Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving went by so fast! I can't believe it is already December! I know everyone has been saying that, but man, it just went by so fast! We celebrated our Thanksgiving by making Lefse in the morning after watching the parade. Then we went home and napped Charlie for the big shebang of a dinner. And was it a big shebang of a dinner. Yum. 

I made the Lefse and Gifta this year and they were absolutely delicious. They are traditional foods that my family made every year. Lefse is a Norwegian food that is basically a potato based tortilla. Gifta is something that I was always told was Norwegian, but come to find out we don't know where it came from. But we eat it all the same. I didn't snap any photos of this before it was eaten, but it's pretty delicious.

Our Lefse making station

As soon as Ben came over with a plate of food the children all flocked over. It was adorable.

Lefse

4-6 potatoes, peeled and boiled until soft

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups flour

1. Drain potatoes and mash them with the butter and salt.
2. Cool for 1-2 hours in refrigerator.
3. In a stand up mixer, mix the potatoes with cream and flour until dough forms.
4. On a heavily floured surface, roll out (about) 1/4 cup balls into thin circles. 
5. Bake on a hot griddle or frying pans until bubbles form, then flip and bake another 30 seconds (or until brown spots show).
6. Place finished lefse between a folded dish towel in a plastic bag, this keeps the lefse warm and moist.
7. Serve with butter and brown sugar.

Gifta

1 can wholeberry cranberry

1 pint heavy whipping cream

6 oz. gingersnaps, crushed

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Whip the cream. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla towards the end (this is very sweet so you can put a smaller amount of sugar in).
2. In a glass dish layer 1/3 of the cranberry, bread crumbs, and whipped cream. Repeat 2 more times.
3. Chill in the refrigerator before serving.

Chicken Melts

These chicken melts are freakin' delicious. They are my new favorite thing. Seriously. The only thing is you have to have a precooked chicken but if you have chicken the night before then you're golden. The recipe is only slightly adapted from this RealSimple recipe. I sure do love RealSimple and the soup to go along with it is delicious as well. But we decided to make it for lunch.

Chicken Melts with a Maple-Mustard Sauce

4 slices of bread (any kind but we used whole wheat)
1 roasted chicken breast, shredded
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
slices of red onion
6 slices of cheddar cheese
spinach

1. Set oven broil and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the mustard and maple together and spread evenly on the bread slices.
3. Then place the shredded chicken, onion, and cheddar on the bread.
4. Place in oven and remove when the cheese has melted, about 3-5 minutes. 
5. Remove from oven and place spinach on top of cheddar and enjoy!

Pomegranate Orange Scones

I really had been wanting to get a pomegranate ever since I saw a video on how to properly cut them open and eat them. The only other time that I've actually had one was in grade school when a teacher brought one in for everyone to try. I don't actually remember the taste of it at all but I was convinced that I would love it. And you know, it was pretty good, but I could only eat a few of the seeds before I didn't want anymore. So I had to find something to do with them, so of course I turned to Pinterest and found this recipe. And it was amazing! I think that it is my favorite scone recipe ever. I don't know how often I'll actually make this since pomegranates are kind of expensive, but I definitely will add orange to the next one. 

Pomegranate Orange Scones (adapted from this recipe)

1 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 cup All Purpose Flour

1/2 cup Sugar

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup Pomegranate Seeds

1 1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Zest of a large Orange

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1. Sift your dry ingredients together into a medium sized bowl.
2. Add the cream and vanilla; mix until well combined.
3. Add the pomegranate seeds and zest and mix.
4. Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface and make into a circle then slice into 8 pie shape slices. Spread the slices out onto parchment paper on a baking sheet.
5. Sprinkle with sugar if desired.
6. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Pig Out in the Park

Pig Out in the Park is one of the bigger Spokane events that happens each year. Basically food vendors, beer gardens, and concerts take over our Riverfront Park. They have concerts (and magic shows!) going all day long and the vendors are open around 10 in the morning and go until who knows when. So of course we had to go! Andy got his usual, a gyro, and I decided to try a reuben sandwich. Both were overpriced and delicious, per the usual. The boys then decided to split some nachos and I got some delicious pumpkin and huckleberry donuts. It was a successful Pig Out. Until next time.

Going on a Saturday meant that it was PACKED. But we never usually find a table anyway and sit on the outskirts.

These donuts were fantastic. I think I preferred the pumpkin over huckleberry, but I think that might be because of the cinnamon and sugar :)

He might have wanted some food. And sleep. I think he would have settled for either.

Line and her elephant ear.

Some good ol' grammy time.

California Part 2: Food and Family

It's not a big surprise that we went to In-N-Out Burger while in California. It's just something that you do and is expected. But, this was my first time trying the protein style burger. The first time I got a cheeseburger animal style and it wasn't that great. Not enough meat really. So the second time I decided to get the double double and no animal style and it was delicious! I could have shoved my face full of that burger all day long. Yum.
One thing my family is great at is snacking. We are pros. We can sit there and snack ALL DAY LONG. And that my friends, is exactly what we did. It was glorious. Andy and I don't ever really have snacks or sweets in the house so whenever they are around I can't help but eat nonstop until they are gone.

My oldest brother, Richie, with his newest addition, Jackson.

Hudson Richard who is only a few days old here. Adorable.

We had to get a picture of Charlie holding his newest cousin :)

Trying to get the hang of feeding himself. Not really making it INTO his mouth at this time.

He just has the best pout face ever. I adore it.