Welcome Winter!

Welcome Winter and Happy Solstice! It's a bit too drizzily outside today for snow play, but we our keeping are bellies fed and spirits high with delicious food and treats. Blueberry and apple porridge with a touch of maple syrup started the day off right. I think that will have to be a Solstice tradition. I do like to celebrate the seasons, and I'm planning a lefse (Norwegian potato pancakes! ) feast this evening with homemade apple sauce. I'm also working on small wintery handmade gift for the girls. I hope  I can get them finished for this evening. (And make some progress on all the other handmade gifts still in the works!)

Have you left your wooden shoes out for the Tomten to leave a small surprise? No? Maybe that's just us...

Happy Long Night!

Lefse (Moon Cake) Recipe:

Ingredients:
- 6 medium potatoes boiled and well drained (I used red potatoes so I had to use more because they were small)
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- sprinkle of pepper
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/4 cup milk

Whip these ingredients together until smooth and then slowly add:

- 2 and 1/2 to 3 cups flour (helps to do this in a Kitchen Aid with the dough hook, but you can do it by hand) Should form a nice dough!

Refrigerate until thoroughly cold! Do not skip this step! You can make the dough the night before to space out the work.

Roll into balls on floured surface and flatten into discs about 1/8 inch thick. Heat a frying pan or Swedish pancake pan (you may need a little butter or oil) and cook like you would a regular pancake, browning on each side.

Serve with apple sauce and sour cream or with whatever you like! They can easily be made sweet or savory by changing the topping.

Our apple sauce consists of apples, honey and cinnamon steamed and mashed. Easy!

Note: These don't have that greasy, fried feel of a latke... closer to a Swedish pancake, but more savory. This recipe would be easy to substitute gluten free or dairy free ingredients as the potatoes carry a lot of the flavor.

Enjoy!