Lingonberry Lebkuchen Festive Cake

It’s December! Again. I have dusted of some of the speckles of lint beginning to gather here. An unwanted break from the blog that extended into a bit of a Summer / Autumn interlude. And now here I am – it’s December and time for Christmas!

Green Tea Honey Saffron Poached Pears on Skyr

When people find out or realize that food is not only my hobby but also work – that I blog about food, shoot and style food and obviously cook with a lot of food – they are often curious about the kind of cuisine I cook at home. Probably expecting me to define myself to one specific cuisine – probably Indian. They are often fascinated when I tell them that I truly enjoy blending ingredients to give a variety of different flavors in combinations that come together often as an idea or experiment.

Semlor - Swedish Cream Buns

There is something very special about the Nordic baking craft. It lies in the sheer simplicity of mixing basic ingredients to create something so enticingly good. I am particularly enamored by their yeasty breads and buns, probably because of the liberal use of warming spices like cardamom, cinnamon and even saffron. There are no frills, no frosting or glazing. It is back to the basic of yeast, flour, eggs and co. … and of course a good dose of cardamom.

Kanelbullar–Swedish Cinnamon Buns

How fast time trickles through our fingers. For me this blog is a fantastic journal of how my year progresses, noting my ups and downs and making me aware to live my life consciously and with purpose. I find it helpful to be able to click on a past post, reading through the paragraphs of what occupied me during that time. Often reminiscing on happy memories, but also taking note of the improvements, changes or even of the defeats and frustrations I was tackling.

I have a pesky compulsion to, at the very least, feel like I am moving forward. Stagnation suffocates me!