Archive | et cetera RSS feed for this section

Snapshots from Tech

15 Jan

David patiently working out the intricate choreography and stage traffic in the finale.

We have just completed week 2 of tech.  David has been working around the clock to put the show together.  We still have a lot to do before the first preview, and David is spending every available moment fine-tuning all the choreography in the show (of which there are plenty).

As we are in tech, my blogging has lagged a little bit.  I continue to cook a lot everyday, though, especially since we bring lunch to work each day.  There aren’t too many places to eat near the theater — there are restaurants, but they are pricy and we don’t have enough time to eat out during lunch.  The “fast” food places are either McDonald’s or Max (Sweden’s version of McDonald’s), which are no good for us.  So I’ve resorted to making double the amount of whatever we have for dinner, and we bring the leftovers for lunch.  This process has worked nicely so far.  I hope to catch up on blogging on some of the new recipes I’ve devised this week!

Advertisement

Tags: ,

Happy New Year!!!

2 Jan

Wishing everyone a wonderful, happy and healthy 2012!

David and I had a great, festive time in Ireland.  Many posts to catch up on, still from Christmas.  I shall post soon!

Here’s to a fabulous New Year! xoxo

Merry Christmas! xoxo

25 Dec

We had a terrific Christmas Eve feast in our Stockholm apartment with lovely Eleanor and Michael.  We had a wonderful, merry time, and the dishes were a great success — I shall post the recipes shortly.

In the mean time —

Merry Christmas!  Wishing you peace and happiness from Stockholm! xoxo

Tags: ,

Christmas Eve Dinner Menu

23 Dec

Planning for our Christmas Eve dinner  party menu… here’s what it looks like:

  • Hors d’oeuvres: Duo of smoked salmon + charcuterie, with sliced cucumbers and gluten-free crackers
  • Starter: Cauliflower soup with white truffle oil + crispy garlic
  • Main: Rosemary/garlic/lemon crusted rack of lamb with garlic asparagus
  • Side veg: Roasted beets with mint, mashed potatoes with garlic + olive oil
  • Dessert: Flour-less chocolate banana cinnamon cake

There will be Glögg to start, and wine to pair with the dishes.  Exciting!

Recipes to follow!

Wishing you a very merry Christmas!

x

Tags: ,

Snapshots from Rehearsals

23 Dec

A couple of artsy-lookings snapshot of David at work, putting together one of the many dance numbers in our show….

Tags: ,

Last Days of Rehearsals…and then Christmas

21 Dec

Sadly, I haven’t been able to post in the last week as we entered our final week in the rehearsal studios.  Tomorrow is our last day in rehearsals; we will break for Christmas and the New Year, then we begin 2012 tech-ing the show in the China Teatern.  My blogging hasn’t been able to keep up these last few days…but cooking at home continues as usual, and I have even developed some interesting new recipes to share.  Hopefully during the holidays, I will post a variety of new recipes!

David and I will spend Christmas in Stockholm.  We will host a Christmas Eve dinner party in our apartment, so I am currently planning the menu — I am thinking of making a rack of lamb, among other items.  After Christmas, we travel to Ireland to attend our friends’ wedding.  We’ll stay in Ireland for New Year’s Eve and come back to Stockholm to start work again after the New Year.  Since our trip to Ireland is the main event for us this holiday season, we are looking forward to spending a cozy Christmas in Stockholm.

Anyway, do stay tuned… many new recipes coming up!

Happy holidays, everyone! x

We put up lights and a paper star, as many Swedes do this time of the year.

Tags: , ,

What’s in my fridge (Stockholm): a paleo grocery list

15 Dec

There are everyday staples I always try to keep in my kitchen these days — my paleo grocery list.   Although I miss our kitchen at home, our little kitchen in Stockholm has served us well so far; and with these basic items in our house, I find that I can usually cook something very simply.

With basic staples, all we need to worry about is picking up proteins and replenishing the vegetables as needed.  We try to buy organic whenever possible.

TOMOKO’S PALEO SHOPPING LIST (or stock-list) – Stockholm:

IN OUR PANTRY (ie. no refrigerated)

  • Organic yellow onions
  • Organic red onions
  • Organic garlic
  • Fresh garlic
  • Organic coconut oil
  • Organic coconut milk
  • Organic olive oil — I tend to like the flavor of Spanish olive oil better than others
  • SPICES: garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, paprika
  • Organic black pepper, good quality sea salt (I have flaked sea salt and Himalayan salt in a grinder)
  • Organic potatoes (small type)
  • Organic heirloom cherry tomatoes
  • Organic tomato sauce (no added sugar, in a glass container – recently I’ve ditched buying tomato sauce in cans)
  • Organic green curry powder
  • Tea, various
  • Fairtrade or organic dark chocolate, ranging from 81% to 100% cocoa
  • Organic cashews (raw)
  • Organic pine nuts

IN OUR FRIDGE

  • Organic free-range/pasture-raised eggs (usually have up to 2 dozen on hand)
  • Organic Dijon mustard
  • Organic whole grain mustard
  • Organic cucumbers
  • Organic cauliflower
  • Organic broccoli
  • Organic bacon
  • Jalapeño peppers
  • Habeñero peppers
  • Ginger
  • Scallions
  • Asparagus
  • Mushrooms
  • Organic capers
  • Organic avocados
  • Organic lemons
  • Organic oranges
  • Organic carrots
  • Organic zucchinis
  • Organic arugula
  • Organic beets
  • Organic cabbage
  • Natural, nitrate-free sliced chorizo (makes good snacks with sliced cucumbers)
  • PROTEIN: depends — we usually have at most 3 of the following, so I could have proteins ready to cook, but thye don’t sit in the fridge so long that they go bad or not fresh anymore: chicken (skinless thighs for curry, half chickens for roast); pork chops; veal chops; steaks; ground beef; ground lamb; salmon.
  • Organic butter
  • (Wine)

I like having potted herbs on hand — they help give a furnished-rental a more cozy, homey vibe — I currently have organic Thai basil, chives, rosemary and thyme.

Tags: ,

Our Tomte in Stockholm

15 Dec

David and I bought our very own tomte to give our Stockholm home a little Christmas flair.  These tomtar (pl. of tomte) are handmade, and so each tomte is unique.  It took us a while for to select one, but we are quite happy with the one we chose!  Isn’t he adorable?

Tags: ,

I ♥: Flavored Sparkling Water

9 Dec

Swedish tap water is of excellent quality, and many people have carbonator machines at home to make their own sparkling water.  Our Swedish producer explained to me that, in order to stay in business, sparkling water companies (Ramlösa and Loka are the big ones) have developed clever flavor options to keep their products appealing and interesting.  Although there are flavored sparkling waters in the US (sugar-free, all natural, sparkling), the flavor options in Sweden are far more extensive and go beyond the typical lemon/lime variety.  Recently, I found rabarber — rhubarb.  It’s faintly sweet (there’s no sugar in it — it’s more an essence and aroma of rhubarb).  It’s nice, and I like it, although I wonder if the idea of rhubarb sparkling water is what really piques my interest, rather than an actual “taste.”  There’s just something… magical?  Scandinavian?  Cozy?  about a rhubarb-flavored sparkling water.

The other interesting ones I’ve tried are Kaktus (cactus — more like aloe?) and Fläder (elderflower).

Of a more “common” flavor profile, I quite like Vitamin Well Sparkling Water in the Persika flavor — peach.  (Full disclosure: when I bought the Persika Vitamin Well Sparkling Water, I thought it might be PEAR flavor… but upon drinking it, learned that Persika is Swedish for peach.)

I am not sure how much flavored sparkling water Swedes really buy (although there seems to be a big market for it), but I for one  love them!   They are fun and refreshing at the same time, and I look forward to trying a variety of unusual flavors.

Tags: ,

I ♥: fresh purple Italian garlic

29 Nov

I am loving the quality of fresh garlic in Stockholm.  These fresh, purple Italian garlic are in many supermarkets, and they are delicious!  I hardly ever see excellent fresh garlic back in New York — when I buy garlic, they are usually of the dried variety.  The fresh garlic have a soft outer layer that are easy to peel; I find the cloves juicier and slightly spicier than dried garlic, although still pleasant and not overpoweringly “garlicky.”  These garlic are great with sauteed as well as roasted vegetables.

Tags: ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →