About me
I majored in children (am the mother of four grown children) with a minor in cats (two at any time).
Have traveled a little: Sweden (country of heritage and many cousins) New Zealand., and USA.
My hobbies are hiking, photography, sewing, and gardening. I love listening to books on my ipod, especially Teaching Company college courses. Favorite reading is on history, literature, science and religion. Dickens, Thackeray, and Dickinson are my favorite novelists.
I took care of my mormor (in my home) until she died at 96 and morfar (in their home) until he died at 91. After Mormor died 2 1/2 yrs ago I started working for a home builder and continue there to present. My husband and I also own our own manufacturing business.
I snowboarded until a couple of years ago, (lift tickets got too expensive) and now have taken up biking. My trip to NZ was a hiking trip on the south island which included the Routeburn Track. I hope to go to Greece,Turkey and of course back to Sweden.
Antiquing is a passion that I have had to curb but I love silver, pressed glass, fine glassware (anything that sparkles and shines) Hall Rose Parade, Shawnee, and this year I started a wax choir boy and girl candle collection. They remind me of my childhood.
I collect books and have a large collection of recipe books including mormor's 1950 Betty Crocker and mother's 1965 Better Homes and Gardens. I haunt the thrift stores for recipe books and have a The Dinah Shore Cookbook,1983, A Thousand Ways To Please A Husband with Bettina's Best Recipes, 1917 and The Breakfast Book, 1987 by Marion Cunningham. One of my favorite breakfast recipes is for Pfannkuchen from the pre 1997 Joy of Cooking. (Leaving it out of the 1997 edition colored my view of that book and though I have it I hardly open it preferring my worn 1972 ed.) When that recipe tunes out perfect it is like a little taste of heaven. I serve mine with Cascade Berry sauce. Fabulous.
Two publications that are must reading, in my humble opinion, are Taunton's Fine Cooking and Cooks Illustrated. Great recipes, reviews and techniques.
Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; and all good things are yours. Swedish Proverb.
My Favorite Foods
My mormor and mother were both excellent bakers and I love Swedish breads, cookies, and rolls.
Fortunately, before my mother prematurely died, I took the time to make recipes of her breads and rolls (her only measurements were some of this some of that on the counter top, mix until it feels right). My prized recipes from her are Mjukkaka (a soft flat bread with fennel) and Pepparkakor (thin ginger cookies) My goal is to make my own cookbook for my children so they have the recipes they remember from me and my mom.
I remember mormor making dough for deep fried donuts and my sister and me stealing little pinches of dough because we loved the yeast taste.
While deserts are my specialty but now days I am looking for new, lower fat things to make and experimenting with old recipes to reduce the calories in them.
Groups
