• Swedish Crayfish Party

    Västerbotten Pai (Swedish Cheese Quiche with Mushrooms)

    Before the seasons begin their visible transition from summer to fall, there’s a lovely tradition that is one of the most charming of Scandinavian celebrations: the kräftskiva, or Swedish crayfish party. A tradition every August in Sweden, it’s one that I’ve…

  • Grandma Adeline’s Lefse

    Grandma Adeline was a professional lefse baker back in the day. Here is her recipe, with detailed instructions as I learned the steps from her.

  • Midsummer Picnic Potato Salad

    Midsummer might just be one of my favorite times of the Scandinavian year—specifically because of the food. Think smoked or cured salmon and pickled herring, potato salad, berries, aquavit, and beer. Celebrations might involve picnics and bonfires, and in Sweden,…

  • Syttende Mai with Grandparents 1980s

    Going deeper with those we love (and how food helps)

    Each of us has an ache, I suspect–a longing for deeper connection. If you’ve been following Outside Oslo for a while, you may know part of the story of how I began writing about Scandinavian food over ten years ago. It was…

  • Grandma Adeline’s Norwegian Potato Dumplings

    I’ll be honest, I’m sharing this recipe from a place of vulnerability. I could get away without mentioning that fact, but by doing so I would feel like I were just tossing the recipe into the world with no reverence…

  • 10 Years of Outside Oslo

    A bit of a milestone passed by unobserved here a few months ago: the 10-year anniversary of Outside Oslo. I still remember clicking "publish" on that first post on September 1, 2009, and how the blog became a powerful tool…

  • Sandkaker / Sandbakkelse

    Norwegian Christmas Cookies: Sandkaker / Sandbakkelse

    I never tire of seeing the variety of cakes and cookies in the Scandinavian tradition. With little more than butter, sugar, eggs, and flour, and often a scattering of spices, we can create an extensive assortment of treats. Sometimes elegant…

  • Berlinerkranser

    Norwegian Christmas Cookies: Berlinerkranser

    I grew up knowing the tradition by taste rather than by name. Syv slags kaker–or seven sorts of cookies. The way it goes, you wouldn’t be a proper Norwegian if you didn’t serve at least seven types of cookies at Christmastime. I…

  • Krumkaker

    Norwegian Christmas Baking: Krumkaker

    I still remember what it was like, cupping my hand under my mouth to catch the crumbs. Biting into a krumkake at my grandparents’ house at Christmastime, I knew that the cookie would inevitably shatter. I just had to be…