Lasagna with Salmon and Spinach

I've made regular Lasagna with Meat Sauce and Vegetarian Lasagna with Broccoli, Kale, and Zucchini. I got a little more creative with Vegetarian Lasagna with Feta Cheese, Spinach, and Tofu. I've even blogged Pastitsio (Greek "Lasagna").

This Lasagna with Salmon and Spinach is more of a Swedish/Italian fusion. Not that I came up with it on my own. I actually saw it on the menu at IKEA - Covina, and mentally made a note to try making it at home. I used cheap frozen salmon filets, because the good stuff I save for eating fresh.

I prefer to bake the salmon first using my go-to Baked Salmon with Lemon Pepper Seasoning to bring out the flavor. Baking also makes sure the salmon flakes easily before adding it into the lasagna. A nice bechamel sauce and spinach goes far in disguising mediocre salmon so the final result was mighty tasty. Of course, if you want to splurge and use fresh salmon, by all means do so, but just a little suggestion with the frozen salmon so you can save your pennies.

I actually made my version at the beginning of the year, when I was thinking of recipes for Lent. Then on a recent visit to buy tickets for the IKEA (Swedish Crayfish Party) - Burbank, figured I should order it for comparison.

The verdict?

My version is much better.

Of course. ;)

IKEA (Swedish Crayfish Party) - Burbank

The first time I heard about IKEA's Swedish Crayfish Party, I was going out of town to Mesa Verde National Park - Colorado. The subsequent years, it's either been sold out or I forgot about it entirely. I was determined to go at least once!

C'mon, $9.99 (with my IKEA family member discount) for all-you-can-eat crawfish? I'm sooo there!

Now, y'all know I love my crayfish, but what exactly is a Swedish crayfish party? According to the official Sweden site, crayfish were eaten in Sweden since the 1500s by the aristocracy. In the mid-1800s, it became more widespread, but it wasn't until the 1900s that the tradition, as it is now, started. Because of concerns about overfishing, catching crayfish was limited to a few months from August onward. Therefore, a Swedish crayfish celebration heralds the end of summer. Decorations might include paper lanterns depicting the man in the moon, bibs, and paper hats.

Unlike the overly spiced Cajun version, Swedish crayfish are simply boiled with salt and crown dill. No matter, I love crawfish in any form!

I ended up inviting one of my long-time students, who was pretty excited about all-you-can-eat crayfish. You have to go with someone who loves these little mudbugs too, otherwise, you're just eating boiled seafood and Swedish cafeteria food and that's no fun.

IKEA - Covina

I meant to publish this when I started posting about Stockholm - Sweden months ago. As with so many pictures, they got lost in the queue and posting this now seems like suddenly laughing a full minute after someone told a joke.

In the midst of blogging about my adventures in Sweden, I had wanted to include something about the cuisine. Except, I mainly dined at ethnic restaurants and I didn't take photos of the few Scandinavian dishes I did eat. So what's a food blogger to do except dine at everyone's favorite Swedish furniture store. :)

Uppsala - Sweden: Birthplace of Celsius

We couldn't linger long amongst the burial mounds of Gamla Uppsala (old Uppsala) since we still had to hit up "new" Uppsala. If you liked the rune stones at Sigtuna, you're in for another treat.

I revert back to good old Rick Steves' Scandinavia again for information. Scandinavia's first university was founded in Uppsala in 1477. Famous graduates included Carl Linnaeus and Anders Celsius. The university's library houses the Silver Bible (Codex Argenteus), so named because it was written in silver ink in the 6th century. It contains a 4th century translation of the Bible into the Gothic language.

Below is Uppsala Cathedral, which contains the tomb of King Gustav Vasa. The two spires are 400 feet tall.

Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala) - Sweden: Beowulf and Burial Mounds

Just slightly north of Sigtuna, lies the archaeological area of Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala).

Though it wasn't that far away, HH was tired and wanted to take a break when we were only 2 km away. I so wanted to get there before the visitor's center closed. I pleaded. He was tired. And we ended up driving into a ditch, which required a nice passerby to stop and push us out. Eek!

We eventually made it and were greeted with this sight.


From the 3rd century A.D. onwards, Gamla Uppsala was an important religious, economic, and political center for the pagan Svear tribe, where Sverige (Sweden) got its name. The Swedish kings of the Yngling dynasty lived and were buried here. Gamla Uppsala was even mentioned in the Old English epic poem Beowulf. There's a walking path around nine large burial mounds, with English descriptions.

According to the Wikipedia section on Beowulf, an 1874 excavation of the mound of Eadgils, a semi-legendary king of Sweden, revealed confirmation of parts of the Beowulf story. In Beowulf, he gained the throne by defeating his uncle Onela. The excavation showed that around 575 A.D., a man, dressed in a suit of Frankish cloth with golden threads, was buried in a large barrow on a bear skin with two dogs and rich grave offerings. The offerings included a Frankish sword decorated with gold and garnets and a tafl game with Roman ivory pawns. There were four cameos from the Middle East which may have been part of a casket. All in keeping with someone of wealth and importance.

Sigtuna, Sweden: More Rune Stones Than Any Other Town

Ever the gracious host, HH had set up a cot for me, cleared a shelf in the bathroom, and lent me his extra cell phone. I was an excellent houseguest too! Even though I already bought him presents, at his request, I also went to Banana Republic to buy him several shirts and a very expensive pair of slacks (I told you he was a clotheshorse!). He kept trying to pay me for them, but I refused since I was staying with him for so long and because I figured it'd all even out in the end. I'm nice like that.

Though we only saw each other after HH came home from work each evening, I didn't want to wear out my welcome. I know how exhausting it can be to entertain someone every night. And even if I'm not specifically entertaining them, it's nice just to have my own space or downtime after coming home from work.

"Meet Cute" Stockholm - Sweden

Drottingholm Palace, built in 1662, where the Swedish royal family has resided since 1981.
That's screenplay speak for the point in the movie when two characters "meet cute." An infinitely shorter title than "How I ran off to Sweden because a fortune teller said I was supposed to meet my future husband." For the record, the plane ticket to Stockholm was purchased before I even heard the fortune teller's prediction. But yes, there was a man involved and we had met twice before (He's my friend's friend's friend.) so I guess technically it wouldn't have been the first time we saw each other for the real "meet cute," but who wants to be technical? You want to hear a good story right?

According to Wikipedia, movie critic Roger Ebert explains the "meet cute" as a scene "in which somebody runs into somebody else, and then something falls, and the two people began to talk, and their eyes meet and they realize that they are attracted to one another."

So do I start my story at the "meet cute"? Or do I give you the background story that led to the "meet cute" in the first place? Well, since I don't want to get too personal, I will tell you quickly that the fortune teller was accurate about his age and height, but I've told you that before. She said I would meet him in mid-August, which was the date on my plane ticket. I can't remember what else she said about him, although I do have it written down somewhere. She was also right about several other things that weren't related to him, but that would require too much background story.

And because a girl can't spill all her secrets online, that's all the personal details I tell you. ;)

Recently, when I told my friend I was going to blog about Sweden and asked if he wanted a nickname, he chose "HH." For "handsome hero," he said. Ha! "Hapless hero" more like, I replied. But very well, henceforth, he's HH.

Of course, as you know, I went.

And fell immediately in love at first sight with...