Fresh Apple Cake

It's the weekend! And a grand weekend at that. Our good friends are getting married today (yay!), it finally has cooled down here in LA, and I had time to bake!

Ryan and I went apple picking last weekend with some friends in Oak Glen. Ever since, the apples have been staring me down all week in the fridge. I couldn't decide what to make with them until I came across this apple bundt coffee cake recipe. I love coffee cakes. They are the perfect midday fika and you can also eat them for breakfast because it has the word coffee in it [sound logic, don't you think?].

I apparently couldn't wait to try the cake before taking a photo. Oops. 

This cake is quite scrumptious. I used this recipe here on the Food Network site, and subbed out the 1 1/4 cups oil for 3/4 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup oil instead. I also did a cinnamon glaze instead of the honey glaze it called for. I think it would be even more delicious with some Swedish vanilla sauce! Yum!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Scandinavian Christmas 2014!

You guys might not want to hear this yet, but Christmas is just around the corner! Sure, we have to get through this ridiculous heat wave we're having now in California, but before we know it we'll all be drinking hot chocolate and egg nog and singing some Amy Grant [my sister, Maren, has already started all three of those things]. That being said, it's time to start signing up for the 2014 Scandinavian Christmas Series here at the Pickled Herring!

 If you're new to my blog and haven't heard of the Scandinavian Christmas series, allow me to explain. Every year I invite various Scandinavian bloggers, friends, and family to share a favorite Scandinavian-themed Christmas tradition, craft, or recipe. There have been all sorts of posts over the years ranging from pickled herring recipes to a glögg tote tutorial. Check out the new Scandinavian Christmas Series tab to see previous years' posts!

So, if you're Scandinavian (or even just really enjoy Scandinavian culture), send me an email to contribute to the 2014 Scandinavian Christmas series! 

[Kathryn.PickledHerring@gmail.com]

5 Scandinavian Crafts

Lately I've been doing a little reminiscing. So, I decided to do a little roundup of some of my favorite Scandinavian-themed crafts that I've made over the years.

One of my all-time faves has definitely been the tomte tutorial! I made this sucker almost 4 years ago (get out, how does time do that?!)

Next up are these super easy + fun glass magnets. You pick out what you want them to say! I [obviously] chose Swedish words for fun.

And for all the babies in your life, this tutorial for how to stencil using freezer paper is fun. You can stencil anything you that can cut out, and ironing the freezer paper onto the onesie makes a nice clean line. It's basically the poor-mans version of screen printing.

These ornaments have been one of my favorite Christmas items I've made! I love that I got to incorporate my mom's old cookie stamps into a craft. And they're super cheap to make to boot.

And last, but certainly not least, is the Scandinavian ribbon headband tutorial. I love making these for the craft fair I do every winter here in Los Angeles. They're fairly quick to make, and the options are endless with all the fun ribbon out there in the world!

So there you have it, folks! 5 of some of my favorite Scandinavian-themed crafts I've made through the years. What are some of your favorite Scandinavian crafts that you've made?