Bagel Bake

Funny, isn't it, how one thing leads to another........

Walking Ralle by the harbor in Jonstorp we are reminded by a sign that the Fish Stand on the wharf  in Arild is open between 10AM and 3PM.  Since it is Friday we decide fish for dinner would be super so off we go!  We get to the fish stand and it is closed.  The hours have been changed.  Now it's open from 3PM until 6Pm.  They just forgot to change the sign in Jonstorp!  So typical!  So annoying!  Oh well......  The Mölle Fish market is open!  A side of fresh salmon is ON SALE!  Whooot.....

Part of it goes into the freezer as future Salmon Steaks perfect for grilling.  Four fillets becomes Friday nights dinner.  Dressed up as Poached Salmon with Sparkling Wine Sauce and Rice with fresh Chives.  Delish, to speak like Rachel Ray!

The remaining and biggest part of the Salmon Side is prepared as "Gravlax" a raw cured spiced salmon. This particular day I cure it with salt, sugar, black cracked pepper, grated fresh ginger as well as some dry regular ginger.  Into the fridge it goes for 48 hours being turned over often.  Hard to wait to taste it!

But Oh No!  You just can not have salmon/lax/lox without cream cheese, onions and BAGELS!!!

There are no bagels in Sweden!  Or at least not in this region.  Nor must there be enough Jewish people living here demanding this exceptional  and special delicacy.  So I must remedy that by making my own....... What a process!  Make dough and let it rise for 2 hours.  Kneed!  Rest!  Shape into bagels.  Rise again.  Boil!  Bake for 25 minutes.  It took so long I missed the Autumn Concert at Brunnby church.  Darn it!

Can only say it was well worth the effort and yes an effort it was.  Wonderful chewy texture with taste of heaven.  Best bagel I ever tasted.  With sliced salmon, cream cheese and chives.  Can't wait to have some more.  Can't  wait to bake/make  some more.  Aaaah....

Maybe THAT is what I should do in our storage room?  Turn it into a Bagel Bakery?

Fall in Forest and Field

in rain or mist -

in sunshine or under heavy clouds -

in wild winds or without -

a FEAST for ALL the senses!

Every Unordinary Day.

Fog Horns and Bell Chimes

We had a friend of mine from California visit us for ten days and yesterday morning, very early, shortly after five AM or so we brought her to the train station in Helsingborg for her return trip to California via Copenhagen airport.  David and I both had developed a cold so we were "snorting" and "hacking" and David had a fever.  Had to regretfully also cancel a dinner invitation with our neighbors across the field!   So the train made for a faster and shorter trip than we could have provided by car.  The price of the ticket was also amazing,  perhaps due to the early departure.  It was way, way less than it would have cost to drive since gas is upward of eight dollars per gallon here.  Our visit was good and hopefully our guest has learned a lot about Sweden.

In just a few days we have actually lived here for three years!

You have NO idea how MUCH  we have learned!  Yet we know so little.
During these last three years we have gone from euphoria to despair.  From love to hate.   From delight to disgust and back again!

Having had a visitor was great.   Being a tour guide allows us to rediscover  just how very special this place truly is.  It really IS special!  Fabulously clean, green, roads with no pot holes, flowers everywhere, clean air, parks and green spaces like no where else.   We can walk any where we want, as we have what is called "Allemans Rätt" here, something uniquely Swedish.   A rule, a law, where all people can walk and/or have the right to go anywhere!  The list for the good things could get very long.

When I have my "grumpy" days some of those things are hard to see.

Today was one of those days when I was so happy to live here.

Morning walk on the hill behind our house with our dog in the mist like in Brigadoon!
Foghorns blowing!

Quiet foot steps on walkways and paths covered with newly fallen damp leaves.  Smells of mushrooms, molten leaves and dry damp grass.  It is so quiet!

And those spider webs!  Hundreds and hundreds of spider webs suddenly become visible in the mist. Showing off the amazing, various intricate patterns of the spiders fanciful art work, otherwise invisible.   If it was not for the tiny drops of mist hanging on to those gossamer threads, you would not know those webs had been spun.

We can hear distant sounds of farm equipment loading sugar beets on to trucks via conveyor belts,

Then in to town for a quick shopping visit.  "Art In The City" is on!   A nine days tribute to ART in many of its forms.  The weather has been spectacular (after the fog lifts) and today was no exception.

The city was at it's very best.  Among other things a scaffolding had been erected around Magnus Stenbocks statue at the square right below the Kärnan Tower.  Inviting us to climb up on one side and down the other.  What a neat experience it was to pet this awesome beautiful horse and to see the square from THAT perspective.

Giving City Hall an entirely "new look".   Then viewing a band of marching Marine Club Members down below on the sidewalk  from a different vantage point.  All of it very special.

Every Saturday at one o'clock in the afternoon the bells in the tower in City Hall chimes and plays music.  There is of course a person playing those bells, they don't play by themselves.  Classical music, folk songs as well as popular tunes.  It is a delightful sound to my ears.  The church bells also produce a  delightful feeling for me.  There are so many churches  here, chiming the time of day as well as chiming for those who are being buried.

So starting the day with fog horns and ending it with delightful chimes, who can argue that perfection?

Then as an additional sinful pleasure, splitting  a banana split with my husband "for lunch", made the day even better.  What a great way to get some fruit and dairy (for the bones you know) into our diet! Yum!  Have not had one of those in forty two years!

A little SAGA

Having young grandchildren is a boon!
Really young children will teach you that dust balls are fun for one thing.  We adults almost always anguish over the presence of such fuzz,  while the kids find them amusing.

The children sing out loud and enjoy doing so, while we the adults worry about if we sing out of tune or not.

The same is true for dancing!

Children laugh about 300 times a day!  How many times did you even lift the corners of your mouth today?

Children are artistic naturally.  We gawk at the drawings they bring home from school, post them on our refrigerators with great pride.  We adults criticize each others efforts endlessly.  Hampering rather than encouraging........ Artist this, singer that, writer, author, cook.........

Saga who who just turned seven spent some time with us this summer just sang, danced, cooked, drew, played, laughed and loved Ralle our Great Pyrenees totally uninhibited, with fabulous joy and confidence as almost all children do.

These  are a few examples of her artistic bent.  She drew pictures of human emotions in no time at all.  She captures it so well.  May she never lose the desire to sing, dance, draw, laugh, love, play and cook!

Looking at these drawings makes me feel happy, so I look at  them
again and again.

Now I am sharing.

Where are my SUN GLASSES

You heard right!  We actually had to squint while driving Ralle to Svanshall this morning.

This is a tiny adorable little village on the coast where a lot of beautiful swans converge.

They wanted food this morning.  Have to remember to bring some next time.

Have a great day you all. We are.

Tuna sandwiches for lunch.  Delish !!

Just HOLD it !

Got up out of bed this morning.  That is always good, being able to get out of bed that is.  Stretch, yawn and yep all parts seem to be working.

Look out the window to see what kind of a day we will have weather wise.  Can not say I was awakened because the sun was shining in my eyes.

Realize as I gaze out that the oak tree is changing color, see tinges of bronze.  Same thing with the birch leaves, those are getting yellow edges.  Now just wait a minute!  It is NOT autumn yet for "crimmenies" sake.  Fall does NOT start until NEXT Friday!

As this  season comes to an end I will take advantage of some of it's bounty.  So "Slow Roasted Herbed Plum Tomatoes" as well as "Anne's Tomato Sauce" will be on the agenda.  Placed in the freezer so at a  later date they will play the lead role on both Pizza and Pasta.  Mmmmmm!

"A Rocks In Your Pockets" Kind Of Day

or bricks would be more like it.

We leave the Palos Hacienda early to get Ralle out for a walk as we often do.  Destination Höganäs our nice  little coastal town where it always is fun for the big fuzzy one.  There is so much NEWS  to "read".  This day we have a date with our "personal bank person" so the walk needs to be brisk and not too long.
It is windy as all get out!

The grass is laying down.

We, according to the paper (there I go again) are in the throes of hurricane Katia who has been raging on the US east coast.  Wind gusts in the range of 24 meters per second and upwards are predicted here.  Good exercise!  Ralle looks akin to a seal depending on the direction he is facing.  Is he careful when he lifts his leg?  Ha, ha and heck no......

As we head back to the car after our walk the cell phone rings.  A nice lady at the "other end" informs me that Louise, our "personal bank"... yea, you got it, she is ill and not at work today, we need to reschedule......

Mölle

OK no rush now,  so let's drive to quaint little Mölle to check things out before returning home.
Big wind = Big waves = Surfers!
Guess what?
There she is!
Louise.
So much for being sick!  Bad girl Louise!

Surfer Out in the Wild

That was our morning.  How was yours?