Saturday, February 16, 2013

Day 270: Cravings

Still sleepless at around 4 AM, I began craving chicken soup. Not the canned Campbell's type (which in any event is not available here) but the kind my mother...and other mothers in our family...used to make. Could do nothing to satisfy that craving in the middle of the night when stores are closed and I did not have the requisite ingredients at home.

On my walk this afternoon, because naturally I was not awake in time for a morning walk, I noticed that the local supermarket had chickens on sale for a third of their usual price. I took this as a sign from the heavens. Just half an hour later, armed with the necessary ingredients, I set a pot on the stove. And decided to make matzo balls too.

This is the result:



All I can say is YUM! Soooo delicious. And so easy to make. Will have to do this more often. Of course, there's tons of it now (after all, you can't make "a little" chicken soup) so if you happen to be in the neighborhood, stop by. Plenty to go around...

Friday, February 15, 2013

Day 269: Strides

Today I am happy to report that strides have been made in the design and manufacture of egg slicers! This may not have been a high point in your day, but it certainly was in mine.

An egg slicer has been a staple among my kitchen utensils ever since I had my own kitchen to equip. In addition to using it for its intended purpose of slicing hard boiled eggs, I've long been using it to slice leftover boiled potatoes to make home fries. This is a much faster method than using a knife and it yields beautiful, even slices.

I was delighted to find an egg slicer in good condition among my mother's kitchen utensils when she passed away a couple of years ago. One of the metal bands on the one I had at home had become a bit bent over the years so I eagerly claimed hers as my own. Needless to say, this met with no resistance from my brother ;-)

They say nothing lasts forever and neither did that slicer. A couple of days ago, in my eagerness to slice potatoes, I pressed too hard and my mother's old slicer bit the dust. That meant I had to resort to a knife and settle for uneven home fries, which simply would not do in the long run. So, off to the supermarket today to purchase a new one. All I can say is, "Wow!" In the ensuing decades since I last purchased an egg slicer (and, no doubt, since my mother purchased hers) they've improved in design and execution. Don't ask me for technical details...what do I know, indeed, care? The new slicer works like a charm. Slices through the potatoes with ease. Releases the slices smoothly. I'm in home fries heaven!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Day 268: Set to celebrate!

Happy First (re-)Birthday to ME!

As I write in the description of this blog, my happy began on February 14 last year and today I celebrate that auspicious occasion with champagne and cupcakes in the company of friends. (A dwindling number as the day goes by and people fall victim to the variety of winter illnesses going around...)

Started my celebration with a yummy lunch at my favorite sushi restaurant in Stockholm. "Restaurant" is perhaps pushing the expression; this place is a little hole in the wall counter next to the subway station at Medborgarplatsen with seating for six. They do a great take-away business but I sat there and enjoyed the superb sushi listening to the less than superb techno music ;-)

Then off I went to purchase the ingredients for this evening's celebration. As I flitted around my neighborhood from shop to shop, I was struck by an overwhelming feeling of well-being and gratitude. Think how unpredictable life can be. A little over a year ago, I was all set to travel to Africa and work as a volunteer at an orphanage for 10 weeks. Then, on February 14, the day I was to climb on board the airplane, I climbed onto the operating table instead. The year continued from the ridiculous to the sublime...working as production manager for the Stockholm production of Sondheim's Assassins. 

Had one not happened, would the other? Who knows. What I do know is how great it feels to be alive. And healthy. And blessed with the love of friends and family, near and far. And how happy I am to finally have my own special reason to celebrate on Valentine's Day ;-)

I look forward to seeing what 2013 holds in store!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Day 267: Cooking rampage

If I could have found some rampage, I would have cooked it. As it is, I cooked many other things! Now the fridge (and the freezer) are stocked with meals for a least a week. How happy does that make me? VERY happy. Because this mood seldom strikes, whereas hunger strikes often.

YAY for cooking rampages!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Day 266: To each his own

There are some Swedish popular foods that I've yet to develop a taste for, among them the semla. Today is national semla day, known in the vernacular as "fettisdag" (a play on words; you can split the word in two different ways: fet+tisdag [fat+Tuesday] or fettis+dag [fatso+day]). However you split it, the point is to eat this cardamom-spiced wheat bun which has its top cut off and insides scooped out, and is then filled with a mix of the scooped-out bread crumbs, milk and almond paste and topped with whipped cream. The cut-off top serves as a lid and is dusted with powdered sugar. Traditionally, it was eaten in a bowl of hot milk, though nowadays most people eat it with a cup of coffee or tea. And I don't eat it at all...just the though of all that whipped cream makes me slightly nauseated.

Which isn't to say that I do not have my own sugar vices. I'm sure the Swedes would turn their noses up at the thought of consuming one of my favorite junk foods, the Pop Tart. I'll be the first to admit that it has absolutely no redeeming qualities (or nutritious value) whatsoever. Still, it is my personal favorite sinful delight. In my defense, I will say that I only bought one package on my recent trip to the U.S. and managed to save half of the servings and transported them home with me. They barely survived the trip intact as evidenced by the photo below but that did not decrease my pleasure in consuming them.



As the French would say, "chacun a son goût!"

Monday, February 11, 2013

Day 265: Back in the saddle

The language saddle that is. After a three month hiatus, I rejoined the Monday night Swedish language exchange. Someone changed the venue and when I showed up at the new café, I found it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Fortunately, I was early and could post a message on the Meetup site to let people know. I also could post a note on the door directing people to the old venue (a different café just a short walk away on the same street) thanks to the kindness of a neighboring store owner who provided shelter from the cold while I wrote the note and a piece of tape :-)

There's something about helping beginners with Swedish which I find both satisfying and fun. And you often wind up talking about the oddest topics. Today's included wedding traditions in Iran, Spain, Austria, Switzerland and among Jews, disparate corporate cultures, as well as designing safety measures for the Stockholm subway system. All while listening with careful attention for grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary.

Brings back fond memories of my first months in Sweden all those many years ago.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Day 264: Lovely Sunday

A small but enthusiastic group gathered at my place for board games today. We played a couple of games new to me as well as a travel version of Clue. Even learned how to count to five in Turkish (bir, iki, üc, dört, bes) for a card game that I consistently lost :-)

Afterwards it was nap time on the sofa followed by one of my favorite meals (pictured at right). Then a phone call from a new-found theater friend simply to shoot the breeze. Now I can go off to bed happily and read some more Dickens. All in all, a lovely Sunday.