Tuesday, February 20, 2007

http://www.gildedfork.com/culinarypodcastnetwork/2007_01_01_culinarypodcastnetwork_archive.html
This is a great podcast. It talks about the history behind the Parker rating system on wine. You can then listen to part 2 if you want as well. Check it out and enjoy!

Another fun thing is that you can go to Barilla's website and download a cookbook and for every downloaded cookbook they will donate $1 to Second Harvest.
www.Barilla.com

Ok, it's early morning and I am working the food show today again! Have to get everything ready for the family!
Today is the last day- great!
Tomorrow and Thursday will be crazy busy. I have 2 caterings on Thursday! run, run, run!
Bye for now!

Friday, February 16, 2007

Ok, so I have decided to take my blog to higher levels by adding links to other blogs. This is a pretty big step for me so enjoy!

http://aglio.blogspot.com
This blog must be one of the more beautiful ones out there. Take a look! It's in Swedish but worth looking at for anyone.

http://pdxdane.blogspot.com
This is about a guy who after many years abroad has just moved back to his wifes native Sweden. He is from Denmark. It is fun to read about his view on changes and differences.

http://malin2.blogspot.com
Had to add this one as well.


http://cookscompanionchats.blogspot.com/
A woman in Oakville, Ontario who loves food as well. What more can I say?

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Yesterday was as I wrote Valentines Day. It was a good day.. Had to add the picture of our cookies. The picture turned out pretty cute, I think.
Today on the other hand was totally different. I spent the day at work.... I just ran around like a crazy person and still we didn't get to finish everything we should have done. I mean it is not that bad. It feels good to work but drive for 1 hour like I did today is insane! That is 1 hour there and 1 hour back! People do that stuff ALL THE THE TIME! I don't get it??
Thank God for kids friends Grand mother that is always there to step in and help out with my kids when I need. They all went to their house, skated and had dinner and watched Cinerella 111. It is a PA day tomorrow and the snow is still on the ground. It is -26C with the windchill!!! I think it will be a perfect day for some tobagooning!
Until next time!
Kram

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Evening of Valentine's Day....
Chocolate and flowers was part of my day as well as some Yoga. Mark stayed home due to heavy, heavy snow fall! West of Toronto got massive amounts of snow much more than us apparently. Schools were closed and everything. Our school never closes though.
I found something funny on a fellow swede's blog. I have to copy it and post it here. It's not really funny for anyone else but swedes but hey, that's life....

You know you are from Sweden when...

1. Your family had to re-arrange a number of Christmas traditions when Arne Weise retired.
2. You get nostalgic by thinking of the summer of 1994.
3. You don't rely on weather forecasts unless presented by John Pohlman.
4. You thought Astrid Lindgren was immortal and was shocked and cried your heart out when she actually did die.
5. You really want to attend the Nobel Price Dinner.

6. You get pissed off when Norwegians state that the peace price is much more famous than the other Nobel prices.
7. You go seriously sentimental when entering an IKEA store, outside the borders of Sweden.
8. You love complaining about Sweden when you are there and state "it's much better in Sweden" when you are abroad.
9. You secretly love the Eurovision Song Contest to pieces.
10. You know at least 10 Abba songs by heart.

11. You claim that you are not a royalist but actually do care what "she" will wear on the Nobel Price dinner.
12. You are prone to stand in line without complaining.
13. Whenever discussing international problems you always, without exception state that "why don't you do it like we do it in Sweden?"
14. You know the names of a multitude of IKEA items.
15. You know how to pronounce these names and sigh when non-Swedes don't.

16. You grew up in a house looking exactly like as if iit would have been in the IKEA-catalogue.
17. You have a tendency to not divide words when you write in English, since "särskrivning" is a sin.
18. You don't really care about winning as long as the Swedish beat the Norwegains and the Finish, no matter what the game/contest is.
19. You know that Sweden never actually will win the World Cup in Football, but keep partying anyway.
20. When you don't really consider silence a problem in social situations.

21. When you find people from other cultures generally being rather loud. With the exception of the Finish.
22. You wouldn't even consider buying electrical items unless they are "S"-marked.
23. You consider the question "how are you?" as a question that when posed, needs to be answered with a honest and thorough explanation of your mental health.
24. You have serious difficulties crossing the street when there is a red light. Even when there are no cars.
25. You get guilty conciense from throwing things in the dustbin that could have been recycled.

26. You take your shoes off when entering a house, and don't get why non-Swedes find that funny.
27. You know what the term "dansband" refers to, but know that it is a losing battle explaining to non-Swedes what it is.
28. You don't consider a congregation of trees being a "real" forrest unless it takes at least 20 minutes to drive through it.
29. You use metric system and really don't get why there are people out there who don't.
30. You consider "schlager" being a proper music genre.

31. You consider a fast and audioable intake of breath as a synonym to the word "yes".
32. You find the ads for Coca Cola during Christmas completely useless since noone would consider drinking any other soft drink than "julmust" during Christmas anyway.
33. You consider Denmark and the Danish "pretty continental".
34. You know that it is not true, but you like to believe that there is a massive difference between the taste of "julmust" and "påskmust".
35. You know that the most common cars in Sweden are not Volvo's or Saab's, but Ahlgrens Bilar.

36. You can debate for hours the difference between the taste of the pink, the green and the white car in a pack of Ahlgrens bilar.
37. You actually have a favourite colour of Ahlgrens bilar, and is pretty militant in your opinion on this point.
38. You are not likely admit to having watched a full episode of Allsång på Skansen, but feel that the fact that they broadcast it every summer is soothing, and a notion that things remain in their normal state.
39. You like things in general to be "lagom".
40. It annoys the hell out of you that there is no good translation for the word "lagom" in any language (except in Turkish, apparently)

41. You consider Sweden being on the verge of annoyingly "lagom". Like a tetra pack of mellanmjolk, sort of.
42. You have at one point, or more, during your childhood, attempted to fabricate something that you learnt how to make from watching "Hajk".
43. While fabricating the thing mentioned in point 42. things went terribly wrong.
44. You think that Sweden winning a gold in any type of World Championships require celebrating by getting really drunk and splash around in a large and famous fountain.
45 You have a tendency to make Swedish verbs out of English nouns, and do not consider it slang or gramatically incorrect.

46. Generally, you prefer writing in pencil.
47. You've never seen a starbucks.
48. You have a summer house in the countryside. It has no running water or flushing toilet, but you can't understand why no one wants to visit.
49. Making fun of Norway is a national institution. And vise versa.
50. You love Kalles Caviar. Everyone else outside Scandinavia hates it.
51. You are obsessed with health issues. Everything is bad unless it comes from Sweden, in which case its ok.
52. You could survive on just fish and prawns, and still manage to have a different dish for every meal for a month. Oh, and you even put it in cake.
53. You find it normal to have to go to a special store that is owned by the government, that's only open during daytime to buy a bottle of wine, or other alcoholic beverages.
54. You constantly try to avoid meeting your neoghbours in the stairwell.
55. You split the check by the exact penny after eating at a restaurant.

56. You try to explain "The Law of Jante" to non-Swedes..!
57. You don't mind waking up way too early during the first 24 days of December in order to watch 15 minutes of TV's annual Advent Calendar.
58. You find the idea of wall to wall carpets in bathrooms and toilets simply appalling.
59. You just don't "orka"...
60. You think you understand Danish.

61. The Danish think you understand Danish.
62. Ultimatley, when spoken, you don't really understand Danish.
63. You thought wall to wall carpets was a concept of the past or the ferrys to Finland/Estonia/Germany/De nmark. Then you went abroad and realised that you were wrong.
64. You don't even realise that you speak/write Swenglish whenever you speak/write to Swedish people.
65. You die a little inside if you don't get your weekly ransion of "Mamma Scans Kottbullar".

66. You think that everyone is allowed to walk in any field or forrest. And when people abroad tell you it's private land, you don't understand and say "But, what about Allemansratten?"
67. You expect people to be drinking atleast a bottle each of vodka, and think that's normal.
68. Your ideal breakfast consists of a sandwich with ultimate breakfast consists of a slice of bread with egg och kalles kaviar, och a big cup of oboy...
69. You drink black espresso without sugar, believing that is what you do in Italy, and actually believe that you like it...
70. After having realized that someone is standing on your foot in the subway, you think that the best idea is to not say anything at all or maybe cough or nod a little in order to attract the attention of the person standing on your foot.

71. You find non-scandinavians so loud and noisy but find it perfectly normal to get completely wasted, "bröla", sing along to "när vi gräver guld i usa..." and piss in public, when you're abroad and partying with non-scandinavians.
72. You secretly consider Sweden the best place on earth and that Swedes are the most intelligent and beautiful people in the world.
73. You know who Bamse is, and love him with all of your heart.
74. You take a sip of Strongbow, frown, and state that there's nooo way that the yellow sludge they call cider really is cider..
75. You refuse to belive that snuff or "snus" is harmful.

76. Since snuff "isn't harmful", you can't understand why no one except the swedes use it...


Soory to all my non- swedish readers (ha, ha) but I just had to post that list. It is funny to me, believe it or not!
Happy All Hearts Day!
Kram to everyone!