Swedish Smorgasbord.

I remember to this day, the memories of going to a swedish smorgasbord in Des Moines, downtown near the capital, with my family and aunt Sandy when I was young. I'm not sure what our connection was. I just remember the dessert table. And the mass amounts of food placed throughout this house-like building. And running around with my cousins, stealing the cookies.

Today sparks another memory of a woman that my parents were friends with as I was growing up. Her name was Inger and she was from Sweden. She passed away this week after a long battle with breast cancer. I was shocked at the familiar face I saw in the paper today. A face I haven't seen in 35 years. It's eerie that Sweden is the country we chose this week, aligning with the passing of such a beautiful Swedish woman. My sympathies go out to Inger and her family. May the warmth of her culture live with them now and forever.

We made Swedish meatballs last night. Another thumbs up from the crowd! Well...Katy didn't exactly try them. But I've thrown her out of the fan group of food this year. If I can please Elie, I win. I followed the recipe almost to the tee, with a few exceptions:

• I added a 1/2 # of ground lamb from last weeks meal planning so as not to go to waste. It added a wonderfully rich flavor to the meat.
• I doubled the gravy. It just didn't seem like enough, and I was right!
• I didn't use the "Kitchen Bouquet". No time to research this.

Swedish Meatballs
1 lb ground pork
1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion (well minced)
3 eggs
1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Gravy (I would double this)
2 cups beef stock
1 teaspoon fennel seed
 salt & pepper
1 tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet (optional for color)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Put eggs, spices and minced onion in a bowl, mix it all together. 
2. Add meat, mix well so everything is nicely blended. 
3. Shape small meatballs and brown them on all sides. 
4. Cook over medium heat until liquids run clear of blood.
5. Add the beef stock, kitchen bouquet, salt and pepper, and fennel seeds and simmer on low heat about 20 minutes.
6. In a small bowl mix the 1/4 cup of water and the flour well for a thickener. 
7. Add the thickener to the meat stirring constantly. 
8. Cook until the the sauce thickens. 
9. Add the cream and just heat until the cream is blended well and hot.
10. Be careful not to let it boil or it will curdle the cream.

Serve over cooked egg noodles.

Skinkpaj.

Translation...Swedish Quiche. A perfect solution for a Monday night. Soccer and dance were the order of the night. Me driving to soccer, Andy to dance. I found this recipe on Food.com and it sounded yummy. One mention of Gruyere cheese and I'm sold. It called for Herrgrdost, a semi-hard yellow cheese, but quickly added that you could replace with Gruyere. It was different than my normal quiche that I served up in France. This called for egg yolks and sour cream. So healthy!  It did the trick. Dinner was made, though it took longer than we anticipated, as it only called for baking 20 minutes. Add another 20 minutes and and dinner was served. And today is Tuesday which means Monday doesn't come around again for 6 days.

Smoked Ham Pie – Swedish Quiche (Skinkpaj)

1 pie crust (Mördeg)
8 ounces smoked ham, cubed
6 egg yolks
1 cup sour cream
1/4 lb gruyere cheese, shredded (use herrgårdsost if you can get it)
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Directions:

1. Press pastry dough into baking pan. (I used frozen Pillsbury Pet Ritz and baked crust for 10 minutes alone)
2. Set oven to 350°F 3 Combine egg yolks, sour cream, ham, and cheese. 
3. Season with Salt and Pepper and 1/2 the nutmeg.
4. Pour into pie shell. 
5. Sprinkle remaining nutmeg on top.
6. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes.

Best Year of Your Life.

According to new research, the best year of your life is 46. Saying life gets as good as it gets when you are 46... interesting. I've also read that women will experience some sort of anxiety due to menopause. Now I know why turning 46 has been much harder than any other age. Maybe because I'm closer to 50 now than 40... I spent my birthday camping with Katy and her girl scout troop this past weekend. What a way to forget about age for awhile! She had a ball and I was able to relax. Read a book. Take photo's and enjoy the great outdoors.

If you look closely at this photo, you can see the floating bobber. This was taken in daylight. The water had a few oil puddles from the breakfast sausage we were using as bait. The sun and oil mixed with the camera created this crazy night-time looking picture.

Katy caught three fish and was full of smiles. Her friend caught a 24 lb. catfish which was pretty wild coming out of this tiny pond. Another friend caught a fishing pole! They tried to catch a toad but that didn't work out so well.

Archery, wagon rides, horse back riding, star gazing and campfire were all a part of the camping experience. Everyone had a great time. So much fun that the troop is going to go tent camping at the end of the month to earn a few badges, including cooking over a fire. I hope our schedules will allow us to go:)

Stay tuned for Sweden. I need to recharge my outlook on this new #46 and march forward like a girl scout. Happy is life at any age, really. So bring it on.

Happy Haggis

Thursday's meal was a hit! I prepared a crock pot version of the traditional Scottish dish, Haggis.  It is considered a savory pudding and originated as far back as 1787 and is the national dish of Scotland. The original dish was a mix of sheep's pluck, onion, oats and spices, encased in the stomach of a sheep and simmered for hours. No, I didn't use sheep stomach or lungs or heart in it, just a split of ground beef and ground lamb. So delicious. I served it with the leftover Clapshot, though it also calls for Neets and Tatties, which is very similar to Clapshot but without the bacon.

The spices were quite interesting too. Spicy yet a hint of sweetness from the cinnamon and savory with the meat and onion. I would highly recommend trying this dish. It was so easy. I learned that you can make any kind of meatloaf in a crock pot. Who knew? This journey of mine isn't always about learning about countries, I'm finding. It's so much more than that. It brings with it an excitement of learning, of challenging oneself to explore unchartered territories. There is no room for "ruts" in our kitchen and meal planning this year. It's not always easy but I'm beginning to see the rewards. And that makes me happy.

Crockpot Haggis

--1/2 pound ground beef

--1/2 pound ground lamb

--1 chopped red onion (doesn't need to be diced, largish chunks are okay)

--1 cup oats (if you are gluten free, make sure your oats are certified GF)

--pinch each of nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon

--1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

--1/2 tsp black pepper

--1 tsp kosher salt

--1 egg

--1/2 cup of broth or stock (I used chicken broth)

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients, minus the broth, the same way you'd make a meatloaf.
2. Plop it into your crockpot. I used a 4qt round crock for this. I didn't spray with cooking spray, but it might be a good idea.
3. Shape with your hands into a round blob.
4. Pour in your broth.
5. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for about 4. This is cooked fully when it has browned on the edges and is beginning to brown on top. Don't overcook and risk drying out.
6. Using large spatulas, carefully remove and set on a cutting board. Let rest for a full 30 minutes before slicing.

Wee Scunner.

 We had a few Wee Scunner's in the house last night (aka, little nuisances in Scottish brogue) after my delicious masterpiece was completed. Katy rebelled with the meal and ate two pieces of bacon before gymnastics. Apparently, we raced home and took a shower and settled into bed to read when she reappeared after 10pm to say she was hungry. Shame on her for not eating the meal she was offered earlier in the night. Shame on me for not remembering she needed to fill her tummy before bed. So she ate a bowl of Cheerios and went back up. The problem was we were all tired and going to bed. She has a hard time going to sleep if she knows everyone else has gone to bed so the whimpering began. I could hear her from across the house. So I marched into her bedroom and tried to reason with her. Finally, after 11pm, Katy was now tucked in on our floor for the night, losing any play time today as her consequence.

Scunner #2 was Elie. Apparently after I left for gymnastics, her whining and arguing began with Andy. Not the perfect pair when they are both tired. So I walked into the screaming and soon sent Scunner #2 to bed. Bring it on... Hannah chose wisely and didn't get involved. Her only problem is searching for a Homecoming dress for the dance she hasn't been asked to...

I digress. It's time to switch back to the meal. The meal I quickly pulled together with all the scurry that Scotland has brought me this week. I found a fish recipe from the Inverlochy Castle in Scotland. I paired it with a tradional potato dish, Bacon Clapshot, which can be found in North-East Scotland. As I mentioned in the last blog, it was a pleasant surprise when it all came together. Very gourmet on a Wednesday night. NO fusses with the exception of Scunner #1.

White Fish with Artichokes and Caper Dressing
Ingredients 

Artichokes
3 1/3 cups low-salt chicken broth 1 onion, sliced 3/4 cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 3 fresh thyme sprigs 2 large garlic cloves, crushed 1 fresh rosemary sprig 4 whole artichokes
..or one can of artichoke hearts which is what I did...huge time saver!

Dressing
5 tablespoons olive oil 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 2 tablespoons drained capers

Fish
4 5- to 6-ounce sea bream, striped bass, or whitefish fillets (I used Tilapia)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil


Preparation
For artichokes:
Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, cut off stems and remove all leaves. Scrape out chokes, trim edges of hearts, and add to saucepan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cover pan and simmer until hearts are tender, about 35 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer hearts to plate. Cut hearts into 1/3-inch-thick slices. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
...or use can opener and drain artichoke hearts in strainer.

For dressing:
Whisk oil, vinegar, and lemon peel in small bowl to blend; whisk in capers. Season dressing with salt and pepper.

For fish:

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add artichoke slices to skillet. Sauté until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Using slotted spoon, arrange artichokes in center of each of 4 plates; reserve skillet. Spoon 3/4 of warm potatoes atop artichokes on each plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
Return reserved skillet with butter mixture to medium-high heat. Add fish and sauté until just opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side. Arrange fish atop potatoes on each plate. Spoon dressing over fish and serve.

Bacon Clapshot

Ingredients
1 1/3 pounds potato, peeled and quartered
2/3 pound turnips, peeled and cut into chunks (also used parsnips)
3 tablespoons butter (accidently added 3 tablespoons olive oil in addition..oops)
1/4 cup milk
8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 pinch ground nutmeg
salt and ground black pepper to taste





Directions
1. Place the potatoes and turnips in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes and turnips, return them to the saucepan and mash until creamy. Add the butter and milk and beat until fluffy. Stir in the crumbled bacon and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

* The fish recipe was found in epicurous and the Bacon Clapshot from Allrecipes.com. Two of my favorite food sites!

Scotland in a Scurry.

This week has flown by. We haven't had a chance to catch our breath and tomorrow is Thursday! I have nearly thrown in the towel on touring Scotland due to lack of time. But somehow, this evening I mustered up enough energy to crank out a gourmet meal in less than 2 hours. I can't get into the details of the meal this evening as I have no time so you will have to wait.

Highlights of the week:
Valley Swim Meet. Hannah swam the 200 IM and won!! Barely. She was way ahead of the SE Polk swimmer and then the breaststroke hit. The stroke Hannah has been avoiding since the end of July because of her painful knees. She clearly looked like she was out-touched from the naked spectator eye but then she pulled a Michael Phelps and took care of it with her awesome finish. Congrats, Hannah.

Until tomorrow. We really are in Scotland. Just too busy shopping for a Plaid Homecoming dress...

Buenos Aires.

We dined in the largest city of Argentina on Thursday night. It was a simple meal, after watching the Valley Tigers beat Lincoln in the swim and dive meet. The season has begun and we are so excited!!! Hannah came within .4 seconds of her LTB in the 200 free. Not bad for so early in the season. Her knees are in pain though so we're hoping she can continue to heal while still training.

The recipe was pulled from the local living section of the newspaper in Buenos Aires. Doesn't appear to be authentic. More french in my mind. Simple and connected to Argentina, at least their newspaper.


Buenos Aires Pressed Sandwich
1 loaf challah, rich bread or 1 loaf other soft rich bread (I used Ciabatta)
8 ounces brie cheese, cut in 1/4-inch slices
1 bunch fresh basil, trimmed, leaves only
20 -30 slices of oven-roasted tomatoes or 20 -30 slices sun-dried tomatoes
Butter

Directions:
1 Split the bread in half lengthwise and place a layer of brie on top of the bottom half of the loaf.
2 Top with a layer of tomatoes and fresh basil.
3 Replace the top layer of bread and brush with butter.
4 Press the sandwich into a panini grill and grill until toasted.

We used the ingredients, but didn't follow the recipe of quantity and process. We actually repurposed the chicken from the other night, sliced thin for a punch of protein.  From Katy's salami only sandwich to Elie's chicken and cheese to the real deal. Made individual sandwiches, so delicious.

We will be saying goodbye to Argentina as we head to Spain for the weekend of a little Paella at Mimi & Zadie's. Yummy stuff.