Swedish Christmas

Here's my holiday table.  I took a picture going the other direction where you could see both trees lit up, but I'm afraid that the "candlelight" setting on my camera requires a *very* steady hand -- something I didn't have after 2 cups of glogg (more on glogg later. . .)

And here's our smorgasbord (did I spell that right, Pete?)  Swedish Christmas is heavy on the meat and starch.  From top to bottom we have: traditional rice pudding with lingon berries, jello salad, Swedish meatballs, potato sausage, ham, scalloped potatoes, limpa (Swedish rye) and cardamom tea rolls. 

Before dinner there were lots of snacks including Bond-Ost (a caraway seeded cheese) served with knacke bread (hardtack -- like rye krisp kind of).  Oh -- and Sil (pickled herring).   And of course there was glogg!  Glogg is a mulled red wine that you drink warm and it is so good!

The next morning we had cardamom braid and coffee cake from the Swedish Bakery -- yum!

It was lovely to have Pete's mom here for a few days and Pete was wonderful (& so was Maddie).  I will leave it at that, other than to say that I will not be having Swedish Christmas here next year.  I'm glad that I did it for Pete's mom's sake though.  Maybe her daughters will step up next year.

Swedish food resources:

• Swedish Bakery -- I had to have all the baked goods shipped to me from Swedish Bakery because there was bad weather the day we were supposed to go up to Chicago.  Everything arrived here in great condition -- well packed and fresh!  You can see pictures of most of their baked goods on the website.  I ordered cardamom braids, Andersonville coffee cake, limpa, cardamom tea rolls and cinnamon bread.  Yum!
• Wickstrom's -- Wickstrom's is also in Andersonville (in Chicago) and they are a Swedish deli.  You can get the Bond-Ost, Knacke Bread, Sil, Glogg mix and tons of other things.  I haven't ordered online from them, but I have shopped there in person and they are wonderful! 

Comments

[Maggie]

I've heard so many differing opinions on glogg. The only glogg I've tried is the stuff Ikea sells (having worked there; they serve it at their holiday parties) and it is revolting. Theirs is alcohol-free and reminiscent of cough syrup. I hear the real stuff is either great or horrid, depending on who you ask. I love mulled wine, but the Ikea glogg was the furthest thing from mulled wine I've ever tasted.

[Christie]

Wow, look at that! So beautiful!

[mimsie]

That setting is gorgeous.

[Wanda]

It was a beautiful table and everything looked great. I'm sure Pete's mom enjoyed it all and the cardamom bread sounds delicious!

[Jen]

Wow, that's right around the corner from my house! How awesome to know that Andersonville has national reknown!

[Imbrium]

Domestic...instincts...tingling.... Sudden desire for tablecloths and matched china....

I'm generally not one for that grand scale of entertaining, but your table looks so beautiful....

[christine]

It all looks so tasty.........thanks for sharing what I am sure was a bunch of work for you.......

[Nanette]

How beautiful! I love cardamom so I'm going to have to check out Wickstrom's.

[claudia]

I'm looking forward to my in-laws' Scandahoovian Christmas smorgasbord on Sunday. Yum.

[marie]

Glögg! I have a wonderful old family recipe, which involves pouring the burning liquid over sugar cubes.... it's incredible. Shall I post it? where?
marie