Scandinavian Specialties

A very successful trip today!  Once a year before Christmas we visit this shop to buy their own excellent pickled herring ( not the king Oscar’s …I put that in for the nice color… had to get a tin).  Swedish cheese, lingonberries, pepparkokor cookies, some gifts, and some bakery items if they have them.   We lucked out at 11:00 as the bakery cardamom braid coffee cakes and Limpa bread just came in…. Saved us a trip to a different bakery.    Now in the freezer.  Big expense but only once a year.      If we go too late they are out of herring.   
We did have to have cheese and bread for lunch…. Not because it’s the best ever, but it’s the very same cheese I grew up with in Chicago ( where it’s from) in the 40s and 50s…so it’s “tradition”!    I used to make this bread ( it was better) but no longer. 
We’ve got most of the treasures out and 
We might even get a real tree this week. ,