My Blog

Life brings us little bonuses along the way. It truly does. Last May, as my husband and I were in the middle of the process of bringing our Toro mixes to the U.S., we realized it would definitely be to my benefit to have the opportunity to work with the creator of the mixes. Not only was I having trouble translating the Norwegian baking instructions (my limited Norwegian language skills didn't help), but I knew there were tips and bits of knowledge that the inventors of the products could pass on to me.

We also knew that I would not be able to meet, interact, observe, do, learn and REMEMBER all that I was to experience. My mom was happy to step in as another set of eyes and ears. She's also a whiz in the kitchen, the greatest support a daughter could have and lover of all things Norwegian. The two of us embarked on a whirlwind 3-day trip to the land of our ancestors-perhaps the most surreal experience of our lives. It's safe to say we giggled the whole way there, trying to believe we were ACTUALLY doing this.

When we arrived in Bergen, we were greeted by Asta Otteren Ellingsen. She is the inventor of our products and a real advocate for the celiac community in Europe. She's also a wonderful hostess. She gave us a quick tour of the beautiful city of Bergen and dropped us at our hotel. (Remember, my mom and I are still giggling to each other. We can't believe we're actually there!)

The next morning, we walked though Bergen's beautiful streets to Rieber & Son's headquarters and began our whirlwind lessons. We unloaded our suitcase that was filled with American baking pans, and ingredients as well as American products we would soon be comparing with our finished products. Then the mixers, the bread machines and the ovens began to work overtime. We tried each bread product with different milks and water to compare the finished colors. We also tried different amounts of yeast. We made cakes and different kinds of waffles. It was truly the best day!

As everything was finishing, we started on the best part-sampling our finished products. We made a plate of all the different breads and Asta brought out all the spreads that make Norwegian smøbroød (open-faced sandwiches) one of my favorite things. We had two beautiful sponge cakes along with a divine chocolate cake and even a pizza. I can't tell you what a treat it was. Everything at the table was safe for me to eat and it was GREAT!

We even had leftovers. They sent me back to the hotel that night with the extra waffles and bread. The plan was for me to use the bread for my smøbroød the next morning. But during my jet-lagged poor sleep that night, I decided I couldn't wait until morning. I dove into the waffles as a midnight snack. And it was an experience that needed to be captured on film.