Entertaining TV for any Food Lover

I just have to share this show/website with you! It's a Scandinavian cooking show called Perfect Day, that I've seen a few times now on my local PBS station and it's just a hoot--and has some great recipes also. Each episode has a different chef who hosts the show (Tina Nordstrom is pictured above); they travel to various interesting places around their country and then they cook the recipes for that episode right there at the different sites! So far I've seen recipes made on a glacier, on a boat in the sea during a rainstorm, in a meadow and more. I've never seen an American show like it and it's a refreshing change from the studio-created kitchens that you see on American TV. It makes you feel like you could have a tiny kitchen (or no kitchen at all) and create a feast, complete with appetizers, dessert, drinks and all. The recipes on the website are sometimes hard to follow, and sometimes it's obvious that the translation is a little off. I haven't made any of the recipes yet but I've printed off a few and I can't wait to try them (like this one and this one). If you find it on a TV station near you, it's definitely worth watching sometime. I guarantee you'll be entertained! :-)

Kreativ Blogger Award

My friend Christina was sweet enough to nominate me for a "Kreativ Blogger Award" (which I clearly don't deserve due to my recent lack of posting, but I am thankful just the same!) :-) I'm supposed to list 7 things I love and then nominate others for their own award. Here's my list:

1. My husband--He's handsome, kind, thoughtful, generous and regularly lets me try new recipes on him.

2. My dog, Roxy--she's the 3rd boxer I've owned and I can't think of a better (or cuter) breed of dog. She's still got a few puppy habits that I won't miss when she finally grows out of them, but I wouldn't trade her for anything!

3. My garden--Nothing beats picking fresh herbs from your own front yard (or back yard, or wherever you have your garden). It's so nice to look at a recipe and know that when I go to the grocery store I don't have to buy any herbs because I have them already! I'm hoping to add more tomatoes and some other edibles to the yard this year, too.

4. Cooking--You should see the pile of new recipes I have printed from various websites or copied from magazines and cookbooks. Plus the cookbooks I own that still have undiscovered treasures in them. It's so rewarding to follow a recipe, and maybe enhance or change it to suit your likes and dislikes, and have a terrific meal at the end of the process. I have to admit I am a messy cook, though, and I really hate to clean up. Steven is very good about doing the dishes and cleanup for me, after we enjoy the fruits of my labor. And one day we'll have a dishwasher, so even that work will be reduced!

5. Reading--The very first thing I did when I moved here was to get a library card. My mom always took us to the library when we were kids and I'm so grateful that she started us early with that habit. It's such a wonderful resource that many people overlook. We have several libraries in town with beautiful views of Pike's Peak, so sometimes after a hard day at work (which will happen again, I know it!) I'll go to the library and settle in one of the chairs by the huge windows and forget the world for a while. My Shelfari list (at left) shows a sampling of books I've read, and I'm always interested in getting suggestions!

6. Warm, Sunny Days--I so appreciate the lack of humidity and the moderate temperatures here in Colorado Springs. Winter still feels a little too long for me, but the Spring, Summer and Fall seasons more than make up for it. I can already see the days getting longer and it makes me so happy to think that Spring officially starts next month already!

7. Feeling Happy, Healthy & Confident--With my new free time I've started going to different exercise classes 5 times a week, in addition to taking Roxy on hikes at the dog park or in beautiful Palmer Park in the center of town. Even though I don't particularly like exercising I do love the results of consistent hard work and I want my body to last as long as possible, and hopefully age gracefully, too. There's still so much life to be lived and I want to be around to enjoy it for as long as I can!

And here are my nominees for their own "Kreativ Blogger Award":

Krissy Hammons, Laura Cummard, Amanda Lamb