So there you have it!

I read a post the other day on one of my favorite sites, Walk Slowly, Live Wildly. Sara is the one selling that amazing renovated Minnie Winnie that I’m longing for, remember? So anyway, I wanted to post something similar here and I finally have a few minutes when I’m not baking bread, making jewelry, or trying unsuccessfully to sew a skirt for my little niece.  From The Simple Woman’s Daybook:

Outside my window... the bright sun is heating my pool.
I am thinking... that I need to try that recipe for Vietnamese coffee ice cream.
I am thankful for... my family.
From the kitchen... leftovers from “pantry night” last night – cheesy quinoa casserole with broccoli and spinach, and chocolate banana bread pudding.
I am wearing... my only pair of shorts and a cotton tank top, both purchased in Sweden.
I am creating... more pieces for my jewelry store.
I am going... to Sam’s swimming lessons today.
I am reading... Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld.
I am hoping... that Sara is happy in high school.
I am hearing... my Roomba is it “vacuums” my kitchen.
Around the house...everything’s in its place after a Saturday of organizing.
One of my favorite things...is cooking for my family. 
A few plans for the rest of the week: make more jewelry, work on my skirt pattern, and figure out how to turn my artisan boule bread into a sandwich loaf.

My jewelry store is now open!

As most of you know, I’ve been working on selling my jewelry online. I’ve been making jewelry for about five years but this is the first time that I’ve decided to sell it on Etsy, so I am eager to see what kind of results I get.  I’m still trying to get all of my pieces photographed and listed on the site, but there are plenty to see with lots of photographs of each one, and something for every budget.

Head over to www.nexusjewelry.com to check out the store, and don’t forget to follow Nexus Jewelry on Facebook for 15% off your first order!

What a bad time to be without $8k

I’ve been following the blog Walk Slowly, Live Wildly for a long time since I discovered their amazing RV restorations. Not only have these people renovated 3 diesel RVs to run on veggie oil, but the work is very well done and the interior decor is fantastic. So I almost fell down today when I saw that they are actually selling their latest RV, a 21 foot Minnie Winnie. You’ve got to see this thing – it’s great. Click here for more information and tons of pictures of this amazing RV and for more about Sara and her family.

Pizza with Noprah balls, zucchini, and plums – what?!

So as I was sitting down to write this post about pizza, I had lofty plans to follow it with the beautiful pictures we shot last night as we were cooking. I didn’t realize at the time that pizza, especially rustic homemade pizza, pretty much looks like the dog’s dinner when photographed without a food stylist, lights, and lots of re-shoots. Oh, and then there’s the whole using-something-else-that-looks-good-on-camera-as-a-substitute-for-the-actual-food thing, which, although it’s fun to think about (is that really milk on that cereal or did they use glue again??), isn’t my thing. 

What I did accomplish, though, is making a very good homemade pizza entirely from scratch. We used the bread dough that we call the Plan B dough (a faster and less exciting white dough than our favorite one) and instead of using a pizza stone (who has one?!) I inverted my largest cast iron skillet and let it heat up for 30 minutes in a 450 degree oven. This is the same principle as baking bread in a pre-heated dutch oven, although not as effective because the skillet doesn’t have a lid. Neither does a pizza stone, so it must be the only way to go – still working on how to get that one to work. Anyway, as the skillet was heating up I mixed up a quick batch of pizza sauce from a can of ground tomatoes, some garlic, some fresh basil, salt, pepper, and a little bit of sugar to balance the acidity. I rolled and hand stretched the dough to form hideous excuses for circles, dusted the skillet with corn meal to prevent sticking, and precariously positioned the dough “round” onto the pan. I couldn’t figure out how to move a pre-dressed crust from the counter to the pan, so on went the naked crust and I quickly assembled the pizza with the rack pulled out halfway, doing a little acrobatic thing so I didn’t burn my legs on the open oven door.

Success! We had a plain cheese pizza for the kids (I used an Asiago and cheddar blend which Sara called the most delicious cheese blend ever) and a meatball and red onion pizza for us, using some of the Noprah** meatballs we made last week and froze.  Overall I’d give the pizza an A- as we still need to perfect the thickness of the dough so our tastes, but not at all bad for a dinner for four that cost about $1.50 in total.

 

**Noprah meatballs – About 4 years ago I read an article about a restaurant in Montecito, California that made turkey meatballs that Oprah feel in love with and ate every day for lunch for the entire summer. The key to the meatballs was raisins. I adapted the recipe and ended up with a turkey and pork meatball that includes 3 key ingredients: fennel seed, grated zucchini, and a puree of dried plums. The fennel balances spicy red pepper flakes, and the zucchini and plums provide lots of moisture and a touch of sweetness.  Try adding these key ingredients to your current meatball recipe to see what I’m talking about, and don’t forget lots of hot red pepper flakes! (OK, OK, they’re prunes. Yes, prunes…which are the same thing as dried plums you know, and just sound so much more appealing…and yes, they’re in a jar…and yes, it’s in an un usual section of the grocery store. OK, fine, they’re baby food prunes. So shoot me.)

Waiting to exhale…

So just when you thought you’ve finally gotten rid of me, I’m here to say no such luck. I am actually very busy right now getting ready for the re-launch of my jewelry business, so I haven’t had much time to check in and let you all know what it’s like to be home. In a word – great. The most amazing part of our trip is that the adventures didn’t stop once we got home. Every day we’re changing and adding to our routine to incorporate some of the European ways of life. Yes, we’re riding our bikes much more these days (that is a saga in itself for another day!) but my favorite new skill is bread making. We actually make 100% of our bread from scratch now. Yes, 100%. That means all of it.  My favorite is the artisan boule, but we also have a honey wheat recipe that’s quite good as well and even easier than the white. So I guess what I’m saying is that I haven’t been here as much as I’ve wanted to, but in between baking bread like a maniac and the jewelry business I don’t have much time. I will try hard, though. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

Gotta love this…

So I’ve been a tiny bit worried that this year Sara could get into some trouble at camp this year, especially now that she’s 14. The kids in her group are as old as 17, and I was no angel when I was that age. When I checked the camp pictures this morning, I had quite a shock. Look!

Howdeeeeeeee!

Why all the way to Bemidji, Minnesota?

Ok, so here’s the whole deal. Sara became interested in studying Swedish when she was 12, relatively out of the blue. We’re not of Swedish descent, and although my great-grandmother had a Swedish-themed room in her home, we didn’t really know anything about Sweden except for Ikea. Nor did we care, to be honest. So when Sara suddenly decides that Sweden is the new utopia and starts to teach herself the language and study the culture, we were just waiting for her to grow out of her latest phase. Pretty soon, though, when Sam started picking up a few phrases of Swedish from Sara’s constant Swedish enthusiasm, we realized that Sara wasn’t just kidding around. Jon found Concordia Language Villages, a summer camp in Minnesota that offers foreign language immersion programs for kids. The camp is part of Concordia College, a well-respected liberal arts school known for its language programs, and the camp had a Swedish program! The camp had an excellent reputation, and my mother was quick to point out that Chelsea Clinton was a graduate, so it couldn’t be too crappy, right? So off she went.

My Mom and I flew out to Minnesota last year to attend Family Day at the camp and to see just what all the fuss was about. I was actually speechless at the end of the presentation (which as you know almost never, ever happens) in which the counselors and students demonstrated what they’d been doing by singing, dancing, and even acting out a little skit. The energy of the staff was infectious and the kids were totally caught up in it. It was really remarkable. I would have been happy with that, but wait, there’s more! Each language program (there are 15) has its own self-contained area that is designed to look like that country. The kids sleep in little cabins that are very typical to Sweden (yep, we know this now) and eat authentic Swedish food (Sara said that last year’s food was the best food she’s ever eaten in her life). Lots of the counselors are native speakers, and many other counselors and staff are former campers themselves. This is big time. This is not your old Camp Sunrise or Camp Moon River or wherever it was that you got sent when you were a kid. There’s no archery, no bug juice, and certainly no shitty arts and crafts out of popsicle sticks. These kids have language lessons, learn about cultural traditions like Midsommar, and find out why traditionally yellow pea soup and pancakes were eaten on Thursday night. As they eat them on Thursday night. They have sailing lessons after which many kids can sail their own boat but can’t tell you any of the terms in English, and the kids use real Swedish currency at the camp store.

OK, so I sort of like it there, you’re getting that by now. After Sara’s experience last summer, we decided to try home exchange so that she could see what Sweden is really like, and put into practice some of what she learned. It truly was her camp experience that set our home exchange plans into motion, and for that we’re all grateful. I can’t say enough (obviously) about the quality of Concordia Language Villages, and neither can Sara. Before she left, she told us that she will get an after school job when she’s 16 so that she can save up enough money to send Sam to camp when he’s 7. If that generosity of spirit were the only thing to have come out of Sara’s experience at camp, it would be cheap at twice the price, as my father would say.

If you’re still reading this (congratulations on staying with it) and want to see what I’m talking about, click here to see the camp and learn about Sara’s first day!

I bet you say that to all the girls…

Just wanted to share a picture of our amazing Sara at Concordia Language Villages Swedish language camp this summer. Although she can’t phone us during camp, the camp posts pictures online so we can see what the kids are doing while they’re there in Minnesota. Yes, Minnesota! This year she is in a very small group for language lessons, with only 3 other students.  The caption reads Martin och Gustava jobbar tillsammans med sina duktiga elever – Martin and Gustava teach their very good students.  Hmmm. Does this mean that her Swedish skills really are as good as we think they are? We’ll have to wait until she writes to us…um, she gets home…to find out.

Home sweet home…

Okay, you’ve busted me, I’ve been home for a little over a week now. But wait! I’ve been busy restoring my house to its former state. I really haven’t been relaxing by the pool with a good book, or sleeping late in my incredibly comfortable bed. Of course not. My kitchen was a complete disaster, but nothing a little cleaning wouldn’t fix. So now that we’re home, I’ve been very eager to get back into cooking with my own equipment, and today I made a fabulous loaf of bread that was so easy (and it was my first attempt at bread-making so I was so surprised!!). Anyway, I’ve been missing making my jewelry and have had lots of interest lately, so stay tuned for updates on how to buy my designs and place orders for custom pieces.

I am really grateful for my wonderful husband and kids, and am so glad to have shared our 6 month adventure with these amazing people. Thanks to the rest of our families for supporting us on our adventure when they thought we were crazy, and for sending us packages of soap when we couldn’t find the right kind. I also want to thank my very special Mom and Dad Carroll for taking care of our dog Sunny when things weren’t so easy back in Orion. I love you all. Stay tuned for more adventures, a little closer to home this time.

No moon over Liseberg

Yesterday we continued our tradition of meeting up with people we haven’t seen in 20 years (remember my Spanish sister and LisafromAfrica?). When Jon was a teenager, his family hosted an exchange student from Norway for a year.  Although Jon’s parents have stayed in touch with the family, Jon and Eirik haven’t maintained their relationship (sound familiar??) until now. Eirik, his wife Janne, and their children Philippa and Sina drove from Oslo to Gothenburg yesterday and we spent the day with them at Liseberg amusement park. You might remember Sara’s wardrobe malfunction during our previous visit to Liseberg – if not, you can check that out here. This time we were much better behaved, and had lots of time to catch up with Eirik and see what he’s been doing since high school. He’s done quite well for himself, with a smart and funny wife, 2 gorgeous girls, a job he loves as Assistant Editor-In-Chief of a newspaper’s online division, and a new house in Oslo 3 minutes away from his parents and in-laws. Not bad. We like to think that his time in Orion with Jon’s family set him up for such success, but I guess his own parents had something to do it with it too. Probably. They must have. We’ve been so lucky to have rekindled these relationships, and are looking forward to spending more time with Eirik and his family in the future.

 

Swedish grandparents

This past weekend we were pleased to have Roland and Kerstin as our guests for dinner at “our” house. I decided to make them a typical meal for our family, although I’m not sure how representative it is of how Americans eat. My sister eats like we do, so I guess it counts! The kitchen in this house is separate from the living room, so I wasn’t really able to chat while everyone tried to keep the crostini away from Kerstin’s dog Max.

Luckily I’d made most of the dinner in advance, and only had to cook the pork while they were here. I made an herb and garlic-stuffed pork tenderloin (well, Jon actually prepared the tenderloins for me that morning using herbs from the garden) that I braised with fresh apples and served with an apple cognac reduction. We have pork tenderloin quite a bit at home, and it was fun that they had served us pork as well, Swedish style, so we could compare. I also made a summer wheat berry salad – a new favorite that I discovered in Sweden and adapted for our tastes – and minted peas. We had cheesecake brownies from my beloved David Lebovitz (his recipe is here) that I changed a bit as well. You can’t get chocolate chips in Sweden, so I left them out (David said it was OK), doubled the brownie part, and added a shot of espresso (I didn’t tell him about the espresso, shhhh). In retrospect, I should have skipped one of the eggs too, since the 4th egg made them a bit too custardy without the addition of the chocolate chips. If you make them the way I did, lose the last egg.

Anyway, we had a wonderful time with the kids’ new Swedish grandparents, and are hopeful that they will take us up on the offer to come visit in Florida.

Roland and Kerstin sing the Swedish song – or try to! – to Sara and Sam.

A 5 year old’s perspective on home exchanging…

Sam wanted to write a guest blog for me, so I sat down and asked him a few questions about home exchanging. Ever try to get a 5 year old to write an essay?

What’s the best part about home exchanging? The house and the car.

What place was your favorite? Holland, because of the chicken pen, because I could walk in it and get the chicken out.

Did you ever get the chicken out? Oh, it just walks out.

Did you ever touch the chicken? Yes!

Was it yucky? No, it wasn’t yucky, it was friendly. The chicken just ran out of its cage whenever I came up to it.

Do you remember some of the famous places we’ve visited?  Um, the car and plane museum.

How about in France? Well, the Eiffel Tower. Oh and that restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, it was in the leg.

Which place had the best weather? Holland and Sweden because they were warm.

Tell me about Norway. Norway was the best place because I could go into the igloo.

The igloo? The one in the circle, the roundabout. I know it doesn’t have a sign. I could fall down in the snow.

Was it always snowing in Norway? Yes, but not always.

What did you do in Norway when it wasn’t snowing? I just hanged around. You know about the net? It was the coolest because I could slide down.

Did you ever take a train? Yes!

Where did you go on the train? To the Olympics.

Do you mean Lillehammer? Uh huh. We went down the hill. In a snow mobile.

You mean a sled? Yes, I had brakes and I fell out a few times but it didn’t hurt me.

Were you scared? Yes.

Do you remember any of the pets you took care of? Jet, the cat, he was fun and playful.

Any others? Mira, the cat. I’m going to sing a song. Cat Scratch, catty cat, cat scratch, cat scratch. Boom!

So you can’t remember too much about Norway anymore? Well we builded a dam, I needed to get some huge rocks. I had an idea but we couldn’t use mine idea. We had to have a bungee cord to hook up on the logs, and then we’d hook it and we would sail out. We would put it on the other side of the dam and we would sail out to that area.

Wow! Where would we go? To the sea. We would have food.

Did anyone visit you during your home exchange? Yes, Roland. And Kerstin. Max the dog. Martin and Tina. Auntie and Allie and Uncle John, and Lisa.

Did anyone visit Sara? Grace.

Did anyone visit us in Holland? Grandma.

Do you like doing home exchanges? Yes.

What’s the best part? The Legos.

Knackered!

I’m exhausted. I’m not just sleepy, tired, or even bushed. I’m exhausted in the sense that there’s nothing left. I’ve been fighting this feeling but as we round the corner toward home I’m realizing that home exchanging for 6 months really isn’t the same as living at home for 6 months. No kidding, I know, I know.  At first it was just different, not harder. Most things take an extra level of effort (you know, the language barriers and cultural differences really do get in the way sometimes), and it has begun to take its toll on me. Now the differences just make it harder, and we’re all feeling the pressure. For me, the most challenging part about such a long home exchange is not having any time alone. OK, I lied. It’s not having any time away from Jon and the kids. Before you start writing mean comments to me about how I’m a bad mother, remember that autonomy is a good thing. The kids need other playmates. Jon and I are extremely compatible but sometimes we like to talk to someone else. Just for a minute. So yes, I’m glad to be going home soon, and yes, I am excited for future home exchanges. Just not right away – I need some time to ignore my family first.

Over the river and through the woods…

So the other day on his blog, Jon wrote about the visit to our friend Roland’s summer stuga (click here to catch up), and asked me to talk about the amazing dinner we had.  Our hosts Roland and Kerstin served us a traditional Swedish meal with multiple courses, complete with the customary drink that accompanies each course. We started with matjesill (see above), served with boiled potatoes, sour cream, and chives. Sill is the Swedish word for herring, and this is a specially-seasoned type of herring typically served for Midsummer parties. I was surprised that the herring is cold and the potatoes are hot, but the combination is entirely delicious. Jon and I had seconds and then thirds. Really.

To be totally honest, I hadn’t cared for the fish served at breakfast which I thought had been herring, so I was worried that this would be awful. Apparently the Swedes thought we’d hate it, too. Turns out the breakfast was anchovies, sort of like the boquerones (fried anchovies) we’d had in Spain. There are about 25 thousand bones in one of those bad boys, and they were so disgusting to chew. Crunchy and prickly on my tongue. But anyway, this was the good fish, and it came with a shot of flavored vodka that Roland had made. He’d infused plain vodka with special herbs and spices and then let it steep for a week in preparation for our traditional meal, even giving Sara a glass. It tasted like dirt engulfed in flames. 

Next came a glass of beer while Roland grilled the pork and we made room on the table for round two.  They’d told me that the pork came from the local farmer we’d driven by that afternoon. Since I’m mostly vegetarian, I wasn’t too interested in dinner’s back story, so I might have had two glasses of beer. When the pork was ready they passed around huge bowls of green salad and a potato salad made with apples that Jon said reminded him of his childhood. Roland ducked back to the grill at least one more time to refill the serving platter, and we drank wine and ate lots of potato salad. You know, you start to feel kind of full after eating about 10 potatoes.

Nobody had said Uncle yet, so again we cleared and re-set the table for round three: dessert. Kerstin brought out a cake covered in whipped cream and fresh raspberries that Roland had picked early that morning. We had strong Swedish coffee and Roland poured cordials, asking me if I wanted the kind for the men (Remy Martin) or the one for the women (not Remy Martin). When I said men, he told me he’d been sure of it. How had he known I grew up on that stuff? You know, Q-R-S-T-U-VSOP. Anyway, Jon wasn’t quite able to refuse the Remy, and when nobody was looking he stealthily poured it into the plant. Just kidding, there wasn’t a plant, but he did pour it into his coffee. When Kerstin and her friend Agnette were in the kitchen,the men snuck me some of the drink for the women, which it turns out was a Swedish version of Robitussin. Not good.

We had a wonderful evening with Roland and his friends, and were honored that they had gone to such lengths to show us a true Swedish good time. We’ve invited them to our (!!) house for dinner this week, and then to our real house for a visit to Florida. It’s been such a pleasure to meet Roland, and we hope to stay in touch with him long after we leave Sweden. If I can have Spanish sister, it’s only fair that the kids get a Swedish grandfather, right?

I heart you, blogs, coffee, and Jen Ramos

I wanted to share the great artwork of Jennifer Ramos of MadeByGirl. I had seen her stuff before and really love her blog print (above) which, incidentally, would look great in my bedroom.  I spent some time looking through her work, and her personalized ABC typography print is fantastic. Look!

So now I have a few new items on my ever increasing shopping list for the house, but these prints are truly irresistible. A blue one for Sam’s room, a Christmas gift for my niece Allie, and this would make an excellent gift for a new baby (no, Mom, I’m not pregnant). I like the idea of giving one as a wedding preset, with the venue name or the honeymoon location. Belcourt Castle, Bermuda, St.Lucia, Montreal. The possibilities baffle me! You know you want to buy one…I mean two.

Even babies love blogs...

Check out my talented niece Allie reading this blog!

Is this table palatable?

Jon and I have been talking lately about updating our outdoor space when we get home so that we can enjoy our pool and lanai area more. We have a great grill and want to figure out better seating and some shade options for outdoor dining. I am still mulling over what do do about a daybed (click here for my ideas) but I really like the idea of a large, inexpensive table that could double as a coffee table and play table for Sam. I found this one over at Bodie and Fou and although Jon isn’t really a fan of this look, I think it would be a fun project…and practically free.  We’d just get a pallet from Home Depot for free, buy some casters and a can or two of waterproof, outdoor spray paint. Just sand, spray, and spin. What do you think?

Oats, Peas, Barley Grow…

Today on Re-Nest I saw a link to this story about a community garden in my old home town of Providence, RI. Aside from being captivated by the beautiful images of photographer Lucas Foglia, I was also thinking that if we still lived in Providence, this would be a great volunteer opportunity for my kids. Surely my sister would be into it – she inherited the green thumb from our mother. I am so bad with plants that once they gave me a houseplant with a  care tag that read Microwave for 30 seconds until totally dead. What a couple of comedians. Click here to read the article via Good Magazine, and here to learn more about the Southside Community Land Trust in Providence, RI.

image: Lucas Foglia

‘Tis a gift to be simple

Sometimes the things I learn aren’t at all what I was expecting. Such is the case with this 6 month home exchange. Sure, I thought I’d learn a bit about myself but never realized how much I would want to change once we got home. It started in Norway, where life was much slower and simpler, and I had to re-learn my love for cooking. I didn’t have a choice – there were only a few restaurants and we couldn’t afford to go to them, anyway. I made tons of soups, stews, and started baking desserts almost every night. Did I mention I love to eat? I also realized how much I enjoy being outdoors, and that I want my exercise the old fashioned way – from fun. I just don’t like working out, but I will hike for hours and be very happy.

In Holland I discovered my love for biking, and getting my bike up to Dutch standards is first on my list for when we return. No more driving the car to the grocery store that’s a mile away – how ridiculous. Here in Sweden I reconnected with my old friend LisafromAfrica who confirmed everything I’d been thinking. Yes, we can bake our own bread (she does) and sure, it’s easy to grow herbs and vegetables in our own garden (well, they have a gardener, so I took this one with a grain of salt). We should teach our kids to use what we have, not what we would like to have – for us this means joining a CSA and getting locally grown, seasonal produce. I’m done with my fancy, huge, difficult-to-clean toaster oven, and am replacing it with a sturdy toaster that fits bagels for Jon.  I’d even been too busy to read to my kids (I know, this one is bad), and I recently dove back in thanks to Kindle books on Jon’s iPod. Surprisingly, I really miss yoga, so that is also going to be a priority for me, too. This has definitely been an inspiring trip. There is no time like now to live in the present.

Ooh ooh, that smell…

It’s too bad you can’t smell my fingers. Hey! That’s not what I mean. My hands actually smell like fresh herbs that Jon and I picked from our exchange garden and turned into an herb and garlic stuffing for tonight’s pork tenderloin. It struck me as rather hilarious that the herbs we found outside were parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Oh, and chives, but that doesn’t fit into the song. As were were washing and chopping, I realized that I’d been too busy back in the States and hadn’t been able to slow down enough to appreciate the small things that make me happy. The smell of fresh herbs on my skin is something I remember my mother teaching me about when I was Sam’s age, and it still makes me feel relaxed and centered. I must have passed it down to my kids without realizing it, as I just dug Sam’s old sprig of lavender out of my purse yesterday. He’d found it when we went to Styrsö and had rubbed on all of our hands and arms to make lavender perfume. One thing that’s been blaringly obvious on this home exchange is that I need to slow down. Life really is too short to spend it in a blur.