friday interiors

swedish winters aren't always easy - i think about when i first arrived in sweden last year and wondered what on earth i was doing here - but then, this year, the winter is bright, snowy and sparkly, making the early darkness tolerable.  and, it's been very cold.  which brings me to these swedish traditional tiled fireplaces found in so many homes; in the kitchens, bedrooms, or living rooms. they are called kakelugn, meaning 'tiled stove' and they date back to the 1800s. although many are no longer used for heating, they sure do look pretty lit with white candles. cozy, don't you think?

have a lovely & cozy weekend.

4 / 52 weeks

kai: a boy and his grumpy cat

saffron

i was quite happy when i came upon these saffron cookies!  you see, anything baked with saffron usually disappears after the christmas holidays.  you first spot saffron - in little packages - in baskets by the cashiers as swedes will begin baking with it.  

my favourite saffron sweet?  the saffranbulle, similar to the kardemummabulle i have certainly mentioned in this space before, and in my opinion just as lovely.  stefan wouldn't agree but he's not a fan of saffron so he doesn't count :-)

because i will have to wait until december to eat a saffranbulle again - such a short season they have! - these cookies are the perfect saffron fix.  delicious dipped into tea.

swedes and their seasonal baked goods... right now, it's the semla, until easter.

happy thursday everyone!

travelogue: when in den bosch for christmas

when in den bosch, visiting your in-laws for christmas... 

1. visit a windmill, of course.  heusden has the cutest little drawbridge.  apparently, my mother-in-law says, that we have a picture right there on that draw bridge during one of my first visits.  i love that about her, her memory.  i wish i had her memory but instead i have this blog to help remember the good times... like this visit.

 

having a "beer" with his opa!

2. eat frites and oilebollen while strolling through den bosch, a sweet little downtown with a stunning church. 

holding hands.

oilebollen!

3. relish in the joy of xmas morning present opening; seeing your in-laws love the present you so much wanted to give them, the anticipation in kai's expression to see what's under the wrapping, being wonderfully surprised.  after the presents but before the dutch-style 'gourmet' dinner, there's an afternoon of playing, relaxing, and sneaking in a little neighbourhood walk too.

christmas bread!

h&m enjoy memory games, so i think this personalized one of their 50th anniversary will get a lot of use :-)

sketching pencils

skype with family

a typical dutch 'gourmet' xmas dinner

4. take a walk in the woods.  just 45 minutes from my in-laws home, we were in the woods of oisterwijk park, huge and lovely. i just wanted to walk and walk and never leave.

5. ride along the de maas dike.  we left kai with his oma and opa and spend a couple of hours on bikes, enjoying the wind on our back pushing us along, seeing horses and sheep.  then, the work began, with the wind against us and a storm brewing overhead we cycled like never before to get back to the comfort of my in-laws home.

6. have the laziest mornings - slow down, drink tea, play board games, read. make a mental note to replicate each and every dish just like oma because kai devoured every single one of her meals.  hearty dutch meals with mash as a constant... no wonder!

games with opa

cooking with oma

raid the attic

dinner!

7.take a picture with jip and janneke.  when kai was a babe, his oma would send him jip and janneke onsies.  zaltbommel is a little town in which the creator of jip and janneke lived. 

  

8. visit a mini amsterdam.  wow, gouda is the most adorable little town.  just like amsterdam but a smaller scale.  the houses were shorter but just as narrow.  the canals narrower.  the streets narrower still.  we indulged here, before heading to the airport, eating our last oilebollen, frites and stroopwafle!

hope you all had a lovely christmas too.