form of procession with children dressed in white clothes, and the procession is headed by one girl wearing a crown of candles (or lights) whilst others hold only one single candle each. Needless to say that every young girl in Norway wants to be selected to wear the crown, and I am still disappointed that I was never picked:)

Eating What's in Season...

Dish of the Week: Fettuccine with Asparagus, Broccoli and Smoked Speck

I always think it is good to eat what's in season, as you get to enjoy when it is at its best, most nutritional and affordable. Since it is spring in Australia asparagus and broccoli is in season, and I wanted to use these two vegetables in a dish that was subtle and easy to make, and where the vegetables were the centre pieces of the dish!

Ripples Cafe- The Perfect Place to Bring Visitors

Ripples - Milsons Point

A couple of years ago my auntie and mum were coming to Australia for a visit, and I was searching the internet for a nice place to have dinner along the Sydney harbour that didn't charge extortionate prizes. Luckily, some friends came to the rescue and recommended Ripples at Milsons Points. Situated next to Luna Park and under the Harbour Bridge it offers breathtaking views, and a truly a unique dining experience overlooking one of the most iconic buildings in the world, the Sydney Opera House. We have been there four times now, and the food, service and view continues to impress us and our visitors.

Greasy Food to Tempt your Taste Buds..

Dish of the Week: Homemade Sausage Rolls

Australians love sausage rolls, and my Aussie husband is no exception! It has taken a long time to for me to come around to the greatness of Sausage rolls, as I think the ones you get in shops and cafe's down here are too greasy (if there is ever such a thing!). But when they made a slightly 'healthier' version on Masterchef, I decided to give it a go, and there is no way back now! I guess 'Comfort Food' would be the best way of describing this dish, some may even claim that it cures hangovers.... 

The World's Best...

Dish of the week:  Kvæfjordkake- The World's Best

We had a ten year anniversary celebration for the CEO of my company today, and staff were asked to bring in a traditional dish from their home country to celebrate this special occasion. I decided to bring a cake that my grandmother used to bake for every big occasion when I was younger. Kvæfjordkake stems from the far north of Norway in Troms county, and was recently crowned the national cake of Norway. Until last year I didn't know this cake by any other name than 'The World's Best', and although it may look a bit dull on the photos don't let the looks fool you as it tastes great!

Fiery Dan Dan Noodles

Dish of the Week: Szechuan Style Noodles with Minced Beef

My friend Lee got Jamie Oliver's cookbook 'Jamie's America' for Christmas last year and he made some amazing dishes from the cookbook. He was so kind to share one of the recipes with me, and it has become an all time favorite of mine. As Jamie Oliver explains in his book the recipe originates from the Szechuan province of China, and he got the recipe from a restaurant in New York during his stay in America. The name originates from how the dish is traditionally made in Szechuan province, which is in big buckets that they carry over their shoulder. The word dan translates in to poles in Chinese hence the name can be directly translated to "pole pole noodles", whereas I think Fiery Dan Dan Noodles sounds much better. 

Dish of the Week- CupCakes Two Ways- White and Dark Chocolate

This week one of my friends at work had his birthday, and since he is always so generous to me and other colleagues, I wanted to make him a special treat! I like my sweet treats, as most of us do, but I think he is in a league of his own. He is the only one I know who had packets of 'Starburst Snakes' (Australian candy) as his main food group whilst training for his first full marathon, and I have utmost respect for him finishing it in less than 5 hours!!

Since Mr.T is a special person to me I decided to make two different types of cupcakes courtesy of Norwegian Chef Lise Finckenhagen (who does cooking shows on NRK- the Norwegian equivalent of ABC and BBC), and it was made easier when almost all the ingredients for the two cupcake batches were identical (apart for the white and dark chocolate frosting of course). That way it was cheaper and more convenient than making two completely different types of cupcake recipes. Needless to say that this is not a necessity, and if you are tight for time than I would recommend just making one of them, and judging on the feedback from my colleagues the raspberry cupcakes were clear winners.

An Italian Food Fair

Dish of the Week: Three Courses of Italian Food

As you have probably noticed from my food blogs so far- I am a massive fan of the Italian cuisine!!! This weekend I had some girlfriends over for lunch, and being my usual self I spent quite a lot of time deciding on the menu. I did my usual trick of looking through my favourite magazine 'Gourmet Traveller" and searched the internet for inspiration and new recipes to try out. Since I love cooking and I love my friends I wanted the lunch to be a real treat! Hence I decided to go for an Italian Food Theme paired with matching wines. 

I think the combination of the three courses I cooked went really well together, and it was pretty easy to make. My preference is to do as much of the preparations needed before the guests arrive, so that I can spend valuable time sitting around the dining table enjoying the food and chatting about the latest tricks, and these three courses allowed me to do just that!

I Love Pizza

Dish of The Week: Pizza

My husband simply loves pizza and I mean love to the extent that I can ask him literally any day of the week if he wants pizza and the answer will be yes. Needless to say I have had to work on my pizza making skills, and I have spent quite some time perfecting recipes to please my man.  

Sampling Wine and Sharing Food

Dish of the Week- Antipasto Platter

This weekend we escaped Sydney for a day and went to the Hunter Valley to sample different wines and restock the cabinet, with a couple of dear friends. The Hunter Valley is only a couple of hours drive from Sydney, and offers beautiful scenery and some of the greatest wines that Australia has to offer. The region is famous for their long-lived Semillons and earthy Shiraz wines, and the former is considered unique in the category of white wines, as it is particularly good for long-term ageing and significantly changes character over time. When young, the Semillon wines often have a dry, crispy taste with hints of citrus flavors, and then evolve in to more a complex wine over time that has characteristics of nuts and honey.

The Value of Food Markets

Dish of the Week- Thai Prawn Noodle Salad

Hey, 

Living in the city and/or leading a hectic life in general it is easy to get used to shopping food in big supermarkets that offers easy solutions to making food quick and easy. This is especially true during weekdays when you are tight for time, and just want something to ease the hunger after a long commute home from work. More the reason why I treasure my weekends, as I have both the time and the energy to source and cook fresh food.

Beef Extravaganza

Hi all,


Firstly, I would like to thank all of you who have left lovely comments on my Facebook page, and sent me emails with feedback on my blog and custard bun recipe. I appreciate all the feedback, and hope you will continue to follow me on my food journey. I will do my best to incorporate some of the changes that you have suggested!!! I just bought a new camera on Monday, and will be playing around with it on the weekend, and hope you will see improvements on photos for my next recipe on Sunday. 


I have recently undergone a detox that focused on no red meat, no alcohol, no sugar and no processed food. I enjoyed the food  on the detox and can definitely see the merits in cleansing your body of toxins for twelve days.


But the whole process made me think of whether red meat is bad for you or not? I am far from an advocate for eating red meat every day, but also felt great after twelve days of no red meat at all. However, I am a firm believer in having everything in moderation, hence I decided to treat myself to a beef night at one of my favorite restaurants. 

Skoleboller- Norwegian Custard Buns

Dish of the Week- Custard Buns

Selecting what was going to be my first recipe to share on the blog was easy and had to be something sweet!


I have always loved Skoleboller- Norwegian Custard Buns, and still remember how good my grandmother's ones tasted when I was a kid. Mine are far from as good as hers, but I have spent some time perfecting the recipe. I am originally from the city of Bergen in Norway, and I would say that we have a passion for good buns that comes in all shapes and forms. I am not sure whether this stems from the days when Bergen was a part of the German Hanseatic League, but there are no buns that can compete with scrolls from Baker Brun (a bakery chain) in Bergen.