Culinary Failure

 I suppose all good cooks experience major failures along the way, or how else would they become good cooks?  So, that being said... I think I may be on my way to becoming a good cook because I tried.... and failed... at this Norwegian meal!

 

 Now you may be wondering what in the world this was in the first place?  This would be called, in layman's terms, "potato dumplings" - though my Norwegian spouse and his family called it "kumpa" - other names are also "klubb" or "komla"... and on this particular day I thought I would totally surprise my dear hubby with this "delicacy" that I have, so far, avoided ever making.  How hard could this be, I determined?  Afterall, I think I'm a pretty decent cook.... so I was smiling as I peeled potatoes (that is the one kitchen cooking chore that I really dislike - it ranks right up there with cleaning walls or crocheting)... but I peeled and shredded and squeezed out the excess moisture (I told you I was a good cook - this is an important part for this meal) and added flour, some oatmeal and carefully shaped them into balls with the required piece of salt pork safely tucked into the center of the kumpa.  I had brought the large kettles of water to a soft boil and then, so proud of myself, I took a picture before gently placing them into the water...

 And then into the water they went!  (There is a little ham in the water to add, possibly, a little flavor...)  Again, I had to photograph to document I had DONE this!  Oh, how happy and surprised Mr. Wonderful will be, I happily thought to myself.  

 

Pride goeth before a fall.

 

Within minutes these beautiful spheres.... disintegrated into the water!!!

HORRORS!  I didn't know they would or could do that!!!

NO, I was so befuddled that I forgot to take a picture of the water/shredded potatoes mixture!

Now what do I do??  I quickly shared my dilmena with my facebook friends (after telling them I was so "wonderful" making kumpa...) and someone gamely suggested potato pancakes...

 

So, remembering that hubby also loved potato pancakes ... and thinking that onions usually improve everything... I drained the potato stuff into a colander and again ... squeezed out the moisture... then chopped up an onion and added it to the mixture along with more flour and an egg and fried them in butter to make some not-so-bad potato pancakes!

 

 

But there was a small bit of redemption.... in the smaller of the kettles of water remained ONE whole "kumpa" and part of a second one...

 

I think you have to grow up with these things to really appreciate their taste...

 

I should have taken a picture of the kitchen afterwards.  I used SO many kettles, large bowls, colanders, food processor for shredding, etc.,  It was a mess. 

All for 1 1/2 kumpas.

And because I love my man. 

Two little brothers

 This past weekend we were in "the cities" - first for a lovely wedding of the daughter of close friends, and then to enjoy the home of our eldest son and daughter-in-law ... and THESE two little fellas!

 

 We had a hard time getting this busy little boy to sit still for a  picture...

 

 The older brother, however, cooperated happily.

 

And the really fun part of this weekend was seeing our youngest grandchild (10 months) decide that walking was something he could do - he went from taking just those 2 or 3 steps to getting himself to a standing position and walking across the room.  Yup! That's walking!!

Some cookie fun at the Candis Cookie Company

I love fall and everything about it.  Getting back into a routine, the cooler temperatures, the fall colors and changing decorations with those rich colors; fires in our fireplaces, soup in the crock pot and bread baking.  All wonderful gifts of fall!  And I have done a little fall cookie baking and decorating that I thought you might like to see!  I was asked to bake and decorate some pumpkin cookies for a ladies group that I am in (PEO) and I can hardly wait for them to see them.  (Right now they are decorated and in the freezer waiting...) 

 Here is Mr. Pumpkin.  I love the little green vine on him, don't you?

 

 Since I was on a roll and had most of my decorating and baking supplies out, I thought perhaps I could bake some cookies in anticipation of the 200th win (if it happened) for a good friend who is a local football coach.  I baked these cookies and sent them off to the game with my friend, the Coach's wife, in the hopes that perhaps that game might be the BIG win... but if not, I knew they would freeze well until the next game... or whichever game gave Coach the big 200th career win.

 

 It was a good thing I baked them when I did because the hard-fought win came that night against an undefeated team on an away field !!  Yeah Coach!  Not many achieve career coaching wins of 200 games. Way to go!

 

I couldn't put my supplies away until I gave these cookies a whirl - and these I did NOT give away, but served myself to our Sunday evening Bible study group.   They all ohhhed and ahhhed appropriately.  Thank you.

 



 They look harder then they are...

 

This decorating technique is a bit different then the pumpkin and football cookies as all the icing colors are applied to the cookie at the same time and then one drags a toothpick through the wet icing to make the design.  It was tons of fun and no matter what one did, the cookie seemed to look great. 

Now I can't wait to start on those Christmas cookies....