Beginner's Luck

It's pretty common knowledge that I love baking and cooking.  Growing up I remember helping Mom in the kitchen all the time.  That included the holiday baking.  She used to get out her lefse griddle and she'd roll out rounds of a potato mixture and put them on the griddle to fry.  Usually Dad would be her helper and turn the lefse from one side to the other in order to fry both sides evenly.  I helped occasionally as well.  It was an art to roll that stuff out; years of practice in order to get it done nicely!  My Grandmother's, Aunts and Mom would even get together at one of our homes and make loads of it!  It's a treat that is usually made for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  After my own Mom passed, I decided I'd try my hand at making it and I have her lefse griddle and utensils.  I've been practicing for years now on how to get it right.  Each year it gets a little bit better.  I listen to tips from my Aunts and tweak my recipes or try something a little different each time I make it.  I think I've almost got it! 
Well, my sister Cathy has never made it.  So I told her we would make some while she was visiting.  That way she could take it home with her and have it all to herself!  I showed her the recipes I have and she made copies of them.  Then I had her roll it out and fry it.  Susan and the girls have all learned how from the Sons of Norway lodge that they belong to in ND. 



Cathy working away at mixing the dough.



Her first round on the griddle!



Suzanna frying a very tiny lefse!  Abigail watching Cathy roll out another round.

 Suzanna was Cathy's helper by turning the lefse for her.  When Cathy tired out from all the rolling, Susan took over to try her hand at the art. 


Susan turning her round. 



It was fun to watch and Cathy was very proud!  She now can make lefse!  But first she'll have to get herself the proper tools in order to fry it! 
Later in the day, Cathy and I decided to give Suzanna her birthday present.  Her birthday is the 30TH and we wouldn't be with her on the actual day.  She will be a teenager!  Thirteen years old!  So we had her open her gifts from us that afternoon.

That night, Kevin set to work again in the kitchen.  Each week back home in Dickinson, ND, he prepares a Scandinavian meal on Saturday nights.  He prepared Bergen Easter chicken and cucumber salad.  Susan helped by making roasted vegetables: parsnips, rutabaga, potatoes and carrots, drizzled with roasted garlic infused oil and later topped with balsamic vinegar.  The whole meal was scrumptious!  Along with that we ate more lefse.  Here is Kevin's description of the entire meal. 
In case you haven't figured it out, we Moberg's eat a lot.  There is never a shortage of food when we all get together!