Norwexican tamales for New Year

From my friend Christo

I got a huge box in the mail

with all I needed to make tamales

just in time for New Year!

 Corn husk, chile and masa

I used some pork

and it was simmering for three hours on low heat

 The chile soaking in some water

 Chile, sweet pepper, celery, and stock in the foodprocessor

 Shredding the pork

Letting it simmer for 45 minutes together with the pork

 Making the masa: corn flour, lard, baking powder, and stock

Soaking the husk

 Then wrapping the tamales, I loved that part of the job!

 Stacking them in the steamer

Waiting with excitement while the little packages

got ready for the New Years feast!

I had never seen a tamale in real life or tasted one

I was wondering, would it be right?

The meat in the chile tasted good

even the masa tasted ok before cooking

so I thought I would like it!

Bur what about my family?

I loved it, and even better,

they loved it!

Even my picky eater of a son and his girlfriend!

My husband and my daughter wanted it again very soon!

I told them what you said Christo, 

that eating tamales on New Years Eve means good

fortune ans happiness for the New Year!

Thank you for letting me  in om this food experience, I promise you

this will not be the last tamales made in this home!

To you and all my friends out there:

Happy New Year!!

12 days of Christmas

Inspired by the season

my husband wants to tell the real story

about his Christmas:

Merry baking

It's the time for baking.

According to the Norwegian tradition

it should be 7 different types of cakes and cookies

in a proper Norwegian Christmas home

There won't be seven types in our home

but there will these:

Nutty cookies, with hazel nuts and almonds

And coconut macaroons

And even dinner suddenly seems Christmasy

and it wasn't even deliberate

Beans and tomatoes, Ho Ho, Ho!!

Julebord and coconut cake

Last night we had our annual Julebord (Christmas party) at work

This year we chose to do it far out in the woods

Viking style!

The place was rustic, wooden and rough

the floor was of hard soil

and there was massive logs og the fire.

Even if it was kind of outside-ish, it was warm .

The tables was of thick wood, the chairs was of thick stumps of wood

with skins of reindeer to sit on.

The menue was grilled lamb and salmon

Outside there was kerosene lamps and torches to show us the way.

There was stars and moon above, and it was magical!

This afternoon back from the wilderness

I made a coconut cake

soft and cruncy coconut meringue on top.

Lovely