Sweet Memories

On this day several years ago we held my fathers funeral. All of my siblings were in attendance and my Fathers sisters were there as well. His mother who was to ill to travel stayed home and morned her son. We had our church Christmas party tonight, and it was a beautiful evening. What made it the most special to me though was that for some reason they chose to serve German chocolate cake for dessert. It was my Fathers favorite and he got one only once every year for his birthday. It is amazing to me how this time of year can not only be full of reminders of the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ, but also a gentle and beautiful reminder of those who have gone on to meet him. The slightest thing can trigger beautiful memories of those whom we have loved and lost, and at this time of year the pain we would ordinarily experience is lessoned as we realize the Eternal nature of life made possible by the very persons birth we are celebrating.

We had a Visit Today

From Dallen H. Oaks. He is a big wig in my church and it was a good Sunday. We came home and had Hot Apple Cider with cinnamon sticks and a traditional English dinner. I try to respect both my husbands heritage (100% English), and my own (100% Scandinavian). This year however I will be doing something a little different. I grew up with one Norwegian tradition I have never forced on my young family. This tradition is reminiscent of the area my forebears came from, and their difficulty in finding and supplying food. It is a little something called Lutefisk. Now, let me share my own experience and back story on this gelatinous fish concoction. My aunts and mom were bakers. They would make the biggest smorgasbord of desserts ever known to man every Christmas Eve(True Scandinavians celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve). There would be rosettes with ice cream, the Julecakes, every cookie known to man, of course Danishes, more cakes, molded desserts and many more chocolates and confections. The one thing that was a prerequisite for sampling the dessert table was the survival of the Lutefisk. Now, I don't know about other people but I have no problem with Gravloks. I absolutely adore fresh cod with lemon and pepper, and salmon is my favorite meat. I do however not prepare any of them with the use of Lye. I would not want to dip them in soap before I ate them, and I certainly wouldn't want salmon so much if it had the consistency of jello. This is the Norwegian tradition of being thankful for what you get coupled with survival of the fittest. Every year I would dread the thought of the heckling and coercion that would befall me before I was allowed to partake of every child's dream. Eventually I would have to take just one bite while all the adults laughed in glee at the faces of horror spreading down the table of children and non-Norwegians who had been set up. After much study and deliberation I have decided to make it for my young family. Not because they were bad this year or because I am masochistic, but because I have found out that many Norwegians do not make it correctly. According to a Norwegian recipe author they are overcooking and over soaking it. I feel a challenge to take my native cuisine and make it delightfully Delicious. Should I fail in my attempt I will post pictures of the Lutefisk virgin faces for your holiday amusement and may consider making it my next years greeting card. Wish me luck and pray for my family o.k.?