Trettende dag jul, 13th Day of Christmas

It is the 13th day of Christmas and the holiday is officially over. I started last night to put away my creches, and have continued today with the angels, the snowmen, the cds, books, stockings and all my other collection. It feels sad and empty and at the same time it feels good. The house is back to normal and it is tidy. Instead of a basket filled with Christmas books I have now filled the same basket with garden books. It is still snowing, will it ever stop(?), but I have a dream of spring somewhere far ahead.

To celebrate "trettende dag jul" or epiphany, we have eaten the last lussekatter from the freezer. Warmed in the oven, and they are good as new.

You find the recipe for lussekatter through this link

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When I was pregnant with my second son, 25 years ago, I had to stay in bed for several weeks. During that time I discovered Misa Criolla, and since then it has been among my favorite music. I am playing it tonight while having coffee and lussekatter, and a very nice fire in the hearth.
And I am reading today's mail. Nice letters and cards from friends around the world.

About having a food blog

Some days I ask myself what I am doing with a food blog. Am I pretending to be one who knows how to cook and bake or what? There are so many food blogs out there, how can I believe that what I scribble down, the photos I show, the recipes I share, can be of any interest at all to other than myself?

I wonder if I shall stop food blogging, or if I shall close my foodblog down. It takes alot of time keeping up with all my blogs, and my family keep on teasing me when I line up our food for photos...........

But I keep on. Year after year. At least I have some recipes to show my children, I say to myself. The boys both have kitchens of their own, they call me from time to time asking how to cook this, how to bake that. May be I shall gather some of my recipes and make them a very special "Recipes, with love from Mum"-book?

Still I keep on food blogging. If you are once smitten, it is hard to stop. And then things happen. I get comments, I get emails. Questions. How do you do this? I like your blog? How do you make that? You have inspired me to start blogging, come and have a look....... And I know that food blogging has become a part of my life I will not leave behind.

Like when I write a post about our first Christmas cookies, and people from around the world take time to contact me, to comment, to help me with the words I don't know in English. UP, an extra Thank You, for the link which explains hjortetakksalt

Balisha, you have asked me about the colouring of the cookies in my previous post. It is so simple. We drip a few drops of food colouring into an egg glass, then we use the back of a match stick, dip it in the colour and use it as a paint brush. Good luck!

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The recipe for these kokosmakroner, you ask? Well, I shared them last year. Take a look here.

Delfiakake, joy and activity

Our house is brimming with activity, joy and happiness these days. Torgeir is home from Australia, father in law has travelled 1000kms to celebrate Christmas with us, Øystein comes home for meal and chatters, Ingrid's boyfriend has not yet left to spend the holidays with his family, friends of Marta frequent the kitchen........
Terje and I gather our energy, count our blessings and feel thankful for every precious moment. I know I will be exhausted when January comes, but believe me, it is worth it.

My soon to be 85 years old father in law is the best cook I know, and he never wastes a chance to pass forward his talents. Sitting in my studio writing this, I have the door open, and from the kitchen downstairs comes the enchanting fragrance of fresh cookies. He, Marta and Marit are baking "brune pinner" ("brown sticks").
The Blue Café is busy these days, but there is always room for one more around our table.

The photo shows my "delfiakake",

made from the same recipe are the puffed rice balls.

Never too much chocolate

Our Christmas preparations go on. I should have spent all aftenoon today writing cards and letters, but first I wanted to create some nice smell in the house to set us all in the right pre Christmas mood. I have a sweeth tooth and can always manage one more chocolate, and of course nothing tastes like some home made ones. I wish I could teach you all some Norwegian today, as I am not sure if I have an English name for all the ingredients needed to make these rice balls. But I will try :-)

Puffed rice balls

300g dark chocolate

4tbsp dark coffee

250g coconut oil

2 eggs

3tbsp sugar

puffed rice

Melt the chocolate in the coffee. remove from the heat and add the coconut oil, let it melt. Mix egg and sugar and add to the chocolate.

Add puffed rice

Form the chocolate covered rice till balls.

Cool

Can you understand my recipe?

When I made coffee for the rice balls I mad a whole pot, and in the mail today I got the December issue of Food and Travel. Letters will have to wait.

My traditional fruitcake

Baking for Christmas has finally started in The Blue Café, and as always, first out is my traditional fruit cake. I have baked it every year since 1988, some years I have made several to give away as Christmas gifts, but this year it will be only one I think. The name fruitcake can be a little misgiving, as the fruits are mostly figs, though this year I also used a special nut which is called "paranøtt" in Norwegian - my dictionary can't help me with an English name.

Terje was busy in the kitchen most of last night, making fruit juices (from berries from the freezer), so it was late when I finally could start baking, and the cake was finished just before I went to bed. Too late to taste it then. But this morning I had a piece for breakfast, with "brunost" (brown goat cheese - we Norwegians almost live on goat cheese,LOL)

Why is it that Christmas cakes always taste better before Christmas?

fikenkake

200g butter

200g suger

3 eggs

200g white flour

1 tsp baking powder

(a small glass of liqueur - I used cherry)

250g figs

Mix butter and sugar well, Add one egg at a time and mix well. Mix flour and baking powder, and the liqueur and diced figs.

Bake at 175C for about one hour.

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Do you have a fruitcake recipe to share?