You Want Fries With That?

There is a Swedish restaurant near us where we used to go for lunch all the time. Their menu is not huge but there seems to be something for everyone - except Bill. He does not like this restaurant for lunch, although he loves to go there for Dinner.

This restaurant is across the street from the Swedish Covenant university in Chicago. Consequently, one is likely to see whole families dining there on days they came to town to visit their grandson or nephew at college.

The place looks like a typical tea room or lunch room. Small tables that can just barely accommodate four and which can be shoved together for larger parties. Only the absolute minimum amount of space for navigating. Patrons are encouraged to pay their checks at their tables. It's a good thing.

The tablecloths are blue, the napkins are paper, and the wall art is a mural of creepily frolicking pointy-eared gnomes. But there is a blackboard featuring the specials of the day in colored chalk and once you're seated there is little need to get up and walk around (woe the winter day when coats take us as much space as diners).

During the day the menu has a page of breakfast choices and a page of lunch items. These include Swedish pancakes with lingonberries, Orange scented French Toast, assorted pastries, various omelets, quiche of the day, sandwiches and delicious soups - French Onion, Lentil, Carrot. Sandwiches include tuna or chicken salad served on a toasted croissant, the ubiquitous Swedish meatball sandwich, and one time an odd concoction that consisted of a hot dog and mashed potatoes served in a bun with mustard.

Lunch dishes are accompanied by your choice of potatoes or cucumber salad. The salad is sliced cucumbers in a thin sour cream dressing. The potatoes are cubed and fried, not unlike home fries. It is these potatoes that trigger Bill's dislike. I think they're delicious.

My favorite sandwich is the Rubenssen, their take on the classic Reuben sandwich. Corned Beef on Swedish Limpa Rye bread, topped with Jarlsberg cheese and a bit of dressing that might be Thousand Islands but I'm not sure.

Limpa bread is in a class by itself. Sometimes called Swedish Rye, it does not resemble any rye bread that I know and I believe it contains orange essence, cardamom and fennel, which gives it a sweetness and a slight licorice flavor. Limpa toast with your eggs and potatoes is delicious.

Service is attentive if sometimes a little slow. The kitchen seems to be about the size of a large broom closet and the chef and assistant probably have to like each other a whole lot to work together in such a small space. But they turn out delicious and imaginative dishes, well prepared and freshly made.

We had one of those coupon books that included a coupon for this restaurant. Buy one dinner, get one free. I urged Bill to try it with me. After much hemming and hawing he finally gave in. We called to verify they were open, then drove to the place. All appeared dark within. How could this be? We just spoke to them minutes ago!

We parked the car and walked to the door. Then we saw that although the lights were out, each table was lit by a tea light candle. Tres romantique! Apparently this is the nightly ritual. Tables that held four, six, eight or more at lunch now held mostly couples. The effect was quiet, serene, romantic and intriguing.

We took a table and scanned the menu. Prices were reasonable and choices, though modest, were varied. Chicken breast with ham and Jarlsberg cheese; salmon with dill; roast pork loin with apples and prunes; each entree accompanied by homemade mashed potato and nicely done green beans. Specials included veal shank, hearty stew, and usually another choice or two.

The wait staff obviously guessed this was our first visit and brought a complimentary appetizer - a light tuna salad dabbed onto small squares of toasted bread. We ordered, we unwrapped our flatware from the cloth napkin, tied with a bit of ribbon, we enjoyed our delicious entrees. Since one of us was eating free we sprang for dessert. As I recall, this was a sort of bread pudding with blueberries and custard sauce, served in a teacup. Charming and tasty.

We were so impressed we added this restaurant to our list of "places to take my mother-in-law and friends that we really like". Breakfast and lunch notwithstanding, Bill likes this place a lot. The in-laws liked it, Don & Louise liked it, everyone who has gone there with us has liked it. I bet you will like it too.

If you are in Chicago, look for the Tre Kronor (Three Crowns) Swedish restaurant on Foster Ave. near Kimball, just across the street from North Park University. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, it's all good. Call first to be sure they are open and to inquire about the wait for a table. Summers, the patio is open too.

Quotable Quotes; in the category how can I still be hungry?

"When it rains soup, the poor man has no spoon."
Swedish Proverb

Well, It Worked!

Well, It Worked!

Remember that "thing" a few posts ago that was supposed to make a little bag and did not work out?

Well I tried again, actually following the instructions and using the original pattern piece this time and whaddaya know, it worked!

Of course, I did have to make a couple of tiny tweaks that did not come out just exactly as I expected - - - but all in all, success! I now have a tiny little bag on a long strap just the right size to hold a cell phone, drivers license, insurance and credit card a small bit of folding cash.

It's really cute and handy and would make a great gift. And I bet I can even make another one using the pattern I drafted from the instructions.

What would I do different next time? Well, I used scraps of fabric to create the long strip to make the bag. Unfortunately, some of the more interesting fabrics ended up inside the bag after the folding process. Next time I will do the piecing only on the outside end and leave the "business" end plain.

And I used a ready made pocket with a button, thinking I would get an extra pocket and a built in button. It worked great except that the button is coming loose from repeated buttoning and unbuttoning, and it's not really convenient to have to unbutton it when the phone rings. Velcro or a big snap next time!

All in all, it was a success and I am glad I gave it another go. Here is a link to the pouch kit in case you want to try it yourself.

Quotable Quotes; in the category you're sewing again?

"Sewing fills my days,not to mention the living room, bedroom, and closets."
Author Unknown

Well, It Worked!

Remember that "thing" a few posts ago that was supposed to make a little bag and did not work out?

Well I tried again, actually following the instructions and using the original pattern piece this time and whaddaya know, it worked!

Of course, I did have to make a couple of tiny tweaks that did not come out just exactly as I expected - - - but all in all, success! I now have a tiny little bag on a long strap just the right size to hold a cell phone, drivers license, insurance and credit card a small bit of folding cash.

It's really cute and handy and would make a great gift. And I bet I can even make another one using the pattern I drafted from the instructions.

What would I do different next time? Well, I used scraps of fabric to create the long strip to make the bag. Unfortunately, some of the more interesting fabrics ended up inside the bag after the folding process. Next time I will do the piecing only on the outside end and leave the "business" end plain.

And I used a ready made pocket with a button, thinking I would get an extra pocket and a built in button. It worked great except that the button is coming loose from repeated buttoning and unbuttoning, and it's not really convenient to have to unbutton it when the phone rings. Velcro or a big snap next time!

All in all, it was a success and I am glad I gave it another go. Here is a link to the pouch kit in case you want to try it yourself.

Quotable Quotes; in the category You're Sewing Again?

"Sewing fills my days,not to mention the living room, bedroom, and closets." Author Unknown

Not So Lazy Circles In The Sky

My office is on the 6th (top) floor. Today about 5 pm I noticed the crows flying around in an agitated way. The reason? A group of falcons were dive bombing them. At first they were near the trees, whose tops came up to the 4th or 5th floor, then they gravitated over to the 4 story building a little ways away.

I believe I counted four falcons. I think they're the type known as Sparrow Hawk or American Kestrel. Most likely it is a family out for a fly with mom and dad and the folks just want to keep the big birds away.

Watching them is not unlike watching otters on a mission. At times playful, at times all business, they swoop and dive, soar and roll, coming to light on the building ridges or tree tops before taking off again.

I usually don't work this late. Makes me wonder what else I may be missing.

I know hawks are becoming more prevalent in this area. Bill and I watch for them when driving on the expressway. There are at least four different hawks that live about a quarter mile away from each other and that we often see perched on the tall light posts at the expressway exits. Bill has named them. I just like to watch.

We have seen Sparrow Hawks in the alley while sitting in the backyard. At the old house, I once saw one land on the bird feeder, sending a few dozen sparrows in all directions, as I sat on the back porch.

Of all the beautiful birds, we like the raptors best, especially the hawks. Dunno why. Maybe because when I was taking flamenco dancing lessons, our teacher told us our arms were meant to mimic the wings of a hawk. Or because, as cartoonist Gary Larson of The Far Side said, they know they're cool!

Quotable Quotes; in the category What He Said.

"The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim."
Sun Tzu

What Are "Salad Days" Anyway?

Some things are just stupid easy. You know, things you almost have to be stupid to be able to do.

I'm talking about recipes (again). I have a few that I either found or made up that make a dish that is totally delish, but that require so little thought or effort to prepare, it's like cheating.

I fell in love with grape tomatoes the minute I saw them. They're tasty and they're cuter than regular cherry tomatoes. At least I think so. Trouble is around here they go on sale where you have to buy two containers and I sometimes can't eat them fast enough. Sharing is one option. Long lasting salads is another.

I don't know where I got the idea for this salad or if I just made it up. But it's really good, with or without the vodka, and it lasts a long time. I think the dressing preserves the tomatoes. I mean, hey, they're soaking in BOOZE! Stupid!

Grape Tomato Salad

Slice one container of grape tomatoes in half on the diagonal (looks prettier).
Slice a medium sweet onion thinly. Cut it in half first so the slices will be bite sized.

Toss these together in a bowl with a good splash of balsamic or wine vinegar, hefty pinches of salt and pepper, basil and oregano and any other herbs of your choice, and a good glug of olive oil. Optional, add a splash of vodka just for fun. You can add a tiny bit of sugar for a little extra sweetness. Let this marinate overnight in the fridge and serve cold or at room temperature.

I take this with me in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. It's tasty with a sandwich or just about anything and the sweetness of the balsamic vinegar complements the sweetness of the tomatoes. The vodka is just cuz' I like it.

Here's another salad that was inspired by seeing Alice Waters on a cooking show with Julia Child. They included sliced raw mushrooms in their salad but I left them out because I don't like them. I also altered the recipe radically because I did not write it down and by now I make it quite different from the way I first saw it. If you like fennel, you will like this. And it stays fresh and crunchy for a long time. Just as easy, but you need an extra piece of equipment for this one.

Fennel Onion Salad

Shred paper thin with a mandolin or food processor one bulb of fennel and one good sized sweet onion. Optional - add carrots also sliced paper thin, and sliced mushrooms.

Whisk in a bowl balsamic or wine vinegar, salt and pepper, a dab of spicy mustard and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice (or even orange or grapefruit). Add hefty pinches of herbs of your choice (herbes de Provence would be good) and some ground cumin. A little good quality olive oil and that's it. Add the sliced veg, toss well and serve.

I don't have a mandolin although I would like one. Instead I have this silly thing that came free with something I bought from a catalog. You must have seen one somewhere. It's a long, narrow plastic box, about 3 1/2 by 10 inches. It has a top that will accept an assortment of slicing blades. The one I use most often is the regular slicer (sometimes I use the grater for grating a lot of cheese). This slicing blade makes slices of carrot, fennel, onion and potato that you can almost read through.

When you're done, you just pile all the blades back into the box and pop on the top. It was free and it works. What's not to like?

Anyway, I like these two salads because I can practically make them in my sleep and except for the mandolin, I only have to wash a knife and a bowl. And if I make them in the plastic storage bowl, I don't even have to wash that until the salad is gone.

Easy. Stupid easy!

Quotable Quotes; in the category Wait . . . What?

“We became vegetarian. But that didn't last very long, because, um, I don't like vegetables. Or salad, nothing like that!”
Dakota Fanning

I Scream, You Scream, You Know Where This Is Going, Right?

Like most fads, recipes make the rounds. Foods and recipes come in and go out of style, recipes are traded, and old, passe recipes come back in style years later, like the Martini, for instance.

Or take a look at one of those "church lady" type cookbooks, the kind where everybody contributes their favorite recipes for Layered Nacho Salad or Cream Cheese & Clam Dip, or Cookies Made From A Cake Mix. Depending on when the cookbook was put together, and the ages of the recipe contributors, you will find recipes for Veggies & Dill Dip, Sweet Pickles Made From Dill Pickles, Hummos & Pita Chips or Cream Cheese Brownies.

Have you ever seen a recipe for Amish Friendship Bread? Popular during the 1970s, a friend would give you a Cool Whip container full of bubbly, yeasty goo and the instructions to keep the starter going and a recipe to bake the bread. Amish Friendship Bread was a sort of coffee cake with cinnamon crumb topping (as I recall) and was quite good.

One of the catches was that you had to "double" the starter you received and give the extra to another friend. This generated a round of starter swapping, similar to what occurs when a friend invites you to a Tupperware party. Every guest ends up having their own party and you end up attending a dozen parties and buying enough Tupperware to become a Tupperware saleswoman yourself. It's fun, but soon the novelty wears off and the responsibility of keeping that "starter" going gets to be too much and eventually, it is allowed to die.

No problem, cookbooks and websites abound with the recipe. Unless you are superstitious, it's not problem to whip up your own starter. And while you are at it, give the extra to a friend and start a new round of Friendship Bread!

One recipe I remember, that became quite popular and then faded away, was for "ice cream". What made it unusual was that you did not need an ice cream maker nor did you need to cook and chill a concoction containing cream, eggs, vanilla and other expensive ingredients. Basically, jam was mixed with buttermilk and frozen to make a dish reminiscent of frozen yogurt, or Frogurt, as it was often called, and which was also gaining popularity at the time. The bonus was, if you used low fat buttermilk this was a low fat recipe!

The recipe ran in a popular women's magazine and in my recollection, I and my friends traded the recipe and announced our successes or failures using different kinds of jam. If I recall correctly, I probably only made this once or possibly twice. But it was good. And it couldn't be easier!

If you have an ice cream maker, the kind that requires a mixing bowl to be left in your freezer, or the kind that requires ice and rock salt, or the kind that costs hundreds of dollars and requires neither, go ahead and give this recipe a try.

And if you don't have any sort of ice cream maker, try it anyway. All you need is a little room in your freezer for the container of ice cream. It won't be there very long because if it's good, you'll eat it all up and if it's not, you'll toss it. Give it a try!

Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream
Serves: 8

2 cups nonfat buttermilk
1 1/2 cups strawberry jam

Stir buttermilk and strawberry jam together until well combined and pour into a freezer proof pan or bowl. Freeze firm, removing from the freezer to scrape with a spoon every 15 or 20 minutes. You may cut up pieces of frozen mixture and place in chilled mixer bowl, whip with electric mixer until fluffy, and return mixture to freezer pan until firm. Or, freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturers directions. Try other jam flavors.

Quotable Quotes; In the category I'll Have Some Anyway.

"The Frogurt is also cursed . . . That's bad."

From The Simpson's Treehouse of Terror III; Clown Without Pity

Don't Laugh!

I bought this "thing" from a sewing catalog - it's a piece of interfacing that you are supposed to iron onto a long strip of material (or one that you pieced together from scraps). The interfacing is marked out in sections so that all you do is iron it on, attach straps and Velcro, fold according to the markings and sew around the edges. When you turn it right side out it magically becomes a little pouch for your cell phone with an extra pocket for change, your licence, etc. and a long strap.

So being me, I decided before I used up the interfacing I would trace it onto a paper pattern so I could continue to make pouches after the interfacing was gone. All I would have to do is use a piece of regular interfacing and transfer the markings to it. Easy? Simple? Don't bet on it!

I decided to use two layers of lightweight material since I did not have any extra interfacing laying around (and I didn't feel like digging through piles of stashed scraps and fabrics to find some).

I decided to embroider a design on the material first and followed my homemade pattern for the placement of the embroidered design. Who knew the placement would be off just enough to throw my carefully placed design way off kilter?

I decided to use a button loop and button instead of Velcro. Who knew the placement would be off just enough to leave the loop off center and the button INSIDE the finished pouch!

Because I used two layers of material (I thought it would be the same as one layer of fabric and one layer of interfacing) the thing was so bulky that I couldn't turn it right side out without tearing out the side seam.

Once I had the thing turned right side out the button loop was off center, the button was inside the pocket, the flap was too loose to close anyway and for some reason, the shoulder strap wound up sewn INSIDE the finished pouch. Too bad, this had the potential of being a really cute little thingy. I had plans to make several for gifts.

Actually, like most things, I could see the cause of my errors as I went along and I think I can fix them all. I just have to get over the waste of the time and material and get in the mood to try again. This time I will definitely use interfacing and will probably even use the preprinted piece that came with the kit. Then if that works I'll know it was just "beginner's luck" that caused my first failure.

Anyway, you probably will NOT be getting a personalized cell phone pouch for your birthday. But keep your eyes open - - - maybe around Christmas? Who knows?

Quotable Quotes; in the category Not AGAIN, I just FIXED that!

As ye sew, so shall ye rip. ~Author Unknown