McDonald's franchisees say all-day breakfast is a nightmare

Click Here

(Reuters)
McDonald's franchisees say the company's all-day breakfast launch has been a nightmare.
The new menu is slowing down service, reducing average ticket costs, and causing chaos in the kitchens, franchisees told Nomura analyst Mark Kalinowski in a new survey.

"In small stores, the problems are vast with people falling over each other and equipment jammed in everywhere," one franchisee wrote in response to the survey.

Another wrote, "All-day breakfast is a non-starter. We are trading customers down from regular menu to lower-priced breakfast items. Not generating new traffic."

A third called it "erratic, distorted, disorganized direction from McDonald's," while nearly a dozen more franchisees complained that it slowed down service and added complexity to the kitchens.

"Customers are abandoning us in droves because we are either too slow, or sub-par quality," one franchisee wrote.

.mcdonald's eggs egg mcmuffin
(YouTube )
Others noted that the all-day breakfast menu is confusing to some customers because it varies regionally. In some states, McDonald's is offering McMuffins on the all-day menu, while in others, only biscuit sandwiches are available.

A few complained that the launch requires extra labor, which is an added cost to franchisees who are already pressed for cash by declining sales and expensive kitchen upgrades.

"Unfortunately, with the current labor pool in our area, we are struggling to have enough people to run the shift, much less add an extra person," one franchisee wrote.

Kalinowski interviewed 29 US franchisees covering about 226 restaurants for the survey. McDonald's has more than 14,000 restaurants in the US.

We reached out to McDonald's for comment and will update when we hear back.

The all-day breakfast menu launched nationally on October 6, following regional tests. It's still too early to tell whether it will be a success, but customers have been begging the chain for years to extend its breakfast hours.

The launch is part of McDonald's efforts to revive business following seven straight quarters of same-store sales declines.

In an email to franchisees, McDonald's US President Mike Andres called the all-day breakfast launch a success.

"The successful launch of All Day Breakfast proves that when we listen to and respond to our customers and align around a great execution plan, we will grow our business and take share," Andres said, according to Bloomberg.

Kobe Bryant Slams ‘Insensitive’ Lamar Odom Comments After Master P Unloads on Lakers Legend

Kobe Bryant has a message for Master P: Enough of the “insensitive” comments about Lamar Odom’s medical crisis.

Bryant posted a statement Thursday afternoon on Twitter, following the hip-hop mogul’s rant that Bryant’s concern about Odom is “phony.”

While Los Angeles Lakers star Bryant didn’t mention Master P by name, it’s pretty obvious who he was talking about.

“When WE feel the need to question the support of others in moments as critical as a life hanging in the balance, then we must question the kind of culture we have created that has led US to such insensitive suspicion,” Bryant tweeted, along with the hashtag #justpray.

The statement came just 12 hours after TMZ posted a video of Master P saying he was “like a mentor” to Odom, and knew that the former Laker wanted to return to the NBA.

“If Kobe was his friend, Kobe like, owned the team. He could’ve got the man back on the team, that’s all he wanted,” Master P said.

“Kobe knows the man was a hell of a player, you can’t take that away from him,” he continued, before saying that Bryant’s visit to the Las Vegas hospital room where Odom clings to life after falling unconscious in a Nevada brothel, was “phony.”

Master P also claimed that Odom was “blackballed” from the NBA over his decision to appear with wife Khloé Kardashian on the E! reality series, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”

When the TMZ photographer probed Master P for more details, he said: “I come from the streets, I keep it real.”

Amazing lunch salad

So simple but so good. This is what's in the bowl:

2 leftover chicken drumsticks

1 avocado

Cucumber

Tomato

Small handful edamame beans

Little bit of red onion

1 white nectarine

Balsamic vinegar

Salt



Y U M!

Orange-soy-ginger chicken legs

Oh, these chicken legs were yummy! At least I thought so. The kids.. Well. Not today. But no worries, I don't blame the chicken. I'll totally make it again.



It's simple. Make a marinade from the zest and juice from one orange. Add grated ginger - about a tablespoon. Add two garlic cloves, minced. Add a tablespoon or so of Japanese soy sauce, and about the same amount of neutral oil. And a small splash of sesame oil.



Marinate about one kilo of chicken legs in this, for about an hour. Then bake at 200 degrees for about 30 minutes, turning about half way through.



You're done!

Chocolate orange cake

Sticky chocolate cake is a staple in most households (at least in Sweden), but this one is particularly tasty. I dare say it's the combination between orange zest and vanilla extract that makes this taste so good. Make it at least a few hours in advance, and serve completely cooled - it's better that way. And serve a dollop of cream with it.

As you can see, this was also one of Dante's birthday cakes. Perfect for his little guests and everyone enjoyed it!

As you can see, the photos are far above my usual iphone-level. That's because they're by the super-talented Lisa-Marie Chandler, a superb photographer and a dear friend.

Chocolate orange cake

150 g butter

300 ml sugar

100 ml cocoa powder

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Zest of one orange

150 ml flour 

Melt the butter. Stir in sugar and cocoa, and the eggs. Add vanilla, salt and orange zest and finally fold in the flour.

Pour into a greased springform tin, and bake at 175°C for about 18-20 minutes. Let cool completely before eating.

Gelato

It's a really warm day today - feels like summer! Perfect time to have a big scoop of gelato for lunch! As always, my very favorite place to go for ice cream in Stockholm is Stikki Nikki. She - Nikki herself - makes the gelato daily, from premium organic ingredients, and the quality is just super. I might ask for a quick behind-the-scenes-tour one day - would that be something you'd want to read?



The flavors vary daily by the way. Today I went for Tin Roof and Walnut. Yum!

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Anna Selander, who's the lucky winner of the Philips pasta maker! (I used random.org to pick a number.)

Philips Pastamaker - giveaway!

At the end of this post - there's a giveaway, so read on!

Philips have recently put out a pasta maker as part of their koncept ”restaurant at home”, meaning you can produce restaurant quality food in the home. This is an extrusion-style pasta maker, and I was really excited to try it since I’d never tried one before. Normal pasta machines – the kinds with a crank – still require you do make a dough, and then spend a lot of time running the dough to the proper thickness, then cutting it. It’s fun but takes a long time, and I find that the pasta often gets pretty sticky and messy. With an extrusion-pasta maker, the pasta is pushed out through different nozzles, to make different shapes. I was given this machine for an honest review, but I happen to love it.

So, to make pasta, you simply add flour to your machine – I used 400 g durum wheat and 100 g regular all-purpose flour. (This is a double batch which made plenty for our family, but you can also make a regular batch which serves 2, generously.) Next, put on the lid and start the machine. Add the liquid – I had two eggs, and enough water to make a total of 190 g.



And that is it. That’s all. The machine kneads the dough, and when it’s firm enough, it’ll start pressing it out through the pasta mold. For our first run, we made spaghetti. You have to cut it as it comes out, which means you can make it super short or as long as you want. The resulting pasta was great! It was firmer and a little drier than the home made pasta I’ve made before, so it didn’t stick at all. It needed a little longer cooking time – about five minutes – but that was fine. My three picky eaters – husband and kids – all loved it.



We tried penne the next time, and again, very successful!  Our third run was plain pasta sheets (which we used to make these) and again - it was so simple. For these, I used less durum wheat and more all-purpose flour, in an attempt to get a slightly softer dough. It was still a little on the dry side, which is a side effect of the durum.  In addition to just pasta, you can also make noodles or even dumpling dough, and you can flavor your pasta as well as long as you keep an eye on the wet-dry proportion. I've even seen someone try to make fresh tortilla chips in the machine - amazing! I *have* to try that next.



Cleaning up is also easy enough. You dissemble all the parts and wash them, and when they’re dry, put them back together. It took me all of three minutes. Which is, incidentally, less time than the pasta needs to cook. I do find the pasta from this machine a little drier than other "fresh pasta", and it needs to cook for a little longer than the pre-made kind. I don't mind this at all, though.

My one and only problem is that I have NO place to store this. It’s a big machine and it’s fairly heavy. I’d love to have it close by but it just really takes a lot of valuable bench space – so you might want to think about that. But other than that, if you love pasta, definitely consider this.

Philips have very generously allowed me to give away one of these machines to one of my readers as well! In order to enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post with a recipe for your favorite pasta dish. Don't forget to leave a way to contact you, if you win.  I'll hold a random drawing on Sunday, May 17. (Sweden only, I'm afraid.) 

Pineapple Coconut Cake

Here's a simple and fun cake that I made for one of Dante's birthday parties. It's fairly basic - vanilla, pineapple and a little coconut on top. It's really easy to make, and you could either make a full cake or cupcakes.

Pineapple Coconut Cake 

5-6 pineapple slices - from a can, and save the juice because you need it
3 eggs
200 g sugar
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
100 g butter, melted
270 g all-purpose flour
100 ml buttermilk (Swedish filmjölk works great)
100 ml pineapple juice (from the tin)

Glaze:
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
400 ml confectioner's sugar
40 g melted butter
4-5 tsp pineapple juice (from the tin)

To decorate:
coconut flakes

Cut the pineapple into small bits.

Beat eggs and sugar until very fluffy. Fold in cardamom, vanilla and baking powder, and then butter, flour, buttermilk and pineapple juice.

Pour into a lined baking pan, mine was about 20 by 30 cm and I had enough batter to fill a few muffin cups as well. Bake at 175°C for about 25-30 minutes. Insert a skewer to make sure the cake is cooked.

Stir together all the ingredients for the glaze and add enough pineapple juice to make it spreadable.

When the cake is cooled, spread with the glaze and top with coconut.

Peanut Butter Cookies with Bacon and Dark Chocolate

I could barely believe what I was reading as I encountered this recipe over at Joy the Baker. A peanut butter cookie with chocolate isn't all that unique, but with the addition of bacon? Clever! Unique! And fun. And also, very very tasty. My guests were baffled - they couldn't guess the ingredients, but loved the cookies. 

These are very soft and crumbly, so be careful - make sure they cool completely on the baking sheets or they will mostly likely fall apart. 

As a bonus, these are free from gluten and dairy. Not dietary concerns for me, but for many others.

Peanut Butter Cookies with Bacon and Dark Chocolate
adapted from Joy the Baker
about 40 cookies

340 g peanut butter
200 g sugar (the original uses a mix of white and brown, but I only had white at home)
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
140 g bacon, cooked to a crisp and coarsely chopped
100 g dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%)
sugar for coating the cookies

Start by cooking the bacon - I do this in the oven, at 200°C and about ten minutes. Cool completely before chopping.

Combine peanut butter and sugar. Add the egg and baking soda. Fold in bacon and chocolate. Roll into walnut-sized balls (or slightly smaller) and roll in sugar.

Place on lined baking sheets and press down with a fork to make a criss cut pattern. Bake at 175°C for about 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on the sheets before transferring. 

Milk Chocolate Pistachio Cookies

Honestly one of the best cookies I've ever made. The combination of chewy cookie, sweet milk chocolate and crunchy pistachios, accented by flaky sea salt, is sure to be a really big hit.

Milk Chocolate Pistachio Cookies

makes 40 or so

150 g butter, softened

140 g caster sugar

140 g brown sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp extract) 

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

240 g all-purpose flour

100 g milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

50 g chopped up roasted, unsalted pistachios
a few pinches of sea salt

Start by creaming the butter and both types of sugar very, very well. (My butter was, as usual, not softened, so I just creamed it for much longer.) Add the egg and vanilla and beat until mixed. Add the dry ingredients - baking soda, salt and flour - and mix until combined. Finally add the chocolate. 

Shape into four slender logs and place on lined baking sheets.  Press pistachios into the top, and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 175°C for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a minute before cutting them, diagonally, into cookies. Leave to cool completely. 

These freeze very well but lose some of their chewiness. 

Breakfast Parfait

"Mom, are you having DESSERT for BREAKFAST"?!

My kids couldn't believe their eyes, and insisted I'd eat something "real" first. 

Well, it does look luxurious, doesn't it? It's just vanilla yogurt, layered with fresh raspberries, a little granola and some toasted coconut. Very yummy and good for you - for dessert OR for breakfast. 

Kiddie-Pleaser Pasta Rolls

I was at a loss what to do for weekend lunch a few days ago and I was SO bored with the same old options. My kids are fairly picky eaters, at least right now, and what they eat change from day to day. So I wanted to try something new, but I also needed them to eat so I couldn't go too far out. Pasta is almost always popular...

This turned out to be a huge hit. Dante helped me, while Titus played video games (we love the Lego games for Xbox) with his cousin, and they all loved the food.

Plan on two rolls per kid if they're somewhat hungry - and adult might need three, depending on appetite. (And this would of course be nice with a salad on the side.)

Kiddie-Pleaser Pasta Rolls

8 fresh lasagna sheets
100 g cream cheese with herbs
8 slices cooked ham
one small zucchini
handful of corn (frozen, but thawed)
grated parmesan
about 400 ml plain cheese sauce  (or a bechamel if you want to make it from scratch. I was NOT in the mood.)


Slice the zucchini with a mandoline or cheese sliced the long way, to make long slices. Make sure you have at least eight - I cut mine in half to cover most of the pasta sheet, width-wise.

Spread the cream cheese on the lasagna sheets. Top with a slice of ham, one or two zucchini slices, a little sprinkling of corn and finally some parmesan. Roll up tightly and place seam-side down in an oven-proof dish.

Cover with the cheese sauce and any remaining corn or cheese. Bake at 200°C for about 15-20 minutes until the pasta is soft and cooked through.

Cookbook Watch spring 2015 - a big round-up

Here's a massive post with some of the best cookbooks I've encountered lately! Most of them in Swedish, but not all.

Festmat by Anette Rosvall and Emma Hamberg. These ladies have put out a lot of cookbooks in the past and they never cease to inspire and come up with new, fun recipes. Anette blogs, in Swedish, and I often run into her at press events. This latest book is all about parties - "Festmat" means party food. It has quite unusual chapters with anything from soups to barbecue, hungover brunch and "your life with food in bread". Fun and charming, and with personal photos as well as great food pics.



The Perfect Egg is another cookbook by bloggers, in this case by Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park who run Spoon Fork Bacon. I know the blog is brilliant so this immediately made my wishlist. As the name implies, it's all about eggs. Tons of eggs. And as I love eggs.. well, I love this book. It has a wide range of recipes, beautiful food pics and a lot of inspiration. Recommended - unless you happen to be allergic to eggs, in which case I imagine the book would be very frustrating...



Brödet, by Håkan Johansson. Simply called "The Bread", this book holds all sorts of baking recipes. How to start your own sourdough, and when to use it - and when to pass. Simple over night breakfast bread, and elaborate creations - the Cheese and Chili bread caught my eye, as well as Apple Hazelnut bread, and Chanterelle Pizza. There's also a chapter on sweet bread and buns which is no surprise since it's what Håkan Johansson is most well known for.



Bakat från Slottsträdgården Ulriksdal - a cookbook from one of Stockholm's most popular cafés. It's situated in a nursery garden, inside a greenhouse, and it's always absolutely packed with people. They serve delicious vegetarian buffets, and a wide array of sweets, and the latter is what this book is about. Frankly, I was a little bit disappointed in this. I expected creative, new recipes, but the book feels pretty basic. With that said, everything looks great and I've tried a chocolate orange cake that turned out to be amazing - so it's a good book, no doubt about it. I look forward to trying out more of the recipes, too!



Grilla! is the latest book by Mattias Larsson, known as Fredagskocken after a long stint on one of the daily radio shows in Sweden. He's a great guy, and very good at flavor combinations. Grilla means to barbecue, so that's what this book is all about. Sweden is a grill-loving country, and as soon as the temperature is warm enough, everyone starts to cook outdoors. Also, the barbecue cookbooks hit the shelves - we see at least five or more every year. This particular one earns its place on my shelf because it's so creative - there are really tons of good ideas here sure to inspire. What I'm dying to try is the whole-grilled cauliflower with gruyère cheese and gremolata oil.



Buffé is written by bloggers Jennie Benjaminsson and Stina Patetsos who met through the TV-show Masterchef Sweden. They are both really sweet and fun girls, and their cooking is bright, bold and flavorful. Stina is of greek heritage and a lot of recipes in the book show this. In fact, I'm going to try my hand at a Greek-inspired dinner in a few weeks - will report back! If you enjoy having parties and cooking for crowds, this is most definitely a book you don't want to miss!



Till Bords med Systrarna Eisenman is the latest book from the productive sisters, Lisa Eisenman Frisk and Monica Eisenman, who used to own the Cookbook Café in Stockholm. They have since made several books, together and separately, and the focus in this one is great food to enjoy together with your guests, rather than having to spend the whole night slaving away in the kitchen. There are recipes for both summer and winter, and most things take no more than half an hour to cook. Chicken Shawarma is first on my to-try list, followed by a Chèvre Grape Salad with Caramelized Walnuts. Yum.


Sally Voltaire is a trendy chef right now. Her mom is Lotta Voltaire and her aunt is Renée Voltaire, both pioneers in vegetarian and raw food cuisine, and Sally now runs several restaurants and shops of her own. This is her first cookbook, aptly named Sally Voltaires Mat (Sally Voltaire´s Food). Most recipes, but not all, are vegetarian, and with unexpected flavor combinations.



I köket med Markiz - Marockansk Magi, is the first book from Markiz Talhaoui, who also was a participant on Swedish Masterchef a few years ago. She didn't win but she had amazing presence and was one of the judges favorites. Her book is all about the food she grew up with, in a Swedish-Moroccan household. There's different ambition levels - make your own merguez sausage, or just buy some and make a flavorful stew. Dig a fire pit and grill a lamb - or much more approachable, cook some in the oven, but with the same spices and sauce.

Dante, three!

My little darling Dante turned three years old today! He's a delightful mix of big and little right now - it's a wonderful time! Happy birthday!

Sweet Potato Coins with Cardamom Creme Fraiche and Coconut Chicken.

This is a quick and easy side dish and a very delicious one at that. Take a sweet potato or two - ideally longer rather than thicker. Slice it into 5 mm slices. Toss with olive oil and salt, and a touch of cumin if you're like me. Bake in the oven at 200°C for about 7-8 minutes on each side. You do need to flip them, but that's the only slightly bothersome thing about this recipe.

After that, serve. A great dipping sauce is simply crème fraîche with a mango chutney and finely chopped fresh coriander.

Also on the plate - basmati rice cooked in coocnut milk,  and coconut chicken burgers. Here's the recipe for those:

Coconut Chicken burgers
Serves 4

450 g chicken mince
1 egg
50 ml coconut flakes (unsweetened)
3 tbsp cream
salt
1 tsp whole cardamom seeds
butter, for frying

Start by soaking the coconut in the cream for about half an hour.

Grind the cardamom to a fine powder in a pestle and mortar.

Mix the coconut flakes with the chicken mince, cardamom, egg and salt. Shape flattened patties, and fry in a little butter for about 5 minutes on each side.

Pecan Coconut Bars

This was originally a cookie recipe - for Chocolate-Dipped Coconut-Pecan Macaroon Bars - from the awesome book - The Perfect Egg - from Teri Lyn Fischer and Jenny Clark who are the bloggers behind Spoon Fork Bacon.

I was baking with Dante and needed something I could freeze and nibble on when in immediate need of energy, and this recipe seemed to fit the bill perfectly. They can certainly be fancied up and go right ahead and dip these in chocolate if you want to. Or just drizzle some on top. Like dried fruits? Add some! Like more nuts? Go nuts! These bars - or cookies - are forgiving.

The original use oat flour, which I didn't have at hand, so I substituted almond meal which also means these darlings are gluten-free. I use the highest quality organic coconut flakes I can find, because they taste so much better.

Pecan Coconut Bars
Makes 24

125 ml almond meal
400 grams organic coconut flakes (unsweetened is the norm here, but make sure)
100 grams pecan nuts, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 can - about 400 g) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites

First, set aside about a quarter of the pecans for sprinkling over the bars.

Second, beat the egg whites until frothy.

Next, combine almond meal, coconut, pecans, salt, milk, vanilla and the egg whites. Press into a lined baking pan (mine was 33 * 24 cm which is about 9*13 inches)  and make sure it's pretty even. Sprinkle with remaining pecans and score lightly into 24 squares.

Bake at 175°C until lightly golden, about 20-25 minutes. Remove and let cool completely in the pan before cutting into separate pieces.

These freeze very well.

Butter-Fried Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Dates

I'm an avid reader and I usually have a book - or three - going on my Kindle app. (I rarely pick up paper books these days - it's just easier to read on my phone.) In a book I recently read, the main character was in New Orleans, and at a restaurant ordered delicious brussel sprouts, cooked in butter, with bacon and chopped dates. Intriguing!

Just after reading that, I came upon lots of bags of gorgeous fresh brussel sprouts at my grocery store. I immediately knew what I had to make for dinner and I googled until I found this recipe.  I adapted it a bit and served it with some steamed cod fillets, and it was every bit as good as I had imagined it. The combination of salty bacon, sweet dates (that are undetectable - I promise. My seriously sceptical husband went for seconds, and thirds!) and the bite of the balsamic vinegar takes away all the bitterness of the sprouts. They're just really yummy. We finished the entire bowl!

Butter-Fried Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Dates
500 g fresh brussel sprouts
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
100 g bacon, diced
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
5 dates, finely chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
125 ml chicken stock (or vegetable, or just water)
salt

Clean the sprouts. Cut off the woody end and cut them in half. Heat the butter and oil in a very large skillet and once hot, fry the sprouts, cut side down. Let them caramelize. Add some salt.

Turn them over and let them fry for a few more minutes. Push to one end of the pan and add the bacon. Fry until fairly crisp, then add onion, garlic and dates. Fry for a minute or so, then add the balsamic vinegar. After a few more minutes, add the chicken stock and let that reduce so you are left with a thick, sticky glaze.

Season, and serve.

Dinner The other night

Take four pieces of salmon fillet, in an oven proof dish. Mix creme fraiche with crumbled feta cheese, and some finely chopped capers, olives and sundried tomatoes. Spread over the fish and bake. Serve with boiled potatoes and some butter-fried sugar snap peas. Delicious, easy and quick!

Crockpot Chili with Pineapple

I thought this would be a nice weekday dinner that the kids might approve of since the pineapple lends a lot of sweetness - alas, they weren't interested but I sure liked it.

Crockpot Chili with Pineapple
1500 g beef, suitable for stewing - I use högrev
neutral oil
1 onion, chopped
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 red chili pepper, minced(or more)
6-8 garlic cloves, minced
1 dried ancho chili
400 g crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt
black pepper
ancho chili
cumin
coriander
1/2 pineapple, finely diced

Cut the meat into large dice and brown well on all sides in some neutral oil. Add to the crockpot. Add all the ingredients except for pineapple - I haven't given you any measurements for the spices since I have no idea how spicy you like your food. You probably do know :-)

Let this cook all day, eight hours or so on low. One or two hours before eating, add the pineapple.

Serve with tortillas or tortilla chips, sour cream, avocado, tomatoes and maybe some grated cheese. And cilantro, of course. Always cilantro!

Last night's dinner

Grilled chicken leg, bulgur wheat, lots of veggies and a Turkish yogurt with lemon zest, garlic and a little honey.

Carrot Ginger Lemongrass Soup

Carrot Soup with Cashews & Feta
serves 4

1 small onion, diced
1 tbsp neutral oil
700 g carrots, sliced
2 lemongrass stalks
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
75 ml cashew nuts, raw (a large handful)
75 ml red lentils
1,2 litre water
salt

Toppings:
crumbled feta cheese
cashew nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
fresh coriander
crispy bacon

Fry the shalotts(or onion in the oil, on medium heat. When it looks transclucent, add carrots, cashews and lentils as well as ginger and lemongrass.  After a few minutes, add the water.

Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Then, cover with a lid, lower the heat and let it simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes. Check to make sure the carrots are soft. Add a little salt. Purée the soup until super smooth - I used my big Oster Versa blender, but a handheld one will do the job too.

Taste it to see what sort of spices you want - I just added salt, but feel free to go a lot spicier. And serve with lots of toppings.

Banana Ice Cream

Have you tried banana ice cream? You know, the kind with.. bananas. And just bananas? I'm sure you have, I feel very late to this particular party. I do freeze my over-ripe banana slices, but I often end up tossing them out at a later date. A few nights ago though, my kids asked - totally out of the blue - for banana ice cream. I looked at the giant super-strong Oster Versa blender, I remembered my banana slices, and said "sure!"

So basically you toss frozen bananas in a blender, and go. I added a spoonful of cream to facilitate the blending, because without it, I mostly had a frozen banana powder. But in the end, it came together beautifully and I thought it was delicious. The kids weren't that impressed - just with my mad skills and ability to whip up just what they asked for so quickly. I ate their portions. (With chocolate sauce, but don't tell them.)

Kladdkakemuffins

In the ongoing series, "weird Swedish fika"... no, let me start this over. Ok. Kladdkaka. That's essentially a brownie, and it's the first thing Swedish kids bake on their own. (At least I figure it is. It's easy enough.) Someone figured that this wasn't easy enough, or not cute enough, and then used muffin tins to make "kladdkakemuffins" which translates to "sticky cake muffins" and is essentially.. brownies in muffin tins.

Anyway. They're good.  Make some. Serve warm, with ice cream or whipped cream.

Kladdkakemuffins
(brownie muffins) 
8 large-ish servings

100 g melted butter
2 eggs
220 g sugar
65 g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
120 g flour

Crack the eggs in a bowl. Add sugar and cocoa and stir until smooth. Add vanilla, baking powder and flour, and gradually the butter. You'll have a thick, dark, batter. Spoon this into muffin tins - mine were made of foil but paper is fine too. Don't fill them all the way to the top - no more than 2/3.

Bake at 200°. The exact time will depend on your muffin tin size, but I baked mine for about 12 minutes and they were perfect. They should not be too underbaked, but a little is fine. (But you're not making fondants.) Let them cool a little and they will fall in, creating a nice crater for your ice cream to sit in. Dust with a little powdered sugar if desired. And if you're feeling so inclined, a few berries are pretty on top.

Some food news

I've tried out some new things lately and thought I'd show some of them to you! Biggest one first - the Oster Versa! It's a real powerblender, that can make anything from smoothies to soups - it even heats the soups! I've only tried a few fruit blends so far, but I will definitely experiment further. Size-wise, it's huge! Yet it's pretty light, at least compared to my KitchenAid blender - probably because the jug is plastic. Have you tried one? Do let me know any tips and tricks!





These two photos are from a press lunch event I went to at Viking Line - the ferry cruise company famous for their leisure cruises to Helsinki and Mariehamn. I rather like them for a quick mini-vacation - they're cheap, there's lots to do, tax-free shopping and surprisingly good food. At the moment, they're having a guest chef - Michael Björnlund who normally runs Smakbyn on Åland. He offers a really tasty three-course menu, and we got to taste all the options. Up top, the starter which is a  cold, cooked whitefish with pickled red onions, dill mayonnaise and a lovely Kastelholm cheese from Åland. And then a butter-fried pike-perch with a deep-fried crawfish tail and an apple flavored clam sauce. This was just amazing. Not pictured but also really good was a crawfish soup, served as a small amuse bouche. Also an elk dish which wasn't my favorite, and a really tasty crème brûlée. Highly recommended!



I got the opportunity to try the Loppi Blogbag, which arrived with various goodies. I'm especially fond of the rice cakes from Friggs, and the tea with blueberry and acai is also really tasty. I'm on the fence about the dried fruit sticks for the kids - they're really sweet even though they're all natural. But ok as a treat, I suppose.



Finally, I got a delivery with fabulous new juices from God Morgon. (sadly they don't look like the lovely photo...)  One has apple, raspberries, orange and blackcurrant - tastes mostly like raspberries. The other one was blueberry and ginger, with apple and grape. I liked both but thought the ginger was a bit too prominent. However, Titus loved that one, rather surprisingly. Both are pretty sweet and work really well for juice pops, which I sometimes make for the kids.

Baked Chicken Curry

My friend Dagmar makes this awesome chicken curry frequently, and I've had it at her house. She has, however, moved across the country and our dinners will be less frequent, unfortunately. She does however make weekly menus and post to Instagram, and she gladly shares her recipes. So a few nights ago, we made her curry, and felt a little bit closer.

This recipe marinates over night which I feel makes it perfect and very convenient - but you have to prepare.

I made a few adaptions, feel free to make your own. Also feel free to ignore my hideous photo, I don't know what happened...

Baked Chicken Curry
serves 4-6

1 whole chicken, cut up into reasonable pieces
salt,  black pepper
1 lime, juiced
1 large piece of ginger, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
100 ml plain yogurt
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
8 cardamom pods
oil, for basting
2 tbsp finely chopped red onions

Season the chicken pieces with plenty of salt and pepper, toss with the lime juice (original uses lemon) and leave for 20 minutes.

Stir together ginger, garlic, yogurt, and all the spices. (Not the oil or the onions.) Mix with the chicken and place in an oven-proof dish. Cover and refrigerate over night.

When ready to cook, bring it up to room temperature. Brush with oil and top with the onions. Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook for another 30-40 minutes, basting with the juices as you go along.

Serve with rice, a salad of grated carrots with lime and coriander, and some more yogurt.

Lemongrass Coconut Chicken

Sweden is covered in snow right now, or at least Stockholm is. It's not super cold - just around the freezing point - and it's fairly wet and slushy. Needless to say, hot food is a necessity. Last week, I made this tasty and flavorful soupy-saucy dish, packed with veggies. At least mine was - the kids stuck to rice, chicken and broth, but that's ok too. You can make more broth, to make this a proper soup. Feel free to customize, and if you like a little heat, definitely add some chili. My oldest boy is really sensitive to spicy food, so I left that out this time.



Lemongrass Coconut Chicken

400 ml coconut milk

400 ml chicken stock

2 stalks lemongrass

Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger 

1 tsp brown sugar

Zest of one lime

2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced 

To serve: 

Rice, cooked

Red pepper, sliced

Bean sprouts 

Sliced mushrooms

Snow peas

Tomatoes, diced

Red onion, very thinly sliced

Cilantro

Combine coconut milk and chicken stock in a large pot. Pound on the thick ends of the lemongrass stalks with the back of a knife or a small saucepan, and add to the pot. Grate the ginger  and add that as well, with the sugar and lime. Bring everything to a boil, and let it simmer gently for about 15 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer until cooked through.

Serve all the veggies on a big platter and let everyone pick what they want.  Add rice. Top with the warm broth and chicken. 

Semmelkladdkaka or Cardamom-Almond Blondie

Semlor is all the rage in Sweden this time of year. Let's do a short recap: It's a yeasted bun, flavored with lots of cardamom, and filled with almond paste and whipped cream. Just what you need during a cold and dark Swedish winter, to be sure. It's what we eat on Shrove Tuesday, rather than pancakes. Semlor are sold in every Swedish pastry shop from January to March, basically. (I refer to this post to see a good picture of what they should look like.)



There's rarely much variation. You see a vanilla creme filled semla here, or a chocolate cream one there, perhaps swapping the bun for a saffron bun, but most people stick to the original. Then this year, Mattias Ljungberg of Tössebageriet hit a home run with the wrap-semla (pictured above). It's a raging success and it's all over social media. It's pretty damn smart - it's the same, but the dough is rolled thinly and baked into a wrap rather than a bun. Much easier to eat on the go and AWESOME. However, not super easy to replicate at home.

Enter the Semla Blondie, or the semmelkladdkaka as it's already known in the Swedish blogosphere. I stumbled upon it via Dagmar, who posted a photo on Instagram.

The same flavors are there - cardamom and almond - and it's definitely very reminiscent of a semla, but with hardly any of the work. Do give this one a try - anyone can do it, and it's delicious. I promise! I started with the recipe found here and played a little with it. My version is slightly less rich, although still plenty full of fat and sugar. Perfect for the winter, like I said.

Semmelkladdkaka or Cardamom-Almond Blondie
10-12 slices

140 g butter, melted

2 eggs

225 g sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp vanilla sugar

1-2 tsp cardamom seeds, freshly ground

120 g flour

100 g almond paste, grated

Start by melting the butter, and let it cool slightly.

Stir together the eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla sugar and cardamom. No need to beat, just stir. Add the flour and the butter, and mix until uniform. Finally add the almond paste and fold together. Pour into a buttered springform pan (about 24 cm in diameter). 

Bake at 175°C at 18-20 minutes. It should still be a little sticky in the middle, but mostly set. Let it cool before serving. Serve with whipped cream. Berries would be nice too, but would take away from the semla-likeness - but go ahead and try!

Chocolate Truffle with nuts and seeds

A fantastic christmas candy - or anytime candy, actually! It's a creamy and rich dark chocolate truffle, studded with all sorts of good-for-you goodies. I use figs and apricot, walnuts, almonds and pumpkin and sesame seeds. You can, obviously, vary this as you see fit. I bet a good variety would include dried sour cherries, blueberries, hazelnuts and coconut.. perhaps with white chocolate instead of dark?

Chocolate Truffle with nuts and seeds
300 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
240 g cream (full fat)
10 g butter
100 g almonds, toasted
100 g walnuts, toasted
60 g pumpkin seeds
50 g dried apricots, cut small
50 g dried figs, cut small
30 g sesame seed

Prepare all the ingredients. Put the chocolate in a fairly large bowl, and prep a 20 cm square tin with some some sort of easy-release paper or silpat. I use a special non-stick foil for this.

Heat the cream and when almost boiling, pour over the chocolate. Stir until melted. Add the butter and all the mix-ins - reserve a little bit of pumpkin and sesame seed.

Stir well, and pour into your prepared tin. Top with reserved seeds, if you want to. Cover with plastic foil and chill until completely firm before cutting. Keep cool.

13 courses for (almost) Twelfth Night 2015

It's that time of year again - we always have a fabulous dinner with our friends at the start of the year. We get together to make a large tasting menu, in total, 13 dishes. This year, we had the dinner a little early.  and we were also a couple short since Dagmar and her husband has recently moved. We hope they'll join us again next year!

We had a lot of ideas for themes but in the end, decided not to have a theme at all. It turned out to be a varied meal, and everything was delicious. Each couple made four dishes, and I added a small snack and a drink, as usual.



Our first course was a drink - Bellini Frutti which was basically sparkling wine with a purée of peaches, pink grapefruit and strawberries - and a caraway-spiced crisp bread topped with Dutch Prima Donna cheese and a fig compote.



Next came a spicy gazpacho with a mint ice cream. Different and very fun!

Erika and Micke made a lovely (but hard to photograph) rösti from sunchokes and potatoes. It was served with crisp bacon, raisins and a caper sauce. I loved it.



My starter was rice crisps - you simply deep fry spring roll wrappers, very fun! - with a mango salsa. I was planning to put lobster on top of this but it smelled a little funky so I didn't dare. It was certainly good on its own! It's also topped with a little bit of soy mayonnaise.



Micke and Erika made what might have been my favorite dish this evening. Arctic char with a beurre blanc and asparagus.



For my main course, I wrapped pork tenderloin in spinach and Parma Ham, and served it with  fantastic cognac-laced mushrooms and a lightly pickled salad.



We also had duck, with a sweet grape sauce and a garlicky potato mash.



The final main course was a classic Beef Wellington from Lena. It was really pretty so I wish I had a better photo of it. The sauce was fantastic!



This dish - deep-fried dumplings -  was so weird I first wondered if it had been included in the cookbook (Dumplings all day wong by Lee Ann Wong) as a joke. The filling has white chocolate, wasabi and pretzels and on its own, it was pretty horrible. But as it turned out, it was really good! The dumplings took a lot of work, since the pretzels are sharp and prone to poke little holes, so I did a lot of patching.



This was so good it should be illegal. Chocolate dipped bacon with toasted almonds. Try this!



Erika and Micke made individual cheesecakes with raspberry coulis, awesome!

My own dessert was a repeat - fried pineapple with caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream and salted peanuts. Yum!



Finally, our very last dish. Limoncello parfait with a raspberry coulis. The perfect to end to our wonderful meal.

Want to look at earlier years?

2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011 - Around the world theme
2012 - Movie and TV theme
2013 - Different main ingredients
2014 - Different flavors