Well, I won't be making Krumkaka until closer to Christmas, but I am in the mood to post some recipes today, so here's the scoop:
Krumkaka
(Norwegian cookies)
Note: It’s best to use fresh ingredients. You need a Krumkaka baker to make these cookies. VillaWare makes an electric baker, which is similar to a waffle iron. I am sure that there are other companies that make the electric baker, as well.
Before electric bakers became available, we used metal irons, which fit on the top of the stove burner. I have my grandmother's Krumkaka iron, which had designs on each plate side to imprint on the Krumkaka. The electric bakers have the design templates, also. Using the iron, I had to make each cookie individually and manually rotate the iron plate to cook each side. As you can imagine, it was very time consuming.
I remember one year, I spent a couple of hours making the cookies, one-by-one. I put them in a Tupperware container on the table. Our dog, Dakota, could find food anywhere, but I did not think that he could reach the middle of the table. Boy was I wrong! He was a pretty big dog (about 80 lbs.), with a long reach.
We went out and when we came back, he had devoured the entire container of Krumkaka. I learned a very valuable lesson that day.
____________________________________________________
Preheat the baker according to manufacturer's directions.
Ingredients:
4 eggs
½-teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/3 cups white flour
1 cup white granulated sugar
½ cup melted butter (must use butter, not margarine)
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs slightly.
Add sugar and beat until light. Do not overbeat.
Add vanilla.
Blend in melted, cooled butter.
Add cornstarch and flour gradually, and beat until blended.
Drop about 1 teaspoon of the batter onto the preheated baker. You will be able to make two at time. Bake for about 30 to 60 seconds until lightly browned.
Remove from the baker with a knife or spatula, wrap the cookie around the wooden or metal cone to make a cone shaped cookie, or you could leave it flat.
Store in a loosely covered container.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving!
We are truly blessed.
We have been watching the Macy Thanksgiving Day parade, which is always fun to watch.
This afternoon, we will be going to my sister-in-law's house for the traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner with family. I am sure it will be very enjoyable. It's a time for all of us to get together and catch up on what's been happening with the family. It's a potluck and each of us brings a side dish. I am bringing scalloped corn which is a family favorite.
Here's the recipe:
Recipe for Scalloped Corn Casserole:
Heat oven to 350 degrees
8 “round pan or similar size
________________________________________________________________________________
2 cups of canned creamed corn
One well-beaten egg
¾-teaspoon salt
1-cup milk
1-cup saltine cracker crumbs
½-cup saltine cracker crumbs moistened with melted butter or margarine (about ¼ cup) for the top of the casserole
Optional: ¼ cup of onion
Heat milk and corn on the stove and gradually add the beaten egg. Add the remainder of the ingredients and stir. Pour into the 8” pan. Place the cracker crumbs moistened with melted butter on the top of the corn. Bake for 20 minutes or until the center is hot and set.
We have been watching the Macy Thanksgiving Day parade, which is always fun to watch.
This afternoon, we will be going to my sister-in-law's house for the traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner with family. I am sure it will be very enjoyable. It's a time for all of us to get together and catch up on what's been happening with the family. It's a potluck and each of us brings a side dish. I am bringing scalloped corn which is a family favorite.
Here's the recipe:
Recipe for Scalloped Corn Casserole:
Heat oven to 350 degrees
8 “round pan or similar size
________________________________________________________________________________
2 cups of canned creamed corn
One well-beaten egg
¾-teaspoon salt
1-cup milk
1-cup saltine cracker crumbs
½-cup saltine cracker crumbs moistened with melted butter or margarine (about ¼ cup) for the top of the casserole
Optional: ¼ cup of onion
Heat milk and corn on the stove and gradually add the beaten egg. Add the remainder of the ingredients and stir. Pour into the 8” pan. Place the cracker crumbs moistened with melted butter on the top of the corn. Bake for 20 minutes or until the center is hot and set.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Today would have been my mom's 80th birthday
November 22, 2010
She didn't make it to her 80th birthday. She did not even make it to her 65th birthday. It's still very sad to me even though it has been a long time since she passed away.
I have many memories of her birthday parties. There's one in particular that really stands out.
I remember the fragrance of freshly brewed coffee greeting me at the door after a long bus ride home from school. The aroma of the coffee was mixed with a sugary sweet cake scent wafting through the air reminding me of walking through a gooey bakery. On my mother’s birthday, as was the tradition in a small towns, all of her friends met at the birthday girl’s (lady's) home in the afternoon for coffee and birthday cake. He friends gave her little trinkets as a gift to commemorate their time together. I think that they were all very supportive of each other.
This time, instead of the usual noise of all the ladies speaking at once, all the ladies’ eyes appeared to be glued to the TV screen. All three TV channels were playing the same story. The women were eating their homemade 2-layer cake on fancy china plates and drinking coffee from flowery bone china coffee cups that were sitting gingerly on their matching saucers.
This time, it was not a celebration, but a day of complete shock and horrible grief. It was a day where every moment could be remembered and replayed in an instant.
President John F. Kennedy had been shot.
Earlier in the day, I had been sitting in my classroom when I heard the news. One of my classmates had gone home for lunch, and came back with the news. No one believed her at first, and then the teacher told us that the President had been assassinated. There was a moment of silence for the President. There was a deep sadness surrounding all of us.
The classroom was in an old brick school. Each room had 10 foot ceilings and radiator heaters. The rooms were very large with beautiful wood baseboards. The desks were large wooden desks with the chairs attached. Opening the hinged tops exposed all the crayons and pencils, books, pens, paper and pencils boxes that were uniquely each child’s.
It's strange how a tragedy can heighten our awareness of our surroundings. It's as if time freezes, and we can remember everything about that day down to tiny crayons in a desk drawer.
That day is imprinted in my memory forever.
She didn't make it to her 80th birthday. She did not even make it to her 65th birthday. It's still very sad to me even though it has been a long time since she passed away.
I have many memories of her birthday parties. There's one in particular that really stands out.
I remember the fragrance of freshly brewed coffee greeting me at the door after a long bus ride home from school. The aroma of the coffee was mixed with a sugary sweet cake scent wafting through the air reminding me of walking through a gooey bakery. On my mother’s birthday, as was the tradition in a small towns, all of her friends met at the birthday girl’s (lady's) home in the afternoon for coffee and birthday cake. He friends gave her little trinkets as a gift to commemorate their time together. I think that they were all very supportive of each other.
This time, instead of the usual noise of all the ladies speaking at once, all the ladies’ eyes appeared to be glued to the TV screen. All three TV channels were playing the same story. The women were eating their homemade 2-layer cake on fancy china plates and drinking coffee from flowery bone china coffee cups that were sitting gingerly on their matching saucers.
This time, it was not a celebration, but a day of complete shock and horrible grief. It was a day where every moment could be remembered and replayed in an instant.
President John F. Kennedy had been shot.
Earlier in the day, I had been sitting in my classroom when I heard the news. One of my classmates had gone home for lunch, and came back with the news. No one believed her at first, and then the teacher told us that the President had been assassinated. There was a moment of silence for the President. There was a deep sadness surrounding all of us.
The classroom was in an old brick school. Each room had 10 foot ceilings and radiator heaters. The rooms were very large with beautiful wood baseboards. The desks were large wooden desks with the chairs attached. Opening the hinged tops exposed all the crayons and pencils, books, pens, paper and pencils boxes that were uniquely each child’s.
It's strange how a tragedy can heighten our awareness of our surroundings. It's as if time freezes, and we can remember everything about that day down to tiny crayons in a desk drawer.
That day is imprinted in my memory forever.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Getting ready for Thanksgiving
We are going to my sister-in-law's house for Thanksgiving. It's a potluck, where everyone brings something, so I will be bringing one of my favorites, scalloped corn. It's made with creamed corn, eggs, saltines and milk. It's a traditional corn casserole type dish that's very common in North Dakota, and it's delicious. My family loves it. It's kind of like corn pudding which is common here in Virginia.
During my childhood, we went to my Aunt Pearly's house for Thanksgiving. She had everyone over for Thanksgiving, and my mom had everyone over to our house for Christmas Day dinner. It was a potluck also, where everyone brought one dish to share, but the person hosting the party made the majority of the food.
In North Dakota, the big meal of the day is at between noon and 1 pm, so we had our Thanksgiving dinner at around 1 pm. It was the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, and all the trimmings. I can still remember the warm, inviting aroma of turkey, stuffing and gravy. Such good memories.
Then, after we were done eating, we visited with relatives all afternoon. We talked and played board or card games such as Sorry or Rook.
Then, we would eat again around 7 pm. We had a light supper of turkey sandwiches on homemade buns (which were delicious), jello salad, macaroni salad, chips and more pumpkin pie.
In ND, tthere was normally a lot of snow on the ground, and it was was cold. Here in Virginia, it's normally fairly mild with a lot of sunshine.
Some traditions are universal, such as turkey, family gatherings and potlucks, but some are unique to each region. North Dakotans each a lot of scalloped corn casserole, but here in Virginia, we eat a lot of green been casserole. Both vegetable casseroles, but each with a slightly different flavor.
Happy Thanksgiving where ever you are!
During my childhood, we went to my Aunt Pearly's house for Thanksgiving. She had everyone over for Thanksgiving, and my mom had everyone over to our house for Christmas Day dinner. It was a potluck also, where everyone brought one dish to share, but the person hosting the party made the majority of the food.
In North Dakota, the big meal of the day is at between noon and 1 pm, so we had our Thanksgiving dinner at around 1 pm. It was the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, and all the trimmings. I can still remember the warm, inviting aroma of turkey, stuffing and gravy. Such good memories.
Then, after we were done eating, we visited with relatives all afternoon. We talked and played board or card games such as Sorry or Rook.
Then, we would eat again around 7 pm. We had a light supper of turkey sandwiches on homemade buns (which were delicious), jello salad, macaroni salad, chips and more pumpkin pie.
In ND, tthere was normally a lot of snow on the ground, and it was was cold. Here in Virginia, it's normally fairly mild with a lot of sunshine.
Some traditions are universal, such as turkey, family gatherings and potlucks, but some are unique to each region. North Dakotans each a lot of scalloped corn casserole, but here in Virginia, we eat a lot of green been casserole. Both vegetable casseroles, but each with a slightly different flavor.
Happy Thanksgiving where ever you are!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Childhood Halloween memories
I was thinking about the way that we celebrated Halloween when I was a child.
I think about it every year around this time when my grand-daughter goes trick-or-treating.
In North Dakota, it was always very cold. Many years, it snowed or there was snow on the ground by Halloween. We didn't have elaborate costumes. We just wore plastic masks and our heavy winter coats. I guess there was not much point wearing a costume because we would have had to cover it up with a coat.
The schools had large parties for the entire school on Halloween. We bobbed for apples, played games and collected money for Unicef. The parties were in the evening, and the entire community attended the activities. It wasn't anything elaborate, but it was fun with a great sense of community.
We went trick-or-treating after the party. We got one piece of candy from each house, plus coins for Unicef.
No one decorated for Halloween other than a carved pumpkin.
The high school kids pulled pranks, such as TP'ing houses, moving out-houses or tipping them over, or leaving various items on main street. I heard that one time, years before my time, some guys put a cow on top of a building. I don't know how they would have been able to do that, so it might have been a tall tale.
All-in-all, it was a great time.
I think about it every year around this time when my grand-daughter goes trick-or-treating.
In North Dakota, it was always very cold. Many years, it snowed or there was snow on the ground by Halloween. We didn't have elaborate costumes. We just wore plastic masks and our heavy winter coats. I guess there was not much point wearing a costume because we would have had to cover it up with a coat.
The schools had large parties for the entire school on Halloween. We bobbed for apples, played games and collected money for Unicef. The parties were in the evening, and the entire community attended the activities. It wasn't anything elaborate, but it was fun with a great sense of community.
We went trick-or-treating after the party. We got one piece of candy from each house, plus coins for Unicef.
No one decorated for Halloween other than a carved pumpkin.
The high school kids pulled pranks, such as TP'ing houses, moving out-houses or tipping them over, or leaving various items on main street. I heard that one time, years before my time, some guys put a cow on top of a building. I don't know how they would have been able to do that, so it might have been a tall tale.
All-in-all, it was a great time.
We moved
It has been a difficult move. Everything is changing so much, but I guess it's for the best. It's hard to see that it's for the best now, but maybe I will see the merit later.
I have had a challenging couple of months. I had to move with a broken toe. My doctor told me to stay off my feet. That is very hard to do while moving, but I had to do it or face possibly more pain and the toe not healing properly.
Then, after we moved, I got a terrible flu for a few days. Next, our dog, Dakota, died. We had him for 12 years, so that was very sad. It's been an adjustment.
I am looking forward to the holidays. Hopefully, things will start looking up.
I have had a challenging couple of months. I had to move with a broken toe. My doctor told me to stay off my feet. That is very hard to do while moving, but I had to do it or face possibly more pain and the toe not healing properly.
Then, after we moved, I got a terrible flu for a few days. Next, our dog, Dakota, died. We had him for 12 years, so that was very sad. It's been an adjustment.
I am looking forward to the holidays. Hopefully, things will start looking up.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Sailing off into the Sunset
We love cruising. It's a wonderful experience sailing off into the unknown waters, never knowing what kind of adventure we would find. Our first cruise was the cruise to nowhere from Norfolk, Virginia in 2002. It was a two-night cruise designed for first time cruisers to get a taste for cruising.
We experienced everything that was possible to try. We ate (of course), and gambled, and went to shows, and marveled at how gigantic the ship was. It was like a huge floating hotel. It was so nice and relaxing to be pampered.
It was especially nice to get away from Northern Virginia and the DC sniper that was terrorizing our area at the time.
Cruising is such a wonderful way to escape everyday life for a short time, anyway.
We experienced everything that was possible to try. We ate (of course), and gambled, and went to shows, and marveled at how gigantic the ship was. It was like a huge floating hotel. It was so nice and relaxing to be pampered.
It was especially nice to get away from Northern Virginia and the DC sniper that was terrorizing our area at the time.
Cruising is such a wonderful way to escape everyday life for a short time, anyway.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
It's Sunday. It's a nice day to relax.
My daughter's dog, Blue, a Rat Terrier, sleeps all the way under the covers on my bed. I don't know how he can breathe underneath a thick comforter. He is so small; it seems that he might get crushed. Last night, he was all way at the bottom, by my feet. He's been sleeping with me lately.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)