SAD NEWS

I have been absent from this blog again - and actually it's been longer than you think. My December blogs were pre-written, and it turned out that was a good thing, as I would not have felt like writing Christmas posts.

Dan, my husband, was diagnosed with inoperable Stage IV esophageal cancer on December 7. Unbelievable as it may seem, there are relatively "good" cancers to have, but this is not one of them. It is in a bad place, and it has spread. Radiation is also not an option.

So it's been a rough few weeks, and I know this is only the beginning. We made the best of the Christmas season, especially after Kristen came home on December 25. I did all the usual shopping, wrapping, decorating and cleaning, even though it was sometimes difficult to proceed.

Kristen was able to stay until New Year's Eve day. On January 5, my husband began his first round of chemotherapy. What makes it so difficult is that he has to travel to the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Fargo for treatments, as the VA only has a clinic in Bismarck.

Fortunately, Dan felt well on the drive home, and over the weekend. But the nausea and flu-like symptoms have plagued him since. Hopefully he will feel better soon.

He will go back to Fargo for his second round of treatment on January 26. We are praying these sessions will put him into remission. I'm asking for your prayers and healing thoughts, and for the strength to help him deal with health, emotional and eating issues.

This is usually a pretty little blog, but now I am dealing with a big, nasty ugly thing that I may not want to write about, so I may not be blogging much in the next few months.

SUZANNE TOFTEY, ARTIST OF NORWEGIAN TRADITIONS

ALMOND CAKE BAKER



Most of my posts this December have been about Norwegian holiday foods. I first learned about some of these Scandinavian treats by looking at the Suzanne Toftey "Takk For Maten" series of decorative tiles.

Takk for Maten means "Thanks for the food" in Norwegian. In celebration of today, which is Lille Juleaften (Little Christmas Eve) in Norway, I am saying thank you to Ms. Toftey for the way she is preserving Norwegian customs and traditions.

For not only does she portray scrumptious holiday delicacies, her little vignettes also showcase regional Norwegian costumes, home interiors and - in the tile borders - rosemaling patterns. Rosemaling is the traditional Norwegian folk or tole painting.

I have written posts about some of these foods, but some I have not, being unfamiliar with that particular treat. Depending on what year they were produced, the tiles have little stickers on the back explaining which region of Norway the child's costume is from, and a recipe. The newer tiles also depict a little nisse (Norwegian house and barn elf) in each vignette, watching the baker, helping out or sneaking a little bit of pastry or whipped cream.

SUZANNE TOFTEY

Toftey, from Lake Mille Lacs, MN, is an award-winning rosemaler and a Vesterheim Museum Gold Medalist. Her work has been on exhibit in Norway as well as in the United States.

In addition to the Takk for Maten series, Toftey has a line of Swedish and Danish holiday food tiles, Nisse plates, Norwegian Fjord Horse plates and Folk Art Tiles, which feature Norwegian Americans who are preserving crafts such as rosemaling, Norwegian knitting and woodworking.

She has produced 14 Takk for Maten tiles so far, of which I have collected four. I also have one Nisse plate. All are available at Scandinavian import stores and online shops.

FATTIGMAND BOYS 

GJESTOST (GOAT CHEESE) BOY

PICKLED HERRING BOY

KRUMKAKE GIRL

LUTEFISK BOY

(If you read my lefse post, you'll

know why he is grimacing)

RISENGROT (RICE PUDDING) KIDS

JULEKAKE (CHRISTMAS BREAD) CHILDREN

KRANSEKAKE (NORWEGIAN WEDDING CAKE) GIRL

LEFSE GIRL

ROMMEGROT (SOUR CREAM PUDDING) GIRLS

VAFLER (WAFFLE) GIRL

(Norwegians use an iron that

makes heart-shaped waffles)

CREAM CAKE GIRL

(Moist cake layered with

whipped cream and fruit)

Risengrot and Rommegrot dry mixes are available in Scandinavian import stores and on the web.

NOTE: This is my last post for December. To all you Norwegian Americans out there, Happy Lille Juleaften. And for everyone, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

ALSO: What in the world is Blogger up to with the different colored, underlined words? I've noticed this in other blogs too. How do I get rid of it? (I tried deleting the word and typing it in again but that doesn't work.)

BLESSED YULE

"WOODLAND GUARDIANS - 

SAGE AND MAIDEN"

Solstice/Yule cards by Wendy Andrew

This is my fifth year of writing a Yule post. I was hard-pressed to find images that I have not used in the past, but I finally came up with a few. I was also-hard pressed to write something about Yule that I have not written before. In the end, I borrowed the written material from the Internet, altering it just a bit. Since Yule IS a pagan holiday, don't be surprised to find images of goddesses, fairies, elves, Druids, oak and holly kings, a unicorn and even a dragon in the art below.

"FESTIVE DRUID" Yule card by English artist Briar

Yule is a pagan holiday that celebrates the winter solstice - the shortest darkest day of the year - but also the rebirth of the Sun. In our symbolism of the year as a constantly turning wheel, this is the spoke where the Oak King (representing the light half of the year) vanquishes the Holly King (representing the dark half of the year), and thus ensures that the light and warmth of the sun will begin to increase each day.

"SPIRIT OF YULE" by Jillian

As the longest night of the year, some people believe that Yule is akin to the Long, Dark Night of Soul. Yule celebrations often echo both of these sentiments, often beginning in silent darkness and ending in a blaze of light, fire, and laughter.

"YULE STAG" card by Briar

While Yule is most often juxtaposed with Christmas today, Yule and Winter Solstice celebrations far outdate the Christian Christmas celebration. December 25th, the popular date to celebrate Christ’s birth, was also the birth date of Mithras, the ancient Persian Sun god of light and the guardian against evil.

"THE HOLLY KING"

 By Shona M. MacDonald

Christianity didn’t even celebrate “Christmas” until the fourth century, and even as late as 1740, it was a normal workday for the Puritans in the New World of America. They viewed Christmas as a pagan holiday, and forbade any celebrations and/or decorations of acknowledgement of the day.

"THE OAK KING" by Yuri Leitch

Yes, try as one might, one cannot erase the pagan aspects of this holiday. Most of today’s Christmas traditions are pagan in nature, derived from both old Yule and Solstice traditions, and include holly wreaths, decorated Christmas trees, the Yule log, kissing under the mistletoe, and the jolly old man himself, Santa Claus.

"YULE GODDESS" by J. M. Leotti

In today’s society, living firs and pines are cut and then placed in homes to be decorated with ornaments, lights, and the crowning star. In days long past, though, the decorated tree was a living tree, either one standing outside the home or which was brought into the home in a planter. Firs and pines were not chosen at random to be the tree of choice; they represent today, as they did in ancient times, the “life-in-death” nature of the season. It seems almost a parody that we today buy cut, dead trees to represent the important symbolism of the season.

"WINTER'S SENTINEL" by G. Bell

Living trees were also brought into the home to provide a warm place of residence for the wood spirits, who would then look kindly upon the family during the year. Foodstuffs such as apples and cinnamon sticks were hung on the branches so the spirits would have plenty to eat in this barren time of year, and bells were hung from the branches so that their tinkling could announce the presence of a spirit. The five-pointed star, symbol of the five elements of earth, air, fire, water, and spirit, would be placed at the top of the tree and crystals hung to represent icicles.

"WINTER SOLSTICE" by Willow

Yule, being a Sun celebration, was most often noted by the lighting of the Yule Log, a large log burned throughout the Yuletide celebrations and then saved as a protective charm until the next Yule, when it was used to start the new Yule fire. The red and green colors of the season are probably derived from the colors of the trees, mistletoe, and holly berries found in abundance at this time of year. They are, however, also a form of sympathetic magick, with red representing the warmth of the sun and green representing the growth of new plants, aspects everyone wishes to draw into their lives at this time of the year.

Artist Unknown

Yule is a time of rebirth; of new beginnings and the setting of new goals for oneself. It is a time of putting aside regrets, resentments, and that which causes us unhappiness. But before we can rid ourselves of these, we must know them intimately. And thus, the season starts in the silent darkness of the cold winter’s night; a time when we cannot escape ourselves through pleasurable outside diversions. The beginning celebrations are a time of meditation and inward thoughts; of recognizing the cold sorrows of the season of barrenness as both those within the frosted panes of our souls, as well as those raging outside the frosted window.

"SOLSTICE GATHERING" by Anne Stokes

(The helpful little dragon assists his

mistress in gathering holly and mistletoe)

IT'S LEFSE TIME!

It's Christmas time, so it must be lefse time! As any "good" Norwegian-American will tell you, lefse (LEF-suh) is to us as the tortilla is to the Mexican. It's a traditional soft flatbread made out of potatoes, milk or cream, and flour, and cooked on a griddle.

"In Norway women would travel from house to house spending three or four days making up to a year's supply of lefse for the household. They would often work over an open fire and by lantern light into the evening. The finished rounds were stacked in barrels. Rounds were also stored in kistes (sea chests) or steamer trunks for fishermen packing provisions for long sea voyages. Often, the shed where this baking took place was also the place where beer was made."


...The Last Word on Lefse by Gary Legwold (1992)

Although Dan and I buy our lefse from the store, there are still people in our family who make huge batches every year. Dan's mom and dad used to be the lefse makers. They are now deceased, but Dan's older brother Dick, his wife Bonny, their daughter Lisa and her kids get together every fall on a day set aside as lefse-making day.

LEFSE MAKERS EXTRAORDINAIRE!

DAN'S BROTHER DICK, DAUGHTER

LISA AND WIFE BONNY

In doing so, they are following a Scandinavian-American tradition, as lefse consumption in the United States is most popular around the fall and winter holidays beginning with Thanksgiving. Making lefse as a group is definitely a more enjoyable activity than making it alone! Such gatherings also provide training in keeping the tradition alive for younger generations.

The town of Starbuck, MN, is the home of the world's largest lefse. In some parts of the United States, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Oregon and Washington, lefse is available in grocery stores. Norsland Lefse, a factory in Rushford, MN, produces about a half million rounds of lefse each year.



LEFSE GRIDDLE

Lefse is especially celebrated in cities and towns with large Scandinavian populations. Fargo, ND, hosts the wildly popular Lobster and Lefse Festival in August each year. Fosston, MN, invites area lefse makers to compete for the title of Champion Lefse Maker at its Lefse Fest in November.



LEFSE ON THE GRIDDLE

There are many ways of flavoring lefse. The most common is adding butter to the lefse and rolling it up. In Norway, this is known as "lefse-klenning". Other options include adding cinnamon and/or sugar, or spreading jelly or jam on it. Dan's family always enjoyed lefse with homemade chokecherry jelly (which is more like a sauce than a jelly).

I found the following information on the Internet and most of it is news to me: "Scandinavian-American variations include rolling it with a thin layer of peanut butter and sugar, with butter and white or brown sugar, with butter and corn syrup, or with ham and eggs. Also quite good with beef, and other savory items, it is comparable to a thin tortilla."

Lefse is a traditional accompaniment to lutefisk (LOOTA-fisk), which is codfish preserved in lye. While many Norwegian-Americans profess a great love for lutefisk, I find it to be a very stinky, repulsive, quivering jelly-like mess. Actually, everyone finds lutefisk to be smelly. Often served at Lutheran church basement suppers, lutefisk sends out an overpowering aroma that is enough to knock out anyone in the building. Fortunately for non-lutefisk eaters, they always serve Swedish meatballs too.

There's a song about lutefisk set to the tune of "O Tannenbaum" which begins like this:

"O Lutefisk, O Lutefisk, how fragrant your aroma,
O Lutefisk, O Lutefisk, you put me in a coma.
You smell so strong, you look like glue,
You taste yust like an overshoe,
But lutefisk, come Saturday,
I tink I eat you anyvay."

Adaptation by Red Stangeland. For all five verses, go here: http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/o_lutefisk_o_lutefisk.htm

"LEFSE IS BEAUTIFUL" SET

A lefse griddle is about $100.00. There are also many special lefse-making accessories to be found on the Internet, such as the "It's Lefse Time" apron shown above. The "Lefse is Beautiful" set, directly above, consists of a pastry board and cloth, turning stick, rolling pin, potato ricer, rolling pin covers, flour dredge, lefse cosies and hot pad, $85.00. Sometimes the end of the turning stick is painted with rosemaling, a type of traditional Norwegian folk art. However, a yard stick will do as well!

LISA AND DICK WITH LISA'S TWO YOUNGEST

CHILDREN, LESLIE AND PATRICK.
ROLLING PIN AND PADDLES, READY!

Here's just one of many  hundreds of lefse recipes available, from the "From Norwegian Kitchens to Your Kitchen".

POTATO LEFSE

2 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
A little cream
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shortening
Flor

Mix the mashed potatoes while still lukewarm and add the salt, cream, sugar and shortening. Cool. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. On a floured board, roll the dough thin, turning as you roll to make an even round and to keep from sticking on the bottom. Bake on lefse grill. (Some people prefer to rice rather than mash the potatoes.)

To store the lefse rounds when cool, fold them in half and then in half again and wrap in cellophane wrap.



THE END RESULT. DO YOU
THINK THEY MADE ENOUGH?

A CARL LARSSON CHRISTMAS

CHRISTMAS TREE 1917

In my previous post I  featured several Carl Larsson products - a collectible cookie tin and a cake tray. A lot of Larsson's paintings are used for Christmas merchandise. I think he must have really loved Christmas, considering he produced so many Christmas paintings. He must also have loved his children a lot, since he often used them as models for the pretty, robust children in the paintings.

His interior paintings reveal a colorful, warm, bright and cozy world in defiance of the bitter cold world outside. And people even seem to be happy in the outdoor paintings.

Although Larsson was Swedish and not Norwegian, I think that he really represents the Scandinavian spirit and so I have embraced his images wholeheartedly. I especially love the painting of his daughter Brita in her red dress and cap, holding apples and candles. I have a wall hanging of it which goes in my kitchen at Christmas time.

In celebration of the season, I put together this group of a dozen of Larsson's Christmas and winter paintings.

CHRISTMAS EVENING

BRITA WITH APPLES



CHRISTMAS MORNING 1894

THE WASH HOUSE (BRITA WITH SLED)



KERSTI'S SLEIGH RIDE

NOW IT'S CHRISTMAS 

"GIRL IN A RED COAT"

 

"LISBETH"

 

 

LITTLE GIRL SKIING

ST. LUCIA DAY



MURRE ON A ROCKING HORSE

A TASTE OF GINGER AND ALMONDS

CARL LARSSON SWEDISH PEPPARKAKOR TIN 2011

"MARTHA WINSLOW AS A LITTLE GIRL"

Gingersnaps are among the seven traditional Norwegian Christmas cookies on my list. But I'm not going to provide a recipe here (you can find a million on the web, though). I'd be a fool to make them when I can buy a heap of these zingy cookies in a collector's tin with art by Carl Larsson. Each Christmas, Europa in St. Paul, MN, brings out a tin of these Swedish ginger cookies, called pepparkakkor. I don't feel a bit bad about buying SWEDISH cookies, either, because I have a distant great-great-something grandmother who came from Sweden.

Pepparkakkors used to come in a heart shape, which I prefer, but now they come in a scalloped shape. They still taste the same, though. This big tin of cookies only costs $13.00. When the cookies are gone, I save only the lids and display them on the wall.



So yes, I cheat when it comes to gingersnaps. And you could also say I cheat when it comes to Norwegian almond cookies. My mom and grandma used to make overnight (refrigerated) almond cookies but I make a Scandinavian almond cake instead. (If you'd rather have an almond cookie, I'll repeat my mantra: You'll find a million recipes on the web).

These cakes were a huge hit with my family when I served them for the first time last year. The tin comes with the recipe, too. It's really simple:

SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND CAKE

Spray pan well with Pam or other cooking spray (That's what the recipe says but I find that the spray just settles at the bottom of the pan and the cake sticks to it. Try butter or margarine instead.)
Beat well: 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1 egg, 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract and 2/3 cups of milk
Add: 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Add: 1 stick of melted margarine and mix well.

Before pouring batter in the pan, sprinkle sliced almonds on the bottom of the pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Edges must be golden brown. Cool in pan before removing. Cake will break if removed too soon.

The Scandinavian almond cake pan costs about $12.00 and is available in Scandinavian import stores, online import shops and other places on the web.

Here's the finished product! I don't like it quite as browned on the bottom as the cake in this photo so I don't bake it as long. Some people dust the loaf with powdered sugar. If you do, wait until the cake is cooled or the powdered sugar will melt.

I like to give these almond pans as gifts, along with a Carl Larsson tray to serve the cakes on. I have given these to my sister and two sisters-in-law. They were a big hit! There are also many other Carl Larsson cake trays and larger serving trays in many other scenes besides this winter scene called "Brita With Sled".