Getting bored with peanut butter and jelly now that the kids have been home a few weeks?

Next time you're at IKEA or a Scandinavian food shop, pick up a tube of Kalles caviar spread and some rye crispbread. Yes, I know the stuff looks more appropriate for toothbrushes than for crispbread, but trust me – it's so good that I'd serve it on new toothbrushes if that's all I had available.

A far better option, however, is to spread crispbread or Wasa crackers with a thin layer of butter, layer fresh lettuce leaves, hard-boiled eggs, and cucumbers on the buttered bread (or smørrebrød, as open-faced sandwiches are called in Denmark), and then squeeze the Kalles caviar spread over the top. The fish roe is just salty enough to pair beautifully with fresh vegetables and eggs … you may never go back to peanut butter!

Kalles caviar image ©2009 Kari Diehl, licensed to About.com.

Potato starch, also known as "potato starch flour," is an almost magical ingredient when used to replace flour in recipes such as this gluten-free Norwegian Blotekake, or "Wet Cake." Because the potato starch readily absorbs and retains moisture, it produces a light cake so moist that you can literally hear a sponge-like "swoosh" as you cut through the cake prior to filling it with thick layers of strawberry cream.

That's better entertainment value than Rice Krispies!

Norwegian wet cake image & copy;2009 Kari Diehl, licensed to About.com.

There's sad news from Ballard, Washington – it looks like Olsen's Scandinavian Foods, one of the nation's finest Scandinavian shops, will definitely be closing in July.

Olsen's has been an institution in Ballard since 1960, when it first opened as B.D. & D. Ultimately purchased and beautifully merchandised and operated by two Norwegian sisters, Anita and Reidun Endresen, it's a fabulous source for specialty Scandinavian foods, for cookware, and for cookbooks. Now I'm going to have to find a new source for freshly made rollepolse (lamb roll), "Kalles" caviar paste, and authentic Julskinke (Christmas ham). Uff da.

Olsen's is now selling its in-store stock at 25% off; orders from its web business will be honored.

Have bonfire? Cook trout!

All week long, Scandinavians will be celebrating the summer solstice, Midsummer's Eve, with bonfires and much merry-making – a tradition that goes back centuries. It's a great occasion to cook freshly caught trout on the embers, accompanied with dishes like new potato salad and strawberry cake.

Bonfire Trout image ©2009 Kari Diehl, licensed to About.com.