she is red

I’ve been sick in bed for the last five days, and I truly think I’m going to go stir crazy.  So many things are happening around me right now, and instead of facing them like a grown-up, my body chooses to shut down completely and hide away under an enormous down comforter and pile of tissues.

It’s not healthy. I know this. I’m working on it.

Denmark is a difficult country to catch the flu in if, for example, you are an American like myself who is used to relying on cold medicine to get you through the sneezing, coughing misery.  In Denmark, the doctors say “drink lots of tea”, and so, without any other medicinal options, that’s what you do.  I’ve been through two boxes so far this week – first one of licorice tea and then one of “Sleepytime”.  I mix in a few cloves and anise, then stir in a spoonful of honey and coconut oil.  Miracle worker on a sore throat: let me tell you.

But guys… it’s no NyQuil.

#fingerscrossedforamiraclerecovery

xxx

Cold, winter nights are perfect for sharing warm, rich desserts.

And if those rich desserts happen to be fat-free and fruit-filled as well… well that can’t be a bad thing, can it?

This winter, peeled pears and dried cranberries poached in a mix of red wine and spices officially became my new favorite dessert.  Amaaaazing.

A dollop of vanilla ice cream makes the perfect compliment to this dish — and I promise you the pears and red wine syrup are so rich, you can easily get away with using fat-free frozen yogurt. {No one will ever know.}

So let’s make January a little less miserably cold, shall we?

I’ll bring the red wine

xxxx

I’m sure all my American friends out there are too stuffed to look at photos of my Thanksgiving feast this year, but it was just so incredible that I’m going to bombard you with food porn anyway.  Last week, my family and our neighbors celebrated Thanksgiving in style – with delicious, often healthy, twists on all the classic dishes.  Here’s a little peek…

{My father carving his famous ‘Turkey Log’*: a boneless turkey with white meat on the outside, and dark meat and cranberry sausage on the inside.}
*Patent Pending.

{During our family walk on Thanksgiving morning, I collected autumn leaves and fruits for a seasonal centerpiece.}

{Our dear neighbors brought an incredible kale salad…}

{…as well as delicious homemade horseradish cranberry sauce.}

{The overflowing table, just before digging into dinner….}

{Sweet potatoes with coconut milk, caramelized onions and blue cheese. Y.U.M.}

{My favorite pecan pie, with a gluten-free crust and coconut oil replacing butter throughout the recipes.}

 How was your Thanksgiving loves?  If you blog about it, please share the link below! I’d love to see how you celebrated.

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Today I’d like to start a new series here on She is Red: Tuesday Tastes!  As you probably know, I love sharing recipes with all of you – but lately I’ve been terrible about doing so!  Between my move to NYC, and subsequent pad thai and juice diets {one was healthy, one was not!}, I haven’t been cooking as much as I’d like to. But I do have lots of recipes to share, and so my early New Years resolution is to post one each Tuesday from now on.  Nothing like a little rhythm to keep things going around here, right?!

Here’s to consistency! {And on that note, see you tomorrow loves! }

xxxx

On October 22, I celebrated an early Danish Thanksgiving with some of my favorite people outside of Copenhagen.  We may have had a chicken instead of a turkey {they’re hard to find outside of November} but the rest of the evening was perfectly on point.

We enjoyed garlic and black pepper mashed potatoes.

And honey glazed brussels sprouts.

But we saved room for dessert: pecan pie {I replaced the butter with coconut oil}!

… with a dollop of vanilla whipped cream.

To say the least: Sofus was suuuuuper jealous.

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Tomorrow I board a flight from New York to Oregon.  If you asked me three months ago, I never could have imagined that I would be living in New York City and flying home to spend Thanksgiving with my whole family – but here I am!  Life has thrown me a heck of a lot of twists and turns lately, but I’m hanging on tight.

Despite all the insanity these past months, I am honestly so happy and thankful. I’ve spent an incredible month in New York City, I’ve kept in close contact with my loved ones and my company in Copenhagen, and I’ve grown immensely. I have made the decision to follow my dreams, and realized what’s truly important to me.  I don’t have all the answers – but I am truly happy to be searching for them.

Thanks for following along on this wild ride loves!  You’re the BEST.

xxxx

Apparently, I am obsessed with frozen desserts, and think you should be too.

There’s something just so comforting about frozen treats. {Did you see Jon Stewart offer Robert Pattinson Ben and Jerry’s for example? hehe}

Because when things get rough? Frozen deliciousness makes it feel better.  Like an ice pack for your heart… ya know?

I’ve been a bit down lately – busy learning how to balance and fit in my new life in Copenhagen.  I’m so happy to be here, but you know: I miss my mom!!!!

And this incredible, low-fat, fruit-loaded ice cream helped me feel much better.  It truly, truly did.

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Buttermilk Ice Cream with Peaches and Rhubarb

• 1 cup maple syrup
• 3 peaches, cored and finely chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped rhubarb
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups buttermilk

Combine the peaches, rhubarb, vanilla and syrup in a pot over low-medium heat.  Cook until fruit has softened and thoroughly mixed with the syrup, resembling a fruit compote.  Remove the pot from heat and cool.  Then mix completely with the buttermilk.  Pour mixture into a lidded container and freeze until hard.  Remove from freezer approx. 20 minutes before serving to soften.

Enjoy!!!!

xxxxx