Lefse a Lef-se-ccess!

Each year I attempt to make one of the greatest (well in my own opinion anyway!) Norwegian specialties that my own Mom and Grandma's always made. My Aunties still do! It's something that takes practice to get it just right. I've been trying for more than 8 years to get it right!

Lefse! (n. lef-sa) It's made from potatoes, butter, sugar, milk (or heavy cream), salt and flour. You roll it out as thin as a sheet of tissue paper (making sure to use flour to prevent sticking), transfer it to a hot griddle with a long flat stick and fry it on both sides. Once it's been fried I lay it flat between dish towels to cool and keep from drying out. That's the basic idea.

I remember helping Mom or either Grandma with this as a youngster. They would roll it out and get it on the griddle and I got to flip it over with the stick. There were always so many potatoes cooked and ready for lefse making that it would take several hours to get it all done. But they always made sure to make a lot as it was always a holiday favorite! Mom or Penny and Sharon(my Aunties) and Grandma M. would spend many hours together at times to make it all at once and keep the mess confined to one kitchen. It does get messy with the flour seeming to find a way all over the counter or floor and even on the person rolling it out!

{I was going to put a link on here for people to refer to get a little more history on it. But whatever I pull up gives me an error for some reason and my computer doesn't like it, hence I have issues and need to restart it! Anyway.......I did see one that had nice pictures of the necessities for this project that were for purchase before the little error message came up!}


There are many ways of serving lefse as well. Growing up we would put butter and our choice of white or brown sugar on it. Some people left the sugar out all together. Over in Norway some eat it with cinnamon, peanut butter or even syrup. At our Moberg family Christmas gatherings at Grandma and Grandpa Moberg's, the girls used to help prep the lefse for each meal. We would stand and butter 50-60 or more pieces. Then we'd put brown sugar on a bunch, white sugar on the rest and roll up each piece and put them on plates. One plate had brown sugared lefse and another had white sugared lefse. They were piled high! It saved time as people could go through our buffet style line and just pick up a piece and move on. Otherwise each person had to fix their own and hold up the line! Who has time to wait on a smorgasbord such as ours?

During my own lefse-making project I took pictures of the mess I had and actually emailed them to someone I work with. He had never heard of it nor seen it. So I thought I 'd share them with you. It turned out so well that I'm going to make more before I leave for ND and take it with me. We'll definitely eat alot of it!

Rolled out and ready to fry.

One side has been fried and the other is almost done. See the stick that's used to flip it over, laying just to the right of the griddle?

Another piece ready to fry. The rolling pin has a cotton sleeve over it. It helps prevent the raw potato mixture from sticking to it.


Many pieces of lefse all done! Each round is then cut in half or sometimes quartered, prior to serving.

Lefse is available in some grocery stores (I think in the freezer section?). And if you ever have a chance to try it, please do. It's never as tasty as the home made versions but you'll know what it's all about!

2ND December Blizzard of 2009! Really????

Got snow?

This year I had it all planned out. My days off coincided with the holidays. I tacked on a couple of vacation days and managed to get 6 days off. I was going to ND for Christmas! Woo hoo!
Then the forecast showed snow coming up from the south, aiming directly for the Midwest. And not just for Nebraska. The Dakota's, Iowa and Minnesota too! It was a huge storm that was packing a big punch. The weather guys said we'd get roughly 10-14 inches. SD was supposed to get 14-18 inches. Really? Again? We still have a lot on the ground from the last blizzard just a couple of weeks ago.
My odds of getting to ND were getting worse with each day that passed. I awoke on Thursday the 24TH and knew I may not get to go. We were getting freezing rain that would eventually turn into snow. I went to work and only stayed until 10:30. My intent was to go home early and maybe get out of town before the brunt of the storm hit. But after hearing how bad the roads were in SD and ND, I had to relent and make the decision to stay home. The winds were also blowing the snow around and making visibility terrible. It would be taking too many chances on the interstate systems closing down and my having to stay somewhere I didn't want to if I did leave now!
I made phone calls to Kevin's and Dad's. They weren't having much better weather. And the worst of it hadn't even gotten there yet. We will post pone my trip a couple of weeks. I happen to be on vacation the first week of January. Hopefully Mother Nature will show a little compassion and keep the weather calm.
So I spent Christmas Eve at home, all cozy with a fire in the fireplace. I had been to the grocery store earlier and stocked up because I had let things run out being I was supposed to be gone! It was a good cold day for chili. It cooked most of the afternoon in my slow cooker. I ate lefse afterwards for dessert along with many other goodies I had made! I will freeze the rest so that I can take it with me to ND in a couple of weeks. But I will make more lefse and maybe more peanut butter fudge before then. My Christmas Eve was quiet for me. I caught up on some recorded programs on the DVR. And I was happy that I didn't have to try to go to work the next morning. As it turned out, all the flights for SWA here in Omaha were cancelled on Christmas day! Those that did work only had to plow and shovel snow around our gates and the equipment. Easy day for them!

Yesterday after the weather let up a bit, I went out and tackled the snow and shoveled my driveway. Note to self; BUY a snow blower! But before I did any shoveling I had to take photos.

Early in the morning I took this one looking out the front door.

Looking at the front door. All snowed in!



The garage had a huge drift in front of it. I stood next to it and it went over my knees.

My deck.

More snow was forecast to come down on Christmas night. So I knew I'd have to shovel again the next day. Now don't get me wrong. I do love the snow and also love having a white Christmas. But this is getting ridiculous!

I know many other people had to cancel travel plans because of this crazy weather. But I hope that everyone had a great Christmas despite the predicament it left us in. Happy new year!

Ronald McDonald House

As I've written about it before, the Ronald McDonald House is one of Southwest Airlines biggest charities. Back in November, we held a Thanksgiving dinner for the residents. I just recently received the pictures below from one of my co-workers so I didn't get this posted at the time.

We had a record number of employees attend. Even though there were many residents staying there at the time, not many were at the dinner. They were either at the hospital or in their respective rooms. By the time the night was over, we had 14 employees there! In all the years I've been volunteering for these meals, I've never seen that many there! It was great!

Aside from having the main course catered, the employees brought all the other side dishes. There was a huge spread to choose from: Sweet potatoes, salad, rolls, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, ham, baked macaroni and cheese, corn, many pies and brownies. I'm sure I forgot something!

The spread of food!!!

It's so fun to sit and talk with the people that are staying there. A huge map is posted on the dining room wall and the names of the families staying there are tacked to the respective state that they are from. It's amazing how far away they come from to receive treatment at one of our local hospitals.

Twice a year we visit the RMH. One time in the summer for a BBQ and again in the fall, usually in November for a dinner such as this one. But they take donations at ANY time of the year. It's strictly a non profit organization.

It really makes you realize how lucky you are to be healthy. The majority of the residents there are children. Many of them just babies. Many of them have oxygen bottles or IVs that they have to carry with them even though they aren't at the hospital.

Employees and residents alike enjoying the big meal.

A little blurry....but here I am with two other ramp employees and a resident at the end of the table.

Employees in attendance....prior to others that came after work.

I encourage you to read the web site I provided above on this remarkable charity. It's definitely worth the time. Any type of donation you can give is appreciated. They not only take monetary donations, but they also need items to support daily living. Food, paper articles, bedding, kitchen items, etc. It's all needed!

Have a great holiday and a blessed new year!

"The Letter"

Westside Church in Omaha is one of the nicest church's in the Omaha metro. It is large and has a huge worship area which includes a balcony to accommodate the many people that attend.

I've never been there for worship but I have been there for several other events. This one and this one. The stage is bigger than any I've ever seen in a church. The sound system is awesome and they even have large video camera on a boom that they can move around to get the best position for taping possible, depending on what's happening and where it's happening on the stage or in the audience.

Now I suppose you've already figured out where all this is going. Last night (December 11TH) I attended the church once again but this time it was to see the annual Christmas Pageant that has become so well known and popular throughout Omaha and the surrounding communities. I work with a lady that attends the church and she was able to get tickets to the pageant. I went with another girl from work, Lisa. This year it's called "The Letter." From what I've been told, the story is told each year but in a different way.

This year it was told like this:
The good old days....recollections and events of Christmas past that continue to shape Christmas today. Memories of a South Pacific Island in 1942, of a friend giving his all, a husband home safe and sound. Meet a multi-generational family living life together in the busyness and excitement
of a Christmas Eve day.....until a letter arrives from the past that changes everything for the future.

For this story, live animals are brought into the church. I'm not just talking about cows or horses. There were two huge camels that were escorted down one aisle and back up another. Following them was a man with pooper scooper supplies! But I'm not sure he had to work too much. There was also a donkey, a couple of lambs, and some bunnies. (not sure why the bunnies were included) It was like being in Jerusalem.

Part of the story had soldiers that were discussing being home for Christmas. They even had a few very loud fire works go off inside the church! It scared me and I can't imagine what the elderly went through after they went off!

Above the audience angels came floating down from the balcony to the stage and came down to earth. Later in the performance, and from another side of the stage, 3 other angels came floating above the crowd to hover over head and tell the story. The church has 2 zip lines and it looked very real to see the angels soring above. I wish I could have taken other photos during the performance. But it wasn't allowed. It was a very moving show.

The music was beautiful and the acting superb. Everyone involved in the entire production was a volunteer. The costumes and decorations were unbelievable. My writing about it does no justice to just how awesome it truly was.

There are two big screens in the church that show a closeup of what's happening during the performance. Before the show started, the screens were showing all the sponsors of the night.

The set was set up with very meticulous detail.

Here it is again in color.

The far left of the stage was where a family told the story. A Grandfather that had come home from the war in 1942, his great-grandkids with their TVs, lap top computer and a cell phone the Grandpa doesn't understand, and their Mom wishing her husband would make it home in time for Christmas from the service.

I can't wait for next year's program. People I work with have attended in the years past and have told me that it's a great show every time they go. From what I understand, once the current show is completed at Christmas, they begin writing and planning the program for the next year. It's a long process.

Seeing these types of performances definitely makes you remember why we live the great lives that we do. Christmas is the time to stop the daily routines and take time to focus on spiritual gratitude. I hope you have a blessed Christmas and a safe holiday in your travels.

December Blizzard 2009

What a week it's been here in the Midwest city of Omaha, NE. We have gone from 58* a couple of weeks ago to having wind chills of -15*! Not to mention the snow we received along with the cold air!

It started on Sunday. We got some snow that day but the heavy stuff wouldn't move into our area until mid-day or evening on Monday.

The results of our Sunday snowfall. Not bad and it made things look nice. These are in my front yard.

Still, the temps plummeted on Monday and the wind made it colder yet. Monday evening more snow began coming down and continued over night and into the next day. It got so bad and was coming down so fast by noon that events around town were soon getting cancelled. The prediction was for between 7 and 10 inches all total. We definitely got all of 10 inches if not a little more. I set my alarm for earlier than normal anticipating having to shovel a bit and maybe pick up a co-worker. Shovel I did! I opened the garage door and saw a drift that had blown in front of it that went over my knees. (I know....I'm not very tall! But it was a lot!) I moved enough snow that it wouldn't hold me up and then had to leave. The front door sidewalk was very full as well. Pretty but not fun when I need to leave for work!

Part of my driveway in front of the garage door.

I proceeded to back out my garage. It wasn't a challenge at all. But when I looked back at the driveway and saw how deep my tracks were, well. Let's just say that it's a good thing I have 4 wheel drive! The tracks were quite deep! I had to pick up a co-worker and she had to walk a few blocks from her house to a main road that had been plowed. The freeways were very well cleared and we had the road to our selves! No problem!

We knew that once we got to work we wouldn't have any flights to work as several had already been cancelled the night before. So we wouldn't have any flights until roughly 8 AM. But I had taken my camera to work anticipating seeing lots of snow which would make awesome pictures. Here are a few:

The snow drifted out from the terminal under one of our jet ways and encircled our baggage carts and tugs that were parked nearby.

More drifts (at work) that had built up over night.

Once we got through our day of wind driven blowing snow and frigid temperatures, we made our way home. But not until we stopped for Chinese food to eat that night. I was too worn out from all the shoveling and cold air to take time to cook. All I wanted to do was sit!
However I knew that I would need to shovel at home too. So I started out on one side of the driveway and my neighbor whom had been out using his snow blower came over and got rid of the large drift on the other side of the driveway. I came close to singing praises to him for helping me out! After using my ice chipper on some stubborn spots, I decided it would do and the sun would have to melt the rest. But I had to take some pictures. Check them out....

My driveway

The snow even covered my porch.....unbelievable. Notice that some of my lights are covered as well on the bottom of the rail.


The snow drifted over my light bulb stakes too. Some of them barely showed through all the snow!


The snow enveloped my house from both sides.




My sidewalk...almost a tunnel!



Notice the decorations from the 1st photo above, the lighted packages, are not showing! They are buried! You should see them in front of the porch.

It's been cold ever since the blizzard. School had been cancelled for 3 days and many people had problems getting to work. But I made it every day. Yea.

I also have a few videos that show just how hard the wind was blowing the snow around. This is the most snow we've had in December for quite some time.
Christmas will seem like Christmas for sure this year! And no shortage of the white stuff either!

My Favorite Things

This time of year is usually my favorite time. The transition between year round inside house decorations and the Christmas holiday decorations occurs. I get my storage boxes and tubs out from under the cob webs and shuffle through all the contents inside. You see, in order for me to remember exactly what's in each container I have to do that. But it's fun to remember each item and where it came from as I pull things out from their protective coverings. This year however, I've only put a few things out compared to last year. I won't be here on the actual holiday as I'm traveling to ND to be with my family.
Our weather here in Omaha has been nice and mild this past week. I had planned on hanging my outside lights during the weekend. However, I left work early on Saturday and ended up being sick with a 24 hour stomach flu. Don't ask me why I got it. But I did! So that took care of that nice day. I had no choice but to wait until yesterday. It was yet another beautiful day outside. My entire day was spent cleaning, rearranging the living room furniture and putting Christmas decorations out for display. Once I get in this mode, there's no stopping me. I find my favorite holiday music station on the TV, turn it up so that I can hear it all over the house, and set to work.
I continued with my inside tasks until I thought I better go outside and hang the lights before dusk. All my lights are stored in a big rubber maid tub in the garage so it was easy to just open it up and pull things out. I found my ladder, hung the lights from the gutters, set lighted presents on the ground, put over-sized lights on stakes into the ground and hung lights over my porch railing. Then I found my extension cords and connected them all together. There aren't many houses in my cul-de-sac that actually decorate the outside of their house. So it's nice to drive home at night and see mine and my neighbor's house across the street all lit up!
Then it was back into the house and continue with my cleaning. I moved down to the basement and put a few things up down there.
But it was soon time to think about cooking something to eat. Besides the fact that my body was beginning to cringe each time I moved another box or tried to vaccuum something else, I was getting hungry! I hadn't eaten much all day.
But I had accomplished what I had set out to do. And it was only the 30TH of November! I must tell you that I had also heard the forecast for the remainder of the week. It was going to get much colder and windy. So I knew I had to get the lights up when I did or it may not get done at all!
But I'm ready for Christmas. The scents of my holiday candles fill my house each night. I hope to do some baking next week and get some of my gift shopping done as well. We'll see how it goes!