Start of a family-free week-and-a-half and a husband-less 2-and-a-half-weeks. Don’t know whether to be sad or glad right now, but am mostly too busy to think about it.
I worked from home this afternoon so I could be here to say goodbye when Anders and the kids left…it’s their annual ski trip up north with Anders’ best friend Mats and his son Viktor, and the addition this year of Mats’ brother Mikael and his wife Lene, both of whom are also very good friends of ours. Anders’ mom called this evening just to check in and seemed not to know what to talk about after hearing that they had already left.
After 4 days of beautiful blue skies and sunshine, we’re back to rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow. In that order, and then in reverse order and then mixed up in no order at all. It IS gradually warming, though, so that’s a good trend. I don’t expect spring yet; we ARE in Sweden, after all. Spring will get here in its own good time…usually somewhere around the end of April.
I’ve spent the evening grocery shopping and then preparing food for the Wonders here tomorrow. Found a delicious appetizer recipe on the Martha Stewart Living iPad magazine issue (which I just realized means I can’t print it out (at least I don’t think I can) or copy and paste it to an email. How DOES one copy and paste in iPad? I figured out how to copy, but then couldn’t figure out how to paste it elsewhere. Guess I’ll have to Google that later.
Pastry Herb Sandwich Hors d’œuvres
Roll out your favorite pastry dough, to a ¼” thickness on a floured surface or start with store-bought pastry dough. Arrange fresh herbs on top, such as dill, flat-leaf parsley, sage, rosemary & oregano. Gently roll dough, pressing in herbs and rolling to a 1/8” thickness. Cut around individual herbs using a fluted cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter. Bake at 375F until pale gold, 10-15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. Sandwich with soft, spreadable goat cheese.
YUM! Then I made a Reese’s Dessert Bars. Then I made a Caramel Pie. Yes, another Caramel Pie. Do you think it’s possible to have too much Caramel Pie? Because you’re wrong if you do. I cheated on the pastry dough, though I made the meringue myself. For the first time! I made my own meringue! I haven’t tasted it yet, but it felt right and it looked right and I have high hopes that it turned out right. We shall see tomorrow.
Here’s the menu:
Starters
Garlic & Herb marinated artichoke hearts
Pastry Herb Sandwich Hors d’œuvres
Appetizer
Salmon & Dill Patties w/Creamy Caviar Sauce
Entrée
Creamy oven-baked Parmesan Salmon on a Bed of Spinach with Rice
Dessert
Caramel Pie
Reese’s Dessert Bars
Now I’m drooling.
ALSO: Megsie, where are you??