Podcasts about Aquavit

How We Seeez It! Episode 324, Bugonia (2025) “99.9% of what's called activism is really personal exhibitionism and brand maintenance in disguise.” – Teddy As we get close to the Oscars, we've decided to take a look at a few of the Best Picture nominees, and Yorgos Lanthimos' latest film is one of them. Starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, the film has already generated major buzz, with Stone earning a nomination for Best Lead Actress—much like she did for Lanthimos' Poor Things. Will Bugonia be another big winner for the pair? Join us for our first discussion as we break down our thoughts—and, of course, don't forget about the cocktails for this episode. There should be some good ones. As always, mix a drink, have a listen, and let us know what you think. And if there's something you've watched that we might enjoy—or a can't-miss series—we'd love to hear about that too. Please rate and review the show on all your favorite podcast apps. Drinks for the episode: The Lunar Blossom" 1½ oz Aquavit ¾ oz Honey + Black Pepper Syrup ½ oz Strega ½ oz Lemon Juice 3 drops Saffron Tincture Absinthe rinse Egg white “Hive Mind” 2 oz Rose Vodka 1 oz Sloe Gin 1 oz Elderflower Liqueur .75 oz Fresh squeezed lemon juice .5 oz Lavender simple Show links. https://hwsi.podbean.com/e/bugonia-2025/  HWSI LinkTree HWSI Facebook Link HWSI Instagram Link HWSI Youtube link !! You can also email the Podcast at the.HWSI.podcast@gmail.com

Tonight,I'm back.  Thanks to Brendan and Lupe for holding it down.  Good new inventory.  Maybe a story?

Poetry and baring the soul.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.Arriving at her house, Leah and I carried my clothes up to the spare bedroom. I thanked Leah once again, then kissed her.Leah softly whispered, “Jorunn is downstairs!”I replied in the same whisper, “Then kiss me quietly.” And she did.I spent the remainder of the day doing my laundry, once Leah showed me how to use her Norwegian washing machine. Leah opened the clothes drying rack, and when done, I laid my clothes out to dry.For dinner, Leah prepared salmon fillets with boiled potatoes. As Jorunn and Leah washed the dishes, I sat on the center seat of the sofa, reflecting on the day. When they finished, both Jorunn and Leah rushed into the living room, extremely excited, and sat down on either side of me. Jorunn turned on the television and switched to Norwegian National Television. I wondered what the fuss was about.“Five more minutes,” yelped Jorunn.After a brief introduction, an old black-and-white movie started. Both Jorunn and Leah snuggled up tight against me and I put my arms around them. It felt great. The show, called “Dinner for One”, featured a 90-year-old countess celebrating her birthday. She invited four friends but outlived them all. Her butler decides to impersonate each of the four missing guests. As he slips into each of the roles, he drinks a toast, and quickly becomes intoxicated, leading to numerous sight gags. It felt good to laugh along with people again. It was rather short, and when it ended, Leah told me it was the most repeated television show of all time and is quite popular in Scandinavian countries and northern Europe.Leah and Jorunn went around rearranging and straightening Christmas decorations, then announced it was time to make Julekurver. I heard of them, but never actually made one. Made of paper, they are heart-shaped and filled with sweets.We quickly cleared the dining room table, then covered it with red and white paper, a plastic rule, a plastic circle, and scissor. Leah and Jorunn both moved quickly, folding a sheet of paper of each color, and I followed their action. Then it was time to measure and cut, and fortunately, they slowed down to allow me to keep up. Using a circle, we marked a half circle and cut the excess away. Then cut strips into the paper, not going all the way across. We wove the red and white papers together in a checkerboard pattern and unfolded them into a perfect heart shape. I thought the process rather inefficient and decided to show off my engineering skills from 3M by making a fancier one. As I unfolded it, Jorunn and Leah laughed, and a moment later, I discovered one way not to make a Julekurver.After a long and active day, I was tired, so I went to bed. Both Jorunn and Leah were talking softly in the living room as I drifted off to sleep.A nocturnal visitorDecember 23rd - Just Before MidnightI was startled awake when I heard my bedroom door close, followed by a soft, “Shush!”I listened closely in the total darkness for footsteps and heard someone approach my bed. Leah must be ready to resume what we started back at the hotel! A hand pulled back the covers, and instinctively I slid toward the middle of the bed to make space. Leah slid in next to me and drew the covers back over us.Leah moved and shifted, and a hand found the back of my head. I expected her lips to follow, and they did. Soft and gentle, a wonderful way for my nocturnal visitor to say hello. Leah told me at the hotel she did not want to feel rushed, so there was no urgency. Her lips retreated, and her hand slid down to caress my cheek, as delicate fingers gently stroked me.I reached out and found her left shoulder as Leah faced me, then marveled at the smoothness as my hand traced her arm downward. Approaching her hand, I extended further to touch her hip. I began softly rubbing, but her ass beckoned, and my hand moved to cup and squeeze her firm cheek. My fingers began shooting sensations of warmth, softness, and inner firmness directly to my brain. I pulled Leah tight against me and discovered she was already completely naked.Leah swung her left leg over me and moved to an upright position, straddling my crotch. Beneath my boxer shorts, my erect cock fought for release. Her hand found my cock within its shelter but did not liberate it. Instead, her hand pushed my cock flat against my lower stomach, and she slid forward, trapping it with the swollen outer lips of her pussy. Leah began slowly gyrating, and even through the fabric of my boxers, I felt her pussy lips spreading as they slid along either side of my hidden cock.The hushed sounds of Leah cooing and moaning barely reached my ears, as dampness built between us. I reached up with both hands, found her small breasts, and used my thumbs to tease her nipples to an erection. A heavy breath followed by a long ‘uh. Oh; Ah!’ brought me close to premature orgasm, but this was not what Leah wanted, so I held back.Leah must have sensed I was close. She stopped gyrating, lifted herself, and then began inching herself up my torso. She paused for a moment and sat on my chest, then her hands reached out to touch my face. Two fingertips began touring my facial features as if Leah wanted to memorize every feature of my face. In the darkness, my senses heightened, her fingers swirled, and circled, and glided over me. I never would have imagined how erotic it felt.Leah resumed moving higher, her knees passing over my shoulders until they rested on either side of my head. I reached up to confirm what lay just inches above my face and grazed the same hairy splendor I sampled back at the hotel. Inhaling deeply, I picked up traces of the same body wash on her thighs. I was ready to dive back in, so I reached up and grabbed Leah’s hips, then pulled her pussy down toward my awaiting tongue. I paused as her short curly hair began painting her scent onto my face. The scent of arousal overpowered my senses. But? Something strange? I froze. The contradiction awoke my twilight dream state.“Why did you stop, Gunnar?” From the darkness came Jorunn’s voice! The dream of Leah's nocturnal visit was replaced by the reality of a beautiful young woman revealing her devotion and desire to this 56 year old guy.I was stunned. I couldn’t reveal the real reason I stopped; was uncertainty. Jorunn’s pussy smelled different than Leah’s! I hadn’t noticed any difference between Leah’s and Jorunn’s tall, fit bodies. If there were any, they were undetectable in the darkness, especially with only my brief exposure to Leah. “I can’t do this with you, Jorunn.” I softly and sincerely spoke.“I want to make love to you tonight, Gunnar. More than anything in the world. Am I not pretty enough? Has not enough time passed since your wife’s funeral? You are the only man in the world I can love to, without fear of being hurt.”“Jorunn, you are an incredibly beautiful woman. For months, I fantasized about holding you in my arms, kissing you, and wishing to be exactly where I am now. But yesterday, I met your mother.”Jorunn asked, “Did she order you not to have sex with me?”I replied, “It’s not that. I think I’m falling in love with Leah. We spent a wonderful day together, and she swept me off my feet. If that love turns out to be mutual, I am prepared to pledge my heart totally to her and her alone. A lifetime commitment, one I will never dishonor. The only reason you and I got this far tonight is that in the darkness and my dream state, I thought you were Leah. I never would have done it otherwise.” But you are a lovely and desirable woman. I respect you and Leah. So much that I cannot be false to either of you. And I cannot dishonor myself, by doing what I know is dishonorable.”Jorunn shifted positions and lay next to me in the bed. In the darkness, Jorunn whispered, “You are so unlike my father. He always put himself first. I was ready to give myself to you tonight. You could have kept quiet and let it happen. Then lied about it to my mother in the morning. But you didn’t. You are a better man than my father ever was, and I know you will make my mother happy. Please don’t be afraid to give her, and yourself, a chance. She really needs someone like you in her life.”I heard a soft sob and reached out to touch Jorunn’s face. She was crying. Jorunn came into my bedroom tonight, looking for someone to love. She didn’t know about Leah and me, or what happened between us at the hotel. I very much doubt her mother would have told her. I admired what Jorunn just did. She was sacrificing her chance at love so that her mother might have one. Jorunn knew that she bore the duty to initiate affection, after so harshly rejecting my romantic advances, last week.Silence followed, before Jorunn finally said, “What you have shown me, Gunnar, is that there are still good men in this world. But I am still afraid to look for them.”I thought back to the day Jorunn and I went sledging. “Remember what you told me at Korketrekkeren? You don’t need to be afraid of looking for a man, Jorunn. What you need to be afraid of is being too afraid to try looking for a man. Promise me that you will push off, just like riding a sledge, and start looking. When you reach the bottom of that scary hill, you will no longer be afraid, and someone you love will be waiting there for you.”“I will, Gunnar. I promise. And thank you.” Jorunn climbed out of my bed and closed the door as she left.Christmas EveDecember 24 - MorningI woke up in the guest room bed. Hearing noises and holiday folk music in the kitchen, I dressed and went downstairs. Leah smiled and said, “God Jul!”, Norwegian's way of saying merry Christmas. Then she made me scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Afterward, I enjoyed a slice of fruited Christmas Cake with coffee.“Leah, there is something I need to tell you. Jorunn came into my room last night looking for a man to love. In the darkness and my dream state, I thought it was you. It took a moment for me to realize it was Jorunn, and I stopped myself before going too far. Jorunn and I talked, and I confessed my love for you, to her. She understood, and asked that I give that love a chance. I want to do that. I asked Jorunn to no longer be afraid to look for love, and she agreed.”“Thank you for telling me, Gunnar. I have struggled to get Jorunn to go on dates after her father hurt her so badly. You must be a special man to find a place in her heart.”Leah sat down at the table with me, and continued; “I trust Jorunn, and now I trust you. So you will know, I will come to you tonight, bearing a lighted candle.”I said, “That sounds romantic.” My cock jolted to attention, under my trousers. I smiled and winked.Leah replied, “Wait until you see what I will be wearing.” She stood and returned to her baking, as the soft holiday music filled the busy kitchen. Leah's hips softly gyrated to the soft beat as she hummed with the lyrics.Jorunn came down later for breakfast, and after eating, she announced she would be working on edits and voiceovers for her recent videos. Since they were related to Christmas, she wanted to finish them to post them later tonight.Just before lunch, Leah led me back to the television and as we snuggled on the couch, she turned on “Tre Notter til Askepott”, a 1973 Czech reenactment of Cinderella, dubbed into Norwegian. The story was familiar, with Cinderella granted three wishes. It was enjoyable, but the dubbed dialog did not quite match the lips of the actors, so I needed to concentrate on what they were saying. Leah mentioned that this show is so popular in Norway, that storms of protest arose one year when they decided not to broadcast it. They ended up sending it out later in the holiday.Jorunn joined Leah and me for lunch. We ate Risengrynsgrot, which is rice porridge cooked with milk, sugar, and vanilla. We each had a bowl, and hiding in one of the three bowls was an almond. I suspected possible cheating such that I would be the one getting the almond, but as it turned out, Jorunn got the lucky bowl. As her prize, Leah gave Jorunn a chocolate-covered marzipan pig, an oddity for certain, but part of the tradition. There was porridge left over, and Leah said she would use it to make Riskrem, the delicious rice dessert eaten after tonight’s dinner. Solveig’s Riskrem was one of my favorite parts of the holiday season, and I was looking forward to tasting Leah’s.Leah turned to me and said, “If you want to eat, you must help in the kitchen.”Cooking was not something I knew very well, and after Leah led me into the kitchen, I let her know that. But since we were alone, I moved behind her, pulled her blonde hair aside, and nuzzled her neck.Leah said, “If you don’t stop, Gunnar, it will take longer before we eat.” But she wiggled her hips into my crotch before spinning out of my embrace.I helped Leah remove a large roasting pan from the refrigerator and put it in the oven. “That’s a strange-looking piece of meat,” I said.Leah replied, “It is called Ribbe, or roasted pork belly. It is one of the most popular Christmas meals in Norway. I scored the fat layer on top two days ago into a checkerboard pattern. Once cooked, the bottom meat stays tender while the cracklings on top get crispy.”Leah handed me a vegetable peeler and pointed to a bag of potatoes. I needed no further instructions on this. While I worked, Leah flittered around the kitchen, preparing the side dishes. She looked genuinely happy, and we talked and laughed and told tales of Christmases long ago.Just as we pulled the Ribbe from the oven, church bells began ringing from multiple sources. It was 17:00.“It seems like an odd time for church bells,” I said.Leah replied, “In Scandinavia, a new day traditionally starts at sundown, not midnight. Following the old ways, Christmas Day has arrived. It is time to eat.”Jorunn joined us in the mad flurry of activity as places were set, and food moved from the kitchen to the dining room. On the table was Ribbe, boiled potatoes, meatballs, gravy, sausages, sauerkraut, prunes, and lingonberries. Leah poured each of us a tall glass of juleøl, a dark spiced ale, brewed during Christmas all over Norway. She said at one time, a Norwegian king made it illegal to Not brew Christmas Ale. Everything was delicious, and I ate until I could stuff in no more.After dinner, we cleaned up and went into the living room to enjoy coffee, cookies, and a small bowl of Riskrem. I wondered why Leah brought out four bowls of Riskrem. Three topped with whipped cream and a berry sauce, one with only a blob of butter in the middle.Leah said, “We set out a bowl of porridge every Christmas for the fjøsnissen. The tradition evolved from the days when farming families would offer porridge to their barn elf, or nisse. The nisse takes care of the animals in the barn during winter so they don’t get sick. If you don’t do this, the fjøsnissen will play tricks on you.”As we nibbled, Jorunn set the bowl of porridge outside the front door for the fjøsnissen. Then we sat and watched an American Christmas movie on television. After it ended, Leah announced it was time to open the presents. I suspected this would happen and was glad I bought a gift for both Leah and Jorunn. We each dispersed, returned with our packages, and placed them under the Christmas tree.As expected, Leah and Jorunn shared the most gifts for each other, opening the usual mix of chocolates, clothing, and kitchen items. Then Jorunn handed me a gift from her. I opened it and found a DVD labeled, 'Christmas in Norway Tour’, along with a link and instructions to download the video if I preferred. Jorunn told me she made an hour-long video of all the things we did together over the past week, adding music and voiceovers so I would remember the now-completed tour. In exceedingly small letters, at the bottom of the instructions, I saw a link for a story with a similar name and suspected it might be one full of adjectives.Jorunn then opened my gift to her. I remembered the small camera she used this past week and bought her a new top-of-the-line digital camera. From her reaction, I did well.Leah then opened my gift to her. I purchased a genuinely nice Advent star to hang in her window, since she did not have one. It was large and electrically lit and after opening it, she wanted to hang it up right away, which we did. Then we went outside to see how it looked. Leah kissed me and whispered that the Advent Star possessed a special meaning for her this year, a sign of brighter days ahead.Seeing us standing outside, a Julenissen crossed the street and came up to us. The man, dressed in a red jacket with a matching pointed red hat, carried a cloth sack. He was older, and his white beard looked genuine.Jorunn yelled, “God Jul, Julenissen!”As the Julenissen joined us, Leah said, “Nice to see you again, Mr. Bjornstad.”The Julenissen opened a small cloth sack, pulled out a straw goat wrapped with red ribbons, and handed it to Jorunn. Leah explained that the Julenissen come around to houses on Christmas Eve to hand out presents and chocolate to the children. Often, more than one Julenissen would knock on your door during the evening. Unlike America, children get to meet the Julenissen in Norway.“It wouldn’t be the same this year without one of your julebukk!” said an excited Jorunn. Mr. Bjornstad had been coming to Jorunn’s house for a long time, and told us he likes to keep alive the old Norse traditions, such as the julebukk. In addition to handing out hand-made gifts, he tells folklore stories and tales from the days of the Vikings. What a wonderful thing to do to preserve the ancient Norse legacy of sagas and storytelling.Leah excused herself as Mr. Bjornstad started telling such a tale to Jorunn and me. He described Valhalla, where Odin and the brave warriors would train by day, and feast on roast boar and ale at night. Leah returned a moment later with four glasses of Aquavit. We toasted the season and sipped our Aquavit with the Julenissen after the story ended. We then sang a Christmas song together.Then we went back inside and watched the DVD that Jorunn made. The tour sounded exciting and full of fun, which indeed, it was. It also gave Leah another chance to see me in action. It was a full evening, and close to 23:00 when the DVD ended. We were all tired, and it was time for bed. Jorunn told us she was going upstairs to take a shower. Leah and I followed her up to our two bedrooms.A Single CandleDecember 24th - Late EveningFive minutes later, there was a knock on my bedroom door. Opening it, Leah stood there, holding a single candle, and wearing a lavender-colored silk nightgown and robe set. The half-sleeve wrap robe only partially covered her nightgown, leaving the lace-trimmed bustline and hem of her nightgown exposed. She put a finger to her mouth and whispered, “Shhh!” Then she led me by hand to her bedroom. The only light inside came from her single candle.My eyes quickly adjusted, or perhaps it was just my intent stare, “You look incredible.”Leah

Poetry and baring the soul.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.Arriving at her house, Leah and I carried my clothes up to the spare bedroom. I thanked Leah once again, then kissed her.Leah softly whispered, “Jorunn is downstairs!”I replied in the same whisper, “Then kiss me quietly.” And she did.I spent the remainder of the day doing my laundry, once Leah showed me how to use her Norwegian washing machine. Leah opened the clothes drying rack, and when done, I laid my clothes out to dry.For dinner, Leah prepared salmon fillets with boiled potatoes. As Jorunn and Leah washed the dishes, I sat on the center seat of the sofa, reflecting on the day. When they finished, both Jorunn and Leah rushed into the living room, extremely excited, and sat down on either side of me. Jorunn turned on the television and switched to Norwegian National Television. I wondered what the fuss was about.“Five more minutes,” yelped Jorunn.After a brief introduction, an old black-and-white movie started. Both Jorunn and Leah snuggled up tight against me and I put my arms around them. It felt great. The show, called “Dinner for One”, featured a 90-year-old countess celebrating her birthday. She invited four friends but outlived them all. Her butler decides to impersonate each of the four missing guests. As he slips into each of the roles, he drinks a toast, and quickly becomes intoxicated, leading to numerous sight gags. It felt good to laugh along with people again. It was rather short, and when it ended, Leah told me it was the most repeated television show of all time and is quite popular in Scandinavian countries and northern Europe.Leah and Jorunn went around rearranging and straightening Christmas decorations, then announced it was time to make Julekurver. I heard of them, but never actually made one. Made of paper, they are heart-shaped and filled with sweets.We quickly cleared the dining room table, then covered it with red and white paper, a plastic rule, a plastic circle, and scissor. Leah and Jorunn both moved quickly, folding a sheet of paper of each color, and I followed their action. Then it was time to measure and cut, and fortunately, they slowed down to allow me to keep up. Using a circle, we marked a half circle and cut the excess away. Then cut strips into the paper, not going all the way across. We wove the red and white papers together in a checkerboard pattern and unfolded them into a perfect heart shape. I thought the process rather inefficient and decided to show off my engineering skills from 3M by making a fancier one. As I unfolded it, Jorunn and Leah laughed, and a moment later, I discovered one way not to make a Julekurver.After a long and active day, I was tired, so I went to bed. Both Jorunn and Leah were talking softly in the living room as I drifted off to sleep.A nocturnal visitorDecember 23rd - Just Before MidnightI was startled awake when I heard my bedroom door close, followed by a soft, “Shush!”I listened closely in the total darkness for footsteps and heard someone approach my bed. Leah must be ready to resume what we started back at the hotel! A hand pulled back the covers, and instinctively I slid toward the middle of the bed to make space. Leah slid in next to me and drew the covers back over us.Leah moved and shifted, and a hand found the back of my head. I expected her lips to follow, and they did. Soft and gentle, a wonderful way for my nocturnal visitor to say hello. Leah told me at the hotel she did not want to feel rushed, so there was no urgency. Her lips retreated, and her hand slid down to caress my cheek, as delicate fingers gently stroked me.I reached out and found her left shoulder as Leah faced me, then marveled at the smoothness as my hand traced her arm downward. Approaching her hand, I extended further to touch her hip. I began softly rubbing, but her ass beckoned, and my hand moved to cup and squeeze her firm cheek. My fingers began shooting sensations of warmth, softness, and inner firmness directly to my brain. I pulled Leah tight against me and discovered she was already completely naked.Leah swung her left leg over me and moved to an upright position, straddling my crotch. Beneath my boxer shorts, my erect cock fought for release. Her hand found my cock within its shelter but did not liberate it. Instead, her hand pushed my cock flat against my lower stomach, and she slid forward, trapping it with the swollen outer lips of her pussy. Leah began slowly gyrating, and even through the fabric of my boxers, I felt her pussy lips spreading as they slid along either side of my hidden cock.The hushed sounds of Leah cooing and moaning barely reached my ears, as dampness built between us. I reached up with both hands, found her small breasts, and used my thumbs to tease her nipples to an erection. A heavy breath followed by a long ‘uh. Oh; Ah!’ brought me close to premature orgasm, but this was not what Leah wanted, so I held back.Leah must have sensed I was close. She stopped gyrating, lifted herself, and then began inching herself up my torso. She paused for a moment and sat on my chest, then her hands reached out to touch my face. Two fingertips began touring my facial features as if Leah wanted to memorize every feature of my face. In the darkness, my senses heightened, her fingers swirled, and circled, and glided over me. I never would have imagined how erotic it felt.Leah resumed moving higher, her knees passing over my shoulders until they rested on either side of my head. I reached up to confirm what lay just inches above my face and grazed the same hairy splendor I sampled back at the hotel. Inhaling deeply, I picked up traces of the same body wash on her thighs. I was ready to dive back in, so I reached up and grabbed Leah’s hips, then pulled her pussy down toward my awaiting tongue. I paused as her short curly hair began painting her scent onto my face. The scent of arousal overpowered my senses. But? Something strange? I froze. The contradiction awoke my twilight dream state.“Why did you stop, Gunnar?” From the darkness came Jorunn’s voice! The dream of Leah's nocturnal visit was replaced by the reality of a beautiful young woman revealing her devotion and desire to this 56 year old guy.I was stunned. I couldn’t reveal the real reason I stopped; was uncertainty. Jorunn’s pussy smelled different than Leah’s! I hadn’t noticed any difference between Leah’s and Jorunn’s tall, fit bodies. If there were any, they were undetectable in the darkness, especially with only my brief exposure to Leah. “I can’t do this with you, Jorunn.” I softly and sincerely spoke.“I want to make love to you tonight, Gunnar. More than anything in the world. Am I not pretty enough? Has not enough time passed since your wife’s funeral? You are the only man in the world I can love to, without fear of being hurt.”“Jorunn, you are an incredibly beautiful woman. For months, I fantasized about holding you in my arms, kissing you, and wishing to be exactly where I am now. But yesterday, I met your mother.”Jorunn asked, “Did she order you not to have sex with me?”I replied, “It’s not that. I think I’m falling in love with Leah. We spent a wonderful day together, and she swept me off my feet. If that love turns out to be mutual, I am prepared to pledge my heart totally to her and her alone. A lifetime commitment, one I will never dishonor. The only reason you and I got this far tonight is that in the darkness and my dream state, I thought you were Leah. I never would have done it otherwise.” But you are a lovely and desirable woman. I respect you and Leah. So much that I cannot be false to either of you. And I cannot dishonor myself, by doing what I know is dishonorable.”Jorunn shifted positions and lay next to me in the bed. In the darkness, Jorunn whispered, “You are so unlike my father. He always put himself first. I was ready to give myself to you tonight. You could have kept quiet and let it happen. Then lied about it to my mother in the morning. But you didn’t. You are a better man than my father ever was, and I know you will make my mother happy. Please don’t be afraid to give her, and yourself, a chance. She really needs someone like you in her life.”I heard a soft sob and reached out to touch Jorunn’s face. She was crying. Jorunn came into my bedroom tonight, looking for someone to love. She didn’t know about Leah and me, or what happened between us at the hotel. I very much doubt her mother would have told her. I admired what Jorunn just did. She was sacrificing her chance at love so that her mother might have one. Jorunn knew that she bore the duty to initiate affection, after so harshly rejecting my romantic advances, last week.Silence followed, before Jorunn finally said, “What you have shown me, Gunnar, is that there are still good men in this world. But I am still afraid to look for them.”I thought back to the day Jorunn and I went sledging. “Remember what you told me at Korketrekkeren? You don’t need to be afraid of looking for a man, Jorunn. What you need to be afraid of is being too afraid to try looking for a man. Promise me that you will push off, just like riding a sledge, and start looking. When you reach the bottom of that scary hill, you will no longer be afraid, and someone you love will be waiting there for you.”“I will, Gunnar. I promise. And thank you.” Jorunn climbed out of my bed and closed the door as she left.Christmas EveDecember 24 - MorningI woke up in the guest room bed. Hearing noises and holiday folk music in the kitchen, I dressed and went downstairs. Leah smiled and said, “God Jul!”, Norwegian's way of saying merry Christmas. Then she made me scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Afterward, I enjoyed a slice of fruited Christmas Cake with coffee.“Leah, there is something I need to tell you. Jorunn came into my room last night looking for a man to love. In the darkness and my dream state, I thought it was you. It took a moment for me to realize it was Jorunn, and I stopped myself before going too far. Jorunn and I talked, and I confessed my love for you, to her. She understood, and asked that I give that love a chance. I want to do that. I asked Jorunn to no longer be afraid to look for love, and she agreed.”“Thank you for telling me, Gunnar. I have struggled to get Jorunn to go on dates after her father hurt her so badly. You must be a special man to find a place in her heart.”Leah sat down at the table with me, and continued; “I trust Jorunn, and now I trust you. So you will know, I will come to you tonight, bearing a lighted candle.”I said, “That sounds romantic.” My cock jolted to attention, under my trousers. I smiled and winked.Leah replied, “Wait until you see what I will be wearing.” She stood and returned to her baking, as the soft holiday music filled the busy kitchen. Leah's hips softly gyrated to the soft beat as she hummed with the lyrics.Jorunn came down later for breakfast, and after eating, she announced she would be working on edits and voiceovers for her recent videos. Since they were related to Christmas, she wanted to finish them to post them later tonight.Just before lunch, Leah led me back to the television and as we snuggled on the couch, she turned on “Tre Notter til Askepott”, a 1973 Czech reenactment of Cinderella, dubbed into Norwegian. The story was familiar, with Cinderella granted three wishes. It was enjoyable, but the dubbed dialog did not quite match the lips of the actors, so I needed to concentrate on what they were saying. Leah mentioned that this show is so popular in Norway, that storms of protest arose one year when they decided not to broadcast it. They ended up sending it out later in the holiday.Jorunn joined Leah and me for lunch. We ate Risengrynsgrot, which is rice porridge cooked with milk, sugar, and vanilla. We each had a bowl, and hiding in one of the three bowls was an almond. I suspected possible cheating such that I would be the one getting the almond, but as it turned out, Jorunn got the lucky bowl. As her prize, Leah gave Jorunn a chocolate-covered marzipan pig, an oddity for certain, but part of the tradition. There was porridge left over, and Leah said she would use it to make Riskrem, the delicious rice dessert eaten after tonight’s dinner. Solveig’s Riskrem was one of my favorite parts of the holiday season, and I was looking forward to tasting Leah’s.Leah turned to me and said, “If you want to eat, you must help in the kitchen.”Cooking was not something I knew very well, and after Leah led me into the kitchen, I let her know that. But since we were alone, I moved behind her, pulled her blonde hair aside, and nuzzled her neck.Leah said, “If you don’t stop, Gunnar, it will take longer before we eat.” But she wiggled her hips into my crotch before spinning out of my embrace.I helped Leah remove a large roasting pan from the refrigerator and put it in the oven. “That’s a strange-looking piece of meat,” I said.Leah replied, “It is called Ribbe, or roasted pork belly. It is one of the most popular Christmas meals in Norway. I scored the fat layer on top two days ago into a checkerboard pattern. Once cooked, the bottom meat stays tender while the cracklings on top get crispy.”Leah handed me a vegetable peeler and pointed to a bag of potatoes. I needed no further instructions on this. While I worked, Leah flittered around the kitchen, preparing the side dishes. She looked genuinely happy, and we talked and laughed and told tales of Christmases long ago.Just as we pulled the Ribbe from the oven, church bells began ringing from multiple sources. It was 17:00.“It seems like an odd time for church bells,” I said.Leah replied, “In Scandinavia, a new day traditionally starts at sundown, not midnight. Following the old ways, Christmas Day has arrived. It is time to eat.”Jorunn joined us in the mad flurry of activity as places were set, and food moved from the kitchen to the dining room. On the table was Ribbe, boiled potatoes, meatballs, gravy, sausages, sauerkraut, prunes, and lingonberries. Leah poured each of us a tall glass of juleøl, a dark spiced ale, brewed during Christmas all over Norway. She said at one time, a Norwegian king made it illegal to Not brew Christmas Ale. Everything was delicious, and I ate until I could stuff in no more.After dinner, we cleaned up and went into the living room to enjoy coffee, cookies, and a small bowl of Riskrem. I wondered why Leah brought out four bowls of Riskrem. Three topped with whipped cream and a berry sauce, one with only a blob of butter in the middle.Leah said, “We set out a bowl of porridge every Christmas for the fjøsnissen. The tradition evolved from the days when farming families would offer porridge to their barn elf, or nisse. The nisse takes care of the animals in the barn during winter so they don’t get sick. If you don’t do this, the fjøsnissen will play tricks on you.”As we nibbled, Jorunn set the bowl of porridge outside the front door for the fjøsnissen. Then we sat and watched an American Christmas movie on television. After it ended, Leah announced it was time to open the presents. I suspected this would happen and was glad I bought a gift for both Leah and Jorunn. We each dispersed, returned with our packages, and placed them under the Christmas tree.As expected, Leah and Jorunn shared the most gifts for each other, opening the usual mix of chocolates, clothing, and kitchen items. Then Jorunn handed me a gift from her. I opened it and found a DVD labeled, 'Christmas in Norway Tour’, along with a link and instructions to download the video if I preferred. Jorunn told me she made an hour-long video of all the things we did together over the past week, adding music and voiceovers so I would remember the now-completed tour. In exceedingly small letters, at the bottom of the instructions, I saw a link for a story with a similar name and suspected it might be one full of adjectives.Jorunn then opened my gift to her. I remembered the small camera she used this past week and bought her a new top-of-the-line digital camera. From her reaction, I did well.Leah then opened my gift to her. I purchased a genuinely nice Advent star to hang in her window, since she did not have one. It was large and electrically lit and after opening it, she wanted to hang it up right away, which we did. Then we went outside to see how it looked. Leah kissed me and whispered that the Advent Star possessed a special meaning for her this year, a sign of brighter days ahead.Seeing us standing outside, a Julenissen crossed the street and came up to us. The man, dressed in a red jacket with a matching pointed red hat, carried a cloth sack. He was older, and his white beard looked genuine.Jorunn yelled, “God Jul, Julenissen!”As the Julenissen joined us, Leah said, “Nice to see you again, Mr. Bjornstad.”The Julenissen opened a small cloth sack, pulled out a straw goat wrapped with red ribbons, and handed it to Jorunn. Leah explained that the Julenissen come around to houses on Christmas Eve to hand out presents and chocolate to the children. Often, more than one Julenissen would knock on your door during the evening. Unlike America, children get to meet the Julenissen in Norway.“It wouldn’t be the same this year without one of your julebukk!” said an excited Jorunn. Mr. Bjornstad had been coming to Jorunn’s house for a long time, and told us he likes to keep alive the old Norse traditions, such as the julebukk. In addition to handing out hand-made gifts, he tells folklore stories and tales from the days of the Vikings. What a wonderful thing to do to preserve the ancient Norse legacy of sagas and storytelling.Leah excused herself as Mr. Bjornstad started telling such a tale to Jorunn and me. He described Valhalla, where Odin and the brave warriors would train by day, and feast on roast boar and ale at night. Leah returned a moment later with four glasses of Aquavit. We toasted the season and sipped our Aquavit with the Julenissen after the story ended. We then sang a Christmas song together.Then we went back inside and watched the DVD that Jorunn made. The tour sounded exciting and full of fun, which indeed, it was. It also gave Leah another chance to see me in action. It was a full evening, and close to 23:00 when the DVD ended. We were all tired, and it was time for bed. Jorunn told us she was going upstairs to take a shower. Leah and I followed her up to our two bedrooms.A Single CandleDecember 24th - Late EveningFive minutes later, there was a knock on my bedroom door. Opening it, Leah stood there, holding a single candle, and wearing a lavender-colored silk nightgown and robe set. The half-sleeve wrap robe only partially covered her nightgown, leaving the lace-trimmed bustline and hem of her nightgown exposed. She put a finger to her mouth and whispered, “Shhh!” Then she led me by hand to her bedroom. The only light inside came from her single candle.My eyes quickly adjusted, or perhaps it was just my intent stare, “You look incredible.”Leah

Poetry and baring the soul.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.Arriving at her house, Leah and I carried my clothes up to the spare bedroom. I thanked Leah once again, then kissed her.Leah softly whispered, “Jorunn is downstairs!”I replied in the same whisper, “Then kiss me quietly.” And she did.I spent the remainder of the day doing my laundry, once Leah showed me how to use her Norwegian washing machine. Leah opened the clothes drying rack, and when done, I laid my clothes out to dry.For dinner, Leah prepared salmon fillets with boiled potatoes. As Jorunn and Leah washed the dishes, I sat on the center seat of the sofa, reflecting on the day. When they finished, both Jorunn and Leah rushed into the living room, extremely excited, and sat down on either side of me. Jorunn turned on the television and switched to Norwegian National Television. I wondered what the fuss was about.“Five more minutes,” yelped Jorunn.After a brief introduction, an old black-and-white movie started. Both Jorunn and Leah snuggled up tight against me and I put my arms around them. It felt great. The show, called “Dinner for One”, featured a 90-year-old countess celebrating her birthday. She invited four friends but outlived them all. Her butler decides to impersonate each of the four missing guests. As he slips into each of the roles, he drinks a toast, and quickly becomes intoxicated, leading to numerous sight gags. It felt good to laugh along with people again. It was rather short, and when it ended, Leah told me it was the most repeated television show of all time and is quite popular in Scandinavian countries and northern Europe.Leah and Jorunn went around rearranging and straightening Christmas decorations, then announced it was time to make Julekurver. I heard of them, but never actually made one. Made of paper, they are heart-shaped and filled with sweets.We quickly cleared the dining room table, then covered it with red and white paper, a plastic rule, a plastic circle, and scissor. Leah and Jorunn both moved quickly, folding a sheet of paper of each color, and I followed their action. Then it was time to measure and cut, and fortunately, they slowed down to allow me to keep up. Using a circle, we marked a half circle and cut the excess away. Then cut strips into the paper, not going all the way across. We wove the red and white papers together in a checkerboard pattern and unfolded them into a perfect heart shape. I thought the process rather inefficient and decided to show off my engineering skills from 3M by making a fancier one. As I unfolded it, Jorunn and Leah laughed, and a moment later, I discovered one way not to make a Julekurver.After a long and active day, I was tired, so I went to bed. Both Jorunn and Leah were talking softly in the living room as I drifted off to sleep.A nocturnal visitorDecember 23rd - Just Before MidnightI was startled awake when I heard my bedroom door close, followed by a soft, “Shush!”I listened closely in the total darkness for footsteps and heard someone approach my bed. Leah must be ready to resume what we started back at the hotel! A hand pulled back the covers, and instinctively I slid toward the middle of the bed to make space. Leah slid in next to me and drew the covers back over us.Leah moved and shifted, and a hand found the back of my head. I expected her lips to follow, and they did. Soft and gentle, a wonderful way for my nocturnal visitor to say hello. Leah told me at the hotel she did not want to feel rushed, so there was no urgency. Her lips retreated, and her hand slid down to caress my cheek, as delicate fingers gently stroked me.I reached out and found her left shoulder as Leah faced me, then marveled at the smoothness as my hand traced her arm downward. Approaching her hand, I extended further to touch her hip. I began softly rubbing, but her ass beckoned, and my hand moved to cup and squeeze her firm cheek. My fingers began shooting sensations of warmth, softness, and inner firmness directly to my brain. I pulled Leah tight against me and discovered she was already completely naked.Leah swung her left leg over me and moved to an upright position, straddling my crotch. Beneath my boxer shorts, my erect cock fought for release. Her hand found my cock within its shelter but did not liberate it. Instead, her hand pushed my cock flat against my lower stomach, and she slid forward, trapping it with the swollen outer lips of her pussy. Leah began slowly gyrating, and even through the fabric of my boxers, I felt her pussy lips spreading as they slid along either side of my hidden cock.The hushed sounds of Leah cooing and moaning barely reached my ears, as dampness built between us. I reached up with both hands, found her small breasts, and used my thumbs to tease her nipples to an erection. A heavy breath followed by a long ‘uh. Oh; Ah!’ brought me close to premature orgasm, but this was not what Leah wanted, so I held back.Leah must have sensed I was close. She stopped gyrating, lifted herself, and then began inching herself up my torso. She paused for a moment and sat on my chest, then her hands reached out to touch my face. Two fingertips began touring my facial features as if Leah wanted to memorize every feature of my face. In the darkness, my senses heightened, her fingers swirled, and circled, and glided over me. I never would have imagined how erotic it felt.Leah resumed moving higher, her knees passing over my shoulders until they rested on either side of my head. I reached up to confirm what lay just inches above my face and grazed the same hairy splendor I sampled back at the hotel. Inhaling deeply, I picked up traces of the same body wash on her thighs. I was ready to dive back in, so I reached up and grabbed Leah’s hips, then pulled her pussy down toward my awaiting tongue. I paused as her short curly hair began painting her scent onto my face. The scent of arousal overpowered my senses. But? Something strange? I froze. The contradiction awoke my twilight dream state.“Why did you stop, Gunnar?” From the darkness came Jorunn’s voice! The dream of Leah's nocturnal visit was replaced by the reality of a beautiful young woman revealing her devotion and desire to this 56 year old guy.I was stunned. I couldn’t reveal the real reason I stopped; was uncertainty. Jorunn’s pussy smelled different than Leah’s! I hadn’t noticed any difference between Leah’s and Jorunn’s tall, fit bodies. If there were any, they were undetectable in the darkness, especially with only my brief exposure to Leah. “I can’t do this with you, Jorunn.” I softly and sincerely spoke.“I want to make love to you tonight, Gunnar. More than anything in the world. Am I not pretty enough? Has not enough time passed since your wife’s funeral? You are the only man in the world I can love to, without fear of being hurt.”“Jorunn, you are an incredibly beautiful woman. For months, I fantasized about holding you in my arms, kissing you, and wishing to be exactly where I am now. But yesterday, I met your mother.”Jorunn asked, “Did she order you not to have sex with me?”I replied, “It’s not that. I think I’m falling in love with Leah. We spent a wonderful day together, and she swept me off my feet. If that love turns out to be mutual, I am prepared to pledge my heart totally to her and her alone. A lifetime commitment, one I will never dishonor. The only reason you and I got this far tonight is that in the darkness and my dream state, I thought you were Leah. I never would have done it otherwise.” But you are a lovely and desirable woman. I respect you and Leah. So much that I cannot be false to either of you. And I cannot dishonor myself, by doing what I know is dishonorable.”Jorunn shifted positions and lay next to me in the bed. In the darkness, Jorunn whispered, “You are so unlike my father. He always put himself first. I was ready to give myself to you tonight. You could have kept quiet and let it happen. Then lied about it to my mother in the morning. But you didn’t. You are a better man than my father ever was, and I know you will make my mother happy. Please don’t be afraid to give her, and yourself, a chance. She really needs someone like you in her life.”I heard a soft sob and reached out to touch Jorunn’s face. She was crying. Jorunn came into my bedroom tonight, looking for someone to love. She didn’t know about Leah and me, or what happened between us at the hotel. I very much doubt her mother would have told her. I admired what Jorunn just did. She was sacrificing her chance at love so that her mother might have one. Jorunn knew that she bore the duty to initiate affection, after so harshly rejecting my romantic advances, last week.Silence followed, before Jorunn finally said, “What you have shown me, Gunnar, is that there are still good men in this world. But I am still afraid to look for them.”I thought back to the day Jorunn and I went sledging. “Remember what you told me at Korketrekkeren? You don’t need to be afraid of looking for a man, Jorunn. What you need to be afraid of is being too afraid to try looking for a man. Promise me that you will push off, just like riding a sledge, and start looking. When you reach the bottom of that scary hill, you will no longer be afraid, and someone you love will be waiting there for you.”“I will, Gunnar. I promise. And thank you.” Jorunn climbed out of my bed and closed the door as she left.Christmas EveDecember 24 - MorningI woke up in the guest room bed. Hearing noises and holiday folk music in the kitchen, I dressed and went downstairs. Leah smiled and said, “God Jul!”, Norwegian's way of saying merry Christmas. Then she made me scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Afterward, I enjoyed a slice of fruited Christmas Cake with coffee.“Leah, there is something I need to tell you. Jorunn came into my room last night looking for a man to love. In the darkness and my dream state, I thought it was you. It took a moment for me to realize it was Jorunn, and I stopped myself before going too far. Jorunn and I talked, and I confessed my love for you, to her. She understood, and asked that I give that love a chance. I want to do that. I asked Jorunn to no longer be afraid to look for love, and she agreed.”“Thank you for telling me, Gunnar. I have struggled to get Jorunn to go on dates after her father hurt her so badly. You must be a special man to find a place in her heart.”Leah sat down at the table with me, and continued; “I trust Jorunn, and now I trust you. So you will know, I will come to you tonight, bearing a lighted candle.”I said, “That sounds romantic.” My cock jolted to attention, under my trousers. I smiled and winked.Leah replied, “Wait until you see what I will be wearing.” She stood and returned to her baking, as the soft holiday music filled the busy kitchen. Leah's hips softly gyrated to the soft beat as she hummed with the lyrics.Jorunn came down later for breakfast, and after eating, she announced she would be working on edits and voiceovers for her recent videos. Since they were related to Christmas, she wanted to finish them to post them later tonight.Just before lunch, Leah led me back to the television and as we snuggled on the couch, she turned on “Tre Notter til Askepott”, a 1973 Czech reenactment of Cinderella, dubbed into Norwegian. The story was familiar, with Cinderella granted three wishes. It was enjoyable, but the dubbed dialog did not quite match the lips of the actors, so I needed to concentrate on what they were saying. Leah mentioned that this show is so popular in Norway, that storms of protest arose one year when they decided not to broadcast it. They ended up sending it out later in the holiday.Jorunn joined Leah and me for lunch. We ate Risengrynsgrot, which is rice porridge cooked with milk, sugar, and vanilla. We each had a bowl, and hiding in one of the three bowls was an almond. I suspected possible cheating such that I would be the one getting the almond, but as it turned out, Jorunn got the lucky bowl. As her prize, Leah gave Jorunn a chocolate-covered marzipan pig, an oddity for certain, but part of the tradition. There was porridge left over, and Leah said she would use it to make Riskrem, the delicious rice dessert eaten after tonight’s dinner. Solveig’s Riskrem was one of my favorite parts of the holiday season, and I was looking forward to tasting Leah’s.Leah turned to me and said, “If you want to eat, you must help in the kitchen.”Cooking was not something I knew very well, and after Leah led me into the kitchen, I let her know that. But since we were alone, I moved behind her, pulled her blonde hair aside, and nuzzled her neck.Leah said, “If you don’t stop, Gunnar, it will take longer before we eat.” But she wiggled her hips into my crotch before spinning out of my embrace.I helped Leah remove a large roasting pan from the refrigerator and put it in the oven. “That’s a strange-looking piece of meat,” I said.Leah replied, “It is called Ribbe, or roasted pork belly. It is one of the most popular Christmas meals in Norway. I scored the fat layer on top two days ago into a checkerboard pattern. Once cooked, the bottom meat stays tender while the cracklings on top get crispy.”Leah handed me a vegetable peeler and pointed to a bag of potatoes. I needed no further instructions on this. While I worked, Leah flittered around the kitchen, preparing the side dishes. She looked genuinely happy, and we talked and laughed and told tales of Christmases long ago.Just as we pulled the Ribbe from the oven, church bells began ringing from multiple sources. It was 17:00.“It seems like an odd time for church bells,” I said.Leah replied, “In Scandinavia, a new day traditionally starts at sundown, not midnight. Following the old ways, Christmas Day has arrived. It is time to eat.”Jorunn joined us in the mad flurry of activity as places were set, and food moved from the kitchen to the dining room. On the table was Ribbe, boiled potatoes, meatballs, gravy, sausages, sauerkraut, prunes, and lingonberries. Leah poured each of us a tall glass of juleøl, a dark spiced ale, brewed during Christmas all over Norway. She said at one time, a Norwegian king made it illegal to Not brew Christmas Ale. Everything was delicious, and I ate until I could stuff in no more.After dinner, we cleaned up and went into the living room to enjoy coffee, cookies, and a small bowl of Riskrem. I wondered why Leah brought out four bowls of Riskrem. Three topped with whipped cream and a berry sauce, one with only a blob of butter in the middle.Leah said, “We set out a bowl of porridge every Christmas for the fjøsnissen. The tradition evolved from the days when farming families would offer porridge to their barn elf, or nisse. The nisse takes care of the animals in the barn during winter so they don’t get sick. If you don’t do this, the fjøsnissen will play tricks on you.”As we nibbled, Jorunn set the bowl of porridge outside the front door for the fjøsnissen. Then we sat and watched an American Christmas movie on television. After it ended, Leah announced it was time to open the presents. I suspected this would happen and was glad I bought a gift for both Leah and Jorunn. We each dispersed, returned with our packages, and placed them under the Christmas tree.As expected, Leah and Jorunn shared the most gifts for each other, opening the usual mix of chocolates, clothing, and kitchen items. Then Jorunn handed me a gift from her. I opened it and found a DVD labeled, 'Christmas in Norway Tour’, along with a link and instructions to download the video if I preferred. Jorunn told me she made an hour-long video of all the things we did together over the past week, adding music and voiceovers so I would remember the now-completed tour. In exceedingly small letters, at the bottom of the instructions, I saw a link for a story with a similar name and suspected it might be one full of adjectives.Jorunn then opened my gift to her. I remembered the small camera she used this past week and bought her a new top-of-the-line digital camera. From her reaction, I did well.Leah then opened my gift to her. I purchased a genuinely nice Advent star to hang in her window, since she did not have one. It was large and electrically lit and after opening it, she wanted to hang it up right away, which we did. Then we went outside to see how it looked. Leah kissed me and whispered that the Advent Star possessed a special meaning for her this year, a sign of brighter days ahead.Seeing us standing outside, a Julenissen crossed the street and came up to us. The man, dressed in a red jacket with a matching pointed red hat, carried a cloth sack. He was older, and his white beard looked genuine.Jorunn yelled, “God Jul, Julenissen!”As the Julenissen joined us, Leah said, “Nice to see you again, Mr. Bjornstad.”The Julenissen opened a small cloth sack, pulled out a straw goat wrapped with red ribbons, and handed it to Jorunn. Leah explained that the Julenissen come around to houses on Christmas Eve to hand out presents and chocolate to the children. Often, more than one Julenissen would knock on your door during the evening. Unlike America, children get to meet the Julenissen in Norway.“It wouldn’t be the same this year without one of your julebukk!” said an excited Jorunn. Mr. Bjornstad had been coming to Jorunn’s house for a long time, and told us he likes to keep alive the old Norse traditions, such as the julebukk. In addition to handing out hand-made gifts, he tells folklore stories and tales from the days of the Vikings. What a wonderful thing to do to preserve the ancient Norse legacy of sagas and storytelling.Leah excused herself as Mr. Bjornstad started telling such a tale to Jorunn and me. He described Valhalla, where Odin and the brave warriors would train by day, and feast on roast boar and ale at night. Leah returned a moment later with four glasses of Aquavit. We toasted the season and sipped our Aquavit with the Julenissen after the story ended. We then sang a Christmas song together.Then we went back inside and watched the DVD that Jorunn made. The tour sounded exciting and full of fun, which indeed, it was. It also gave Leah another chance to see me in action. It was a full evening, and close to 23:00 when the DVD ended. We were all tired, and it was time for bed. Jorunn told us she was going upstairs to take a shower. Leah and I followed her up to our two bedrooms.A Single CandleDecember 24th - Late EveningFive minutes later, there was a knock on my bedroom door. Opening it, Leah stood there, holding a single candle, and wearing a lavender-colored silk nightgown and robe set. The half-sleeve wrap robe only partially covered her nightgown, leaving the lace-trimmed bustline and hem of her nightgown exposed. She put a finger to her mouth and whispered, “Shhh!” Then she led me by hand to her bedroom. The only light inside came from her single candle.My eyes quickly adjusted, or perhaps it was just my intent stare, “You look incredible.”Leah

Poetry and baring the soul.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.Arriving at her house, Leah and I carried my clothes up to the spare bedroom. I thanked Leah once again, then kissed her.Leah softly whispered, “Jorunn is downstairs!”I replied in the same whisper, “Then kiss me quietly.” And she did.I spent the remainder of the day doing my laundry, once Leah showed me how to use her Norwegian washing machine. Leah opened the clothes drying rack, and when done, I laid my clothes out to dry.For dinner, Leah prepared salmon fillets with boiled potatoes. As Jorunn and Leah washed the dishes, I sat on the center seat of the sofa, reflecting on the day. When they finished, both Jorunn and Leah rushed into the living room, extremely excited, and sat down on either side of me. Jorunn turned on the television and switched to Norwegian National Television. I wondered what the fuss was about.“Five more minutes,” yelped Jorunn.After a brief introduction, an old black-and-white movie started. Both Jorunn and Leah snuggled up tight against me and I put my arms around them. It felt great. The show, called “Dinner for One”, featured a 90-year-old countess celebrating her birthday. She invited four friends but outlived them all. Her butler decides to impersonate each of the four missing guests. As he slips into each of the roles, he drinks a toast, and quickly becomes intoxicated, leading to numerous sight gags. It felt good to laugh along with people again. It was rather short, and when it ended, Leah told me it was the most repeated television show of all time and is quite popular in Scandinavian countries and northern Europe.Leah and Jorunn went around rearranging and straightening Christmas decorations, then announced it was time to make Julekurver. I heard of them, but never actually made one. Made of paper, they are heart-shaped and filled with sweets.We quickly cleared the dining room table, then covered it with red and white paper, a plastic rule, a plastic circle, and scissor. Leah and Jorunn both moved quickly, folding a sheet of paper of each color, and I followed their action. Then it was time to measure and cut, and fortunately, they slowed down to allow me to keep up. Using a circle, we marked a half circle and cut the excess away. Then cut strips into the paper, not going all the way across. We wove the red and white papers together in a checkerboard pattern and unfolded them into a perfect heart shape. I thought the process rather inefficient and decided to show off my engineering skills from 3M by making a fancier one. As I unfolded it, Jorunn and Leah laughed, and a moment later, I discovered one way not to make a Julekurver.After a long and active day, I was tired, so I went to bed. Both Jorunn and Leah were talking softly in the living room as I drifted off to sleep.A nocturnal visitorDecember 23rd - Just Before MidnightI was startled awake when I heard my bedroom door close, followed by a soft, “Shush!”I listened closely in the total darkness for footsteps and heard someone approach my bed. Leah must be ready to resume what we started back at the hotel! A hand pulled back the covers, and instinctively I slid toward the middle of the bed to make space. Leah slid in next to me and drew the covers back over us.Leah moved and shifted, and a hand found the back of my head. I expected her lips to follow, and they did. Soft and gentle, a wonderful way for my nocturnal visitor to say hello. Leah told me at the hotel she did not want to feel rushed, so there was no urgency. Her lips retreated, and her hand slid down to caress my cheek, as delicate fingers gently stroked me.I reached out and found her left shoulder as Leah faced me, then marveled at the smoothness as my hand traced her arm downward. Approaching her hand, I extended further to touch her hip. I began softly rubbing, but her ass beckoned, and my hand moved to cup and squeeze her firm cheek. My fingers began shooting sensations of warmth, softness, and inner firmness directly to my brain. I pulled Leah tight against me and discovered she was already completely naked.Leah swung her left leg over me and moved to an upright position, straddling my crotch. Beneath my boxer shorts, my erect cock fought for release. Her hand found my cock within its shelter but did not liberate it. Instead, her hand pushed my cock flat against my lower stomach, and she slid forward, trapping it with the swollen outer lips of her pussy. Leah began slowly gyrating, and even through the fabric of my boxers, I felt her pussy lips spreading as they slid along either side of my hidden cock.The hushed sounds of Leah cooing and moaning barely reached my ears, as dampness built between us. I reached up with both hands, found her small breasts, and used my thumbs to tease her nipples to an erection. A heavy breath followed by a long ‘uh. Oh; Ah!’ brought me close to premature orgasm, but this was not what Leah wanted, so I held back.Leah must have sensed I was close. She stopped gyrating, lifted herself, and then began inching herself up my torso. She paused for a moment and sat on my chest, then her hands reached out to touch my face. Two fingertips began touring my facial features as if Leah wanted to memorize every feature of my face. In the darkness, my senses heightened, her fingers swirled, and circled, and glided over me. I never would have imagined how erotic it felt.Leah resumed moving higher, her knees passing over my shoulders until they rested on either side of my head. I reached up to confirm what lay just inches above my face and grazed the same hairy splendor I sampled back at the hotel. Inhaling deeply, I picked up traces of the same body wash on her thighs. I was ready to dive back in, so I reached up and grabbed Leah’s hips, then pulled her pussy down toward my awaiting tongue. I paused as her short curly hair began painting her scent onto my face. The scent of arousal overpowered my senses. But? Something strange? I froze. The contradiction awoke my twilight dream state.“Why did you stop, Gunnar?” From the darkness came Jorunn’s voice! The dream of Leah's nocturnal visit was replaced by the reality of a beautiful young woman revealing her devotion and desire to this 56 year old guy.I was stunned. I couldn’t reveal the real reason I stopped; was uncertainty. Jorunn’s pussy smelled different than Leah’s! I hadn’t noticed any difference between Leah’s and Jorunn’s tall, fit bodies. If there were any, they were undetectable in the darkness, especially with only my brief exposure to Leah. “I can’t do this with you, Jorunn.” I softly and sincerely spoke.“I want to make love to you tonight, Gunnar. More than anything in the world. Am I not pretty enough? Has not enough time passed since your wife’s funeral? You are the only man in the world I can love to, without fear of being hurt.”“Jorunn, you are an incredibly beautiful woman. For months, I fantasized about holding you in my arms, kissing you, and wishing to be exactly where I am now. But yesterday, I met your mother.”Jorunn asked, “Did she order you not to have sex with me?”I replied, “It’s not that. I think I’m falling in love with Leah. We spent a wonderful day together, and she swept me off my feet. If that love turns out to be mutual, I am prepared to pledge my heart totally to her and her alone. A lifetime commitment, one I will never dishonor. The only reason you and I got this far tonight is that in the darkness and my dream state, I thought you were Leah. I never would have done it otherwise.” But you are a lovely and desirable woman. I respect you and Leah. So much that I cannot be false to either of you. And I cannot dishonor myself, by doing what I know is dishonorable.”Jorunn shifted positions and lay next to me in the bed. In the darkness, Jorunn whispered, “You are so unlike my father. He always put himself first. I was ready to give myself to you tonight. You could have kept quiet and let it happen. Then lied about it to my mother in the morning. But you didn’t. You are a better man than my father ever was, and I know you will make my mother happy. Please don’t be afraid to give her, and yourself, a chance. She really needs someone like you in her life.”I heard a soft sob and reached out to touch Jorunn’s face. She was crying. Jorunn came into my bedroom tonight, looking for someone to love. She didn’t know about Leah and me, or what happened between us at the hotel. I very much doubt her mother would have told her. I admired what Jorunn just did. She was sacrificing her chance at love so that her mother might have one. Jorunn knew that she bore the duty to initiate affection, after so harshly rejecting my romantic advances, last week.Silence followed, before Jorunn finally said, “What you have shown me, Gunnar, is that there are still good men in this world. But I am still afraid to look for them.”I thought back to the day Jorunn and I went sledging. “Remember what you told me at Korketrekkeren? You don’t need to be afraid of looking for a man, Jorunn. What you need to be afraid of is being too afraid to try looking for a man. Promise me that you will push off, just like riding a sledge, and start looking. When you reach the bottom of that scary hill, you will no longer be afraid, and someone you love will be waiting there for you.”“I will, Gunnar. I promise. And thank you.” Jorunn climbed out of my bed and closed the door as she left.Christmas EveDecember 24 - MorningI woke up in the guest room bed. Hearing noises and holiday folk music in the kitchen, I dressed and went downstairs. Leah smiled and said, “God Jul!”, Norwegian's way of saying merry Christmas. Then she made me scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Afterward, I enjoyed a slice of fruited Christmas Cake with coffee.“Leah, there is something I need to tell you. Jorunn came into my room last night looking for a man to love. In the darkness and my dream state, I thought it was you. It took a moment for me to realize it was Jorunn, and I stopped myself before going too far. Jorunn and I talked, and I confessed my love for you, to her. She understood, and asked that I give that love a chance. I want to do that. I asked Jorunn to no longer be afraid to look for love, and she agreed.”“Thank you for telling me, Gunnar. I have struggled to get Jorunn to go on dates after her father hurt her so badly. You must be a special man to find a place in her heart.”Leah sat down at the table with me, and continued; “I trust Jorunn, and now I trust you. So you will know, I will come to you tonight, bearing a lighted candle.”I said, “That sounds romantic.” My cock jolted to attention, under my trousers. I smiled and winked.Leah replied, “Wait until you see what I will be wearing.” She stood and returned to her baking, as the soft holiday music filled the busy kitchen. Leah's hips softly gyrated to the soft beat as she hummed with the lyrics.Jorunn came down later for breakfast, and after eating, she announced she would be working on edits and voiceovers for her recent videos. Since they were related to Christmas, she wanted to finish them to post them later tonight.Just before lunch, Leah led me back to the television and as we snuggled on the couch, she turned on “Tre Notter til Askepott”, a 1973 Czech reenactment of Cinderella, dubbed into Norwegian. The story was familiar, with Cinderella granted three wishes. It was enjoyable, but the dubbed dialog did not quite match the lips of the actors, so I needed to concentrate on what they were saying. Leah mentioned that this show is so popular in Norway, that storms of protest arose one year when they decided not to broadcast it. They ended up sending it out later in the holiday.Jorunn joined Leah and me for lunch. We ate Risengrynsgrot, which is rice porridge cooked with milk, sugar, and vanilla. We each had a bowl, and hiding in one of the three bowls was an almond. I suspected possible cheating such that I would be the one getting the almond, but as it turned out, Jorunn got the lucky bowl. As her prize, Leah gave Jorunn a chocolate-covered marzipan pig, an oddity for certain, but part of the tradition. There was porridge left over, and Leah said she would use it to make Riskrem, the delicious rice dessert eaten after tonight’s dinner. Solveig’s Riskrem was one of my favorite parts of the holiday season, and I was looking forward to tasting Leah’s.Leah turned to me and said, “If you want to eat, you must help in the kitchen.”Cooking was not something I knew very well, and after Leah led me into the kitchen, I let her know that. But since we were alone, I moved behind her, pulled her blonde hair aside, and nuzzled her neck.Leah said, “If you don’t stop, Gunnar, it will take longer before we eat.” But she wiggled her hips into my crotch before spinning out of my embrace.I helped Leah remove a large roasting pan from the refrigerator and put it in the oven. “That’s a strange-looking piece of meat,” I said.Leah replied, “It is called Ribbe, or roasted pork belly. It is one of the most popular Christmas meals in Norway. I scored the fat layer on top two days ago into a checkerboard pattern. Once cooked, the bottom meat stays tender while the cracklings on top get crispy.”Leah handed me a vegetable peeler and pointed to a bag of potatoes. I needed no further instructions on this. While I worked, Leah flittered around the kitchen, preparing the side dishes. She looked genuinely happy, and we talked and laughed and told tales of Christmases long ago.Just as we pulled the Ribbe from the oven, church bells began ringing from multiple sources. It was 17:00.“It seems like an odd time for church bells,” I said.Leah replied, “In Scandinavia, a new day traditionally starts at sundown, not midnight. Following the old ways, Christmas Day has arrived. It is time to eat.”Jorunn joined us in the mad flurry of activity as places were set, and food moved from the kitchen to the dining room. On the table was Ribbe, boiled potatoes, meatballs, gravy, sausages, sauerkraut, prunes, and lingonberries. Leah poured each of us a tall glass of juleøl, a dark spiced ale, brewed during Christmas all over Norway. She said at one time, a Norwegian king made it illegal to Not brew Christmas Ale. Everything was delicious, and I ate until I could stuff in no more.After dinner, we cleaned up and went into the living room to enjoy coffee, cookies, and a small bowl of Riskrem. I wondered why Leah brought out four bowls of Riskrem. Three topped with whipped cream and a berry sauce, one with only a blob of butter in the middle.Leah said, “We set out a bowl of porridge every Christmas for the fjøsnissen. The tradition evolved from the days when farming families would offer porridge to their barn elf, or nisse. The nisse takes care of the animals in the barn during winter so they don’t get sick. If you don’t do this, the fjøsnissen will play tricks on you.”As we nibbled, Jorunn set the bowl of porridge outside the front door for the fjøsnissen. Then we sat and watched an American Christmas movie on television. After it ended, Leah announced it was time to open the presents. I suspected this would happen and was glad I bought a gift for both Leah and Jorunn. We each dispersed, returned with our packages, and placed them under the Christmas tree.As expected, Leah and Jorunn shared the most gifts for each other, opening the usual mix of chocolates, clothing, and kitchen items. Then Jorunn handed me a gift from her. I opened it and found a DVD labeled, 'Christmas in Norway Tour’, along with a link and instructions to download the video if I preferred. Jorunn told me she made an hour-long video of all the things we did together over the past week, adding music and voiceovers so I would remember the now-completed tour. In exceedingly small letters, at the bottom of the instructions, I saw a link for a story with a similar name and suspected it might be one full of adjectives.Jorunn then opened my gift to her. I remembered the small camera she used this past week and bought her a new top-of-the-line digital camera. From her reaction, I did well.Leah then opened my gift to her. I purchased a genuinely nice Advent star to hang in her window, since she did not have one. It was large and electrically lit and after opening it, she wanted to hang it up right away, which we did. Then we went outside to see how it looked. Leah kissed me and whispered that the Advent Star possessed a special meaning for her this year, a sign of brighter days ahead.Seeing us standing outside, a Julenissen crossed the street and came up to us. The man, dressed in a red jacket with a matching pointed red hat, carried a cloth sack. He was older, and his white beard looked genuine.Jorunn yelled, “God Jul, Julenissen!”As the Julenissen joined us, Leah said, “Nice to see you again, Mr. Bjornstad.”The Julenissen opened a small cloth sack, pulled out a straw goat wrapped with red ribbons, and handed it to Jorunn. Leah explained that the Julenissen come around to houses on Christmas Eve to hand out presents and chocolate to the children. Often, more than one Julenissen would knock on your door during the evening. Unlike America, children get to meet the Julenissen in Norway.“It wouldn’t be the same this year without one of your julebukk!” said an excited Jorunn. Mr. Bjornstad had been coming to Jorunn’s house for a long time, and told us he likes to keep alive the old Norse traditions, such as the julebukk. In addition to handing out hand-made gifts, he tells folklore stories and tales from the days of the Vikings. What a wonderful thing to do to preserve the ancient Norse legacy of sagas and storytelling.Leah excused herself as Mr. Bjornstad started telling such a tale to Jorunn and me. He described Valhalla, where Odin and the brave warriors would train by day, and feast on roast boar and ale at night. Leah returned a moment later with four glasses of Aquavit. We toasted the season and sipped our Aquavit with the Julenissen after the story ended. We then sang a Christmas song together.Then we went back inside and watched the DVD that Jorunn made. The tour sounded exciting and full of fun, which indeed, it was. It also gave Leah another chance to see me in action. It was a full evening, and close to 23:00 when the DVD ended. We were all tired, and it was time for bed. Jorunn told us she was going upstairs to take a shower. Leah and I followed her up to our two bedrooms.A Single CandleDecember 24th - Late EveningFive minutes later, there was a knock on my bedroom door. Opening it, Leah stood there, holding a single candle, and wearing a lavender-colored silk nightgown and robe set. The half-sleeve wrap robe only partially covered her nightgown, leaving the lace-trimmed bustline and hem of her nightgown exposed. She put a finger to her mouth and whispered, “Shhh!” Then she led me by hand to her bedroom. The only light inside came from her single candle.My eyes quickly adjusted, or perhaps it was just my intent stare, “You look incredible.”Leah

It was so great having Marcus Samuelsson in the studio. Marcus is one of America's finest chefs, born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden before, at age 24, being named executive chef of New York's Aquavit and soon becoming the youngest ever to receive a three-star restaurant review from the New York Times. That was 1995. Today Marcus runs restaurants around the world, including the iconic Red Rooster in Harlem. He's also involved in building community as much as developing dining concepts, and in this episode we talk about New York in the mid-'90s, building a restaurant for Harlem, by Harlem, and his various projects helping the food community.  Apply for the Rise Residency. Subscribe to This Is TASTE: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textNick, Chris, and Steve sat down with Master Distiller Rob Hudson at Iron Vault Distillery.  After an amazing tour, we sat down to try a lot of their lineup, and we were impressed!  From their Bottled in Bond and their Frankenwhiskey, to their journey to making Aquavit, and an American Single Malt that even Chris liked!Head up to Galion, Ohio, for some great local eats, stop in for a tour, and pick up a bottle or two!Check them out on the socials!https://0ecf2fa.netsolhost.com/ironvaultsite/ https://www.facebook.com/IronVaultDistillery/https://www.instagram.com/ironvaultdistilleryllc/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQhZuKMG1fcSupport the showWebsite:www.whiskeychaserspod.comFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/whiskeychaserspodcastInsta:https://www.instagram.com/whiskeychaserspodcast/TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@whiskeychaserspodcastThanks For Listening! Tell a Friend!

Twin Cities chef Ed Porter's work is difficult to categorize. He has worked for high-end restaurants like Marcus Samuelsson's Aquavit. He was on the Netflix cooking competition show, "Pressure Cooker." Today, he's a private chef who blends his culinary talents with musical ones. He released an album under the name Chef Porter and paired it with a 12-course menu. He also has a podcast called “Taste Music Hear Food” where he talks with guests about both artistic pursuits. In Minnesota Now's series, Out to Lunch, we meet up with guests in their communities to get to know them better over a meal. This time, Ed Porter let us into his home on a frigid December day and cooked.

Joel, Mike and Craig talk to Christopher "Bompi" Svae about pants, cruises, Northern Unuited, Ballroom dancing and more.  Thank you to Motuscc.com and Endgamecurling.com for supporting Curling Nation.

Joel, Mike and Craig talk to Christopher “Bompi” Svae about pants, cruises, Northern Unuited, Ballroom dancing and more. Thank you to Motuscc.com and Endgamecurling.com for supporting Curling Nation.

In this episode, Todd returns from a family trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, sparking a comparison between European leisure culture and American consumerism. The conversation also covers upcoming local projects, including the 10th anniversary of the Ocean City Film Festival and a new historical book on Ocean Pines. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit daydrinkingondelmarva.substack.com

Not every distillery owner has a land speed record to their name, but Ryan Montgomery of Montgomery Distilling does. So Eli talked with him about all things spirits, from the Montana-grown grain that helped power that land speed record, to the world's first bourbon-based amaro. They also discuss the similarities between aquavit and gin; the labor of love known as kirschwasser; and the inspirational effect of Merle Haggard and the Grateful Dead. We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you'd like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.RELATED LINKS:Heaven 11Blister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberMontgomery DistillingLords of DirtSpirits and SpokesTOPICS & TIMES:Farm to Bottle (3:49)Farming & Ranching (5:07)From Home Brewing to Distilling (6:39)Whiskey School & Stills (9:23)Starting a Whiskey Business (12:55)Single Malt & Special Releases (16:06)What Does He Like to Drink (20:43)“Mama Tried” Bourbon (24:12)Aquavit (26:01)Aged Aquavit (33:19)Aging in Montana (37:10)State of Distilling in the US & Montana (49:41)Liquor Licensing (57:30)B'Amaro (1:02:39)Motorcycle Fuel, Lords of Dirt, Spirit in the Spokes (1:09:25)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastBLISTER NEWSLETTER:Get It & Our Weekly Gear Giveaways Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“The Ugly Stepsister”, opera prima della regista norvegese Emilie Blichfeldt, arriva oggi al cinema dopo le anteprime al Sundance Film Festival e alla Berlinale (sezione Panorama).Una rivisitazione body horror della più classica delle favole: Cenerentola, raccontata dal punto di vista inedito di una delle sorellastre, Elvira.Determinata a competere con la leggendaria bellezza di Agnes (la “Cinderella” del film) Elvira è disposta a tutto pur di attirare l'attenzione del principe e soddisfare le ambizioni sociali ed economiche della madre. In un regno crudele, dove l'apparenza è virtù e la vanità una condanna, la metamorfosi diventa ossessione.Ironico, sarcastico e farsesco, “The Ugly Stepsister” mescola il grottesco alla violenza assurda, in un mondo dominato dall'evanescenza morale.Un'antifavola irriverente e onirica, che si prende poco sul serio — ed è proprio questo il suo più grande pregio.In abbinamento, un moderno classico nato a Seattle dal bartender “Drink Boy” Hess: il Trident.Tre spiriti di tre nazioni marinare (30 ml di Aquavit, 30 ml di Cynar, 30 ml di Sherry o Manzanilla, con due gocce in aggiunta di peach bitter) si incontrano in un cocktail esplosivo e sorprendentemente armonioso, come una grande cerimonia reale dove si intrecciano alleanze, passioni e potere.Distribuito in Italia da IWonder PicturesViva il cinema!

Anna von Sachsen mag etwas kontrollierend gewesen sein. Doch bei ihrem Tod am 1.10.1585 hinterlässt sie einen wahren Wissensschatz darüber, wie man einen Haushalt führt. Von Maren Gottschalk.

The guys sample a festive Scandinavian spirit, distilled from grains or potatoes since the 15th century and traditionally enjoyed during celebrations (celebrating episode 254, for example). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

W dzisiejszym odcinku opowiadam historię wyspy Hans – małego kawałka lądu, o który przez dekady spierali się Kanadyjczycy i Duńczycy… za pomocą flag i butelek alkoholu

NBN host Hollay Ghadery has a wonderful conversation with many-time award-winning author, Anthony Bidulka.  Bidulka's books have been shortlisted for Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, Saskatchewan Book Awards, a ReLit award, and Lambda Literary Awards. Flight of Aquavit was awarded the Lambda Literary Award for Best Men's Mystery, making Bidulka the first Canadian to win in that category. In 2023, in addition to being shortlisted for a Saskatchewan Book Award and Alberta Book Publishing Award, Going to Beautiful won an Independent Publisher Book Award being named Gold Medalist as the 2023 Canada West Best Overall Fiction novel and was awarded the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence as Canada's Best Crime Novel for 2023. ABOUT HOME FIRES BURN (June 1, 2025, Stonehouse Publishing): From the author of Crime Writers of Canada Best Crime Novel, Going to Beautiful, comes the final, standalone book of the Merry Bell trilogy. A celebrated philanthropist is found slumped against his car, frozen to death. Trans private investigator Merry Bell is hired by his son, country music star Evan Whatley, to find out the truth behind what really happened on that desolate stretch of road. As Merry's investigation uncovers old wounds that never healed, her own are revealed as she confronts her pre-transition past and questions the boundaries of family and friendship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

NBN host Hollay Ghadery has a wonderful conversation with many-time award-winning author, Anthony Bidulka.  Bidulka's books have been shortlisted for Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, Saskatchewan Book Awards, a ReLit award, and Lambda Literary Awards. Flight of Aquavit was awarded the Lambda Literary Award for Best Men's Mystery, making Bidulka the first Canadian to win in that category. In 2023, in addition to being shortlisted for a Saskatchewan Book Award and Alberta Book Publishing Award, Going to Beautiful won an Independent Publisher Book Award being named Gold Medalist as the 2023 Canada West Best Overall Fiction novel and was awarded the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence as Canada's Best Crime Novel for 2023. ABOUT HOME FIRES BURN (June 1, 2025, Stonehouse Publishing): From the author of Crime Writers of Canada Best Crime Novel, Going to Beautiful, comes the final, standalone book of the Merry Bell trilogy. A celebrated philanthropist is found slumped against his car, frozen to death. Trans private investigator Merry Bell is hired by his son, country music star Evan Whatley, to find out the truth behind what really happened on that desolate stretch of road. As Merry's investigation uncovers old wounds that never healed, her own are revealed as she confronts her pre-transition past and questions the boundaries of family and friendship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

This is a Vintage Selection from 2007The BanterThe Guys talk about restaurants being an integral part of emerging downtowns and about a yogurt shop that needs a bouncer.The ConversationThe Restaurant Guys host Marcus Sammuelson to talk about cuisines all over the world, particularly the regions of Africa. He wants to open people's eyes to the delicious flavors of African cuisine and expresses interest in opening an African restaurant someday. This dream finally happened in 2024!The Inside TrackThe Guys and Marcus discuss the uniqueness of the restaurant business and the power of food to communicate. “Food is an incredible thing! Through food, people can see your passion and your culture. You can teach people where you're from and what you believe in, which not every business can really do,” Marcus Sammuelson on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2007BioMarcus Samuelsson is the chef behind many restaurants worldwide, including Red Rooster Harlem and Red Rooster Overtown in Miami; Hav & Mar in the Chelsea Arts District; Metropolis at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in lower Manhattan; “Marcus” restaurants in Atlanta and New Jersey, plus several international locations. His latest venture, Marcus DC debuts Spring 2025 at The Morrow in Washington DC. In 2023, Marcus earned an Emmy Award for the Short Form Program “My Mark.” He is a longstanding judge and TV personality on the hit Food Network show Chopped, head judge of Top Chef: Family Style, and an Iron Chef on Netflix's rebooted Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, and makes frequent appearances on Scandinavian TV. He is the author of multiple books including The New York Times bestseller Yes, Chef: A Memoir as well as the critically acclaimed The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food.Samuelsson is co-chair of Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), which focuses on helping underserved youth. Samuelsson wasThe Restaurant Guys LIVE with Chef Alex Guarnaschelli at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center on Monday, May 12! VIP = After-Party with Alex! Tickets https://www.restaurantguyspodcast.com/rglivealexguarnaschelli Discount on Tickets AND Cocktail Party for Restaurant Guys Regulars on May 10 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2401692/subscribe Our Sponsors The Heldrich Hotel & Conference Centerhttps://www.theheldrich.com/ Magyar Bankhttps://www.magbank.com/ Withum Accountinghttps://www.withum.com/ Our Places Stage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/ Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/ Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/ To hear more about food, wine and the finer things in life:https://www.instagram.com/restaurantguyspodcast/https://www.facebook.com/restaurantguysReach Out to The Guys!TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com**Become a Restaurant Guys Regular and get two bonus episodes per month, bonus content and Regulars Only events.**Click Below!https://www.buzzsprout.com/2401692/subscribe

Today on the show we return to the world of New York City restaurants with two great conversations.Just because Michael Stillman's father is Alan Stillman, founder of the Smith & Wollensky and TGI Fridays chains, doesn't mean he grew up wanting to go into the family business. Indeed, Michael grew up in the business, but it took some time for him to get to where he is today: operating Quality Branded, the restaurant group behind Quality Italian, Quality Meats, Don Angie, Bad Roman, and many more. We talk about the current restaurant climate and what inspires Michael to dive headfirst into a restaurant concept. It's a really cool talk.And before that, we speak with the incredible chef Emma Bengtsson. Emma is the chef and partner of Aquavit, which is one of my favorite restaurants in New York. Emma joined us in the studio to talk about her cooking career, which started in Sweden and landed in New York City. We discuss Emma's expert baking, what she enjoys about running a busy kitchen, and much more with one of New York's top chefs.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Straight outta DC, Carlton McCoy made his Grandma proud receiving a scholarship to the Culinary Institute in NY studying to become a chef, eventually moving to NYC and back to DC to work in some of the hottest restaurants including Aquavit, Per Se and City Zen. His love of food started shifting to wine and Carlton headed west and hit the slopes in Aspen at the legendary Little Nell, rising to Beverage Director and receiving his Master Sommelier certificate. Carlton met Gaylon Lawrence Jr. at Little Nell, where Gaylon brought him on to run storied Heitz Cellars in Napa. The fun just begun when Gaylon and Carlton started Lawrence Wine Estates and acquired Burgess Cellars, Stony Hill Vineyard, Haynes Vineyard, Lascombes to name a few, and founded Demeine Estates, a fine wine import and marketing company. Carlton McCoy also co-founded the Roots Fund, a non-profit organization aimed at creating educational and employment opportunities for Black and Indigenous individuals in the wine sector. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Grape Nation by becoming a member!The Grape Nation is Powered by Simplecast.

An ancient recipe that spawned many different variations of this warm, spiced wine beverage. Uncle Brad gives us a surefire recipe, a real banger! You will honestly love the smell, the taste, and the story. So stick around for the history of Gloog.    Glogg   (gloo-guh)  Glass: Heat safe mug    Garnish: Spoon + blanched almonds and raisins  Directions & Ingredients  Make your spice bag: grab a cheese cloth, add the following, and then tie it off with string so the contents won't come out.  20 (cracked) cardamom pods  10 cloves  Ginger (about 5 inch piece) peeled and sliced into ½ inch pieces  1 – 2 orange peels  2 cracked cinnamon sticks  In large saucepan, stockpot, or stewpot add:   2 bottles (750ml) of inexpensive Merlot  0.5 cup golden raisins  0.5 cup of blanched slivered almonds  1 cup honey (Acacia honey works best)  Your spice bag  Heat on stove over low heat for at least 2.5 hours but not more than 6. NEVER LET THIS BOIL.  Add 0.5 cups of Aquavit 30 minutes before serving (Linie Aquavit works really well with this recipe)   Serve in mug with spoon so guests can eat the almonds and raisins as they enjoy their Glogg    Crimson & Clove  Glass: Nick and Nora  Garnish: Nutmeg  Directions & Ingredients  1.5 oz dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir, or Grenache  1.5 oz Cognac  1/2 oz sweet vermouth  1/2 oz vanilla syrup  1/2 oz allspice dram  1/2 oz fresh lemon juice  Fresh nutmeg on top  Add all ingredients into a shaker and shake with ice!  Double strain into a nick and nora glass  Garnish with nutmeg on top!     TIP: why we temper our glasses.     Get your Zbiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic here: zbiotics.com/ARTOFDRINKING  Be sure to enter the code ARTOFDRINKING for 15% off your first order    The Art of Drinking  IG: @theartofdrinkingpodcast     Jules  IG: @join_jules  TikTok: @join_jules   Website: joinjules.com    Brad   IG: @favorite_uncle_brad    This is a Redd Rock Music Podcast  IG: @reddrockmusic  www.reddrockmusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's our 500th episode! Thank you to everyone who has been following along since 2018 and to those who are brand-new to our universe. We had to mark this big episode with one of our absolute favorites in the world of baking, business, and cookbook writing. Christina Tosi is the founder of the singular Milk Bar bakery and the author of many must-own cookbooks. Her latest is her best one yet: Bake Club: 101 Must-Have Moves for Your Kitchen tackles all the baking questions (and perhaps struggles) home bakers might have. We talk about what makes a great weekend baking project and how some recipes are ideal for the time-strapped. Tosi talks about the good-old Momofuku days and how a big life change is making her rethink her own cooking habits. Also, the holiday Reese's ranked! Thank you again for all the wonderful messages over the years! We love hearing from you and bringing you our show a couple times each week.Also on the show, it's the return of Three Things where Aliza and Matt discuss what is exciting in the world of restaurants, cookbooks, and the food world as a whole. On this episode: Aliza's birthday, including trips to Pastis and the Alvin Ailey retrospective at The Whitney, the Baldor x The Sussmans collab is really fun, as is The Shirtosphere. Also, a box grater PSA, Malcolm Livingston II's August Novelties is incredible, JJ Johnson is previewing a cool new restaurant concept, Aquavit's bar room menu is the perfect way to try high-caliber Swedish cooking in NYC.Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We'd love to hear from you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this in-depth episode of Distilling the West, Dan and Dave sit down with Andy Robinson from Aimsir Distillery and Adam Junod from Good Creative to explore the creation of a one-of-a-kind spirit: VÆttir Aquavit. Drawing on the deep-rooted traditions of Nordic distillation, this unique Aquavit brings together ancient techniques and modern creativity in a way that sets it apart in the world of craft spirits. Andy and Adam discuss the collaborative process between distiller and creative studio, explaining how the concept for VÆttir Aquavit was born and how it reflects both the history and mystique of Scandinavian culture. They explore the significance of the ingredients, the role of botanical infusions, and the meticulous production methods that give VÆttir its distinctive character. Throughout the episode, Dan and Dave provide their expert tasting notes, analyzing the bold, herbaceous flavor profile of the Aquavit. They break down the layered notes of caraway, dill, and other traditional botanicals, while also exploring the spirit's versatility in cocktails and sipping experiences. With insights into branding, product development, and distilling artistry, this episode is perfect for listeners interested in the intersection of tradition, creativity, and craftsmanship in the world of spirits.

Today on our episode #397 of All in the Industry®, Shari Bayer's guest is Lee Anne Wong, Executive Chef and Owner of Koko Head Cafe in Honolulu, Hawaii. A native of Troy, NY, Lee Anne graduated from the International Culinary Center (ICC), formerly known as the French Culinary Institute, in NYC, and began her culinary training at Marcus Samuelsson's Aquavit before playing an integral role in the opening of Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Restaurant 66. She went on to work as the Executive Chef of Event Operations at ICC, during which time she was featured on Season One of Bravo's Flagship Series Top Chef, and subsequently was hired as the series' Supervising Culinary Producer for the next 6 seasons, helping to build the show into the powerhouse that it is today. Lee Anne has also appeared as a competitor on The Next Iron Chef, Chopped, and Tournament of Champions, as well as participated on Season 17 of Top Chef All Stars. In late 2013, Lee Anne moved from NYC to Honolulu where in 2014, she debuted Koko Head Cafe—an island style brunch house in the Kaimuki neighborhood—to popular acclaim, and was recognized on the cover of Honolulu Magazine, as well as in Bon Appétit and Food & Wine, among other publications. In August 2014, she released her first cookbook, Dumplings All Day Wong, and in 2016, she joined Hawaiian Airlines as a guest chef, and in 2018, she was named Executive Chef for the airline. In March of 2019, she moved to Maui with family, and her latest project was Papa'aina, where she was reimagining the restaurant at the Pioneer Inn, Maui's oldest hotel located in historic Old Lahaina at the Harbor. In August of 2023, Lee Anne and residents of Maui were suddenly faced with wildfires, which devastated large sections of their homeland, losing the restaurant and hotel. On today's show, Shari sits down with Lee Anne in Chicago during the James Beard Awards weekend in June to talk about her impressive career and the impact of this tragedy, and what we can do to help. Today's show also features Shari's PR tip to support people and businesses, especially when they are in times of need, and Solo Dining experience at Lula Cafe, Chef and Owner Jason Hammel's market-driven restaurant in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and recently won for Outstanding Hospitality at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards 2024, which is a part of Shari's "On the Road" coverage of #JBFA on episode #396. **Check out Shari's book, Chefwise: Life Lessons from Leading Chefs Around the World (Phaidon) #chefwisebook  Listen at Heritage Radio Network; subscribe/rate/review our show at iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify. Follow us @allindustry. Thanks for being a part of All in the Industry®. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support All in the Industry by becoming a member!All in the Industry is Powered by Simplecast.

In our latest blind tasting podcast, host and Master Sommelier Chris Tanghe chats with Jonathan Eichholz,MS, about proven study methods that have helped both of them develop the skill to not only pass the Master Sommelier exam but also continue to improve their tasting ability and adapt to evolving wine typicity. Working with the GuildSomm team, Jonathan keeps the compendium up to date and occasionally teaches classes. He has worked at the acclaimed New York City restaurants The Modern and Aquavit, and he passed the Master Sommelier exam in 2023.  Thanks for listening. If you enjoy this episode, please consider leaving us a review, as it helps us connect and grow the GuildSomm community. Cheers!

Join us as we track down and try the national spirit of Columbia, Aguardiente.  The beverage (also knows as guaro) is a clear, anise-flavored liquor made from distilled sugar cane.  Is it worth it? Does it taste like fire water? Only one way to find out...New episode.  New name and logo.  Same awesome (debatable) co-hosts Matt and Jason!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aguardientehttps://www.theunconventionalroute.com/colombian-aguardiente-facts/#newrelease #aguardiente #guaro #columbia #drinkreview #podcast #isitworthit #arsenicculture The Fire Water of Columbia-E73https://www.youtube.com/@arsenicculturehttps://instagram.com/arsenicculturehttps://tiktok.com/@arsenicculturehttps://www.facebook.com/arsenicculture/https://x.com/arsenicculture

Aquavit or Akvavit or Akevitt: The spirit of Scandinavia, gin's Nordic cousin, snaps, it goes by many names around the world. Some even sails around the world before it's bottled. This episode explores some of the history, styles, and origins of the spirit, as well as some tasty tales of potato priests, black death, and drinking songs. Resources from this episode: Books: Certified Specialist of Spirits (CSS) Study Guide, Society of Wine Educators, Nickles, J. (2020)  The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails [Kindle Edition], Wondrich, D & Rothbaum, N., (2022) Websites: Alcohol Professor: Three Exciting Aquavit Trends you Need to Know Now, English, C. (3 March 2023) https://www.alcoholprofessor.com/blog-posts/3-exciting-aquavit-trends Drink Fellows: Demystifying Aquavit, Bickford, M. (11 January 2023) https://drinkfellows.com/blogs/news/demystifying-aquavit English Grammar Lessons: See a Man About a Horse - Meaning, Origin, and Useage, Pearson (18 November 2021) https://english-grammar-lessons.com/see-a-man-about-a-horse-meaning/ Eur-Lex: Access to European Law, Regulation (EU) 2019/787 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the definition, description, presentation and labelling of spirit drinks, the use of the names of spirit drinks in the presentation and labelling of other foodstuffs, the protection of geographical indications for spirit drinks, the use of ethyl alcohol and distillates of agricultural origin in alcoholic beverages, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex 1 [Categories of Spirit Drinks ], (24) Akvavit or aquavit https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02019R0787-20240513&qid=1721068894716 Innherred: Aquavit History at Innherred: https://en.visitinnherred.com/aquavit-history-in-innherred/ Love to Know: Seven Aquavit Cocktails for a Nordic Spin on the Classics, Freeman, A. (8 February 2023) https://www.lovetoknow.com/food-drink/cocktails/aquavit-cocktails The Manual: A History of Brennivín Aquavit: The Black Death of Iceland, Fergus, J. (17 May 2017) https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/brennevin-aquavit-iceland/ Nordic Spirits: The History of Aquavit (nd) https://nordicspirits.com/en/history-aquavit Oslo: The Story of Norwegian Akevitt https://www.oslohd.com/about-norwegian-akevitt Scandinavia Standard: What is Aquavit? A Guide to the Scandinavian Spirit, Nielsen-Bobbit, J. (28 July 2020) https://www.scandinaviastandard.com/a-guide-to-scandinavian-aquavit/ Spritmuseum - Museum of Swedish Drinking Culture: The History of the Snaps Song https://spritmuseum.se/en/drinking-songs/ The Spruce Eats: What is Aquavit? Graham, C. (9 August 2022) https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-aquavit-4687051 Sunny Gandara: Aquavit - The history and tradition of the Norwegian ‘water of life', Gandara, S. (30 June 2018) https://sunnygandara.com/aquavit-the-history-and-tradition-of-the-norwegian-water-of-life/ Swedish Food: Swedish Drinking Songs (Svenska Snapsvisor), Duxbury, J. (n.d.) https://www.swedishfood.com/songs   Glass in Session Episodes Relevant to this Episode: S4E6 | Got Wood? Talkin' bout Oak https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/s4e6-got-wood-talkin-bout-oak Glass in Session® swag mentioned in this show: https://www.teepublic.com/user/glass-in-session   Glass in Session® is a registered trademark of Vino With Val, LLC. Music: “Write Your Story” by Joystock (Jamendo.com cc_Standard License, Jamendo S.A.)

Don't worry! This isn't entirely a college baseball episode! Mostly, it's a pro hockey episode One host is out, two others are sick, and everybody has a Good Sports Hangover Holly has some FATHERS & SONS feelings to work through re: the College World Series, and that's going about as well as you'd expect Celebrating Ft. Lauderdale as Hockeytown, USA Disturbing new allegations come to light regarding a MacGuffin known only as "the Jason robot" Stanley Cup trivia ruined by Jimmy Fallon A visit with Arthur Blank's actual falcon Surber delivers an assortment of wipes-based confessions This week's theme song arranged and performed by Shawn Pryor Follow Jason's work and upcoming book-related appearances on Vacation Bible School, Shutdown Fullbooks, and elsewhere at jasonkirk.fyi Find Holly and Spencer writing and chirping at channel-6.ghost.io Listen to Ryan's other, less harrowing podcast, We're Not All Like This, and check out his new project at assigned.substack.com  Purchase only the finest Fullcast gear and keep up with our live show schedule at sunny preownedairboats.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This botanical liquor can be made with many things, but often brings flavors like caraway or dill seed to the party. Anney and Lauren dip into the science and history of aquavit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet a woman who cooked her way to the top in New York City's fiercely competitive culinary scene.In this electrifying kickoff episode of CEO School live from the iconic New York Stock Exchange, host Suneera Madhani sits down with the extraordinary two-star Michelin chef, Emma Bengtsson. Diving deep into the male-dominated world of haute cuisine, Emma shares her inspiring journey from a childhood inspired by family matriarchs to spearheading Aquavit, a top-tier Swedish restaurant in the heart of Manhattan. Amid the buzz of the Women's Exchange Summit, they explore the challenges of maintaining culinary excellence, the intricate dance of managing a high-end restaurant's backend, and Emma's personal coping mechanisms under relentless pressure. Listeners will leave equipped with a richer understanding of the complexities behind culinary stardom and restaurant management, along with actionable insights on navigating male-dominated industries. Additionally, they will feel energized by the powerful stories of what it means to forge a path where women are underrepresented, making this session a source of motivation for anyone needing a dash of inspiration to chase their professional dreams.Connect with Emma: https://www.instagram.com/emmabengtsson.chef/Connect with CEO School: https://www.instagram.com/ceoschool/Are you ready to take your leadership skills to the next level?Join my exclusive, 8-week coaching program, and gather the right tools and resources to scale your business effectively and sustainably.Entrepreneurship is hard and the road is overwhelming, lonely, and uncertain. By joining The Accelerator, you go from bearing the pressure of scaling your business to learning from a 9-figure founder and expert.Visit: TheCEOSchool.co/Accelerator today. Elevate your leadership. Elevate your success. Don't miss out. Join The CEO School Accelerator now.Shop our Merch: https://theceoschool.co/the-shop

We're back! I spoke to the one and only Tim McKee. If you know you know. You probably know. Minnesota dining legend. He's a James Beard award-winning chef, and his resume is absolutely killer: La Belle Vie, Octo Fish Bar, Solera, Barrio, and Sea Change, just to name a few. Today, he's working on a North Loop restaurant that'll focus on the flavors of Spain's Basque region.Chefs and industry people, this one is for you. We talk about the trials and tribulations of running a spot. We talk about the nitty gritty of that shit. We talk about our history. We talked about everything.  Enjoy! Thanks for listening!-BTW!!! Our show is now sponsored by Cry Baby Craig's and Minnesota Ice. The best damn hot sauce in town and the best damn cocktail ice in town. It's a beautiful thing. Go to their websites on give them money pls.-Follow Tim on Twitter and Instagram.-Be sure to support Mucci's and Saint Dinette. How about making a reservation soon?Also, it would help if you bought a few of Muccis' frozen products in stores throughout the Twin Cities metro.You can find Niver Niver Land across all of social media here:Twitter | Instagram | YouTube-Welcome to Niver Niver Land: a podcast addressing massive restaurant industry change.The show is hosted by award-winning restaurateur Tim Niver – a local legend of Minnesota's Twin Cities – known for his involvement with fabled spots like Aquavit, Town Talk Diner, and Strip Club Meat & Fish. Today, he runs Saint Dinette and Mucci's Italian in St. Paul.Tim sees a major problem with restaurant industry dialogue: a lack of discussion about the ongoing, unprecedented change. Many of those who work in the industry are still trying to wrap their heads around what has happened over the last two years.Today, Tim is ready to talk about these things – through his trademark wit and foolishness – so that we can better appreciate and preserve the cultural importance of restaurants.

Det blir berättelser från stjärnkök och praktiska tips om vartannat i det här avsnittet där vi dyker ned i matlagningskonsten. Vad krävs för att bli en riktigt bra kock och vilka trender är tydligast just nu i restaurangvärlden.Vår ciceron är Albin Edberg, som har en bakgrund som tävlande i Kockarnas kamp i TV4 och som assistent under Bocuse d'Or, världens mest prestigefyllda matlagningstävling. Albin har arbetat på restauranger i flera världsdelar och driver just nu sin egen verksamhet.Programledare: Fritte FritzsonProducent: Ida WahlströmKlippning: Marcus TigerdraakeSignaturmelodi: Vacaciones - av Svantana i arrangemang av Daniel AldermarkGrafik: Jonas PikeFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/alltduvelatveta/Instagram: @alltduvelatveta / @frittefritzsonTwitter: @frittefritzsonGästfoto: Maria CrusemanHar du förslag på avsnitt eller experter: Gå in på www.fritte.se och leta dig fram till kontakt!Podden produceras av Blandade Budskap AB och presenteras i samarbete med AcastAlbins lista över favoritkrogar just nu (i Sthlm)- Bar Libertin - mellanrätter och naturvin i Aspudden. Här träffar man mig 2-3 ggr i veckan.- Gaia - Nästan som ovan fast i Midsommarkransen.- Främmat - Som Frankrike fast man slipper fransmännen och maten är god. Öppnar snart nytt på Söder.- Solen - Adam och Stor-Albins enorma krog vid Slaktis. Barhäng eller låååångmiddag.- Två Små Svin - Smörrebröd, tjeckisk öl och alldeles för mycket Aquavit i Årsta.Organisationer som hjälper Ukrainahttps://blagulabilen.se/http://www.humanbridge.se/https://www.rodakorset.se/https://lakareutangranser.se/nyheter/oro-over-situationen-i-ukrainaUkrainska statens egen lista (militär och civil hjälp)https://www.defendukraine.org/donate Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/alltduvelatveta. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ulrika Bengtsson är kock med många järn i elden! Lyssna på hennes resa från lilla Hylte,  som är den enda inlandskommunen belägen i två landskap, Halland och Småland. Hon arbetade på restaurang Aquavit i NYC 1989. Ulrika har lagat mat på Svenska General Konsulatet, haft egen restaurang som bar hennes namn och varit ansvarig för all mat och andra event på ett hotell beläget på Lexington Avenue. Idag driver hon Björk Cafe & Bistro. Ulrika berättar öppenhjärtigt om möten med gäster under åren. Positivitet och livsglädje går som en röd tråd genom veckans poddavsnitt. Ulrika bjuder verkligen på sig själv!   https://www.bjorkcafe.com/ https://newyork.swea.org/   SWEA-poddens team som medverkar detta avsnitt: Intervju: Marija Borenius (SWEA Global) & Anna Tvinnereim (SWEA Örestad) Redigering: Nina Brunk Hörnfeldt (SWEA Stockholm Webb: Nina Brunk Hörnfeldt (SWEA Stockholm) Sociala medier: Veronica Strandell (SWEA Global)

These Minneapolis-based cool kids are the masterminds behind Bebe Zito and Ouro Pizzaria. They were also involved in bringing the incredible Eat Street Crossing to life. Literally, everything they do screams "cool." But, man, they're tired. They're stressed. They aren't afraid to admit it. So let's talk about it. I appreciated this candid opportunity to sit down with them and understand who they are and where they come from. This was my first time really sitting down and getting to know these folks, so I definitely enjoyed this one!-Follow Tim on Twitter and Instagram.-Be sure to support Mucci's and Saint Dinette. How about making a reservation soon?Also, it would help if you bought a few of Muccis' frozen products in stores throughout the Twin Cities metro.You can find Niver Niver Land across all of social media here:Twitter | Instagram | YouTube-Welcome to Niver Niver Land: a podcast addressing massive restaurant industry change.The show is hosted by award-winning restaurateur Tim Niver – a local legend of Minnesota's Twin Cities – known for his involvement with fabled spots like Aquavit, Town Talk Diner, and Strip Club Meat & Fish. Today, he runs Saint Dinette and Mucci's Italian in St. Paul.Tim sees a major problem with restaurant industry dialogue: a lack of discussion about the ongoing, unprecedented change. Many of those who work in the industry are still trying to wrap their heads around what has happened over the last two years.Today, Tim is ready to talk about these things – through his trademark wit and foolishness – so that we can better appreciate and preserve the cultural importance of restaurants.

There's this stereotype that Gin... and the Gin and Tonic... ends up tasting like Christmas Trees. But there's so much more to his spirit, and here we make the case that you should think about in many cases replacing Vodka with Gin for a better tasting cocktail. We get into the why it tastes the way it does, why a lot of people meet Gin far too early, and introduce you to a similar spirit, Aquavit, that you shouldn't ignore.  There's so much gin, and custom tonic to explore - that you can really spread your wings with this combination. Simple, but the possibilites for tasty complexity.  Dr. Kevin Peterson is an author and owner of the Castalia at Sfumato Cocktail Bar in Detroit, Michigan. He applies his engineering experties to making some of the best tasting cocktails in the nation.  Check out his bar: https://www.castaliacocktails.com/  

What do you get when you combine a Norwegian spy, a Xmas tree a slap up meal at the Savoy and a bottle of Aquavit? If your answer is a long standing Xmas tradition between two nations, you'd be pretty close.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ass another exhausting year comes to an end, let us take the time and reflect on some good ol´ times by reviewing Turbonegro´s 2003 massterpiece SCANDINAVIAN LEATHER. Like a decades old Aquavit, this album goes down ass smoothly ass any Se(a)m...

Ass another exhausting year comes to an end, let us take the time and reflect on some good ol´ times by reviewing Turbonegro´s 2003 massterpiece SCANDINAVIAN LEATHER. Like a decades old Aquavit, this album goes down ass smoothly ass any Se(a)man during their heyday in their early 20s. Skål!

In this episode, I had the pleasure of hosting Nick Kosevich, a Minnesota-based food and beverage professional. He is CEO of the cocktail company Earl Giles and Beverage Director of Mr. Paul's Supper Club in Edina, MN. Nick and I go all the way back to 2006 when we opened Town Talk Diner in Minneapolis. That crazy fuckin time lead to us creating a lifelong friendship, which is why he felt comfortable enough to show up in a banana costume.We spent our time together talking about said banana costume, our past together, and  general shit we've both experienced in the industry.- Follow Tim on Twitter and Instagram.-Be sure to support Mucci's and Saint Dinette. How about making a reservation soon?Also, you should buy a few of Muccis' frozen products, available in stores throughout the Twin Cities metro.You can find Niver Niver Land across all of social media here:Twitter | Instagram | YouTube-Welcome to Niver Niver Land: a podcast that addresses massive change in the restaurant industry.The show is hosted by award-winning restaurateur Tim Niver – a local legend of Minnesota's Twin Cities – known for his involvement with fabled spots like Aquavit, Town Talk Diner, and Strip Club Meat & Fish. Today, he runs Saint Dinette and Mucci's Italian in St. Paul.Tim sees a major problem with restaurant industry dialogue: a lack of discussion about the ongoing, unprecedented change. Many of those who work in the industry are still trying to wrap their heads around what has happened over the last two years.Today, Tim is ready to talk about these things – through his trademark wit and foolishness – so that we can better appreciate and preserve the cultural importance of restaurants.

Chef Ed Porter is a storyteller of many mediums. A man of myriad arts, Chef moved to Minneapolis from NY in 98 to open Marcus Samuelsson's second location of the legendary Aquavit. His love of food is equalled only by his love of music, as heard on his brand-new album "de zéro", for which he has been scheming up a multi-course meal to pair with each track. Wild, right??Chef gives Quam and Charles the scoop on that ambitious creative pursuit, and gets in the weeds about spicy food, New York food culture, embracing life in the Twin Cities all these years after moving from NY, and a bundle more, in addition to these topics of the week:❄️ It's the little things-- what seemingly innocuous activity makes you very happy?

FULL SHOW TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS:Stephanie [00:00:15]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to the podcast. We are talking with 2 powerful women today in the cheese world. We're talking with Jessica Sennett from Cheese Grotto and our friend Alise Sjostrom from Redhead Creamery. Alise fromRed Head Creamery has been on the program before. Jessica, this is your first time. Welcome.Jessica [00:00:35]:AliseYes. Thank you. Thank you for having us.Stephanie [00:00:38]:Okay. You guys are in collaboration. And tell us a little bit about your meeting and how this collaboration started.Jessica [00:00:46]:Oh, yeah. So so, yeah, it's probably the the fastest, collaboration known to man in terms of, us both Being on the same page, which which was awesome. I yeah. So cheese grotto a Little bit about what we do. You know, we we do have our cheese grotto, which is the namesake of the company. It's a humidor for storing and serving Cheese and we make them in the Catskills in New York as well as in, Ohio. There's, the bricks That humidify. These cheese grottoes are made in Ohio.Jessica [00:01:24]:And, essentially, they act as a humidor for prolonging the shelf's life of cheese. And we started, selling and partnering up with American Artisan Cheesemakers about 5 years ago. And once the pandemic hit, it really helped, you know, Bloom Art subscription programStephanie [00:01:47]:Sure.Jessica [00:01:48]:As well as virtual tastings and gift boxes. And we focus on American artisans Because, you know, we really love to, to support what's going on regionally because there's, like, so many amazing cheeses now that are being made. And, you know, Redhead Creamery and Elise has, just all have been wonderful, partner in our Different cheese programs for a few years now and believed in us when we were first getting started on the cheese side as well. And so, you know, this year, we have been collaborating more, with different makers to create some unique, limited, edition products. And her her little Lucy Brie is is incredible. It's this Taller format breeze style that has a very unique way that it ripens. And so you get really nice varied texture both, like, A little bit of a denser center when it's a little bit younger and then, like, a beautiful cream line right underneath, the rind. And so I reached out to her about Potentially doing a holiday version of, the little Lucy Brie.Jessica [00:03:00]:And Yeah. Immediately, we were like, how about herbs? Because herbs are, like, such a huge part of, you know, the, holiday time and just Bringing a brightness and herbaceous quality to a lot of our foods, and also baked brie is a huge thing, this time of the year. And a lot of times, there's a lot of toppings of, of, of herbs that go into different baked Brie recipes. So, so, yeah, we we just went back and forth, very quickly via email and, decided that, Herbes de Provence, that would be a great thing to to feature. A nice varied eclectic mix that really represents the holiday season. And, and Elise did some testing with it. And, yeah, I'd love to hear more about like, so on Elise's side, I know that she, Tried a couple different test batches of the cheese, but first, we put the herbs on the rind, and then eventually it ended up being Infused into the pace, which is, like, beautifully balanced, though. I'd love to hear about how she got to that too.Stephanie [00:04:09]:Yeah. I would too because it was so, like, Natural. Like, when I had it, I was like, oh, yeah. Of course. I can't believe this hasn't that she hasn't done this before Because, Elise, you're so, like, revolutionary, I think, just in making cheese and the way that you view your Marketing of cheese, and little Lucy has been such a fan favorite for so long. So, yeah, I am curious how, like, All of a sudden, like, why hadn't we thought of this before?Alise [00:04:40]:Yeah. So I think the day that we were, collaborate collaborating back and forth. I was actually on a fall vacation with my husband up in Door County, And he was also working, and I had to I just sat at my desk for a little bit, and that's what we did all day is decide what we were doing with this herb brie, but I we've played with our little Lucy brie a little bit and didn't really go farther with it. We've tried a, Chipotle line in the middle or played with ash because it's just the cool thing to do. Yep. And I knew that herb would taste good. And so When we kind of brainstorm back and forth, I knew I had some on hand in our shop that I could play with immediately. And so That was a big reason why I recommended it right away so that we could act quickly.Alise [00:05:31]:And, yeah, it was really fun. So we Did 3 or 4 different varieties, to see what tasted best, and if they got heated up, which melted best. Some of them, We tried to do the the line in the middle of the wheel with herbs, and we smothered the mold after the cheese had ripened. We smothered that with herbs, and then the infused version, actually is the easiest for making it also. And I'm always trying to go for that because I hate when I create something and then everyone hates that we have to keep making it because it goes well. So we actually, put the herb dry herbs in with the curds and whey and then, mold you You know, pour the curd in the mold that way, and it all just evenly distributes within. We let it soak for a little bit just to Infuse that flavor a little bit, but, it's awesomely pretty simple on our end, and we are really excited about the results of it, and I'm always excited to do something fun and collaborate with other people, especially Jessica because we have, like, a fun relationship, and it's been cool to see where this goes.Stephanie [00:06:48]:So, Jessica, in addition to the storing of the cheese in your very, Scientifically beautiful wood grotto for the countertop. When you think about, like, a cheese subscription, Who do you think is the ideal candidate for it?Jessica [00:07:06]:No. It's a it's a great question. We we have a couple Subscriptions that we do on our website. So we have one that is more curated, monthly pairings. So you can opt to choose with pairings or without, and we we have a theme each month that we decide on, That helps us kind of curate and highlight specific styles of cheese from different makers. And then, you know, we find some really great pairing to kinda bring that to life. So, actually, the the herbs that we see is part of our December, holiday themed box, Which makes sense because we're also including a baked Brie recipe with that, so that you can, you know, Create a very, one of a kind, I would say, type of baked brie, than maybe what you have experienced before. It's a very It it looks like a popover almost.Jessica [00:08:02]:It's very, beautiful, but because it's a little bit on the taller side. So, You know, for the monthly, I would say, you know and really, like, with both of our subscriptions, we have a quarterly one as well. It's really about, My my my main thought about the best person, for signing up for a subscription is someone who is interested in in learning more and pursuing more, in the world of artisan cheese and exposing themselves to different styles of cheese that they might not have, necessarily opted for, on their own or maybe couldn't find in their local grocery store. And that's really what we're looking for is To curate, you know, unique, you know, palatable, but also diverse styles of cheeses from different makers so that you can get a really full spectrum of what, yeah, American and artisan cheese has to offer. I mean, we're we're in the thousands of different Cheeses, it's time now that you can explore, so there's definitely not, like, a cap in terms of how many cheeses you could try. So that's really, you know, somebody who's who's curious, who's, enthusiastic, but wants to get a little bit deeper into it. That's that's what what I'd recommend.Alise [00:09:19]:I love it.Jessica [00:09:21]:Yeah. And we the other one we have is a quarterly subscription, which we actually have done with Elise in the past as well. It's, meet the maker. So we did a session. We do 4 4 shipments per year where we actually Sit down live with the cheese maker, and they get to do a deep dive into 4 cheeses from 1 maker. So that's got a really cool immersive element on that as well. So even with the quarterly, I would say the, really just to kind of elevate and and and enhance your own understanding of cheese, it really is a great opportunity to do that and, pursue it a little bit more like a hobby.Stephanie [00:09:58]:Elise, I have a confession, and it's gonna make you laugh. So I do like to make a brie. Yeah. I like to make it on croute. Right? I like to wrap it in puff pastry, but I always would buy Cheap Brie because I felt so bad using, like, your delicious product in something Kinda so pedestrian, but I feel like this is giving me, like, a new opportunity to explore it. Because do you heat up your own Brie? I felt like that was almost like a sacrilege.Alise [00:10:34]:Well, here's what now you'll laugh at me because Sometimes in the rare occasion that I'm home alone, I'll be like, well, not making dinner for anybody, but I'll have random cheese in my fridge. And so I microwaved a brie and put jam all over it, and I was like, why didn't I think of this a long time ago? I could just microwave it. But so I like, more often than not, I eat it plain like, I don't cook it, but, Yeah. It's you know what? You do you.Stephanie [00:11:05]:Yeah. And there's, like, something about holiday time. You know, I do a ton of entertaining, and Just a brie warmed up with either preserves on it or uncrut and wrapped up is Really elegant, lovely, a nice way to serve cheese that's a little bit different that maybe people wouldn't do themselves that feels fancier.Alise [00:11:28]:Yes. Absolutely.Stephanie [00:11:30]:So alright. I feel like this has opened new doors for me. And I always do I am a person that has a holiday cheese vibe. So I will seek out, special holiday cheeses from local makers that only come out this time of year, And I'll, you know, pay a lot more to put them on my table because I know that they're special and they're custom. So this feels like this could be something that could really take off for you, and then you're gonna have that problem like you do with all your cheeses where you're gonna have to make so much of it.Alise [00:12:04]:I'm okay with that.Stephanie [00:12:07]:Elise, how's the store going? And get our listeners up to speed. You guys have expanded.Alise [00:12:12]:Yes. We're in the middle of expansion. I don't know if you can hear the rumbling at all in my background, but, Everything's going great. We're our expansion project's a little bit slower than we anticipated, but it always is. And so we're hoping that we will be, making spirits by February. Fingers crossed. But we'll have more so of a full restaurant and our distilled spirits with whey. So we're really excited to get everything up and rolling,Stephanie [00:12:44]:maybe when theAlise [00:12:45]:snow is gone.Stephanie [00:12:46]:Yeah. And you've got the store too.Alise [00:12:48]:Yes. We have a cheese shop, and we do dairy farm tours. And, we serve our pan fried curds that are extremely popular, especially when it's cold out. And we now have, robotic milkers for the last month, so that's a fun new thing to come check out if you go on our farm tours.Stephanie [00:13:08]:Does that Free up you guys because they always talk about how labor intensive dairy cows are. AndAlise [00:13:16]:Yeah. It will eventually. The the onboarding process is tiring and difficult for both the cows and the humans getting them trained. But, yes, that is the end goal is that it will free up some of that time and allow us to be a little more flexible with how we spend our time.Stephanie [00:13:35]:And for those of you that maybe are new to the program or not familiar with Redhead Creamery, Elise is the daughter of dairy farmers, and She decided she wanted to take the cheese angle versus just the dairy angle and really has Created a whole more elaborate successful business for your family. How many people do you employ now?Alise [00:14:00]:We have about 12 employees.Stephanie [00:14:03]:And if you add, like, the restaurant and the distillery, that's gotta add, like, I'm thinking at least 40 more.Alise [00:14:09]:Oh, well, I don't think it'll add that many more. The distillery itself will add my husband will be our distiller, And we'll all kind of team up when it's bottling day. And then but we'll need the help for the restaurant side of things, serving, and all of that.Stephanie [00:14:27]:When is anyone else making, spirits out of whey?Alise [00:14:32]:There's about 9 to 10 other makers in the world that are making It's out of way. We will be one of the only that do everything on-site, having the cows, the cheese, And the spirit's all right here.Stephanie [00:14:46]:Oh, I'm so excited. Like, it's just that whole closed loop system that I feel like it's just the jazziest of jazzy food lore. Right? I mean, just what an awesome story. I cannot wait for it. You guys have been super fun to talk to. Are there any things that are happening in the food world that you're like, Oh, you gotta know about this, or I'm so excited about this right now. No. Nothing like putting you on the spot.Stephanie [00:15:18]:I mean, you're both just, like, staring Likely, like, I don't know. We're in holiday season. What are you thinking, lady? Surviving.Jessica [00:15:27]:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, I don't know. I mean, you know, I I think it's just you have to keep encouraging you to keep exploring locally what's going on food wise. Jessica.Stephanie [00:15:39]:I'm gonna help you out. Okay. So tell me the last delicious thing you ate or drank that was not your own product. And you weren't gonna eat a cheese grotto, so there's that. Yeah. Yeah.Jessica [00:15:56]:Let's see. What would you know, I'm really into, Pastis. Tell me about them. Yeah. We went to I mean, we went to France Back in September, and, basically, every single region of France has its multiple versions of pasties. But a lot of times, you know, there's, yeah, there's one, like, From the. There's one from all these different regions, and it is really just an amazing, amazing spirit that I, like, never really got into before. But, you know, I think actually a pastiche and cheese pairing would be Pretty fun too.Jessica [00:16:38]:You know, speaking of, you know, more of these more herbaceous, like, flavor profiles, like The the anise that you're getting from from the pasties is really amazing and, just, you know, the variety. But I'm also very curious, I have to say, about the flavor profile of the distilled whey. Like, what what is that like?Stephanie [00:16:59]:Yeah. And it has me thinking about, like, aqua vie too. Like, these seasonal, herbaceous, botanically spirits.Jessica [00:17:08]:Yes. Yeah.Alise [00:17:09]:So it's it is a a neutral spirit for the most part, but it it does have a creamy mouthfeel to it. I'm still not sure how to really fully explain the actual flavor of it. We have about, oh, what is it, maybe 10 gallons of spirit that a distiller has done for us out of our fermented way so that we have something when we actually open. But, Along the lines of, you know, Aquavit is something that we hope to eventually make and a gin and then a barrel aged version of it as well just because you can. But, but, yeah, it'll it'll be fun, and we're excited for our our restaurant cocktail room because every drink will come with A wedge of cheese with it, so we'll get to figure out how everything tastes with cocktail.Stephanie [00:18:00]:Have you ever had the sugar beet vodka?Alise [00:18:05]:I don't know. Well, Molly, I think I have. What's the name of theStephanie [00:18:09]:b e t is the one that I know of that's made in Minnesota. And I would I would encourage you to check that out. Mhmm. The only reason I think of it is when you talk about, like, a creamier mouthfeel, There's a richness to that vodka.Alise [00:18:25]:Should I That nothing that IStephanie [00:18:28]:is just something that feels, I don't know. It feels like a very different mouthfeel, and it is when you talk about, like, a creamy richness, it just sticks in my brain. And I'd like you to try that because I think maybe it would give you something similar just to think about.Alise [00:18:48]:Cool. Yeah. I'm gonna look it. My husband has probably tried it.Stephanie [00:18:51]:Yeah. It's just cool and it's made with sugar beets, which is a little bit different. You know, potato butts are a little bit different. So Mhmm. Well, you guys, have been great. Are you gonna have so how can people order the cheese? And if they wanna come down, will they find it at Redhead Creamery too, or can is it just in the subscription?Jessica [00:19:11]:Yeah. Right now, we just have it we have it, 2 different ways on the Sites on cheese grotto's website. So we have it, both in the subscription, the December box. We also have a set of 2 that you can just independently or really just add on to any cheese order. You know, my recommendation when you purchase Cheese online is just buy more because the shipping is a little is always a little bit more expensive. Right. Just because it has to go express, it has to be insulated. It's perishable.Jessica [00:19:46]:It has ice packs. And we do nationwide shipping. So, So that's my that is my main recommendation. Just try just try a little bit more, when you when you go to shop online.Stephanie [00:20:00]:So I love that recommendation. Nothing wrong with that. I actually ended up with a 100 pounds of cheese in my freezer right now Wow. That I had to, like, break down. A friend ended up getting a £1,000 of Gruyere and Jarlsberg instead of the 100 that she ordered, and it came from overseas. So they couldn't take it back. So she is like giving cheese to everyone she knows and I have like a literal half a freezer full of cheese right now. Not a bad problem to have.Stephanie [00:20:32]:Yeah. Yeah.Jessica [00:20:33]:Full of it. You're stocked. You gotta get your preserves back there. You got your cheese.Stephanie [00:20:38]:I'm all set. Or anything. Elise, are you doing anything for holidays that you want people to know about before we wrap up?Alise [00:20:45]:But, yeah, we have, along with what we're doing with Jessica, we also have our 12 days of Cheez Miss calendar That is our 2nd annual year of doing, and it's really exciting. It's partnering with Milkmaid Catering in Fargo. Megan is a friend of mine, and we collaborate on utilizing our cheeses for the 12 days and then pairing each Cheese with a fun side. So, there's Minnesota made beets and, honey butter and Other fun things that go really good with cheese.Stephanie [00:21:18]:Sweet. I love it. I'll put links to all of these things in the show notes. You guys, thanks for being my guest today. I appreciate it.Jessica [00:21:25]:Oh, yes. Thank you for having us.Stephanie [00:21:27]:Alright. We'll catch up soon. Happy holidays.Alise [00:21:30]:You too. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

FULL SHOW TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS:Stephanie [00:00:15]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to the podcast. We are talking with 2 powerful women today in the cheese world. We're talking with Jessica Sennett from Cheese Grotto and our friend Alise Sjostrom from Redhead Creamery. Alise fromRed Head Creamery has been on the program before. Jessica, this is your first time. Welcome.Jessica [00:00:35]:AliseYes. Thank you. Thank you for having us.Stephanie [00:00:38]:Okay. You guys are in collaboration. And tell us a little bit about your meeting and how this collaboration started.Jessica [00:00:46]:Oh, yeah. So so, yeah, it's probably the the fastest, collaboration known to man in terms of, us both Being on the same page, which which was awesome. I yeah. So cheese grotto a Little bit about what we do. You know, we we do have our cheese grotto, which is the namesake of the company. It's a humidor for storing and serving Cheese and we make them in the Catskills in New York as well as in, Ohio. There's, the bricks That humidify. These cheese grottoes are made in Ohio.Jessica [00:01:24]:And, essentially, they act as a humidor for prolonging the shelf's life of cheese. And we started, selling and partnering up with American Artisan Cheesemakers about 5 years ago. And once the pandemic hit, it really helped, you know, Bloom Art subscription programStephanie [00:01:47]:Sure.Jessica [00:01:48]:As well as virtual tastings and gift boxes. And we focus on American artisans Because, you know, we really love to, to support what's going on regionally because there's, like, so many amazing cheeses now that are being made. And, you know, Redhead Creamery and Elise has, just all have been wonderful, partner in our Different cheese programs for a few years now and believed in us when we were first getting started on the cheese side as well. And so, you know, this year, we have been collaborating more, with different makers to create some unique, limited, edition products. And her her little Lucy Brie is is incredible. It's this Taller format breeze style that has a very unique way that it ripens. And so you get really nice varied texture both, like, A little bit of a denser center when it's a little bit younger and then, like, a beautiful cream line right underneath, the rind. And so I reached out to her about Potentially doing a holiday version of, the little Lucy Brie.Jessica [00:03:00]:And Yeah. Immediately, we were like, how about herbs? Because herbs are, like, such a huge part of, you know, the, holiday time and just Bringing a brightness and herbaceous quality to a lot of our foods, and also baked brie is a huge thing, this time of the year. And a lot of times, there's a lot of toppings of, of, of herbs that go into different baked Brie recipes. So, so, yeah, we we just went back and forth, very quickly via email and, decided that, Herbes de Provence, that would be a great thing to to feature. A nice varied eclectic mix that really represents the holiday season. And, and Elise did some testing with it. And, yeah, I'd love to hear more about like, so on Elise's side, I know that she, Tried a couple different test batches of the cheese, but first, we put the herbs on the rind, and then eventually it ended up being Infused into the pace, which is, like, beautifully balanced, though. I'd love to hear about how she got to that too.Stephanie [00:04:09]:Yeah. I would too because it was so, like, Natural. Like, when I had it, I was like, oh, yeah. Of course. I can't believe this hasn't that she hasn't done this before Because, Elise, you're so, like, revolutionary, I think, just in making cheese and the way that you view your Marketing of cheese, and little Lucy has been such a fan favorite for so long. So, yeah, I am curious how, like, All of a sudden, like, why hadn't we thought of this before?Alise [00:04:40]:Yeah. So I think the day that we were, collaborate collaborating back and forth. I was actually on a fall vacation with my husband up in Door County, And he was also working, and I had to I just sat at my desk for a little bit, and that's what we did all day is decide what we were doing with this herb brie, but I we've played with our little Lucy brie a little bit and didn't really go farther with it. We've tried a, Chipotle line in the middle or played with ash because it's just the cool thing to do. Yep. And I knew that herb would taste good. And so When we kind of brainstorm back and forth, I knew I had some on hand in our shop that I could play with immediately. And so That was a big reason why I recommended it right away so that we could act quickly.Alise [00:05:31]:And, yeah, it was really fun. So we Did 3 or 4 different varieties, to see what tasted best, and if they got heated up, which melted best. Some of them, We tried to do the the line in the middle of the wheel with herbs, and we smothered the mold after the cheese had ripened. We smothered that with herbs, and then the infused version, actually is the easiest for making it also. And I'm always trying to go for that because I hate when I create something and then everyone hates that we have to keep making it because it goes well. So we actually, put the herb dry herbs in with the curds and whey and then, mold you You know, pour the curd in the mold that way, and it all just evenly distributes within. We let it soak for a little bit just to Infuse that flavor a little bit, but, it's awesomely pretty simple on our end, and we are really excited about the results of it, and I'm always excited to do something fun and collaborate with other people, especially Jessica because we have, like, a fun relationship, and it's been cool to see where this goes.Stephanie [00:06:48]:So, Jessica, in addition to the storing of the cheese in your very, Scientifically beautiful wood grotto for the countertop. When you think about, like, a cheese subscription, Who do you think is the ideal candidate for it?Jessica [00:07:06]:No. It's a it's a great question. We we have a couple Subscriptions that we do on our website. So we have one that is more curated, monthly pairings. So you can opt to choose with pairings or without, and we we have a theme each month that we decide on, That helps us kind of curate and highlight specific styles of cheese from different makers. And then, you know, we find some really great pairing to kinda bring that to life. So, actually, the the herbs that we see is part of our December, holiday themed box, Which makes sense because we're also including a baked Brie recipe with that, so that you can, you know, Create a very, one of a kind, I would say, type of baked brie, than maybe what you have experienced before. It's a very It it looks like a popover almost.Jessica [00:08:02]:It's very, beautiful, but because it's a little bit on the taller side. So, You know, for the monthly, I would say, you know and really, like, with both of our subscriptions, we have a quarterly one as well. It's really about, My my my main thought about the best person, for signing up for a subscription is someone who is interested in in learning more and pursuing more, in the world of artisan cheese and exposing themselves to different styles of cheese that they might not have, necessarily opted for, on their own or maybe couldn't find in their local grocery store. And that's really what we're looking for is To curate, you know, unique, you know, palatable, but also diverse styles of cheeses from different makers so that you can get a really full spectrum of what, yeah, American and artisan cheese has to offer. I mean, we're we're in the thousands of different Cheeses, it's time now that you can explore, so there's definitely not, like, a cap in terms of how many cheeses you could try. So that's really, you know, somebody who's who's curious, who's, enthusiastic, but wants to get a little bit deeper into it. That's that's what what I'd recommend.Alise [00:09:19]:I love it.Jessica [00:09:21]:Yeah. And we the other one we have is a quarterly subscription, which we actually have done with Elise in the past as well. It's, meet the maker. So we did a session. We do 4 4 shipments per year where we actually Sit down live with the cheese maker, and they get to do a deep dive into 4 cheeses from 1 maker. So that's got a really cool immersive element on that as well. So even with the quarterly, I would say the, really just to kind of elevate and and and enhance your own understanding of cheese, it really is a great opportunity to do that and, pursue it a little bit more like a hobby.Stephanie [00:09:58]:Elise, I have a confession, and it's gonna make you laugh. So I do like to make a brie. Yeah. I like to make it on croute. Right? I like to wrap it in puff pastry, but I always would buy Cheap Brie because I felt so bad using, like, your delicious product in something Kinda so pedestrian, but I feel like this is giving me, like, a new opportunity to explore it. Because do you heat up your own Brie? I felt like that was almost like a sacrilege.Alise [00:10:34]:Well, here's what now you'll laugh at me because Sometimes in the rare occasion that I'm home alone, I'll be like, well, not making dinner for anybody, but I'll have random cheese in my fridge. And so I microwaved a brie and put jam all over it, and I was like, why didn't I think of this a long time ago? I could just microwave it. But so I like, more often than not, I eat it plain like, I don't cook it, but, Yeah. It's you know what? You do you.Stephanie [00:11:05]:Yeah. And there's, like, something about holiday time. You know, I do a ton of entertaining, and Just a brie warmed up with either preserves on it or uncrut and wrapped up is Really elegant, lovely, a nice way to serve cheese that's a little bit different that maybe people wouldn't do themselves that feels fancier.Alise [00:11:28]:Yes. Absolutely.Stephanie [00:11:30]:So alright. I feel like this has opened new doors for me. And I always do I am a person that has a holiday cheese vibe. So I will seek out, special holiday cheeses from local makers that only come out this time of year, And I'll, you know, pay a lot more to put them on my table because I know that they're special and they're custom. So this feels like this could be something that could really take off for you, and then you're gonna have that problem like you do with all your cheeses where you're gonna have to make so much of it.Alise [00:12:04]:I'm okay with that.Stephanie [00:12:07]:Elise, how's the store going? And get our listeners up to speed. You guys have expanded.Alise [00:12:12]:Yes. We're in the middle of expansion. I don't know if you can hear the rumbling at all in my background, but, Everything's going great. We're our expansion project's a little bit slower than we anticipated, but it always is. And so we're hoping that we will be, making spirits by February. Fingers crossed. But we'll have more so of a full restaurant and our distilled spirits with whey. So we're really excited to get everything up and rolling,Stephanie [00:12:44]:maybe when theAlise [00:12:45]:snow is gone.Stephanie [00:12:46]:Yeah. And you've got the store too.Alise [00:12:48]:Yes. We have a cheese shop, and we do dairy farm tours. And, we serve our pan fried curds that are extremely popular, especially when it's cold out. And we now have, robotic milkers for the last month, so that's a fun new thing to come check out if you go on our farm tours.Stephanie [00:13:08]:Does that Free up you guys because they always talk about how labor intensive dairy cows are. AndAlise [00:13:16]:Yeah. It will eventually. The the onboarding process is tiring and difficult for both the cows and the humans getting them trained. But, yes, that is the end goal is that it will free up some of that time and allow us to be a little more flexible with how we spend our time.Stephanie [00:13:35]:And for those of you that maybe are new to the program or not familiar with Redhead Creamery, Elise is the daughter of dairy farmers, and She decided she wanted to take the cheese angle versus just the dairy angle and really has Created a whole more elaborate successful business for your family. How many people do you employ now?Alise [00:14:00]:We have about 12 employees.Stephanie [00:14:03]:And if you add, like, the restaurant and the distillery, that's gotta add, like, I'm thinking at least 40 more.Alise [00:14:09]:Oh, well, I don't think it'll add that many more. The distillery itself will add my husband will be our distiller, And we'll all kind of team up when it's bottling day. And then but we'll need the help for the restaurant side of things, serving, and all of that.Stephanie [00:14:27]:When is anyone else making, spirits out of whey?Alise [00:14:32]:There's about 9 to 10 other makers in the world that are making It's out of way. We will be one of the only that do everything on-site, having the cows, the cheese, And the spirit's all right here.Stephanie [00:14:46]:Oh, I'm so excited. Like, it's just that whole closed loop system that I feel like it's just the jazziest of jazzy food lore. Right? I mean, just what an awesome story. I cannot wait for it. You guys have been super fun to talk to. Are there any things that are happening in the food world that you're like, Oh, you gotta know about this, or I'm so excited about this right now. No. Nothing like putting you on the spot.Stephanie [00:15:18]:I mean, you're both just, like, staring Likely, like, I don't know. We're in holiday season. What are you thinking, lady? Surviving.Jessica [00:15:27]:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, I don't know. I mean, you know, I I think it's just you have to keep encouraging you to keep exploring locally what's going on food wise. Jessica.Stephanie [00:15:39]:I'm gonna help you out. Okay. So tell me the last delicious thing you ate or drank that was not your own product. And you weren't gonna eat a cheese grotto, so there's that. Yeah. Yeah.Jessica [00:15:56]:Let's see. What would you know, I'm really into, Pastis. Tell me about them. Yeah. We went to I mean, we went to France Back in September, and, basically, every single region of France has its multiple versions of pasties. But a lot of times, you know, there's, yeah, there's one, like, From the. There's one from all these different regions, and it is really just an amazing, amazing spirit that I, like, never really got into before. But, you know, I think actually a pastiche and cheese pairing would be Pretty fun too.Jessica [00:16:38]:You know, speaking of, you know, more of these more herbaceous, like, flavor profiles, like The the anise that you're getting from from the pasties is really amazing and, just, you know, the variety. But I'm also very curious, I have to say, about the flavor profile of the distilled whey. Like, what what is that like?Stephanie [00:16:59]:Yeah. And it has me thinking about, like, aqua vie too. Like, these seasonal, herbaceous, botanically spirits.Jessica [00:17:08]:Yes. Yeah.Alise [00:17:09]:So it's it is a a neutral spirit for the most part, but it it does have a creamy mouthfeel to it. I'm still not sure how to really fully explain the actual flavor of it. We have about, oh, what is it, maybe 10 gallons of spirit that a distiller has done for us out of our fermented way so that we have something when we actually open. But, Along the lines of, you know, Aquavit is something that we hope to eventually make and a gin and then a barrel aged version of it as well just because you can. But, but, yeah, it'll it'll be fun, and we're excited for our our restaurant cocktail room because every drink will come with A wedge of cheese with it, so we'll get to figure out how everything tastes with cocktail.Stephanie [00:18:00]:Have you ever had the sugar beet vodka?Alise [00:18:05]:I don't know. Well, Molly, I think I have. What's the name of theStephanie [00:18:09]:b e t is the one that I know of that's made in Minnesota. And I would I would encourage you to check that out. Mhmm. The only reason I think of it is when you talk about, like, a creamier mouthfeel, There's a richness to that vodka.Alise [00:18:25]:Should I That nothing that IStephanie [00:18:28]:is just something that feels, I don't know. It feels like a very different mouthfeel, and it is when you talk about, like, a creamy richness, it just sticks in my brain. And I'd like you to try that because I think maybe it would give you something similar just to think about.Alise [00:18:48]:Cool. Yeah. I'm gonna look it. My husband has probably tried it.Stephanie [00:18:51]:Yeah. It's just cool and it's made with sugar beets, which is a little bit different. You know, potato butts are a little bit different. So Mhmm. Well, you guys, have been great. Are you gonna have so how can people order the cheese? And if they wanna come down, will they find it at Redhead Creamery too, or can is it just in the subscription?Jessica [00:19:11]:Yeah. Right now, we just have it we have it, 2 different ways on the Sites on cheese grotto's website. So we have it, both in the subscription, the December box. We also have a set of 2 that you can just independently or really just add on to any cheese order. You know, my recommendation when you purchase Cheese online is just buy more because the shipping is a little is always a little bit more expensive. Right. Just because it has to go express, it has to be insulated. It's perishable.Jessica [00:19:46]:It has ice packs. And we do nationwide shipping. So, So that's my that is my main recommendation. Just try just try a little bit more, when you when you go to shop online.Stephanie [00:20:00]:So I love that recommendation. Nothing wrong with that. I actually ended up with a 100 pounds of cheese in my freezer right now Wow. That I had to, like, break down. A friend ended up getting a £1,000 of Gruyere and Jarlsberg instead of the 100 that she ordered, and it came from overseas. So they couldn't take it back. So she is like giving cheese to everyone she knows and I have like a literal half a freezer full of cheese right now. Not a bad problem to have.Stephanie [00:20:32]:Yeah. Yeah.Jessica [00:20:33]:Full of it. You're stocked. You gotta get your preserves back there. You got your cheese.Stephanie [00:20:38]:I'm all set. Or anything. Elise, are you doing anything for holidays that you want people to know about before we wrap up?Alise [00:20:45]:But, yeah, we have, along with what we're doing with Jessica, we also have our 12 days of Cheez Miss calendar That is our 2nd annual year of doing, and it's really exciting. It's partnering with Milkmaid Catering in Fargo. Megan is a friend of mine, and we collaborate on utilizing our cheeses for the 12 days and then pairing each Cheese with a fun side. So, there's Minnesota made beets and, honey butter and Other fun things that go really good with cheese.Stephanie [00:21:18]:Sweet. I love it. I'll put links to all of these things in the show notes. You guys, thanks for being my guest today. I appreciate it.Jessica [00:21:25]:Oh, yes. Thank you for having us.Stephanie [00:21:27]:Alright. We'll catch up soon. Happy holidays.Alise [00:21:30]:You too. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Hey! It's our second live show! We recorded this thing on August 21st at Mucci's Italian in St. Paul, MN. I spoke with this incredible Christina Nguyen, who is co-owner of Hai Hai and Hola Area. These restaurants are in Minneapolis, MN and they are amazing.So, yeah, Christina and I did this whole thing WHILE a coursed dinner was being served, which is crazy. Like, what is that? Who does live podcast dinners? We do, I guess.We talked about a bunch of stuff: Christina's origin story as a chef, her trials, her tribulations, and restaurant stuff.If you were there, thank you. If you weren't there, here's proof that it happened.Thanks for listening!-Follow Tim on Twitter and Instagram.-Be sure to support Mucci's and Saint Dinette. How about making a reservation soon?Also, you should totally buy a few of Muccis' frozen products, available in stores throughout the Twin Cities metro.You can find Niver Niver Land across all of social media here:Twitter | Instagram | YouTube-Welcome to Niver Niver Land: a podcast that addresses massive change in the restaurant industry.The show is hosted by award-winning restaurateur Tim Niver – a local legend of Minnesota's Twin Cities – known for his involvement with fabled spots like Aquavit, Town Talk Diner, and Strip Club Meat & Fish. Today, he runs Saint Dinette and Mucci's Italian in St. Paul.Tim sees a major problem with restaurant industry dialogue: a lack of discussion about the ongoing, unprecedented change. Many of those who work in the industry are still trying to wrap their heads around what has happened over the last two years.Today, Tim is ready to talk about these things – through his trademark wit and foolishness – so that we can better appreciate and preserve the cultural importance of restaurants.

Chef Jorge Guzmán (Petite León) is an interesting character. I've been in similar rooms with him throughout the years, but I never really got to know him. He always seemed brooding and uninterested. The dude was hard to approach.But I recently got to know him much better. For today's episode, I sat down with this guy and figured out what made him tick. And, let me tell you, I think I understand what's going on.He's been through a lot. Trauma. He's been ripped off. He's failed. Hard. He's extremely critical of himself. He has trouble accepting compliments and praise. At the same time, he knows he deserves praise. James Beard has certainly taken notice of him.So here we are, Jorge and I. We sat down for over an hour to talk about his restaurant, his past, his heritage, his beliefs, and much more.-Follow Tim on Twitter and Instagram.-Be sure to support Mucci's and Saint Dinette. How about making a reservation soon?Also, you should totally buy a few of Muccis' frozen products, available in stores throughout the Twin Cities metro.You can find Niver Niver Land across all of social media here:Twitter | Instagram | YouTube-Welcome to Niver Niver Land: a podcast that addresses massive change in the restaurant industry.The show is hosted by award-winning restaurateur Tim Niver – a local legend of Minnesota's Twin Cities – known for his involvement with fabled spots like Aquavit, Town Talk Diner, and Strip Club Meat & Fish. Today, he runs Saint Dinette and Mucci's Italian in St. Paul.Tim sees a major problem with restaurant industry dialogue: a lack of discussion about the ongoing, unprecedented change. Many of those who work in the industry are still trying to wrap their heads around what has happened over the last two years.Today, Tim is ready to talk about these things – through his trademark wit and foolishness – so that we can better appreciate and preserve the cultural importance of restaurants.

What's there to be said about Ann Ahmed? She's a force of nature.Her latest restaurant – the Minneapolis-based Gai Noi – has once again proven that she is a master at the art of restaurants. Ever since she opened Lemon Grass Thai in the mid-2000s, she has drastically improved her standards of food and aesthetics. Lemon Grass has since closed, but the two places that came after it, Lat 14 and Khâluna, have blown people away with their style, grace, and execution. The increasing level of quality has led to both regional and national recognition.It might seem flashy and cool, but there is a driving force here: her heritage. Born in Laos, Ann moved to Minnesota at a young age. Even though she spent most of her life in the U.S., she continues to explore and honor her Laotian heritage through the food she serves and the experiences she creates.And so, it was such an honor to sit down with Ann and really explore the connection she has to her heritage and how that reveals itself in the corners of her restaurants. -Follow Tim on Twitter and Instagram.-Be sure to support Mucci's and Saint Dinette. How about making a reservation soon?Also, you should totally buy a few of Muccis' frozen products, available in stores throughout the Twin Cities metro.You can find Niver Niver Land across all of social media here:Twitter | Instagram | YouTube-Welcome to Niver Niver Land: a podcast that addresses massive change in the restaurant industry.The show is hosted by award-winning restaurateur Tim Niver – a local legend of Minnesota's Twin Cities – known for his involvement with fabled spots like Aquavit, Town Talk Diner, and Strip Club Meat & Fish. Today, he runs Saint Dinette and Mucci's Italian in St. Paul.Tim sees a major problem with restaurant industry dialogue: a lack of discussion about the ongoing, unprecedented change. Many of those who work in the industry are still trying to wrap their heads around what has happened over the last two years.Today, Tim is ready to talk about these things – through his trademark wit and foolishness – so that we can better appreciate and preserve the cultural importance of restaurant

Here it is, fam! The first-ever liv episode of Niver Niver Land. We featured two Minneapolis bartenders – Robb Jones from Meteor Bar and Jessi Pollak from Spoon & Stable – for a wonderful conversation about the hospitality industry.This was recorded on May 22nd at Saint Dinette to a sold-out room of people. The experience was surreal and we had a blast.-Follow Tim on Twitter and Instagram.-Be sure to support Mucci's and Saint Dinette. How about making a reservation soon?Also, you should totally buy a few of Muccis' frozen products, available in stores throughout the Twin Cities metro.You can find Niver Niver Land across all of social media here:Twitter | Instagram | YouTube-Welcome to Niver Niver Land: a podcast that addresses massive change in the restaurant industry.The show is hosted by award-winning restaurateur Tim Niver – a local legend of Minnesota's Twin Cities – known for his involvement with fabled spots like Aquavit, Town Talk Diner, and Strip Club Meat & Fish. Today, he runs Saint Dinette and Mucci's Italian in St. Paul.Tim sees a major problem with restaurant industry dialogue: a lack of discussion about the ongoing, unprecedented change. Many of those who work in the industry are still trying to wrap their heads around what has happened over the last two years.Today, Tim is ready to talk about these things – through his trademark wit and foolishness – so that we can better appreciate and preserve the cultural importance of restaurants. 

Henrik Lundqvist and Swedish chef and restaurateur, Marcus Samuelsson, discuss Marcus's early dreams of becoming a pro soccer player and how his passion for the craft of cooking ultimately led him to culinary stardom. Marcus shares his childhood journey of adoption from Ethiopia to Sweden, his culinary journey across the globe, and has passions for cooking, teaching, New York City and anyone's unique style.Club 30 is presented by Verizon.Become a member of Club 30 by following us on Instagram and Twitter. Brought to you by MSG Sports and Audiorama.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

During the pandemic, actor Matthew Arkin got a call from his dad, Alan Arkin. “My dad says, ‘Hey, you know you can make aquavit at home?'” Matthew explains, sipping a damn delicious aquavit tonic in the SDM conference room. Matthew's response was, essentially, “Uh, thanks, dad.” In Scandinavia, aquavit (the word means water of life) is everything. There are over 200 songs dedicated to it. In the U.S., it's mostly known as the stuff they drink in Scandinavia—a bracing blast of northern booze that helps wash down the pickled herring. A couple weeks went by and Matthew's dad called again. He says the thing about the aquavit again. Whether genuinely inspired or just to get his dad to shut up about it, Matthew decided to give it a go. He made a batch—a warmer, smoother version you could sip like bourbon. He stuck it in the freezer and figured he'd forget about it forever. A year later, friends intervened. Visiting one day, Marc Marosi (a stand-in for George Clooney, a dapper fellow) tasted it. Loved it. Told Matthew he could sell it. “I don't drink, but I want more of this,” Marc said at the time. So they called their old friend Bruce Glassman, a San Diego-based food and drinks writer (and former SDM beer columnist) to help perfect the recipe. After finding the perfect mix on the 22nd try, the new American aquavit—Batch 22—was born. The title is also an ode to the man whose random call started the idea, since Alan Arkin famously starred in the 1970s film, Catch 22. Was it really any good? To find out, the three friends—all now in their 60s—set out on a cross-country road trip. With a hundred mason jars full of their small-batch aquavit, they'd drive city to city and let the bartenders of America tell them if they were nuts or not. And every time, the bartenders were floored. They were also thankful it wasn't yet another tequila, another small-batch bourbon. In an evolved cocktail industry constantly looking for something new—this smooth, small-batch aquavit stands out. In just under six months, Batch 22 won several awards from across the country. It is shockingly delicious, not the aquavit most Americans know. The golden-hued spirit tastes of caraway and rye and dill and citrus. As if you liquefied a quality rye bread and put it in a bottle. According to the EU, the dominant flavor of aquavit must come from caraway and must have a minimum 37.5% ABV. Batch 22's three most prominent notes are citrus, caraway, and dill. Unlike traditional aquavit, Batch 22 is smooth, sippable, and exceptionally mixable. The three friends come into the San Diego Magazine offices for one of the more hilarious (and, at times, bawdy) episodes of HHH we've had in a long while. We assemble around the conference room, Bruce acts as bartender. We drink, we laugh. In news, Pacific Beach is getting its own al fresco food hall brought to you by food collective Mission + Garnet for a six-concept eatery from local restaurateur, Scott Slater. Perfecte Rocher has settled in as the new director of culinary operations for Consortium Holdings' most recent project: the Lafayette Hotel in North Park and the venerated golden-age hipster beacon of San Diego history. WashMobile, the family-owned spot for tortas (Mexican sandwiches), is setting up shop at NOVO Brazil Brewing Co. once a week—their first pop-up in San Diego. Soichi Sushi is opening next door in the former De Nada Kitchen on Adams Ave. Sonoran-inspired BBQ spot, Papalito, plans to open in South Park, adding to their map with hubs in North Park and East Village. Lastly, Amplified East Village has been aquired by long time PR head, Aubree Miller. It is being revamped as modbom. They will be switching to more cocktail focused and Drew Bent will be leasing the kitchen. If you wanna meet Glassman and Arkin and Marosi and try their creation—on April 1 they're launching a new cocktail with Understory at the Sky Deck.