Post-Corona?

Dear friends,
What a strange and solemn world we live in now. We are living in a pandemic. I never thought I'd say those words, and certainly the reality of it doesn't match up with any preconceived notions that I might have had of it. Pre-Covid-19 I would have thought it would be like a horror movie, but actually for me it's like an old-timey dive into being bored and just hanging out at the house. Kind of like "Groundhog Day" on repeat without the part of getting to so things differently every day!

I am very grateful to be able to have the opportunity to explore new things and stay safe here with my family. I appreciate all the people on the front-line - the posters above are headed to the Boston Convention Center which as been turned into a field hospital called "Boston Hope" for those recovering from Coronavirus Disease.

So how are you handling it? What are the good things about it? What do think life will be like Post-the big-C? I teach art and I'm pivoting on a dime trying to make art videos for my students, selling my art and I kind of like it! That's my good thing. (Check ShopVida.com for my collection of which I'm honestly pretty proud.) But I am worried for the small businesses like restaurants, gyms and small specialty boutiques that I love. For example, I saw this little article online about "Bord for En" (table for one - is this the future of restaurants?! https://www.foodandwine.com/news/one-person-restaurant-meadow

Basically you get a one-person table in a field and they deliver delicious food by basket! It is a clever idea but who really likes eating alone? Even if you are in a field. And what if it rains? It rains a lot in Sweden! I am glad that they are taking social distancing seriously, unlike some other places in Sweden, but maybe a bit too seriously? What do you think? I think that no matter how great online teaching and shopping can be it will NEVER replace person-to-person interaction. Tack och hej!

Picture from Bord För En https://www.bordforen.com/

Wearable art with Swedish designs!

Hej Swedish Scarf-lovers! I know you're out there, I am one too! I love to keep my neck nice and cosy! It's not an understatement to say that I probably have about 30 scarves of all shapes, materials and makes and I am soo excited because soon I will get one of my new Christina Rawson (chr) Collection scarves delivered from ShopVida.com! I uploaded my painting entitled "Swedish Bath House" to the site, and voila! A beautiful scarf was made from my work and it's on its way here now with hopefully a bunch of my other designs. It's very exciting to say the least! Please check out my new site here below and enjoy 10% off! And of course I love the name "Vida" 'cause here we live it lagom!

Hello, I’ve created a line of wearable art with VIDA - a sustainable, socially-conscious company - and would like to share my most recent designs with you! Be the first to shop my new designs on my personal collection page by clicking any of the products below. Christina Rawson Newburyport, United States TAKE 10% OFF WITH CODE: EXPLORE10 SHOP MY COLLECTION Swedish Bath House by CHR INFINITY ECO SCARF Swedish Bath House by CHR SLEEVELESS KNIT Marshes by CHR LEATHER ZIP-AROUND WALLET Tree at Maudslay by CHR FOLDAWAY TOTE Tree at Maudslay by CHR TOTE BAG Bird by CHR GREETING CARDS SET Bird by CHR OBLONG PILLOW

Knäckebröd recipe - crispbread the Swedish way!

I love knäckebröd, don't you? It lasts forever so perfect for a pandemic. Maybe making this recipe will help you feel just a little bit more productive and happy. It is so good, and flexible with the types of flours you chose which is helpful given the state of the supermarket shelves. I'm going to skip trying to find "Strong Bread Flour" (?) because I already have a nice white wheat flour, but instant yeast may be tricky. I don't know about you but in Massachusetts yeast is on the list of items that are hard to find during Covid-19. We have been trying for the past two weeks to buy it at Market Basket! Hopefully Amazon will come to the rescue so I can make my knäcke and kanelbullar! (Cinnamon buns). I will let you know! Please take care friends and stay safe. 🌷💐 The recipe is under this cute ad from Wasa that features the song "Strövtåg i Hembygden", enjoy!

From The Local --
Traditionally, Swedes wanted a bread that was easy to bake and would keep well - most therefore chose to bake crispbread. Nowadays it is easy to store in airtight containers, but originally they were made with a hole in the centre so that they could be hung over the oven to keep dry.

These delightfully wobbly crispbreads are irresistible and perfect for breaking and sharing. Serve them simply with good quality butter, cheese and fruit, or elegantly with salmon, cold meats, pâtés and dips.
Summary
Makes 6 large breads
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 25 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Ingredients
200 ml (1 cup) whipping cream
300 ml (1 1/4 cup) water
260 g (2 1/2 cups) dark wholemeal rye flour
320 g (2 1/2 cups) strong bread flour
1 tsp salt
14 g (4 1/2 tsp) instant dried yeast
Topping
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp cumin or caraway seeds
Method
1. Heat the cream and water together until warm to the touch.
2. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast and stir.
3. Add the cream and water mixture and mix together to form a dough.
4. Using the rye flour for dusting, turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead it for 2-3 minutes.
5. Cut the dough into six equal pieces, then knead them into round balls.
6. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet, cover with a cloth and leave somewhere warm for 20-30 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 250C (475F, gas 9, fan 200C)
8. Using the rye flour for dusting, knock back a dough ball and then roll it out using an ordinary rolling pin to about 15cm (6in) diameter. Then transfer to a sheet of baking parchment and continue rolling out with an ordinary rolling pin until it is as thin as possible or at least 30cm (12in) diameter. Don't worry too much if the dough does not end up circular. You can trim roughly if you want, but the shape is not critical.
9. Sprinkle with the salt, sesame seeds and cumin seeds. Roll again to help the topping stick.
10. Make a pattern on the surface using a fork or a patterned rolling pin.
11. Bake for five minutes and then turn over and bake for about three minutes or until dry and hard. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
12. Repeat with the other dough balls.
13. When the oven has cooled to about 50C (122 F) pop the crispbreads back in to dry out. This will help to make them nice and crisp.
14. Store the crispbreads in an airtight container.
Tips
- Use any flour you want. If you want to go rustic, use stoneground, and if you want to go healthy, use fine rye, spelt or barley flour.
- Other toppings to try include linseed, sunflower seeds, rosemary or just salt.
Recipe courtesy of John Duxbury, editor and founder of Swedish Food.