Bright bites of sweet-and-salty goodness will beckon hungry party-goers to pick these up from your holiday platter–and then return for more. The green pesto spread features spinach, walnuts, and pecans, but skips the typical fresh basil or cilantro since they are not in season. Happily, I discovered that adding a few artichoke hearts to the mix rounds out the pesto’s taste perfectly. And the sparkling … Continue reading Pomegranate and Green Pesto Bites
Not quite a cookie, and almost a cracker, hard tack is a traditional flat bread of the Scandanavian kitchen. My grandmother served hers with butter and orange marmalade, which I always enjoyed. These semi-crisp crackers also taste delicious with any good jam (including raspberry rhubarb I can attest), chutney, or cranberry salsa. I enjoy rolling the dough out with my children, since they can cut out … Continue reading Swedish Hard Tack Crackers
No-bake, chocolatey, and delicious. What more could a half-Swedish snack-aholic ask for? Apparently chocolate oat balls are also quite popular in Sweden; according to Gregg, “these things are everywhere in Stockholm.” My version of chocolate balls includes chai spices instead of coffee. Usually Swedish chokladbollar recipes call for oats, butter, cocoa, sugar, butter, and coffee. But like my mother and grandmother, I don’t do coffee … Continue reading Chai Chokladbollar {Chocolate Oat Balls}
Ginger, if you have not already surmised, is one of my favorite spices to add to things. It lends brightness, bite, and depth to savoury recipes like chicken noodle soup, and blends beautifully with fruits like pears and peaches. The notion to add pears to my granola came along before I saw Sally’s granola recipe, but it served as a springboard from which to create … Continue reading Ginger Pear Granola with Sesame Seeds
I would eat these here or there. I would eat them anywhere. My daughter was delighted that there were a few strawberry oat bars left after I brought them to church to share as a morning snack. These fruity oat bars are also perfect for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. Really, there is not a wrong time of day to eat them; hence the … Continue reading Strawberry Oat Bars
Combine a fragrant medley of spices with locally picked Saskatoon berries in a moist applesauce batter and what do you get? An exercise in self control. I have to put these out of sight or I am too quickly drawn to eat “just one more.” Blueberries can easily be substituted for Saskatoon berries in most recipes (and vice versa). We now live in an area … Continue reading Saskatoon Berry Applesauce Bars
Swirls and Spice 