Auntie Bea's Tarta (Torte)

Here's another favorite cake recipe from my Swedish friend. (It seems that the majority of my favorite recipes are from Lynn.) The Swedes know how to cook and bake, that's for sure. This is a cake I enjoy making for special occasions in the summer, when fresh fruit is plentiful.

Auntie Bea's Torta

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. sugar

4 egg yolks

1 t. vanilla

1 c. cake flour

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

5 T. milk (just under 1/4 c.)

4 egg whites

1 c. sugar

chopped walnuts

fresh fruit

Cream together butter and 1/2 c. sugar. Add egg yolks, well beaten, and vanilla.

Stir together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Add alternately with milk.

Spread into two 8-inch pans. (I grease the bottom only of each pan, then line the bottom only with parchment paper.)

Beat egg whites until stiff; add 1 cup sugar gradually. (I use about 3/4 c. sugar.) Spread over each layer of batter and cover with chopped nuts.

Bake 1/2 hour in 325° oven.

Turn out carefully. Cool. Put together with fresh fruit (sliced peaches, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.) and whipped cream or any cream filling.

"The County"

Aroostook County is the only one of Maine's sixteen counties that is known simply as "Aroostook" or "The County." I'm from Somerset County originally, and you'd never hear anyone from there say, "I'm going up to Somerset this weekend." I can understand, though, why Aroostook County is called "The County." It's the largest county in the state; it's THE county.

Aroostook County folks are a distinctive people. First, there's their pronunciation of certain words and specifically their attention to the letter "r". In Aroostook, a car is a caR, not a cah. A horse is a hoRse, not a hoss.

Aroostook folks are friendly, down-to-earth people who value a simpler life than we see in so much of the world today.

The thing about The County that mystifies me is this: You can stand at almost any spot and feel as if you're on a hilltop. You have a panoramic view. How can this be? I mean, if there are hills in Aroostook, shouldn't there be valleys, too, with limited views? You can drive forever in The County and see for miles. And what glorious views they are: rolling hills, green fields, many of them once potato fields and some of them still potato fields, lakes. We were there when the lupines were at their height, so we saw field after field of beautiful pink, white, and lavender lupines. The air feels cleaner and fresher in The County.

While at Midsommar in New Sweden last weekend, one of the first things Lynn and I did was run into one of our friends from home. The three of us belong to Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary organization for teachers and retired teachers. So when we spotted Karen, we of course had to have our photo taken together. I had Karen's three daughters as students, and each one of them was as delightful as she is.

The Midsommar Festival involves more than decorating the Maypole and dancing around it. Crafters set up tables and sell their work; homemade ice cream is sold for 75¢ a cone. (I had two coffee pecans and one raspberry. I figured at 75¢ a cone, it was my civic duty to enjoy more than one.) The New Sweden Historical Society offered raffles; the New Sweden Museum was open for visitors. In the evening, we went to the New Sweden School, which sits high on a hill overlooking the surrounding villages and which has one of the best views of any school in the state, for sure. This K-8 school has an enrollment of 78 students with an average class size of 11 students! How lucky the students are to attend such a beautiful school with such a small student body. At the New Sweden School on the night of Midsommar, a local church put on a smorgasbord dinner. I've attended many church suppers over the years, but never before have I attended one better organized or more attractively presented. Over 200 hungry folks poured into the school and, in a well-planned fashion, were escorted to the smorgasbord tables for fruit soup, inguld sil, cucumber salad, cold cuts, steamed salmon, and more. Each item was identified by its Swedish and English name, and each item was delicious. The smorgasbord tables weren't simply loaded with good, Swedish food: they were decorated with Swedish crafts and sprigs of greenery and flowers. With our plates full, we were then taken to our table. All volunteer workers for the evening were dressed in Swedish costumes, of course. After the dinner the room was cleared of tables, chairs were rearranged, and Swedish dance lessons ensued. New Sweden's citizens, old and young alike, took to the dance floor and had fun with the traditional Swedish dances.

This is a close-up of the top of the Maypole. Beautiful, isn't it?

Here's a shot taken from Lakeview, a restaurant in Saint Agatha. (Saint Agatha, by the way, is pronounced "Saint Agat," to rhyme with "a cat.") We had dinner here on Friday evening and were treated to an amazing sky as we left to head back to Caribou.

Oh! And Monica's Scandinavian Imports! How could I forget? This shop, located on the Sweden Road in Caribou, consists of several rooms, both upstairs and down, of all things Scandinavian: foods, glassware, jewelry, toys, Christmas decorations, clothing and shoes....A person could spend hours in there, and Lynn and I almost did. It was only the nagging knowledge that two husbands were patiently waiting in lawn chairs outside that motivated us to leave the shop.

A weekend in The County, Swedish festival or not, is rejuvenating and relaxing. Ken and I recommend it.

A Step Back in Time

This past weekend Ken and I took a wonderful step back in time, traveling with our good friends Jim and Lynn six hours north to the town of New Sweden, Maine. There we attended the annual Midsommar Festival.

Arriving on Friday afternoon at what would be the site of the festival, we immediately spotted the bundles of lupines, picked earlier in the morning and carefully stored in pails of water. They would be used the next morning to decorate the May Pole, part of the Midsommar tradition.

(Lynn is a direct descendant of the first settlers of New Sweden: Her great-grandparents sailed from Sweden in the late 1800's, stepped ashore in New Brunswick, and walked from there to northern Maine, the site of their new home.)

Decorating the May Pole takes about two hours. As you can see, everyone pitches in, tying fresh lupines and other flowers to the pole and making wreaths for it as well.

Swedish singers in full costume, from the Boston area, entertain us with traditional Swedish songs as the pole is being decorated.

This is the largest wreath, for the top of the pole. It hangs horizontally from the very tip-top.

After the pole is beautifully decorated, it is carried to the spot where it will be erected. Then the moment everyone has been anticipating arrives: Children in Swedish costumes dance around the Maypole as a fiddler plays traditional Swedish music.                                                             

It is a morning of blue skies (punctuated by one brief rain shower), good, clean air, merriment, and fun. Swedes (and others, like us) come from the local Swedish settlements as well as from as far away as Utah and Oregon to attend Midsommar in New Sweden. After attending it ourselves, we understand why. It is a step back in time, a step back to the time of rich folk traditions, neighbors helping neighbors, and an appreciation of the earth's rich gifts. 

We hope this isn't our last Midsommar Festival. 

Herb-Parmesan Bread

I thought the Patio Herb bread was delicious, but I like this one even better. 

As I browsed through an old cookbook entitled McCall's Casserole Cookbook, I came across several breads baked in a round casserole dish. In fact, I was surprised to discover that the Patio Herb bread is also in that cookbook. (I bought several of these McCall's cookbooks at a yard sale several years ago. A gentleman was selling his mother's cookbook collection. I told him I'd take good care of his mother's old cookbooks, and I have.)

Anyway, this recipe is identical to the Patio Herb bread recipe except for a few modifications:

2 c. warm water

2 pkg. (or 2 T.) dry yeast (I buy large packages of dry yeast at Sam's Club and store it in the freezer. It keeps for months, if not years.)

2 T. sugar

2 t. salt

2 T. soft butter or margarine (I used canola oil)

1/2 c. plus 1 T. parmesan cheese, divided

1 1/2 T. dried oregano leaves

4 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1. Sprinkle yeast over water in large bowl of electric mixer. Let stand a few minutes, then stir to dissolve yeast.

2. Add sugar, salt, butter or oil, 1/2 c. cheese, oregano, 3 c. flour. Beat, at low speed, until blended. At medium speed, beat until smooth—two minutes. Scrape side of bowl and beaters with spatula.

3. With wooden spoon, gradually beat in the rest of the flour. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in warm place, free from drafts, 45 minutes or until light, bubbly, and more than double in bulk. (I let it rise several times, stirring it down after each rise. Also, the "warm place" in my home where yeast doughs rise is my microwave oven. I boil 2 cups of water in a 4-cup glass measuring cup for 5-6 minutes, set the measuring cup in a corner of the microwave, and place the bread dough inside with it. I don't bother to cover the bowl.) 

4. Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly grease a 1 1/2-or 2-quart casserole; set aside.

5. With wooden spoon, stir down batter. Beat vigorously 1/2 minute, or about 25 strokes.

6. Turn batter into casserole dish. Sprinkle evenly with 1 T. grated Parmesan cheese. (At this point I let it rise about 15 minutes before putting it into the oven.)

7. Bake 55 minutes, or until nicely browned. Turn out onto wire rack. Let cool or serve slightly warm. 

I personally can attest to the fact that an edge slice, still warm and lightly buttered, is scrumptious.

Treasures du Jour

Yesterday was a perfect summer day, with clear skies and temps in the 70's, so Ken and I set out in search of bargains.

We went first to Bridgton to check out the Saturday flea market. I'd love to have bought some of the fresh herbs and flowers on sale there, but I knew they'd be wilted by the time we got back home later in the day. I did snag four novels at 50 cents each. 

Next we drove up Rt. 302 to check out the goings-on at Harvest Hills Animal Shelter in Fryeburg. I've often read that the thrift shop at Harvest Hills is worth a stop, and I wasn't disappointed.

On this particular day a large yard sale was held on the grounds of Harvest Hills to provide further fundraising for the shelter. Individual yard sale vendors had brought all kinds of goodies to sell, and I found some treasures. The two quilting magazines, recent issues, were 50 cents each, as was the Susan Paley by Ganz pin. I'd never heard of Susan Paley before, but I did a web search of her this morning and found several of her unique pins, vases, mugs, and candle holders. I love her designs now and fear I'll add her works to my list of collectibles. The little doily, so delicately crocheted with very fine thread, was 75 cents; the Swasey bean pot, a real find, was priced at $35 but the dealer took $25. It shows some wear, but as Ken pointed out, that gives it character. I spent some time this morning scraping from its rim the residue of many pots of baked beans.

I've been looking for a pattern for a little girl's jumper, size 3-4 but have been shocked at the prices of new patterns. I found this jumper pattern for 50 cents, so now I'm set. The skein of pink yarn for $1.50 will find itself morphing into a Baby Surprise Jacket, I suspect, before long.

I just realized I forgot to include in the photo the Roseville Pottery 6 1/4" pitcher for $6.00. I'll have to sneak than into a later photo. It's in perfect condition and will hold a bouquet of fresh flowers before long.

Ken's Treasure du Jour was a book on making home repairs. As he browsed through it last night, I asked him if he was finding it helpful. "Well," he said, "it tells how to repair a typewriter...."

Two-egg Sponge Cake: It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This

My Swedish friend shared this recipe with me many years ago, and I've been making it for special occasions ever since. My niece Heather at Way Out West suggested I share it with you. It's a light, not-too-sweet dessert, a perfect ending to any meal.

2 eggs, separated

2/3 cup water

1 1/4 cups sugar (I use 1 cup)

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

Dash of salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Put egg yolks into a bowl with the water and beat until there is about a quart of the mixture. Add the sugar gradually and beat seven minutes. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder. (Dirty Little Secret: I don't bother to sift this. I just measure out the flour teaspoon-by-teaspoon, stir in the salt and baking powder and continue on.) Add to liquid. (I use the "stir" cycle on my mixer as I add the flour mixture.) Add vanilla and fold in egg whites, not too stiffly beaten. Fold egg whites in with a spoon. 

Grease bottoms of two 8" round baking pans. Line with baker's parchment. Pour batter into pans; bake at 325° for 25-30 minutes. Cool layers slightly in pans, then remove from pans, remove parchment, and continue cooling on wire racks. When completely cool, cut each layer in half horizontally, making four layers.

Fill with cream filling/whipped cream mixture:

Cream Filling (from Marjorie Standish's Cooking Downeast, my all-time favorite cookbook)

Note: I halve this recipe for the Two-egg Sponge Cake filling.

2 cups milk

1/3 cup flour

1/2 teasp. salt

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teasp. vanilla

Scald milk. Mix flour, sugar, and salt. Beat eggs slightly. Combine flour mixture. Add small amount of scalded milk to egg mixture, turn into milk.

The recipe calls for cooking this in a double boiler, but I prefer the time-saving microwave:

Cook in microwave at 50% for two minutes, stirring at end of first and second minute.

Continue cooking in microwave for 4-5 additional minutes, at 30%, stirring every minute.

Cool cream filling in fridge. Stir in 1/2 t. vanilla. Stir in 1 cup cream, whipped, or Cool Whip. (I use low-fat Cool Whip.)

Fill layers of cake with cream filling, take it to the dinner table, and watch it disappear.

Poppies and Velcro

We got a nice rain in the middle of the night, and that has helped to drive away the heat and humidity of the past three days. Over 90 degrees with high humidity was a bit much. 

Many folks seem to think we wear long johns year-round here in Maine. Not so! In fact, I wear long underwear only rarely, and that's when it's 20 degrees below zero and I'm outdoors walking or cross-country skiing. So there. And it's not 20 below all that often during a Maine winter, by the way.

This morning I found this poppy in all its radiant glory in my little flower garden. I've been trying to grow poppies for years, and this is the first time I've had an actual bloom. There are several more buds about to burst open, so I'm pleased.

I didn't realize poppies are so complicated inside. Flowers amaze me with their beauty and, often, their complicated structures.

I just heard on t.v. that it's the 50th anniversary of Velcro. Let's hear it for Velcro. But wouldn't you think, after 50 years, that someone could invent silent Velcro?

A Little Girl and a Fairy House

Here's Violet at her fairy house. She found it to be interesting but wasn't quite sure what she should "do" about it! I won't be surprised if she asks to go see it again the next time she visits us. 

A Fairy House for Violet

Tomorrow a little girl named Violet will visit us. She's 2 1/2, and I figure that's a perfect age for discovering a fairy house in the woods.

Ken and I have been busy this morning...uh...er...seeing to it that Violet DOES discover a fairy house.

Let's hope the woods fairies don't rearrange the house between now and tomorrow, and let's hope Violet has fun discovering where the fairies live.

Eye Candy Friday

It looks like we're in for another rainy, cool day here in Maine, so I thought some flower photos might perk me up. If it's raining where you are, I hope they do the same for you. We need this rain, though, after an extremely dry May, so it's good to see the vegetable garden perking up and the grass turning green again. (The forecast calls for hot, humid weather coming in tomorrow.)

On the left is one of my clematis vines. I planted it last year, and it bore a grand total of one (1) blossom. This year it's trying harder, and I'm pleased with the results. I gave it a good little dose of the composted manure/seaweed that I referred to in an earlier post; this seems to be agreeing with it. It gets full sun each day, and it has plenty of climbing area on the porch railing. 

I have about eight clematis vines scattered around our property. One we transplanted when we moved here almost ten years ago. It's limping along, bless its heart. Two more are limping as well; I know it's because they're planted in a poor area. The others, though, are making me proud. Two are the deep purple Jackmani and two are a soft pink. The one in this photo is a Henryi, if I remember correctly, and it has a touch of dusty rose in the center of its blossom.

I just read a brief article saying wood ashes are good for clematis vines. Need to do more reading on that, because if it's true, then we can certainly provide them with plenty of wood ash from the wood stove (which, by the way, is in use this morning, June 6 for crying out loud, but there's a chill in the air, as I said before).

And here are some of my irises. I love irises, but I wish they wouldn't take it so hard when their blossoms are spent. The tired flowers cave in on themselves and turn all mushy, which seems like too much drama, if you ask me. 

The peonies are about to explode into bloom. You'll be hearing from them soon.

Pasta e Fagioli and Patio Herb Bread

These are two of my favorite recipes, and since today is a drizzly, rather cool day here in Maine, I've got the pasta simmering on the stove for tonight's supper. 

I got the recipe for the pasta at Allrecipes.com; the Patio Herb Bread was featured in one of the weekly Kovels' Antiques e-newsletters. Ken especially raves about the Pasta e Fagioli. It seems to be a "man's recipe," if there is such a thing. But I love it, too. It's the blend of spices that especially appeal to me.

Pasta e Fagioli (I halve or one-third this recipe, or we'd be eating it for weeks)

3 lbs. lean ground beef

1/2 c. olive oil

4 c. chopped onion

2 c. chopped celery

2 (4.5 oz.) jars minced garlic (I use fresh garlic, 4-5 cloves)

1 t. coarsely ground black pepper

8 (14.5 oz) cans beef consommé (I use 4 c. water into which I dissolve 5-6 beef bouillon cubes)

1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste (I use 1/3 can and freeze the rest)

2 1/2 t. dried thyme

2 1/2 t. dried basil (Oh, man, do I LOVE basil! Sorry.)

2 1/2 t. dried oregano

2 T. dried parsley

2 c. ditalini pasta

2 (15 oz.) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

In a large pot over medium heat, cook beef until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.

In the same pot, heat the olive oil. Cook onion, celery, garlic, and black pepper until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in beef broth, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste. Season with thyme, basil, oregano, and parsley. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. 

Stir in the beef and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in the pasta and cook al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the beans and heat through, 10-15 minutes.

Patio Herb Bread

This recipe is so easy, it's almost embarrassing. When I call it "homemade bread," I feel I'm giving myself too much credit. It's tasty and delicious and no one would guess how little effort goes into it.

2 c. warm water

2 pkgs. (or 2 T.) dry yeast

2 T. sugar

2 t. salt

2 T. soft butter (I use olive oil or canola oil)

1 T. dried rosemary

4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Sprinkle yeast over water in bowl of electric mixer. Stir. Add sugar, salt, oil, rosemary, and 3 c. flour. Beat low speed to blend. Beat medium speed 2 minutes. Beat in rest of flour with wooden spoon.

Cover with waxed paper and towel. Let rise 45 minutes until double. Preheat oven 375 degrees. Lightly grease 1 1/2 or 2 quart casserole dish. Stir down batter with wooden spoon. Beat hard 1/2 minute (with spoon). Pour into greased dish. Bake 55-60 minutes until browned. Remove from dish onto wire rack to cool. Cut in wedges.

(I usually stir down the dough every 20 minutes or so, 3-4 times, rather than stirring it down just once.)

Um-mmm. Good.

Phase VI-the Last Phase?

OK, it's time to write about the final phase of my needlework life. At least I think and hope it's the final phase, because I enjoy it so much.
My mother first tried to teach me to knit when I was about eight or ten. It was useless; I couldn't figure out the "K1" and "P1" instructions, so every lesson ended in frustration and tears.  I tried again near the end of my teen years; same results.

So I gave up for many years, except for a brief fling with a knitting course that only served to further confuse me. The instructor insisted we must learn to knit the European way, which is backwards to the way I'd seen my mother knit. The yarn from that disaster is still stored upstairs somewhere.

Then, three years ago, my niece-in-law, who was pregnant but thought none of us knew it, asked me if I could knit. I said I couldn't. She suggested we go to a yarn shop anyway, because she suddenly had the urge to make baby things (!) The yarn shop visit hooked me. I began reading all I could about knitting and tackled my first project, which in retrospect I realize was a difficult project, but I didn't know the difference. Ignorance truly is bliss. It was a large baby afghan with various stitches alternating along each row. I did as much raveling as I did knitting, but I forged ahead.

I've been knitting ever since. I've knitted woolen diaper covers for cloth-diapered babies, which I sell on eBay; I've made felted handbags; while in Australia recently I knit a pair of socks; I often knit for afghans4Afghans, a non-profit organization which sends knitted and crocheted woolen hats, mittens, socks and blankets to the children in the high, cold mountains of Afghanistan. I've knit three small Aran sweaters, which were especially fun because of the cables and other stitch designs in them. 

The Baby Surprise Jacket almost became an addiction. I think I made about seven of them. They're knit in one piece, with the only seaming being along the shoulders. Quite an ingenious design by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I love the striped design that emerges as you knit and fold the sweater into its proper shape.

Lest I bore you with too many photos, suffice it to say I'm still knitting: adult sweaters, more felted handbags, more diaper covers, you name it. I have a lot to learn about knitting, but I'm finally realizing it's a manageable needle art to conquer. The house is full of yarn. I brought home 12 more skeins just yesterday, with plans for a cotton t-shirt design for myself and possibly another Baby Surprise Jacket.

I only wish my mother could have lived to know I've finally "taken up the needles" and understand why she was a dedicated knitter all her life.

Flowers

I've been outside, poking around in the flower beds and vegetable garden this morning. This is what is in bloom at the moment: 

Great Solomon's Seal is almost done blooming.

 

...and the vinca vine is fully bloomed.

One clematis vine has opened its first blossom, with many more to come.

The purple and white irises are beautiful, and they know it.

The lily of the valley in the back corner of the garage are finally coming into bloom.

The creeping phlox is...creeping.

The Scotch brush is in its glory.