This is a photo of Austurstræti, one of Reykjavík’s oldest streets, taken at Christmas time in the mid- to late 1950s. The parking lot on the right was originally the site of the city’s fifth oldest hotel, the Hótel Ísland, which opened in 1882 and was destroyed in a fire in 1944. In the sixties the car park became a gathering place for the city’s youth, and got a particularly hard-to-translate nickname, Hallærisplanið. (“Uncool Square” or “Insufficiency Park” come close, but not really). In the mid-nineties the city built a new square, Ingólfstorg, to replace what were by then car parks on both sides of the street. Still popular with young people (skaters have replaced punks and hipsters), it’s used for concerts and other events in summer. In winter it has occasionally been turned into a skating rink.
Photo: Óskar Gíslason
Holiday season is here! While most of us have our holiday traditions to look forward to, I think its fun to mix it up every year with something new. For Thanksgiving this year, I was in charge of desserts (a big, sorta scary first for me) and table setting (old-hat, but I still tried to make it interesting). I also learned a quick way to make quiche. Here’s the scoop on each:
Thanksgiving Dessert (both recipes from Diana’s Desserts)
Cranberry-Pear Crisp

Spiced Pumpkin Torte with Nut Topping

Thanksgiving Table Setting (fold instructions here)
Waterlily Napkins

Thanksgiving Breakfast
Quiche
This one is crazy simple: Get a frozen pie shell, fill it with desired ingredients until is about 2/3 full (I used cubed ham, cheddar, parsley). Beat three eggs and a cup of milk together and pour over your toppings in the pie crust. Bake it in a 350 degree oven for an hour. Check with a toothpick. enjoy!
