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Swedish Ice Cream – Magnum (buy at Wal-Mart, Walgreens…)

Swedish Coffee – Gevalia (soon in a store near you)

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:

• 8 hard boiled eggs
• 1/4 C + 1 Tablespoon Miracle Whip
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp white pepper

Do this:
Peel eggs, cut in half lengthwise, remove eggs yolks and place in bowl.
Mash the egg yolks with a pastry cutter or electric mixer.  Add rest of ingredients and blend. Fill each egg with egg yolk  mixture and sprinkle with paprika for color. Chill and serve.

Mash egg yolks with pastry cutter or electric mixer

All ingredients have been added to the mashed egg yolks

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

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

This is similar to the meat sauce on pasta that is served in Swedish schools and I have been told that it is everyone’s favorite! We (yes, my husband cooks too) made this for the first time today and my Swedish husband was the taste tester and said it was very close to what he remembers which he hasn’t had in 27 years. He is a one happy man tonight!
We made this meat sauce a bit different than the usual way by not browning the ground meats before adding the remaining ingredients… let it all cook together. Less tomato sauce allows the flavors of the meat and other ingredients come through… very very GOOD 
Recipe adapted from Swedish food blog Kryddburken

Pasta “al dente”

Simmer meat sauce for 1 hour

Ingredients:
6 servings

• 1 onion diced
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 1 T sugar
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 C tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1/2 C ketchup
• 1 T beef bouillion (Better than Bouillion)
• 2 C water (more if needed)
• salt/pepper

Do this:
In large pot sauté diced onions in 2 T margarine until onions are translucent. Sauté diced celery with the sugar in 1 T margarine in a separate pan for 5 minutes and add to the large pot. Now put the ground meats and the rest of the ingredients in the pot. Stir until meat is cooked and simmer with lid for 1-1 hour. Pulse with stick blender for 10-15 seconds. Thicken with 2-3 tablespoons of corn starch (not flour) so the sauce stays clear.
Serve on cooked “al dente” pasta with a salad and bread.

Ingredients:
6  servings

• 2 lb. boneless pork roast
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 bay leaves
• 6 carrots sliced
• 2 T honey
• 3 T beef bouillion (Better Than Bouillion brand)
• 1/4 C red wine (drinking wine)*
• 2 1/2 C water
• salt/black pepper to taste

Do this:
Cut pork into 1″ cubes and brown small amounts at a time in an oiled frying pan adding honey occasionaly to help with the browning of the meat. Saute onion and garlic in dutch oven until onions are translucent. Add browned pork and rest of the ingredients except carrots, cover and simmer over low heat for 1-2 hours.  Add sliced carrots last 30 minutes. Thicken gravy with corn starch if desired. Serve with boiled potatoes and salad.

*I do not use “cooking” wine… if you can’t drink it than why would you want to use it in your food

Ingredients:
Make approximately 100 meatballs

• 2  lb ground beef
• 2  lb ground pork
• 1  medium onion, minced (we use the handy chopper)
• 1  C  fine ground bread crumbs
• 1/2 C water or milk
• 2  eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Do this:
Put all ingredients into a large 5 qt. bowl and mix with hands until well blended. Form into small balls and place on a well greased 17″ x 11″ jelly roll pan. Bake at 395º F for 15 minutes then roll the meatballs around a bit and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until browned. Place browned meatballs in a covered casserole dish to keep warm and proceed baking the remaining meatballs.
Serve with lingonberries and mashed potatoes. Want your mashed potatoes to taste exceptional? Use whipping cream instead of milk – oh so good!!

Place the meatballs on a jelly roll pan and bake at 395º

Bake until nicely browned

Felix Lingonberries

 
Beautiful lingonberries

Swedish meatballs (Köttbullar), lingonberries and mashed potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C margarine (Land o Lakes)
• 1 C sugar
• 3 T cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 C flour

Do this:
Melt margarine in saucepan and remove from heat. Add the rest if ingredients in order given and stir after each addition. Make sure the batter has cooled down before adding eggs. Pour in greased 8″ x 8″ pan
and bake in preheated 350º oven for 12-15 min. or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Recipe may be doubled and baked in a 9″ x 13″ cake pan. Increase baking time to 30-35 minutes. 

Melt the margarine

Pour in the sugar

Stir in the cocoa

Add the eggs and stir

Add the flour

Pour the batter into a greased cake pan

In the cake pan and ready for the oven

Sprinkle with powdered sugar

Ingredients:

• zest of 1 orange
• juice of 1/2 orange
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3 T honey
• 1/2 C creme fraiche

Do this:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, pour over fruit of your choice and gently blend with rubber spatula.  Serve on a bed of lettuce.
Fruit salad recipe