My Brussels faves...

After a delightful holiday in Brussels and an ever so swift start to 2011 I'm just now getting the chance to sit down, go through my pictures and share some of Belgium with you. If you ever get a chance to visit, see below for some of my favorites!

Downtown Brussels Favorites:

• Waffles. Anywhere. Well, make sure you don't go to a sit down place. But truly - any street vendor selling waffles will do. Avoid the fruit-filled ones - you simply can't go wrong sticking with the original "vanille" gaufre. Once you experience the buttery crunch of the exterior and the caramelized bits of sugar you will melt.
• Sablon area. This is a gorgeous square in Brussels home to several antique stores (hello window shopping) and home decor shops, including my favorite Comptoir de Famille. I wanted to take pictures inside this shop so badly - the old wooden floors, exposed brick walls, and beautiful arrangement of goods for the home, but I was instructed by the shop owners that photographs are "forbidden"! Also worth checking out is the famous Pierre Marcolini chocolatier. But if you are hungry, I suggest buying your chocolate at a different chocolatier (Neuhaus is a good one) as Pierre Marcolini's exclusive chocolate displays will remind you of being inside a jewelry store. Some chocolates even contain gold, and are, um, priced accordingly.

Eats, Drinks & Merriment: 

• Quincaillerie- I admit, the decor and atmosphere of this place is enough to make me love it regardless of the food. Luckily, this old hardware store turned restaurant boasts a menu that is just as glorious as its interior. - Rue du Page, Brussels
• Mykonos - There is a street right off the Grande Place that we affectionately call "Pita Street". It is basically a row of authentic Greek gyros shops. There is nothing fancy about this food, but it is the best gyros sandwich you could eat. Everyone has their favorite spot, and mine is Mykonos. Order the traditional gyro sandwich and add feta cheese. Something they do here that is different from the U.S. is add a delicious cabbage that is the perfect match with the delicious gyros meat. Yum! - Rue du Marche aux Fromages 8, Brussels 
• Kriek - A cherry lambic-style beer that is just wonderful. And for those looking for a stronger, less fruity beer - my husband couldn't get enough of Westmalle Trippel.

Glögg taste-tester

Phoebe the mouse is having a night cap. Good night all!

Swedish holiday classic: Glögg

Glögg is Sweden's version of mulled wine. It uses similar spices to traditional mulling spices but is kicked up a notch due to the inclusion of brandy and in some cases vodka (for those chilly Swedish winters, of course!

Even when I was little and didn't drink glögg, I loved when my mom made it because the whole house would smell like oranges, cinnamon and cloves. In Sweden during the holidays, people have glögg parties and serve the traditional wine drink paired with Swedish Christmas cookies. Below is a recipe that I've already made two batches of in one week. This is definitely a case where cheaper wine and brandy work great - there are so many spices and flavors that it would be a shame to use the good stuff. I promise - the end result will be delish. Enjoy, and skål!

Swedish Glögg

Ingredients:

• 2 bottles (1.5 liters) of red wine (Black Box Cabernet works great - I also use Vendage Merlot)
• 1 liter inexpensive brandy
• 15 cardamom pods
• 8 whole cloves 
  
• 2 cinnamon sticks ,broken into smaller pieces
• 1 orange
• 2 cups sugar 
•  1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup almonds, 5 dried figs

Preparation:

Heat all ingredients in a stainless steel or ceramic pot.Be careful not to boil the mixture; just let it simmer for about an hour. Strain through a metal sieve or cheese cloth to remove spices and orange peel. Serve in small glasses (it's strong!) with raisins and blanched almonds.  Makes approximately one gallon.

 

Holiday weekend wrap up

#1. Delicious Thanksgiving dinner at Foxtail with family...

#2. Early a.m. dash back to Denver to get my Black Friday on. Stores covered: 8 (in two segments). Christmas gifts secured: 5. Successfully abstained from self-gifting with the exception of redeeming a Sephora gift card. Starbucks consumed: 3

#3. Finished our first "home" stockings. We have stockings at both sets of parents' houses, but we now also have our very own for our house:

#4. Exhausted Stella from a weekend with her boyfriends Orion and Max

#5. Champagne and Lamars donuts with Evan while decorating our Christmas tree. Followed by a champagne-induced nap by the open fire.

#6. Finished our tree skirt. Side note: I came to the realization that all commercial tree skirts are either hokey or really expensive, like this glorious one from Garnet Hill. I decided to make my own with some burlap, felt and embroidered stars. 

#7. Attended Broncos game. 

#8. Started writing Christmas cards. Stopped at 8. 42 to go. 

Phew! How's that for a productive weekend?

It's truly been an amazing long weekend of friends, family and holiday prep. Not ready for the work week to begin...but at least I get to come home to a festive house and lit tree :)

Happy Sunday everyone!

The holiday prep begins...with Swedish Rice Pudding

Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m spending the holiday at Foxtail, my in-laws gorgeous mountain home in Winter Park, Colorado. It is the perfect retreat from a busy past few weeks.

This morning I’m making the first of many holiday dishes – Risgrynsgröt, Swedish Rice Pudding. This is a classic that I grew up with every Christmas, and there are several traditions linked to it.

In Sweden, instead of leaving cookies for Santa Claus you leave him a bowl of Risgrynsgröt. It is also an indispensable part of the Swedish “julbord” – the large spread of Christmas goods including Swedish meatballs, red cabbage, fish and various breads and potato dishes. Legend has it that the person who gets the “hidden almond” in their risgrynsgröt will be married within the next year! We had a lot of girls in my family, so my mom always threw in a few extras to keep everyone happy.

Traditionally, Swedish rice pudding is made with long-grain white rice, but I discovered Smitten Kitchen’s trick of using Italian Arborio rice and I really like this so much better – it gives the pudding a much creamier texture.

 Swedish Risgrynsgröt Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 2/3 cup Arborio rice

- 1¼ cups water

- ½ teaspoon salt

- 3 1/2 cups milk (I use 2%)

- 1 cinnamon stick

- 1 blanched almond

- Sugar

                                                      

Add rice, water and salt to a pot. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, then take it off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes so the rice can absorb some of the water.

Put the pot pan back on stove, and add milk, cinnamon and the almond. Once it starts bubbling, reduce heat to low and stir frequently for 25-30 minutes until the pudding is thick and no longer looks “soupy”. Add sugar for sweetness (I only add 2 tablespoons since traditional Swedish rice pudding is not sweetened until served). Serve with strawberry jam, or a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar. Another option, which my mom always does is to chop up a bunch of almonds and add those while the rice is cooking. This gives it a nice crunchy almond texture, but you still just have one whole almond for one lucky person.

I want to be friends with EmersonMade

A few of many reasons why EmersonMade is on my "shop love" list:

Even the packaging is keepworthy!
Image from EmersonMade Copyright © 2010 EmersonMade., all rights reserved

Image from EmersonMade Copyright © 2010 EmersonMade., all rights reserved

Fun, whimsy, classic. Always the perfect color combinations and timeless designs.

And if you know me, you know that anyone who makes giant beautiful flowers, gets to do what she loves for a living, and has a BARN is on my idol list :) So if you haven't already, check out Emerson's beautiful things here and her fun and playful blog (gorgeous photography that will make you happy)

Sweet Paul's Holiday edition is up!

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend to ring in the holiday season. Denver weather has been chilly and crisp, my kitchen smells like Thymes Frasier Fir and I started my Christmas cards. I spent yesterday with my girls at the Rockettes (yes - they came to Denver this year!) Needless to say it's been magical, and to top it off, Sweet Paul released the Holiday issue of their magazine! I haven't had a chance to go through the whole thing yet (have to fully savor it) - but I'm already smitten over their DIY Whisk Pendant below:

   

            

                                                               

            

                 Sweet Paul Magazine
Holiday 2010 p. 24
                

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