Smörgåsbord!

Julbord is the traditional Christmas smörgåsbord in Scandinavian countries. Traditionally, it has three courses and features family recipes as well as local dishes.

Course One: Fish, Fish, Fish!

Start your holiday Julbord off right with some fabulous pickled herring and lox! For some traditional pairings, try your herring with boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs, washed down with strong spirits. (Snaps, Aquavit, or Brännvin – your choice!) Some other popular dishes in the first course include: baked salmon, smoked eel, and crab canapes (with a variety of sauces and dips.)

Course Two: Cold Cuts Galore!

This is when the Christmas ham makes an appearance, usually paired with a strong mustard. Other traditional cold cuts include sausages, head cheese, and liver paste. Soft and crisp breads serve as the base, and various cheeses and relishes top off the creations.

Course Three: Warming it Up

A traditional start to this course involves dipping bread into the stock from the Christmas ham.  Other dishes include Swedish meatballs, roasted pork ribs, small fried sausages, and a potato casserole of matchstick potatoes, cream, onion, and anchovies called “Jansson’s Temptation.”

(Wait... what about the lutfisk? It is traditionally served for dinner two days following the Julbord feast.)

...Did you think I forgot dessert?

Julbord desserts vary according to traditions and tastes, but a staple is rice pudding sprinkled with cinnamon.  An almond is hidden in the bowl, and whoever finds it receives a small prize or recognized for their luck. Ginger cookies, sandbakkels, and krumkakke often make an appearance as well. (A delicious pairing with the rice pudding, IMHO.)

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Want to try a Julbord, but don’t know where to start? We’re hosting one!  Join us at IKEA Twin Cities on December 9, 2011 for a fabulous all-you-can-eat feast of Swedish fare.  Tickets are $9.99 for adults, $2.49 for children 12 and under. We will have two seatings this year, one at 5pm, and one at 7pm. Live music and a cash bar ensure much singing and toasting throughout the evening! Tickets are on sale now at the IKEA Twin Cities restaurant, and will sell out – don’t wait!

The Never Ending List #23

We believe that home is the most important place in the world, and that children are the most important people in the world.  Since 2005, IKEA has partnered with UNICEF and Save the Children for our annual Soft Toy Campaign.  To date, the campaign has raised 35.2 million euros ($47.5 million US) and enabled approximately 8 million children in nearly 40 countries the great opportunity of having access to a quality education.

This year’s event runs from November 1 – December 24^th, and includes soft toys, children’s books, and kids’ meatball combo meals in the IKEA Restaurant. For each of these items sold, one euro (approximately $1.35 US) is donated to the Soft Toys for Education Campaign. These incredibly affordable and cuddly creatures will certainly put a smile in the hearts of children, while supporting millions of other children who are in need of a quality education.

The best gift you can give a child is the gift of an education. And educating our children is a top priority. Yet every day millions of children around the world are unable to receive a quality education.  School offers chil­dren a safe environment with support, supervision and socialization. Kids learn life skills that can help improve their own health as well as for their family and community. No doubt, it’s imperative that every child, no matter where they live, receives a quality education.

In conjunction with other IKEA stores around the country, IKEA Twin Cities will donate hundreds of soft toys to our local Toys for Tots chapter this year. We have also selected Toys for Tots as the beneficiary of our in-store donation bin!  Customers are invited to purchase a soft toy or children’s book to go to their local efforts.

Learn more about some of the projects that benefit from our Soft Toy Campaign here.

 

Read about UNICEF and Save the Children on their official sites.

The Tradition of the Straw Goat

One of our most popular holiday items, year after year, is the straw “julbocken” (yule goat.) Not too much of a surprise, considering the Scandinavian heritage of our area. But why? Where did the tradition of a Yule goat come from?

The origins may go back to as far as the times of great Norse gods.  Thor’s chariot was pulled by a team of goats, and pre-Christian Yule celebrations often involved the slaughter of a goat. Throughout the ages, goats have served a number of roles: from scaring children and demanding gifts at Christmas, to an invisible presence checking to make sure the Yule preparations were done correctly.

Present-day julbocken are usually ornaments or decorations made of straw, traditionally tied with red ribbon.  A popular prank used to be to hide a goat in the home of a house or neighbor, who then would pass it on in the same fashion.  Goats were also left on porches, usually with a funny or naughty rhyme. Sometimes they are placed under the tree to guard the gifts.

One tradition that I’ve come to love reading about is the huge julbocken built by the city of Gavle, a seaside city on Sweden’s Eastern side. Starting in 1966, an enormous version has been built in the town square. Approximately every other year, the goat is burned by arsonists. (Starting in 1988 it was possible to place bets in England on when the goat would be burned.) In 1996, webcams were installed and now you can watch the construction of the goat, from anywhere in the world!

For more information about the Gavle goat, check out the Wikipedia article, or visit the official website of the Gavle Goat.

How will the julbocken join your holiday traditions?

Tips for a Safe Halloween!

Halloween brings crisp weather, tasty treats, and a chance to show your ghoulish best! Here are some tips to make your Halloween celebrations fun and safe this year!

Before You Go:

• Make sure everyone is well-fed and ready to collect that candy! (Full tummies may prevent eating treats before home inspection.)

• Inspect costumes for fit and mobility, and make sure your little monster can see well enough to navigate in the dark.

• Is your ninja a master of stealth in your living room? Make sure to add some reflective tape and/or lit accessories to make sure your trick-or-treater is visible to others.

• Is there such a thing as too many accessories? Make sure your child has a hand for their treat sack/pail, and a hand free for any accidental trips or spills (or maybe a flash light!) (Also consider: do I want to end up carrying that for blocks and blocks?)

With so many fun light options (flashlights, glowsticks, or
these fun and rechargeable friends) there's no reason
for your child to get lost in the dark this year!

While You’re Out:

• Travel in a group, and always with adult supervision.

• Keep to well-lit sidewalks, don’t cut through yards, and only approach homes with their porch/front lights on.

• Obey all traffic signals, and make sure to cross at intersections! (Drivers are expecting ghosts and goblins, but prefer to not encounter them darting out from between parked cars.)

• Save all candy and treats to be eaten at home, after they’ve been inspected by an adult.

When You’re Home Again:

• Inspect all candy, removing choking hazards for the little ones and watching for signs of tampering. (At this point, my dad would also remove all Snickers bars and my mom would get anything with coconut.)

...at this point recommendations can be made about rationing the treats, but we leave that to you to decide!  (My siblings and I were always allowed to keep everything and eat it as we pleased.  However, my parents would also pay us by the pound for any candy we decided to sell to them. Clever.)

Find more hints at these websites: 

Halloween Safety

FDA - "Lucky 13"

CDC - Halloween Safety

Easy and Beautiful Entertaining

The holiday season is fast approaching!  Family and friends, cooking and eating together. The highlight of any entertaining situation is, of course, the company you keep.  But sometimes you want to take it up a notch – make the experience something really special. You aren’t miraculously given more time to prepare, so it’s time to work smarter, not harder.  Here are some simple and beautiful solutions to make your holiday table top-notch this season.

Talk about a name that makes sense:
SMARTA serving dish goes from oven to
table in a snap.

Double-Duty! Choose bakeware that can double as a beautiful serving piece.  Taking something straight from the oven to the table cuts down on preparation time, and also assures your dish will be hot and ready for the guests to dig in!



Cakes, cupcakes, candies... ARV BROLLOP
cake stand displays them all beautifully.



Put dessert on display! A pre-prepared dessert can double as table decor, and also gives your guest a glimpse of delicious tastes to come.



GOTTIS serving bowl, available in
two sizes, dresses up any occasion.
Fill with potpurri, lake stones, or a
delicious dessert!



Put your pantry to work! Fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts, in a lovely dish or container, can make a beautiful centerpiece for your celebration.  Plus, once everyone’s gone home it’s quick to put away.  No special purchases necessary.

Let your menu be a treat for the eyes as well as the tongue! Nothing wows like a table full of attractive, delicious looking treats. Don’t distract from your hard work with extra frills – let the food do the talking!

Inspiration is everywhere! 
Check out these websites for more great entertaining ideas:

• Hostess with the Mostess

• Sparkling Ink
• Martha Stewart

• Food Network

The Never Ending List #9

IKEA tries to get the best possible return from every tree trunk.  The NORDEN table has been available at IKEA stores since the late 1990s and was revolutionary when it was launched.  It was the first time that furniture had been made from the knotty crown of the birch tree. Previously this wood was either burnt as firewood or ground as part of chipboard production. Today the whole trunk is used in the production process, and there are a number of products in the NORDEN family.

To read more about IKEA and their commitment to sustainable forest management, visit here.

To read more about our Never Ending List, click here.

Making the Most of Your Media Storage

The simplest decision to make when considering a storage solution for your television and media is probably whether you’d like an open solution or a closed solution.

With sliding doors, you choose what is open to view! Also, sliding doors are a

great space-saver if your don’t have a lot of room to work with.

If you have an extensive DVD, CD, video game, etc. collection and want to show it off: open is probably the way you’ll want to go.  If you’re looking for a solution that will look clean and uncluttered, and will allow you to store a variety of things, you may be more interested in a closed solution.

A flexible media storage system lets you use every available space –

from awkward corners to over the door!

In either case, make sure to find a unit that is flexible.  If you want to be able to store everything from LPs to books to CDs: a unit with adjustable shelves will help you make the best use out of the space that you have.  A system with a variety of different types of shelves and inserts allows your storage unit to flex and change with your tastes and collections. A system offering solid and glass doors, both hinged and sliding will allow your unit to keep clutter under wraps, but also let you choose to use some spaces for display.

The living room is just for that: living! Flexible storage keeps clutter at bay and

Lets the whole family share the space.

If you have children, keep their games and movies within their reach in a cabinet or drawer near the bottom of the unit.  (Closed storage can provide a great place for puzzles, books and toys as well!)

Bonus Tip!

Don’t underestimate the power of cable management!  In an era of video game systems, DVD players, sound systems, and cable boxes – you may have a mile of cable tucked behind your television!  Keeping the cords and cables bound and labelled doesn’t just make the area visually restful, it can reduce the headache of any future moves or reorganization.