Lifestyle - Around the Year

Pine-Cone Santa Ornaments – Cute Christmas-Craft Idea

aroundTheYear — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 18:39:52 +0000

If you’re in the mood for some last-minute Christmas crafts – why not try making pine-cone Santas? Honestly, it sounds weird just saying that. In my mind they’re more like “Jultomtes” – little Christmas gnomes, which are mythical figures from Scandinavia. They’re like tiny dwarfs living on farms and in stables, making sure nothing goes wrong with the family nor the farm animals, and all they ask is a bowl of porridge on Christmas as a Thank You for their service

Anyway, this little aside here is another consequence of my childhood in Sweden but now, without any further ado, here’s how you make them (you literally only need pine cones, felt, needle and thread and a few drops of glue):

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How Fashion Changed in the 19th Century

aroundTheYear — Wed, 14 May 2025 10:30:57 +0000

How fashion evolved over the course of the 19th century, and how to recognise which dress belongs to which period. Over the 19th century fashion changed drastically – we went from sleek grecian-inspired fashions during the regency period to voluminous crinolines and sleek walking suits. Watch the video below to see the changes in fashion in more detail.

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Lussebullar: Swedish Saffron Pastry Rolls to Light up the Darkest Nights of the Year

aroundTheYear — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 09:41:22 +0000

On December 13th, Swedes celebrate the feast of St Lucy, Sankta Lucia, by bringing light into the dark winter night with candles, songs and bright yellow saffron pastries known Lussebullar or Lussekatter. These can then be served by the family’s Lucia, why not as breakfast in bed?

Ingredients (Enough for about 40 rolls):

200g butter or margarine
500ml milk
50g fresh yeast
1g ground saffron
1 pinch of salt
180g sugar
800g wheat flour
1 egg yolk for brushing
Raisins to decorate

Method

Melt the butter and add the milk. Warm the mixture to about 37°C (lukewarm but not too hot to kill the yeast). Crumble the yeast into a large bowl and pour the butter and milk mixture over it. Stir briefly with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until fully combined. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. On a floured work surface, knead the dough lightly again with your hands and then divide it into small lumps. Form a roll out of it and roll it up from both sides like a snail, creating an s-shape Press a raisin into the center of each spiral. It should look like a double cinnamon roll. Brush the snails with egg yolk and bake on a baking tray lined with baking paper for about 10 minutes and let your lussekatter cool on a board or rack.

The post Lussebullar: Swedish Saffron Pastry Rolls to Light up the Darkest Nights of the Year first appeared on Around the Year.

2 Ingredient Roasted Broccoli – You will Never go Back!

aroundTheYear — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 11:46:53 +0000

We all know broccoli is VERY healthy, but most of us don’t really like the taste. Even though I’m lucky in that respect (I even like to eat it raw while cutting it up), roasted broccoli is my new favorite way to prepare it. Through baking, the broccoli looses its initial bitterness and allows the more pleasant flavors to stand out.

Broccoli is packed with Vitamins C, and K, and also offers good amounts of Viatmin A and B9, as well as minerals and antioxidants. It can even help prevent certain types of cancer, slow down the aging process and so forth – in short, you should eat broccoli!

All you need for this recipe is fresh broccoli and some olive oil plus salt and black pepper to taste. Cut up the broccoli into florets and slice the stem (yes, the stem tastes extra good roasted too!). Place onto a baking sheet or baking pan, drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper over top. Bake at 200 degrees C (390 F) in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes, take out and turn the broccoli (optionally you can add some grated Parmesan cheese at this point – totally not needed, but nice to have) and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Bon appetit!

Tip to save energy: if you bake your own bread, like we do, bake both at the same time, the oven will be running anyway!

The post 2 Ingredient Roasted Broccoli – You will Never go Back! first appeared on Around the Year.

Einfaches Safranwecken Rezept: Traditionelle Lussebulle zum Luciatag!

aroundTheYear — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 16:46:34 +0000

Am 13. Dezember wird, besonders in Skaninavien, das Luciafest gefeiert. An einem der dunkelsten Tage im Jahr bringen wir mit Kerzen und Safranwecken Licht in die Welt.

(Reicht für 40 Stück)

Zutaten:

200g Butter oder Margarine
500ml Milch
50g frische Hefe
1g gemahlenen Saffran
1 Priese Salz
180g Zucker
800g Weizenmehl
1 Eigelb zum Bestreichen
Rosinen zum Verzieren

Die Butter schmelzen und die Milch dazu gießen. Die Mischung auf etwa 37 °C aufwärmen. Die Hefe in eine große Schüssel bröseln und die Butter-Milch-Mischung darüber gießen. Mit einer Gabel kurz umrühren.

Die übrigen Zutaten hinzufügen und mit dem Handrührgerät etwa 5 min. oder mit der Hand etwa 10 min. verkneten. Etwa 40 min. zugedeckt an einem warmen Ort gehen lassen.

Den Backofen auf 200 °C vorheizen. Auf einer bemehlten Arbeitsfläche den Teig mit den Händen nochmals leicht durchkneten und sodann in kleine Klümpchen teilen. Daraus je eine Rolle formen und von beiden Seiten wie eine Schnecke aufrollen. In die Mitte jeder Spirale eine Rosine drücken.

Die Schnecken mit Eigelb bestreichen und auf einem mit Backpapier ausgelegtem Backblech ungefähr 10 min. backen und auf einem Brett oder Gitter abkühlen lassen.

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