A Taste of Scandinavia

I'm back! I have returned from my once-in-a-lifetime trip to Scandinavia: 14 days spread between Copenhagen, Stockholm and Gothenburg. It was great, exhausting, but great!

Here are some things I learned on this trip:

1. Once you travel in First Class it's VERY hard to go back to Economy. We were lucky enough to get upgraded to First Class on the way to Copenhagen - hello private fully reclining seats, champagne, filet mignon and comfy slippers! But the way back (which is a 2 hours longer flight than going) was back to good old Economy Class - ick.

2. Everyone in Denmark and Sweden speaks English infinitely better than I will ever mangle Danish or Swedish.

3. While Swedish Meatballs are delicious, I do not want them for breakfast, thank you.

4. Train is a much more civilized and relaxing way to travel than plane.

5. I have never seen a country that eats more cake and candy than Sweden. They even have a name for their afternoon cake ritual "Fica", in which I enthusiastically participated.

6. You have never tasted seafood until you've had fresh-out-of-the-ocean Nordic seafood.

Here are some pictures from my trip.

Is September a Crazy Month for Everyone?

I know it's been a few weeks since my last post but it's been a busy month. Doesn't it always seem like September should be the start of the New Year rather than January? Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) fell early this year and it's been a marathon of holidays since then. At the same time, everyone is getting out of summer-mode and falling back into the daily grind that is the rest of the year.

For me, cooking classes are getting started again and I've been working hard to create new and exciting classes full of delicious, simple and healthy recipes. I'm really looking forward to starting to teach for the LCBO in November with the class "4 Meals 1 Roast Chicken".

As well, my classes at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre got off to a really fun start this past Sunday with a soup give-away in the lobby. Dozens of people came by to visit and try my fantastic vegan Butternut Squash soup. I was thrilled that my soup was a big hit with grown-ups and kids alike, since I didn't skimp on the spices. It was a great opportunity to introduce myself to a bunch of people and see some familiar faces. My favourite "familiar face" of the day definitely belonged to my nursery school teacher, Debbie Sherman. I have the fondest memories of her and was thrilled that she remembered me. She was there teaching religious school and it was amazing to see her with a group of young kids - they're really lucky to have her.

My "Fall Harvest" class this Tuesday at the Miles Nadal Jewish Communtiy Centre is full but coming up in November is my "Feeding Your Finicky Eater" class and my "Chanukah Party" class. If anyone is interested in registering for either class, you can give them a call at (416) 924-6211 or check them out online at www.mnjcc.org.

Next week I leave on my once-in-a-lifetime trip to Scandinavia. I will be traveling in Denmark and Sweden for two weeks and I am so excited. Well, to be honest, right now I'm mostly anxious but I'm getting excited. I have no idea what to expect. I've heard Copenhagen is one of the great cities of the world and I just keep imagining Sweden to be like a huge IKEA store with LOTS of herring.

So, that's what's been going on with me. Hope you've all had a wonderful September and are getting back into the swing of things. Below is my Butternut Squash soup recipe that was such a hit this past Sunday - Enjoy.

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded & cubed
1 Apple, peeled, cored & cubed
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 tsp Curry Powder
1 tsp Cumin
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
¼ tsp Nutmeg
4 c Chicken or Vegetable Broth
¼ c 35% Cream (optional)
Salt & Pepper

Method

• In a soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add in squash, apple and onion. Season with a pinch of salt and a little pepper. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until squash and apple begin to soften and onion becomes translucent.
• Add curry powder, cumin, brown sugar, cayenne pepper and nutmeg to pot and gently toss with squash mixture. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes to toast spices.
• Add broth to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Cover pot and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let soup cool slightly.
• Using either a canister blender or a stick blender, purée soup until completely smooth. (Soup can be strained through a sieve at this point if you want it to be extra velvety).
• Return soup to pot and reheat on medium. Stir in 35% Cream, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Serves 4 - 6


© 2010 Elise Burton
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