What do you make with pomegranites?

It was time for the annual Ward Christmas Party. We had great local entertainment and it was fun to have the kids visit Santa Claus again. The youth served us potatoes and beef and the salads and desserts folks brought. I wanted to use some great pomegranites we had, so I looked around and chose

Pomegranite Apple Salad I found at http://kosherfood.about.com/od/koshersaladrecipes/r/pom_apple.htm. It was yummy and colorful.

INGREDIENTS:

• DRESSING (can be made days in advance):
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
• SALAD (make fresh):
• 1 head lettuce
• 1 pomegranate, seeded
• 1 green apple, chopped

PREPARATION:

DRESSING:
1. In a food processor, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard and onion. After the ingredients are well blended, slowly add in oil.
2. Pour dressing ingredients into a jar. Add poppy seeds and shake well.

The A-K Christmas Cookies are Here!

Each year our dear friends, whom we no longer live near, still UPS us a plate of their Christmas cookies. I just counted 15 varieties on the plate!!! They have been baking one type a night since early December. Then they freeze them and finally arrange them nicely on a plate and deliver them. Our family always anxiously awaits their arrival and love this tradition.

A good Finnish Hostess offers 7 varieties

We had our Home Teacher and his family over for dessert this week. He is such a great home teacher who always come prepared to teach our children and offer them a new physical challenge, which he ties into teaching the gospel, they love and we appreciate as parents.

We served cookies and hot chocolate. An "Old World" Finnish hostess must serve 7 varieties at her "hot chocolate" table. My Mother always had quite a spread. The 7 varieties we ended up serving include:

1. The traditional American Butter Spritz Cookies
My Mother said she just used the recipe included with her Spritzer, so since I don't know what it is, I googled Spritz, read several and chose this one found at
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1910,157180-228196,00.html
Yield approximately 4 dozen.

Cream 1 cup butter. Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in 1 egg and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla extract. Blend in 2 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour. Divide dough into thirds.Add a few drops red food coloring to one third. Green coloring to one third.

Leave one third plain. Fill cookie press with each color or combine colors for rainbow effect. Form into desired shapes and decorate. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Finnish Joulu Torttuja -- you'll find my Mother's recipe posted here under December
2006
3. Six Layer Cookie Bars -- my sister-in-law's version you'll find posted as FHE Baked Bars here November 2007. My husband likes her version better because it's not so gooey!
4. Belgian Speculaas Cookies -- Sunset magazine's recipe is posted December 2006. My husband's family and our guests each have special ties there.
5. Pull aparts -- bread dough rolled in melted butter, then dipped in brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. They are then arranged in a bundt pan and baked at 350 degrees. I also remember these from my childhood, but hadn't had them in years.
6. I ran out of time to make Finnish gingerbread, so so I served Anna's from IKEA.)
I was just sending this recipe to another Mom who is making them for me for our kids' School Christmas party, so here's My Mother's recipe.

Title: Piparkakut (Finnish Christmas Gingerbread Cookies)

Description:
My Mother says, "The aroma of these cookies baking takes me back to my childhood in Finland." We make various large to small sizes of these in heart shape and hang them in the kitchen window during Christmas. Heart is the symbol of Christmas in Finland. We also had plenty of other shapes to eat as well.

Ingredients:
3/4 c margarine or butter
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
2 T dark Karo syrup
1 t cinnamon
1 t cloves
1 t ground cardamom
1/2 t baking soda
2 1/2 c flour

Directions:
Cream margarine and sugar. Add egg, spices and syrup. Then add flour and soda sifted together. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Roll out on floured surface very thin and cut into desired shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake on a very lightly greased cookie sheet about 5 min at 375 degrees. Do not overbake! Store in an airtight tin and they will keep "forever".

7. And our guests brought Oreo cookies dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy -- her trademark for dressing up any cookie! She says she just melts chocolate chips in the microwave, dips any cookie halfway and either adds sprinkles or drizzles chocolate on it.

Don't get saucy with me!

Our kids didn't know what it meant when Dad told one of them, "Don't get saucy with me." I said that a sauce adds flavor or spice to something bland like pasta, rice, potatoes, etc. Well, I was in the middle of making Alfredo sauce for the first time. Last night we had spinach ravioli, which we boiled and served marinara sauce over. We boiled way too much, so we had ravioli for leftovers today, but wanted a different sauce.

One of ours made the observation that whatever has sauce has more calories. She is so right and is on a sauce strike, but our pickiest eater loved it!

You've probably made it hundreds of times, but since I had never made Alfredo sauce, a quick google search showed me the basic ingredients and directions over and over again listed below.

Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cup grated *Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper

I melted the butter and milk in a frying pan, then removed it from the heat and added the cheese, salt and pepper. *We didn't have enough parmesan cheese on hand, so I used shredded mozzarella and some swiss cheese.

Our vegetable was asparagus and the sauce even tasted great over it, as did the toasted bread the rest of us dunked into olive oil.

Serve Raisin Soup over Rice Porridge

I'll make a quick post of the Raisin Soup recipe Finns pour over their Rice Porridge. The rice porridge recipe is in the previous post.

Rusina Soppa (Raisin Soup)

6-7 cups water
1 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks cinnamon
3 tablespoons potato starch (you can substitute corn starch)

Place water, raisins, sugar and cinnamon sticks into a kettle. Let it come to a boil. Lower heat to medium and let boil for 20-25 minutes. Mix starch in a little cold water. Take kettle off burner and whisk starch into the soup. Place kettle back on burner for a couple of minutes. Remove from burner and pour mixture into a pitcher or bowl large enough to contain. Sprinkle sugar on top. This keeps a film from developing. Cool and keep at room temperature. DO NOT KEEP IN REFRIGERATOR, as the soup will separate and become watery.

No Crock, it's Crock Pot Rice Porridge

Tonight is our recipe exchange themed "Crock Pot Recipes". The idea being that in this busy month, we need to eat good food amidst the sugary temptations and hustle and bustle. There are a myriad of foods, even beverages, one can make in a slow cooker. Stephanie Ashcraft from
http://www.recipes-101.com/ says, "The slow cooker can do what no oven or stovetop burner can--cook flavorful and healthy food while its owner goes blissfully about the business of the day."

If you are new to crock pots or slow cookers, I suggest investing in one or both of the 101 books Stephanie Ashcraft has -- each full of 101 recipes for beverages, dips and fondues, main courses, side dishes, desserts, along with suggestions for how and what to serve with each dish, time-saving meal preparation tips, and easy modifications to fit your family's tastes.

I'm anxious to try her wassail, hot chocolate, appetizer meatballs, and fondue during this busy Christmas season. It sure has me thinking about what else I can make the slow cooker way.

For me, it's also about which traditional foods I'll make anyway this month, can I make the slow cooker way, while I'm blissfully doing other things and time them ready to serve when I need/want them served. Since I want my rice porridge ready for Christmas morning, and since I'm blissfully busy Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, I'm going to try this out and see if it will work to have it cook overnight and be ready for breakfast to serve with Pulla boys and girls. (See my Dec. 20006 pulla blog for the recipe.)

So, today I'm going to try something different -- make rice porridge or "Santa Food" as my nephew calls it, in a slow cooker. It will be interesting to see if it turns out this way or not.

Okay, here's the traditional recipe I use to make Rice Porridge on the stove top. My plan is to combine all of the ingredients in my greased slow cooker, cover it and cook it on low heat for 4-6 hours, or until the rice in done.

Title: Riisi Puuro (Mummo's Rice Porridge)

Description:
Often served as the dessert on Christmas Eve or as the breakfast on Christmas morning with a lone almond placed in before serving. The one who gets it in his/her bowl will receive good luck in the coming year.

Something new I read in Christmas in Finland edited by World Book, Inc. Staff, World Book Encyclopedia, is "the almond bearer must rise to entertain the others or may be assigned a job for the day to earn his or her good fortune." Oh, this will be fun to incorporate into our tradition starting this year!!


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
3 cups boiling water
1/2 t salt

4 cups of milk (can use mixed powdered milk)
1/2 cup sugar
2 T margarine
1/2 c heavy cream

Directions:
Steam covered for 20 minutes on low. Then start adding milk, stirring it well and let cook on a little higher heat. Stir occasionally, adding more milk when needed. Keep adding milk until it is all used up. It usually takes about 1/2 hour. Then add 1/2 cup of sugar or a little more and 2 T margarine and stir well. After the porridge is done, you may add (optional) 1/2 c heavy cream for a real creamy taste. If making for Karjalan Piirakka, (posted later) omit the sugar and heavy cream.

Serve warm with either milk, cinnamon and sugar or traditional Raisin Soup (posted later) poured over it. I'm not a raisin fan, so we're used to the first version.

The lid to my slow cooker broke, so I heard I could just place foil over it instead. It works!! I read a slow cooker tip you may find useful also. To speed up cooking time, place the ingredients first into an oven bag and it will speed up you cooking time -- especially useful when slow cooking a roast.

Since I'm in the market for a new crock pot or slow cooker, I saw this advertisement for one I think I'll find especially useful. http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/products/cooking-slow-cookers.phpSome of its features include:
# Clip-tight lid locks on to prevent messy spills
# Large, full-grip handles make carrying easier
# Convenient lid rest keeps lid out of way for stirring and serving
# Dishwasher safe stoneware and lid

Check it out at: http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/products/cooking-slow-cookers.php

My Breakfast Green Drink

Since it's so easy for me to skip breakfast and since I know it's better for me to eat something, I make a "Green" Drink for breakfast, where the green comes from "Spring Mix and/or Spinach". It actually tastes great and I feel more satisfied when I drink this during the morning.

Blend together:
2 cups 100% pineapple juice
2 cups 100% papaya juice
very large handful(s) of organic spring mix and or spinach
1 avocado or 2 tsps. flax seed oil
1 banana

Fresh and organic is best, but I use what I can get. Sometimes I use a frozen banana instead or ice cubes to make it cold then. Usually I just drink the first glass as is and put the rest into my empty juice bottle and put it in the fridge and drink more a little bit later.

We use a Vitamix, http://vitamix.com/ but a blender or blender/juicer combination will work,
depending upon what you want to put into it. You can add lots of things to it, but right now, mine is very simple. Sometimes I add an apple.

As a friend who knows about eating more raw foods explains it:

Straight juice goes directly to our bloodstream.
Fruits and veggies blended are like pre-digested food on our system.

What do you put in your green drink and why? Or try it and experiment with what works for you.

Oh, and I feel even better when I drink a glass of water about an hour before I have breakfast. A friend from the "Old World" suggested it, saying it's great for your digestive system too.

California Orchard Holiday Fruit Cocktail

My husband's Grandmother Zelda used to make Fruit Cocktail for each Thanksgiving dinner. When I married into the family, I tasted this yummy tradition for the first time and have enjoyed it each year. Her sister Aunt Beth used to make it as well. His Mom still makes it and now he and I make it.

This year I asked my mother-in-law how their "Fruit Cocktail" got started and she reminded me that since her in-laws lived on an orchard with peach trees, orange trees, pomegranate trees, etc., each fall Grandma would can peaches and squeeze orange juice, etc. At Thanksgiving, she'd make up a large batch of fruit cocktail and those hungry boys would eat it at Thanksgiving dinner and throughout the week and then make a new batch for them for Christmas too. Here's the recipe, as I've seen it made:

Fruit Cocktail
Make the night before, as the flavors blend together better. How much of each fruit you add, depends on how large your crowd is. It's also about balancing the amount of each fruit so that both colors and flavors are just right--and some ingredients don't overpower others.

In a large Tupperware bowl, put in one can of orange juice concentrate--do not add water. The citrus keeps the fruit from darkening. Slice into big bite size pieces, canned peaches and add without their juice. Add pineapple tidbits, without their juice. Cut red, seedless grapes in half lengthwise and add. Cut maraschino cherries in fourths and add. Also add about 1/8-1/4 cup of the juice. Now just put the lid on and chill and let the flavors blend overnight.

The morning before you serve it, add drained, mandarin oranges and halved, thickly sliced bananas. If you add the mandarin oranges too soon and stir it too much, they break apart too easily. The key is not to put in easily broken or squishy fruits. Buy slightly green bananas. When you slice the bananas, cut the entire banana once down the middle from one end to the other (halving it) and then slice crosswise to make thick slices--about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick. Adding the bananas the morning of keeps them firmer, yet still lets the flavor in.

Other fruits can be substituted or added e.g. strawberries, pomegranates, pears, green grapes or tropical fruits like papaya. You may also use a purchased "fruit cocktail" as the base and add to it. Fruits that do not work well include raspberries, blueberries and huckleberries because of their juice residue coloring the mix and that they fall apart easily. If you add strawberries, then also add the green grapes to balance it out better both in taste and looks. It is best to wait until 1 hour before to add strawberries. Return it to its chilling spot until it's time to serve it.

When it's time to serve it, make individual servings in a small bowl or cup of it's own. It tastes great again later in the day with a turkey or ham sandwich too and the next day until it's gone.

Now what can one do with the drained juices? My Father loves to drink the drained fruit juices, whereas my Mother-in-law says, it's just sugar water! Guess you could use it as a base for smoothies.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble up the Cookie Turkeys

Years ago, my Mother started the family tradition of making "Cookie Turkeys" to place at each place setting at Thanksgiving Dinner. I also like this tradition and am aware of at least one of her granddaughters who makes them. And my kids are helping me make them tonight.

Cookie Turkeys

40 cookies -- fudge striped or gingerbread

1/4 c. chocolate frosting

2 pkg. (5oz.) chocolate-covered cherries or Old Fashioned creme drops.

20 pieces candy corn

Place 20 cookies on a flat surface, solid chocolate side down. With frosting, attach a chocolate-covered cherry to the top of each base cookie. Position another cookie (some use half of a another cookie) perpendicular to each base cookie to form a tail. Attach with frosting. With a dab of frosting, attach one piece of candy corn (pointy side down) to the front of each cherry for the head. Let stand until set. Yield 20 servings (turkeys).

My husband has our camera tonight and my phone is full of pics, so I looked around for a picture and found it at http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cookie-Turkeys

Thanksgiving Day Spreads

Below are two spreads I learned at our Christmas Enrichment Meeting. I'm posting them since I'm making them both for the first time right now to take them "over the river and through the woods" to Thanksgiving Dinner.

Here's the Pumpkin Dip or Spread Sister Renee W. made.
1 (16 oz.) larger, sugar free Cool-Whip
2 (1 oz.) for 1 large fat free-sugar, free instant vanilla pudding
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
1 tsp. *pumpkin pie spice
Mix well and refrigerate. Renee served it with apple slices and says it also good with other fruit, toasted bagels, and pumpkin bread.
*Pumpkin Pie Spice Substitute. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon ginger and 1/8 teaspoon EACH nutmeg and cloves can be substituted for 1 teaspoon ...www.cdkitchen.com/features/tip/409/Pumpkin-Pie-Spice-Substitute

Sister Kelly E. made Lion House cran-raspberry butter to go with our yummy Potato Knot Rolls which were demonstrated and sampled.

Lion House

Cran-Raspberry Butter

1 cup canned whole-berry cranberry sauce

½ cup raspberry preserves

2 cups butter, softened

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl; beat on high for 5 minutes. Mixture should be creamy. Spoon into a dish; cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Makes 3 ½ cups.

You can buy Lion House Recipe Books at www.desertbook.com or www.amazon.com.

Old World Fresh Apple Butter Cake Tastes Great

Using the same castle mold I bought at Wal-Mart, I made this recipe, for our sister-in-law's birthday. I was worried the apples, may leave holes in the turrets, but it came out perfectly again. Also, I really recommend Pam with Flour.

Categories: Desserts Title: Old World Fresh Apple Butter Cake Description: My Mother made this every fall during apple harvest time. It is often my choice for my birthday cake. Ingredients: 1 cup butter 2 cups sugar 3 eggs 3 cups flour 1 1/2 tsp. soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 2 tsp. vanilla 3 cups peeled grated apples 2 cups chopped walnuts Directions: In a bowl, beat butter and sugar until well mixed. Gradually add the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in vanilla. Fold in apples and walnuts. Pour into a greased tube pan or bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Glaze if desired. I don't. I did sprinkle powdered sugar on it, so the castle looked like it had freshly fallen snow on it.

Thanksgiving Blessings Mix

Last year my visiting teachers brought me this treat when they visited near Thanksgiving. I thought it was yummy and a thoughtful idea. If you are looking for a thoughtful Thanksgiving treat to give a neighbor, friend or family member, try this.

Title: Thanksgiving Blessings Mix

Description:
Edible gift idea for Thanksgiving time.

Ingredients:
BUGLES: Shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty, a symbol of our nation's abundance.

PRETZELS: Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by those who founded our country.

CANDY CORN: The sacrifices of the Pilgrims' first winter. Food was so scarce that settlers survived on just a few kernels of corn a day.

NUTS or SEEDS: Promise of a future harvest one will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence.

M&Ms: Memories of those who came before us to lead us into a blessed future.

KISSABLES: The love of a family and friends that sweetens our lives.

Directions:
Mix altogether in a bag or container. Print out the message explaining the meaning and attach it.

Baked Bars for FHE treat

My sister-in-law was talking about some yummy bars she made for her Dad's visit on Sunday, so I tried them last night for our FHE treat. Here is her recipe:

Baked Bars

1 1/2 packages crushed graham crackers

1 cube melted butter
IN a 9x13 melt the butter as the oven warms up.
Pat down crackers when butter is melted. (no need to mix)
Pour one can of sweetened condensed milk over (leaving 1/2 inch on the sides)
Sprinkle 1/2 cup crushed walnuts,
1/2 cup toasted (or not- it will become toasted in the oven) coconut,
1/2 package chocolate chips,
1/2 package of butterscotch chips.
Bake 350 for approx. 25 min. until the milk is bubbling up between the chips and nuts.
Cut and serve with ice cream or cool in fridge and cut for bars when hardened.

I used finely crushed peppermint sticks instead of butterscotch chips, since I was out of them. I served them hot with vanilla and chocolate ice cream. I think peppermint ice cream would have been dynamite on them drizzled with hershey's chocolate syrup. What do think?

This morning our kids each put one in their lunches for dessert.

Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardy Birthday Cake

Our son wanted a Harry Potter birthday party, 

so my latest entertaining was with several "first years" Friday. 

I used my mother's bundt cake recipe for the castle mold I purchased.

Here is the recipe,
1/2 lb. soft butter
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
crumble together
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
stir together
3 beaten eggs
1 can evaporated milk
2 tsp. almond or lemon extract

Beat well; grease and flour bundt pan well; Bake 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.


the mold,


the cake


and the final product with Professor Snape setting Hogwart's a blaze.

Just click here and bam the cookie recipes appear!

I love quick access to recipes online. That's why I post mine on my blog.

This is good to keep handy with Christmas coming.

So just click on the red title above or click on the individual recipe below and bam the cookie recipes appear!

Special thanks to my blog mentor J.C. for showing me the codes to use to get this to work.


1-2-3 Cookies
7 Layer Cookies
Allie Nelson's Famous Snickerdoodle Cookies
Almond Crescent Shortbread
Amish Sugar Cookies
Andies Candies Cookies
Angel Crisps
Angenets
Applesauce Cookies
Apricot Fold-Overs
Aunt Edy's Molasses Crinkles
Auntie Linda's Ginger Gems
Bakeless Dream Cookies
Banana Drop Cookies
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World
Biscotti
Biscotti
Blueberry Cookies
Boiled Chocolate Oatmeal Drop Cookies
Bronwnies
Brown Sugar Shortbread
Brownie Cookies
Brownie Delight
Brownies
Buccaneer Snowballs
Buried Cherry Cookies
Butter Cookies
Butter Nut Balls
Butterballs
Butterscotch Haystacks
C.O.P. Cookies
Candy Cane Cookies
Candy Cookies
Caramel Shortbread
Cheesecake Brownies
Cherry Buns
Cherry Crowns
Cherry Winks
Chewies
Chewy Noels
Chinese Chews/Haystacks
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Chip Meltaways
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Christmas Trees
Chocolate Cream Cheese Squares
Chocolate Crinkles
Chocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies
Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (no bake)
Chocolate Snowball Cookies
Chocolate Streusel Bars
Chocolate Sundae Cookies
Chocolate Walnut Crumb Bars
Choco-Scotch Crunchies
Choose A Cookie Dough Recipe
Christmas Crackers
Christmas Crunch Bars
Christmas Ginger Snaps
Christmas Macaroons
Christmas Mice Cookies
Christmas Shaped Cookies
Church Window Cookies
Coconut Cookies
Congo Squares
Cookie in a Jar
Corn Flakes Cookies
Cornflake Christmas Wreaths
Cowboy Cookies (oatmeal)
Cream Cheese Cookies with Apricot Filling
Cr me De Menthe Chocolate Squares
Cr me Wafers
Crescent Cookies
Crispy Crunchies
Date Nut Balls
Date-nut Pinwheel Cookies
Diabetic Peanut Butter Cookies
Disgustingly Rich Brownies
Doodles
Double chocolate chip cookies
Double-Chocolate Crinkles
Eatmore Cookies
Eggnog Cookies
Elizabeth's Sugar Cookies
Elves Quick Fudge Brownies
Emily Dickinson's Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
Emily's Best Brownies
Famous Oatmeal Cookies
Firemen Cookies
Fluffy Shortbread Cookies
Forgotten Cookies
Frosted Peanut Butter Brownies
Fruit Cake Cookies
Fruitcake Squares
Fry Pan Cookies
Gems
Ginger Cookies
Ginger Crinkles
Gingerbread Baby
Gingerbread Cookies with Butter Cream Icing
Gingerbread Men
Gingerbread Men
Ginny's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Glory's Golden Graham Squares
Glory's Sugar Cookies
Gramma Chapman's chocolate coconut drops
Grandma Elsie's Zimt (cinnamon) Cookies
Grandma J's Butter Cookies
Grandma Olson's Parkay Cookies
Great Grandmothers Sugar Cookies
Gum Drop Cookies
Gumdrop Gems
Haystack Cookies
Ho-Ho Bars
Holiday Cereal Snaps
Holiday Chocolate Butter Cookies
Holiday Raisin Walnut Bars
Holly Cookies
Hungarian Cookies (Little Nut Rolls)
Ice Box Cookies
Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies
Italian Cookies
Jacob's Peppermint Snowballs
Jam Bars
Jessica's Famous Brownies
Jessie's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Jubilee Jumbles
Juliet's Peanut Butter Blossoms
Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies
Kentucky Colonels
Kiefle (cream cheese cookies with jam filling)
Kifflings
Kiss Cookies
Lacy Swedish Almond Wafers
Lemon Angel Bar Cookies
Lemon Bars
Lemon Cake Cookies
Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
Lemon Squares
Linzer Tarts
Log Cabin Cookies
Luscious Lemon Squares
M&M Cookies
Magic Cookie Bars
Melt in Your Mouth Cutout Sugar Cookies
Melting Shortbread
Meme's Cream Cheese Cookies
Milk Chocolate Florentine Cookies
Mincemeat Cookies
Mincemeat Goodies
Molasses Cookies
Molasses Forest Cookies
Molasses Sugar Cookies
Mom Mom's Crescent Cookies
Mom-Mom's Ginger Cookies
Mom's Nutmeg Sugar Cookies
Mom's Old Fashion "Puffy" Sugar Cookies
Monster Cookies
Moravian Christmas Cookies
Nana's Famous Soft Southern Cookies
Nitey Nite Cookies
No Bake Chocolate Cookies
No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
No Bake Cookies
No Bake Cookies
No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
No-Bake Cookies
Norwegian Sugar Cookies
Nut Balls
Oatmeal Bars
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Nut Cookies
Oatmeal Coconut Crisps
Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal Scotchies
Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
Ooey Gooey Caramel Chocolate Dunk
Ooey Gooey Squares
Orange Slice Cookies
Parking Lot Cookies
Peanut Blossoms
Peanut Butter Bars
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Peanut Butter Cereal Cookies
Peanut Butter Chewies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut butter fingers
Peanut Butter Reindeer
Peanut Butter Surprises
Peanut Marshmallow Cookies
Pecan Puff Cookies
Peppermint Snowballs
Peppernuts
Persimmon Cookies
Persimmon Cookies
Petey's Yummy Spicy Almond Thins
Pfeffernuesse
Pffefferneuse Cookies
Pineapple Filled Cookies
Pizzelles
Potato Chip Cookies
Potato Flake Cookies
Praline Cookies
Praline Strips
Pterodactyl Nests
Pumpkin Bars
Pumpkin Bars
Pumpkin Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Cookies
Queen Biscuits
Quick Cookies
Raised Sugar Cookies
Raisin Filled Oatmeal Bars
Raspberry Meringue Bars
Really Peanutty Butter Cookies
Reese`s Brownies
Reese's Peanut Butter Bars
Rich Flavor Christmas Cookies
Rich Lemon Bars
Ricotta Cheese Cookies
Royal Almond Christmas Bars
Rudolph Cinnamon Cookies
Russian Tea Cookies
Russian Teacakes
Samantha & Kelsey's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sand Art Brownies
Santa Claus Cookie Pops
Santa Claus Cookies
Santa's Butterscotch Melts
Santa's Shorts
Santa's Special Squares
Scotch Cakes
Scotch Shortbread
Scotcharoos
Scotcheroos
Seven Layer Cookies
Short Bread Cookies
Shortbread
Skor Squares
Snicker Doodle Cookies
Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles
Snow Balls
Sour Cream Apple Squares
Sour Cream Christmas Cookies
Special K Cookies
Spice Cookies
Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
Spritz Cookies
Stained Glass Window Cookies
Stir & Drop Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Swedish Pepparkakor (Pepper Cake) Cookies
Swedish Sugar Cookies
Sweet Marie's
Swiss Treats
Taralle (Italian Cookies)
Tea Time Tassies
Texas Brownies
The Best Shortbread in The World
Thumbprint Cookies
Thumbprint Cookies
Toffee Squares
Traditional Christmas Sugar Cookies
Traditional Gingerbread Men Cookies
Triple-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vanilla Waffer Balls
Walnut Butter Cookies
Walnut Crumb Bars
White Chip Chocolate Cookies
Wild Oatmeal Cookies
Will's Famous Apple Jack Cookies
Yummy Yummy Peanut Butter Blossoms

Idaho Baked Potato Soup

Well, tonight I'm going to serve fruit soup, of which the recipe is posted here in July 2007, but I was considering making a Potato Soup.

First, my husband made a fun potato soup recipe with our Vita Mix last week. The Recipe is:
(oops, gotta find it again)
Then at my request, my sister-in-law shared how she makes potato soup.
boil cubed potatoes, mash half the potatoes somewhat, add cream, run the other half of the potatoes in food processor, add bacon bits and green onions, salt and pepper.

And finally my Mother wants me to make "Idaho Baked Potato Soup" for her on the recommendation of a long time friend who sent her the recipe on a postcard.

Idaho Baked Potato Soup
2/3 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups milk
4 large baking potatoes, baked, peeled, and cubed (about 4 cups)
(When I make baked potatoes next, I'll just bake 4 extra ones in the oven and then make this.)
4 green onions, sliced
12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (so nice to keep a bag of bacon bits on hand)
1 1/4 cups shredded cheese
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

"Stone" soup and soda bread

Do you remember the story of Stone Soup? Well, after church, I made "stone" soup and soda bread. At least I felt like I was making "Stone" soup, since I was just using what was on hand, without going to the store on Sunday. I started with a frozen ham bone (my stone) and started throwing in stuff. My neighbors in the story were the freezer and the cupboard, etc. My neighbor "food storage" added dehydrated onions, peas, carrots and corn, since they rehydrate nicely. My neighbor "canned goods" brought canned white beans and kidney beans since I didn't have time to soak beans. My neighbor "dried goods" added soup pasta, those tiny sized pasta bits used for soup. My neighbor "seasonings" garlic salt, paprika, pepper. My neighbor "refrigerator" add hot sauce. Sounds funny, but I like hot sauce in my soup. "Canned goods" also threw in some instant potato buds to thicken it from soup to stoup -- thicker than soup, but thinner than stew. I'm probably forgetting something, but since I had no recipe, just watching my Mother and others in the past, I concocted it from what my "neighbors" had on hand. We enjoyed it. Hope you do too. If you have a variation of "Stone Soup", please share it here.

I wanted hot home made bread to go with it, but didn't want to wait for bread to raise, so I remembered I had a recipe for Irish Soda Bread, which has no yeast. It makes one round loaf and we ate all but four slices of it in that sitting. The recipe:

4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 C butter
3 T honey
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 c buttermilk

1. Blend together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cream of tartar.
2. Cut in butter with pastry blender.
3. Make a well in center of flour mixture; add honey and buttermilk. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough.
4. Form with floured fingers into a round shape and place smooth side up on lightly foured baking sheet. Cut an X on top. This keeps the crust from splitting.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes until a rich brown. Tap bottom of loaf. If it sounds hollow, the bread is done.

It's "Spud Harvest" so it's time to glean, bake or mash, etc. some potatoes.

The kids are out of school for "Spud Harvest"! That's the name given to the time to harvest and the vacation from school to help with the harvest.

The "Activity Days" girls are out today "gleaning" the Bishop's spud fields. Last time they made bags they'll put the potatoes in to give to local needy families.

I have fond memories of this time of year working in the spud fields. I also remember going to the high school football games and buying piping hot "baked potatoes" at the concession stand. I like baked not steamed potatoes! When you wrap the potatoes in foil, they become steamed.

I like to wash the skins well, poke a couple of fork holes in each (You must poke each potato whether you bake or microwave them or they'll explode out of their skin) and sometimes roll them in salt. To me, the best way to bake potatoes is to bake them in a 400-425 degree oven for about an hour for 6 medium sized potatoes. Where I live you can buy a box of potatoes based on their size, so you can buy a box of 90s, 80, 60s, 50s, etc. The higher the number refers to how many potatoes fit in the box. I just heard another tip about baking potatoes. Put your potatoes in muffin tins, so that you can remove all of them from the oven at once by taking out the tin. Great idea!!

Baked potatoes can be served so many ways. Growing up my brother would empty the potato out of its skin, mash it down on his plate and smear butter and corn on top of it. If I only ate half of my baked potato, he'd ask me if he could eat the other half with the rest of his meal. I like to keep bake potatoes in their skin and even eat some of the skin -- this is why you wash it well.

Names of potatoes:

spuds:
In Dec 2006, I discussed spudnuts, delicious doughnuts made with potatoes, on this blog.

taters:
I love to order tater tots vs. fries to eat, when they are available.

murphies:
I understand that my paternal Grandfather used to call potatoes this, since potatoes supposedly came to America with the Irish.

tatties:
When my husband lived in Scotland, they used to boil turnips with their potatoes and call it "nips and tatties". I really like the taste of these mashed together. I use about 2/3 potatoes to 1/3 turnips. Another variation is to add carrots. We were at a friend's house for Sunday dinner and the husband was making mashed potatoes, but he threw in some dehydrated carrots from their food storage. This combination also tasted great.

My Father tells us cream was often their gravy for mashed potatoes, since it was readily available growing up on the ranch. I like to combine red potatoes with yellow or other potatoes in the same mashed potatoes too. What do I add, whatever I have on hand -- anything from real butter to butter buds, minced garlic or garlic salt, cream cheese sometimes but always milk (if you warm it, your potatoes won't cool off as quickly). Smashed potatoes versus whipped potatoes seem more satisfying to me.

peruna:
This is the Finnish word based on the fact that potatoes came from Peru.

papas:
This is Spanish for potatoes of course, but we call my Dad's mashed potatoes Papa's papas.

"Massilan Pojat" The Massila Boys -- When my Mother was young, her Mother always read to them while they ate. Sometimes she had a hard time getting them to eat. It become a tradition to here this story about 2 magpies stealing shiny jewelry from the neighbors window as her parents got them to eat their boiled potatoes. My maternal grandfather liked his "Massilan Pojat" or boiled potatoes with just a little bit of butter on top of each bite her ate. We still call them this.

Share how you like your potatoes.

First frost calls for soup for dinner

Have you eaten Taco Soup? With our first frost on the windshield this morning and giving in to the need to turn the heater on last night, tonight seems like a great night for soup, so I'm fixing TACO SOUP and decided to share the recipe while it's cooking. My husband's cousin got me hooked on this. My Mother used to make it too, so I'll post hers below as well. I'll be trying a few different soups out the next 3 weeks trying to decide what "soup/stew" to take to a potluck with some girlfriends in October.

Also, I love the tortilla soup served at Robert Redford's Sundance Tree Restaurant.

Boy, I wish I had the recipe for the chicken, rice and salsa soup I had in the Phoenix airport a few years back when leaving a business trip with a nasty cold. It was so good and cleared my sinuses right up.

I enjoy Southwest and Mexican foods and flavors. Please share your recipes here from this genre.

Categories: Soups and Stews
Title: Taco Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb. cooked hamburger
onion
1 (l6 oz.) can chopped tomatoes
1 (l6 oz.) can red kidney beans
1 (17 oz.) can whole kernel corn
1 (8 oz. ) can tomato sauce
1/2 pkg. or 1 T taco seasoning

Directions:
In a kettle, brown 1 lb hamburger (1/2 lb meat will do) with 1 chopped onion and drain fat if necessary.
Add: 1 (l6 oz.) can chopped tomatoes
1 (l6 oz.) can red kidney beans
1 (17 oz.) can whole kernel corn
1 (8 oz. ) can tomato sauce
1/2 pkg. or 1 T taco seasoning
Do NOT drain any of the above!!

Stir and simmer for 15 minutes or longer. Serve in a bowl over Fritos corn chips. Top with cheddar cheese and sour cream, if desired. Very good and satisfying. I serve this plain as is, or with a green salad and sometimes also with potato salad. Corn bread or sour dough bread is very good with it. I ALWAYS double this recipe. If there is some leftovers, it keep well for days. You can even freeze it.

Number Of Servings:4-6 servings

Taco Soup

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 sliced or chopped onion
2 cloves, minced garlic
Brown together and drain.
1-2 Tbs. ground cumin
2-3 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 large cans chopped tomatoes with green chilies
2 cups salsa
1 can whole kernel c orn, drain
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro

Can add fresh avocado cubes in soup just before serving. Also a dollop of sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips of your choice.

Something's fishy

Do you like to eat fish or have you heard you should be consuming more Omega -3? I just heard a butcher share his 3 favorite suggestions for cooking fish. Since my Mother grew up eating fish daily, our family likes fish, so I'm going to try all 3. Please add your comment if you have more ideas or like these fishy suggestions.

Salmon Fillet: Put skin side down on grill, cover top with honey butter. Cook about 8 minutes. Gently flip over and the skin will peel off. Add honey butter to this side as well. You'll have a crispy honey butter side and a moist honey butter side.

Halibut Fillet: Spread mayonnaise on top of it as it grills.

Tilapia Fillet: Melt lemon yogurt in a frying pan and spread it over the tilapia as it cooks.

When I lived in Finland, I got to go fishing for Pike. It was so fun to fishing because you are constantly casting and reeling in. I like that better than sitting and waiting. Anyway, if you caught a fish, you were given a fillet knife. The superstition is you must pay for a knife or it brings bad luck, so you give a quarter or something to the gifter. I still have my fillet knife and enjoy filleting trout, etc.

Our sons went fishing for scouts and caught Bass in a local private pond, in exchange for clearing up some logs for the owner. One son's bass was large enough to eat and the others needed to be returned. Dad fried it in lemon pepper.

When I cook salmon it's in tin foil in the oven with lemon pepper and butter buds.
When I cook trout I fillet it and coat it with flour, salt and pepper and fry it in butter, as my Mother did.

Tiger Ears

It's time for "our state fair, is the best state fair, don't miss it, don't even be late!" One of the favorite treats there is Tiger Ears, scones made large and thin and served with honey butter, sponsored by the local Boy Scouts. We planned to go on Saturday, but changed to going the following Saturday. We could hardly wait for the Tiger Ears, so we decided to make these "scones" ourselves. Ours weren't as large and thin, but the kids liked them better.

The recipe is from my cousin who says she uses this recipe for everything, but any bread recipe will do.

In mixing bowl:
Dissolve 3 cups warm water, 2 Tbs. dry yeast, 1 Tbs. sugar and let sit 5 minutes.
Add: 1/2 c sugar, 2 tsp. salt, 1/3 c. oil, 6-7 cups flour, knead 5 minutes with dough hook.

For SCONES: Increase sugar to 1 c. After turning onto floured board, pat 1/2" thick. Cut, stretch thin. Let rise 30 minutes. Fry in hot oil.

For LOAVES: Shape into 2 loaves. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

For ROLLS: Do not punch down the dough after rising. Just turn onto floured board. Pat to 1" thick. Cut, stretch thin. Let rise 30 minutes. Fry in hot oil.

For CINNAMON ROLLS: Increase the sugar to 1 cup. After turning onto floured board, roll to 3' x 3' square. Spread with 1 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar, lots of cinnamon, nuts and raisins, optional. Roll up, cut 1" thick and cut. Bake at 375 degrees 15-20 minutes. Cool some, frost with 1 cube magarine, 4 cups powdered sugar, 4-5 Tbs. milk, 1 Tbs. vanilla

Eating whole grains reduces chance of stroke for a woman

Health Tip:
In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers from Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital found that just one more whole grain serving a day that women eat lessens the likelihood of their having a stroke. The research involved a study of 75,521 women participating in Harvard University's Nurses Health Study. Between 1984 and 1996, 352 strokes occurred among the women. The researchers found that the women who ate the equivalent of two or three slices of whole grain bread daily had a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of having an ischemic stroke (the most common type) than women who ate the equivalent of less than half a slice of whole grain bread daily.

Rachel says, "So replace those refined products with whole grain to benefit from its rewards. This includes whole grain products such as whole wheat bread, whole grain cereal, popcorn, wheat germ, oatmeal, bulgur and couscous."

It's zucchini time, so lock your car doors!

Today, my Mother requested I find this recipe in her 1978 Relief Society cookbook and make it today since it's ZUCCHINI
time.

This time of year we are warned, "Watch out, lock your doors, or someone will fill your car with zucchini while you are at church on Sunday!"

Usually there is such an abundance of zucchini and we've experienced this, especially when we lived in Utah. Feel free to comment with your favorite zucchini recipe or story here! This year I have no garden, so actually I hope someone will give us zucchini. Today, I bought some to make this moist and delicious cake.

Title: Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 c. margarine
1/2 c. oil
1 3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sour cream
4 Tbp. cocoa
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
6 oz. chocolate chips
1/2 c. nuts (optional)

Directions:
Cream margarine, oil, and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and sour
cream. Add dry ingredients. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Pour into
9x13 cake pan. Sprinkle chips on top. Bake 40-45 minutes at
325 degrees. (Moist and delicious!)

Our Version of Taco Salad

On Friday we had overnight guests. A childhood friend of mine, with his wife and children, stopped to visit us. Our Mother's, both from Finland, both living state side, both great cooks of especially Finnish Fair, used to visit each others' homes four times a year at least. We loved our trips back and forth and are more like cousins. Each now married with children and not living nearby each other, have not kept this tradition up, so it was delightful to have this chance to reconnect and reminisce. We were in the middle of a project, so I didn't take the time to make anything from scratch or prepare any Finnish specialties, so I needed something quick and easy. I chose our version of Taco Salad for dinner. Our good vegetarian friend introduced us to it. We've modified it some, but I credit Susan A. for the idea.

Taco Salad
I prepare all the makings and place them on the table for everyone to assemble themselves per their liking. My preference is this order:
First place a handful or two of Doritos. Some like to keep them whole and others like to crumble them up into small pieces. Nacho cheese is the favorite, yet we've tried Salsa Verde, Ranch and many flavors. The latest ones were Chipotle and Taco. We also serve plain tortilla chips for those who don't care for the flavors or MSG headache.
Instead of hamburger, my vegetarian friend uses beans with taco seasoning. I like red kidney beans and use about 1/2 of a regular sized can per person. I dump them into a pot with their liquid and stir in a pack of taco salad seasoning and heat until hot or barely boiling.
If you prefer, cook ground hamburger, ground turkey or I've even found already ground chicken, and add the taco seasoning. I often serve both options and let folks choose or even use both, if they prefer. Not only do I have vegetarian friends, but also high protein consuming friends and low fat consuming ones.
At this point I add my cheddar or other taco, jalapeno, or mexican flavored cheese. For convenience I love the already grated and prefer the finely grated cheese.
Now add your shredded lettuce. My vegetarian friend's husband grows his own lettuce and it tastes so fresh, cool and crisp, except the one time a spider was still in it! I buy red and green leaf or grab the already chopped romaine bags. Use whatever is handy, but I agree with him that iceberg lettuce has no nutritional value or taste!
Fresh, diced tomatoes are best, especially if they are vine ripened. One year we grew about 12 varieties of tomatoes, so this was heavenly, but
I have used canned tomatoes when I've had to in the winter.
Even most of our kids like onions. I usually have yellow ones on hand, but even green or purple onions taste great.
One of our children really likes olives, so I offer sliced olives too.
Personally I like to add salsa and ranch dressing on top, with some salt and pepper, but my friend dresses it with Italian dressing and she also assembles it ALL in a large bowl and serves it.
One of our children loves sour dough bread, so we serve this with it, although the chips provide plenty of carbs already. And low carb eaters, can just omit both.

I served strawberry shortcake for dessert this time, but when I made it for our extended family earlier in July, I just served chocolate and banana "creamies". It was a hot day and there were more kids than adults.

So, if you want a quick, light, refreshing, somewhat Mexican fair, try our version of Taco Salad.

It's Maija (My a) Day!

Finland has Name Days that are celebrated as much as birthdays. I got to experience this first hand when I lived there. Today in Finland is "Maija" day, so it's "my a" day today :) My cousins in America always called me just Maija for some reason I have yet to figure out as my mother was very careful to always have everyone use both of my names. I guess it's the only day of the year that I'm okay with just being called "Maija". The rest of the year I have to think who they mean when it's called. It is the oldest Finnish girls name there is. You actually pronounce every letter and the j is a "yuh" sound.


My parents called first thing to sing "Paljon Onnea Vaan" to me and wish me a happy Maija Day. My husband and kids sang to me and made me low carb flax seed waffles for breakfast. Here's a picture of it. In my family we grew up eating eggs on top of our pancakes and waffles, a tradition my husband has a harder time, yet it polite about doing when at my parents. I offered him an egg today, but he politely declined. I also had some lower fat turkey bacon with it and cinnamon herbal tea. I did not have it served to me in bed however, because I am almost always the first awake and do NOT care for breakfast in bed, just the breakfast made by someone other than me. I'll ask him how he made them. He's great at new creations.



Flaxseed Waffles
flaxseed
egg
splenda
cinnamon
water

All he'd tell me is in them is the ingredients, a sign of a true chef, who knows no proportions. So I guess both you and I will need to experiment. I do know he used Bob's Red Mill Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal. The cinnamon makes it look like chocolate. He also made me Maple Syrup from


Maple Syrup
Mapleine
Water
Splenda
Xanthum Gum

Yeast Free Pancakes

For breakfast this morning, we are having blueberry pancakes. The kids are making them for each other and since we're out of Krusteaz mix, I pulled out this recipe for them to use.

Categories: Breakfast
Title: Wheat Pancake Mix

Description: My favorite yeast free pancake recipe. It's a mix you can make up and then just add the egg and water when you want to use it.

Ingredients:
8 c whole wheat flour
4 T plus 2 t baking powder
1/4 c sugar
4 t salt
2 1/2 c powdered milk
1 1/2 c cooking oil
egg when you make it up

Directions: Mix all ingredients together. Store in a covered container in a cool place.

To make pancakes: Mix 1 1/2 c wheat mixture, 1 egg and enough water to make the right pancake consistency. Cook on lightly oiled hot griddle.

Number Of Servings: 12-24 pancakes per recipe

Ever tasted cold fruit soup? Kisseli is family favorite!

In Finland and other Scandinavian countries, fruit soup is a part of summer and another way to use the fresh fruit of the season. Last week we attended a Midsummer's Party and along with many tasty dishes 2 types of Fruit Soup -- rhubarb and apricot were served. I've always made the rhubarb version which has been a family favorite as long as I can remember. I have yet to make the apricot version, but it should be about as simple as substituting which fruit you use in the recipe below. When I visited Lappland one summer, my friend served prune kisseli.

I served this at brunch yesterday and thought I'd share the low carb twist we did in substituting from the orginial recipe.

Finnish Rhubarb Soup --Rapaperi Kisseli
Boil 7 cups water,
add 4 cups chopped rhubarb (Choose rhubarb that is as red as possible for a nicer look.)
2 cups Albertson's strawberry jam (optional--I skip it but my mother used it.)
and 1 cup sugar until the rhubarb starts to fall apart.

Taste it and add more sugar, if you want it sweeter.
Remove from heat and
add (4T potato starch stirred into cold water) stirring continually. Use may use corn starch but it will not be as clear.
After it thickens, put it back on heat until it bubbles, then remove completely.

UPDATE:  7/27/13 Usually I serve this cold.  Today I served this rhubarb soup warm and it was great this way too.  Usually my Mother take out her fancy glass bowl, place a silver spoon it and then pour the fresh from boiling soup in the glass bowl to cool.  She would put the spoon in to keep the hot liquid from breaking the bowl.  She'd sprinkle sugar on the top to keep a film from developing on top as it cools.  

Serve with whipped cream on top or just pour some cream, half and half or milk.  Also sprinkle some sugar on top for some crunch! Usually we serve Pulla, the Finnish sweet cardamom braided bread I posted the recipe for at Christmastime.

Now for the low carb adjustments. Instead of using potato starch only, my my husband suggested using part Bob's Red Mill Xanthum Gum, so we did. I'll experiment next time to see if it can be used exclusively. Instead of sugar, I used Splenda. Instead of strawberry jam, I used fresh strawberries and drastically increased the cups of Splenda.

Also I did some looking on the internet and found this recipe for it you may want to look at. Finnish Rhubarb Soup
(Rapaperikiisseli)
http://www.soupsong.com/rrhubarb.html
Such a soft shade of pink, and so pretty with the mounds of whipped cream drifting across the surface. It's a wonderful last course, serving as a delicate and refreshing palate cleanser after a rich dinner...right before you retire to the parlor and bring on buttery pastries and coffee. Serve cold to 6 in flat soup plates to heighten the effect of the puffs of whipped cream.
2 cups water
2 cups of little bitesize pieces of fresh rhubarb
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick cinnamon
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons water
Garnish: 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan and stir in the rhubarb bits, sugar, and cinnamon stick. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes (or until very tender). Mix the cornstarch into the 2 Tablespoons of water, then slowly stir into the boiling soup. Cook several more minutes, until the soup is clear and thickened. Remove the cinnamon stick. Let cool, then cover and let chill.
When ready to serve, ladle into flat soup plates and float several puffs of whipped cream on top of each.

Muffin-Sized Breakfast Quiches

We had a pre 4th of July Brunch today and I was asked to bring a breakfast casserole. Since we're watching our carbs, and those usually call for bread, I chose this fun recipe a friend sent me when I wanted something with eggs for an Easter Brunch. I made them in mini bundt pans. I doubled the recipe so I could have 24 as 16 of us would be there. Several seemed to like them, but I think the trick is really what my Mother taught me that her Mother taught her. "75% of what we eat is with our eyes!" They were more attractive looking this was than in an aluminum dripper pan, so they tasted even better than maybe they would.

Muffin-Sized Breakfast Quiches
Measurements are approximate.

About 9 eggs, cracked in a bowl and beaten as if making scrambled eggs, salt and pepper to taste (you add to the beaten eggs, stir well) 1 bag baby spinach (about 10 oz., you won't use the whole thing) 1 onion, chopped and sautéed till translucent (in a skillet with about 1 tablespoon of oil) Shredded low-fat cheddar cheese (from an 8 ounce bag, you won't use the whole thing)
Preheat the oven to 375. In the meantime, lightly grease your muffin pan with either a spray or a little oil on a paper towel. Into the greased muffin cups, add about 2-4 leaves of spinach, depending on their size. Top the spinach with about a teaspoon of sautéed onions. Top the onions with about 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese. I also add some broiled, sliced turkey bacon. Then using a soup ladle, add enough egg mixture to fill the muffin tin, about 2/3 full.
Bake your little breakfast quiches for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of your muffin tin cups. They should browned nicely on the top, but be careful not to overcook. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick in the middle of one of the muffin cups. If the toothpick comes out clean, then your quiches are done! Let them cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan. Using a dinner knife, carefully run the blade around the perimeter of each little quiche and plop them carefully onto a plate to finish cooling.

Walking Program

I guess it's time to start walking or doing some sort of exercise again. With just a few weeks left until the 5K run/walk on August 18, maybe I should pull out these instructions for the suggested walking program that was shared with us and try it out. 20 minutes huh? Maybe I'll start tomorrow:).

I know the kids and the dogs would enjoy it, but would I enjoy it again? Oh, can't take them since we're supposed to walk fast enough that, it's hard to carry on a full conversation. Yikes, we've got to warm up and cool down and it's 60 minutes altogether. Well here it is below, if you want to do it. I'm not even opening the Running Program she sent.

Walking program
Based on time
Weeks 1-2
Day 1- Walk 20 min
Day 2- Walk 25 min
Day 3- Walk 30 min
Day 4- Walk 35 min
Weeks 3-5
Day 1- Walk 30 min
Day 2- Walk 25 min *intervals +
Day 3- Walk 40 min
Day 4- Walk 25 min *intervals +
Weeks 6-8
Day 1- Walk 40 min
Day 2- Walk 30 min *intervals +
Day 3- Walk 50 min
Day 4- Walk 30 min *intervals +
Week 9-11
Day 1- Walk 50 min
Day 2- Walk 35 min *intervals +
Day 3- Walk 50 min
Day 4- Walk 35 min *intervals+
Race Week
Day 1- Walk 60 min
Day 2- Walk 50 min
Day 3- Off
Day 4- Race Day
All days except interval days should include a 5 minute warm-up, followed by a constant, sustained effort. You should walk at a pace where you can talk, but it would be hard to carry on a full conversation. This should be followed by an adequate cool-down and some stretches for your legs.
*On interval days, start out with a 5 minute warm-up, and then repeat a 5 minute hard effort followed by a 5 minute recovery for the specified time. The hard effort should be harder than your normal days, and the recovery period should be easier than your normal
days. Incorporating hills or increasing speed are two ways to increase your effort for intervals. End with a cool-down and leg stretches.
+Do your walking workout plus weights on these days. The total workout time will still be one hour.

Basic Smoothie Recipe

Weekly health tip:

If you're looking for a healthy summer snack for you and the kids,
try this basic smoothie recipe:·

16 oz. liquid (soy milk, milk, juice, coconut milk, etc.)·
8 oz. plain yogurt·
1 ripe banana (If you have ripe bananas, peel and cut them into chunks, then freeze them for later.)·
1 ½-2 C. frozen fruit·
I Tbs. honey if needed-most fruit combinations don't need any extra sugar. Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Get creative. When you feel brave, here are some other things you could add: peanut butter, fresh mint, nuts, seeds, granola. For a naughty twist, try chocolate syrup with cherries. Yum!

Easy Potluck Salad

If you need to make a quick salad for dinner or a potluck, try this one. We found out on the first day of orchestra camp that we'd be having a potluck with the families that same night. I hadn't been grocery shopping for awhile, so didn't have a lot of extra things on hand and found I was missing this or that item for most salads our child wanted to make. I was talking with my sister-in-law who gave us a quick one to do. And although I didn't have Italian Salad Dressing on hand, I did have oil, vinegar and the packet of seasoning to make it, so we did.

Potluck Pasta Salad
any pasta, boil and let cool
add Italian salad dressing
stir in sliced or diced tomatoes

Voila! and yummy! Of course you can add lots of other things like you do with any pasta salad like olives, cheese, etc.

Two Grillin' Recipes

We had a fun evening as RS Sisters, listening to a former ward member share his love and secrets of grilling. He says in the 4 years he's been married, he's cooked all but a handful of meals. All the sisters sighed with jealousy. He said he used to really dislike school lunch and would come home everyday and he and his Mother would experiment with different tastes. He got really good at it and has been cooking ever since 3rd or 4th grade. I have one who also really dislikes school lunches and can hardly find anything he wants to make for home lunch, so likes to come home for "hot" lunch, so I was intrigued with his story.

It's the seasoning that makes it. We got to sample everything he grilled that night. Yummy! Here are two of the recipes that he shared:

Chicken:
Combine Italian Dressing,
Cilantro,
and Lemons and marinate for 2-3 hours.

Steak:
Combine Kosher salt,
rubbed sage,
Lawry's Seasoned Salt,
Garlic Salt
and rub on Steaks, Tri-tip, or Lamb before putting on the grill.

He buys his cuts in bulk and freezes them . He says they are so much cheaper that way.

Calculate your own family size's food storage needs

Prompted by Sunday's RS lesson on self-reliance, here is a link to a calculatorhttp://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm where you can instantly calculate your own family size's food storage needs.

Another good site is http://www.providentliving.org/content/list/0,11664,2003-1,00.html where you can learn about Three-Month Supply, Drinking Water,Financial Reserve and Longer-Term Supply.

Are we prepared? The blessing of a supply of food, drinking water, money, clothing, etc. comes in handy not only in a disaster (unless it's destroyed), but in times of illness or unemployment, in otherwards when cash flow is interrupted, but needs to eat drink and pay bills are not.

Shin splints?

In preparation for the 5 K walk our RS Sisters will be doing, the weekly Health Tip is:

Shin splints? Strengthen your shins by filling a sock full of coins and sitting with your feet hanging down, not touching the floor. Put the sock on top of both feet. Raise and lower your feet, bending at the ankle. Don't lower too far, or you'll lose the sock. Do this every day, completing about 20 repetitions.

I haven't decided to participate yet, but I think actually posting this tips will get to consider it. I miss my former walking partner and am at a loss to get started again. I guess I just need to start as begun is half done, right?

Ice Cream Cake

This year each of us had an ice cream cake on our birthday.

I've used 2 - 9" silicone rounds or my silicone bundt pan for the shapes so far. It takes a half gallon for each round or 2 quarts for the bundt pan. You can even use 2 flavors of ice cream. I let the ice cream begin to thaw enough to empty from the carton and dump into the pans. Then I press it down, place plastic wrap over them and immediately freeze them. When I'm ready to serve them, I get a nice cake plate out and easily peel off the silicone pan and place the cake on the cake plate. The upsides are 1) there's no need to take the time to make a cake and 2)you have so many flavors to choose from. The downsides of using these homemade ice cream cakes are: 1) it slides off easily, 2) you must serve it immediately when you get it out and you must immediately then refreeze the leftovers, and 3) when I use frosting for decorations or names, it too slides off easily as it begins to thaw. This time I used the sugar letters and drizzled chocolate sauce on instead and it stayed nicely. Decorations like candles, flags, etc. are easy to stick into an ice cream cake.

Health Tip Challenge

Health Tip:

This week, learn to make one thing from scratch that you usually rely on a mix for. Taco seasoning, enchilada sauce, spaghetti seasoning, brownies, none of these are very hard, and you definitely won't miss the extra ingredients that are found in the prepackaged mix. What is all that stuff anyway?

Increase awareness, write it down

Weekly Health Tip:

Every six months keep a 3 day food log. You might be surprised how much you eat…or how much you don't eat if you have to write it down. This is not an exercise in counting calories, but just the act of writing EVERYTHING down makes you aware of any unwanted excess or shortage.

I was told of a great site to do just this online at www.fitday.com, which I prefer. Sign up for your own FREE account. It calculates everything for you automatically. It's very cool and it is amazing what writing it all down for the day does for your awareness. Do you know of other sites?

Your own pitcher of water helps you keep track

Weekly Health Tip:

Fill a 2 Liter pitcher full of water in the morning. Set it aside where no one else will drink it, and try to finish it by the end of the day.

I drink a lot of water, so this one should be quite easy for me. I have a large glass I keep in a special spot in a cupboard and fill it often. I've heard if we are thirsty, we are already dehydrated. Can this be?

What water tips do you have?

Finnish May Day Celebration

Hauskaa Vappua!

Some of you may be interested to read this link
http://www.dlc.fi/~marianna/gourmet/season4a.htm
entitled Finnish May Day Celebration. You will
even find recipes at the bottom of the article.


In Finland, the traditional dessert served are May Day Fritters. I'd never made them before, but we made our 1st attempt and served them this year with sima. My Mother explained I just need to make them look like a bird's nest and indeed they did.

Easter Dinner Menu

This year for Easter we combined some Finnish and American traditions. Our Easter Dinner Menu included:
Spinach Soup with half of a boiled egg on top of it. It's the appetizer my Grandmother (Mummo) served at Easter time in Finland. The recipe is:
Melt 3 tbp. margarine in a sauce pan and add 5-6 tbp. flour. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for a few minutes, but do not let it brown. Add 8 cups milk or meat stock and 1 1/4 cups frozen finely chopped spinach. Simmer for about 15 minutes and season with salt and a little sugar. If you want a richer soup, beat 2 egg yolks and 1/2 c cream in a bowl and slowly stir into the soup.


Leg of lamb with Garlic Yukon Gold Potatoes with drippings from lamb which my Grandmother (Mummo) used to serve each Easter in Finland.
Steamed carrots and Asparagus
Cucumber Salad 1 large cucumber, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt, some fresh or dried dill, 1 cup vinegar, 1/4 c water. Wash the English cucumber, leave the peel on, take a fork and break the skin of the cucumber all the way down with it. Slice the cucumber thinly and place in a container. Cover it with the sugar, salt and dill. Put the lid on tightly and shake it vigourously for a couple of minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Leave it marinate. Add the vinegar and water to taste. Garnish with dill when you serve it. Keeps for days in the refrigerator.
Jello Eggs on a bed of jello grass that the kids helped Dad make from a variety of flavors you can probably guess from the colors and pureed fruits.
Crescent Rolls
White grape juice with ginger ale and cherries
and an Easter Bonnet Cake my Mother used to make most Easters. It's 2 angel food cakes with a whipped cream topping and a heath bar grated on top and decorated with feathers.