Adventures in blogging and a Norsk Høstfest recap

I am finally, if temporarily, focused on becoming what I want to be when I grow up.

It took years before my Oprah moment happened; when it occurred to me that people would be happiest pursuing careers they wanted as children.  At 5 years old I decided to become Lou Grant, a nun, and a cowgirl.  Once a person opens themselves up to the universal plan everything else starts to fall into place.  Of course, you need to do your homework in case karma decides to throw a pop quiz.

Excerpt from first blog post, October 5, 2009

My favorite quote about blogs is from a local sports guy who said, "Blogs are diaries online that no one reads." A truer statement does not exist, but hopefully this space has provided a few readers with entertainment, recipe ideas, and a smile or two. You have to be a bit of a narcissist to be a writer, and blogging feels like a natural extension of that characteristic.

Happy Birthday little blog! Indeed my life has become pretty darned adventurous since I wrote the words above. The adventures began with the experience of cooking on the National Mall in D.C. as part of the University of Minnesota team competing in the Solar House Decathlon, and following that all sorts of other amazing opportunities presented themselves including three consecutive years at the Norsk Høstfest in Minot, North Dakota.

Last week I headed to Minot once again in my role as the Swedish American food representative, and this year was especially awesome. The four-day Scandinavian party is filled with music, food, lutfisk children and dala horses, crafts, vikings, and every kind of sensory experience imaginable. It is also filled with dear friends that I see just once a year, and that I have grown to love.

My demos:

Wednesday:

11:30 AM Lussebullar

4:00 PM Barley Pudding

Thursday

11:30 AM Plättar - Swedish Kringle-Style

4:00 PM Ostkaka - Swedish cheesecake

Friday

11:30 AM Klenäter (fattigmann)

4:00 PM Herring 3 Ways

Saturday

11:30 AM Kroppkakor (dumpling)

4:00 PM Swedish Pizza