Remember, all these (except for the cheese), are homemade with fresh meat coming directly from the butcher – made with love and care, based on recipes past on for generations! Just by thinking of it, especially when I enter my parents house this special day, I am literary taken down the memory lane – just by closing my eyes, I remember mom and grandma in the kitchen almost the entire month of December, the smell, the atmosphere, the excitement and the anticipation. There was something in the air – it was Christmas!
If you thought the food and the feast ends here, you are wrong! No, when you are filled up with pork and lamb and ham and…… and maybe had a short walk or a power nap to digest at least a bit, then the special homemade sweets were on the table:

To the right: All kinds of cookies and the Kransekake (Ring Cake)

The Nisse or Tomte:
A Nisse is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore originating from Norse paganism – actually close to what we call an elf. He was believed to take care of a farmer’s home and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night, when the house folk were asleep – type Fjøs Nisse (Fjøs = barn). Nisse is the common name in Norwegian, Danish and the Scandinavian dialect in southernmost Sweden is Tomte and Tonttu in Finland.
The Nisse was often imagined as a small, elderly man (size varies from a few inches to about half the height of an adult man), often with a full beard; dressed in the everyday clothing of a farmer. However, there are also folktales where he is believed to be a shape-shifter able to take a shape far larger than an adult man, and other tales where the Nisse is believed to have a single, cyclopean eye. Here are some examples of Nisse from my parents home Christmas decorations:

Left: My Great Grandmother’s Nisse – Right: My Grandmother’s Nisse Family

The Fjompe Nisse:
I’ve never seen him, but he has been an important part of my memories from Christmas ever since I was a child – especially in preparing, like decorating the tree and house in general. The Fjompenisse was defiantly a shape-shifter type, as he could come in (always at night) through the chimney or even the key hole. He defiantly had a temperament: One year I remember we had forgotten to take out the key from the hole and he had to use the chimney. You could then see his footprints of ash all around the house. The Fjompenisse was clearly a traditionalist too and did not want to be disturbed in his work.
Another of these things that takes me down the memory lane and brings back the Yuletide spirit from childhood when I enter my parents house, are all these Fjumpe Nisse figures hanging around:

Left: On top of the paintings – Right: On top of the old family clock from the 18Hundreds

Jule Nisse or the Santa Claus:
In the 1840s the farm’s Nisse became the bearer of Christmas presents in Denmark, and was then called Julenisse (Yule Nisse). This mythical character then turned into the white-bearded, red-capped friendly figure associated with Christmas ever since. Shortly afterwards, and obviously influenced by the emerging Father Christmas traditions as well as the new Danish tradition, a variant of the Nisse, called the Jule Nisse in Norway and Jultomte in Sweden, started bringing the Christmas presents in instead of the traditional Julbock (Yule Goat).

I hope you have enjoyed my reminiscing of my childhood and a walk down memory lane. Christmas Eve is now upon us and its time not only to remember our traditions but to give them to our own children and families. From all of us here to all of you we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Left: Caviar of Lavaret, blintz, sour cream, dill & radish – Wine: Sancerre Domaine de la Rossignol 2010

Right: Artichoke, caramelized puree, glazed macadamia, soup & artichoke chips & black truffle – Wine: Alto Adige – Südtirol Manincor “Réserve della Contessa” 2009

Left: Skin fried cod, open lasagna with fennel & ricotta, seafood sauce, crab croquet, avocado cream & peas

Right: Red wine braised beef shoulder, homemade sausage, Confit of plum, spicy broth, potato gnocchi & pumpkin – Wine: Côtes du Marmandais, Domaine Elian da Ros – Le Vin est une Fête 2008

Moose from Gudbrandsdalen, celery puree, Brussels sprouts & cranberry vinaigrette

Wine: Rossignol Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2008

Left: Cheese soufflés – Wine: Mosel. Jos. Christoffel Jr. Wehlener Sonnenuhr ** 1994

Right: Carrot cake Cru – Philadelphia cream, salt caramel ice cream, oatmeal crumble with cinnamon & carrot jelly.

Is there a better way of enjoying good colleagues company and discussing the future of the Computer Society and our work group’s activities for the coming season? We fully agreed we are the best work group team with eagerness and enthusiasm to start a new and successful season – and of course looking forward to the next culinary feast in mid June.

So my American wife and I were there and with my Nokia N8 at hand, I’ll gladly share some highlights with you – starting at the grand opening on the stage (click pic to bigify):

Left: Marine honour guard presenting the American flag – Right: Guest of honour: deputy mayor Mrs. Aud Kvalbein gives her speech.

Diverse booths were set up giving information and special offers to Americans abroad and Norwegians as well, like this one manned by the US Embassy. The opening ceremony was begun with a speech by the American Ambassador to Norway, Barry White (beside him is his wife Eleanor) and of course I had to greet him and thank him for sharing one of his lovely citizens with me!!

American food feast:
Before I show you some photos, here is the menu: Hamburgers • Hotdogs • BBQ • Chili • Ice Cream • Yogurt • American Lutheran Church manned the Coca Cola stand • American Women’s Club dished up lots of great America cookies • Sons of Norway offered waffles & sloppy Joes (not together thankfully) • Plus lots more goodies to feast on! We stood in the very long line for homemade, handmade freshly grilled cheeseburgers – fantastic!

Hamburgers left – sloppy Joes right

Cookies and ice tea

Street Cars Norway:
Once again this year, Street Cars Norway had an exhibition behind the stage and Thomas Følling (SCNs President) awarded prizes in 7 categories – Lucky one: a place in Oslo Motor Show 2011 in October!
An impressive exhibition I would say and quite American too – or what do you think:

First a panoramic view – then: …….


…… some of the beauties in details ; -)

The atmosphere was truly an American 4th of July celebration with all the trimmings. There were lots of happy families everywhere with good music and good food, plus fun for all ages. It was apparent that many American families feel themselves at home in Oslo. We finished off the day in our traditional way with Diane’s grilled ribs, corn on the cob and lots of grilled vegetables. I want to wish all my American friends and family a Very Happy 4th of July!

Local cuisine and seafood delight in a charming city:
We stayed in St. Julian’s at The Westin Dragonara Resort and the hotel, the view, the beach next to it as well as the city, were quite exotic to us Norwegians. Here are some panoramic photos taken with my Nokia N8 to set the scene:

The Hotel & The view

The beach

The old fishing village of St. Julian’s immediately north of Sliema, made up of the districts of Paceville and St George’s Bay, has made great efforts in recent years to develop its tourist facilities, and now competes with Sliema as a holiday center. It has long sandy beaches, first-class hotels and several night-clubs. The modern parts of the town form an attractive contrast to the picturesque old fishermen’s quarter. Some more photo examples:

To me, food and drinks is an important part of a country’s culture and traditions. That’s why I always go for restaurants with local food on the menu, and sharing it with my wife makes even more adventures and even romantic ; -). Let’s start with lunch at day two were the food was actually quite general, meat pie for my wife and of course seafood salad for me, but the drink however, was their local beer; “Cisk”

Even more local – and romantic – was our supper in the middle of the city with Maltese’s food on the menu – two courses: Seafood & Rabbit!

Romantic with a local charm. Left: the restaurant outside – Right: inside

Left: Fresh local calamari – Right: Traditional Maltese rabbit in sweet sauce with Mediterranean vegetables

A gourmet adventure at Lulu Restaurant
Since our three days in Malta was a business trip: A Council Meeting for CEPIS (The Council of European Professional Informatics Societies), the local computer society invited all delegates and their SO for dinner. You’ve seen our food experiences so far – all with a local touch and to our satisfaction – however, the dinner at Lulu Restaurant was the top of the cream. Not because of the interior (although it was modern, fascinating and I liked the view from our table of their vine cellar behind a glass wall)

Left: entrance terrace – Right: view through the window from the terrace

and actually not because of the food either (although it tasted delicious!), but because of the atmosphere created by the staff and especially the owners; Nicky & Caroline Pillow. With their social awareness, how they made sure each and every guest was noticed and important to them and at the same time their attitude and service was far from intrusive, but heart-fully meant to make you feel good, relaxed and happy. More than 30 CEPIS delegates from all over Europe had a jolly good meal and when shaking our hands goodbye, saying we hope to see you soon again: that was a mutual feeling!
Of course I have not forgotten the food – Bon Appétit:

Left: Home – cured salmon with a citrus relish; wholegrain mustard vinaigrette and petit salad.
Right: Prime cut of beef fillet served with a Barolo wine jus, potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
Wine: La Valette – Blanc or Rouge.

Chocolate fondant with fresh cream and strawberries

So as you can see this was exactly the kind of trip we enjoy. We had the opportunity to explore the rich and ancient culture in Mdina (click to read my post!), meet the friendly local people, and enjoy wonderful culinary adventures together with my wife, and with friends from around the world. I hope you enjoyed our little view of Malta. Make sure you check out, to see for yourself, mine and others reviews on TripAdvisor!

Why a rabbit lays eggs?
In the pagan spring celebration, they worshipped the goddess Eastre, the goddess of fertility and springtime and her earthly symbol was the rabbit. It was no ordinary animal, but a sacred companion of the old goddess of spring. The Easter bunny has its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore. The Hare and the Rabbit were the most fertile animals known and they served as symbols of the new life during the spring season. I’ll get back to our family tradition later, but just try to illustrate why spring when nature wake up from hibernation is significantly celebrated in Norway:

After a long, dark, cold winter: snow has gone and spring is in the air!

Feeling guilty about arriving late one spring, the Goddess Ostara saved the life of a poor bird whose wings had been frozen by the snow. She made him her pet and filled with compassion for him since he could no longer fly, she turned him into a snow hare and gave him the gift of being able to run with incredible speed so he could protect himself from hunters. In remembrance of his earlier form as a bird, she also gave him the ability to lay eggs – in all the colours of the rainbow – but only on one day out of each year. The eggs should be given to the children attending the Ostara festivals that were held each spring. The tradition of the Easter Bunny Eggs hunt had begun:

Hunting Bunny Eggs in the woods:
Outdoor recreation goes with my family – especially in weekends and holidays – and hunting the Easter Bunny Eggs is a tradition I can remember since I was big enough to sit in my father’s rucksack. Every year the feeling of anticipation and excitement takes me down the memory lane. You may say I’m a bit childish, but I’m just fine with that and it’s important to get the right spirit – and of course: you have to love being outdoors too. Here are more photos from last ears hunt, to give you an idea (click pics to bigify & enjoy):

Left: Egg catch of the day! Right: Capturing the catch & share by mobile phone.

Spring outdoor recreation:
Beside the thrill of the Easter egg hunt, this is also about enjoying spring – outdoors – after a dark and cold season. Since settlement of mankind in Norway, thousands of years back, we take advantage of, are celebrating and enjoying the feeling of spring – a significant change in seasons – and therefore an important part of our rituals and habits. Let me give a clue with a few example photos from last year:

Grill hotdogs on a stick on the bonfire.

After the ice on the sea have melted: Left: Skipping stones – Right: Kayoing

We are soon on our way to my home town to meet my parents and sisters family for this adventurous tradition. When I post this in advance this year, it is to give you all the chance to have fun the same way. Have you tried? Or would you like too? Tell me what you think in comments please!

I have of course posted about this over the years and here are the previous ones:

Spring Equinox and an Easter Egg hunt
Hunting Easter Bunny Eggs in snow
Easter Bunny Eggs Hunt in Norwegian Woods

The interior design has been finished to the smallest detail. The dining room is divided into three separate areas, the Bridge, the Shark’s Hall and the Eastern Corner, seating in total up to 72 guests. To evoke the atmosphere of the seven seas there is a pool of turtles and exotic fish and a beautifully crafted fish tank containing three small sharks in the dining room:

As you see from my photos, the interior is inspired by pirate ships and is tastefully and carefully crafted, with every element, from the furniture to the cutlery and glasses, having been custom-made by hand. Let me give you a couple more examples:

The Cocktail: “Bloody Frogs Eye” – Interesting ash trays in the smoking room

True feast for all senses!
Korsaar offers an a la carte menu, an excellent selection of wines and highly professional service. This was the way they made our aperitif “Elixir Bloody Frog Eye” (in the pic above) in front of our table: No frogs were harmed in this process!!

Their international food is fantastic, with leanings on the creoles and seafood side of the port bow. Even more, said before: it’s a restaurant of chefs who accepts the orders from the clients personally and we had an interesting discussion with him; the awarded Mr. Jaak Hiibus, to decide our dinner. When telling him we were from Norway and that I had caught King Crabs in the Barents Sea, this became our menu:

Left, starter: King Crab salad – Right, main course: Grilled Patagonian toothfish steak with mango béarnaise

No, I have not forgotten the dessert, but take this opportunity to example the personal and professional service. You see, I like coffee to go with dessert and we got Turkish coffee – the Korsaar way: Fresh milled coffee corns that are pieced up from ferocious plantations of Cuba are turned into a great hearted aromatic drink. First they boil it on hot sand twice and the process ended at our table boiled one last time before our eyes:

Left: one of our Waitresses serving coffee – Right: dessert: Dark chocolate fondant.

Social Media recommendation:
My regular readers know I am above average active in Social Media and this trip to Tallinn in Estonia was of course announced at my TripIt account and fed to my Facebook wall. The post was commented by a friend of mine Robert Henry T from UK, saying: “I got back from Tallinn on Monday. Incredible place (although freezing!). Check out the German Beer hall just off the main square and definitely eat there”. We did and had a jolly good time:

The charming waiters at The Beer House – Dinner: Duck Confit
When I told the Manager the reason why we paid them a visit, she insisted that we came with her for a guided tour downstairs: The Korsaar Restaurant, and we ordered a table for the next day – from where you now know the whole story : -)
We found both restaurants very nice, and the staff was professional, friendly and last but not least, fun. The next time you are in Tallinn we recommend you check these two restaurants out!

Advantage of Social Media sharing:
My regular readers knows I’m above average in Social Media activities. As a network evangelist, I love to share and be inspired of others – like I often say: It’s a Givers Gain! It occurs in many ways and in this case, two of the pics I took in Holmenkollen last year (posted about and shared on Flickr) has become “famous” in Norway:

Sausages: Kollen Grill & Wiener:
One of Norwegian food companies, Gilde, who make sausages or hotdogs, wanted to use one of the photos for their Holmenkollen sausage collection and the result:

Left: Boil Hotdog (or wieners) – Right: Grill Hotdog – the word “Kollen” in the name is of course a direct reference to Holmenkollen. As locals call the ski jump Kollen for short.

The picture is now to be seen all over Norway; at gas stations, local groceries, in newspapers e.g.:

Nora homemade Jam:
Another food company; Stabburet, who makes jam (made from old, traditional Norwegian recipe) asked for permission to use the other and they promote their Holmenkollen collection in newspapers:

Follow RennyBA & DianeCA on Oslo2011:
The companies above have of course paid for the use of my photos. This has not made me a millionaire but of course I am very proud to see them all over the country! The best payment I received was in addition 4 VIP tickets to the World Championship in Nordic Ski events. So we will be reporting from the atmosphere and activities in the coming days. There will be a lot happening here in Oslo winter sport capital so stay tuned!

Holmenkollen spirit: Kollen is especially known for its sportsmansly atmosphere and its famous “Kollen roar”.

Boiled or poached fresh Cod:
The best thing is of course to fish it yourself and bring it right to the kitchen, but if you have to buy it, make sure it is rinsed for an hour or so in fresh water. This makes it whiter and firmer when boiled. Have water in a pot with plenty of salt (4 palm of salt in this one) and don’t put the cod in before the water comes to full boil – some bay leaf is nice in the water too (click pick to bigify & enjoy):

No matter how you decide to prepare your fish by poaching, broiling, grilling, stewing, etc; make sure not to overcook it – think 8-10 minutes per inch of thickness.

Butter sauce is the top of the cream:
One of our chef’s speciality is this sauce called Sandefjorsmør (named after the city Sandefjord) It combines butter and cream with parsley and lemon. Simple to make, but makes all the difference. Melt (for 6 persons) ½ Kg butter and add ¾ litre of cream. Don’t boil to hard, just let it simmer for almost an hour:

Crumbled bacon is a must:
To add a bit of an extra flavour taste to the fish cuisine add crumbled bacon – sliced and fried, as simple as can be & just before you are ready to serve; you add the lemon to the sauce:

Cod fish is readily available all year long. It is also extremely healthy-being both low in fat and high in protein. Cod fish goes well with creamy sauces and fragrant pottages.

It has been said that cod has mattered more in human history than any other fish and since readily available all year long, why don’t you give it a try soon. I mean Cod fish is extremely versatile and healthy and now, since you’ve learnt how to cook it; the sky is the limit – so why not incorporate it into your diet for a healthier lifestyle?

If not convinced after learning how easy it is – ohh I forgot: add some veggies to the recipe (my favourite is carrots and broccoli) – maybe you can’t resist after seeing the final result:

Last weekend, while attending our yearly family Rakfisk feast, we had fabulous sunny winter weather. On Sunday afternoon, after stuffing ourselves with “fermented fish” delicacies, and drinking a bit of Aquavit my sister suggested a walk on the fjord to freshen us up a bit. A great way to get some sunshine, experience the beautiful nature and recover from a late night of overindulgence. Since I always have my Nokia mobile handy to shoot some photos, I hope you’ll enjoy coming along for a taste of ice fishing:

Sunny weather, crisp fresh air and beautiful scenery: that’s what I call recreational!

If you are patient and dressed warmly, a day of ice fishing can be an experience in a class of its own. Nature, tranquillity and the excitement of not knowing what you will catch are important elements. When passing some of these ice fishing enthusiasts, we stopped and chatted with them about the days catch and they were nice enough to pose for us to share in Blogsphere and more than willing to let us in on some of their “secrets”:

Temp of -10C (14F) is no problem if you dress correctly!

This type of fishing, is of course carried out close to the shore, and normally brings a variety of species. Most of them used mackerel as bait and normal catches were Cod, Herring, Haddock, Coalfish, Ling, Pollock and sometimes more Mackerel. Here are some examples:

Left: Pollock – Right: Cod and Blue whiting

If you have not become clear over this from the catches, this is of course frozen ocean water. The fjords are long fingers from the sea which reach into the country and bring us salt water delicacies to fish and enjoy. These same fjords are used for sailing and fishing in the summer and have lovely beaches along the edges. We were standing on 90 meters deep, just so you know, but as the ice was 30 – 60 centimetres frozen solid and more than enough to hold us all, plus skaters, skiers, dog walkers and other outdoor enthusiasts.

Above you see some of the detail of the frozen ice crystals forming on the snow. The beauty is fascinating up close, and at a distance. Another experience you can only have in a land with all four seasons!

The traditional accompaniment for the singers is a Portuguese guitar = guitarra, a 12-stringed instrument (left in the pic below), and a bass guitar (right), or viola. Sometimes a second acoustic guitar (middle) is added like when we had this fantastic music adventure this evening:

The essential element of Fado music is saudade, a Portuguese word that translates roughly as longing, or nostalgia for unrealized dreams that speaks of an undefined yearning that can’t be satisfied. Like other forms of folk music such as American blues, Argentine tango or Greek rebetika, it’s hard to explain – it must be felt and experienced – and the performers must have the soul to transmit that feeling. That’s why my wife DianeCA and I are so thankful for having local friends to take us a place like this – I hope my explanation and these pics give you an idea:

Fado can be performed by men or women, although many aficionados prefer the raw emotion of the female Fadista. Dressed in black with a shawl draped over her shoulders, a Fadista stands in front of the musicians and communicates through gesture and facial expressions (click pics to bigify & enjoy):

Café Luso gives gourmet adventures too:
Even if this special traditional music adventure was the main objective, Café Luso had excellent food and wine. I believe my regular readers would feel something was missing if I didn’t share the meal – so here we go:

Main course: “Wild Magret” (magret of duck in a sauce of orannge and wild berries on a celery bed with wasabi and sauté leeks)
Dessert: Puff-Pastry of “Sericaia” with Plum Jelly of Elvas – DOP – and Syrup of Lime and Lemon

This evening was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Romantic, inspiring, and delicious to all the senses, we are especially grateful for sharing it with good friends who know the music and the culture. Discussing the singers and how they were different from each other, and what each ones special style was added to the experience and helped us to learn a lot. We were so inspired we even bought a CD from one of the singers so we can relive the memories. Hope you are enjoying our trip to Lisbon. If you have experienced Fado or something similar I hope you will share with us in a comment!