Swede Dreams in Los Angeles

A house in the desert

2013-11-27T12:50:00.000-08:00

When Mattias's parents were here we rented a house in Palm Springs over the weekend. The weather was beautiful, as always in Palm Springs, and I enjoyed hanging out by the pool and reading. Palm Springs really is one of my favorite places when I want to escape the city for a couple of days. Renting a house is a lot of fun if you're going with some friends or family, I think it beats staying at a hotel because you have everything you need and you can do whatever you want.

Mountains and blue skies

2013-11-13T12:31:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back we went to Joshua Tree for the first time. We decided to leave LA early Saturday morning, so we left our house at around 5.30 am and picked up a coffee at Starbucks on our way. It was such a beautiful drive when the sun started to come up and our favorite songs were playing in the car. We arrived at Joshua tree a few hours later. It was all blue skies and beautiful views. I loved the trees, they really are spectacular.

Then we hiked up to Ryan mountain, where the view was even better.

I would recommend also going to the overlook at Keys view where you can see the Coachella valley and Salton sea. On clear days you can even see Signal mountain in Mexico!

Abbot Kinney festival

2013-11-02T14:02:00.002-07:00

Well, here's an old post that I've been planning to post for sometime now.. So here it goes! Abbot Kinney festival is held every year in Venice. This was the first time we went, and it was loads of fun. There are bands playing, great food from all around the world, fun people watching (I spotted Kate Hudson!) and biergartens.

Figaro love

2013-10-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

I love it.

Beer sampler

2013-10-04T12:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went to Eagle rock brewery with some friends. It was a hot Sunday, perfect day to try a beer flight. Right outside the brewery there's a hot dog stand where they serve, obviously, organic hot dogs.

You compose your own beer flight by choosing four beers that you'd like to try on the menu. I'm not really a beer connoisseur, but I thought it was fun to try different kinds of beer, especially since they were really good too.

Family visiting

2013-10-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my uncle and his family came to see us in L.A. They had been visiting friends in San Diego and came up to L.A to spend a Saturday with us. They'd never been here before, so it was fun to take them to some of my favorite spots in the city. We started off with lunch at Farmer's market, then we went to Figaro in Los Feliz, and then we took Mulholland drive home, and stopped at the Hollywood bowl overlook where you have a good view of the Hollywood sign.
For dinner we got tacos from our favorite mexican place; La Fiesta brava in Venice.

A postcard from Scandinavia

2013-09-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

We had a really good time in Sweden. It was so much fun to see family and friends, meet our 4 month old niece and just hang out. We went to Stockholm for a few days and visited friends, did a little shopping, and had dinner at this great restaurant called Boqueria.
Now I'm back home in LA. It still feels a little strange when I call LA my home, but after living here over 2 years I guess it is. I just wish Sweden was a little bit closer.

Finally here

2013-09-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

We're at is my parent's house just outside Helsingborg. We flew in yesterday and the whole day was kind of a blur. Can't remember that I was that jetlagged last year. Today I feel a bit better though. I slept like a baby last night.

This morning we bought bread at the bakery next door, had breakfast and then went for a run with my mum. Aaahhh, vacation...

Pool time

2013-09-01T17:39:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was super warm, and after running errands all morning we spent the afternoon by the pool. My friend Gabriella is here visiting so it was fun just to hang out and catch up.
Today, however, we should have been on our way to Sweden, but because we didn't get an email update about a rescheduling, we missed it. When were done freaking out (Mattias) and had cried a little (me) we decided to make the best of it. So this afternoon is spent at home by the pool with sangria and the best pizza in town.
See you tomorrow Sweden.

Figaro

2013-08-31T19:22:00.000-07:00

My new favorite part of LA is Los Feliz, a part of town with tons of cool bars and nice restaurants. One of them is Figaro on North Vermont ave. It's like a little part of France in the middle of LA. I love everything from the wobbly tables on the sidewalk where you can hang out for hours with your friends, to the bloody mary and the lovely bistro feel.

Crayfish party

2013-08-28T22:57:00.000-07:00

When we had our friends Micke & Liz over from Sweden we decided to have a crayfish party. We were supposed to sit outside by the pool, but when the food was ready it was already starting to get dark, so we decided to stay inside. It was a little bit earlier than the usual crayfish season in Sweden, but we managed to find all the stuff that you need for a good crayfish party. Crayfish together with Västerbottenpaj, Janssons frestelse and snaps, of course, is a perfect combo. For dessert we had pavlova with chocolate, whipped cream and berries. If you're ever throwing a crayfish party, drinking songs are a must!

In the making

2013-08-11T01:15:00.000-07:00

A while back we filmed a music video for one of our friends. It was a fun day and I think we got some good material. I will edit the video and make sure to post it here when it's done.

Texas no bean chili

2013-07-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of chili. I'm always keen to try out a new recipe, so when I found this recipe at a Swedish blog called Elsies päron, I knew I had to try it. Since then, I've it saved in my recipe folder (which is way to big and not organized in any way), and it's just been waiting for me to give it a go. So, I finally did it. It's a really delicious, flavorful and easy chili to make. The prep time is not more than about half an hour and after that you just let it cook, for about 4 hours. Next time I think I am going to make a bigger batch and put some in the freezer.

While it cooks you can do something else. Take a run, clean the house, or why not play some poker with your dog?

Serve with bread, salad, rice, nachos or whatever you feel like. We had the chili with warm nachos with a little cheese on top.

Guisados

2013-07-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

Mexican food is a must here in LA, and it's always fun to try out new places. This past Saturday we found our way to Guisados, which is a little Mexican joint in Echo Park. We had a couple of tacos and ice cold beer at their patio, which was heaven on a crazy hot day like Saturday.

My favorite was Bistek en salsa roja (steak with salsa roja).

Acai bowl

2013-07-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I decided to finally try this recipe that I found a while back. It's been unusually hot in California these last couple of days so a refreshing and delicious Acai bowl is the perfect snack to beat the heat. We had it for breakfast, but it will also do well as a substitute for ice cream, or as an afternoon snack. Whatever you like!

So, what is Acai? It is a berry from the Amazon rainforest, and it contains a lot of good stuff, such as iron, omega fatty acids, and it has higher antioxidant levels than blueberries!

I used this recipe and it turned out very delicious. Next time I think I will add a little lemon juice. Feel free to play around with it and use your favorite frozen fruit. We had it with sliced banana, granola and cocoa nibs, and I can really, really recommend to serve it with cocoa nibs. It gave it a bit of chocolaty taste which I like.

Wednesday night

2013-06-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

Hi there,
it's me. I know I've been away for too long this time, but here I am. Ready for a fresh start!
It's been kind of hectic these last couple of weeks. I feel like I have tons of stuff to do, but at the same time I wouldn't want to have it any other way. The summer is coming, it's getting warmer by the day. I am really looking forward to spending my weekends at the beach.

Since we last spoke I've started running again, and I love it. It's been almost a month now, with runs every other day. I actually just got home from one.
After dinner I'm picking up Mattias at the airport. He's only been gone since Saturday but for some reason it feels a lot longer, and I've even had trouble sleeping when he's not here. Silly, isn't it?

Malibu wines

2013-06-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

One of the best days when my parents were here was the day we spent at Malibu wines. We'd never been there before, but I had heard a lot about it and since we had a day off we decided to give it a try. We went to Whole foods and stocked up on goodies like crackers, cheeses, italian salami, marinated artichokes, strawberries etc. Then we headed up to Malibu wines for some picnic and wine tasting. It was truly an amazing place and I'm so glad that we found this hidden little gem!

Family time

2013-05-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

My parents have been here visiting for a couple of weeks, and we've had so much fun. When you live on the other side of the world from your family and most friends, you really come to appreciate those everyday moments, that you might not even think about when you live close to them. Having a glass of wine with mum while preparing dinner, watching a movie together, go on a hike in the mountains or quietly eating breakfast together in the morning. I try to save all of these little memories somewhere in the back of my mind so that I, when I feel lonely or sad, can remind myself of what a wonderful and loving family I have, and that even though we might not see each other all the time, we're just as close as we've always been.

Tacos

2013-05-09T13:12:00.001-07:00

One of many things I love about LA is the food culture. I loved tacos when I lived in Sweden, but I never really had authentic Mexican food until I moved to LA.
I must say, I was rather sceptical when my husband insisted on me trying the korean tacos that the Kogi truck has to offer. Korean tacos? Really?
But I was wrong. Their tacos are delicious, and a really fun alternative to the traditional taco that you can find in every corner of LA. My favorite Kogi taco is the one with spicy pork. It's definitely worth a try.

Blur

2013-05-07T21:27:00.001-07:00

I just remembered that I never posted anything from Coachella! We had a really good time and saw some amazing bands. I really liked Blur because they put on a good show an it was so much fun!
Right now my parents are visiting. I can't believe how much I've missed them! We will have a couple of fun weeks together.

A place to brunch

2013-04-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from a couple of weeks ago when we had some friends visiting. We went to (yes, I have mentioned this place a couple of times) our neighbor Milo&Olive for Sunday breakfast. Their coffee and the food is well worth the wait. It's a tiny place with only 2 or 3 big tables that you share with fellow customers. It's well worth a visit if you're in Santa Monica!

Lemon Poppy

2013-04-25T14:36:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we drove up to The Valley for an errand and realized we hadn't had breakfast yet. Since we're not very familiar with the best eats around there, I simply used the Yelp app on my phone to find a good place nearby. We decided to go to Lemon Poppy kitchen in Atwater village. Driving there I was beginning to doubt that we had the right address, but then I saw a small sign in the corner of a drive in mall. We had Cow with us and it was warm outside so we decided to sit at a small table in the sun.
Their coffee is from Handsome coffee roasters in Downtown LA. I had an iced coffee which was really good, and Mattias liked his coffee too, which is unusual when you just order a regular coffee at a breakfast place. I really wanted to try their buttermilk biscuit with jam but unfortunately they were sold out. It was so ironic to see someone at every table enjoying every bite of their biscuit, it almost felt like a conspiracy. I guess they really must be good!
For breakfast I had the Placinta breakfast, which was delicious. I especially like the eggs with the swiss chard. Mattias had the basic breakfast and it was also delicious. Over all, their food really tastes homemade with fresh and healthy ingredients.
If you're around that neighborhood and looking for a good breakfast or lunch, you should definitely try this hidden gem!

Brekkie by the pool

2013-04-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun weekend at Coachella. I will post some more pics from the festival itself, but here are a couple of photos from a morning in the house we stayed in. Mattias - cooking breakfast as usual, this time on the barbecue. We had really chilled out mornings by the pool before we went to the festival.

Festival

2013-04-12T12:30:00.001-07:00

We arrived in the desert late last night, and today it's time for Coachella! The weather is perfect, and I'm so ready for a couple of days in the sun with good music and friends. Stay tuned!

A perfect day

2013-03-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for my absence, it's been kind of crazy busy lately and during the week there hasn't been a lot going on, except work of course. But last Saturday was a really good day, so I thought I'd share that with you!
We were looking after Mr Knuckles a couple of weeks ago, and he makes everything a little bit better. Just look at him!

My husband is a great cook and he usually makes breakfast for us on the weekends, but he isn't a big fan of breakfasts that are on the sweet side, like pancakes or french toast, but I love it. So I was really happy when I woke up and he was making french toast for breakfast.

After having breakfast we went to Prism gallery in West Hollywood to check out the Mario Testino exhibit. I am a big fan of his photography, and I can highly recommend the exhibit.

Then we went hiking in Runyon Canyon. I love hiking! It's a fun way to work out, especially if you're with a friend, and it's so nice to be out in the nature. I never get tired of the beautiful view.

We walked around Beverly blvd for a bit, stopped for lunch at a cafe. It was getting chilly so Knuckles thought it was best to put a jacket on.

We weren't ready to go home yet, so we decided to go to Downtown since we hardly ever go there and it's supposed to be a up and coming neighborhood with a lot of new bars and restaurants. We went to The Artisan house which is a bar/restaurant with a market where you can get cheese, wine, baked goods etc. We sat in the bar and had a cocktail (mine was really delicious with gin, grapefruit and lavender syrup if I remember correctly), and then we went home, cooked dinner and watched a movie.