Scandinavians tend to drink the most coffee per capita although specialty, sweet, and flavoured coffees still aren’t as popular as in North America. The coffee here is usually bold, rich, dark and always had for breakfast and after meals (even at 10PM as seen with my mum above in Copenhagen).

However, I was a tea drinker and didn’t have my first coffee until I was 18. Living in England amongst dedicated tea drinkers I had comfortably avoided coffee until I visited with a sophisticated, polished couple that I wanted to be be like. So when they had coffee, I had my first cup and tried to be ever so polite about the horrible taste in my mouth as I sipped it bit by bit.

When I moved to Seattle, WA in 1999, birthplace of Starbucks and coffee snobs, I kept resisting coffee. It wasn’t until a frightfully cold morning commute did I pull into a cafe for a coffee - just to hold. The barista had loaded it up with Vanilla syrup and I found myself finally liking coffee (or perhaps really, just syrup!).

Tea remained my favourite beverage for taste and ritual but when I moved to Los Angeles a few years ago and discovered Urth Caffe’s Spanish Latte, I have to say that coffee began to be a favourite treat and I actually found myself craving a cup on cold mornings or when I was feeling a little sick. The rich, caramel, chocolate flavour of the coffee itself combined with the fact it’s organic and has one of the lowest acidic rates of any coffee won me over. It doesn’t need a lot to be good, which is how most coffee - and food - really should be.

With my mum coming tomorrow and my Danish cousins arriving next week, coffee had to be in the house. So I biked to Urth the other day, picked up a bag of the Italian Roast Coffee for home and I have been enjoying a cup every day since (especially since fall totally hit here and the weather has cooled).

My coffee routine is different than my tea one as is the gear. I love my gear. Here’s what I use to make a great cup:

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Beets have always played a huge part in Denmark; it’s one of two major crops (the other is potatoes) and it’s also harvested for sugar (there’s even a museum dedicated to it). There’s a 99% chance that if you are invited to lunch, nedlagte rødbeder or pickled beets, will be on the table for your smørrebrød (open faced sandwich).

This has always terrified me. Actually, most Danish food has terrified me (Liver Paste/Leverpostej?) ! And so despite having sat at countless tables with beets upon them, I just couldn’t ever bring myself to eat them. No matter how much “oohing” and “ahhing” my mum made over their taste.

However, recently my doctor suggested to me that I should juice some carrots, celery and yes, beets together to help with some health concerns. I’d heard of this tonic before (it’s been suggested as a great hangover drink) and how it helps the liver function. I’ve been an avid juicer but only with things green. I wasn’t sure I could add beets.

But I did.

Into my juicer went one large beet, three carrots, one lemon, half a stack of celery, a bit of ginger and a cucumber for good measure. I wasn’t sure I could drink it but in the name of health I did. And then I did some more. And some more. I couldn’t believe how sweet it was - I had fallen in love with… beets!

I don’t know if I’m into pickling or roasting yet (one step at a time) but juicing them has been tasty and easy. I’m not sure about all the health benefits yet but thankfully I’m now loving beets for their taste instead of doing it out of healing obligation.

My mum will be so proud.

Other beet ideas: Read the rest of this entry »

Chocolate. Such a nice word, isn’t it? Dark Chocolate - even better. When it’s good it’s oh so good but when it’s bad it can turn people off forever as it did me when I was younger. It wasn’t until my early twenties when I lived in New Zealand and went to a chocolate factory I really started to appreciate chocolate. And if I thought it was good in New Zealand, you can imagine how I felt when I finally went to a chocolate shoppe in Belgium than France!

My only bit of chocolate snobbery is that it must be high-quality, junk free chocolate. This is due mostly becuase of taste preference although since I am allergic to gluten, I can’t have most chocolate that is flavoured or mixed with things.

And what are my favourites? I thought you’d never ask.

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I can buy cookbooks with good intentions, I can follow food sites thinking that I will also one day share great tips. If I had TV I’m sure I’d be Tivo’ing shows (Nigella for sure), too. But I must confess that I have never been, nor do I think I want to, be a cook.

Though I adore great food I’m a simple eater and most recipes always seem too lavish for my tastes and style. Also, I’m not one for kitchen gadgets (I don’t have a microwave, I hand wash things, I like chopping and whipping by hand) so I need the recipe to reflect that. And although I enjoy the pleasure of food, I can’t eat gluten and most recipes aren’t always gluten free and eating out has become tricky because of this. But it seems like everyone and their mama is into cooking or has written a cookbook and I’ve felt slight guilt at not either being able or wanting to gush over food like everyone else. Pretty things? Yes. Ponies? Sure! But cook books and hours of eating? Not all the time, thanks.

Living in Santa Monica I have access to a twice weekly farmers market where I can get all my fresh, local, organic produce and food for my simple style eating. I also have access to Real Food Daily which has become one of my thrice weekly habits and sip the can’t-compare Spanish Latte from Urth. And of course, Whole Foods is a quick bike ride away. So eating here is easy with little thought put into it. Whatever craving I might have I can just walk a few blocks and satisfy it. No need to pour over recipes, figuring things out.

However, eating in Carmel by the Sea is a different story; we have but one very tiny market that doesn’t sell organics (and this is a must for me) or gluten-free products. There are no quick-bites or takaway places like Urth or Real Food Daily and the nearest Whole Foods is a 15 minute drive away and I do not have a care whilst here.

Knowing that I have to adjust how I eat from Santa Monica to Carmel, I’ve been looking to gather more recipes in the style of eating that I do so that I can stock up and prepare more at home - but the recipes must be simple but still flavorful, good looking, and did I mention simple?

One of my favourite sites, 101 Cookbooks, has thankfully tagged over 30 recipes gluten free! Also, Real Food Daily has their own Real Food Daily Cookbook so I can get my Mexicalli Chop fix just as often. Gluten Free Girl’s site and book have also Michel Roux’s Eggs has given me great ideas, too.

I tend to eat a lot of eggs, fish, chicken, soups and vegetables though if I can get a good steak I will (and often do). I’m also a pretty avid baker of chocolate chip cookies and cupcakes with butter cream frosting and I do use and enjoy my juicer (that’s the most complicated machine I have!). So as you can see, my lack of complicated cooking or food gushing isn’t due to being a purist in one area or some kind of diet (except for the having to be gluten-free part), it’s about wanting great tasting, enjoyable food that’s easy, pleasing and healthy without being boring or bland.

So hopefully more sites or books will pop up where cooking doesn’t seem so overwhelming or intimidating but isn’t about quick cooking from mixes and soups in cans - often that stuff isn’t healthy and is full of allergens. There has to be more out there on great tasting, easy, quick, simple food thats organic, healthy and also accessible (I can tell you after living in Austin TX and Nashville TN for a bit that finding fresh, local, organic fare is hard and eating the way a lot of people now recommend can seem impossible in BBQ Heaven!).

Do you know where these sites, books, or places are?

Photo courtesy of Williams Sonoma

Growing up, ebelskiver was a welcomed treat. Depending on the season or what was on hand, the fillings could be anything from jam to cheese. With the cool fall weather and seeing pumpkins everywhere, I’ve been looking for a recipe for a good pumpkin filling.

I actually found a Pecan Pumpkin Filled Pancake recipe on the Williams Sonoma web site (where I bought my ebelskiver pan a few years ago). Because I don’t have access to their pumpkin butter (and it’s most likely not gluten-free) and because I use my own gluten-free pancake mix, I’m going to have to experiment a little to get just the right filling. The trick with the batter is to make it lighter than a pancake batter by whipping the egg whites and folding them in. Other than that, it’s fairly easy to make ebelskiver if you have the pan and your filling options are limitless.

So the windows are open, the cool breeze is coming through, and I’ve got some ideas on what to do. And just maybe I’ll end up doing them all (jam, cheese, pumpkin, cream cheese….!). Any other ideas?

It’s been unexpectedly hot and humid in Santa Monica which, combined with moving and working, has made me one thirsty girl. And there’s one drink in particular I’ve become slightly addicted to - the Strawberry Watermelon Drink. It’s refreshing, it’s tasty, and it’s pretty healthy to boot.

Here’s what you need to serve about 4 people:

• One 8oz pack of frozen strawberries (or use one basket of fresh). I like the frozen for when I need the drink to be really cold!
• 1 16oz Bottle of Evolution Fresh Pressed Watermelon Juice (or squeeze your own). I like this juice because it is 100% watermelon juice - no preservatives or sugar at all.
• Sweetener to taste. You can use sugar, Agave Nectar or 1 packet of Stevia (I use Stevia).

Blend everything together in a blender or with a hand-held blending device (I love my Russell Hobbs). You can add ice for a colder drink (if using fresh berries) or add water if you want a more diluted drink (like I do). And that’s it!

It is true that I didn’t get my first (and only) birthday cake until I turned 31. Until then it was always cupcakes though I’ve no idea why. They weren’t ever very fancy - just plain vanilla with a plain vanilla frosting but it was something I looked forward to just the same.

But as I grew older, I became a little more, how shall we say this, sophisticated with my cupcake taste. I wanted more chocolate, more icing, variety of flavours. Then I wanted healthy, then I wanted pretty and then I wanted them not just for celebrations but for lunch! My cupcake obsession was ridiculous.

And then tragedy struck - I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and unable to eat gluten. And for over a year and a half I couldn’t find a gluten-free cupcake to eat was frustrating because all of a sudden little cupcake shops were opening up everywhere and books dedicated to the tasty little treats were coming out like crazy.

It wasn’t until my trip to New York a few months ago that I had my first cupcake in years - thanks to Babycakes NYC. Oh. My. Word. I was happy. It was then I decided that I needed to reunite with the pretty little things and see them on a more regular basis. Luckily I found a recipe to help me do just that:

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Great Article by Jen God called “How to Get Started Cooking at Home for Frugality and Health.”

A few days before Christmas I popped into the Humane Society to drop off a donation but I’m sure you can guess how that works; I did leave a donation but I also picked up a dog! It was simply love at first sight and on the way home I promised to do the best for him I could. So I bought the best bed (he has issues with his back legs due to spending 10months of his life in a little cage), the best toys, the best collar, but most importantly, the best food.

With the right t.l.c. the cold he had at the shelter went away, his spirits were good and he began to walk so much better. However, about two months later, I noticed that he had become hyper, had more puppy-like behavior, and would seem to tire so much faster after play. I thought perhaps this was because I was out of town for a week and all the training I had put in went out the door or that he was just becoming comfortable and showing his “true colours.”

Today I took him to a wonderful Doggie Daycare for an evaluation to see how he would be for boarding while I’m gone for the next couple of weeks (a side-note: it felt like dropping a child off for the first time at Kindergarten. Traumatized me more than I thought it would!).

Everyone ooh’d and ahh’d at how cute and sweet he is but when I picked him up, one of the handlers mentioned that he had far too many puppy qualities for a dog his age (now 12 months) and that he was just a little hyper. She asked what I fed him and when I told her, she said that a lot of dogs that come in on that diet seem to be hyper and listen less. They handed me information on understanding your pet’s diet and suggested I make some changes.

This made complete sense to me since, for the first month, his behaviour was great and then, when I ran out of food and had to pick up some generic Iams (the store where I bought the good food was closed), his behaviour changed.

I’ve seen how food can affect health (mental and physical) first hand as I have a severe food allergy to gluten as before being diagnosed a year ago with this allergy I was literally about a month away from being dead. Numerous things happen to my body and brain when I ingest gluten but one of them is that I almost instantly become hyper, angry, with a very short attention span. This goes away after a few hours when other physical symptoms take over as my body literally shuts down. There’s nothing that can make this better except to avoid gluten. So if food can change me like that, why not my dog?

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There are days when there’s a certain feeling in the air that reminds me of France. Perhaps it’s the brisk air outside, the neighbours wood burning fireplace that’s going or the fact that Amelie has been playing in the background all morning. Whatever it is, there’s a little joie de vivre happening today which has lead me to crave something baked right out of the oven and a little bit French.

Since packing up and boarding a plane aren’t viable options today, I settled instead on baking a traditional French yoghurt cake whilst playing some Carla Bruni to keep me in tune.

Let it be noted that I am not a baker; nine times out of ten I somehow fumble through a recipe and chalk the outcome to “experience” rather than a gastronomic treat. I keep returning to baking because there’s something about the basic process that soothes me.

I do not own a blender, a processor, fancy knives or dishware, so every recipe I own must be basic and simple. The ingredient lists always come from the local grocer rather than an exotic food mart and the names of the recipes themselves are always pronounceable. I’ll never be a fantastic baker but that doesn’t matter. There’s something so sweet to me to have the sun shining, the wind ruffling the curtains, music playing in the background and a little black cat at my feet that makes all the measuring, folding and cleanup worthwhile.

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