Do you usually celebrate Valentine's Day? Did you celebrate yesterday? We don't have a special tradition and it usually turns out the way it does, but yesterday we actually had a luxurious dinner with prawns and crayfish. And some good cheeses of course... Why not celebrate when you have the chance?
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ShareSwedish seafood - something we have longed for
We found amazing seafood while travelling in Europe, especially in France. Along the west coast of France, there were wonderfully good mussels, oysters and crayfish. During the rest of the trip, we also found very good mussels - mussels, cockles, vongole and clams. coquinas.
However, we missed Swedish prawns! Of course there are shrimps in southern Europe, but they taste almost nothing ... They are suitable for use in stews and woksbut they require spices like chilli and garlic. And we missed regular crayfish!
Celebrating Valentine's Day
We don't really think we are completely healthy. We're exhausted, sleeping all the time and both have a bit of a stomach ache... does anyone have the same symptoms? Anyway, you have to eat, and why not take the opportunity to celebrate Valentine's Day?
Yesterday we had a packet of thawed crayfish from Egypt, some fresh prawns, thin hard bread and some cheeses left over from the previous weekend (Cambozola, truffle brie and garlic cheese). Yum! Did you celebrate Valentine's Day in any way? Did you perhaps buy Valentine's Day gifts?
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Åsa says:
Stress or a virus? Feel better anyway! We didn't celebrate much, although we did have a box of chocolates in front of the fire.
15 February 2016 - 10:05
Ama de casa says:
So good with seafood! I love those seafood plateaus that you "get" on the French Atlantic coast. Except possibly the crayfish, they usually don't taste like anything. Then they are much better on the Swedish west coast.
I can really miss the Swedish, fresh prawns. You can buy frozen Greenlandic shrimp here when you want something a bit "Swedish", but it doesn't even compare to the fresh ones... 🙂 ...
We went out and ate yesterday to celebrate All Hearts. As you say - you should take every opportunity to celebrate a little 🙂 ).
15 February 2016 - 11:09
Lennart says:
We celebrated with Orange Duck!
I agree. The shrimp down here don't taste anything like in Sweden.
15 February 2016 - 11:26
admin says:
Åsa, many people seem sick around us so we suspect that we have been infected with something... And the chocolate box in front of the fire sounds like the perfect Valentine's Day celebration 🙂.
Ama de casa, nothing wrong with seafood platter in France! 🙂 I can imagine that frozen Greenlandic shrimp can act as a substitute. Fresh is always better, of course, but frozen shrimp with shells can retain a fair amount of flavour anyway!
Lennart, orange duck sounds good! Duck is good and orange is a spice that we like to flavour some dishes with.
15 February 2016 - 12:01
anita wag agrimanaki says:
First of all - get well soon!!!
Yummy with seafood, unfortunately we rarely eat it because I'm the only one in the family who wants it.
Here it was a stifado on hare yesterday! (stifado is a stew with tomato sauce, lots of onions and various spices. it can be made with different meats).
15 February 2016 - 12:36
Ditte says:
Sad that you are not completely alert! But there has been a lot to do for you and even if most of it is very fun, it can also be stressful (although you don't think about it...).
I like seafood very much and your crayfish and prawns looked very good. But I haven't heard of crayfish from Egypt...?
Here we like to eat mussels, crab and good lobster, but the prawns are rather tasteless and should be cooked.
Norwegian prawns are available but of course they are frozen, but quite tasty.
And France's seafood is great. I also like the Swedish fresh prawns on the west coast and the Norway lobsters. (On the west coast they hardly eat Norway lobsters...).
And now hurry to rest and get well.
15 February 2016 - 12:47
admin says:
Anita, thank you so much! It's a bit sad when you're the only one in the family who likes something... not as fun to eat it then. That stew also sounds good! 🙂
Ditte, yes, things can be stressful even when it's fun... We're busy with all sorts of things, although I don't usually get a stomach ache like this. I usually get a headache when I'm stressed, so I suspect it's something else... I actually don't know if I've heard of crayfish from Egypt, but we bought one of those regular frozen boxes and it said they came from Egypt... and they were good! 😉 I like both inland crayfish and sea crayfish, but I understand that on the west coast they only eat sea crayfish... 😉.
Lena & Jan, good food is never wrong! I had to google chimchurri now, and realised that it is a spicy sauce 😉 Sounds good!
15 February 2016 - 13:36
admin says:
Steve, soup can really be soooo good and your luxurious version sounded yummy!
15 February 2016 - 13:51
Anki says:
Categorically refuses all these "forced" shopping days ... or maybe it's too much, but I don't like Father's Day, Mother's Day, Cinnamon Bun Day ... or any extra day that gives extra money in the merchants' cash register. However, from time to time we celebrate just nothing with some good food - happy that we have each other 🙂.
Get well soon!
15 February 2016 - 14:24
Lena & Jan says:
We do not celebrate 'Valentine'. But we did eat, grilled shimchurri curry with chips. Since it was storming, one of us stood and looked after the fryer and one grilled then we closed the door around us in the kitchen tent and enjoyed it all with good accessories. Even a small rain shower came during the time but we met and enjoyed!
15 February 2016 - 13:26
Mr Steve says:
I'm glad you were able to celebrate despite your ailments. We celebrated with a "luxurious" soup and good chocolate for dessert. Get well soon!
15 February 2016 - 13:42
admin says:
Anki, I understand what you mean. I also do not like the thing with all the gadgets that you should be tempted to buy. But we never think a bit of good food is wrong 😉.
15 February 2016 - 15:00
Annika says:
But what a shame that you are not healthy. HARD WORK!
Well, we all celebrate Valentine's Day a bit. Went out for a good dinner on Saturday, absolutely no pre-fixe menu, but we had good fish at our favourite fish restaurant.
Yesterday we gave each other a card + we bought chocolates. That was it.
Valentine is what you make it. No need to throw yourself into the commercial, but a kind word, text message and an email or greeting on fb etc is just SO welcome to the recipient. I think you should celebrate what can be celebrated! Always!
Hope you feel better soon, soon!!!
AND by the way, yes god yes...I miss Swedish prawns all the time!!! It's the first thing I eat when I get home!!! So incredibly GOOD!!!
15 February 2016 - 16:06
admin says:
Annika, it is what you make of it! Doing something nice for someone or fixing a good dinner is never wrong. Life is too short not to celebrate and enjoy when you can! Then you don't have to shop, shop... And I really understand that you miss Swedish prawns! It was definitely what we missed most of all during the trip, in terms of food. Swedish shrimp is kind of hard to replace with something else ....! 😉
15 February 2016 - 16:57
BP says:
Yummie, yummie! Completely to my taste, except for the prawns which I am allergic to. Good thing I can tolerate crayfish;-)
To indulge in some luxurious food is something you should do when you feel like it. Valentine's Day is a great opportunity.
We had pasta with mussels and fish yesterday. We "stole" the starter from a tasting at ICA on Friday. Leaf-thin slices of Salma salmon, a small splash of soya, thin slices of cucumber "marinated" in lime and ginger and a dollop of mayonnaise. Yum!
PS. Maybe you got sick to your stomach from all the Greek food. Hope you feel better now. DS.
15 February 2016 - 18:41
Alexandra says:
Shellfish? Must be the tastiest there is! We did not celebrate anything special. The association we live in had arranged a disco for the kids so we hung out there for a while so Stella got to play with all her neighbouring friends (which is a lot, one of the advantages of living in an apartment building).
15 February 2016 - 18:42
Matts Torebring says:
Actually, we celebrate almost a whole week every year, because Valentine's Day coincides with our wedding anniversary. Last weekend in Motala and now this weekend in Nässjö, both places with great food. Eat & "Feel good"!
15 February 2016 - 19:55
Solan says:
No schnapps for the crayfish? Maybe you are simply winter tired as they used to say (did they?) Then you have the eighth gear in for good. You have to shift down to a slower pace... Enjoy the fresh winds of the Frog Sea 😉.
15 February 2016 - 20:24
Role o Carina says:
We love Shrimps more than Crayfish 🙂 .
Take care and enjoy.....
15 February 2016 - 20:43
admin says:
BP, sad to be allergic to shrimp, but what luck that it works with crayfish then!!! That starter sounded really good! Of course, you should take advantage of tastings. (And by the way, I don't think it was the Greek food that gave us a stomach ache... we had a little stomach ache even before... hmm)
Alexandra, it sounds like the kids had a good day anyway! 🙂 Must be nice to live like that when you have children!
Matts, but so perfect that Valentine's Day coincides with your wedding day!!!! Then it's just to celebrate in lots 🙂
Solan, oh no, haha, now we realise that we actually HAVE half a bottle of Aalborg in the fridge since Christmas... how could we forget it???? I don't get it 😉 And the 8th gear...? Haha, maybe, it's always close at hand 😉.
Denise, a party sounds like a great celebration! 🙂 SV: Yes, it is probably an art in itself... Or maybe I just lack the ability to pair the clothes...? I do not know, but in the end there are lots of clothes and you still have nothing to wear, haha.
Rolle and Carina, prawns are probably a step above crayfish for me as well 🙂.
15 February 2016 - 20:53
Denise says:
There was no special celebration of Valentine's Day for me except a party! 🙂
Isn't that an art in itself? To not only buy what you think is nice but also be able to match it with what you already have in the wardrobe!
15 February 2016 - 20:36
Hanneles library says:
we are both ostomans ♥
15 February 2016 - 21:57
Maria says:
Hope it's just something temporary and milder you have, vomiting is one of the worst things there is...! I myself have "barbed wire" in my throat that haunts ...
I celebrated a little bit for myself with good food, cat cuddles and 50 Shades of Grey, haha 😀 I haven't gotten around to watching it before and now I thought I'd see what everyone's been talking about... 😉.
15 February 2016 - 22:01
Katta - Bucketlife says:
Hope you feel better! Maybe a stomach bug and a good immune system combo?
I don't celebrate Valentine's, but spent the day in excellent company with a hundred sheep, some chickens and family. Great!
15 February 2016 - 23:06
Deciree says:
We do not particularly celebrate Valentine's Day...except this year then :)...or I got a nice gift from Kjell :)). I think you can celebrate when you feel like it...and more often than 1 time/year :)). But there should be traditions. I can imagine that your bodies have not come back to everyday life yet. After all, you have been away for 1 year... it takes a while to get back then:) Hugs
16 February 2016 - 7:12
Life through pictures says:
I hope you get better quickly. Not celebrating Valentine's Day
16 February 2016 - 7:24
Susie on the Star Road... says:
We celebrated yesterday - Monday, not Valentine's Day - because we had the house valued (not because we are selling but for other reasons) and it was a few hundred thousand higher than we had hoped for.
So it was a bottle of French champagne, a bottle of French rosé wine and then some sangria so you feel a little "dawn" today. *fniss*
In terms of food, it was minced meat steaks with a lot of fun in them, Indonesian fried cabbage and baked potatoes. The latter has been ages since we ate.....
Susie
16 February 2016 - 9:07
admin says:
Hannele's library, who isn't...? Love cheese 🙂
Maria, I tried to read the first book 50 Shades, but was annoyed that the language was so bad, so I gave up, haha 😉 Hope you don't get sick! We are feeling a little better, but still tired and a bit of a stomach ache... weird.
Katta, maybe? We've been feeling bad, but not totally knocked out... Sounds like you had a cosy Valentine's Day with your animal friends 🙂.
Deciree, you got a suuuper nice present! 🙂 And I agree with you, you can celebrate if you think it fits... and also find all the other occasions for cosy moments and good food 🙂.
Life through pictures, thank you very much! 🙂
Susie on Stjärnarve, oh how wonderful with such positive news! Such things should be celebrated!!! It sounds like it was a real party 🙂 And then it's ok to feel a little "deaf" afterwards... 😉
16 February 2016 - 10:55
Sussi says:
This Valentine's Day I worked so there was not much to celebrate. I managed to buy a pack of tulips and a box of chocolates for my partner anyway 🙂 .
17 February 2016 - 23:58