Scandinavian Holiday Recipes- Spritz

Spritz

Spritz cookies are a small sugary cookie that are very sweet and soft.  You can make them in different shapes and decorate them in many different ways. They are very yummy and a perfect holiday treat.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups flour

Recipe:

"Cream butter and sugar. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Place dough in a cookie press and press out onto a grease baking sheet in the shape of small wreaths. Bake at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with colored sugar." (Spencer 150).

Results:

Very good!  The cookie press was a learn as you go process because I had to redo a lot. I didn't find the directions to the press until after making them, but oh well.  They still turned out good and it made a lot.  My decorations were red and green sprinkles and my shape I chose was a Christmas tree, because I made them in December. But why do you think a lot of recipes are a learn as you go/ learn from your mistakes processes?

Bibliography:

Spencer, Michelle Nagle., and Miriam Canter. Scandinavian Holiday Recipes: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, & Iceland. IA City, IA: Penfield, 1989. Print

Scandinavian Holiday Recipes- Gingersnaps

Gingersnaps

I'm pretty sure we all know what gingersnaps are so I'm not going to explain much about them.  But basically, they are a hard cookie that taste like ginger and many other spices.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons sorghum
• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• sugar for rolling

Recipe:

"Cream butter and sugar. Add sorghum and egg. Sift together dry ingredients; add to butter mixture. Chill at least 3 hours or overnight. Roll into 1-inch balls and then roll in sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees about 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 2 dozen." (Spencer 156).

Results:

Nothing. They turned out horribly. they resembled nothing like a cookie either.  I replaced sorghum with molasses because the internet said it was okay to.  Clearly it wasn't!  I'm no pro. but something had to be wrong with what I did.  I don't know why it didn't turn out but I know I'm never making that recipe again.  And in case your wondering, I do not recommend it.  But I would like to know, why do recipes not turn out they way they should, even if you do the right replacement methods and measurements?

Bibliography:

Spencer, Michelle Nagle., and Miriam Canter. Scandinavian Holiday Recipes: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, & Iceland. IA City, IA: Penfield, 1989. Print

Scandinavian Holiday Recipies- Lefse

Lefse

Lefse is a Norwegian Dessert that is like a "potato tortilla."  Lefse making is a holiday tradition in my family that we have every year. It is a long process to make but it makes a lot and is really delicious.

Ingredients:

• 5 well-packed cups of cooked riced potatoes
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 3 tablespoons powered sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

Recipe:

"Add margarine to potatoes while they are still warm. Cool to room temperature. Add powdered sugar, flour, and salt. Knead well and then roll into a log. Cut and measure into 1/3 cup portions, make a round ball of each.  On a floured lefse "board" press each dough ball down and then, using a pastry sleeve and rolling pin, roll into 14-inch circles to fit a lefse griddle. The secret to making lefse is the use of a lefse stick. For the last roll across the dough use a grooved lefse rolling pin, which marks the dough and makes it thinner. Grill dough on a lefse griddle for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Fold each lefse in half or quarters. Cool between towels and store in plastic bags." (Spencer 86).

The Results:

Delicious as always!  They turn out great every year and I highly recommend making them.  There are never any struggles for me when it comes to making them because I know the steps of making it and I make it so often. They are best served with butter and sugar rolled up, but it is also good plain. Lefse making is one of the big things I look forward to during the holidays.

Bibliography:

Spencer, Michelle Nagle., and Miriam Canter. Scandinavian Holiday Recipes: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, & Iceland. IA City, IA: Penfield, 1989. Print

Krumkage- Scandanavian Holiday Recipes

Krumkage

Krumkage is a Norwegian cookie made with traditional Norwegian ingredients. You use an iron to press the pattern into the cookie and then roll it to finish.  It is very delicious and is good for any event.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 cups flour

1/2 whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Recipe:

"Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs; beat well.  Add remaining ingredients and blend well.  Heat Krumkage iron over stove.  Place one teaspoon of batter in Krumkage iron, close it and cook Krumkage over medium heat on both sides.  Remove from iron and shape into a cone, using a wooden spoon handle while still hot." (Spencer 144)

Results:

They turned out great!  The batter turned out just how it should've and it was easy to work with.  I learned that when you out the batter on the iron, don't put it exactly in the center. Put the batter a little bit further back because when you put the lid down on the iron, the batter will naturally be pushed forward.  It was a trial and error process for the perfect size and time for it to cook fully.  They should be golden before lifting it off the iron and rolling.  Instead of using a wooden spoon handle to roll, I used a Krumkage roller (as seen in the first picture) to make it easier to roll.  I would make these again and I totally recommend trying to make them yourself!  Why do you think recipes either turn out the way they are supposed to or turn out not even close to the way they should?

Bibliography:
Spencer, Michelle Nagle., and Miriam Canter. Scandinavian Holiday Recipes: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, & Iceland. IA City, IA: Penfield, 1989. Print

A Taste of Brazil

Brazil is home to a vibrant and exotic culture that is express through traditions and cuisine. Being Brazilian, my family has embraced this and these values have been transplanted from our roots in Recife, Brazil to our home. This can be seen in the dish known as Paella do Rio Grande do Sul, a simple and attractive entrée comprised of rice, meat, and vegetables.

Over time rice and meat has become an essential part of the Brazilian diet. In Brazil fresh ingredients are purchased from vendors in street markets commonly known as feiras, similar to farmers markets or Pike Place. As for myself, Whole Foods offered the same ingredients without the experience. It would not be uncommon for all of the vegetables and spices used in this meal to be purchased in a feira. However, the meat used in this dish would be bought elsewhere as meat cannot legally be sold in a feira.

Paella do Rio Grande do Sul is made with pork, chicken, sausage, onions, garlic, tomato extract, rice, tomatoes, red, green, and yellow bell peppers, parsley, and scallions (Cuza 187). When in the final stages of cooking where all of the ingredients are cooking in the same pan, I knew the dish was done by the peppers as the author stated "the peppers should be crunchy but not raw" (187). When the bell peppers became crunchy I knew the meal was
finished and served in a wide-serving dish as they would in Brazil.



Trough this meal I was reminded of my family's background and the differences and similarities in Brazilian and American cuisine. What Americans and Brazilians eat may be different, but the way it is made is similar. Upon this realization I began to wonder: why is culture reflected in what we eat?                

Cuza, Sandra. "Meat." The Art of Brazilian Cooking. N.p.: Pelican, 2012. 186-87. Pint.