New Blog and Website

(I am moving so fast I'm blurry!)

Hi Everyone! Just in case you missed it, I have moved! Yes, after some time deliberating on what my next move would be I finally decided to upgrade to a "dot com."

You can find my new website and blog by clicking here: Bike and Skillet 

Välkommen! - As they say in Sweden... it means welcome, of course. :-)

Sonora Cafe-Inspired Chopped Salad

Sometimes when I get in a cooking rut I bring back an old favorite - the chopped salad. This dish is inspired by a salad that was served at Sonora Cafe - a restaurant I worked in many moons ago in Los Angeles, California. I have so many wonderful memories from my days as a waitress there. The cusine served was an upscale new Mexican-style and it was truly delicious (grilled jumbo gulf shrimp with mole sauce! lobster bisque! southwest sundae!) and I will never forget my time spent there. Luckily I have been able to maintain many of the friendships that I began while working there as well so it truly feels like a special memory honored every time I make this salad (which was two nights in a row this week! Hey Sonora Cafe peeps!).

Not only is it simple to make but it is an impressive salad to serve guests as well. The original "Sonora Cafe" version was served in a cylindrical form but I serve mine free form, mostly because I don't have a cylinder form but also because it is easier and when these cooking ruts hit, well, I can't be bothered. 

Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce, chopped

Diced tomatoes

Dices cucumber

Diced avocado

1 corn on the cobb, corn removed

Sugar snap peas, chopped

Blue cheese, crumbled (add to personal taste)

Balsamic vinaigrette dressing 

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Layer everything in a bowl, toss with dressing and serve. 

Optional add-ins:

Vegetarian "chicken" nuggets

Chopped grilled chicken breast

You can experiment with your own salad ingredients but the key to this salad is the avocado, blue cheese, and balsamic dressing so be sure to include these. I also added some arugula in the version pictured above since I had some on hand ;-). 

Thirsty Thursday - A Refreshing Summer Cocktail

I love a good, basic gin and tonic (with a heavy squeeze of lime, of course) but sometimes it's good to mix things up a bit. So when I was browsing recently in Paradiset, the new organic grocery store that opened not too long ago around the corner from us, I became inspired to try a twist on this traditional drink when I spotted an elegant bottle of elderflower soda on the shelf in front of me. 

If you are not familiar with elderflower, known as fläderblom in Sweden, it is a lovely, delicate and distinct flavor that comes from the flower of the elderberry plant. They grow wild all over Sweden and if you are really inspired you can pick them and make homemade elderflower saft to enjoy mixed with plain or sparkling water. "Saft" is also Swedish and is a concentrated, flavored syrup made by cooking down elderflower blooms in water with heaping amounts of sugar. But that is a bit ambitious for the task at hand. I merely purchased a bottle of elderflower soda, added ice, gin, and a generous squeeze of lemon. Finished with a twist of lemon and a sprig of mint for color this is the perfect welcome cocktail for a dinner party, or a relaxing evening for two.

The result is a lighter, more friendly version of the traditional gin and tonic that perfectly sums up a beautiful summer celebration on the balcony, patio, or favorite picnic spot. The flavor of elderflower is the essence of summer in Sweden but if elderflower soda is not available in your area, feel free to substitute a complimentary, summery soda.

Recipe:

Glasses of choice

Ice

Gin

Elderflower soda (or soda of choice)

Lemon wedges

Lemon twists

Mint sprigs

Directions:

Fill glasses with ice, add a squeeze of lemon, a shot of gin, and then fill with elderflower soda. Finish with lemon twists and mint sprigs. 

Summer Beauty Tips

Tip #1:

I have sensitive skin. It's olive-toned and I generally tan easily in the summer, which makes it seem like I would have a tough hide. But I have always had extremely sensitive skin. When I was a teenager I had my share of pimples and there was a limit to what skin care products I could use on my face as most things caused me to break-out further. Even today something as simple as the moisturizing strips on my razor give me a rash in the underarm and bikini areas if I'm not careful to exfoliate regularly. 

I mentioned my issues with razor-burn/rash to a friend who then shared a tip she'd gotten from a friend. She recommended using those exfoliating scrubby mitts to scrub the affected areas each time she showers. Yes, she recommended using them in the underarm area and bikini area, gently of course, where you get shaving irritation. I was slightly hesitant at first but after seeing the results after using the exfoliating mitts just a few times, I was hooked. What an awesome tip and one I use on a regular basis now. 

Tip #2:

Yes, I use them on a regular basis now, with the exception of those occasions when I'm so sleepy, can barely stand up in the shower and couldn't be bothered to struggle to pull those things onto my hands. Sometimes I think I should put them on before I get in the shower when both my hands and the scrubby mitts are dry but that seems a bit awkward and I usually exfoliate toward the end of my shower. 

Then I discovered something amazing. One day when I was in a particular hurry I grabbed the mitts while I still had soap on my hands and would you believe it? They slipped right on! The following day I actually lathered my hands up with soap first and those babies pulled right on like butter. No struggle at all. I’d like to think I saved myself some time with this discovery but in all honesty it might save one minute of time, if I am generous. 

Even so, the added ease of using them makes it that more likely that I will actually exfoliate my irritation/rash prone regions on a regular basis. Which, with summer right around the corner, is a good thing.

Do you have any tips for battling razor and shaving irritation? I’d love to know! 

A Weekend Getaway to the West Coast of Norway

(Mount Fløyen)

We were recently in Bergen, Norway for a long weekend getaway, where we spent two and a half days exploring this quaint nordic city and the surrounding fjord region. Wow, what an amazing place. I am still awe struck and inspired by the dramatic scenery we witnessed on our fjord tour. Majestic mountains, waterfalls, winding rivers curving through paths worn through these mighty giants. Even the city of Bergen was inspiring with a birds eye view atop Mount Fløyen. 

The Fløibanen funicular, or cable car, takes you on a steep ride up to the top of Fløyen where you have panoramic views as far as the eye can see. And if you are lucky you may even get to have the same gorgeous weather we experienced, allowing you to literally see out as far as your sight allows. 

Several years ago we planned a trip to Norway with the thought that we would drive from Stockholm to Karlstad, a smaller Swedish city en route to Norway where we hoped to visit Oslo, Bergen and hopefully Stavanger. Looking at the map it seemed easily doable within a couple of weeks time. 

The reality however was that my poor estimation of it taking a mere 4 hours to drive from Oslo to Bergen was sadly impossible. I was told it was more like a 7-8 hour drive with all of the steep and twisting mountain passes. We unfortunately had to postpone the Bergen and Stavanger part of the trip for another time and only visited Oslo that trip. And while Oslo was a fun city to visit and explore, the Norwegian fjords still beckoned me. 

Now, nearly six years later we put Bergen back on our travel map. A couple of weekends ago we spent a glorious two and a half days in Bergen. Everyone told us, after we had already booked our trip of course, that Bergen was notorious for its rainy weather. I heaved a big sigh and said, "Well, we'll just bring rain jackets and umbrellas.” Lucky for us, we only had to use them for a few short hours on our final day. 

We had two stunningly beautiful sunny days! It was absolutely glorious. On our final day there were light rain showers in the morning but that was perfectly acceptable in our opinion, given the lovely previous days. Below are a few photos and links to places we visited. Bergen was an amazing, beautiful and much needed getaway. We will definitely be back to visit Norway. 

Norway in a Nutshell Tour - This was an amazing tour if you are short on time. You spend one day visiting a portion of the Sognefjord by train, bus, boat, train, and train again. It is a round trip day excursion from Bergen. Mostly self-guided, which I found nice. You pick up your pre-purchased tickets for the day with a schedule and instructions for finding the next leg of the journey. I was a bit uneasy about this part of it but my worry was for no reason. The tour goes through such small towns that there is no confusion as to where you go to catch the next boat, bus, or train. I highly recommend this.

Some of my favorite photos from our tour:

(The beginning of the fjord tour, on the train from Bergen to Voss.)

(The second leg, bus from Voss to Gudvangen.)

(A very steep 18% grade, winding along hairpin curves down the mountain. I thought we were going to topple over! It was amazing but scary too.)

(Looking out from the same winding road as above. Just amazing views everywhere you look.)

A rare rainbow... we were told by the bus driver that it was an uncommon sighting due to the 200 plus days of rain they normally get.)

(In Gudvangen waiting to board the boat to Flåm.)

One of several small towns we passed as we made our way through the fjord. Simply breathtaking views the whole way! I cannot recommend a visit to Norway enough.

(A backward glance.)

(To give you some perspective here, those two small dots in the water are kayakers.)

(We had a nice stopover in Flåm where we eventually switched from boat to train to continue our way to Myrdal).

(This was just outside of Myrdal. There was a LOT of snow in this region. Remember this is mid May... we even saw cross-country skiers skiing along side the train.)

Fløyen Funicular - This cable car ride up to the top of Mount Fløyen took about 15 minutes with stops along the way and about 5 minutes on the non-stop trip down. It was such a gorgeous day. I would recommend bringing a picnic with you as there are lots of beautiful hiking trails and it would make a great day outing. We were pressed for time so we only hiked around a little sans picnic lunch. Instead, we had a "fika" with coffee and buns from the Godt Brød bakery (see below).

(Birdseye view from the top.)

(We never found an explanation for this sign... we never saw the witch either.)

(The long red building just to the left of my shoulder in the photo above is our hotel.)

(Time-lapse video of our ride down. Weeeeeee!)

Kaibosh - Norwegian Designer Eyewear. We passed this shop on an evening walk our first night in Bergen and decided we needed to go back. And so we bought souvenirs! :-)

(Hipster? or hippy stare?)

(A scented candle that smelled heavenly, made just for their store).

Lysverket

(Bypark - The cherry blossoms were in full bloom while we were there - really gorgeous! 

The Art Museums of Bergen (KODE) sit just on the other side of the water and the building with the round tower on top is where Lysverket is located). 

(The bread and butter spread.

The brown one is crab butter and the green one (my favorite!) was mackerel butter. It was so delicious, I could have eaten a tub of it.)

(This course was the langoustine with gnocchi and licorice sauce. Amazing.)

(Maybe the most impressive dessert I have seen. A donut topped with rhubarb cream, rhubarb chutney, a mousse with white chocolate and then a very thin sliver of dehydrated rhubarb. 

(This was the "after dessert" course. Seriously? Chocolate mousse cake with sea salt - a decadent version of a Hostess ding dong. Who else misses those?!)

KODE 2 - Contemporary Art

(A small collection of drawings).

This was very impressive. It was a giant, but very delicate, chainmail that was hung with tiny nails around the entire perimeter, in very straight lines.)

(Can there really be a comparison?!)

Godt Brød - Organic bakery and cafe

(God, pronounced like "goad," means good in Norwegian, Swedish too).

(Organic apple + black currant juice - nectar of the gods!)

Fish Market - Which we completely missed but you should not miss it! We were told that the fish market was down by the water and so we walked over to check it out. There were a few stalls set up outdoors, selling fish and other seafood. It seemed a bit sparse and we felt a bit sorry for the Norwegians. We really wanted to have some shrimp for lunch so we tried these (see below). They were much fatter than the shrimp we buy in Sweden but still tasty. Then the day after, while we were exploring a bit more, we walked past a building close by this area and we realized that THAT was the fish market :-/. The second photo is from inside the actual fish market. I also tried whale while we were there. It tasted like meat, which makes sense as whales are mammals.

(Norwegian shrimp)

(King crab - have you ever seen one in person?)

Dear Norway,

We love you and we'll be back.

Thank you for a gorgeous and amazing weekend!

Pan-fried Oatmeal

Eating healthy can be likened to a journey. One discovers new and inspiring things along the way. This morning as I sat at the dining table reading and enjoying my morning coffee, the thought of breakfast popped into my mind. I’ve been on an oatmeal kick lately but being that it was the weekend, I wanted something a bit more decadent and my regular oatmeal sounded boring. 

Pancakes or waffles sounded more like weekend breakfast but I really wanted to maintain my healthy breakfast streak. Then the idea came to me to use oatmeal instead of regular flour. I would simply grind up the oats in my food processor and sub the “flour” for regular flour. It would be a breakfast adventure. It would still be my regular oatmeal, just doctored up a bit and pan-fried. That sounded decadent enough to appease my weekend breakfast yearning. 

Recipe adapted from this one found on Pinterest: 

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup oat flour (approximately 1 heaping cup of regular oats, ground in a food processor or blender)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

2 eggs

1/3 cup milk (I used almond milk)

2 tablespoons agave syrup 

1 teaspoon vanilla

Butter for griddle

Raspberry jam (or other fruit jam of choice)

100% pure maple syrup

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk dry ingredients 

In a separate bowl add wet ingredients and whisk lightly to combine

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Adjust mixture with more flour or milk to reach desired consistency, one tablespoon at a time.

Place skillet over medium heat and add a couple of tablespoons of butter. Once the butter has stopped sizzling, ladle 1/4 cup of batter for each oatcake. Pan-fry on each side approximately 3-4 minutes. Repeat until batter is gone. Makes approximately 6 medium-sized oatcakes.

Serve with equal parts raspberry jam and maple syrup, blended together and heated.

They turned out delicious! 

The pan-fried oatmeal cakes were slightly more dry than regular pancakes, possibly due to the lack of a fat or oil used in the recipe, but topped with the raspberry jam and maple syrup they hit the spot. 

Within Walking Distance

When I was a kid, places that were within “walking distance” had a different meaning. There was the convenience store at the end of our street and then the one at the corner of Highland Ave. and Florida Ave., and there was the university campus, even if it was only the outskirts where the freshmen dorms resided. And I was not allowed to go to any of these places. I was, of course, too young to venture out that far and into the dangers of the world.

Eventually I was allowed to ride my bike to the store at Highland and Florida but that was only if I came directly home afterward. Today I live in a completely different world. Over the years I have lived in many different places, all different and unique in their own ways. Some of them were on quiet, residential streets, well most of them were, but some were secretly tucked away in residential pockets with restaurants, grocery stores, and various other shops and businesses on bustling streets within a short walking distance away.

Today I live smack dab in the middle of the hustling and bustling city of Stockholm. I live on the island of Södermalm on Hornsgatan, which is one the the busiest streets in the city. We are surrounded by the sounds, smells, and sights of city life. And we love it. Literally, a two minute walk in three directions and I can find five different grocery stores. Three are conventional while two of them specialize in organic products. Granted, I usually cannot find every ingredient I need in just one store, the variety available in such a short walking distance from our apartment is amazing and convenient in its own way.

In addition, there are several wonderful bakeries, a hardware store, clothing boutiques, restaurants, pubs, cafes, and on one stretch of our street there is an entire length of art galleries and shops that on several occasions each year stay open late into the evening for art gallery walks.

Unfortunately every thing we might need is not in our immediate vicinity but we could easily get by for days, even weeks, in our little neighborhood bubble. When we moved to Stockholm we chose to live without a car and for the most part I have not missed it in the just over five years that we have lived here. There are no oil changes to remember, insurance to pay, or other worries that having a car entails.

It is a wonderfully different way of life. And we love it.