Swedish St. Lucia Traditions

Every year I look forward to December 13 - St. Lucia Day.  Probably because my ancestral heritage is half Swedish, her day is extra special to me.

If you've followed my blog for any amount of time, you've doubtless read one of my many posts (including yesterday's) about this beloved saint - aka "Saint Lucy".

Past Posts:

• Children's books about Saint Lucia
• Our Family Remembrances
• Photoblog: How to Make Lucia Buns
• St. Lucia Procession: A Crown of Light

Today I'm sharing a tried-and-true recipe for Lucia buns - "Lussekatter" - and a tongue-in-cheek short video you can watch while the "Lussekatter" rise.  Enjoy!

LUCIA BUNS
Ingredients:

• 1 cup melted butter
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 pkg. dry active yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
• 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t. cardamom
• 2 eggs, well-beaten, plus one egg white
• raisins or currants to decorate

(Prep time: 120 minutes.  Bake time: 15 minutes)

Procedure:
Heat milk to a light boil, turning off heat when it reaches the scalding point (with small bubbles across the top). Stir in melted butter, sugar, and salt.
Pour mixture into mixing bowl and allow to cool until “finger-warm” (still quite warm, but just cool enough to touch).
Stir in yeast and let sit for 10 minutes.

Add cardamom to 3 1/2 cups flour; mix flour into liquid. Stir in two well-beaten eggs. Add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough (just until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You don't want to add too much flour).

Transfer dough to a large greased bowl and turn to coat all sides. Cover with a clean towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down risen dough. Lightly knead two or three times on a floured surface.
Pinch off small handfuls of dough (about 2 1/4") and roll into long "snakes." Shape snakes into "X"-shaped buns or other desired shapes.

source

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover with the towel again, and allow to rise until doubled (about an hour).

Decorate buns with raisins, brush with egg white, and bake in preheated 375º oven about 15 minutes, just until brown. Yield: 20  [SOURCE]

VIDEO: Swedish Lucia for Dummies
Whether you're familiar with this Swedish tradition or are being introduced to it for the first time, this slightly irreverent and very humorous short video won't disappoint...


And don't forget a special literary day coming soon - Jane Austen's Birthday on December 16th.  Have you entered my GIVEAWAY?

go HERE to enter

It's All About Cranberries Over Here!

It's a Cranberry Thanksgiving again on my blog - and at my table!

I am in awe of these little powerhouse fruits - their vibrant red jewel-like tones, their health benefits, and of course their lovely tart flavor.
  

Today I'm recommending the same Thanksgiving read as in years past, Cranberry Thanksgiving.  

Cranberry Thanksgiving is the story of a young girl named Maggie who lives with her Grandmother near a cranberry bog in New England. Maggie and her Grandmother traditionally each invite a guest to their Thanksgiving feast. But this particular year, Grandmother almost loses her secret recipe for cranberry bread to one of the guests.

You can check out the book's lovely illustrations - and the cranberry bread recipe from the book - here on the  Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves blog. 

This year I've got a new cranberry sauce recipe to share.  The last time I blogged about this book - and cranberries - I posted a recipe for a spiced zinfandel cranberry sauce  (go here for that one). Today's recipe utilizes your crockpot!

I adapted this year's Easy Crockpot Apple-Cranberry Sauce from Dara's Cookin' Canuck blog - here). It's got six ingredients: cranberries, apples, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and crystallized ginger. Mmmm...My mouth has been watering all afternoon in anticipation!

You  mix the simple ingredients all together (except for the ginger, which goes in later), put them in your crockpot, and give them a stir once in a while.  Eight hours later, you have cranberry sauce! Easy. Peasy. You're welcome!

I plan to reserve some of the sauce to pour over a log of goat cheese and serve with crackers as an appetizer (might even stir in a little chopped cilantro, green onion, and lime juice).  The rest will be put in a pretty cut glass dish to go with the turkey...

Easy Crockpot Apple-Cranberry Sauce

Gather and prepare:
4 medium Gala apples - cored, peeled, quartered and sliced

1 (12 oz.) package fresh cranberries

1/2 c. coconut sugar (or brown sugar or sucanat)

1 t. orange zest

1/4 c. orange juice

1/8 c. crystallized ginger, chopped (add later)
1/2 t. cinnamon (optional, add later)

Assemble:

Pour orange juice into the bottom of a large crockpot.

Put sliced apples and fresh cranberries into a large bowl and toss with sugar and orange zest.  Add to crockpot, and cover with lid.

Turn crockpot to LOW, and cook for about 8 hours.  Stir occasionally, breaking up apple slices and cranberries with a wooden spoon as they soften.

When done, stir in crystallized ginger (and cinnamon, if desired).  Taste, and add an additional tablespoon or two of sugar if desired.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

I Survived the Cutting of the Spaghetti Squash...So Bring On Those Literary Pumpkins!

October likes to tease us with hot weather here in Southern California, just when the grocery stores are starting to stock an abundance of pumpkins and other fall vegetables, er, fruits. (Did you know that pumpkins are actually berries?!)

"I'm a what?" gasped Harry.
photo source

Despite the heat, I thought I'd share a cozy fall recipe that I made a few days ago. During the short-lived cooler temperatures we had last week, I went to the market and bought a large spaghetti squash to roast for a yummy pasta-less lasagna.  

I wrestled the huge squash for quite a while in my attempt to cut it in half and scoop out the insides. Quite scary, since my big butcher knife kept getting stuck deep down in the dense yellow flesh.

Luckily, it turned out beautifully for our dinner, and I've shared the recipe below (at the end of this post).  Next time, I think I'll just buy two smaller squash - which are much easier to cut then one large one.  

Do any of you have some squash-cutting tips...or better yet, pumpkin carving tips?  Because it's time for my annual round-up of Literary Pumpkin and Party Ideas that I've gathered from around the internet.  (You can find even more ideas on my "Pumpkin/Turkey/Fall Time" Pinterest Board.)

Here's to a BOOkish HALLOWEEN -

OCTOBER IS PUMPKIN TIME:

Click here for "OCTOBER IS PUMPKIN TIME"

featuring pumpkin books by Tasha Tudor and others, for ages 4-8

BOOK OR TREAT:

Click here for "BOOK OR TREAT: LITERARY PUMPKINS"

for OZ, Jack Skellington, Cinderella, and Edgar Alan Poe inspired pumpkins!

BOOK OR TREAT 2:

Click here for "BOOK OR TREAT 2: INTO THE WOODS"

for some not-too-scary Halloween/Fall/Woodland Party ideas, 

costumes, and pumpkins.

A STORYBOOK PUMPKIN PATCH:

 Click here for my "STORYBOOK PUMPKIN PATCH" post...

full of Book-O'-Lanterns (pumpkins carved up to look like favorite storybook characters!)

WELL-READ PUMPKIN ROUNDUP:

Click here for my "WELL-READ PUMPKIN ROUNDUP" -

Fun costumes, pumpkins, and parties based on classic children's books.

LITERARY THEMED HALLOWEEN
PARTIES FOR 'TWEENS AND TEENS:

Click here for "LITERARY THEMED HALLOWEEN

PARTIES FOR 'TWEENS AND TEENS"...

Sherlock, Steampunk, Sleepy Hollow, Edgar Alan Poe, 

and OZ themed parties and pumpkins.

Now for the promised recipe:

SPAGHETTI SQUASH - LASAGNA STYLE

Ingredients:

2 small-medium sized spaghetti squash*

1 T + 2 t. olive oil, divided

1 onion, chopped

1 shallot, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/4 lbs. ground turkey

1 jar chunky marinara sauce (Trader Joe's)
2 T. tomato paste, to thicken sauce

1/4 c. chopped green olives
1 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. dried thyme (or a few sprigs of fresh leaves, stems removed)

1/2 t. dried basil (or 1 T. fresh, chopped)
1/4 t. dried rosemary

1 c. ricotta cheese

1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

*Depending on the size of the squash halves to be filled, you may have extra sauce.  It can be frozen or refrigerated to reheat for another meal.

Preheat oven to 400.  Line cookie sheets with foil.

Squash Preparation: 

1. Slice squash in half length-wise; scrape out seeds.  

2. Rub 1/2 t. olive oil into each of the 4 squash halves.  Season with salt and pepper.

3. Place squash face down on cookie sheets and bake for 30-50 minutes (to test, flip over the squash and squeeze halves gently - you'll know they're done, when the middle is soft.)

4. Set aside when done.

Meat Sauce:

1. Meanwhile, saute onion, shallots, and garlic in 1 T. olive oil over medium heat until soft. 

2. Add ground turkey, cooking until no longer pink.  Drain off fat.  

3. Add jar of chunky marinara sauce, sliced green olives, and herbs.  When sauce begins to bubble, stir in 2 T. tomato paste, reduce heat, and simmer 5-10 minutes.

To Assemble:

1. Spread about a 1/4 c. ricotta cheese into the bottom of each right-side up squash half.

2. Spoon meat sauce into each half, mounding it a little bit.

3. Sprinkle 1/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese onto each of the four filled squash halves.

4. Switch oven setting to "broil", and place the cookie sheets in the oven.  Broil for about 2 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.  (Watch closely!  It browns quickly!)

To Serve:

Scoop out about 1/2 a lasagna-filled squash for each person - or if the squash are  really small, just eat right out of the squash half!  I serve this with sauteed spinach.  YUMMY!

WELL-READ PUMPKIN ROUNDUP

Check out this Cheshire Cat Pumpkin!
(source:  Weiss Guys)

Each October I look forward to finding literary themed jack o'lanterns and bookish costumes to share with you for Halloween.  (And at the end of this post I've also included some pumpkin-themed treats!) 

Where the Wild Things Are Halloween

Wild Thing (from Alpha Mom)

source 

Max (from Pottery Barn Kids)

Wonderland Halloween

I'm LATE! (from Weisse Guys)

One more: Alice grew! (from Misha Lulu)

Willy Wonka Kids' Costumes

(from Le Petit Arbre)

An Oompa Loompa with Mr. Wonka

Peter Pan

Costume tutorial on Make it and Love it

Harry Potter

Cute (and easy!) - source

(from Spearmint Baby)

You'd have to be a professional to pull this one off!
source - Tumbler

NOW FOR THE PUMPKIN-Y TREATS...

So easy - tissue paper and floral tape!
(source here)

Tangerine Pumpkins (and Banana Ghosts)

Pumpkin Spice Buddies recipe

Mommies:  CrockPot Pumpkin Spice Latte
(recipe here, from Stephanie O'Dea)

More (Non Scary) Halloween Fun...If you've followed my blog for very long, you know I like to find ideas that are family friendly and book themed for Halloween -- like a "Storybook Pumpkin Patch", "Literary Themed Parties for 'Tweens and Teens",  "Book or Treat", and "Literary Pumpkins".

Go to my Pinterest Board for more ideas and recipes.  Happy Fall!

An Apple a Day...

Go to my past post, here, to read about this book that is
a geography and cooking lesson in one!

I hope you're all enjoying apples being in season as much as I am!  (Honey Crisp are my favorite variety.)

Try making one of these yummy apple treats this fall, and enjoy the Robert Frost poem at the end of my post.  (More recipes here).

Apple Peanut Butter Stack [source] 

Hollow out apples, bake with cinnamon, butter, and
sugar inside.  Cool.  Add ice cream and caramel sauce.
[source: Pinterest]

After Apple-Picking

by Robert frost

My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree

Toward heaven still,

And there's a barrel that I didn't fill

Beside it, and there may be two or three

Apples I didn't pick upon some bough.

But I am done with apple-picking now.

Essence of winter sleep is on the night,

The scent of apples: I am drowsing off.

I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight

I got from looking through a pane of glass

I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough

And held against the world of hoary grass.

It melted, and I let it fall and break.

But I was well

Upon my way to sleep before it fell,

And I could tell

What form my dreaming was about to take.

Magnified apples appear and disappear,

Stem end and blossom end,

And every fleck of russet showing clear.

My instep arch not only keeps the ache,

It keeps the pressure of a ladder-round.

I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend.

And I keep hearing from the cellar bin

The rumbling sound

Of load on load of apples coming in.

For I have had too much

Of apple-picking: I am overtired

Of the great harvest I myself desired.

There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch,

Cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall.

For all

That struck the earth,

No matter if not bruised or spiked with stubble,

Went surely to the cider-apple heap

As of no worth.

One can see what will trouble

This sleep of mine, whatever sleep it is.

Were he not gone,

The woodchuck could say whether it's like his

Long sleep, as I describe its coming on,

Or just some human sleep.

 [SOURCE: THE POETRY FOUNDATION]

Russian Pascha Treats for Bright Week...

Ilya Kavernez - Joyous Resurrection - source

Today I'm sharing my recipe for Russian "Sweet Pascha Cheese", a traditional Russian treat put into Easter baskets and served at Pascha and during Bright Week to accompany "Kulich", a delectable sweet bread (click here for the bread recipe).  There are lots of authentic Russian Pascha Cheese recipes out there - this is a fairly simple one - "tried and true" - that was passed along to me by a friend who has made it for years.

PASCHA CHEESE INGREDIENTS:

3 lbs Farmers Cheese (or Ricotta)

1 1/2 lb. unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 pints whipping cream

2 T. + 2 t. vanilla extract

4 c. granulated sugar

5 egg yolks*

Procedure: (Do this a week in advance)  1- Gather all your ingredients before you start.

2- Line 6" clay pots with 2 layers of cheesecloth, letting the edges hang over so you'll have extra to cover the top when you're done.  (You'll need at least four 6" clay pots - or you can mix 6" and 3".  I ran into trouble because this recipe made so much and I didn't have enough pots - luckily, my daughter had some mini ones that we filled!

3- Beat the butter, vanilla, and sugar until light.  Add egg yolks one at a time, beating until creamy. Add farmer's cheese until blended. (The eggs in this recipe are uncooked - go here to decide if you're comfortable with this.  If not, there is a version of the recipe without eggs here.)

4- Whip the cream in a chilled bowl, until soft peaks form.

5- Fold in the whipped cream to incorporate it with the cheese mixture.

6- Pour into prepared pots and cover with the over-lapping cheese cloth.

7- Put all the pots in the refrigerator, placing a saucer (or weight) on top and paper towels or a pan underneath, so any extra liquid can drain out.

8- After 5-7 days, the cheese is ready to un-mold.  Note: You can put it on a plate with edible flowers or strawberries around the edge.  We made a bunch of pots - a large one to share at our church celebration and some smaller ones to give away and enjoy at home! Here was the finished product - it tasted like cheesecake!  Symbolism: Cheese is something Orthodox Christians fast from during the 40 days of Lent.  White symbolizes the purity of Christ and the Joy of the Resurrection!

Bears Like Marmalade - And So Do I!

My daughter has a great sense of humor:  she found this jar of Robertson's orange marmalade on Sunday when we were in the L.A. Arboretum Gift Shop, and bought it in honor of my "Golden Jubilee" 50th Birthday...

Paddington Bear's "GOLDEN Shredless" (no zest) Orange Marmalade.  You have to check out the Robertson's website - it's so cute!

If you remember from my last post, the fifth of the Paddington chapter books, Paddington at Large, published as a first edition in the U.S. in 1963 - one year after its British debut - will also turn 50 this year! Go here to the Paddington Bear Official Website for a brief synopsis of each chapter and to see a list of all 13 novels (and lots of other fun stuff).

Paddington Bear has charmed readers with his fun misadventures and love of marmalade since 1958. Many new shorter stories have been written as board books for little ones, but for the true charm of the stories, make sure you try the originals when your children are old enough for chapter books (either as read alouds, or to be read on their own).

With my new gift, I think I'll try making some Orange and Cranberry Tea Sandwiches that I recently found on Pinterest.  The recipe is from Southern Living Magazine, March 2012.

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Dearis Pursell - source

Ingredients:
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans 

Preparation: Stir together softened cream cheese, dried cranberries, orange marmalade, and pecans.  
Spread on: pumpernickel bread; add thinly sliced smoked turkey and fresh arugula between slices of bread.
Cut sandwiches into triangles (crusts optional).

Enjoy with hot or iced tea.  Do you have any good orange marmalade recipes?