How to make the Swedish Pastry Sockerbullar

Living in Denmark, it is easy to go to Sweden. It takes only 40 minutes from Copenhagen by car. So I sometimes go there, and I have enjoyed every pastry I have tried. The last time I went to Sweden (this last weekend), I picked up a Swedish pastry cookbook by the pastry chef Helene Johansson, so I could make these pastries I love at home.

The first recipe I tried to make was for the pastry called Sockerbullar (Sugar Buns). It is this light sweet bread with vanilla cream in the middle, rolled in sugar. The cream is suppose to represent the sun, and it is one of my favorite pastries to eat when I visit Sweden.

This recipe was actually pretty easy. I will translate the recipe below from Swedish to English so you can try it. I also made a video on how I made Sockerbullar, which you can see below.

           

The original recipe makes 35 sockerbullar, so I scaled it down to 6. If you want to make more than that, feel free to double the recipe. I hope you enjoy these. :o)

Sockerbullar
(makes 6 - 8)

Ingredients
(vanilla cream)
1 tsp. vanilla sugar or 1/4 vanilla bean
125 grams milk
1.5 egg yolks
31.25 grams sugar
12.5 grams corn starch
12.5 grams butter

butter for brushing
sugar for garneshing

Directions
1. Start this recipe by making the vanilla cream. First, mix milk and vanilla together in a saucepan, and bring it to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks, corn starch, and sugar together.

3. Then, pour in the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, and combine.

4. Next, pour everything back into the saucepan, and whisk together until it thickens.

5. Then, add in the butter until melted.

6. Place it in the fridge to cool, until ready to use.

Ingredients
(bread)

18.75 grams yeast
125 grams cold milk
300 grams flour
50 grams sugar
50 grams butter (room temperature)
5 grams cardamom
1.25 grams salt

Directions
1. In a large bowl mix the yeast and milk together. Set aside

2. In a separate medium size bowl mix the flour, sugar, cardamom, and salt together. Then, add in the butter, and mix it into the dry ingredients until it resembles bread crumbs.

3. Next, add the flour mixture to the milk/yeast mixture. Stir together until a dough forms.

4. Knead the dough by hand for 12 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

5. Then, let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

6. Next, split the dough into 6 - 8 pieces, roll into balls, and place on a baking sheet covered with baking paper.

7. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and a towel, and let rise for at least 1 hour.

8. Then, pre-heat the oven to 225 C/437 F.

9. Next, put the vanilla cream in a piping bag, and push it down into the center of each ball of dough, piping out the cream into the center as it's being pushed down.

10. Bake in the oven for 10 - 12 minutes.

11. Finally, after the bread has cooled a bit, brush the sides with melted butter, and roll into sugar.

That's it! I feel like the hardest part of this recipe is kneading the bread, and it's a bit tricky to roll into sugar, but hopefully the video I made will help.

Note: After making this recipe once, I think next time I will flatten the balls of dough just a bit so they aren't as tall. Also, I would like to try letting the dough rise for more than an hour, so the bread is even more light. I probably will also reduce the cardamom by half since it was a little strong. You can make these changes if you want, and let me know how it turns out. I hope you like this recipe.

Luby's Baked Potato Soup Recipe

In Texas, there is a chain called Luby's Cafeteria. It was a place I often ate at growing up, and I loved the food. So when I saw Luby's released a cook book with their recipes, I bought one, and have been cooking with it ever since. One recipe from this book I use the most is the Baked Potato Soup recipe. I never actually ordered any soup at Luby's, but if you want a great recipe for potato soup, this is it!

I usually divide the recipe in half, since it is just me and my boyfriend here, but I will type the full recipe below and you can divide it in half, if you wish. I modified the recipe a little bit so I will note what I leave out or do different.

I also made a video on how I make this recipe, that you can watch here:

           

Hope you enjoy it!

Luby's Baked Potato Soup Recipe
(serves 10)

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped raw bacon
4 tblsp (56 grams) butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
pinched dried thyme leaves
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 chicken bouillon cube
10 cups chicken broth
8 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 large potatoes, baked, peeled, and diced
1 dried bay leaf (optional)
1/2 cup sliced green onions (optional)
1 cups shredded american/cheddar cheese (optional)
1 cup diced white onions (optional)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Place bacon and butter in a large saucepan/pot and cook bacon over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until crispy. Stir often.

2. While the bacon is cooking, you should peel and dice the potatoes. 1 large baking potato usually equals 1 cup chopped potatoes. You can set them aside until you are ready to use them.

3. You can add white onions, if you want, and cook them for 3 minutes.

4. If you want bacon with a little crunch in your soup, then remove the bacon from the pot, and place it in a bowl lined with a paper towel, once it is crispy. Otherwise, just leave the bacon in the pot and continue the recipe.

5. Next, add in the flour, and using a whisk stir it. Cook the flour for about 1-2 minutes.

6. Then, add in the chicken stock, bouillon cube, thyme, nutmeg, and diced raw potatoes. I usually use water and extra bouillon cubes to make chicken stock, if you don't have chicken stock.

7. Bring it all to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

8. While the soup is cooking, you can prepare the baked potatoes.

9. Pre-heat the oven to a high heat around 220C/428F. Then peel, and dice two large baking potatoes.

10. In a plastic food safe bag, place the diced potatoes, and drizzle them with olive oil. Then, season them with thyme, salt, and pepper.

11. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet lined with baking paper or an oiled baking pan, and bake them in the oven until tender, about 15 - 20 minutes. You should check on them as they cook.

12. Next, if the potatoes in the soup are tender, then mash them with a potato masher. For a creamier soup, you can also use a hand mixer/chopper, but be careful.

13. Then, add in the cream, and bring the soup to a boil. This will thicken the soup. You can add more cream if the soup is not thick enough.

14. Next, lower the heat, and season the soup with salt, and pepper. Taste the soup. You can also add in more thyme.

15. The soup is done now. Check on the oven baked potatoes, if they are finished then remove them from the oven.

16. Now for serving. Put some oven potatoes in a soup bowl, and add in hot soup, and some toppings like bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and/or green onions.

That's it. I hope you enjoy this recipe. In the Luby's cookbook, instead of baking diced potatoes in the oven with seasonings like I do, it says to peel the potatoes, bake them whole, then dice them. You can do that as well if you want. It might take a bit longer, and the potatoes will be flavorless. I like my way better. :)

Happy Eating! :o)

Pizza Dough Recipe

This pizza dough has two different kinds of flour. It makes a really good thin and crispy pizza. It is a recipe by two Danish chefs that host a cooking show in Denmark called Spise med Price. I will translate the recipe to English below, and I also made a video showing you how I made this pizza. Hope you enjoy it!

            

Pizza Dough Recipe 

Ingredients
300 grams pizza flour (type 00 flour)
200 grams Plain flour or Durum Flour
1/2 tblsp. sea salt
2 tsp. dry yeast
2 tblsp. olive oil
3 deciliters water

Directions

1. In a tall glass or small bowl mix the yeast and warm water together. Cover and let sit for 5 - 10 minutes.

2. Then, in a large bowl mix both kinds of flour, and sea salt (crushed).

3. Then, make a well in the center of the flour, and pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil.

4. Mix together until a dough forms.

5. Next, form the dough into a ball, and on a floured surface, knead the dough for 5 - 7 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

6. Place the dough in a large bowl drizzled with olive oil, and coat the dough in the olive oil.

7. Cover the dough and let it rise for 2 hours or overnight.

8. Then, after the dough has risen, pre-heat the oven to the highest heat. If you are using a pizza stone, place it in the oven as well.

9. Next, punch down the dough and divide it into 3 or 4 if you want a super thin pizza. If you aren't using all the dough now, then place the dough you aren't using in a food safe plastic bag and put it in the fridge.

10. Then, stretch out the dough you are using or roll it out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface.

11. Move the flattened dough to a baking tray, or baking paper, once finished. You can also roll it out on a piece of baking paper but it's not that easy.

12. Add the sauce, cheese, and toppings, and then place in the oven. If you are using a pizza stone, then remove that from the oven, and carefully place the pizza on the stone.

13. Bake the pizza for 10 minutes or until it looks ready.

Tip: To avoid the dough having too much flour, you can add the yeast/water mixture to a large bowl first, then olive oil,  and then add in the flour/salt mixture little by little until a dough forms.

Jam Filled Butter Cookies Recipe

These cookies are a favorite of mine. They are buttery, slightly sweet, and with jam in the middle. I think they are called different names across the globe but I know them as Linzer cookies, and they are thought to have originated from Austria. I made a video on how I make these cookies, and the recipe is below the video. Hope you enjoy them! :)


           


Jam Filled Butter Cookies 
Ingredients
250g flour
200g butter, cut into small cubes
100g powedered sugar
pinch of salt
2 egg yolks
jam

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F

2. Place the flour, butter, icing sugar and salt into a bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the ingredients together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Add the egg yolks and mix until a dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out to a thickness of about 0.5cm. Cut out shapes using a 4cm/1½in cutter.

4. Cut out the middle of half the cookies.

5. Place the cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake them for 10 - 12 minutes.

6. After the cookies have cooled, place a small dollop of jam or spread jam on the whole bottom half of a cookie.

7. Then, place the top half of the cookie onto the bottom half spread with jam.

8. Repeat until all the cookies are complete.

Note: The original recipe can be found here.

Enjoy! :o)

Italian Parmesan Oregano Bread Recipe

This bread recipe is similar to the Parmesan Oregano Bread at Subway, a sandwich chain from the U.S.. It is so delicious and great for sandwiches, tapas, or simply just sliced on the side of a meal. It is really flavorful, crunchy on top, and soft on the inside. I usually just make one baguette or two small breads, but if you have a large family or simply just want two loaves of bread, then make sure to double this recipe. If you want to see a video on how I make it check it out here, otherwise the recipe is below. Hope you enjoy it!


        

Italian Parmesan Oregano Bread Recipe
(makes 1 baguette or 2 small loaves)

Ingredients
(For the dough)
2 1/4 tsp. dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. sea salt
2 cups all purpose flour

(for the topping)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tblsp. oregano
1 tsp. olive oil

Directions

1. Place the yeast, honey, and warm water in a large bowl. Cover and let it stand for 5 - 10 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk the salt and flour together. Then mix the flour into the yeast mixture, a little at a time, until it forms a dough.

3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for 5 - 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.

4. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and turn once to coat.

5. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.

1. 6. Gently punch down the dough, and shape it. You can shape it into one baguette or two small round breads, if you decided to follow this recipe exactly.
2. 7. Then, in a small bowl, combine the parmesan, oregano, and garlic powder together. Then, mix in the olive oil.
3. 8. Next, rub a little olive oil on top of the bread, and rub on the parmesan mixture.
4. 9. Let the dough rest for an additional 30 minutes.
5. 11. Pre-heat the oven to 220C/425F.
6. 10. Finally, in a preheated oven bake the bread for around 25 minutes.

Note: If you double the recipe, you don't need to double the yeast amount.

Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe

Growing up in Texas, my mom occasionally made Hamburger Helper for dinner. It came in a box, and was so tasty, and easy for her to make. I loved it, and I still love it. Now I live in Denmark, and Hamburger Helper is not here, so I had to learn how to make it myself, from scratch. I was surprised how easy it is to make, and how it tastes even better than the original. I made a video on how to make it from scratch, which is below, and the recipe is below this video. I hope you like it. :o)


      

Hamburger Helper Recipe
(serves: 2 - 3 people)

Ingredients
1/4 lb ground beef (or more)
1/4 small onion (cut thick)
1/4 tsp. garlic (minced)
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup hot water (or more)
1 cup elbow macaroni
1/8 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch black pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. parsley
1/4 tsp. paprika
pinch chili powder
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Brown the ground beef in a pot or skillet over medium/high heat until cooked.

2. Add thick slices of onions, and minced garlic to the cooked meat and stir. Let it cook for about 5 minutes.

3. Remove the onions, and drain the meat, if necessary.

4. Add the seasonings/spices, the whipping cream, and hot water to the pot.

5. Bring it to a boil, then add in the pasta.

6. Cook the pasta according to package instructions.

7. Then, add the shredded cheese, and stir until melted. If the sauce is not thick enough, let it cook a little bit longer before serving.

8. Taste the hamburger helper and add more salt and pepper, if needed.

Tip1: When you add water to the pasta, just add enough so the pasta has enough liquid to cook in. If you cover the pot while it is boiling, then reduce the heat, and watch it closely so it doesn't spill over. I found that the longer the pasta needs to cook, the more water you need. You can always add more water while the pasta is cooking if it becomes too dry, but if you end up adding too much water it might dilute the flavor.
Tip 2: If the sauce is not thick enough, then let the finished hamburger helper cook a little bit longer before serving.

Happy eating!

Best Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe

I have tried so many recipes for buttermilk biscuits, and finally found one that I love. They are so easy to make, and I often just whip them up quickly when I want to have some biscuits.

So the other day I made a video showing how I make my favorite buttermilk biscuit recipe. I uploaded it to my new YouTube channel. You can watch it below and make sure to subscribe if you want to see more cooking videos. The recipe is below the video. Note: In this video I only make half the recipe.

       

Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe
(makes 10 - 12 biscuits)

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1⁄4 tsp. baking soda
1 tblsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
6 tblsp. salted butter
1 cup buttermilk (or less)


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 232°C/450°F.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, whisk. Then, cut the butter into chunks and mix with dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Next, add just enough buttermilk to form a dough (You might not use all the buttermilk). 

4. Then, turn the dough out onto a floured board and gently pat dough until it's about 1/2" thick. Do not use a rolling pin. Fold the dough about 2 - 3 times, and gently press the dough down until it is about 1 inches thick.

5. Use a round cutter to cut into rounds. Then, place the biscuits on a baking tray. Note: If you place the biscuits close together (touching each other) they will rise more in the oven. 

6. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Tip 1: To make drop biscuits, use all of the buttermilk. It will make a wet dough. Simply spoon balls of dough, a few inches apart, onto a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown.


Tip 2: To make buttermilk, put 1 tblsp. vinegar or lemon juice in a 1 cup measuring cup and fill the rest of the cup with milk. Let stand for about 5 minutes before using.

Tip 3: The biscuits rise even more if the dough is not too dry. So it's best to dust a slightly wet dough in flour before you cut out the biscuits.

Best Burgers in Copenhagen

Burgers are one of my favorite foods. In Texas we have a lot of great burger places, and when I came to Copenhagen, although a lot of restaurants/cafes are making burgers, most of them just didn't live up to my standards. One of the biggest problems was the burger bun, it is sometimes too dense, dry, or hard. Other times it is the meat, it just doesn't have the right flavor, or it's shaped too small for the bun, so your first few bites are just bread.

A good burger to me has a light, and soft but slightly toasted bun, a juicy and flavorful patty, and good cheese. The fries are important too. Freshly cut fries that are crispy can really make a difference. When I order a burger with fries I want to enjoy the whole meal and not just the fries or just the burger, so both being good is definitely a plus.

Now that I have lived in Copenhagen for several years I have found some really amazing burgers. Below is a list of places where you can get the best burgers in Copenhagen.

Tommi's Burger Joint
Location: Høkerboderne 21-23 - Kødbyen

Tommi's Burger Joint is new to Copenhagen. It is a burger chain from Iceland that has been around since 2004, although the owner has been making burgers since 1981 under other names. Even though I've only tried it once (a couple of weeks ago) the burger I ate there is probably the best burger I have ever had in Copenhagen. The burger was grilled inside the restaurant and had a smokey grilled flavor. It was juicy, with quality meat, a really nice bun, and crispy thin fries. They even used a blow torch to melt the cheese just right. The bacon looked amazing as well. So next time I will definitely try a bacon cheeseburger. At Tommi's, a burger with fries, and a drink is 94 dkk, which is a pretty good price for Copenhagen.

The atmosphere was also really special, and I loved the music. Since when do you go to a burger place and say you love the atmosphere and music? It was pretty cool in there. When I went to Tommi's it was a Friday night, and super busy. The place is small, so there aren't a lot of seats, and although there were only a few people in front of me in line it took nearly 30 minutes for my food to be ready. With no place to sit, and being hungry, it was not the best experience. There was a line out the door the entire time, but the workers there were working so hard. They had 25 burgers going on the grill at a time, and 20 orders backed up, but they just couldn't keep up. Maybe that's just a testament to how good the burgers are, right?

I suggest to try Tommi's on a week day/night or during the summer when the weather is nicer and you can sit outside if you have to. I definitely recommend Tommi's Burger Joint though. You can tell they use quality ingredients, and they have an assortment of special complimentary sauces you can add to your burgers or fries. If you are a vegetarian, I heard they have a really good veggie burger as well. I'll being going back again soon for sure, but probably not on a Friday.

Luna's Diner
Location: Sankt Annæ Gade 5 - Christianshavn
                 Vesterbrogade 42 - Vesterbro

Luna's diner has two locations in Copenhagen, one in Christianshavn and a newer location in Vesterbro. It is a restaurant, and a cheeseburger with fries costs 129 dkk. The burger tastes really good, and the fries as well. You get to pick a dip for your fries and I always pick honey mustard, which tastes just like the honey mustard back home. I love it. I suggest getting water to drink with your meal. You can get a pitcher of water to share with free refills for 29 dkk, and it comes with fresh mint and lemon. It actually tastes really good.

Apart from the Burgers, Luna's Diner also serves soups, sandwiches, wok dishes, salads, pasta dishes, breakfast dishes, wraps, and has brunch on the weekends. So I'm sure you can find something for everyone on the menu. It's not your typical restaurant in Copenhagen, as there are many dishes on the menu inspired by American food that you might not otherwise find at a restaurant in Copenhagen. It's also very cozy inside.

Cheeseburger plain with mayo only (my favorite way to eat a burger), honey mustard dip, and fries

Sporvejen
Location: Gråbrødretorv 17 - Downtown

Sporvejen is another one of my favorite burger places. This one is located in an old street car, so it's really neat inside. When I have friends or family visit from Texas, I always take them to Sporvejen. Not only are the burgers really good, but it's such a cool place. There are also tables and chairs outside. It is located downtown, a bit off the beaten path from Strøget in a really beautiful square with other restaurants nearby.

They have a lunch burger special for 65 dkk for a burger with bacon and cheese, and fries are 24 dkk extra. I have only tried the beef burgers here but they also have chicken burgers and omelettes. The burgers are always juicy, and the fries are pretty good as well. Definitely a place worth checking out.

Bacon burger with ketchup, lettuce, tomato...and fries

Bacon cheeseburger with mayo and fries

Halifax
Locations: Frederiksborggade 35 - Downtown
                  Larsbjørnstræde 9 - Downtown
                  Trianglen 1 - Østerbro
                  Vesterbrogade 72 - Vesterbro
                  Raberbanegade 3 - Amager
                  Falkoner Plads 1 - Frederiksberg
                  Skolegade 9 - Valby

As you can see, Halifax has 7 locations in and around Copenhagen, and the first location opened in 2007. This is one of my Danish friend's favorite places to eat so I have been to Halifax many times. What's neat about Halifax is all burgers come with a side, and a dip. You can choose from regular fries, sweet potato fries, vinegar fries, coleslaw, salad, mashed potatoes, or nachos as a side (although it looks like they might have taken the nachos off the menu). Anyways I can't imagine eating mashed potatoes on the side of my burger but I guess some people like that. :o) There are also many unique varieties of burgers, for example I once got the Zihuatanejo with aioli, cheddar, jalapenos, guacamole, salsa, onion, and lettuce, and it was delicious, but messy, I will admit. :o)

The place has a really cozy, rustic, but modern feel to it. The company/brand signage or art work is also really well done. If you order food as take away, everything is packed really nicely, in packaging stamped with their logo and art work. It's really a neat place, and the food is very good. The menu is limited to burgers, and sides, but sometimes it's a good thing to not have too much on a menu. It gives you the ability to focus on these items even more. Halifax also has a lunch special during weekdays, so look out for that.

Burger with avocado, salsa, cheddar cheese, and lettuce

Standard burger without cheese

Condesa
Location: Ved Stranden 18 - Downtown

This next place is located downtown across from Christiansborg Slot, and it is only open for dinner. It's actually a mexican restaurant/bar that serves tacos, ceviche, oysters, chicken wings, cocktails, and beer, and no burgers...

Yep, that's right, burgers are not on the menu! I was reluctant to include this place on my list of the best burgers in Copenhagen, but I have to mention it. Last summer for one day, Condesa grilled burgers outside, and they were amazing. After we had those burgers we thought, great, now we know of another place to get a good burger, but when we checked the menu online, we noticed that burgers are not on the menu there. They do, however, have a spicy fried chicken burger on the menu only on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Condesa, if you are listening, please consider also adding a beef burger to your menu. I really loved it! The bun was homemade, and just how I like it, the meat was of high quality, really flavorful, and juicy. I hope to see more of your burgers in the future.

If the burger was that good, I'm sure the rest of their food must be amazing as well. So perhaps, those of you reading this, should just check out this restaurant anyways, and look out for a future Condessa pop-up burger summer grill party. :) Hopefully it happens again.

So that is it. I will add more pictures soon, and if you have a favorite place to get burgers in Copenhagen, please let me know. :o)

Best Pizza in Central Copenhagen

If you are ever in Central Copenhagen and looking for a cheap place to eat, these are my favorite pizza places there, in no particular order.

Pizza Huset
Location: Gothersgade 21

I first discovered this place when I was studying abroad in 2004 in Copenhagen and living near Kongens Nytorv, which is just around the corner from Gothersgade. Pizza Huset has been open since 1985, it is Italian run, and they make both sandwiches and pizza. They use fresh ingredients, and fresh buffalo mozzarella, which is a bit of a rarity in Copenhagen. The crust is thin, but crispy and bubbly, and the sauce has a nice flavor. This place can get pretty busy, but the service is always fast, and friendly.

During the summer I like to grab a pizza from Pizza Huset, and eat it in the nearby Kongens Have on the grounds of Rosenborg Castle. It is one of the best pizzas you can find in Copenhagen, and at an affordable price. Definitely check it out!

Slice of Copenhagen
Location: Sværtegade 3

Sometimes I explore Copenhagen. I walk down streets I've never been and find hidden gems like this place, Slice of Copenhagen. It is located in the heart of downtown, but down some random side street, that you might not know exists. This is why you probably won't find many tourists here.

It is one of my favorite places to eat lunch when I am out shopping on Strøget. This place has been open since 1994 and is located in a basement. They only sell pizza slices, sandwiches, and drinks. A "pizza slice" in Copenhagen is not what you think it is. It's not a triangle shaped slice of pizza. Instead a big sheet of pizza is baked, and cut into large squares, that are then folded, and wrapped in paper, so you can eat it on the go. It is delicious!

I always get the pizza slice with pepperoni, drizzled with a garlic olive oil. I recommend getting the garlic or chili oil drizzled on the pizza, since these slices don't have a lot of tomato sauce. It also gives it an extra flavor. They have several varieties of pizza slices here and they are all on display so you can easily choose which one you want. There are tables and chairs to sit inside, and outside, but if the place is busy there can sometimes be no seats. Luckily, since the pizza is take away ready, it's easy to eat it outside while walking or you can find a bench nearby to sit. A slice of pizza usually costs 35 dkk, and Slice of Copenhagen is closed on Sundays.

Pizza Slice with Pepperoni

Pizzeria La Fiorita
Location: Charlotte Ammundsens Plads 2

This next place is located near Nørreport and the lakes in Copenhagen. It is in the basement and they serve homemade pasta dishes, sandwiches, pizza, baked potatoes, salads, and fresh baked bread, as well as Italian coffee, dry pasta, and other Italian specialties. I have only tried the pizza, but the pasta dishes look very good, and the prices are cheap for Copenhagen. They even have a special dish of the day for a lunch price, and lunch specials on the pizzas. This is not your standard Pizza takeaway place in Copenhagen. They have restaurant dishes at take away prices, and you aren't served in a paper box or aluminum foil dish, but if you dine in you are given a plate or bowl and knife and fork.

The pizza here tasted just like the Italian pizza I had in Milan, Italy. It's like stepping in Italy, while in Copenhagen. The place is usually pretty busy, and seating is limited inside, but if the weather is nice there are quite a lot of tables outside as well. Also, across the street is their Gelato shop, so you can get dessert too. Who doesn't love Gelato? :)

white chocolate, pistachio, and caramel gelato

Those are my top picks. Do you have a favorite pizza place in Central Copenhagen?

More pictures will be added soon!

What I ate in New York City - Day 4

My last day in NYC was a Monday, and we had a flight scheduled from Newark Airport in the late afternoon. So what better way to start off your day than with some freshly baked donuts in the morning. So we headed off to The Donut Pub.

The Donut Pub
Location: 203 W. 14th Street - Chelsea

The Donut Pub has been bringing joy to NYC since 1964, and it is opened 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Now, we thought a quick stop at the Donut Pub would be uneventful, but we were wrong. It was probably the most stressful ordering experience of my life. I heard rumors about the Original Soup Man being tough (Soup Nazi Seinfeld episode), but that turned out to be totally fine. No one warned me about the Donut Pub, though.

It wasn't super busy there, people streamed in and out to pick up donuts, but no one really sat inside. We stood to the side as we decided what donuts we should get, but then suddenly we were up. We knew what we wanted, but it turns out the lady taking our order had a very bad problem with listening. All we wanted were two french crullers, two honey glazed donuts, a tea, and a coffee. Oh and two more french crullers to go (for my mom and brother back home in Texas).

However, anytime I said one type of donut, she was like this one, that one, this one, without listening that I said the name, and she would say how many, 2, 3, 4, 5 and count at a fast rate without giving me a chance to say how many, and I was like 4 we want 4. Then she is like okay, bags it up, and says your total is blah blah (in a flash)! That isn't all I wanted. So I was like we also want two honey glazed donuts, and again it was the same process, she didn't listen, she bagged it, and it was time to pay. It was so crazy (and no one was even waiting behind us), but in the end we finally got what we wanted. It turns out the tea machine in there was broken so she poured me tea from a mug of tea....like it was her tea she was drinking. I don't know. I just had to accept that since I really wanted some hot tea.

I was stressed after, it was more chaotic than I can describe simply because this lady would talk over you and not listen but we laughed about it so much after because it's like okay this is the New York experience you hear about in the movies, she was like the Soup Nazi of donuts, it was pretty funny in the end. Apart from that the donuts were really good, but I'm not sure I'll go back. There must be another good donut place in NYC that is less stressful. :) This place wasn't exactly cheap either.

After The Donut Pub we headed over to Chelsea Market to look around. It was a lot smaller than I imagined, but it was interesting anyways. We also walked on the High Line, which is a park built on an elevated section of a disused NYC Central Railroad spur called The West Side Line. Thanks, Wikipedia. :o) I'd love to go back there during the summer, it was really nice.

It was now time for lunch, and on my list was having a deli sandwich in NY. Finding a place to eat a deli sandwich at was really tricky. I have heard of the world famous Katz's Deli but seeing it on TV and online, those sandwiches are out of control, and it looks super crowded there. It turns out most deli sandwiches in NYC are insanely huge and expensive.

However, after a lot of research I did find one, conveniently located near our hotel, that had deli sandwiches I could handle, and it was known to be a really good place. So we walked over to Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop next.

Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop
Location: 174 5th Ave. - Flatiron District

This place has more than just sandwiches. Eisenberg's has been opened since 1929, and serves breakfast, soups, salads, burgers, fried fish, grilled chicken, turkey, various cakes and pies, milkshakes, and more.

I got the roast beef sandwich with cheese and mayo on white bread and my boyfriend got a pastrami sandwich on rye bread. My sandwich was pretty good, but I had a sample of the pastrami sandwich and that was even better. I had never had pastrami before. It would be a bit of a wild card to order something I've never tried before that could possibly be something I don't like, and then to leave hungry, but this is exactly what my boyfriend did. I knew I could always just try his sandwich. :o)

So next time I'm getting the pastrami sandwich, it was that amazing, and I only had a sample. :) I have to say the sandwich bread was very good as well. You could tell it was freshly baked, it was light, and had a good flavor. I really enjoyed it.

This place looked pretty small on the outside, but like a lot of places in NYC, it turns out there is more room than you think once you get inside. There was a room in the back with more seats, and even though it was busy, we had no problem getting a seat on a Monday at lunch time in there. The service was also really good, and if you look on the walls you can see a lot of celebrities have dined in there as well. The sandwich was more than enough for me, but the size was way more normal than the other deli sandwich shops around.

roast beef sandwich with cheese on white

pastrami sandwich on rye

So that is it. This is what I ate in NYC. It was a short trip, I was very sick the entire time, but I managed to try everything I wanted to. There was no rush about it, we just had an idea ahead of time on what places we might want to try, and found them on a map so we knew where they were. We also stopped at places that we didn't know of ahead of time. This is how I like to travel. There is only a rough idea of a plan, but it's all up in the air in the end.

Our hotel was centrally located, which made a huge difference. We were able to walk around with no problems, and we kind of planned our schedule the night before, but just a verbal rough plan. You know tomorrow we could take the Staten Island Ferry and that might be a good day to try Lombardi's since it's on the way back towards our hotel. That kind of thing.

I hope you enjoyed my NYC culinary adventures. Hopefully I will get to make a second trip there and explore a little bit more. I loved NYC and I hope to go back.

What I ate in New York City - Day 3

Day 3 of my trip was a Sunday. I didn't mention before, but the weather was so nice during my stay in New York City. Coming from cold, dark, windy, and gray Copenhagen, it was nice to be in a sunny and warm NYC. In fact, apparently it was one of the warmest December days in NYC history.

So we decided it would be a nice day to take the Staten Island Ferry so we could see the Statue of Liberty. It was actually a tip from a friend who is a native New Yorker. Thanks, Heather. :o) She informed me that it was free, and everything is better free, right? :)

After some snap shots of Lady Liberty, it was time for lunch! The kind of lunch I had been looking forward to for maybe my entire life. One of the most important things on my list of things to eat while in New York City was pizza. I had to try real authentic NY pizza. It was really hard to choose where the one place we would eat pizza at would be, as there are a lot of great places in NYC to eat pizza. So after a lot of consideration, we decided to try Lombardi's!

Lombardi's Pizza
Location: 32 Spring St. - Little Italy

It is said that an Italian immigrant in NYC reinvented the Napoletana style pizza in 1897, and thus opened the first Pizzeria in the United States in 1905 called Lombardi's. I had to try the first pizzeria in the U.S.!

When we got there a line was out the door, and we had to be put on a waiting list, but incredibly enough in less than 10 minutes our name was called and we were seated. The place looks small from the outside but it was surprisingly quite big inside, and very busy. We were taken in the restaurant, through the kitchen and around some corner and to our seat.

We ordered a pepperoni pizza and two sodas, but there were locals there alone eating a whole pie by themselves. That looked challenging as the pizza is quite big, but I guess if I lived in NYC and was able to swing by Lombardi's during my lunch break, I would. :o)

The pizza tasted amazing. One thing that stood out was the mozzarella cheese. It was so different, stringy, but a bit firm. I really liked it. The sauce was great too, and I would love to try other things on the menu next time. You should definitely try Lombardi's Pizza if you are ever in NYC. It was one of the best pizza's I've ever tasted. The food was served pretty quickly, the atmosphere was relaxed, and the service was good. It was also a cozy place and of course Frank Sinatra's New York New York was playing at some point during our meal. :)

After lunch we walked around Little Italy and China Town, and decided to walk towards our hotel from there. By this time NYC was in full swing, and we ended up in SoHo in the midst of Sunday shoppers. I noticed a gourmet food store that I had heard of before and seen on TV so we decided to pop in and take a look.

Dean & Deluca
Location: 560 Broadway - SoHo

It reminded me of the upscale food store at Magasin Du Nord in Copenhagen, but on a larger scale. It was super crowded in there and everything was really expensive. We decided to get some dessert to eat later in our hotel room. The prices were by weight so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. We ended up ordering two Key Lime cookies, and two Dark Chocolate Dipped Heart Shaped cookies. When she told me the price I was a bit shocked, and felt like changing my mind. Basically these little tiny cookies were the most expensive cookies I've ever bought, $8.40.

I bake a lot myself and I know how cheap it is to make cookies, and I get that this is an upscale store, but come on, those prices are a little crazy. All in all I enjoyed the heart shaped cookie more than the KeyLime one, but I wouldn't say they were amazing or anything. It's definitely an interesting place, but just beware of buying things in the bakery section where the price is a bit of mystery. Perhaps you can ask ahead how much might this be and not feel inclined to buy it if the price seems too high to you.

Later that evening we decided to eat dinner near our hotel once again. We thought it would be nice to eat a steak with bearnaise sauce at a restaurant, that is if we could find one. I think it's more common in the U.S. to have steak sauce with steak, but in Denmark and other parts of Europe it is more common to eat it with bearnaise sauce. I never had this kind of sauce before I moved to Denmark, but it tastes amazing, especially if it's homemade.

So there happened to be a place near our hotel with just that called Brasserie Les Halles.

Brasserie Les Halles
Location: 15 John Street - NoMad

Brasserie Les Halles is a french brasserie style restaurant. It had a great atmosphere, beautifully decorated for Christmas, and was so cozy inside. We both ordered the Filet de Boeuf with bearnaise. The steak was so tender and juicy, the fries were really thin and crispy, and it also came with a side salad, house made bearnaise and some sourdough and rye bread. This was the real deal, what a restaurant should be, freshly prepared food, all homemade, and tastes great. I would definitely go back here again next time I visit NYC. It cost $38 for this particular steak meal, but in NYC for dinner at a restaurant I feel like that is a good price, especially when the food is at such a high standard.

Next up - Day 4 and last day in NYC here!