Pecan ambrosia. Devil´d Eggs & 1000 eye glass

This is my recipe, so is a mixture of two salads I like which I put together: ambrosia and Waldorf.



Chopped apples (red and green), pecan halves, chopped celery stalks, a bit of mayo, a few oranges peeled and cut into small random pieces. Coconut, flakes or fresh, sugared or not. A little spices such as fresh nutmeg. If you like a few large marshmallows randomly chopped into smaller pieces (I usually leave this out). Enough mayo or Miracle Whip to bind it all together, but not a huge amount so it´s all mayo.


Mix gently together. Serve cold.

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Another recipe of mine, my version of Devil´d Eggs:


1) cold, chilled hard boiled eggs or just under hard boiled eggs. (Boiling the eggs is the hardest part, and I always have to look up my recipe for how to, in order to use the correct age eggs which then means the shells will easily and quickly peel off in mostly one large piece).

Cool the eggs, peel, then chill them.

2) With a sharp knife, carefully cut all chilled eggs in half, lengthwise, and carefully remove the cooked cold yellow insides. The yolks should be cooked thru enough to mash.

Put all the yellow cooked yolks into a bowl, and mash together, so it is smooth. SAVE the white, as they will be the shells for the filling. Try to keep the shells in nice perfect halves, so try not to tear them. If you do, oh well, they won´t look so perfect, but will still taste great. Save them for you later,) Though, I am sure your guests and family will still like this enough they won´t care if you ended up with some wonky looking ones--they´ll still eat them too! This recipe hardly lasts to the table, and even the wonky one are gobbled up quickly,)


Best solution is to make extra eggs. I usually end up cooking atleast 12 eggs. That gives 24 halves, to fill. If you make this a lot like I do, it is great to have devil´d egg dishes to put the egg halves in so they stay put, and do not slide around as on flat plates. I have about 4 deviled egg plates. Mine are called Indian Thousand Eyed Glass, or other various names---such as hobeyed glass. I got mine at an old barn antique flea market type place in The Deep South in the US a few summers ago, as I wanted a proper plate for them and couldn´t find any here in Norway. They´re real pretty, and work great to keep the eggs from sliding around! I paid about 15 USD for two of mine in person. And I was also told the history of each plate. The ladies who used to own them cooked wonderful foods for their families to, and used the plates in their own homes. I like that I know where the plates come from, and I am continuing a tradition, and have such lovely old well-loved and well-used things in my kitchen that others used for their families.

Here is a link to hob-eyed glass on ebay.


So, here is my "recipe"

1) Mash up the chilled cooked yellow yolks, and see how much I have.

2)When the cooked yolks are mashed smooth, then I add, by eye:

a little salt, a little pepper, enough sugar to make sure the yolks in the end will be slightly sweet, a little vinegar usually white plain vinegar (not sure why, but that´s how my Mamma always did it!), a little tiny tiny bit of fresh nutmeg for color not taste, And enough mayo to bind it all, then a bit more mayo to make it not dry and not dense.

Taste, then when I get the taste with a slight sweet or slightly more sweet flavour, it´s done.

Fill up the white egg shells halves, to heaping filling, rounded tops. Dividing equally among all the shells, usually there is leftover filling. Either eat on celery stalks, or just add a bit more to each shell.

Sprinkle each slightly, just barely, with some paprika. Nothing fancy or hot, just basic mild paprika, for color, not flavor.

Get out your Thousand Eye hobnail Deviled egg dishes, and fill each indention with an egg shell half. OR, if you have flat plates or trays, lay a thin tea towel which is slightly damp on top, then the eggs. The tea towel keeps them from sliding as much on a flat surface.


Serve cold.

I like them this way, and this is how my Mamma, my grandmothers and great gran always made devil´d eggs. I learned by watching and helping them. They never measured either,). It was all by "look".

Other versions, that I have tried, but our family still likes mine the best, is to add some chopped pimento, or minced green or black olive, or leave out the sugar for a savoury taste. Ot top with fancy pretty red or black caviar, or fresh herbs. I do sometimes add minced cilantro, and we like that too (but still with the slightly sweet version).

The filling is great on crackers, or in celery stalks if you have any left over.


Deviléd eggs is very popular with my family, and I have to keep an eagle eye on them if I hope to have any on the actual table during the actual meal,)

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I will try to make a video in the new year for each of these recipes. As I know it is hard to follow a recipe if you have no measurements and are not sure what the end result should taste or look like

Green broth, cuz I´m ill:)

Unfortunately,I´ve gotten a case of flu or something Christmas night, which has prevented me from eating anything, or hardly anything more than broth. Here is a good broth that I ended up making from Christmas food "scraps",)

1) Forage thru the fridge and kitchen to see what you have to make a broth. Put it all in a large pot, top up with water, then simmer for about an hour or so, til the flavour mingles. Strain off everything except the liquid.


For my green broth, I used:


-After roasting a poussin (small chicken), I had the remainder, which I used as the main base of the broth. I put this entirely into the pot, then everything else, water last.

-A large bunch of fresh herbs thyme, rosemary,rosemary, stems, leaves and all, just put all of it into the pot (it will give flavor and will be strained off, so adding the stems only add flavour)

-another large bunch of fresh cilantro, added all of it after taking off the roots. No need to chop, just throw it in

-whole coriander seeds (2 tsp or so), whole peppercorns (just a few maybe 4), whole black cumin seeds (maybe a tsp)

-4-5 baby carrots, whole

-remainder of a whole onion, about 1/4 cup of onion, left as is, including a little bit of the dry skin (remove if you like, but it will just be strained off later)

-package of baby spinach, after about an hour of simmering the broth, to add color, vitamins and flavour. Also, as I had it already, was a few days old so needed to be eaten or go bad anyway. It really added a great flavour with the fresh herbs, and I will definitely add this on purpose again to any broth next time! The fresh cilantro leaves also added a wonderful flavor and slight green colour.



Enjoy! Hopefully you can eat more than this,). But it is good. At the end, after straining, and returning the liquid to the pot, I added a few drops of tabasco, a few drops of Worchestershire sauce (spelling!), black pepper, and sea salt, til it was perfect. Lots of flavour, not too spicy. The tabasco was perfect. The Worchest. Sauce just adds a little flavour.

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Italian Christmas bread panattone w homemade clotted cream

There are longer and more complicated versions, which I also do, but this one is my fave. Panattone is one of my favourite breads, a bit imho like a really good raisin bread, and this is my quick easy version. I usually use only raisins, or mixture of raisins both golden and dark, dried currants, crainsins (dried cranberries). Sometimes I use chopped pecans and pistachios for the nuts. You can use what you like. Chopped dark baking chocolate bar is very good. White chocolate and chopped macadamia nuts is also very good with or without chopped pistachios. Pistachio and dried raisins. Or whatever you have and like.

1)Make a basic white yeast bread recipe using whole egg, and a tiny amount of finely milled yellow corn meal for a slight creamy color to the bread. Add a little bit of spice, such as cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg--but just a hint! It is not a spicy Christmas bread. Add your extras (such as raisins) in the middle of adding all the flour into the recipe, whilst the batter is still a bit wet. Finish the bread dough, let rise. Punch down, let rise again.

2) whilst rising the second time, prepare your pan, a round cake pan or tiny round cake pans, by buttering them, then cutting out parchment paper to fit. One circle of parchment for the bottom circle. The butter helps keep the paper in place! Then cut a rectangle to fit in the inside, with enough paper to rise above the pan, making the pan taller---this is how you get the tall shape of the bread. The bread will rise tall and up, then form the dome at the top slightly higher than the parchment paper rim.

3)For the last rising, place appropriate sized dough in corresponding pan size, so the dough rises up not out. Then bake til done (about 45 minutes in a hot oven) just like any bread. Let cool, then take off the parchment paper. Serve with butter, jams, sliced meat and cheeses, pickles...or fresh fruit and some butter.

Clotted cream is good on the bread too.

To make clotted cream, let some fresh double cream stay overnight out of the fridge in a slightly warm kitchen or cold kitchen. Then instead of turning to whipping cream when you whip it, it will turn to either butter with some liquid, or clotted cream. Use either, both are really good on the bread!

If you´ve made butter with the cream, you can add either a little flaked salt, or some fresh and dried herbs/spices, such as lavender buds and nutmeg, which is also good on the bread.

Birthday: antipasto, Prosecco, lussekatter, lasagna...

Can´t decide what to make for my birthday--love my Google doodle below!:).  I got a really nice Italian Prosecco, so want to do something I can drink the Prosecco with. And I´ll be studying most of the day...so quick things. (edit: had wonderful birthday...with my family, 4 kids and T, etc).

Thinking outblog,) maybe....

Breakfast:  croissant with a few square of  dark chocolate, and a cappuccino. Then an espresso shot using an Italian Press. And glass of water.

Second Breakfast: espresso. And some iced tea, and a lussekatter bun (recipe below). And another glass of water, as I do with all my meals.

Brunch: Glass of Prosecco. Italian bread salad (greens, buffalo mozzarella, sliced tomato, basil, spicy green olives, artichokes, tuna, boiled egg half, and a few torn up pieces of crusty Peasant bread). H20.

Supper:  Antipasto/leftovers. Artichokes, steamed veggies, sliced meat, etc like I had in Rome. Minestrone (recipe below).And would like to make some tiramisu for dessert, with coffees. H20.

Late supper: similar to above, with warmed up ratatouille lasagna, Prosecco, and a coffee. and, the H20.

:)


(My birthday gift to myself is this, a new Italian Press, the Prosecco, studying Norwegian, so I can enrol in the uni here, and finish my science degree. Am very excited, the programme includes the option to study in Svalbard. Well all the best plans and all that, we´ll see how it goes...but that´s my birthday present to me this year).

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TIRAMISU (find recipe for tiramisu and for the biscuits lady fingers that goes with)


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Quick Minestrone:

Just made some minestrone, thrown together with whatever was in the larder so I didn´t have to go shopping. Chopped half an onion, two shallots, celery stalk and leaves, one whole zucchini cut up into large pieces, black spicy olives after pitting them plus a bit of the liquid,  tabasco, can of crushed tomatoes, can of water or so, sea salt, pepper, coriander seeds, cilantro. Simmered all that til the onions and shallots were tender, then let it boil and added a few handfuls of twisty pasta, with enough water to keep it a soup. Once pasta done, added more salt, a bit more water, and a can of black beans as that is what I had. It´s very good! Will be good Monday if there´s any leftovers from tomorrow,).


(Link when time to the usual minestrones I make, including the one from the old actual Italian cookbook, and the version I make of Olive Garden´s minestrone. Yes it isn´t Italian, but I still like it, and with homemade bread or pretzel bread sticks, and with a similar salad. )


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LUSSEKATTER RECIPE PHOTOS

 1. Make the dough, let it rise til double.

2. Push dough down, roll out onto a lightly floured counter, gently roll out, then cut into even sections. Divide each section into smaller pieces, usually I do this by hand, but was in a hurry...

  So I cut long slivers of "snakes" to save time rolling them out

Rolled each "snake" into a fancy S shape, just roll each end in the opposite direction..

 Usually, I make two pans, and space the lussekatter further apart, but this time I made one pan, with the lussekatter all touching.

 Finished baked lussekatter. The second batch, below, I crossed the S shapes, to make each bun have a square shape with two S shapes crossed together.

 Before baking, what the S shapes crossed into a square S shape.

 King Ranch Chicken and Beef enchiladas, half beef, half chicken

 Enchiladas, fruit, salad, mincemeat pie

my pimento cheese with pecans; salsa cream cheese

PIMENTO CHEESE:

For the main pimento cheese, add together cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheeses, red chopped pimentos (such as what you find inside a green olive, but without the olives. Some people chop up the entire green olives with the pimentos, but I buy just the pickled pimentos alone. Too salty imho otherwise. But do what you like).


The amounts are "eyed" approximates what looks right. About 4 parts cream cheese to 3 parts cheddar and other cheese, then a small jar of pickled pimentos (about a fourth of a cup before chopping, about an eighth cup after?). If you like, then add in some roughly chopped pecans, or finish making the cheese, then shape it and roll it into the pecans pieces so they are just on the outside.

Great on crackers, bread, crackerbread type rye crisps etc. A little goes a long way. The amount I usually makes only amounts to about a cup or 2, and freeze part of it or give it as a gift.

It is very good as a pimento cheese sandwich! That is usually why I make it.

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SALSA Cream Cheese:

Make your fave salsa, then serve it with your fave cream cheese. It´s really good with celery, other raw veggie sticks, and crackers, fresh thin blue corn tortilla chips, nachos etc. Super quick for parties, and very good.


My salsa is whatever I have around:

Canned crushed tomatoes
fresh herbs, cilantro, mint, chopped
sea salt, flaked salt
pepper, tabasco, splash vinegar sometimes
minced onion, shallot, garlic
fresh lime juice
more fresh cilantro, a bit courser

misc such as ripe mango, or cooked chilled tomatoes, fresh chopped tomatoes, black olives (not mangoes with black olives), etc.


Avocado, or guacamole on the side is good too, so you have all three.

Gnudi (polenta/flour gnocchi) w brown butter sage sauce

Gnudi is a bit like a  dumpling--it´s a polenta gnocchi made with flour instead of potato. Polenta flour I use is not as fine as white flour or zero flour, but is courser ground.

Make a volcano of 4 c coarsely ground polenta, salt, pepper, fresh gr nutmeg, minced sage. Add 6 whole eggs, plus  1 cup flour of choice , 2 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, asiago, parm, 1 containter ricotta). Then add enough flour to make a dough. Divide into pieces, roll each into snakes, press fork to edge along the entire edge slightly to form a groove for taking the sauce, then use knife to cut into inch pieces. boil in broth or soup, or stock or water.  Make a brown butter sage sauce on the side. rrr now will try tomorrow to add these posts together, as it is not working right today. This is really good in a cauliflower soup made thick from less liquid and substituting some of the liquid for cream with whole milk not water.



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Variations:


-Serve in a thick mushroom, onion, green pea sauce, garnished with fresh shaved parmesan. (Leaving out the sage butter sauce)

-Serve with Norwegian, Swedish or Italian meatballs, in a red sauce (again leaving out the sage butter sauce), garnish with fresh shaved parmesan.

-Make as is, serving over a cream sauce.

-Make as is but serve with half red sauce half cream sauce, without the sage butter sauce.

-Serve as is, but when making the sage butter sauce, add mixed and wild mushrooms (dried have to be properly reconstituted beforehand, but keep the liquid and use in the sauce). Add more herbs, such as fresh oregano, fresh thymes, to enhance the mushroom flavours. Add a bit of cream or whole milk in the sauce, optional, is also good in this one.

King Ranch Chicken (enchilada casserole)

King Ranch Chicken. A bit like making a large version of enchiladas. So making it quick and easy to make for a family, rather than making individual enchiladas).


1) I roast a whole chicken, then use some of the leftover chicken to make other things, such as my previous recipe for "chicken and dumpling noodles", King Ranch Chicken etc.

To roast a whole chicken, I either roast it whole as is, or take a fresh whole chicken and cut it in half then roast both halves next to each other (takes half the time. You can do this with a whole turkey also! again saves half the time!). Either way, rub the chicken with oil, salt, pepper, and sprinkle on dried and fresh herbs you like. Often I use rosemary, or thyme and oregano, or sometimes even add lavender buds, or lime slices. Whatever you like and have.

If you want the roast chicken crisp on the outside, a bit like fried chicken, then sprinkle the chicken (or turkey) with a light amount of flour also. I usually do this, and it is like making a fried chicken, but quicker. You can season it with spices, such as paprika if you like.

2) With the leftovers, shred up a few cups of chicken (this works well with turkey too, or ground beef, just substitute what you have. Often we make half ground beef, and half chicken). Set aside for later. And save the liquid of the chicken or turkey for use in the recipe.

3) Saute the veggies (onion, bell peppers, shallot, garlic) in a tiny amount oil and butter. Or, you can use water to saute them, as I usually do. Tastes fine, works either way. As you saute, add some coriander seeds.

4) add herbs, spices, seasoning, can of crushed tomatoes, tabasco to taste to the veggies. The herbs I usually use are minced cilantro, minced or dried oregano and thyme. Turn off heat, and gently stir in some whole cream, the stock from the chicken or turkey, and a little milk.

LAYER

In a large lasagna pan, layer your ingredients, bake in preheated oven til bubbly on top.



INGREDIENTS TO LAYER:

-Corn taco shells. First warm them in the oven. This saves you having to fry them.

-The chicken or beef or turkey (cooked, seasoned meat of your choice)

-The veggies/tomato/cream mixture

-mixed shredded cheeses of your choice

-Misc (if you want to add black olives, or other veggies such as spinach, black beans is ok too)


Layer warmed taco shells, shredded meat, veggie/tomato/cream mixture, then cheeses, finishing with taco shells with cheeses. We often make half ground beef and shredded chicken. Just half both bowls of meat ready, and only use one per side, in the same pan.

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Serve with sour cream, black olives, salad stuff, fresh cooked thin corn tortilla chips, salsa etc.


For a WHITE KING RANCH CHICKEN (similar to sour cream chicken enchiladas) omit the tomatoes, and add sour cream instead. Blue corn chips if you have them instead of the yellow corn taco shells work well too.

Grilled cheese sarnies w semi-homemade dill pickles

Sliced orange "American style" cheese, slices of bread, butter, olive oil.

Slice your loaf of bread, butter each side slightly, then fry in a pan with some olive oil. When you have about finished the browning of each side of bread, add the slice of cheese, then top with a slice of bread that has been toasted brown on both sides, as you finish browning the bottom. Cook only one or two sandwiches at a time, so they get nicely browned. We like ours a bit more than slightly browned.

Serve with sour dill garlic pickles:


As I can´t get dill pickles here, but have found simply brined pickles, I make my own from that. Take a jar of salty brined pickles, that have no sugar or sweeteners in them, and add the spices you like, and let steep for a few days. Garlic needs to be removed in a day or two or it gets overwhelming.

The spices and herbs I use are one or 2 whole pieces of garlic (so it can be easily removed), lots of fresh dill, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, black cumin, dash of tabasco, black pepper corns...

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My version of ratatouille: as a lasagna and a soup

Ratatouille Lasagna


Saute whatever veggies you like into your version of a ratatouille. I like

-all colors of bell peppers
-vadalia/sweet onions, shallots, a tiny bit of garlic
-crushed tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes/colorful cherry tomatoes
-sea salt, pepper, olive oil

-fresh herbs oregano, mint, cilantro, thyme
or
-herbes de provence is good too (savory, thyme, oregano, lavender buds, fresh basil, fresh fennel). Leave out the cilantro and mint and coriander seeds.

-spices, such as coriander seeds, black cumin
-yellow squash
-green zucchini
-eggplant, miniature or medium (I slice, layer in a bowl, sprinkling each layer with salt, and do not oil or fry in oil, then use the less watery sliced. No need to rinse off, just include this salt in the recipe amount of salt)

-I like black olives or spicy green olives also in mine. Make sure you take out the stones, then just rip them up into smaller pieces by hand or using a small paring knife when taking out the stones)

Cook as usual for ratatouille. You can end here and serve it with some warmed goat cheese, or buffalo mozzarella, over some cous cous or with pasta or rice, and a salad, or continue to the lasagna.
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Lasagna

Layer whatever already cooked pasta you like with the ratatouille, and the cheese mixture, starting with the ratatouille, and ending with the pasta. Then sprinkle generously with grated mozzarella. Bake in a hot oven til cheese is bubbly.


*Lasagna plates, ziti, 12 inch long ziti, penne, and similar large to medium pastas work best with this.

*The cheese mixture I use is 2 containers of ricotta, 1-2 whole eggs, seasoning, grated mozzarellas, and a bit of grated reg parm.

*If you use the uncooked lasagna plates, they need more liquid surrounding them to cook them and to prevent them drying out the entire recipe.

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Serve hot with some buffalo mozzarella or warmed goat cheese, a salad.


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For a SOUP

Make the ratatouille with another can of crushed tomatoes, add enough stock or water to make it a soup, including adding some tiny pastas, such as star pasta or such to the soup. Serve hot with homemade crackers/bread, and a salad.

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Chicken-n-dumpling noodles, chantilly pie, cranberry mold

(made this for halloween, but great anytime in winter, so am reposting here, and deleting on my Norwegian blog)

-Southern Chicken & Dumplings made with Noodle Dumplings and roast chicken

- Southern Chantilly cake. You can´t google this,) It´s not any of what images or recipes I saw, as I was going to be lazy and just give ya´ll a link! I´m shocked none a ya´ll know a proper Chantilly cake,) chuckle,)

Recipes below:)

PHOTO

VIDEO

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Dinner, as I´m Southern, means lunch. And lunch is gonna be a bit later than usual, more around 3pm.

I´m fixing SOUTHERN NOODLE DUMPLINGS for Chicken and Dumplings. Noodle dumplings are a bit like making a pie crust, the criss cross cherry pie kind, as you make a dough, roll it out, then cut. No need to be fancy or perfect, just cut them out into strips best and easiest you can, then cut them to lengths, again don´t have to be even or perfect, then boil in the finished stew liquid. I make a large recipe, as we like lots of noodle dumplins in our chicken and dumplins!:)

Ya´ll know by now I don´t always use recipes, but make my recipe by sight as I´ve made it for so long. For this post, I measured what I used, and this is what I used.

The main idea of the flat wide thick eggy NOODLE DUMPLINGS is:

1) Make the dough

4 3/4 of flour, about 2 tsp salt, tsp baking soda, tsp baking powder, 6 TBS butter (not margarine butter), 2 cups buttermilk and 1 whole egg. (This recipe is excellent too if you substitute some corn meal or dry polenta for some of the flour. That´s Southern cornmeal dumplins. For this recipe, I substituted about a half cup of dry polenta, and about a fourth cup each of rye and whole wheat flour. Use what you have.).

Mix the dry, crumbling in the butter by hand, then mix in milk and egg til a dough forms. Add a bit more flour if necessary. Roll out, sprinkling with flour lightly, then cut into wide strips lengthwise. Cut these into smaller lengths to the size you like. I like wide noodles about 3-5 inches, but narrow ones work fine also. OR smaller ones. Just try to make all of them about the same size, so they will cook evenly. SPRINKLE lightly with FLOUR before removing them and putting them into the boiling stew! This keeps them from sticking together.

If you want you can sprinkle them lightly with seasoning, or add seasoning into the flour, which is what I do.

Boil in boiling stew liquid (don´t put them in til the liquid is boiling). They´re even better the next or next day:)

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STEW Method:

1) Quick with leftover roast chicken, is what I´m doing today. Or raw chicken pieces bone in--

Into a stew pot, add chopped celery and leaves, fresh herbs (I used chervil, oregano, thyme, cilantro), minced onion, fingerlings carrots cut into discs, a dash tabasco or 2. You use what you have, this is what I had today. But add onion, carrot, celery seasoning at the least. And I will NOT be throwing this out, this is what will be in the stew. I do not strain this out, as many do. I like the veggies in it, and so do the kids! And well imho it´s wasting good food. Sprinkle these veggies with flour or corn flour to help thicken the stew. Mix it all together. Add the remainder of the roasted chicken and all the bits and pieces remaining in the roasting pan; OR pieces of raw chicken cut up bone in. Add seasoning, salt and pepper.

I used leftovers from a chicken I roasted the other day. I still put them in same time, as I like the cooked chicken to get a bit more shredded. The raw chicken needs to be cooked for a while, so it gets shredded texture, as that is how we like it. Cook how you like it.

When veggies cooked down, add the noodle dumplings (or whatever ones you like, cornmeal dumplings are also really good, or any round type too), boil til cooked through. Season the liquid again, if necessary.

Serve hot. I make extra noodle dumplings as we also like the noodle dumplings extra servings,). Last night we had just the stew over cous cous, and the kids ate it up and asked for seconds!:) And that´s definitely a good thing, especially when young kids (our youngest are 2. 5 and 6) seem to decide every other day they don´t like what they loved two weeks ago!

I also make Southern Mac&Cheese; green beans; iced tea; usually a pie. Today am making something halloweeny, but rushed for time. I think I will make a chantilly cake. (well, actually no, we ended up eating M&Ms for a treat instead, as when killing time for Otello doors to open last night, I found they started selling M&Ms here now. Usually everything I give the kids is homemade, so it was a nice treat for them, about 6-10 each, so not many,)).

RECIPE

PHOTOS

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EDIT

Will still post Chantilly cake recipe, but last minute as I was heating up the oven, decided I wanted pie. A wintery CRANBERRY Meringue PIE:

Also, because I realized I´ve a bag of whole cranberries I need to cook, and I didn´t want to make cranberry sauce, as it doesn´t really go with Chicken and Dumplings, does it? For those of you who like tarts, here´s a blog with recipe for fresh cranberry tart, from just picked cranberries. (Monday night, ended up making the cranberry pie).

My Wintery Cranberry Meringue Pie:

1)Make a graham cracker crumb crust, with crushed digestives, melted butter and some fine Tate& Lye sugar. Mix well, press into glass pyrex dish, set in fridge to chill. This is a quick crust, and I had half a pack of digestives left over from the crust I quickly also made for the Lem-Mer Pie (Lemon Meringue Pie).

2) slowly cook the cranberries down with a splash of water, and lots of sugar, as you would do with summer berries for making a pie. Add spices as you like. COOL it a bit, then add into the pie shell, chill.

3) Whip up 4-7 eggwhites, with superfine Tate&Lye sugar, and a dash of fine salt, til stiff peaks form. Use immediately! So don´t make it til you are about to use it! Spread over top of chilled pie, then put in a superhot oven, as hot as it will go, just long enough to softly brown the meringue. Keep an eagle eye on the pie, or it will surely burn to hades,). Don´t think you can nip into the kids room to quickly put on that duvet cover, or pick up a few toys,).

4) Serve warm or hot, it´s best the next day, but will be fine for supper today too.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN & Bon Appétit ya´ll!

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CRANBERRY MOLD:

boil whole cranberries with sugar and spices (nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, mace, allspice, pumpkin pie spice). Cool. Do not strain. Add plain gelatin sheets or powder, or Jell-o. (For sheets, I soaked 4-5 in cold water, then poured off the water, and added this to the hot cranberries and stirred til the gelatin dissolved completely. Cooled it down til good to go in fridge, poured in glass mold, the chilled overnight. It´s hard to know how much gelatin sheets or powder to use, but 4-5 of the brand I have here worked well, as I wanted my result to be still jiggly but not firm, and not able to keep the shape of the mold.

Le quatre heures: délicieux citron gateaux

(recipe for a French lemon pound cake with lemon icing sugar glaze). I really love a tart lemon pound cake with sublimely sweet lemon powdered sugar icing! A friend of mine had one today, and sent a few slices home with me. This recipe is similar, though in French. It´s pretty easy to gather what to do, just read the ingredients, and do the same you would do for an American recipe for lemon pound cake:).


pour le cake (for the cake you need)

120g de beurre mou (I used salted butter)
170g de sucre vanilla en poudre (Tate and Lyle´s super fine sugar, which I keep a vanilla pod in, to make it vanilla sugar)
1 pinceé de sel (a pinch of flaked salt)
2 oeufs (2 whole eggs, large)

2 yaourts natures (2 pots of plain yogurt, not thick like Greek yogurt)
1 citron jaune non traité (the juice of one lemon, or a lime, both work equally well. I first finely grate some zest, and coursely grate some zest, then add that too)

*a few raisins, currants for the top are also lovely to add right before glazing


275 g farine (plain cake flour, sifted twice--well that is not exactly what it says but I sift mine twice for this recipe) This cake is very good made with super fine semolina flour added for some of the plain flour.
1 sachet de levure chimique (about 11g of baking powder, which is about 2.5 tsp)

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pour le sirop (for the syrup you make then pour over the cake, which is optional)

30g de sucre (30 g super fine sugar sifted twice, or powdered sugar sifted once)
le jus dún citron jaune (again juice of either lime or lemon works both equally well, or mix them)
10 cl dèau (10 cl water, if needed)
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pour le glaçage (for the glaze)

un peu déau  (just enough water to make this a glaze)
de sucre glace (sifted super fine sugar, or sifted powdered sugar, enough to make this a glaze)
queleques CS de jus de citron jaune (juice from either a lemon or lime, or both, I usually use about 3 limes or 3 small lemons, or mix them)

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1) Make the cake, as usual making any pound cake. Mix the butter, sugar, salt. Then mix in the eggs. Add the yogurts and citrus juice.

Mix the dry then add into the liquid. Add the raisins if you like either into the batter now, or sprinkle on the top once batter had been poured into the pan.

Bake preheated oven 155C, til done. Toothpick or sharp knife in center comes out clean.

When a few minutes out of oven, poke holes in the top, add the syrup. Let cool. Then when barely warm almost cold, (sprinkle a few raisins on the top now if you like) pour over the lemon icing glaze. Let set. yum!

Potato, bell pepper, chicken curry w cous cous

Fry curry spices in oil/butter, add crushed ginger, onion, roughly chopped green bell pepper, cubed chicken breast, 2 cans of crushed tomatoes, and simmer. Top up with water if need be. When nearly done, add cubed boiled new potatoes, and cubed zucchini and eggplant. A dash of pepper sauce/tabasco, flaked or sea salt, and black pepper.

Serve with

-either wild and basmati rice, or cous cous.
-hot unsweeted chai (recipe below)
-and hot coffee (recipe below)

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I felt like having both hot tea and hot coffee.

1) For chai, I lightly fried cinnamon bark, fresh nutmeg, cloves, star anise, black and white pepper, cardamom, mace, allspice...together, in some black tea. Served with a bit of whole milk.

2) For coffee, I boiled water, added chicory coffee to a coffee press, and steeped in the boiling water til done. Served with double cream, and whole milk.


And, actually ended up having the curry with both a bit of the wild/basmati rice, and cous cous mixed. It was very good! I often have this together, with my curry. And often have both this hot chai, and this hot coffee with it.

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Am having a chilled Italian Prosecco after now. Very good! :) Was excited when I noticed they sold it here

my chicken, spinach and potato garam masala curry

Recipes for raita, garam masala; chicken, spinach and potato garam masala curry.
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Chicken, spinach and potato garam masala curry:


500 g chicken, cubed. Either chicken breast, or a whole chicken cut up into pieces with bone on.

3 TBS oil with butter

1 onion, julienned
1 garlic clove, crushed
crushed root ginger, about an inch
bay leaves or curry leaves (about 4 or mix, whatever you have)
cardamom, freshly crushed
1 can crushed tomatoes
tsp black cumin seeds
tsp tumeric powder
tsp chili powder, or crushed red pepper flakes, or dash tabasco
300ml water
250g fresh spinach leaves, washed, and ripped up
3-4 boiled, cubed new potatoes, skin on
flaked salt to taste
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Fry spices in oil, add onion. When nearly clear, add garlic, crushed ginger. Add chicken, continue frying, then canned tomatoes, and water. Simmer half an hour or til chicken is tender and cooked through. Add spinach, and garam masala (see recipe below, or buy one you like). Add the potatoes last.

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RIATA:
natural plain yogurt 1 cup
grated cucumber half cup
dash tabasco, or some minced red or green chili without seeds
flaked salt, fresh ground pepper
black cumin seeds
fresh minced cilantro leaves
fresh minced mint leaves

Mix all together, serve cold.

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GARAM MASALA spice mix:

cloves, malabar leaves, mace blades, black and white cumin
cardamom pods (black, green, brown)
nutmeg
star anise
coriander seeds

Lightly toast all spices, then crush in a mortar and pestle.

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Serve Curry with:

-garlic naan
-aloo jherra
-raita, and a cold salad of some sort (greens, cucumber, sliced tomato...)

-spicy poppadom

-crushed red chili dipping sauce (crushed red chilis, oil, vinegar, coriander seeds, fresh cilantro and mint leaves, minced onion, crushed garlic and crushed ginger...or whatever you like, salt, pepper). It´s a bit like a hot salsa. You can cook, then cool the chilis before adding them to the dipping sauce ingredients.

my fenugreek butter chicken

2 TBS butter plus about a half TBS oil

2 TBS crushed fresh ginger root
1 small onion, julienned
1 small green bell pepper, julienned
1/8 tiny piece of cinnamon bark
1 tsp crushed garlic
handful of fresh curry leaves
half tsp tumeric, ground
1 tsp chili powder, or dried chili flakes, ground
1 TBS coriander seeds
cilantro leaves
mint leaves

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

500 g cubed chicken, deboned. Can use chicken breast only, or any of the meat, dark and light. OR, keep the bone on, and cut it into small pieces from a whole chicken.

1/8 cup slivered almonds, crushed with wooden spoon (or crushed cashews)

half cup plain, thick Greek yogurt

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1) Lightly fry the chicken in the butter and oil, then take out the chicken and set aside.

2) Lightly fry the spices, bell pepper and onion in the oil. When nearly done, add the garlic, and crushed ginger, so as to not burn the garlic. Fry a bit more.

3)Add the crushed slivered almonds, crushed canned tomatoes. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes. Add yogurt, warm through.

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Serve with
-garlic naan
-aloo jherra


-cous cous, or biryani rice, or pilau rice,  jasmine rice, brown jasmine rice, or saffron rice

-cold salad of some sort (cucumber, slices of tomato, raita, etc)

homemade pastrami made with spices and brine

I´ve never seen pastrami for sale here in Norway, so I have to make my own. I might this year for Christmas. Here is the "recipe" I generally use.

Beef brisket, trim leaving a thin layer of fat. It´s difficult to find brisket here, so flank steak, round, or similar also works. Trim the cut of meat as usual, depending upon which cut you use, take off any sinewy bits, but leave on a thin layer of fat.

Make the brine, with water and enough salt to float an egg. Season with whatever you like. I use usually whole spices, and berries. Red, black, white peppercorns. Juniper berries I pick from outside my kitchen as they grow wild here. Coriander seeds, as I always have them. If I use garlic, I use a TINY amount, as I do like a slight garlic flavour but not overpowerful, which can happen as the brisket is kept in the brine for about a week to several or 3 weeks.

Other things you might add to the brine, are mustard seeds, black fennel or white fennel, fenugreek seeds not leaves, whole cloves, cardamom pods whole but slightly cracked open,allspice berries, whole anise stars, bay leaves or curry leaves, pieces of dry ginger, a bit of chopped onions, crushed garlic, a cinnamon bark piece or few. Whatever you have and like to try. (I like all of these except the mustard seeds, sometimes will use mustard powder and garlic powder).

For salt, use about 2 cups salt. If you have pink salt, add a few TBS of that too, as it helps give it a pink color and does add to the flavor. Some people add brown sugar to the brine, but I don´t.

About a gallon of brine to a 5lb brisket, is about right. And for a gallon of brine, using about 3 TBS of spices (any mix you like of above). Lightly toast the spices, then grind slightly in a mortar and pestle, then add all of it to the brine. Boil this on the stovetop, cool down then chill in fridge until it is cold.

Place the brisket in a suitable container, so that the brine will completely cover it. Use a plate to weigh down the brisket, and flip the brisket every day, for atleast 7 days. (The brine and brisket stay in the fridge, just taking it out to turn over the brisket).

After a week (one week will be enough, but more weeks give more flavor) or 2-3 weeks, when your brisket is to your liking, take it out of the brine, and rinse off the brisket.

To make a corned beef:

Place brisket in a stewpot just large enough to fit it, and cover with water an inch or so above the meat, and add some more spices (from the above suggestions, about a TBS or so).

Bring this to a boil, then lower heat til simmering, and simmer for about four hours, or an afternoon (you can use a crockpot, if you have one. I don´t have one). Simmer til the meat is tender.


 To make it a pastrami:

 Rinse the meat in water overnight. Take the meat out of the water,pat dry, slightly oil the meat then rub with spices*, and let sit again overnight in the fridge. Liquid smoke is also good to rub on, but I´ve not seen that here either.

Then smoke the brined meat, or slowly roast it in a hot oven for an afternoon, as if you were making ribs in the oven instead of smoker or bbq grill.


Serve the pastrami, cold, sliced thin, with kraut, sour garlic dill pickles, yellow mustard, etc. on either fresh homemade rye bread or on warm chewy slightly crisp pretzel bread. Serve with the crispy potato hashbrowns, or warm or cold potato salad, deviled eggs, etc.



*spices include paprika, to help with the color. Ground spices, mixed together, then used as a rub. So, paprika, onion, garlic, black pepper, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, a tiny bit of brown sugar if you like. Crush the garlic etc all together in a mortar and pestle, then rub it all on the meat. Ancho powder also adds color, but can make it too hot. Chili powder is milder for the color. Not too much mustard seed, as that also can make it too hot or mustardy.

**some people let this sit in the fridge with the rub on, for a week, but I rarely have that time, it takes long enough, but yeah it will give it a better flavor if you have a week for this part.

***I prefer using a smoker or grill, but it´s winter and I don´t have that luxury. If I was using a grill or smoker, I would also prefer using mesquite and apple, oak wood, juniper wood, cherry wood or pecan wood, or combination of a few. I do not like gas grills for anything, as imho they give an odd flavor to everything. It is much much better if smoked properly outdoors, but again, I need to use the oven for various reasons. If you can smoke it proper, do that:).

crisp potato mini hashbrowns w sour cream, applesauce

2.5 lbs potatoes, peeled, grated, all water squeezed out, then chill

3 whole eggs, beaten lightly with a splash of cream
dash juice of actual lime
dash tabasco


1/8 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup plain flour, or thereabouts
black pepper

1) Mix beaten egg, splash of lime juice, and dash of tabasco. Add chilled potato.

2) Mix dry ingredients together in another bowl, then add into the wet potato mixture.

3) chill in fridge til ready to cook. The lime prevents potatoes from greying.

4)When ready to cook, heat oil in a large pan til hot. It´s ready when a sprinkle of flour into it will bubble.

5) When oil is ready, spoon out potato mixture by a tablespoonful, not piled up, then flatten out once int the pan. Fry about 4-5 minutes each side, like a pancake, til each side is crisp, lightly browned. Keeping them small, and flattening them, will help with crispness on the outside, yet tender on the inside. Only turn once, and not til the first side is done.

6) Remove to a plate covered with papertowels or a tea towel. OR, onto a pan, then put in a warm oven til it´s time to eat, to keep them warm. Usually I have no room for this, but when I do, I will keep them warm in the oven.

Serve with


*applesauce (boil up some peeled apples, til not quite smooth, with a little butter, and spices of cinnamon stick, ground cinnamon, ginger, fresh crushed ginger, and nutmeg, for spicy applesauce. Serve hot or cold)

*sour cream, with a side of celery and carrot sticks.

Taquitos: crisp tortillas drizzled with chocolate and caramel

TAQUITOS

Take slightly crisped tortillas, dip in homemade caramel sauce, then alternate with melted white or milk chocolate, and caramel again. Each layer should be paper thin layer til you have a few layers total. Let cool.

Store in airtight container.


Very good served with vanilla, or cinnamon ice cream or gelato.

PECANS: white chocolate, and cajun spiced

WHITE CHOCOLATE COVERED PECANS

Dip pecan halves in white chocolate, let cool.

For gifts, drizzle with another color of chocolate over the top.
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CAJUN SPICED PECANS

Place half a lb of pecan halves on a baking tray. Sprinkle with cajun spices and a little butter. Broil briefly in oven, then toss in some more spice if necessary. Let cool.


Cajun spice. Make it however you like, mild or with a bit of heat.

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Laugenbreze (pretzel bread) and garlic dill pickles.

Laugenbreze are soft pretzel breads I like to make, for eating with sausages, sauerkraut and my recipe for sour garlic dill pickles.
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LAUGENBREZE recipe 1:

The quickest easiest recipe, is take your favourite bagel recipe, form into large pretzels, the follow the bagel recipe. Boil with the bicarb water, lay onto baking tray, sprinkle with large salt crystals, then bake as usual.

Recipe 2:

Or, will post my recipe when time.

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GARLIC DILL PICKLE recipe 1:

As it´s difficult to get the right cucumbers, and pickling spice here for either small or large pickle making, when I found simple brined jarred pickles here, I made them into dill pickles. Most pickles of any size here are sugary, sweet, barely or extremely. I found jarred pickles from Germany which are nothing but brine and pickling cucumbers.

Wash your hands, obviously before starting this.

Open the jar, carefully add  handfuls of fresh whole dill, whole coriander seeds, ONLY ONE HALF clove of garlic (as this is more than enough to make it too strong), whole peppercorns, a few shots of tabasco or a tiny seeded red chili, 1 bay leave, some whole mustard seeds.

Put the lid back on, put in refrigerator. Should taste like dill pickles in a few days to a week. IF you do not want the garlic taste continually getting stronger, take out the garlic in a few days, or they will taste of nothing but garlic within a week.

VARIATIONS

add some slivers of onions in various colors, such as vadalia yellow onions, or red or purple onions. And some sliced green tomatoes. You can put this up in one larger jar, or divide equally between two jars. You might need to add a bit more vinegar.


Recipe 2:

Or will post my recipe when time.

quick pistachio nougat, and pecan divinity

Whilst eating my Vienna  walnut nougat just now, I realized how similar it is to a Southern US holiday classic pecan divinity. Here is a quick recipe to make either. The usual recipe calls for long hours in the kitchen, but this tastes just as good, looks just as pretty.

Mix equal parts melted marshmallow and melted white chocolate. Add roughly chopped pecans, or pistachios, black walnuts etc as you like.

I like to mix the chopped nuts (one kind at a time, usually pecans) into the divinity, then spread out into a shallow cookie baking tray. Lightly mark out pieces, then put one tiny pecan half in the center of each piece. Let cool and set, then cut into pieces along the marks.

Makes very pretty gifts in a pretty tin tied with a ribbon.

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When I find a quicker old fashioned recipe in one of my many Southern cookbooks, I will add that too.

rømmegrøt (Sour cream porridge)

Simmer  a container of full fat sour cream, stirring constantly, for about 15-20 minutes. Sift into this some rye or whole wheat  flour (about a half cup). Simmer til the butterfat begins to leach out. Sprinkle over some more flour (a bit less than a cup), continue stirring, bring to the boil. Add milk and bring to the boil, whisk til smooth and desired consistency. Serve with melted butter, and cinnamon sugar.

Italian coffee using an Italian caffettiera (coffee press)

There are many sizes of Italian coffee presses, but it is very similar to the French coffee press. Use in the same manner.  The one above is for several cups of coffee. The tiny one below, about the size of one espresso cup, beside it, is for 1-2 espresso cups of coffee.

Here are a few sizes, beside a few espresso cups. To use, put the correct amount of medium ground espresso grounds into the top section, press gently but do not compact the grounds. Add water to the bottom section, and boil on an open flame or hot burner til the grounds are steamed into coffee.

These are best imho used on a gas burner. When I have an electric stovetop, I still do the old-fashioned thing, boiling water separately on the stovetop in a pan or kettle. Or, use a waterboiler. Then I use a French press, of glass, which has been warmed with warm then hot water, to temper it a bit, put in the amount of medium espresso grounds, fill with boiling water, let steep.

Italian coffee, or espresso, is served hot, black. Or, with a frothy steamy cream or milk. Though I prefer mine either black, or with actual liquid (not whipped, not frothed, just liquid) cream, with a splash of whole milk.

blåbærgrøt (blueberry and rye porridge)

Great recipe any time of year. In summer, use fresh blueberries from the garden, or freeze them for using in this recipe other times of year. Served warm, so is great for winter.

Will add photos when time permits.

1) Pour 3 cups of wild or other blueberries into a bowl, set aside.

 In a different bowl, measure out 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour, and a 1/4 cup of rye flour, into this one bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon. Also set this bowl aside.

2) Bring 2 1/2 cups water to the boil with about a TBS of sugar. Once boiling, add blueberries. Gently stir, and turn down heat to just heat thru the berries. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. 

3) Turn the heat further down til it is on a very low heat. 

4) Once the heat is on low, slowly add the flours, continuously stirring, til porridge thickens, about 5 minutes. 

5)Serve with melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, and a cream.  And more fresh berries if you have them.

VARIATION

add half of the blåbærgrøt to the same amount of cooked steel cut oat groats, like McCann´s. 

Serve with maple syrup and butter

Sugary (not chewy) Natchez Pecan Pralines

PRAW leans. With puh KAWNS. (Pralines with pecans).

My recipe is for the sugary kind, which is totally different from the chewy kind. 

Reminder for me to find then add the recipe.


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SUGARY NATCHEZ  PECAN PRALINES


1) Measure out your ingredients. You will not have time once you begin.


2.5 lbs of light brown sugar
1 US sized stick of butter, plus 3 TBS butter
2 tsp salt
12 fl oz whole milk
1 TBS strong pure vanilla extract, homemade or storebought
1 large bag of pecans (about 1 lb), small halves or pieces. I prefer pieces.

(butter conversion table chart, says 1 US sized stick butter is 113.4 grams. And that 3 TBS butter is 42.53 g butter)

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2) Once you start, you´ll have to continue without stopping, and work quickly.


3) Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and butter/oil them.

4) Combine brown sugar, butter, salt, whole milk in a large pot. Leave uncovered, and bring to a boil, continuing til it starts to caramelize. Remove from heat, and add vanilla and pecans pieces. Stir with a wooden spoon, as it sticks less. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets and cool.

5) Store in an airtight container. Makes pretty gifts.

lussekatter ( Saffron buns) recipe and shapes

This is the best Youtube recipe and video for Swedish lussekatter, Swedish saffron buns for St Lucia. I like them all year round, and for special holiday or weekend treats.

The Norwegian lussekatter is good too, and when I find a recipe I like as good as this one, I will add it,). For Norwegian St Lucia and Jul, I make the above recipe, using rømme. If I´ve run out of rømme (Norwegian sour cream), I use thick, plain Greek yogurt or similar, such as clotted cream.

There is no point to making this without the saffron. Saffron has a very distinctive taste, and no you can not substitute something yellow for the same color, as the taste will not be the same. However, if you do not want to pay for saffron, as yes it is expensive!, this recipe also makes fantastic yeast rolls. Through out the year, if I am not making this with saffron, I make this same recipe without the saffron when I want just yeast rolls. You can make one large yeast bread, or small round ones. I don´t shape them into the Lucia buns unless it is for St Lucia. Some other holiday shapes, are bunnies for Easter. Then use raisins for eyes, and cut ears using scissors. Hot cross buns, with a sugar glaze and raisins. Or braided breads for Sunday meals. Cinnamon instead of the saffron for Sunday meals.

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St Lucia buns/ saffron buns/ Lussekatter recipe:

(See the link above for a fantastic video, easy recipe and instructions, and great holiday music). I do the mixing in reverse, so my saffron milk mixture can steep as long as possible to give more saffron flavour. But following the YT video works great too. (My written out version, reversed to video, just makes the saffron milk mixture first).

List of ingredients

1 packet of dry yeast (or one piece of fresh yeast)

200 ml plain white sugar

dash salt

1500-1700 ml plain plain, or flour number 0

150 g butter, salted

500ml whole milk (keffir, buttermilk, or soured milk works great.)

2 sachets of saffron, about a gram total. (for other holiday or Sunday bread, leave out or use other spice instead, such as cinnamon or cardamom)

250g rømme/sour cream (or Greek yogurt)

2 whole eggs, for eggwashing the final risen dough shapes

raisins, for decorations (only 2 raisins per Lucia bun. For other versions, you can add the raisins to the dough when first mixing it)

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1)Make the saffron milk.

On top of the stove, in a pan, heat together in this order:

150 g butter, melt, then add

500ml whole milk 

2 packets of saffron (about a gram, of either powdered or threads)

Stir saffron into the butter, milk.

Add 250g rømme/sour cream (or thick plain Greek yogurt, or clotted cream if you don´t have sour cream)

Keep warming and stirring frequently til the sour cream or similar has dissolved into the saffron milk. Do NOT boil! Keep warming on the stove, while you make the dry part of the recipe.

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2) Make the dry flour yeast mix.

Into one large bowl mix in this order:

1 package dry yeast*if you use fresh yeast, just crumble it up in a tiny separate bowl, adding a little of the warm milk to proof the yeast, then add this to everything once bubbly

200 ml white sugar (do not use super fine sugar, as it makes it too sweet)

dash salt (about 1-2 tsp)

500ml plain flour, or flour type 0 (have extra 1000 ml flour or so for adding later, and for rolling out)

Mix dry together.

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3). Adding the warm (not hot!) saffron milk mixture to the dry flour yeast mixture.

When the flour mix is done, and the saffron milk has steeped, make sure the saffron milk is only warm (not hot or it will kill the yeast), then you can add it to the dry flour yeast mixture in your bowl.

Stir with a long wooden spoon, then start slowly adding the 1000ml flour a few cups at a time, til you get the right consistency. (see video). The flour will at this point be the right consistency when it is sticky but not wet, and not dry or tough. Sometimes I must add a bit more than 1000ml. When mixed, slightly sprinkle over the top with flour, then cover with a thin tea towel, set aside in a warm kitchen, to rise for about an hour til the dough about doubles in size.

(After about an hour)

Sprinkle countertop lightly with flour. Push out dough onto the counter, to knead well for about 4-6 minutes by hand, adding slightly as little flour as necessary.

Divide this into half, then half again. This leaves you with four smaller pieces (but still large pieces). Divide each of these 4 pieces into 5 equal pieces, and divide these 5 into 2 equal halves (so that by now you have 40 smaller equal pieces)*.

* This is a great math lesson for kids! Or, to explain further, dough is X

X

x x

xx xx

(this gives the four smaller, but still fairly large pieces) further divide each x into 10 equal pieces

x x x x

each x will be divided into 10 smaller equal pieces, so that now you have 40 equal small pieces.

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Roll each of the 40 smaller pieces into snakes.

Lay out snake.

Roll each end towards the middle, but on opposite sides/opposite directions (see video). They kinda look like fat snowmen, but with only 2 snowballs,).

Lay the "snowmen" onto your baking tray, let rise til double about half an hour. Turn the oven on to preheat to 250C. (Well my oven takes a while as it´s old,))

Once risen, brush beaten egg over the "snowmen", then add a raisin to each end, in the middle of the swirl.

Place tray in oven on middle rack, in a hot preheated oven. Bake for about 8-12 minutes, til they are lightly browned, not burnt. (If you make larger sizes, or smaller, that is ok, but make them all the same size, or they will cook unevenly, with some burnt, and others not cooked through. Smaller ones cook quicker, larger ones cook longer).

Finished look,is lightly browned top.

Serve with hot drinks such as hot cocoa;  hot gløgg made with hot apple juice; or hot blueberry juice. I like the video, as it shows it perfectly:

Lucia buns, clove-studded oranges or mandarines, red and white candy canes, tiny flower shaped crisp gingerbread cookies, and a hot drink.

That is how we serve them (changing up the drink to whatever we have).

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SHAPES of lussekatter buns. Kids think it´s fun to try new shapes, and some are easier than others, and quicker. If you make them from the same size snakes, they´ll bake evenly even in different shapes. Just use the same amount of dough for each. If not, then bake only one shape to a tray.


-traditional S shape, rolling dough into snakes, then rolling each end into a swirl in opposite directions. One raisin on either end.

-put two S shapes back to back, so they bake together. The easiest way to do this though is to roll each S instead into a C with the swirls both on one side. Then put them back to back. One raisin on each end swirl.

(photo when time)

-Put two S shapes together, overlapping to form a bit of an S cross shape. Another easier way, similar, is to first cross the snakes, then at the point where they meet, roll each swirl either all in the same direction, or alternate direction of swirl. Either way they bake together forming a bit of a swirly cross shape. Before baking, put one raisin in each end swirl.

-half the snake, then push together and out, so there is a loop near the bottom, and swirls at the top, for a bit of a U with swirls at the top, press the bottom swirl slightly together so it bakes together. Before baking add a raisin to either end.

-half the snake, then twist, put one raisin on either end.

-