Christine Hanefalk

Braille T-shirt handmade by @Darediva! Get your own at...

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 11:42:00 -0400

Braille T-shirt handmade by @Darediva! Get your own at www.brailletshirts.com. I’m wearing mine to NYCC. :)

(via Chuck & Beans)

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:58:18 -0400

(via Chuck & Beans)

“Oh yeah, that’s the spot.” Cats at the spa. ...

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 14:17:43 -0400

“Oh yeah, that’s the spot.” Cats at the spa. (Taken with instagram)

The Secret Inspiration for the Internet (via Chuck & Beans)

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:12:26 -0400

The Secret Inspiration for the Internet
(via Chuck & Beans)

And while we’re on the subject of old photos. :)

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:14:00 -0400

My paternal grandmother's mother Anna

Anna's mother Maria Larsdotter

My "mormor's" parents and siblings

And while we’re on the subject of old photos. :)

This is a picture of my great great great grandparents Bengt...

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:03:36 -0400

This is a picture of my great great great grandparents Bengt Andersson (b. 1812) and Maria Magnusdotter (b 1814). Their daughter is the mother of my dad’s paternal grandfather. They’re also somewhat creepy-looking.

On a sidenote, this helps illustrate why English sucks for talking about genealogy. In Swedish, they’re simply my “farfars farmors mor” and “farfars farmors far.” There’s the exact lineage for ya!

Veronica Maggio is the best musician Sweden has produced in...

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:42:00 -0400

Veronica Maggio is the best musician Sweden has produced in ages. This one is from her old album though.

Video

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:58:38 -0400

The first (annual?) “SÄPO jog” featuring people...

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 17:45:59 -0400

The first (annual?) “SÄPO jog” featuring people dressed like secret agents re-enacting the run along the wedding carriage route taken by Crown Princess Victoria and her husband last year on this date. SÄPO is the Swedish secret service and many people were commenting last year on how fit the agents were to be running for that many miles in business attire. This is just too funny…

"The struggle for sexual minority rights isn’t about sex, it’s about equal rights."

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 09:57:34 -0400

““The struggle for sexual minority rights isn’t about sex, it’s about equal rights.””

- Johan Norberg (my translation)

Sweden gets some insanely good press in the latest issue of The...

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 09:45:32 -0400

Sweden gets some insanely good press in the latest issue of The Economist. As a staffer at the Moderate Party headquarters, I couldn’t be more proud of how well Sweden is doing. (Click the image to read the full article.)

scipsy: Drosophila brain (via FlyCircuit Database)

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:38:25 -0400

scipsy:

Drosophila brain (via FlyCircuit Database)

Street musician outside my office window. People should be...

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 09:51:00 -0400

Street musician outside my office window. People should be paying him not to sing.

"I also don’t think that there is really a theory of intelligent design at the present time to..."

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:25:58 -0400

““I also don’t think that there is really a theory of intelligent design at the present time to propose as a comparable alternative to the Darwinian theory, which is, whatever errors it might contain, a fully worked out scheme. There is no intelligent design theory that’s comparable. Working out a positive theory is the job of the scientific people that we have affiliated with the movement. Some of them are quite convinced that it’s doable, but that’s for them to prove…No product is ready for competition in the educational world.””

- Intelligent Design’s main proponent Philip E Johnson

Recipe: Kärleksmums

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 11:17:25 -0400

This cake is a Swedish classic that goes by the name of snoddas (I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean) or - more commonly - kärleksmums. In Swedish, “kärlek” means love (the noun) and “mums” means yummy, or simply yum! When I’ve made this for friends in the States, I’ve simply called it love yum so feel free to use that if you want.

This is quicker to make than you’d think and only needs to be in the oven for 15 minutes. Makes one pan (12”x18”) to cut into as many squares as you deem appropriate. Set the temperature to 200 °C (400 °F) and dive right in. If you’re not using a convection oven, you may need to go higher.

Batter

5 eggs
4 dl (1 3/4 cups) of sugar
5 dl (2 1/4 cups) of white flour
3 tsp baking powder
5 Tbsp cocoa powder
300 g (10 oz) of butter
1 dl (3/8 cup) water
200 g (7 oz) of milk chocolate

Topping

2 dl (3/4 cups) of heavy cream
200 g (7 oz) of high quality dark (70%) chocolate
2 Tbsp of espresso or other dark coffee
2 dl (3/4 cups) of coconut flakes to sprinkle on top

Directions

Mix the eggs and the sugar and beat until white and fluffy
Mix the flour with the baking and cocoa powder on the side and fold it into the egg mixture.
Melt the butter and mix it with the water. Add this to the batter
Line the inside of the pan with non-stick paper and pour the batter into the pan.
Chop the milk chocolate coarsely and spread over the batter while popping the whole thing into the oven.
Bake for fifteen minutes. Meanwhile…
Make the coffee (honestly, I just use instant coffee mixed with hot water) while bringing the whipped cream to a simmer.
Add the coffee and the finely chopped dark chocolate.
Stir and let cool for a bit
Take the cake out when it’s done and let it cool for a while before covering it with frosting.
Sprinkle with coconut and you’re done!

This is a more adult cake than a kid might typically like, mainly due to the coffee flavor and the rich dark chocolate. Great for when you’re having people over for coffee though!

Source: This recipe was translated and adapted from a recipe by Swedish chef Leila Lindholm (see the original in Swedish here), but many takes on this classic exist.

Pictures I took around Stockholm this beautiful afternoon.

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:22:42 -0400

Central Stockholm's smallest island

Parliament building in the center

City Hall in the distance

Riddarhuset (House of Nobility)

Riddarholmskyrkan (Riddarholm Church)

Pictures I took around Stockholm this beautiful afternoon.

Creationism is one of my pet peeves and this cartoon rocks!

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 09:14:27 -0400

Creationism is one of my pet peeves and this cartoon rocks!

Arugula, melon & lime salad

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:16:05 -0400

This recipe is perfect for superhot summer days and that’s why I decided to post it. It’s very simple, but the combination of salty, tart and refreshing makes it nice for the kind of weather we’re having in Sweden right now. Enjoy!

1 bag of arugula (rocket) salad, around 70 g (3 oz)
1/2 of a Galia melon
2 lime fruits
1 Tbsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp of salt
ground black pepper, to taste

Rinse the arugula and chop it (course is fine, don’t overdo it).
Cut the melon into pieces roughly the size of sugarcubes and put it in a bowl with the arugula.
In a separate bowl, squeeze the lime and add the olive oil. Add the salt and pepper and whisk the ingredients together.
Pour the dressing over the melon and arugula and refrigerate until chilled. Alternatively, use a refrigerated melon.
Serve as is or with something salty such as prosciutto.

Serves 2 as a starter or 4 as a side salad

Two pictures from my trip to Dalarna last weekend.

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 13:15:34 -0400

Tällberg, taken from the hotel room

View over Lake Siljan

Two pictures from my trip to Dalarna last weekend.

"Why aren’t we ranking higher on Google? Our name starts with A, and this other company only starts..."

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:27:40 -0400

“Why aren’t we ranking higher on Google? Our name starts with A, and this other company only starts with H!”

- (via clientsfromhell)