The Transplanted Baker: June 2009

I have long, accident-prone skinny fingers, a Norwegian husband with a strange name, a little boy that was once a 10 lbs bun, and a kitchen cabinet full of ingredients smuggled over the Atlantic. Since blogging really and truly is about indulging in oneself, it only seems fitting that, nearly 3 years after giving birth to The Transplanted Baker, I finally come up with some sort of an “about me” page.

In April of 2008, I packed up my husband, my favorite nesting bowls, and a couple of cookbooks, and set sail from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Førde, Norway. In doing so, I was transplanted from a metropolis of 3.5 million to a rural town of 12, 000. In addition to missing my friends and family, the occasional skyscraper and big city nightlife, I quickly learned that I missed American food. A lot. The foods that Americans grow up on, bagels, apple pie, and tuna noodle casserole, were no where to be found in my new hometown.

Without a job and the comforts of home, I started to bake. And photograph. And write.

Soon after, I learned that although Norway is without decent mayonnaise and sourdough bread, it isn’t completely lacking in culinary tradition. Norwegian bakeries make fantastic buns and breads and cakes. Ones that Americans would be hard pressed to find in any American cafe, bakery, or supermarket. Baked goods that Americans (and Chinese, and Turks, and Porto Ricans, I imagine) really could and should try making at home if they had a reliable recipe resource, someone to guide them through the tricky Norwegian language and modest cultural ways.

Over time, I’ve tossed in a baby, some nice nature, and a few rants to give you the present day Transplanted Baker.

For those who care:

-I shoot with a Canon E0S 450D. I use a 58 mm lens and occasionally a 100mm macro lens when I stop being lazy enough to set up a tripod.

-I take all my own photos, unless noted.

-My husband is a professional photographer and is patient enough to give me pointers, offer me an honest opinion, and help with Lightroom editing. But just between you and me, I take better food photos than he does (wink, wink).

-I rely almost solely on natural lighting, which becomes a huge challenge in the winter months, since I live so close to the artic circle.

-My favorite subjects are buns and babies. But not in that order.

-I do my best to write clear, understandable, reliable recipes. I write them in both imperial and metric, although I do most of my own measuring using a scale and metric measuring.

-I like to wear old aprons. And make preserves. And match the music on the stereo to what I'm baking in the kitchen (ie: Donny Hathaway's Everything is Everything to skillet cornbread, or Tom Wait's Blue Valentine to cranberry bread from the lovesick).

-My goal in life is to start my own food company and provide the people of my humble town with delicious, homemade goods. I believe someday they will learn that salsa is not Old El Paso and that good brownies do not come out of a box. Siri's Salsa and Snacks, perhaps? This is my mission.

Because it's necessary:

As stated above, I take all my own photos. Although I consider this to be a very enjoyable pastime, it does involve a lot of time and effort, not to mention investment in photo equipment, etc, etc... Please do not "borrow" one of my photos for your blog or personal use- even as a way to plug my blog to your readers. Although your intentions may be good, I consider this stealing and we will not be friends. If, however, you see a photo on Transplanted Baker that you really like, feel free to send me an email at [email protected] and if you ask in a really sweet manner, I might consider letting you use it. Thank you.

And lastly:

I really like receiving comments. Like, really like. They make me day. (Even the ones from you, mom).

The Transplanted Baker

Meet Siri

About

Some Favorite Posts

Blogs From the Kitchen- in English

Some Favorite Kid-Focused Sites

Other Norwegian Blogs

Recommended Sites

June 2009

June 20, 2009

Recipe Box

June 19, 2009

Me, me, me!