Darra Goldstein’s Mussels in Aquavit in The Norwegian American
Mussels always take me back to that summer in Oslo, the first time I visited the country where my dad was born. Norway had been a place with almost a mythical quality, someplace alive and real in my mind but…
Norwegian Bacalao Stew with Potatoes, Tomatoes, and Onion
The end of June, beginning of July. The calendar marks the month but also the moment. It was just about this time, when one month rolled into the next, when I stepped foot in Norway for the first time. “We’ll…
In Print: Orange Pound Cake with Wine-Poached Strawberries and Mascarpone
If you follow along on Instagram, this image might look familiar. I offered the sneak peak a couple of months ago when developing a recipe for my latest article in Costco Connection magazine. That article–Beyond the Bun: A Camper’s Guide to Outdoor…
A Lutefisk Feast
“My mom would have been proud of you,” Dad told me from the place where he rested, post-meal, in my kitchen. As I sealed plastic wrap over bowls of medisterkaker, potatoes, red cabbage, and riskrem to refrigerate and Mom filled my dishwasher…
Picking Strawberries at Biringer Farm
Summer in the Pacific Northwest is one of the most pleasant, enjoyable combinations of time and place that I can imagine. Neither chilly nor too hot, the days are typically sunny and just warm enough to allow for flip flops…
Midsummer Picnic in the Meadow (and Thoughts on the Writing Life)
I sip my tea as I sit down to write, the aromas of rose petals and cardamom pods wafting up from the steaming mug. The floral spiced black tea, purchased at Samovar Tea Lounge during a New Year’s trip to…
Returning Home & Reflecting on Kauai
After three weeks, nearly 20,000 air miles and roughly 40 hours of flying, I am home. During the month of March, I spent more time traveling than I did in Seattle—first a whirlwind trip to New Zealand followed by a…
Travel: New Zealand
Here at Outside Oslo I try to stick to the focus of Scandinavian food but every once in a while something calls to me, asking me to digress. Since I’ve been pretty quiet over here on the blog in recent…