You may be wondering what the heck my blog title is all about this week. Is a 17 Hour Man a good thing or a bad thing? In this case, it is a good thing. The man I am talking about is this special little guy pictured here and he took me 17 hours to carve. While attending Luther College I took a Scandinavian Woodcarving class as part of my (almost) minor in Scandinavian Studies. Honestly this class was my favorite one in undergrad. It was taught by none other than Harley Re

I got lucky one day when a family friend called to see if I was interested in purchasing two Danish chairs that her sister had owned for many years. Her sister was moving into assisted living and didn't have room for them anymore. I said yes without even looking at them. She sold them to me for $50 total since there was damage to the chairs and the cushions were in need of replacement. I spent $50 on fabric and hired a woman from Limes Springs, IA to work with the cushions

Picture this, a beautiful day, dancing, delicious food, Nordic craft work, and conversation all around with folk music and a stunning waterfall in the background. Bringing cultures together in this unique celebration is the spirit of the Scandinavian Summer Fest. The day is a combination of both Norway Day and Svenskarnas Dag celebrating the heritage of Norwegian and Swedish Americans together. Dancing around a May Pole began mid morning and was a chance for spectators to jo

I love, love, love The Nordic Kitchen cookbook that I got for Christmas this past year. It is packed full of a year of recipes inspired by Nordic culture and seasonal foods available in the area. I have been looking forward to spring and summer ever since I cracked this book open for the first time. So many of the recipes include my most cherished flavors such as fresh berries, greens, and rhubarb! Rhubarb is one of my favorites because it brings me back to growing up on t

This is my all time favorite cookie... EVER! Unfortunately I can't make them exactly the same way as my grandma Mary can so to be honest my grandma's kringle is my all time favorite cookie. I don't know a single person who can make their cookies as good as their grandmas. It is a high bar to match. This cookie is soft and light in flavor with a touch of sweetness. I can eat six or seven in one sitting without even thinking about it. In our family we typically enjoy this coo

For those of you wanting to get your party on in honor of Norway's independence day I thought I would share a few great ways to celebrate Syttende Mai this week! No reason to miss out on the celebration just because we live in the US! Decorah, IA - Vesterheim's Syttende Mai Event - Wednesday, May 17, 2017 My home town of Decorah houses a gem called the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. Each year the museum hosts a Syttende Mai event jam packed with lots of fun activitie