Add this Cole Slaw to your outdoor picnic this summer

It's time for our last recipe club of the season. Where has this year gone?

Our theme is Outdoor/BBQ. I'm bringing a coleslaw salad that my Aunt makes for family reunions and my Mother loves so much and used to make frequently. I'm here with her today, so I made it up just now, so I can leave some of it with them to eat as well as for the ladies to taste tonight.

Aunt Juanita's Cole Slaw

6 c. finely chopped green cabbage

I used the food processor and put in a wedge at a time. It took about 3/4 of a medium head to equal 6 cups. I put it into a medium sized bowl and set it aside while I made the dressing to pour over it. No problem with leftover raw cabbage, because we like steamed cabbage as a vegetable with dinner.

Dressing:

1/4 cup + 1 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. grated onion
1/3 c. salad oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds

Next I chopped about 1/4 of a medium onion in the food processor for the 1 tsp. grated onion. Then I added the other ingredients and blended them altogether until well blended in the food processor or you can hand whisk them too. Fold the dressing into the chopped cabbage and chill before serving. Keeps well for several days and is a great addition to any summer picnic. It does taste best outdoors.

May Day May Day It's Snowing!!

Hauskaa Vappua!  Happy May Day! 

It's snowing here today and in Finland it's a beautiful spring May Day.  

My Mother almost always served sima as the drink with her Finnish meals for guests.  In Finland, her Mother only made it on  May Day.  My Dad made the sima a few days ago and I'm making the sugar dougnuts, something they used to make in her town as well.  See last year's blog post for the other pastry usually made in Finland. 

As I understand it, to make sima, my Mummo, would first wash and clean her milk bucket.  Second, she'd prepare the lemons and add the sugars and then pour the boiling water over it.  Next she'd let sit until it cooled enough to add the yeast.  After that, she'd cover the milk pail tightly and let it sit overnight.  In the morning, she'd strain out the lemon pulp and peel, and bottle it.  So, to make sima, you will want to make it 3-4 days before you want to drink it.  Here's my Mother's Sima recipe:

Sima 

1 lemon, (peel and pulp)

1 kettle of 4 quarts water

2 1/4 cups white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

Boil a few minutes. Cool.  Add 1/4 tsp. yeast (mixed in a little warm water).  Cover tightly.  Let stand overnight.  In the morning, strain.  Bottle, add a few raisins and cap.  Put in dark, cool cellar for 3-4 days.  Serve chilled. 

Note:  Much more yeast is used as you make it at sea level, as Finland is.  As my Mother experimented in the mountains, she had a few surprises:)

Pikamunkit -- Quick Sugar Doughnuts

2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cardamom
1 1/4 cups cream
2 eggs

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the cream and eggs. Mix into a smooth dough. Take small dabs of dough and drop them immediately into hot 350F oil . Cook until light brown, about 4-5 minutes. Roll in sugar while still warm and serve as soon as possible.

Always a treat we have in store

Tonight's FHE treat is . . .
Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
So sinfully rich, you won't believe they're light!

Prep: 19 minutes Cook: 27 minutes

5 Tbsp. stick margarine or butter
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
2/3 c Dutch process or unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Cooking spray
preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt margarine and chocolate in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cocoa, cook 1 minutes. Stir in sugar; cook 1 minutes. remove pan from heat; cool slightly. Combine egg whites and egg. Gradually add warm chocolage mixture to egg mixture, stirring with a whish until well-blended. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and baking powder; add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring well. Spoon batter into a 9 inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. BAke at 325 degree for 27 minutes ( do not overbake). Cool in pan on a wire rack. Yield 20 servings

My Aunt Maija Had a Flour Thumb

My Mother's sister, Maija Karvanen had a "flour thumb". She was an excellent baker!! Our family's favorite of hers is made with something we don't have here, "rahka" and vanilla sugar, you can only get at a Scandinavian store. Growing up, our Mother used to use small curd cottage cheese, which she'd strain the whey from and mix some cream cheese with it for the "rahka". When I came across her handwritten recipe this week, I made it with ricotta cheese and it tastes pretty close, yet not perfect. Vanilla sugar looks like powdered sugar with flecks of vanilla bean in it. You can try just vanilla instead.

Rahkapiirakka Crust

150 gr. voita 1 1/3 cubes butter
1 dl. sokeria 3/4 c sugar
1 kanamuna 1 egg
4 dl vehnäjauhoja 3 cups flour
1 tl. levinjauhetta 1 tsp. baking powder

Mix the ingredients above together and press it into a lightly sprayed round quiche pan, including up the sides, to form the crust. Now make the filling below.

Täyte Filling

1 purkki (2 dl) rahkaa 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese or mascarpone sweet cheese
1 kanamuna 1 egg
1 dl. sokeria 3/4 c sugar
2 tl. vaniljasokeria 2 tsp. vanilla

Mix together and pour onto the unbaked crust. Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the filling is set and a knife comes out clean.

Enjoy this taste of Finland!

Dress it up!

Dress up any salad with one of the many raw dressings below.
If you want a great CAESAR Dressing, try . . .
1 cup pine nuts
1 tbs flax oil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 date soaked
1 large garlic clove
2 1/2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs water
1/2 tbs white miso (Miso Master Organic brand unpasteurized (raw) www.great-eastern-sun.com)
sea salt as needed
blend till grainy pine nuts, oil, sea salt
blend the rest

If you want to know the basics for a great raw salad dressing, Chari says "for Raw Salad Dressing Formula/Dressings, 3 main ingredients make tasty dressing
-- something acidic, a fat, and seasoning.
Mix them in a blender so flavors mix well. Will keep from 3-5 days in the fridge.
Aproximately equal parts of acidic & fat then season to taste.
Acidics: lemon, lime, tomato, apple cider vinegar, orange, grapefruit
Fat: extra virgin olive oil, flax seed oil, avocado, nuts, seeds
Seasoning: garlic, onion, herbs"

Examples:

Spicy Tomato Dressing
1 small tomato
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 t garlic powder
1/4 t cayenne pepper (to your taste)
1 t minced fresh ginger

Oriental Twist
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c flaxseed
1 T Braggs Liquid Aminos
1 t garlic powder
1 t raw honey

Kalamata Dressing
1 pint Kalamata olives Pitted
place in blender cover with xvoo (extra virgin olive oil)
small handfull fresh basil
blend til creamy
Optional add garlic

Orange Cardamom Dressing
1c fresh squeezed orange juice
2T olive oil
2T agave or raw honey
2t ground coriander
1t groung cardamom
Makes 11/3 c

Asian Salad Dressing
2 cloves garlic
1/2 c rice vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c Bragg liquid aminos
2 T sesame oil
3-4 T honey
2 T sesame seeds
food process garlic til minced
add all remaining until blended

Summer Peach Vinaigrette
1 ripe peach
2T agave or raw honey
3T olive oil
1 lime, juice & zest
sea salt & hot chili pepper to taste
blend- can be chunky or not
makes 3/4 c

Caesar Dressing
4 cloves garlic chopped
2t Bragg liquid aminos
1 small lemon juiced
2T dijon mustard
2t blk pepper
1c olive oil
1/2 c raw pine nuts
food process until smooth add oil last
makes 1 1/4 c

Bok Choy Salad
Chop up and put in a bowl:
~ 4 bunches Bok Choy
~ 2 tomatos
~ 2 avocados
~ 1/2 bunch cilantro
Dressing:
~ 4 tablespoons raw tahini
~ 2 tablespoons raw honey
~ 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
~ 4 tablespoons olive oil
~ herbs and spices (experiment with what you have available)
~ salt to taste with unrefined sea salt