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STRAWBERRY JUICE and BREAKFAST CRACKERS Several years ago, we
spent eleven months in Finland. It was during that year that the
first Moomintroll children's book, written by Tove Janssen was published.
In iambic pentameter it told the story of a fictional character
named Moomintroll running with a can full of milk through the dark
woods to his mother. After a series of mishaps and adventures, Moomintroll
arrives at home only to find that the milk had "curdled and
had set". SALMON AND WILD RICE PIE As we head into the
"busy" season, it always is a help to me to have a few
ideas tucked away for holiday entertaining. Pies filled with salmon
and wild rice not only are festive and delicious, but they’re
versatile too. Make them little for appetizers ? by filling little
rounds of pastry with the mixture just like filled cookies. You
can freeze them either before or after shaping, but in either case,
serve them hot out of the oven. OFF THE CHART GRILLING In the lazy, hazy, crazy
days of summer….or so the song goes… I just want the food
to come to me without entering the kitchen heat chamber. Well, it
just doesn't happen that way but there are shortcuts and alternatives.
A great way, is to turn to grill cooking, but after a series of
"salt and pepper" my taste buds are ready for more exciting
flavors. I can turn to recipes if I feel ambitious and have the
time, or I can go out and find something interesting. WALLEYE Fishing opener just "was". But that's just the beginning. A couple of my nephews proudly displayed a string of walleyes, one of the a whopping 7-1/2 pounds! When I think
about fishing, I can't help but remember the late Dr. Leppo who
was an avid fisherman. He fished summer and winter. In fact, he
told me once, while examining one of our children, "The Lord
will not count in your age the number of days you spent fishing".
MENU FOR SPRING - DANISH CONFIRMATION FEAST When we were
in Denmark about this time of year, visiting old country inns, it
happened to be "confirmation" time in every Danish village.
Confirmation is an important event in the life of a young Dane,
around the age of 13. Confirmation, along with the re-confirming
of one's baptism, is also a "right of passage" into adulthood
for each young Dane and one of the family responsibilities is to
plan the menu for his or her own celebration. STRAWBERRIESOF EARLY SUMMER This is the
time of year for stawberries - juicy, lucious, full flavored strawberries.
The kind that we go out to a "pick your own" farm take
home and enjoy immediately, still warm from the sun. I know a lot
of you like to freeze them right away, or turn them into jams and
jellies. But I hope that you save some to treat yourself to a good-sized
bowlful with fresh cream and a sprinkling of sugar. Before turning
them into jam my next favorite way to enjoy fresh strawberries is
to slice and sugar them and spoon them over shortcake. One of the
best quick and easy shortcakes is a recipe in my SCANDINAVIAN
FEASTS, for Almond-Cardamom Scones. Of course, the scones are
perfect with fresh strawberry jam, too! CUT COOKING TIME BY USING PREPARED SAUCES It's easy
to put those pretty bottles of gourmet sauces on display until they're
no longer good for anything. What a waste! I admit - I've done it
too! I've bought them in gourmet shops just because they look pretty,
and let them sit until they're totally useless while I wait for
the "perfect time" to use them. I've even given them as
gifts, only to find them still standing on display on the kitchen
countertop a couple of years later. I know, you hate to up something
so good looking. But, if you don't - they're gone forever and you've
missed the whole show! Rhubarb time again It's that miracle again. We know it's spring when we begin to get excited about rhubarb. One day it
looks like there's nothing alive out there. A couple days later
a pinkish knob pushes through the ground, and in a day or so, leaves
appear. A week later (we're talking Northern Minnesota here in the
middle of May), the stalks are six inches long. Mozzarella! Mozzarella! You'll want to shout it from the kitchen window when you discover how ridiculously easy it is to make fresh mozzarella cheese at home Fresh mozzarella
made by hand. Sounds complicated and expensive, doesn't it? Meeting
Martha About a mile
before the driver turned into the parking lot of the ``Martha Stewart
Living'' studio in Westport, Conn., I felt a shiver. |
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4244 Emerson Road, Duluth, MN 55803 218-721-3026