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traditional swedish meatballs recipe

Ole and Lena were eating dinner when Ole yelped and exclaimed…”Lena, vat did ya put in da food, it’s dam spicy!”. Lena said “Dat neighbor down da street gave me something and told me it would make da food da best food we ever had. Cripes, I knew he vas no good.” Ole…” What vas da spice?”. Lena…”Pepper.”

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And that, my dear friends, sums up the whole spice profile of Swedish cooking. Okay, so there IS pepper and salt used in Swedish dishes. But that’s about all the spices good, traditional Swedish dishes have. They tend to be very bland by most other cuisine standards.

How do I know this? Well, I worked in a local cafe for quite sometime as a teenager in a MN town called Mora. Mora is all things Swedish. Mora is the home of a gigantic Dala horse, and a Mora clock commemorating the town’s Swedish roots. Mora’s sister city and namesake is Mora, Sweden. Mora DOES Swedish. And that little local cafe I worked at knew how to cater to its locals! Which meant it knew Swedish dishes inside and out.

At that cafe, I learned how to make many a Swedish dish. Yes, even lutefisk. Gah!! Try getting that smell out of your clothes!

(traditional Swedish Meatballs require grated or minced onion, not chopped. )

AND…AND…Nate is 1/4 Swedish. I remember when we first married and I met his great-uncles Raymond and Russell. They were 100% Swedish, spoke Swedish, cooked Swedish, and one was dressed in overalls every time you saw him. And they were huge, tall men. Nate’s grandpa and these great uncles were children of Swedish immigrants.

Quite a few years back Nate’s great-uncle was becoming too elderly to stay in his home by himself and wanted to clean out some of his belongings. I was utterly thrilled to be able to get one of the trunks that traveled with the family on the boat from Sweden. That, along with an original Swedish hymnal and Bible are treasures in our home. The stories and history those items have must be incredible!

(soak your breadcrumbs in the milk for a few minutes)

Nate’s parents stick to meat and potatoes, salt & pepper as the only spices, and lots of cream in their dishes. Standard Swedish cooking. I am often looking for the salt and pepper shakers when we are at their home for dinner. The Swedish roots are strong with those two :).

Swedish Meatballs have their roots as leftovers. No really, it’s true! The meat came from whatever scraps of meat and fat were leftover from the week, and then ground. Which is why Swedish Meatball recipes feature a blend of multiple meats. Onions were readily available because of the ease of storing them in the winter. Breadcrumbs were the leftover pieces of bread that had become stale or not used. And cream? Well, what is a Swede without good cream?

Truly, Swedish Meatballs are the ultimate in leftover use!

Why did they cook them in a pan, you wonder? Well, I’m thinking that they weren’t terribly concerned about perfect ball shapes for their leftovers. AND…ovens. Yeah, they weren’t quite as available, in that time, as a plain ol’ fire or cooktop.

Traditionally, Swedish meatballs use the scrapings of the pan with a bit of cream and flour added to create the gravy that you pour on them. And, of course…serve with potato puree and lingonberries.

Notes about Swedish Meatballs:

Chilling the meat mixture for about an hour will help the balls hold together while cooking.
Traditional Swedish Meatballs are soft in texture, this is normal.
Balls that are only 1 inch in size is traditional. Probably because of how quick they were to cook.
Traditional Swedish Meatballs aren’t really balls. More like triangles. They are cooked on a side and then turned, resulting in more of a triangle shape. Perfect.
Traditional Swedish Meatballs are rather bland, almost sweet (because of the nutmeg) in flavor. Feel free to adjust the recipe as you prefer.

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Easy Thai Curry Recipe

After a long, hard day I want to be able to come home and make my family a tasty, nutritious dinner without a whole lot of fuss and muss. Fast, easy, AND relatively nutritious is what I’m asking for. Repeatedly I turn to this simple and fast Thai curry recipe to get supper on the table.

I’m a midwestern girl and not in any way an expert in curry. At all. But, I DO like to eat it and have tried many, many curries in my 37 years. So I know this one is tasty. The way my family and friends consume this stuff in gallons is further confirmation :).

Start with a bit of hot oil in your large sauce pan and add some chopped onion. Cook that for a couple minutes until transparent.

Add all of your additional ingredients, bring to a low boil, and boil gently for about 7 minutes or until your broccoli is tender.

My secret ingredient?

brown sugar.

It adds sweetness and counters the bite from the spices. If you aren’t a Swedish Midwest girl you may want to leave it out completely. But if you shy away from spicy foods adding the brown sugar might be that secret something you needed to know!

I want to lick off the screen! I could eat this Thai curry recipe for every single meal for every single day. Gosh, I love the sweet and spicy of this stuff. The coconut milk is rich and still gentle for the lactose-intolerant. Mushrooms bring heartiness, broccoli adds perfect green texture and bamboo shoots are a great crunch.

Tip:

Try microwaving a potato or sweet potato, cutting it into quarters, and adding it at the end of the cooking time.

Fresh basil torn and added with your other ingredients is utterly amazing in curry. Use a couple of leaves to give your curry a delightful fresh flavor!

If you need to stretch your curry and don’t have any more coconut milk, use chicken stock. It will add the needed liquid without sacrificing flavor.

The perfect curry broth! I could slop this stuff up all day.

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Wonton Shrimp Tacos

There is one thing I HATE about writing recipe posts. Only one thing that I HATE about these Wonton Shrimp Tacos…

You can’t taste it for yourself!

I can try to tell you how fresh and light these are. How the shrimp is perfectly spiced and the coconut coleslaw is sweet and smooth under the avacodo corn salsa that has the PERFECT amount of lime to counter those spicy shrimp. I can try to tell you how fast these make up (about 30 minutes for 24)… you really can’t believe it!

There just is no way to explain. None.

You have to try these.

These are a fast, easy, and beautiful appetizer that would be utterly fantastic for Game Day! The little cups are fashioned from pressing won ton wrappers into a greased cupcake pan, spraying them with cooking spray, and baking them for about 10 minutes. Cute, crunchy, and mini…perfect!

The shrimp is tossed with salt, lime, and hot sauce and placed into the oven along with the won ton wrappers. They only need about 5 minutes in the oven to cook up perfectly.

Note:

Sure, you can use already cooked shrimp. Simply toss them up in the same seasoning and set aside. I prefer to cook mine because I find the flavor is intensified and stronger. Don’t stress about it though, these are so good that using already cooked shrimp is JUST FINE.

Next up is the coconut coleslaw. And I know you are dreading this and worried about ingredient lists and time. STOP! It’s SO crazy simple you’ll be making it all the time for all the reasons you can think of!

Using coconut milk in place of traditional milk or cream makes this coleslaw MUCH kinder to many diets. Never mind the fresh and smooth flavor the coconut milk adds. Yeah, never mind that J.

Again with the worry. This avocado corn salsa is EASY!!! I don’t even use fresh tomatoes unless I really, really want to. A can of diced tomatoes works just fine.

Tip:

Because we are using frozen corn and diced tomatoes instead of fresh be sure to pick up the best version of both that you can. I like to grab the white and gold frozen corn and organic petite diced tomatoes.

Yes, you do have to dice a few avocados’, cilantro, and an onion. But that takes all of 10 minutes. This salsa is worth it!

With all of your ingredients put together it is simply a matter of combining them into the wonton cups. A pile of creamy coconut coleslaw on the bottom, top with fresh avocado corn salsa, and then press a spicy shrimp on the top. Delicious!!!

Tip:

If you like, go even further and drizzle a bit of sour cream, buffalo mayo, or another of your favorite taco sauces on top of the shrimp.

TIP:

These will stay fresh for many hours if kept cool. However, I recommend making the pieces separately and putting the cups together closer to the necessary time as possible. That will help keep the wonton cups crisp.

I personally think these would be a fantastic appetizer served alongside a Bloody Mary cocktail. Can you just imagine how gorgeous?

For the Game Day Party you are throwing for the guys…go ahead and sub out the fresh salsa with prepared salsa. Those guys won’t care. Serve them a wonton shrimp taco at the beer tasting table and you’ll be a hero!

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Coconut Date Cheesecake Bars

We are talking all about sweet and decadent desserts this month in preparation for Valentine’s day coming up in not too long. I’m a firm believer in having one piece of AMAZING dessert once in a while instead of little bites more often. Our minimal lifestyle is all about having less so that we can have BETTER. Even in desserts.

This coconut date cheesecake recipe is heavenly! Although it’s a decadent and sweet dessert it is still packed with nutrients and vitamins. Hey, if you can use ingredients that are full of good stuff why on earth would you settle for packaged crap? Yeah, I thought it was a good question.

My crust is made up of ground nuts and dates instead of the traditional graham cracker butter concoction. This makes for a sweet, earthy, and rich crust that is packed full of flavor and the perfect place to add additional nutrients and vitamins.

I stick with the traditional mix of coconut and condensed milk for the coconut filling. It’s classic for a reason. Because… delicious!

I use this no-bake cream cheese filling for many, many recipes. It tops my no-bake cheesecakes, cinnamon rolls, carrot cakes, and even spice bars. It’s sweet, creamy, tart, rich, and the perfect silky texture for a multitude of purposes.

For this purpose, I cool the coconut/date layers before topping with the light and fresh cheesecake topping.

Invite a few friends over, bake up these bars, make some boozy coffee, and enjoy your life! A little dessert is good for the soul.

Coconut Date Cheesecake Bars

Date crust:

1 cup nuts (I recommend 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/2 cup almonds)

1/2 cup dates

Coconut Layer:

1 (14 oz) package sweetened coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk

No-Bake Cheesecake Layer:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup honey

2 8 oz packages cream cheese

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Finely chop the nuts and dates. (tip: this step is faster and easier using a food processor) Press the mixture into a greased 8 by 8 square pan.

Mix the coconut and sweetened condensed milk together. Pour 3/4 of the coconut mixture over the top of the date crust (reserve 1/4 of it) and gently press down.

Bake the coconut layer and date crust in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Cool (setting it in the freezer while working on the cheesecake filling is often more than enough time to cool).

Pour the remaining coconut mixture onto a parchment paper lined (a greased pan will also work) cookie sheet and press to about 1/4 inch thick. Bake in the 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until lightly brown.
Cool, crumble, and save for the top of your bars.

Meanwhile, for the no-bake cheesecake filling beat the powdered sugar and cream cheese together until light and fluffy.

Add the honey, vanilla, and whipping cream.

Beat on high for 2 minutes.

Pour the cheesecake filling over the cooled coconut and date layers and spread gently. Top with the crumbled coconut bits.

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours prior to serving.

Makes 9 man-size bars or 12 women-size bars.

butternut soup recipe

This is the most basic butternut soup recipe I know. I realize that for some it is too basic. But, you can always jazz it up if you like. I am a big believer, though, that when learning to cook you should know the basic recipe BEFORE the fancy pants one.

I don’t peel and dice the butternut squash. Instead, I have everything in one giant pot. gasp! .And…I have only 9 ingredients…that includes the salt! But, this is the truest, most simple Butternut Soup recipe I know. (If you have other great ones…shoot them my way!

Yummy yummy yummy! We serve ours with a dollop of sour cream and a bit of cheddar cheese. Okay, let me know when you have tried this!
If you all have some other fun variations on Butternut Soup, let me know! This family would eat it all year!

[yumprint-recipe id=’244′]Speaking of good recipes…did you check out the Creamy Radish Soup Recipe?
And, here is one of my favorite soups. LOVE my Gourmet Mushroom Soup!

slow cooker chocolate cake with frosting

I’m a busy working mom, like many of you, and adore recipes that use real ingredients to create delicious, simple, and fast treats for my family. Although you have seen versions of a slow-cooker chocolate cake that use a cake mix and pudding mix, can I encourage you to try making this recipe instead? I would love you to take the extra few minutes to use real ingredients that you have touched and measured for yourself. This chocolate cake is ridiculously fast to make and will become a family favorite that you are happy to get in your crockpot before you head out to work, schedule it, and have it ready to be eaten after dinner or for your kids when they get home from school.

This chocolate cake is utter magic. Magic because it is utterly decadent and rich, magic because the frosting is created while the cake cooks in the same pan!, but magic mostly because this delectable cake is made in the slow-cooker!

I often question the practicalness of some slow-cooker recipes. Especially the ones that are for 3 hours and then done. Or for 2 hours and then you add something and cook for an additional 2 hours. Isn’t the idea of a slow cooker to allow you to set supper up to be cooking while you are working? Who the heck works 3-hour shifts? Eh, it must just be me that doesn’t see the value in 1400 Slow-Cooker Recipes.

(You are going to start to stir the batter and want to yell at me that something is wrong. There isn’t. The stuff is thick! Just stir it gently with a wooden spoon until the giant chunks are gone and call it a day. Put it into your greased slow-cooker and let the magic work. It works out, promise!)

This recipe I get. When I eat this cake with it’s built-in frosting I understand why slow-cooker recipes exist. In the 3 hours this cake is cooking, the frosting is cooking up too. It SELF FROSTS itself. No really…when you cut the cake, you automatically get frosting! BAM!

But is it good? I have had my share of slow-cooker recipes that I didn’t think were worth the trouble. They were only so-so. But this. THIS is mouth-watering! I use a couple of special ingredients to keep this cake rich, full of flavor, and lighter in calories. It isn’t light and fluffy like my homemade chocolate cake instead, it’s rich, fudge-y, and dark. THIS is the cake I use for ice cream sundaes, coffee dates, and regular appearances on the meal menu.

Stout.

Using a dark, rich alcohol like stout allows me to remove the milk from the cake recipe, quite a bit of the sugar, AND contributes a wonderful rich flavor to the cake. Using stout works fantastic for this slow-cooker recipe because the slow-cooking time allows that alcohol to foam and bubble to the top of the cake, mixing with the sugar and chocolate, and creating a delicious frosting.

Nutella.

Now, you can use peanut butter (this is better for the calorie count!), almond butter, or cookie butter in place of Nutella. However, for the richest and most decadent flavor, and when making this for your kids, use Nutella. Obviously :).

(Do NOT stir in your boiled stout topping. Simply pour it on top and leave. Really. It all works out.)

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Cranberry Rosemary Orange Scones

These Cranberry-Rosemary-Orange scones are sweet, tangy, and delicious!! The orange glaze is just the icing on the top (get it — Icing on the top! :))Be sure to get this recipe!

Is there anyone in the world that doesn’t have a love affair with scones? I doubt it. Scones are sweet and buttery and light and flaky all at the same time. Add to that their ability to meld all sorts of flavors into themselves and you have a breakfast pastry that can’t be topped for its versatility, flavor, and simplicity.

My favorite recipe uses a combo of cranberries and rosemary…a classic flavor duo…but with an added touch of orange. The orange keeps the scones light, fresh, and fun. And the orange glaze drizzled on TOP of the scones? Oh. My. Gosh. It’s bright and packed full of flavor. You’ll be licking off the tops of your scones.

Wherever possible, when using orange and rosemary…use fresh. It’s tempting to pull out dried herbs and zest for baking, but the flavor you get from the fresh ingredients really is the best. The extra two minutes of chopping rosemary and zesting a lemon will be worth it.

Note:

Did you know that smelling citrus boosts your feel-good hormone in your brain? True story.

It’s important to use cold butter when making scones so that you can achieve that beautiful buttery and flaky pastry.

Why cold butter?

When the butter melts in your dough while baking in the oven it creates little pockets where steam expands and helps the dough rise. If you have butter that is melty before you get to the dough to the oven, you lose those pockets of gas expanding, leaving you with a denser, less fluffy scone.

Tip:

Freeze your scone dough for an hour or so before baking to get the ultimate in light and flaky scones!

Don’t get crazy with forming and rolling your scone dough. The less you handle it, the better. Simply pat it into a circle about 9 inches in diameter, as evenly thick as you can get it, and slice it into eight pie wedges. Then bake.

Sure, those scones will come out of the oven ready to be shoved into your mouth. Frankly, you might not make it to the glazing step before you find yourself minus scones. I would highly recommend baking these up when your family isn’t home. And if they are home, DON’T turn your back.

Off topic…

Have you played the Super Mario board that has the little ghosts that will attack you if you turn your back to them for too long? As long as you are looking at them they stay where they are but the minute you turn your back… BAM! My family is little ghosts when I’m baking in the kitchen. DON’T TURN YOUR BACK!

Anyways, you can feel free to use purchased orange juice for the glaze but since you already of the fresh orange to grab zest from why not use fresh orange juice? It really will make a huge difference!

You think that I’m crazy with the vodka addition to the glaze, don’t you? Try it sometimes and you’ll be a believer. Vodka adds a wonderful kick to the glaze that cuts a bit of the sweetness from the scones out, in the best possible way.

Plus, everything is better with alcohol. It’s truth.

ingredients.

For scones:
3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tab grated orange peel
1 tsp rosemary (just used dried, it’s easier)
3/4 cup chilled butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup cold buttermilk (for a quick substitution, see below)

For glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tab vanilla
2 tab vodka (optional)

directions.

For scones:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Put flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, orange peel, and rosemary into large bowl.
Add butter and mix into flour mixture…gotta use your fingers! You want it to look like crumbs.
Mix in cranberries.
Gradually add buttermilk, use fork to stir until it gets mostly mixed together (it will still have clumps!).
Put the dough onto a floured counter and knead a few times so it sticks together. About 4-6 times.
Form the dough into a circle about 9 inches in diameter. Cut into 8 wedges. (if you have time pop the wedges into the freezer for about an hour)
Put the wedges onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes.

For glaze:

Mix all ingredients together.
If necessary, to achieve needed thickness add more powdered sugar.
Drizzle the glaze on top of the cooled scones.

To make buttermilk :

Put 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup milk.
Let sit for about 5 minutes.
Wa la! Buttermilk.

poor man’s Beef Wellington recipe

I call this recipe the poor man’s Beef Wellington because it’s, well, for poor people :). Like me. Rather than using an expensive steak this wellington recipe uses easy to find, inexpensive ground beef. But don’t be fooled…it is utterly delicious and decadent. This recipe is one of my husband’s favorites and I pull it out for Valentines Day, anniversaries, and the occasional Sunday evening.

Puff pastry is every cook’s favorite secret helper because it’s utterly delicious AND speeds up prep time.

Poor Man’s Beef Wellington

(this recipe makes 8. 1/2 the recipe for 4)

2 beaten eggs

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

4 tablespoons crushed saltine crackers (or bread crumbs)

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cream

3 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, chopped fine

4 cloves of garlic, minced

8 ounces baby bella mushrooms

1/2 cup red wine (or grape juice)

1 teaspoon basil

mozzarella cheese (optional)

2 sheets of puff pastry

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix first 6 ingredients together well. Set aside.

In a large saucepan melt butter. Add onion and mushrooms.

Cook on medium high heat until mushrooms sweat and onions are translucent.

Turn down to medium while you add the garlic, red wine, and basil.
Turn the heat back up to high and continue to cook until reduced. Remove from heat. Cool.

Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

On a lightly floured surface lay out pastry sheets. Cut each sheet into 4 squares

Spread mushroom mixture across each square. Top with thin layer of mozzarella cheese

Put 1/2 cup of meat mixture (formed into flattened balls) on top.

Pull corners up over meat and pinch edges together. (don’t worry if this is tricky, it is for everyone…it isn’t just you!)

Put the bundles on a cookie sheet with seam side down. Cut small slits on top and brush the tops with cream or beaten egg.

Bake for 30-40 minutes (at 400 degrees) or until golden brown and meat is cooked through.

Serve with brown gravy

(I like to add 1/2 cup of red wine to the gravy, it adds so much to the flavor of this recipe!)

Santa hat brownies

These Santa Hat Brownies have a great story attached to them, which I just have to share with you. Before I do, though, I want to make sure you know they are legitimately good brownies. They are made from a box mix, but they are a great activity to share with your kids (or someone else’s) leading up to Christmas. This is one of those activities that you just go buy the supplies for and wait to create until that time when boredom sets in. Or there’s a snowstorm. The instructions for their creation is at the end of this post if you don’t want to hear the fun story attached.

Now the fun story:

So, sometimes I have brilliant kids. Sometimes their stupidity astonishes me. If you have kids, grandkids, or have seen kids in the store…you understand. I recently had each of those moments, and at the same time. One child behaved astonishingly brilliantly, the other just made me shake my head.

You see, my Levi desperately wanted a Kindle Fire. He seemed to be of the impression that if he had his own tablet he would be allowed to play games on it as often as he wanted. He thought that I wouldn’t enforce screen time (no electronics on weekdays, etc., etc.)

silly child.

But that’s another story. Anyway, we wouldn’t buy one for him. I know, mean parents. But if he saved his money, we said he could get one. $160 (or whatever it is) is A LOT of money for a pre-teen.

Katie felt bad for him. She wanted to be a good sister, a hero. She wanted to help…or so she says. I think she was just being brilliant. She offered to loan him the remaining $60 he needed. He was sooo happy. She was sooo willing. I was unaware of any of this. She shows up with a paper and hands it to me.

“Read this, you are a witness”, she says to me.

“Levi hereby agrees to be my peasant until he has paid off the $60 dollars he owes me. He will do whatever I say, whatever I need to make me happy. He cannot complain or say no or I will take away his Kindle.”

I read. I gave legal advice to Levi that went like this…

“DO NOT SIGN THE DOCUMENT”.

He signed. He got the Kindle. He is finding cats, bringing tea, doing chores, giving massages. And decorating Santa hats for his sister.

Brilliant and Stupid.
In one fell swoop.

Okay, now you can have the recipe for these Santa Hat Brownies.

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3 ingredient Popcorn Balls [Lazy Baker]

I say Popcorn Balls you say…

HARD!

I say Popcorn Balls you say…

HARD!

You, my dear lovelies are wrong.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Okay, maybe I’m being a bit childish. But I’m right and you are wrong. Bam!

Yes, aLOT childish.

That’s it. That is all the ingredients you need for these cheater popcorn balls.

Prepared Popcorn
I’m using Fudgy Peanut Butter Popcorn and Cinnamon Roll Carmel Corn both from Tastefully Simple
1 bag of large marshmallows
4 tablespoons butter

You simply act as if you are making a batch of marshmallow treats. Melt the marshmallows and butter together in the microwave (I start with 60seconds and stir, then 20 second intervals after).

Stir about 32 oz of prepared popcorn into the marshmallow mixture. Stir well!

Tip: It helps to use a rubber spatula that is slightly damp or sprayed with cooking spray to help it not stick to the popcorn.

Use your hands (again with the tip…damp hands!) and squish that gooey popcorn into balls. Squish them pretty hard, even to the point of hearing some crunching, to ensure they will hold together well.

Wrap them up with some plastic wrap and set them aside for Christmas munching. Or gifting. Be sure to experiment with different kinds of popcorn and additions. Try adding peppermint bits, sprinkles, dried cranberries, and even bits of candy!

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Tastefully Simple’s Blog has alot of easy recipes and simple entertaining solutions you will want to check out for your Holiday parties and dinners! And, of course, we have plenty more recipes using their great products!