Makes approximately 50 cookies

Ingredients:
14 T Land O Lakes margarine (1 – 3/4 sticks)
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 T unsweetened Cocoa powder
3 T corn syrup
1 1/2 C flour
2 tsp baking powder

Top
1 beaten egg
Pearl sugar

Do this:
Cream margarine then add the sugar and vanilla and blend. Add the remaining 4 ingredients and blend thoroughly with electric mixer.
Place cookie dough on floured surface and form into ball. Work the dough with your hands for a short time. Take a portion of the dough and roll between your hands to make a rope the length of the cookie sheet. Place 2 of the rolled dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet and flatten each with your fingers.
Beat one egg and brush a light coating of the egg wash on the dough with a pastry brush. Sprinkle the dough with pearl sugar and bake in 300º F oven for 11 minutes. If using an air-bake cookie sheet you may wish to bake an additional 2-3 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes and cut with knife into 3 inch wide portions. Continue to cool on cookie sheet for another 10 minutes before removing with spatula. They will be slightly crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle — yum!

Cream the margarine using an electric mixer

Add the sugar and vanilla to the creamed margarine and blend with mixer. Then mix in the cocoa, syrup, flour and baking powder

Remove dough from bowl and form into ball

Work the dough with hands to blend all ingredients

Take a portion of the dough and roll into a rope the length of the cookie sheet

Place 2 rolls on each lightly greased cookie sheet

Beat one egg

Lightly brush egg wash on flattened dough with pastry brush

Sprinkle with pearl sugar

Bake in 300º oven for 11 minutes

Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes and cut into 3 inch pieces

Now it’s time to sit down with a plate of your Chokladsnittar and enjoy them with a cup of fresh brewed coffee (nybryggt cafe) or a glass of milk (mjölk)!

Quick and easy Nacho Cheese dip for a tasty snack or as a side dish with you summer picnic. This recipe originates from New Mexico where I lived for a short while many years ago. Nice place to visit but I was not crazy about living in New Mexico as I like to be surrounded by lots of green grass and trees! Sorry, don’t meat to offend anyone… just my opinion.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 8 oz. Velveeta Cheese
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 16 oz. Picante Sauce (Medium)
• 1/4 C milk
• Tostido Corn Chips

Do this:
Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Once browned, lower heat and add cubed Velveeta cheese stirring until melted. Add cream of mushroom soup (undiluted) to meat mixture and stir to combine. Now add the Picante sauce and the milk. Bring to a slow simmer for a few minutes and serve with corn chips. I like to pour the dip on my chips or you may place the hot dip in a bowl.

Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan on medium-high heat.

Lower heat then add 8 oz. cubed Velveeta cheese and add to ground beef. Stir until melted.

Stir in undiluted Cream of Mushroom soup, picante sauce and milk. Simmer for a few minutes and serve with corn chips.

There are so many things you can use to stuff manicotti. We had a box of manicotti and all the ingredients on hand to make this beef stuffed manicotti and it was extremely tasty. You can either make this recipe as is, or perhaps you would like to use it as a starting point and alter it to suit your taste. For example — add some cottage cheese to the meat filling or use mozarella cheese instead of the cheddar.
The fun part of cooking is changing a recipe and making it uniquely your own!

Ingredients:
Makes 8 Manicotti in 8″ x 8″ casserole dish
4 servings

Meat filling:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 3/4 C chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 T dry oregano
• 1 T parsley flakes
• 3 T tomato paste
• 1/2 C water

Manicotti and sauce:

• 8 boiled manicotti
• 12 oz. tomato sauce
• 1/2 C water
• 1 C shredded cheddar cheese

Do this:

Saute chopped the onion and garlic in 1 T margarine until onions are translucent then add the ground beef and fry until brown. Now add the seasonings, tomato paste and water stirring to combine, simmer and allow the water to evaporate.  Set aside to cool and now is the time to boil the manicotti in water with a tablespoon of oil for 7 minutes.

Drain the manicotti and add about a cup of cold water in the pot to keep the manicotti moist and to cool them down so they can be handled. Fill each manicotti with the meat and place in an 8″ x 8″ greased casserole dish placing 6 down the center and 1 on each side. Sprinkle with 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese. Dilute the tomato sauce with 1/2 C water and pour on the manicotti then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 C shredded cheese on top.
Bake in a pre-heated 375º oven for 40 minutes. Serve with a tossed green salad and hot rolls.

Saute onion and garlic then brown the ground beef. Add tomato paste, spices and water. Stir to blend and simmer until water has evaporated

Stuff the cooked manicotti with the meat and place in greased casserole dish

Sprinkle half of the cheese on the manicotti

Pour the diluted tomato sauce over the cheddar cheese

Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top and bake in 375º oven for 40 minutes.

Nicely browned in the oven and ready to serve

Ingredients:
Makes 16

Crust:

• 1/2 C Land o Lakes margarine
• 1/3 C powdered sugar
• 1 1/3 C flour

Top:

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 3 T flour
• juice of 1 lemon
• grated rind of 1 lemon

Do this:
Cut margarine and let sit for 15 minutes or so to soften. Add the powdered sugar and flour and blend like pie crust with pie cutter. Press evenly into 9×13 cake pan and bake for 15 minutes in 350º oven until delicately brown. While crust is baking, beat the eggs and add sugar, flour, grated rind and the juice from one lemon. Pour this on hot crust and bake another 15 minutes or until delicately brown. Remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar. Cool and cut into squares. The center will be soft until cool.

Cut margarine and let sit for 15 minutes to soften
Cut the four and powdered sugar into the margarine using a pasty cutter

Crust will resemble pie dough

Now dump the crust into a 9″x13″ cake pan

Pat the crust evenly on the bottom of cake pan and bake 15 minutes in 350º oven

Prepare the top while crust is baking. Blend 3 eggs with electric mixer

Add sugar, flour, grated lemon rind and lemon juice to eggs and beat with mixer. Pour onto hot bottom crust and bake another 15 minutes in 350º oven

Take out of oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar

Cool and cut into squares

Ingredients:
Makes 10

• 1.5 pound chicken breasts
• 1.5 pound strip steak
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red onion
• 16 oz. fresh mushrooms
• 2-3 tomatoes
• 1 zucchini

Marinade:

• Raspberry vinaigrette
• 2 tsp Cookies® All Purpose Seasoning

Do this:
Cut meat into 2 inch cubes and marinade in vinaigrette and Cookies seasoning overnight in refrigerator. Cut bell peppers, onion and tomatoes in 2-3″ inch wedges and slice zucchini. Clean mushrooms, cut stems and leave whole. Push the meat and vegetables onto metal skewers using 5 pieces of meat per skewer. If using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak in warm water for 10-15 minutes before using to prevent them from burning on the grill.
Place shish kabobs on grill turning often until meat is cooked and browned. Save the marinade and brush it on shish kabobs while they are grilling for more flavor.
I served the shish kabobs with a tossed green salad and scalloped potatoes with cheddar cheese.

Cut meat into 2″ cubes and marinade overnight in refrigerator

Cut tomatoes and bell peppers into large wedges

Now cut the onions into wedges and slice zucchini

Clean mushrooms and cut stems. Leave whole

Push the meat and vegetable onto metal or bamboo skewers using at least 5 pieces of meat per skewer. Place on hot grill

Grill shish kabobs until chicken is cooked thoroughly

Serve with tossed salad and potatoes

Ingredients:
Makes 8-10 pancakes

• 3 eggs
• 2 1/2 C milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 C + 1 T flour
• 2 -3 T butter, melted

Do this:

Whip the eggs slighty with a whisk and add the milk whisking until blended. Add the flour, salt and melted butter and mix thoroughly. Pour small amount of batter into a buttered frying pan at medium heat. Brown on one side, flip and brown the other side of pancake. Place each finished pancake on oven proof dish and place in warm oven to keep them warm until finished with all of the pancakes. Top each pancake with strawberry jam and serve with bacon or ham.

Whisk 3 eggs in mixing bowl

Add the milk and mix

Now add the flour, salt and melted butter. Mix thoroughly

Pour pancake batter into preheated (medium heat) buttered frying pan and brown on first side

After first side is browned flip over and brown the other side of pancake. Place each pancake in warm over until finished with all pancakes

Serve with strawberry jam

I have never used a “recipe” for my potato salad so this time I wrote down all the amounts of the ingredients so that I could post it here for you.
Swedish potato salad is very different than American potato salad in that it is very plain and uses a combination of mayonnaise and creme fraiche, no eggs and is very creamy and rather bland… it’s good, but I prefer my potato salad

Ingredients:
Serves 15

• 5 lb. potatoes
• 1/2 C chopped red onion
• 1/2 C sweet pickle relish
• 6 boiled eggs, chopped
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 2 1/2  C Miracle Whip
• 1 T mustard
• salt to taste

Do this:
Boil potatoes and eggs the day before you plan to make your potato salad and cool thoroughly in the refrigerator. Peel potatoes and the boiled eggs. Cut into desired sizes and place in a large bowl. Chop onion and place in bowl with potatoes and eggs. Add all the remaining ingredients and blend with spatula.
Sprinkle top of potato salad with paprika and garnish with parsley. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Peel potatoes and eggs and cut into desired sizes

Chop up 1/2 cup red onion

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl

Sprinkle potato salad with paprika and garnish with parsley. Refrigerate until ready to serve

Mother’s Day steak on the grill.

 I had a boneless top round beef roast in the freezer waiting to be cooked so today I decided to make a beef stew using some ingredients that I already had on hand. It is similar to Swedish Kalops(pork) but I used beef  in this recipe and I added mushrooms and tomatoes for a different variation and it was absolutely delicious!

Here’s a challenge for you. Using beef or pork, saute some onions, brown the meat and then use your imagination with the ingredients you have on hand to come up with your own stew recipe – it’s too easy!

Ingredients:
Serves 6

• 2 lb. top round boneless beef roast
• 1 leek
• 1 small can sliced mushrooms
• 3 T beef bouillion (Better than Bouillion)
• 2-3 carrot
• 2 small tomatoes
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 C water
• 1/2 C cream or creme fraiche (add before serving)
• 1 tsp black pepper 

Do this:

Trim fat and cut beef into 1 inch pieces and  place in hot oil using a dutch oven until browned using 1 T syrup to enhance the browning process. While the meat is browning sauté onions until translucent in frying pan then add drained mushrooms and cook with onions for a few more minutes.  

Peel the carrots and tomatoes, cut into small pieces and add to stew along with the leeks, mushrooms, bouillion, pepper, water and bay leaves. Simmer for 2 hours.

Remove bay leaves and stir in the cream. Thicken with Wondra flour and serve with mashed or boiled potatoes. 

Chop leek and sauté in butter until translucent. Add the drained mushrooms and sauté an additional few minutes

Cut beef into small pieces and brown in dutch oven. Add 1 T syrup to help with the browning.

Peel, slice and chop tomatoes and carrots. Add all remaining ingredients with the exception of cream

Simmer for 2 hours until meat is tender. Add the cream after removing bay leaves and thicken slightly with Wondra flour

My sweet husband made this special rye bread today and a good rye bread just happens to be my favorite. This is a healthy thin bread full of flavor and texture with the added wheat flakes and flax seed. 
I do not like store bought white bread… just tasteless fluff! I have previously mentioned on my Swedish Meatball Sandwich recipe that Super Walmart’s 9 grain bread found in their bakery section is very very good and I hope that you will give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 7 1/2 tsp. yeast
• 2 1/2 C  milk
• 2 T honey
• 1 T salt
• 3/8 C golden flax seeds
• 3/8 C wheat flakes
• 3 1/2 C white flour
• 2 C rye flour

Do this:

Combine milk and yeast in saucepan and heat to finger warm using a wire whisk to incorporate the yeast into the milk. Pour into large bowl and add the remaining ingredients mixing with wooden spoon. Form dough into round ball and place on floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover with cloth in warm place for 45 minutes. 

Shape dough into a 2″ high rectangle on a large jelly roll pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle top of dough with flour, cover again with cloth and let rise another 30 minutes.

Score top of bread with knife into squares to whatever size you would like about 1/2″ deep. Bake in preheated 425º oven for 15 minutes. Cool and break bread apart at score lines. Cut in half lengthwise, slather with butter and enjoy!

Add the flours, honey, salt, flax seeds and wheat flakes to the milk and yeast in large bowl

Wheat flakes

Golden flax seed

When ingredients are combined, knead dough until smooth. Form into a ball and cover with cloth for 45 minutes

Shape dough into 2″ high rectangle on lined jelly roll pan, sprinkle with flour, cover with cloth and let it rest another 30 minutes

Score top of dough into squares about 1/2″ deep and bake 15 minutes in a 425º oven

Cool on wire rack for 20-30 minutes

Break bread apart at score marks and cut in half lengthwise. Spread with butter and jam