Scandinavian Cookbook

After a rather horrific house buying adventure (in the end nothing was purchased and it was much too complicated to explain here), I have been in need for some comfort food. I've been flipping through my cookbooks looking for inspiration, and possible Christmas food ideas, when I stumbled across this Scandinavian cookbook. It's from 1956 and belonged to my grandmother. Her grandparents were Norwegian and she was quite proud of her heritage. 

Below I've posted a few of the recipes that relate to Christmas. There are so many I want to try, but I haven't had a chance yet. If anyone makes these I would love to know how they turned out! 

(click to enlarge)

What are you baking for the holidays?

That's All.

5 Old Fashioned Hobbies

Everyone needs a hobby. Hobbies are especially good things to have when you are stuck at school, away from friends and family, and really don't feel like studying for your upcoming midterm. It's nice to have something to do that lets you relax and take your mind off your troubles. With that said, here is my list of my top 5 old-fashioned hobbies that you can do alone.

1) Knitting

Knitting has officially become cool again. Which makes me like it slightly less. But it is still a lovely way to relax and be productive all at the same time. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube on how to knit but I suggest getting someone to actually show you, as it is a lot easier to learn that way. Soon you will be knitting scarves for your friends and their stuffed polar bears.

Aren't they cute? :)

2) Crosswords

In true 1920's style, curling up with a good crossword is a wonderful way to while away the afternoon. The trick is to find puzzles that are challenging but, at the same time, not impossible. The paper is a good place to start but they get progressively harder later in the week. Another option is one of the many crossword puzzle books available. These are good but tend to reuse the same clues a lot.

3) Baking

The favourite pastime of many 1950's housewife's. Baking provides a good way to let off steam (whisking and kneading dough are great tension relievers) and you get a tasty treat at the end. What could be better?

4) Embroidery

Embroidery is surprisingly easy to learn (Threadbangers has some good tutorials on YouTube) and is a great way to customize your clothes, bags, linen, etc. I am working on a pillow at the moment while I am stitching on examples of fashions from the 1920s and 30s. (There will be pictures posted when I am finished).

5) Reading

This is likely one of the easiest and oldest hobbies. For authenticity I recommend reading Agatha Christie or PG Wodehouse. Or if you prefer to go farther back in time try reading North and South or Jane Eyre for some Victorian romance.

6) Old radio shows

Ok I lied, there's six hobbies I wanted to list but this last one involves cheating a bit. I am a huuuuuugge fan of old radio shows. The only thing is that you need a computer or a DVD player in order to listen to them. Not very authentic but it works. I buy mine from http://www.otrcat.com/ but they also have a lot of shows you can hear for free on their website. Philip Marlowe is my favourite show, with Bob Hope a close second. The next one I think I will buy next is "I was a communist for the FBI". They tend to be a little cheesy but that is what makes them so endearing. Perfect to listen to while you are knitting or embroidering.

Here's a few pictures from their website (in order, for the shows I mentioned):

Now go, unwind, relax and spend some quality "me" time. After a long day of studying, work or whatever, you deserve a nice break :)

You mean you don't just add milk?

After doing my weekly grocery shopping I decided to spend my Friday night doing some cooking and baking, two things I absolutely love to do.

In terms of baking I made the most wonderful Lemon Strawberry squares. I am dying to try some of them with my afternoon tea tomorrow. (I was bad and had one before they had time to cool. I burned my mouth but it was so worth it :) They are very yummy).

Since one dessert wasn't enough after the stressful week I've had, I decided to make a pudding. From scratch. Now I know most people just buy a box of instant pudding, add a little milk and call it done, but that is not the old-fashioned way. Real pudding tastes so much better and more natural than the "powder puddings" most people eat nowadays. It's also super easy to make.

I don't use the stove-top method since it is so easy to burn the milk that way. Well that may just be because I am too lazy to constantly stir it but I have found the perfect solution. The Microwave!

I got this recipe out of my Milks Microwave Cookbook. It was published in 1989 so some of the microwave cooking times are a little off but I definitely recommend it for super easy, and yummy, desserts as well as the best Cream of Asparagus soup I have ever tasted (the best part about the soup is that it uses milk instead of cream so you get all the flavour minus most of the fat).

So here is a slightly edited version of the recipe, as well as some photos I took while making it.



Vanilla Pudding


Serves 2-4 (OK it says it serves 6 in the book but that makes the portions way too small...)


You will Need:

A large microwavable bowl

A whisk

1/2 cup of sugar

3 tbsp of cornstarch

A pinch of salt

2 and 1/4 cups of milk

1 and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract (assuming you are making vanilla pudding)




Step 1: Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in the bowl.




Step 2: Slowly whisk in milk and continue whisking until smooth.




Step 3: Microwave on high for 6-8 minutes, or until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Don't forget to stir it every two minutes or so. (Older microwaves tend to take slightly longer to bring the pudding to a boil than the newer ones but I recommend starting with 6 minutes and increasing the time only if it hasn't thickened).





Step 4: Remove from microwave and stir in vanilla. I always add more than the 1 and 1/2 tsp but it you feel like following the recipe then I guess you could (but in my opinion more vanilla is always better).


Step 5: Allow to cool slightly and pour into your serving dish (or dishes. I used some glasses since I couldn't find anything else.) Place cling-wrap or waxed paper directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming (I ignore this step when I'm making pudding for myself since I actually like the skin). Chill in the refrigerator for around 2 hours or until set.







And Ta-Da!! You now have pudding!!!