Norwegian - April 2009

Diva: Lovina

Drinks: Tamara
Fjellbekk (Norwegian for “moutain stream”)

¾ oz Vodka
¾ oz Aquavit
¾ oz lime juice
Sprite soda

Build over ice in a tall glass.

Berry soda

Wild berry nectar
Sprite Soda

Build over ice in a tall glass.

How to Skoal:






Reviewing the notes...

The Teetotaler and the Preggo give it a "dry" run

Bonnie, Lovina and Mariah Skoal with Style...

Appetizer: Colleen
Marinated Cheese (two variations)

11 oz., scant (300g) Edam Cheese - (I couldn't find Edam so I used Gouda)
1 red paprika, cut in strips (again - no Paprika pepper, so I used Hungarian Wax pepper in one and red bell pepper in the other)
1 ¼ c (3 dl) olive oil
7/8 c (2 dl) white vinegar
1 T red pepper, finely chopped (no cayenne pepper so I used red jalapeno with the hungarian pepper and serano chile with the red bell pepper mix)
1 T oregano
1 T thyme
1 T green peppercorns (couldn't find straight green peppercorns so used a mix of red, green, white, and black)
2 garlic cloves

Dice Cheese the size of Sugar cubes.
Prick with a fork to allow the marinade to be absorbed.
Mix all ingredients for marinade in a heavy-bottomed casserole and bring to a boil.
Cool.
Layer Cheese and paprika in a jar and pour marinade over all.
Cover and chill.
Keeps 2-3 weeks in refrigerator.

Flat Bread

½ c (1-¼ dl) lard, melted (I used vegetable shortening)
¼ c (½ dl) Sugar
½ c (1-¼ dl) oatmeal flour
1 c (2-½ dl) graham flour (substitute for graham flour is 2/3 c unbleached flour, 1/3 c wheat bran, 1.5 tsp wheat germ)
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 ½ c (3-½ dl) buttermilk
unbleached flour as needed

Combine ingredients, adding white flour to make dough workable.
Roll out into rounds with grooved rolling pin and a pastry cloth.
Cut into pieces and bake on cookie sheet in a 350 degrees (175 degrees C) oven for about 8 minutes or until crisp.

I'm not sure why the recipe doesn't have you add a lot of unbleached flour to begin. I ended up adding quite a bit to have it be a "workable" dough - maybe a cup or more? Also takes much more than 8 minutes to become crisp. I made some crispy and some not so crisp for a fun texture comparison.

Let's See those poses again, sistas!

Salad: Erin
Fruit salad

Mix sliced strawberries and blueberries in a bowl. Slice avocado and pineapple.

Dish strawberries and blueberries on salad plate. Place avocado and pineapple on salad plate around strawberries and blueberries. Top strawberries and blueberries with yogurt (I used one or two spoonfuls of Brown Cow Maple Yogurt). Add a mint sprig as garnish.

Soup: Stacey
Norwegian Cauliflower Cheese Soup

1 c Jarlsberg cheese, shredded (found in specialty cheese/deli section)
3 T butter
1 c sliced leeks (middle light green part only, and wash very well)
3 T flour
3 c chicken broth
3 c cauliflower, coarsely chopped
1 c ½ and ½

Saute leeks in butter until tender. Add flour, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Remove from heat and gradually blend in broth. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly. Add cauliflower, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Stir in cream and cheese. Simmer until heated through and cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 5 servings.


Side Dish: Bonnie
Burning Love (vegetarian style)

1 onion, sliced in chunks
3 c mushrooms, sliced kinda thick
2-3 apples, peeled & sliced in chunks
4-5 lb potatoes, peeled & chunked
white cheddar, shredded
soft tofu
veg broth paste
bacon salt
cornstarch
cinnamon
salt
pepper
butter
oil
milk

Drain water off tofu then press water out but placing it on a plate, between kitchen towels and weighted down with several plates. After about 20 min. Take tofu and crumble it up and add a lot of bacon salt then repeat the pressing process for at lease 30 min. When done fry in oil, remove and let drain on a paper towel.

Boil potatoes, when done make mashed potatoes and season to taste.

Sautee onion in oil until it starts to soften, add mushrooms. Cook until done then add veg broth, cornstarch, salt and pepper, cook for few minuets.

Sautee apples in oil with cinnamon until soft but not smushy.

Put potatoes in greased casserole dish then top with cheese. Add apples to mushroom-onion mixture then pour over potatoes. Bake in oven until heated through, maybe 400 for 25 min. Take out and top with tofu-bacon.

Entree: Sara
Curried Cod Cakes

4 T curry powder--you choose the spicy level
1 T Dijon mustard--dry mustard
½ c flour
1 package Panko bread crumbs
2 T paprika
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp pepper
2 avocados
3 lbs cod--poached in the oven in water at 350 for 20 minutes
3 lbs potatoes--boiled and mashed
3 T fresh mint, shredded
1 ½ c sour cream
½ c tomato diced

Make curry flour by combining the first six ingredients together.
Halve, pit and peel the avocados. Cut the halves lengthwise into thin wedges.
Combine the mint, sour cream and tomatoes. Set aside.
Gently mix fish and mashed potatoes together (you ca add onion, garlic and spices if you want)
Separate cod mixture into even balls and flatten into cakes--this recipe should make about 12 cakes 1 x 3 inch.
Dip, Dredge, or Sprinkle on curried bread crumbs
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes and flip if needed, cook for another 15 minutes.
Top each fillet with a few slices of avocado, and a spoonful of mint sour cream sauce.

Curried Potato Cakes

1 tsp canola oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp kosher salt
4 ½ c peeled shredded baking potato (about 2 pounds)
2 T chopped fresh parsley
2 T canola oil
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Dash of ground red pepper
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400°.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add mustard and cumin seeds to pan; cook 2 minutes or until mustard seeds pop, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Place spice mixture and salt in a mortar; crush seeds with pestle. Set aside.

Gently squeeze potato to remove excess moisture. Combine potato, spice mixture, parsley, 2 tablespoons oil, turmeric, and peppers in a large bowl. Divide mixture evenly into 10 (1/3 cup) portions; place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Flatten to 1/2-inch thickness. Spray with a bit of oil, and dip in or sprinkle on curried breadcrumbs. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until golden. Turn over; bake an additional 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

Lemon Garlic Sour Cream

1 tsp lemon zest
1 clove garlic minced
1 c sour cream

Love Dip

1 package cream cheese or Neufechel
10 Cloves garlic Minced
3 T tomato paste
2 T fresh cilantro minced
Salt and pepper and cumin to taste (about ½ to 1 tsp of each)

Dessert: Mariah
Old Fashioned Pound Cake & Raspberry Trifle

Pound Cake

4 ½ c flour
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
2 c butter
2 ¼ c sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla (or brandy extract)
9 eggs, slightly beaten

Whipped Cream Layer

1 ½ c whipping cream
¼ c sugar

Cream Cheese Layer

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 tsp lemon juice
1 lemon, zest of, chopped
½ c sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract (or lemon)

Berry Layer

4-8 c fresh raspberries
¾ c sugar
1 c water (optional)

Sprinkle
4 teaspoons baking cocoa
fresh berries


Line bottoms & sides of three 8x4 loaf pans with parchment paper--do NOT grease; preheat oven to 325; place oven rack in lower position.

In a large bowl, mix pound cake dry ingredients; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy & fluffy, scraping bowl several times; add flavorings, then eggs three at a time--continue beating (a curdled appearance will be "beaten" out with thorough mixing).

Now begin adding the flour in about half-cup portions, mixing well after each.

Turn batter into prepped pans, quickly pushing it higher around edges than in center
(this will keep the top level).

Bake for 20 minutes, then increase oven temp to 350, bake 40 minutes longer (crack on top will be slightly browned--showing no moistness).
Cool for 5 minutes on cooling rack, then remove from pans to finish cooling--DO NOT REMOVE PAPER!

When cooled, wrap waxed paper around two of the loaves, and then plastic wrap & freeze. Slice the remaining loaf into 12-15 slices, then cubes; set aside.

WHIPPED CREAM LAYER: In a mixing bowl, beat cream with sugar until stiff peaks form; set aside.

CREAM CHEESE LAYER: In another bowl, beat cream cheese, lemon juice, vanilla and sugar. Add about 2 cups of the whipped cream and the lemon zest--fold in; set aside.

BERRY LAYER: Set aside one cup of berries for garnish. Sprinkle remaining berries with sugar, then lightly mash/crush them. Let them sit for about 30 minutes to get juicy---if you're short of time, add the water and this makes a nice juice too.

ASSEMBLE THE TRIFLE: Sprinkle a layer of pound cake cubes in the bottom of a 3-quart glass serving bowl.

Drizzle 3-4 tablespoons of berry juice over the cubes.
Spread one fourth of cream cheese mixture over the cake cubes.
Sprinkle one teaspoon of cocoa over this, then some crushed berries.
REPEAT this twice. Add about half of the reserved berries to the last layer.

Top with remaining cream cheese, whipped cream and sifted cocoa; remaining berries added as a garnish before serving.

Cover & refrigerate for about 3 hours, this is ready-to-eat now (taste really does improve!).

Wild Card: Aven
Vikings

1 pound lean ground beef
½ pound ground pork
2 eggs
½ c oatmeal
1 medium onion minced
½ c canned evaporated milk
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp allspice
¼ tsp ginger
1 T butter
krusteaz pancake mix (I substituted gluten free baking mix)

Saute onion in butter until transparent and soft.

Mix oatmeal, eggs, and canned milk until combined. Mix the beef and pork together then add the oatmeal mixture, onions and spices. Beat with a mixer until fluffy.

Using 1/3 to 1/2 cup of meat mixture (depending on how big you want your Vikings) form a ball. Place meatballs on a baking sheet or pan. Cook in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes until done. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

When the meatballs are cool enough to handle, stick a wooden "popsicle" stick in each one (you can usually buy these at any craft store).

Mix the Krusteaz pancake batter with water, make it thicker than usual so that it will coat and stick to the meatballs.

Hold the meatball by the wooden stick and dip it into the batter, then drop it into a deep fat fryer with oil heated to 375. Roll it around so all the sides cook evenly. Cook until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a plate covered with paper towels. Serve with ketchup, mustard or what ever you want!

****For the vegan version, I substituted soy creamer for the milk and tempeh for the meat. I omitted the eggs altogether.

Lottery: Ashley (absent)

The wee male imposter!

Spice Hunter - March 2009

Diva: Ashley

Drinks: Mariah
Pink Basil Rising

¼ blood orange section
½ pint loosely packed basil leaves
2oz distilled water
½ oz. squeezed lime juice
½ oz simple syrup

Muddle blood orange and basil leaves add water, lime, simple syrup – shake for several seconds. Stain into chilled cocktail glass and garnish with basil sprig.
Add white wine or tequila for a little zip.

Experiment with different herbs and spices like:
Cilantro, sage or rosemary

Appetizer: Lovina
Red Lentil Rice Cakes

5 c water, divided
1 c dried small red lentils
½ c uncooked basmati rice
2 T olive oil, divided
½ c finely chopped zucchini
½ c finely chopped red onion
½ tsp fennel seeds, crushed
2 garlic cloves, minced
¾ c (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
¼ c dry breadcrumbs
1 T chopped fresh basil
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tsp garam masala
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

Bring 4 cups water and lentils to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. Place lentils in a large bowl.
Combine remaining 1 cup water and rice in pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Cool 10 minutes. Add rice to lentils.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion, fennel seeds, and garlic to pan; saute 2 minutes or until tender. Cool 10 minutes. Add to rice mixture. Add mozzarella cheese and remaining ingredients, stirring until well combined. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Spoon half of rice mixture by 1/3-cupfuls into pan, spreading to form 6 (3-inch) circles; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Carefully turn cakes over; cook 5 minutes on other side. Remove cakes from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and remaining rice mixture. Serve with salsa.

(Cooking Light)

Apricot Mango Chutney

Dried Turkish apricots
Dried mangoes
brown sugar
chili pepper
cardamom
nutmeg
cinnamon
orange marmalade
papay-orange juice
water

Salad: Bonnie
Chickpea Salad

¼ c fresh lemon juice
¼ c olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 (16-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 serrano peppers, grilled, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 large yellow bell pepper, grilled, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
¼ c finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ c finely chopped chives

Whisk together the lemon juice, oil, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Transfer the salad to a large serving platter, cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours before serving.

Red Pepper-Tahini Vinaigrette:

Pinch saffron

¼ c hot water
¼ c sherry vinegar
2 red bell peppers, grilled, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T tahini
2 tsp honey
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ c olive oil

Steep saffron in a hot water for 5 minutes to bloom.

Transfer saffron mixture to a blender and add the sherry, red pepper, garlic, tahini, honey, salt and pepper and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil and blend until emulsified. The vinaigrette can be made up to 4 hours in advance, covered and kept refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.

(Bobby Flay, foodnetwork.com)

Soup: Tina (sub for Colleen)
Scandinavian Sweet Soup

5 c water
½ c dried apples, finely chopped
½ c raisins or currents
½ c dried apricots, finely chopped
½ c pitted prunes, finely chopped
1 heaping T pearl tapioca
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise (optional)
1 c fruit juice (apple or cranberry or lingonberry, if you can get it)

Bring water to a steady boil. Stir in dried fruit, pearl tapioca, cinnamon stick, and star anise, reduce heat to medium, and maintain at a low simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in fruit juice and heat for a final 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon and star anise.

Sweet soup can be served either warm or cold, as a dessert or snack or breakfast selection.

(About.com)

Entree: Stacey
Seared Pork Chops with Cherry Reduction Sauce

4 porkchops-thick center-cut chops
salt, pepper, herbs d' Provence spice mixture
2 T olive oil

Sauce ingredients:
3 T butter
2 T flour
½ c red wine
1 c beef stock
½ c cherry preserves
salt and pepper

Season one side of pork chops with salt, pepper, sprinkle of Herbs d' Provence. Heat skillet to very hot, add olive oil, and sear chops (seasoned side down) for 4 mins. on each side. DO NOT move the chops around once you set them down, except to turn over after 4 mins. Season on other side. Transfer chops to a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins. to finish them off.

Sauce: Melt 3 T. butter in pork chop skillet over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, then red wine, then beef stock, then cherry preserves, whisking well after adding each ingredient. Sauce should start to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You may need to add more flour or beef stock--keep tasting. Drizzle over pork chops and serve with mashed potatoes or stuffing. Enjoy!!

Side Dish: Erin
Cauliflower, Potato and Pea Curry


¼ c cooking oil

1 T ground coriander
1
½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp dried red-pepper flakes

1 medium head cauliflower (about 1 pound), cut into large florets (about 4 cups)

1 ½ pounds boiling potatoes (about 4), peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 c canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree

½ c chopped cilantro

½ cup water

1 tsp salt

1 c frozen petite peas

In a large deep frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, and red-pepper flakes and stir. Add the cauliflower and potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, ¼ cup of the cilantro, the water, and the salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cook, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the peas and the remaining ¼ cup cilantro and cook, covered, until the peas are tender, about 2 minutes longer.


Variation: If you like, you can add three tablespoons dried unsweetened coconut to the curry. Put it in at the same time as the peas.

Dessert: Sara
Tropical Fruit Tartlets

Crust:
1/3 c Coconut Cream (full fat) at room temperature--put a can in the fridge for an hour. When opening be careful not to jostle or shake. Spoon out the top portion leaving the liquid.
1/3 c Dark Brown Packed Sugar
1 ¼ c Rice Flour

Whisk or blend the coconut cream until smooth, add sugar and stir until blended. Stir in the rice flour to make a thick, firm, dough that can be rolled in to a ball. Divide dough into 5 or 6 pieces and press with finger into tart pans. Bake at 400-425 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely, remove from pans.

Vanilla Cream:
1/3 c rice flour
1 c Rice Milk
2 T Raw Cane Sugar
½ Vanilla Bean*

Combine rice flour and rice milk in a saucepan. Place over medium to low heat and stir consistently until thickened. add sugar and stir until melted and cream is quite thick. Remove from heat. Split vanilla bean in pod in half and remove the seeds with a knife and add to cream mixture.

*Due to the lack of vanilla beans and the high price as well, I used a Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract as a replacement.

Fruit Topping:
3-4 Kiwi Fruits
Tropical Fruits of Choice:
Mango
Pineapple
Starfruit

Spread warm cream on the bottom of the tartlet crusts. Before serving, peel and thinly slice kiwi and other fruits, and arrange on top of cream.

(Gluten Free Gourmet)

Wild Card: Tamara
Ginger Themed Care Packages

Chai Spice Packets

Packet contains:
1 stick cinnamon
1 pod cardamom
2 whole cloves
4 peppercorns
¼ tsp ground ginger

To brew Chai:
Add contents of spice package to 2 ½ c water and bring to a low boil.
Turn down the heat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Add 2/3 c of your milk of choice and 4 tsp sugar and bring to a heavy simmer.
Take off heat and add 3 T of loose black tea or 3 tea bags. Steep for at least 3 minutes.
Mix in ¼ tsp vanilla extract. (1 packet for 2 servings)

(The Joy of Vegan Baking)

Sparkled Ginger Cookies

4 T tubinado or demerrara sugar (regular sugar will work but coarse is best)
2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ c canola oil
¼ c soy milk
1 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. Place the turbinado sugar in a small bowl.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. In a separate large mixing bowl, mix together the oil, molasses, soy milk, sugar and vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and combine well. Roll into 1-inch balls, flatten into 1½-inch-diameter disk, press the cookie tops into the turbinado sugar and place 1 inch apart, sugar side up on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, let cool on cookie sheets for 3-5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

(Vegan with a Vengeance)

Spiced Banana Chips

2 T vegetable oil
2 T light brown sugar
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
½ tsp chili powder
2 c dried banana chips
1 c pecan halves

Preheat oven to 325 line baking sheet with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray.

Whisk together oil, brown sugar, five-spice powder, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, salt and chili powder in medium bowl.

Add banana chips and pecans halves and toss to coat with spice mixture.

Spread banana chips in single layer on prepared baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes, shaking pan to toss mixture at least once during baking. Cool in pan completely before serving. Store up to 1 week in airtight container.

(Vegetarian Times)

Lottery: Aven