Spying Chef's Recipes

I am putting in this book foods that I've made over the years.  These have been proven to be well accepted and have been served to friends and guests with as much gusto.

The main ingredient of all the recipes in this book is love and the hope that the food I've served will have built strong bodies and clear minds.

With love to all my family and friends.

Toni

                      THOSE WHO NEED TO KNOW, KNOW 

14 CARROT CAKE
A FUNNY CAKE I BAKED ONE DAY FOR INGA IN EIRA 1974
A HAPPY HOME RECIPE
A NICE SUMMER DISH
APPLE NUT CAKE
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSAL ALL AMERICAN CAKE
BISCOTTI WEDDING CAKE
BULGARIAN SOUP
CABBAGE BOX
CARDAMOM COOKIES
CELERY HORS D'OEUVRES
CHEDDAR CHEESE SOUP
CHESTNUT CREAM
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES
COUSIN BESS'S BROWNIES
DAD'S POTATOE SALUD
DATE NUT LOAF
ELIZABETH'S 20TH BIRTHDAY CAKE
FINNISH BAKED MUSHROOMS
FINNISH CURRANT CAKE
FINNISH FISH SOUP
FINNISH MEAT PATTIES
FORGOTTEN COOKIES
GLÖGI
GRANDMA'S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
HAZELNUT COOKIES FROM GERMANY
HOLLANDAISE SAUCE
ITALIAN BEANS
ITALIAN STUFFED PEPPERS
JOULUTORTTU
KARJALANPIIRAKKA
LANTTULAATIKKO
MAYONNAISE CAKE
MAY'S ANZACS
MAY'S COCONT DAINTIES
MOM'S CORN BREAD
NEIMAN-MARCUS COOKIES
NO KNEAD BREAD
NORA'S BREAD
NORTIC TYPE
ORANGE RUSSIAN CAKE
PANCAKES
PANNUKAKKU
PAT'S 42ND BIRTHDAY CAKE
PAT'S BESY HOLIDAY EGGNOG
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
PIE DOUGH
PIZZA DOUGH
POTATOE SALUD
PRAYER BY SHEILA BROWN
PULLA
PUMPKIN PIE FILLING
RUSSIAN TEA COOKIES
SALLY'S CHOCOLATE
SNICKERDOODLES COOKIES

SUBSTITUTES

THE HEALTH COCKTAIL
TOMATOE SOUP CAKE
TURE ARA'S MUESLI
YEAST RECIPE FROM 1788

14 Carrot Cake

Feb 2, 1969, from Saimi Kuoppamäki

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups brown sugar
1-1/2 cups safflower oil
or 1/2 butter, 1/2 margarine; or all butter; or margarine
4 eggs
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup pineapple, crushed
1 cup chopped nuts

Sift flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon. Add (combine) sugar, oil, and eggs. Mix well. Add carrots, pineapple, and nuts. Mix well. Turn into 3 greased and floured 9" pans. Bake at 175 C for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool, fill layers, and spread frosting.

Frosting

Cream 1/2 cup butter, an 18 oz package of cream cheese, and 1 tsp vanilla. Beat in 5 tbsp powdered sugar, or more if desired. If too thick, add a little milk or pineapple juice.

Delicious.

A Funny Cake I Baked One Day For Inga in Eira 1974

Inga Thommesen was the daughter of the Norwegian ambassador to Finland.  She and her mother were my close friends.

5 cups flour
1-1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp + 2 tsp baking powder
2-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup oil
2 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 large bar chocolate

Frosting

2 boxes powdered sugar
vanilla
milk
butter

Bake in 2 pans

A happy home recipe

4 cups of love
2 cups of loyalty
3 cups of forgiveness
1 cup of friendship
6 spoons of hope
2 spoons of tenderness
4 quarts of faith
1 barrel of laughter

Take love and loyalty, mix them thoroughly with faith.  Blend it with tenderness, kindness, and understanding.  Add friendship and hope, sprinkle abundantly with laughter.  Bake it with sunshine.  Serve daily with generous helpings.

A nice summer dish

Ami Schmidtmann, sister of Kauko Kuoppamäki,
Eero's father

New potatoes
String beans
Onions
Salt and pepper to taste

In a frying pan, put a little olive oil in, add sliced onions, and cook until soft but not brown.  Add diced new potatoes and cut-up string beans.  Add a bit of water to steam cook them.  When potatoes are soft, but not mushy, it's ready to eat.

It's nice on a warm day and with a salad to go along with it.

Apple Nut Cake

From the International Multihull Races in 1970 in California.
A Hawaiian woman had made it and it was great!

2 eggs
1-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup oil

Mix sugar and oil, beat in eggs

Sift together and add to above: 1-1/4 cups flour, 1 tsp soda, 1 tsp salt.

Add 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup chopped walnuts, 3 cups chopped apples.  Beat all well together.

Bake at 175C to 205C for 30 minutes or longer, until apples on top center are soft.

Change to 1 teaspoon of baking powder unless you can find cream of tartar to neutralize the soda.

           Arizona State Universal All American Cake

From Nelson's mother. Nelson was one of the Mormon missionaries that formed our little English-speaking community while we lived in our row house at Malkapolku 1 E in Maunula, Helsinki, from 1974 to 1979.

Stir in a bowl:
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix in a pan:
1 cup margarine
3 tbsp cocoa
1 cup water

Bring to a rapid boil.  Pour on the flour and sugar.  Stir well.

Add:
1/2 cup sour milk
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
Stir well.

Use 9" x 18" x 1" pan, grease.  Pour the batter in it, bake at 200 C about 20 to 25 minutes.

Icing

Make about 5 minutes before the cake is ready.  (1/2 amount is already enough!)

Bring to a boil:
1/2 cup butter
3 tbsp cocoa
1/3 cup milk

Take the kettle from the heat, add:
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup nuts

Spread the icing fast on the cake--you KNOW don't you!

Biscotti Wedding Cookies

From the Gerrero family

(December 16, 2009)

Time: 65 minutes

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

1 cup sugar

6 large eggs

2 teaspoons anise extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon anise seeds

1 cup shelled, skinned hazelnuts , coarsely chopped

Nonstick vegetable oil spray.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream together shortening and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add anise extract and vanilla extract, and mix well.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together 4 cups of flour, cream of tartar and baking powder. Stir in anise seeds and hazelnuts. Gradually add to shortening mixture, mixing well; dough will be soft and sticky.

3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Using floured hands, lightly knead the dough, sprinkling with flour as needed until dough is soft but no longer sticky. Pat dough into four loaves a scant 1/2 inch high (they will rise when baked), about 3 inches wide, and 6 to 8 inches long.

4. Spray two baking sheets with oil, and place loaves on them. Bake until lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and cut diagonally into slices about 1 inch wide. Place slices cut-side down and return to oven to bake until undersides are light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn cookies and bake again 8 to 10 minutes until cookies are hard and golden brown on both sides.

Yield: About 4 dozen cookies.

Bulgarian soup

From Maria, an attaché at the Bulgarian embassy in Helsinki.

A good soup for a warm day.

Base: plain yougurt.

Add to suit taste:

Dill
Cucumber, cut up small
Onion
Chives
Paprika
Salt
Fresh garlic

Chill well.

Cabbage box

Saimi Kuoppamäki

Take 2 heads of cabbage; slice into strips. I usually cut the head in half, lay on flat side, and cut across every 1/2 inch. Put into a large kettle with water; add about 1/2 or 1/3 water. Boil until tender, but don't overcook it! Drain.

In a frying pan, cook 2 medium onions and 500 grams (1 lb) of meat together. Also don't overcook the meat, just until slightly brown.

Add spice - usually just salt and pepper - fennel gives a nice taste.

In a bowl, put the contents of 2 cream-of-mushroom soup cans and 1-1/2 cans of water; stir. Also, one can make mushroom sauce from fresh mushrooms and spices.

Everything ready, do so: Put a layer of cabbage in oven-proof bowl; a little meat mixture and mushroom sauce; cabbage, meat, mushroom, etc. You'll need a large bowl or 2 smaller ones. Last layer should be cabbage.

Bake in oven for 1 hr. Serve with cranberries. Wonderful. This food is better the next day.

Add spice - usually just salt and pepper - fennel gives a nice taste.

Guests love it. All the family likes it.

Cardamom cookies (German)

175 g butter
85 g sugar
1 package vanilla sugar
1 tablespoon rum or apple juice
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
250 g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 package dark chocolate glazing ,about 100 grams

Beat soft butter until fluffy with hand beater. Add sugar and vanilla gradually. Stir in rum and cardamom. Mix together flour, salt, and baking powder; add 1/3 to above mix. Sift remains of mixture on table top. Make impression in middle and lay in prepared dough in it. Cover the dough with flour; knead quickly to a smooth dough. Wrap in foil, overnight fridge. Take out in portions, into rolls the thickness of a finger; cut into pieces, 2 - 3 cm long. Lay on baking pan with paper. Preheat oven to 180 C; flatten raw dough with fork and bake for 10 - 15 minutes. When cool on rack, melt chocolate glazing, dip cooled cookie sideways. Let them drip and dry on rack.

Celery hors d'euvres

Saimi Kuoppamäki 1970

One large celery
One 8 oz. pack of cream cheese or 2 dl kermaviiliä
1 tablespoon chopped dill pickle
1-1/2 teaspoon drained pimentos
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
Chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon minced onion flakes
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
dash of garlic salt

Mix all well - chill - stuff.

Cheddar cheese soup

2 - 3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons finely chopped carrot
3 tablespoons finely chopped green pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped celery
(if no celery, use 1/2 teaspoon celery salt)
3 tablespoons flour
1 liter chicken stock
250 - 300 grams cheddar cheese
large glass of milk
salt
white pepper

(When I want a really rich soup I use 500 grams of of cheese.)

Melt butter, add vegetables, cook until soft but NOT brown, 6 - 8 minutes.  Add the flour and chicken stock.  Bring slowly to a boil until it thickens slightly.  Then reduce heat to low and simmer the soup partially covered for about 10 minutes; stir occasionally.  Now add the cheese by the handful slowly until it dissolves, then pour the milk in.  The soup should be as thick as heavy cream.  Now add more milk if needed.  Heat once more, but first add salt and pepper to taste.  I usually don't use salt; it's quite salty on its own.  Don't boil.  Soup is good warm or cold.

Chestnut Cream

From Adriana Soletti in Lido di Ostia, Italy.

Mother of Mario Soletti, an Italian student who injured his hands in 1970
packing gherkins at a factory in Sweden, and subsequently stayed
with us for a while and kept in touch after his hands healed.

Take off the first skin of the chestnuts and cook them in water with a little bit of salt. When the chestnuts are cooked (you can try eating!) you must take off the second skin and sift by a vegetable passer. After this you must weigh the pulp you got and add the same weight of sugar and a little bit of water (half a glass for one kilo) and put to cook again. Now it's difficult because when it starts to boil it also starts to splash and, as it is very warm, it can be dangerous. But if you have a wooden spoon with a long handle and make a small fire you can manage all.

You must boil 20 minutes, no more--maybe less; it depends on the liquid you add. At last you can add, if you like, 10 grams cocoa powder per kilo, turn the mass, and finish. You must wait until the mass becomes cold and put in a pot. If you want to eat it later pour on top a little cognac or whisky or something like that.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1-1/2 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 cup white sugar (can use 1/2 brown sugar)
3 eggs
1-1/2 cup shortening
3 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp soda
3/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups oatmeal
1 pkg chocolate chips 

Nuts and coconut if desired about 1 cup

Cream the shortening, sugars, and eggs. Add vanilla. Mix flour, baking powder, soda, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add to creamed mixture. Add oatmeal, chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut. Bake at 175 C for 10 minutes.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Makes about 6 dozen small.

Gather together

    1/2 C. Vegetable Oil
    4 sq. unsweetened cholate (4 oz) melted
    2 C. granulated sugar
    4 eggs
    2 tsp. vanilla
    2 C. Flour
    2 tsp baking powder
    1/2 tsp. salt
    1 cup powdered sugar 

Mix oil, chocolate and gran. sugar
Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed.
Add vanilla

Seperately mix together flour, baking powder, and salt, add to above

Chill several hours or overnight to stiffen dough.

Heat oven to 350 degrees
Drop by tspful into powdered sugar.
Roll in sugar, shape into little balls
Place about 2" apart onto cookie sheets

Bake 10-12 minutes - should still be soft, do not overbake!

Cousin Bess's Brownies

In double boiler, melt 3 oz chocolate with 1/4 cup butter, 1 cup sugar.  Beat 3 eggs until light and fluffy.  Stir in chocolate mixture, 6 tbsp flour, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup broken walnuts.  Pour into a lightly greased 8" by 8" pan.  Bake 30 minutes at 175 C.

Frosting

Melt 1 oz unsweetened chocolate, 2 tbsp butter.  Stir in 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 to 2 tbsp hot milk to make it spreadable.  Frost the brownies.  Cool slighly before frosting.

Grandpa's potato salad

500 g small potatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 bunch chives, snipped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 fresh gherkin or small cucumber, chopped
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
300 ml (1 carton) sour cream
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
parsley sprigs for garnish

Boil potatoes in skins until just tender.  Drain and cool.  Peel potatoes if old; leave skin on new potatoes.  Cut into 1 - 2 cm cubes.  Alternatively, cut potatoes into cubes, place in a clean plastic food bag and cook in microwave on High setting for 5 minutes, or until tender.

Place potatoes in a bowl, add onion, chives, apple, gherkin or cucumber, radishes, parsley, sour cream and lemon juice, and mix gently until all potatoes are coated.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Chill well.

Serve Potato Salad in a salad bowl garnished with sprigs of parsley.

Serves 6 - 8.

Date Nut Loaf

Saimi Kuoppamäki

1 lb walnut meat (small pieces)
1 lb seedless dates
1 cup flour, unsifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar (I use half brown)
4 eggs beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar over the mixture of dates and nuts.  Beat eggs with vanilla and add to flour mixture.  The dough will be sticky.  Bake in 2 pans - loaf pans - size 7 - 1/2" x 3-1/2" x 2 - 1/4" with paper greased lining.  Bake for an hour at 325 F.

Easy to make with a wooden spoon - just mix by hand, no mixer.

Delicious.

Elizabeth's 20th Birthday Cake

Elisabeth Bæk Merrild was our nanny
from Herning, Denmark for a number of years
in the 1970s and early 1980s.  She married and became
Elisabeth Bæk Larsen.
She wrote down the recipes for a number of
dishes that I created on the fly - including this one - 
a process that became known as "Elisabethizing."


1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup butter
1 cup carrots
1/2 cup raisins (black)
1/2 cup raisins (white)
a little salt
1 cup sugar (brown sugar)
1 can condensed milk (400 g)
7 prunes
3 big eggs
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
a little ginger
lots of cinnamon
a little nutmeg

You beat the butter, margarine, and sugar like cream, then you add a little very strong coffee, then you add half of the can of milk.  Start adding flour, add about 2 tsp. of syrup.  At last you add the grated carrots, raisins, and prunes.  Fits into 1 big pan.  Bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes at 200 C.

Frosting

1/2 cup ofbutter mixed with 500 g of powdered sugar and the juice of (2 oranges) 1 pineapple.  Pineapple is the best for spiced cakes.

VERY DELICIOUS

Finnish baked mushrooms

Saimi Kuoppamäki

1 lb mushrooms
lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated onion or 1 large shallot, minced
1/4 cup butter
salt, pepper
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups heavy cream
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup butter

Set oven at 425F. Dice mushrooms thin. Sprinkle with lemon juice to keep white. Simmer tightly covered with onions and butter. Season with salt and pepper and stir in flour. Cook about 3 minutes. Place in buttered 1-1/ 2 or 2 quart baking dish. Beat together cream and egg yolks. Pour over mushrooms. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and dot with butter.

Bake until golden brown.

Finnish Currant Cake

Saimi Kuoppamäki

This cake must be made when all is relaxed: no stopping, no phone, no doorbell.  One must have inner peace.  It will fall otherwise.  It's absolutely fine and can be served on all occasions, and proudly be set even before a Queen.

3-1/4 cubes butter @ 450 gr.
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
8 eggs
rind and juice of 1 lemon
1 cup of currants

Mix butter until almost foamy. Add 1 tbsp sugar, beat.  Add 1 tbsp flour, beat.  Add one egg, beat.  Repeat this process until all ingredients are used up.  Then add the rind and juice of one lemon.  Be sure you grate the rind.  It is also a good idea to soak the currants in the juice of the lemon.  Add all this at the same time and stir gently in.

Bake in two small angel cake pans for 1 hour.  Bake at 165 to 175 C. Do not open oven door during baking!!!

One can sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

Finnish fish soup

Saimi Kuoppamäki

Serves six

2 lb fish with skin on
4 - 6 medium potatoes
1 large onion
8 kernels allspice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 lb butter
tartar sauce (if wished)
chives

Cut fish into 4 in. chunks.  Peel and dice potatoes, onions.  Put fish and vegetables into kettle, add seasonings including butter, bring to a boil, slowly, and simmer until potatoes are done.

Lift the fish and serve on a side dish, add melted butter, tartar sauce, and chives.

Add milk or cream to soup and heat (don't boil) about 1 cup of milk or 1/2 cup of cream - to one's own taste.

Finnish meat patties

From the Finnish Winter War time,

from Saimi Kuoppamäki

2 lb chopped meat
3 beets - whole and cooked
4 cooked small potatoes
1 tablespoon little onions
3 eggs (raw)
salt, white pepper, margarine or butter
2 large onions

Grind meat and potatoes together, add diced beets and small onions.. Add eggs, salt, and pepper that has been forked over. Fry patties in butter; add thinly sliced onions on top.

Serve with string beans that were cooked with a garlic clove.

Serve with red wine.

Forgotten Cookies

1. INGREDIENTS:

2 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 package Hershey's Mini-chips
3/4 C. granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat Egg Whites Until Stiff
3. Add Salt
4. Slowly beat in 3/4 C.of sugar until very stiff
5. Add vanilla and mini-chips
6. Drop by level teaspoonful onto foil covered baking sheet.
7. Place in oven, shut the door and slowly count to 30
8. Turn off heat and "forget" the cookies until morning (6-8 hours)
9. Makes about 3 dozen small.
10. (For an alternate way to do cookies fast, bake for 15 minutes at 300 degrees, and wait for about an hour for them to cool and harden. They should be airy and melt in your mouth.

Glögi

Mrs. Irma Berg, our neighbor across the street in Maunula, Helsinki.

1 bottle of cheap wine
3 dl sweet lingonberry juice
1.5 dl sweet blackcurrant juice
3 dl vodka or so
1.5 dl madeira wine

Heat in a pot but don't boil.  Add almonds etc., raisins, cinnamon, and cloves if you wish.

Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 C. sifted flour
1 tsp. salt
1 C.shortening (part butter for flavor)
3/4 C. firm pack brown sugar
3/4 C. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. soda, dissolved in 1 tsp. hot water
1 C. nutmeats
1 pkg. chocolate chips
2 C. Mother's Oats
1 tsp. vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cream shortening and sugars together.
3. Add eggs, soda and water, and vanilla.
4. Combine flour and salt, add to mixture.
5. Add nutmeats and oats.
6. Add chocolate chips.
7. Drop by level teaspoonful onto baking sheet.
8. Bake 10 minutes (should be soft when removed)
9. Makes about 4 dozen.

Hazelnut cookies, German

120 g butter
120 g powdered sugar
1 egg
1 pinch salt
180 g flour
140 g freshly ground hazelnuts
25 maraschino cherries

With a hand beater, stir butter, sugar, and yolk of egg until creamy, then knead in salt, flour, and 75 g nuts. Beat the egg white in a small bowl with a fork until stiff. Then pour rest of nuts into a separate bowl.

Make balls 1.5 cm. Turn them in egg white, then in nuts. Put baking paper on pan, lay out balls, flatten lightly with thumb. Make indentation with finger. Preheat oven to 180C. Drain cherries, half them; put one half in each hole. Bake 12 - 15 minutes until light brown, cool on rack.

Hollandaise sauce

Melt 150 g butter; put aside. In a boiling double boiler, put in two egg yolks with 2 tablespoons water; whisk until foamy. Slowly add melted butter, whisking between takes. If by chance it separates, add some cream. When it's all added, add some white pepper and a little bit of lemon juice.

Good over asparagus, salmon, and Eggs Benedict.

Note: One can also use lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard.

Italian beans

Anne Rivituso
An Italian dish I learned in my childhood

Cook string beans whole in water or steam. When done, cool, add sliced onions which are really thin, a little olive oil, and a dash of cider vinegar. Lovely cool and the next day - after the refrigerator it's refreshing.

Italian peppers

Rosa Rivituso, my cousin's wife from Palermo.

July 19, 1977

2 hard boiled eggs
1/2 eggplant, fried
Onion, fried

Put eggs, eggplant, and onion in a bowl; put breadcrumbs, salt, and grated parmesan cheese into mixture; make into the right mush to fill green peppers.

Cut tops off green peppers, stuff.

Put tops back on and bake in oven about 1 hour.

Joulutorttu

Airi Huovinen gave me her recipe, it is lovely

1 kg Sunnuntai flour
1 kg butter
1 bottle soda water

Let it sit overnight.
Roll it out.

A joulutorttu  is a Finnish Christmas pastry. It is traditionally made from puff pastry in the shape of a star or pinwheel and filled with prune jam and often dusted with icing sugar. The pastries can be in other shapes and apple used in place of the prune jam.

Joulutorttus are mostly made in Finland but also in Sweden. The Swedish media have accused the pastries of being "swastika-shaped"

Karjalanpiirakka

Maija Siponen, my local flower shop lady, 1972.

Helsinki, Finland

Rice part:

1/2 liter water, boiling
3 dl rice
1 liter milk
3 teaspoons salt

Cook slowly 3/4 hour

Dough part:

3 dl water
2 small teaspoons salt
3 dl white flour "Vasa Kronan"
3 dl rye flour

Lanttulaatikko

From Robert's mom Alice Gronlund Hoge 1915

3/4 kg - 2/3 kg turnips or carrots, boiled in salted water

2-1/2 dl breadcrumbs
2-1/2 dl milk (I use cream at Christmas)
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 eggs
salt and pepper

At Christmas time I add brown syrup and some sherry.

Wash, dice, and boil the roots. Mash them and mix in the other ingredients. Bake in a greased oven pan.

Note: I never measure and I use about 2 kg turnips, and a bit more butter. I also add a touch of nutmeg.

Enjoy this at Christmas.

    Ingredients

    3 large eggs
    1 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
    1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
    2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
    1/4 teaspoon baking powder
    1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
    3/4 cups + 1 tablespoon dutch-process cocoa powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt, generous
    1 1/3 cups hot water

 Using an electric hand or stand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed

Add the mayonnaise and vanilla extract, and beat on medium speed until combined.

Add the water and mix on low speed until it's incorporated. The batter will be much thinner.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and bake for about 30 minutes (check it at about 25 minutes),

Allow the cakes to cool on a rack, in their pans, for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are cool enough to handle. Invert them onto the rack and allow to finish cooling to room temperature.

May's Anzacs

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour
1 cup coconut
1 cup rolled oats

Melt 1 tablespoon Golden Syrup with 4 oz. (113 g) butter.

add 2 tablespoons water plus 1 teaspoon into mixture

Bake about "I don't know" says May.

May's coconut dainties

21 May 1993

1-1/2 cup self-rising flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
4 tablespoons coconut
4 oz (113 g) butter
Vanilla essence

Rub butter into flour, then add coconut and sugar. Mix into a stiff dough with beaten egg and a little bit of milk, if necessary. Roll into balls about the size of walnuts and roll in coconut. Press a hole in the top with finger and fill with a small amount of raspberry jam. Bake in moderate oven 10 to 15 minutes.

Hint from May: Put onto warm baking tin.

Mom's corn bread

1-1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 eggs
3/4 cups butter
1-1/2 cups milk

Lightly grease glass dish. Bake 35 minutes at 200C.

Very good.

Omit sugar when used for stuffing

NEIMAN-MARCUS COOKIES

there is a story here

2 cups butter
24 oz. chocolate chips
4 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
5 cups blended oatmeal
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)

Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the
butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour,
oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips,
Hershey Bar, and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on
a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.

No Knead Bread
by Rain

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
4 cups flour
2 cups warm water

Water, sugar, salt, yeast - Mix well.  Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well between each 1/2 full.

When completely mixed, cover with cling wrap/plastic with aluminum foil and a dish towel.

Set someplace ambient and secure and let rise for a minimum of 12 hours, but 24 hours is okay if needed.

Pre-heat oven to 200C

Flour baking sheet with regular flour and corn meal generously.

Pour/roll out dough onto sheet and roll gently and shape into a rough loaf.  (No kneading, just shape and coat in flour.)

Bake at 200C for 25 to 30 minutes with a small bowl of water in the oven.

Remove from oven, put on a rack, wrap in towel, and allow to cool for 20 to 30 minutes before eating.

NORA'S BREAD

(For 3 loaves)

Add 100 g of yeast to 1 liter of orange juice.

Then add:

3 dl rye flour
3 dl bran (oat and wheat)
3 dl beer malt
12 dl wheat flour
3 dl dark syrup
1 tbsp salt

Pour into 3 loaf pans and let rise

Heat the oven to 175C and bake for 1-1/2 hours

Brush with syrup after 1 hour

Nordic type

No wheat or wheat cereals.
Rye bread and rye.
No white sugar.
Honey.
Muscle meat is not for you.
Fish and seafood.
Buy seaweed tablets, eat one a day.  These contain 45 minerals that are good for you.
Slender type gets sick in the spring.
Heavy, broad type gets sick in the fall.
Heavy type shows greater wear in later life.
Slender type is at his best after 50.

Orange Russian cake

From Elizabeth Grigoreva, June 2012

100 g butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
200 g sour cream (kermaviili)
1 orange
2 cups flour
18 g baking powder

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, mix. Add sour cream, mix. Add orange, mix. Add flour, mix. Last, add baking powder. Cook 65 minutes in Russian convenience cooker (Multivarka).

PANCAKES

  40g caster sugar
  165g plain flour
  Pinch of salt
  60g unsalted butter, melted
  50ml whole milk, warmed
  4 eggs

Pannukakku

From our neighbour Airi Huovinen

5 eggs
Same amount of milk as the eggs
2-1/2 dl flour
a little sugar
a little salt

Warm oven to 220C.  Whip the eggs, mix in the milk and flour, sugar and salt.  Let stand 1/2 hour.  Add oil into pan.  Bake 20 - 30 minutes.

Pat's 42nd Birthday Cake

1-1/2 cups butter
2-1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup sherry (cream)
2 - 3 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
4 cups flour

Cream butter, slowly add sugar, add eggs one at a time, beat -

On the side in a bowl mix together flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix the vanilla into the sherry. Add a few spoonfuls of the flour mix alternating with some of the sherry mix to the butter mix until all ingredients are blended. If more liquid is needed, add milk.

Pat's best Holiday Eggnog

1/2 cup sugar
6 eggs - separated
4 cups milk, scalded
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream, whipped
1/2 cup cognac
1/4 cup rum
Nutmeg

Beat 1/4 cup sugar into egg yolks.  Stir in milk slowly.  Cook over hot water, stirring constantly, until mixture coats spoon.  Chill.  Add salt to egg whites and beat until stiff.  Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar.  Fold into chilled cuastard mixture.  Fold in whipped cream.  Gently stir in cognac and then rum.  Chill for several hours.  Sprinkle with nutmeg.  Yields 20 1/2 cup portions.

Peanut butter cookies

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Cream shortening and peanut butter together, gradually beating in the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and milk.  Then sift in dry ingredients which have previously been sifted together.  Chill, turn onto floured board, and roll out.  Cut with cookie cutter and bake on greased cookie sheet in moderately hot oven (190 - 204C) about 10 minutes.

Pie Dough

Pat Bowles' Mom's Recipe

Sift together:

3 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

With pastry blender, crumble in 1 cup lard and a scoop of butter.  Mix.  When like corn meal, add 1/2 cup sour cream to which has been added one beaten egg.  Chill. Roll out as needed.

Pizza dough

From Lyana Cherubini in Rome

To make the flour:

3 cups flour
2 - 3 tablespoons gluten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Mix it together.

2 cups lukewarm water
25 g yeast, compressed
pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix that together.

Mix dough (don't knead).

Raise 45 minutes.

1/2 of this dough makes 2 pizzas.  Roll out to 1 cm.  Put olive oil on pan, add tomatoes, cheese, and whatever pleases.

Potato salad

From Saimi Kuoppamäki; about 1945

"A good picnic or home luncheon salad"

2 cups diced cooked potatoes
2 hard cooked eggs, diced
2 cups diced sweet pickles
3 cups diced pimientos
1/2 cup diced celery
1 level tablespoon chopped onion
2 level teaspoons salt (NOW THIS SEEMS TOO MUCH!)
2/3 cups salad dressing

Mix potatoes, eggs, sweet pickles, pimientos, celery, and onion. Add the salt and salad dressing and mix well. Serve cold.

Prayer from Sheila

Sheila Brown in Versailles, France, at our multi-faith Thanksgiving dinner on 29 November 1981.


Lord God our maker, you love each of us, and we thank you for these provisions for our physical needs, and we ask your blessings on our relationships and conversations this evening.  Amen.

*

Pulla

From a Mother at Heidi's school in Helsinki

1 liter milk
Large yeast
400 g melted butter
4 eggs
4 dl sugar
2 kg flour
Cardamom to taste
2/3 teaspoon salt

Warm the milk until hand warm (don't boil).  Add yeast, salt, and sugar, mix.  Add eggs and butter, mix.  Add flour and cardamom.

Let rise 2 times, punch down after first rise.

Heat oven to 225C for buns, 200C for loaves or braids.  Before baking, brush top with whole eggs and sugar.  Bake buns for 8 minutes; bake loaves or braids for 18 - 20 minutes.

Pumpkin pie filling

MarieAntoinette made it for Thanksgiving 1979 and many times more over the years.

5 cups pumpkin (cooked)
3 cups brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2-1/2 teaspoons ginger
pinch of cloves
16 tablespoons double cream
4 eggs
drop of sherry

Mix it all together.  Fill pie shell and bake until firm.

Nice with whipped cream on top.

You can also make it in small bowls and bake it in the oven.  The pie crust isn't needed.

Very good.

Russian Tea Cake Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1 C. Butter
1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2-1/4 C Flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C finely chopped nuts.

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla thoroughly
Stir flour and salt together.
Blend dry into wet ingredients
Mix in nuts.
Chill dough 1 hour
Heat oven to 400 degrees

Roll dough into 1" balls.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet. (They do not spread)
Bake 10 - 12 minutes - DO NOT OVERCOOK! Cookies will still look white, but bottoms burn easily.

While still warm roll in powdered sugar

Cool, and roll in powdered sugar again.
Makes about 4 dozen 1" cookies

Sally's Chocolate

Sally

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 melted butter
2 heaped tbsp cocoa
1/4 cup flour
2 cups pecans
1 tsp vanilla

Mix thoroughly together in a greased bowl. Set in a pan of hot water. Bake in a slow oven 45 minutes. Serve cold with cream.

1/2 recipe 30 minutes.

Snickerdoodles Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 C. Shortening - part butter
1-1/2 C. granulated sugar
2 eggs
2  3/4 C Flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp. colored sugar (or 2 tbsp. gran sugar + 2 tsp. cinnamon)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Mix shortening, 1-1/2 cups sugar, and eggs thoroughly
3. Blend flour, cream or tartar, soda and salt add to wet mix
4. Make 1" dough balls
5. roll in colored sugar
6. Place 2" apart on baking sheet
7. Bake 8-10 min.
8. These cookies puff up at first then flatten.
9. Makes 6 dozen cookies

Substitutes

To replace sugar with honey:

Substitute cup for cup, but reduce the liquid called for by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey.

In baked goods add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda for every cup of honey. Bake at 25F lower than called for.

Note: just stick to sugar!

16 tablespoons = 1 cup
1 cup = 8 oz or 1/2 pint
5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon = 1/3 cup
4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon

The health cocktail

from Vogue magazine

1 day's supply

1/2 liter yogurt (plain)
2 small teaspoons fatless milk
1/2 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons spinach
3 almonds, finely ground
3 fresh tomatoes, skin removed
2 teaspoons wheat germ
2 egg yolks
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Combine in blender - mix well. Keep in fridge. Stir well each time you use.

Tomato soup cake

From January 31, 1948

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/2 cup raisins (chopped)
1/2 cup nuts
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 can tomato soup

Bake at 175C for 45 minutes.

Ture Ara's muesli

From Ture and May Ara

2 tablespoons wheat germ
2 tablespoons linseed
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons currants
1 tablespoon young nettles
2 tablespoons soy flour
2 tablespoons rosehip flour
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

plus 1 - 3 almonds per day.

Yeast recipe

A basic old-fashioned yeast recipe,
also known as Soft Hop or Potato yeast.
From the ship logs going to Australia in 1788


Take 2 handfuls of hops, put into 1/2 gallon pure water and boil slowly for 1 hour.

Pare and grate half a dozen large potatoes into a 2 gallon crock, add 1/2 cup sugar and a tablespoon of both salt and ginger.

Pour the hops mixture into the crock, stirring well until all is mixed.

Give it time, a week or more.  I made it and kept it going.  Makes great bread.

AFTER A LONG DAY THE SHOES ARE LEFT TO REST.