Lets talk about Swedish Meatballs

I love Swedish meatballs and so do my kids. When looking for a recipe I went straight to the source! My friend Marie who is, of course, from Sweden. I asked and she provided a very basic and easy recipe. There are fancier ones out there but this one does the trick every time!

500 g Ground beef (you could use the mixed pork and beef if you like)
1 Egg Yolk
400 ml Cream (divided)
2 small onions
Salt and Pepper
* optional nutmeg or mace

Cut one of the small onions into tiny pieces, this will go in the meatballs

Add meat, egg yolk, onion, salt, pepper and enough cream equal to the size of the egg yolk
     (between 1-2 Tbsp) you could add a dash of nutmeg or mace to the meat

Mix well, I do it by hand

Fry the meatballs in a pan (add a pat of butter if you need)

Remove the meatballs and set aside, drain all but a Tbsp of the fat

Cut the other onion into strips add to the grease in the pan, fry until soft

Add cream (you could add a dash of nutmeg or mace here)

Add salt and pepper

I cook on a light simmer for 1/2 hr, cooking longer is not a problem, watch the cream that it doesn't boil or simmer away, you can reduce it down to thicken it.

I serve mine with noodles!

Update!!!
I had some other Swedish friends chime in on my post and I would like to add their input here:

Eva, Johanna and Magdalena uses a whole egg and no cream for her meatballs

Monica supplied me with her recipe as well:

500g mincemeat (50/50 pork mincemeat and beef mincemeat.)
0.5 dl breadcrumbs (for a lighter texture)
2dl milk (or cream if you are feeling fancy) 
1 medium onion, finely chopped or grated, sauteed to golden
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste.

Mix breadcrumbs, sauteed onion pepper and salt. Pour over the milk and stir well. You want a soft slurry. Add the egg and stir. Mash your mince into the mixture until well blended. Make meatballs and fry them in butter.

Let's talk about corn chowder

OK folks, time for a taste of home. At least for me. A summer favorite that I have been making for a long while.

Corn was a summer staple on our supper table growing up. Normally butter and sugar but sometimes some silver queen. Didn't seem to matter how many people were at the house we would boil up a dozen ears at a time. Extra, if there were any, I would make into corn chowder. Again a recipe that I played with a million times changing out ingredients and making it just the way I like. So today I have whipped up a batch and written out as I went along so I can share with you ( my whopping 5 readers, lol).

Ingredients:

2 Ears Corn
1 Small Onion (yellow, diced)
50 gm Bacon (or salt pork. In Germany we have Schinken würful which is small cubed bacon)
1 1/2 c small diced Potato (red potatoes are best)
500 ml Milk ( I used 1.5% but whole is fine)
200 ml Cream
Butter
Salt
Pepper

Instructions:

In a med pot add a pat of butter
On a med heat add the bacon, you want to sweat out the fat
Cut the corn off the cob (You can cook the corn first but there is no need to. If you do not the kernels      stay crisper)
Add the kernels and cook for 5 to 10 min Add butter if needed.
Make a hole in the center of the pot, add a pat of butter, add the onion
Stir after about 2 min and keep cooking until the onion has softened
Add in the milk, the cream and the potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook without boiling until the potatoes are soft.

Play with the recipe as you like. Hope you enjoy!

Let's talk about Fried Chicken

It took me forever to find a way to make fried chicken that I like. A little spicy, not too greasy, soft and juicy, with a crisp coating. I am still experimenting with flavors because, well, it's what I do. What I have stopped mucking with though are the basics.

1: Salt and Pepper the chicken! (You can add extra spices here too Like Tony's, hot sauce, paprika)

2: Soak in buttermilk for at least 4 hours. I normally soak mine overnight.( You can add hot sauce to      the buttermilk as well if you want spicy coating)

3: Spice your flour. At least use salt and pepper in it. I tend to toss in garlic powder as well, maybe          some Tony's.

4: From buttermilk to flour. Do not drain or scrape off the pieces! Just coat well. Make sure                      everything is completely coated and there is a dry coating over all of the piece

5: Set on a wire rack for 1/2 hr. (heat oil in this time) This really binds the coating to the chicken. (if        you do it on a plate or flat surface besure to well flour the surface first so the coating doesn't stick)

    Do not let the pieces touch!!! They will stick together.

6: Test the oil to make sure its hot enough. A small ball of the coating. It should immediately sizzle.

7: Place breasts and thighs bone side UP! Legs don't matter. Fry for 10- 15 min. 

    DO NOT MOVE THEM AROUND! Just put them in and let them be, Flip them over and fry for        another 15 -20 min. 

8. Remove chicken to paper towel. If frying in batches keep warm in the oven while the next batch is cooking. Or precook and reheat the entire thing in a 375f oven for 15 - 20 min until heated through.

Let''s talk about comfort food

shall we?

Comfort food means something different to everyone. It is as individual as we are. What do you take comfort in? What food wraps you up like a hug? Makes you close your eyes and transports you to somewhere or somewhen else? For me it isn't always just the food item, it is sometimes the circumstances around it. I love a good cup of hot chocolate but that first sip on a cold day after I've been outside for any reason is just magical. It is every winter of my childhood, coming in after sledding and finding hot chocolate on the table for me made by my gram.


Comfort food for me isn't just about what I eat, it is also about what I make as well. I don't know who else might share this feeling. There are certain dishes that when I get to make them just make me feel good. Especially when I get to share them. I love to make chicken parmesan. It was my mom's favorite thing for me to make. Every time I was home I would make it at least once. In her eyes it was a troublesome dish with lots of effort. For me that effort was love. I enjoyed the process and what I enjoyed even more was her appreciation of it. Her first bit was a hug for her as well as for me. Now when I make it I want to share it, because that is what that dish is all about for me. I never make it just for me, and I rarely make it for the kids and me, but if I have company, that is when I bust it out. Or if I visit someone's home and offer to make dinner.

I suppose you could say that food is a love language of mine. If I cook for you, I am saying I love you. If I make an effort for you, I am saying i love you. If you tell me how much you enjoyed or appreciated it, what I hear is, I love you too.