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Scandinavian Gatherings: From Afternoon Fika to Midsummer Feast: 70 Simple Recipes & Crafts for Everyday Celebrations
Let Scandinavian Gatherings be your hygge handbook (pronounced hoo-ga) for cozy retreats in the comfort of your own home! With this darling collection of Scandinavian-inspired recipes, crafts, and entertaining ideas, you can turn your home into a stress-free hygge oasis and embrace relaxation the Nordic way. From the creator of the popular Lulu the Baker blog, Scandinavian Gatherings illustrates the Scandinavian spirit of simple pleasures through 10 seasonal, family-friendly gatherings filled with the flavors and traditions of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland (a region regularly reported as the happiest place on earth!).
The book boasts 30 simple craft projects for entertaining and decorating, as well as 40 accessible recipes that put a modern twist on sweet and savory Scandinavian treats. You’ll soon be warming your home with the comforting smells of Mom’s Maple Pecan Rings, Swedish Meat Pies, Lucia Buns, Hot Chocolate with Homemade Cardamom Marshmallows, and more.
With gatherings like Nordic Brunch, Woodland Tea Party, Afternoon Fika, Lucia Day, and Christmas Cookie Exchange, you’ll be able to relax with loved ones and enjoy the hygge atmosphere.
The book boasts 30 simple craft projects for entertaining and decorating, as well as 40 accessible recipes that put a modern twist on sweet and savory Scandinavian treats. You’ll soon be warming your home with the comforting smells of Mom’s Maple Pecan Rings, Swedish Meat Pies, Lucia Buns, Hot Chocolate with Homemade Cardamom Marshmallows, and more.
With gatherings like Nordic Brunch, Woodland Tea Party, Afternoon Fika, Lucia Day, and Christmas Cookie Exchange, you’ll be able to relax with loved ones and enjoy the hygge atmosphere.
380 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 27, 2016
95 people are currently reading
717 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
August 28, 2020
A simply gorgeous book with authentic Scandinavian style. Delicious recipes, cozy crafts, I just want to relax and enjoy some fika while browsing this book.
February 15, 2017
My husband gave me this cookbook for our anniversary. I am fascinated by the Scandinavian culture and think their culture is remarkable. The book is divided into ten chapters and have beautiful photos and instructions. The chapters are: Nordic Brunch; Woodland Tea Party; Midsummer Feast; Afternoon Fika; Summer Seafood Celebration; Heritage Dinner; Lucia Day; Christmas Cookie Exchange; Christmas Eve Supper and Birthday Treats. Each chapter contains five or six recipes and three or four folk crafts to make. I want to try the Spiced Pear Bundt cake with Homemade Caramel Sauce recipe and the Braided Cardamon Bread because I love to bake. They also have Scandi crafts which are really adorable and look homemade with love. The author, Melissa Bahen, is the creator of LuluTheBaker.com. She does a very good job in explaining the history of the food and the traditions. I really enjoyed this book and plan to make many of the projects in it.
November 28, 2016
What a charming and marvelous book. It is a delightful book of beautiful photos, delicious recipes and creative crafts. I absolutely loved it. It truly is a coffee table piece to display for guests to enjoy.
I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. The choice to read and review it was all mine.
I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. The choice to read and review it was all mine.
March 1, 2017
Excellent book! One I definitely need to own. Its got great recipes, fun crafts and excellent ideas for hosting parties with friends and family. Very fun!
September 24, 2024
I checked this out from the library first to help with this year's ESC buffet but there were a few recipes I wanted to make later in the year, so I checked it out a 2nd time. That's always a good sign for a cookbook, if I check it out repeatedly. Still, I can't quite picture myself owning this because half of the book is composed of decorations ideas. Each chapter Bahen gives a bit of a whole menu idea, incl maybe drinks and desserts but also DIY suggestions to style the table or the space, and that is so not for me. It's nothing against the book, it's definitely a way to set yourself apart from others and if that is your thing, this should be great. But I am mostly thinking that those pages could have been used for more recipes?
Bahen's personal background is in Norway but I liked that this book takes inspiration from all the mainland Scandinavian countries and with that gives a nice, rounded variety of deliciousness. Here are the recipe reviews of those I got around to trying:
-Turkey Lingonberry Sandwiches: obviously, a simple concept that barely allows for the label recipe. But maybe that's why it could be a good exclusion: it's so simple you might not think of it and it's tasty though it might depends on the specific bread etc. you use. Havarti is not as good as the Swedish cheese I had in the past but a solid choice. 3*
-Nutella Swirl Cake: very sweet but very good. Not super authentic, I mean, it's nutella but that's also why it's so tasty. The crumb topping almost caramelized with those sugary coated hazelnuts and it made the whole thing. 4*
-Braided Cardamom Bread (Finnish Pulla): I don't know but I'm starting to think I don't get Cardamom because I barely taste it. Maybe the recipes I use don't use enough. This also could have been fluffier, and I think I've had better outcomes for similar bakes with other recipes. 2.5*
-Crisp Sandwiches with Herbed Cream Cheese: Another sandwich, and yes, crisp bread is a must when cooking Scandinavian. Ate it a lot as a kid and not enough these days. In that sense, a nice reminder for me, as a recipe there isn't much to this. 3*
-Seafood Salad with Summer Herbs: With allergies I had to leave out the Shrimp and do it just crab but it was good, easy and made a huge amount. Eat it on either crisp or flatbread, yum. 4*
-Swedish Meatballs with Gravy: This was the highlight. I have tried several recipes in the past (incl. the Ikea one they published during 2020) and none were quite right. This got so close though. I tweaked a bit with the gravy but a big part here was to pre-panfry and then oven bake the meatballs. I will be using this one from now on and gradually get the gravy as close to perfection as I can. 5*
-Cream Cake with Fresh Strawberries: One of those that isn't anything special but really good in its simplicity. Try to get good, in season berries, I think that's key. 3*
-Caramel Almond Sponge Cake aka Toscacake: So good. The second highlight. The almond-caramel topping was just like bakery bought. Another recipe I'll hold onto and will make again. 5*
All in all a pretty good outcome. But I have to say that I don't think there was much more that I felt really compelled to try which makes it also a small selection. Nicely composed book that does a lot that I don't want a cookbook to do but honestly: for the right reader this rating should be higher.
3.5*
Bahen's personal background is in Norway but I liked that this book takes inspiration from all the mainland Scandinavian countries and with that gives a nice, rounded variety of deliciousness. Here are the recipe reviews of those I got around to trying:
-Turkey Lingonberry Sandwiches: obviously, a simple concept that barely allows for the label recipe. But maybe that's why it could be a good exclusion: it's so simple you might not think of it and it's tasty though it might depends on the specific bread etc. you use. Havarti is not as good as the Swedish cheese I had in the past but a solid choice. 3*
-Nutella Swirl Cake: very sweet but very good. Not super authentic, I mean, it's nutella but that's also why it's so tasty. The crumb topping almost caramelized with those sugary coated hazelnuts and it made the whole thing. 4*
-Braided Cardamom Bread (Finnish Pulla): I don't know but I'm starting to think I don't get Cardamom because I barely taste it. Maybe the recipes I use don't use enough. This also could have been fluffier, and I think I've had better outcomes for similar bakes with other recipes. 2.5*
-Crisp Sandwiches with Herbed Cream Cheese: Another sandwich, and yes, crisp bread is a must when cooking Scandinavian. Ate it a lot as a kid and not enough these days. In that sense, a nice reminder for me, as a recipe there isn't much to this. 3*
-Seafood Salad with Summer Herbs: With allergies I had to leave out the Shrimp and do it just crab but it was good, easy and made a huge amount. Eat it on either crisp or flatbread, yum. 4*
-Swedish Meatballs with Gravy: This was the highlight. I have tried several recipes in the past (incl. the Ikea one they published during 2020) and none were quite right. This got so close though. I tweaked a bit with the gravy but a big part here was to pre-panfry and then oven bake the meatballs. I will be using this one from now on and gradually get the gravy as close to perfection as I can. 5*
-Cream Cake with Fresh Strawberries: One of those that isn't anything special but really good in its simplicity. Try to get good, in season berries, I think that's key. 3*
-Caramel Almond Sponge Cake aka Toscacake: So good. The second highlight. The almond-caramel topping was just like bakery bought. Another recipe I'll hold onto and will make again. 5*
All in all a pretty good outcome. But I have to say that I don't think there was much more that I felt really compelled to try which makes it also a small selection. Nicely composed book that does a lot that I don't want a cookbook to do but honestly: for the right reader this rating should be higher.
3.5*
August 1, 2018
I loved this book and I want to make every recipe in it. Who wants to come to a nordic brunch at my house?
August 23, 2018
So many good recipes to try! This book made me hungry the whole time I read it, and the crafts were so cute.
Highly recommend this to one and all!
Highly recommend this to one and all!
January 8, 2019
Very cute, but not particularly substantial. Lovely photo staging--I really just want to live in the world of these photos!
April 16, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My grandfather was Norwegian and I learned a lot about the food and crafts of seasonal celebrations. I even made two of the recipes so far and they were easy to follow and turned out just like the photos.
July 5, 2023
I love this book!!! I want to make all the food and most of the crafts! It is beautiful and the author's website is equally beautiful. :)
June 22, 2017
Delightful combination of recipes and crafts to creat family celebrations of Scandinavian heritage.
October 3, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. The pictures were beautiful and the writing format was wonderful and kept my attention throughout. I am looking forward to purchasing this for my home and making the recipes for my family, creating some of the projects for the holidays, and incorporating the Scandinavian lifestyle in to my home.
November 9, 2021
Kind of meh
There were a few recipes I liked. The projects felt very contrived, with lots of ‘use this very carefully’ instructions because they largely won’t stand up to any kind of wear.
There were a few recipes I liked. The projects felt very contrived, with lots of ‘use this very carefully’ instructions because they largely won’t stand up to any kind of wear.
January 30, 2017
My sweet daughter in law and my son gave me this book for Christmas, I love it! When I open the pages it's like going back home to Sweden!
March 5, 2017
Lovely book. Super fun, simple crafts and beautifully simple and delicious recipes. Great ideas for gatherings.
May 1, 2022
I was utterly disappointed. The author may have Scandinavian heritage, and the recipes presented may both reflect their family traditions and look pretty tasty, but as a recent Scandinavian immigrant in the US all I see are American recipes dressed up with Scandinavian flags, sprinkled with "facts" that makes me wonder who fact checked this book.
For example, when the author claims that Swedish egg coffee is popular in Sweden I think they have Sweden confused with New Sweden, MN, because even the most cursory internet search confirms that it is virtually unheard of in the Scandinavian countries. And if you replace the Wienerbrød dough with a sweet roll dough, you can't make Wienerbrød. She could just as well have called a jam donut a Danish pastry, it would be equally true.
I'm being nice and giving it a second star, because I am assuming the audience is fellow "Scandinavian" Americans, rather than actual Scandinavians, and many of the recipes do seem tasty, even if they are American rather than Scandinavian.
For example, when the author claims that Swedish egg coffee is popular in Sweden I think they have Sweden confused with New Sweden, MN, because even the most cursory internet search confirms that it is virtually unheard of in the Scandinavian countries. And if you replace the Wienerbrød dough with a sweet roll dough, you can't make Wienerbrød. She could just as well have called a jam donut a Danish pastry, it would be equally true.
I'm being nice and giving it a second star, because I am assuming the audience is fellow "Scandinavian" Americans, rather than actual Scandinavians, and many of the recipes do seem tasty, even if they are American rather than Scandinavian.
October 27, 2016
Won through Goodreads Giveaway
Traditional Scandinavian family recipes combined with Melissa Bahen's family traditions and crafts. The recipes are not at all complicated and the author gives tips, some of which I will surely try!
Very well written with photographs that show how to braid a pastry, or how to make place card holders.
Lovely photographs, well-written recipes, and stories of growing up in a Scandinavian family. After reading (yes, reading) this cookbook, I feel confident that baking bread from scratch in my own kitchen will be accomplished. This is a book full of treasures, and it will be treasured in our home.
Traditional Scandinavian family recipes combined with Melissa Bahen's family traditions and crafts. The recipes are not at all complicated and the author gives tips, some of which I will surely try!
Very well written with photographs that show how to braid a pastry, or how to make place card holders.
Lovely photographs, well-written recipes, and stories of growing up in a Scandinavian family. After reading (yes, reading) this cookbook, I feel confident that baking bread from scratch in my own kitchen will be accomplished. This is a book full of treasures, and it will be treasured in our home.
November 5, 2016
This is a lovely well-written cookbook. Actually, it is more than a cookbook; the book also contains simple directions for some fun crafts. I really liked the teacup gardens with small polymer clay mushrooms. The recipes look fairly simple. I am looking forward to the start of the holiday season so I can try the cookie recipes and plan on making the Tante Kari's hot almond-citrus punch! Yum
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, thank you, but the opinions are all my own.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, thank you, but the opinions are all my own.
July 17, 2017
As a descendant of a Swedish Great Grandma and Grandpa, I enjoyed every moment I read this charming book. Our family has many of the same family traditions mentioned in this book and gave me many new ideas for creating new family traditions! You don't need to be Scandinavian to enjoy this book, any family will benefit from the delicious recipes, fun crafts, and ideas to make everyday special.
January 14, 2020
I loved this book so much, I bought my mother a copy.
It's just gorgeous to flip through, and I love how each chapter is focused on a different Scandinavian celebration. I want to get closer to my roots and I can't wait to try these with my family, including making the suggested crafts along with the meals. Both the meals and the decorations seem very doable.
It's just gorgeous to flip through, and I love how each chapter is focused on a different Scandinavian celebration. I want to get closer to my roots and I can't wait to try these with my family, including making the suggested crafts along with the meals. Both the meals and the decorations seem very doable.
September 21, 2021
This is a cute book!
The book breaks down different Scandinavian gatherings like tea, birthdays, etc. and shows you how to host your own. There's information on setting the scene, making the food, and even decorating. There's instructions on making foods as well as table layouts and other fun crafts.
It's a cute way to learn about Scandinavian gatherings and host your own.
The book breaks down different Scandinavian gatherings like tea, birthdays, etc. and shows you how to host your own. There's information on setting the scene, making the food, and even decorating. There's instructions on making foods as well as table layouts and other fun crafts.
It's a cute way to learn about Scandinavian gatherings and host your own.
January 4, 2022
This book is just so so. If you are expecting authentic Scandinavian recipes, you will not find them in this book. The author admits in the foreword that her family did not retain original recipes, which I appreciated, and I didn't feel there was a lot of substance to the book. If folks are interested in Scandinavian recipes, I would suggest alternative resources.
October 1, 2019
I haven't tried any of the recipes or crafts yet, but the book and photos made me want to. However, I must say that the author's family has a very strange idea of what Christmas Eve rice pudding should be like. Her recipe is more like my (non-Scandinavian) mother's rice pudding with raisins.
May 16, 2020
This was not written for Scandinavians but for those interested in a few basic recipes with a couple of crafts thrown in. The book is charming and one that my teen daughter is enjoying as she develops her cooking skills.
August 5, 2020
It had nice pictures, but not that much substance. I find it questionable that she claims that Gouda cheese is from Denmark considering it is from the Netherlands. It makes me question the quality of the book.
September 7, 2020
Too few recipes, traditions, foods and crafts that were specifically Danish. I recognize it was a collection but there wasn’t enough solely identified as from Denmark. Also fewer foods identified as such.
January 21, 2021
Could be a bit more "traditional," but I enjoyed it. Found multiple recipes and a few crafts I will be trying. The pictures are stunning and a joy to look at. It will now be a coffee table book and recipe refence for the house.
March 29, 2021
This was such a sweet, charming little read. I haven't tried any of the crafts, but they look like they'd make for a really fun afternoon with kids. There's a great range of recipes and the instructions are really clear.
February 5, 2022
I've been looking forward to this book for ages. And it was more than worth the wait! The recipes all look delicious and the crafts are both (generally) easy and (always) gorgeous. I originally borrowed a copy from the library but I loved the book so much I ordered my own copy!
February 25, 2023
I couldn’t resist acquiring this book due to the gorgeous photos and hygge stories. I spent the whole morning reading through it and determined I’m making every single recipe in this book this year. I know that my family and I will enjoy the new traditions that come about thanks to this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews