Norsk Høstfest: what happens in Minot...

I am back in Minot, North Dakota, thoroughly enjoying Norsk Høstfest; an amazing hybrid of a state fair and midsommar where tens of thousands gather to sing, talk, shop, eat, and generally revel in our love of all things Nordic.

This is my second year at Høstfest doing cooking presentations at the Nordic Kitchen stage in Helsinki Hall. This year Nordic Ware is sponsoring our stage, which means we have snazzy new kitchen equipment and tools. Our motley crew from last year (me, Chef Stig Hansen, our generous hosts Gigs and Larry) are finding lots of ways to have fun and stir up of a bit of commotion.

When the Høstfest volunteers picked me up at the airport on Monday, in the car was the infamous and hilarious Grandma! Grandma and I met up again yesterday a few times, as she could smell our rice puddings and barley risotto from whatever hall she happened to be strolling through. Grandma is known for her very tall stature, and if you want a photo with her you will need to take a number then wait patiently for her to call it out.

I've also dined with Beatrice Ojakangas and her lovely husband Dick, hung with trolls, and helped to cook up a storm on stage. Together with our motley crew I've enjoyed many laughs, a car swap (Chef Stig generously agreed to trade his beater rental with its bullet hole and shattered windshield for my oversized SUV with its impossible to read electronic gauges.), and delicious food. I've also managed to get lots more times than I've left the hotel. Maybe Minot doesn't want me to ever leave!

Back at it this morning to prepare coconut chocolate aebleskiver and Flygande Jakob (Flying Jacob), and I will celebrate Moomin and lefse and vikings and crafts and songs and Norwegian Sweater Dancing and potatoes and lutfisk and meatballs and butter and pudding and romme grot and complete Scandimonium!