All Cleaned Up

The tree and lights came down today. Decorative mercury glass ornaments (those set out on surfaces and not on the tree) and all other remaining Christmas tchotchkes were put away as well. Ornaments on the tree were taken down at the end of Christmas vacation. Last year I had it all cleaned up by Epiphany.

The Mood of Christmas by Howard Thurman

The Mood of Christmas
by Howard Thurman

"When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart."

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Mom's Tree

Mom texted me a picture of her tree as we didn't make it over for Christmas Eve dinner like we usually do. She said she'd keep it up a little longer this year as she was away in Leavenworth visiting Sam and his family between Christmas and New Year's.

Christmastide 2013/2014 - Summary

The Christmas season this year was joyous. I found that I didn't get nearly as much done as I would have liked. Much of the joy came in being just fine with that. It was nice. I just really appreciate having some time to slow down and reflect on the past year but also to look with anticipation and without stress what the upcoming year might hold. The only stressful part was singing for two services on Christmas Eve but that worked itself out quite quickly. Christmas Day was peaceful and it was great being able to spend it with Mom and Dale. It think this was the most meaningful part of the holiday for me. The wonder, magic, and anticipation that come with the season never cease to amaze me. Every year I get to relive being a kid again. New year's Eve day at the Swedish Institute with Dale was quite enchanting. Drinking glogg, eating Swedish food, touring that beautiful mansion all decked out for Christmas, seeing the kitchen section of the house opened for the first time, feeling a connection to my Swedish ancestors and also to old Minneapolis was more pure magic. Spending time with Dale there with whom I've spent 21 of my 48 Christmases. That's just about 44% of all my Christmases! I love having a connection with my past and feeling the continuity with the present. 

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Odds and Ends 7

Nutcracker shadows.

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Dale's Story to Tell

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Odds and Ends 6

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Odds and Ends 5

The bottle brush trees went up on New Year's Day. They look nice on the porch.

20/21

Happy Anniversary, Dale! We've had 20 anniversaries but have spent 21 Christmases together. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather spend them with.

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Odds and Ends 4

I've been collecting mercury glass ornaments over the years. I love the colors.

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Odds and Ends 3

My Secret Santa gave me this dishtowel with a black lab on it as a nod to Athena. Thanks Rachel!

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Odds and Ends 2

The dala horses were set out on New Year's Day.

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Odds and Ends 1

This was a table decoration in the Norwegian Room and the American Swedish Institute. I like the deco look.

Photo taken December 31, 2013

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Frigid Cold

School's been called off again today due to subzero temperatures. Drinking coffee and listening to Christmas music I didn't get around to hearing this season.

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Livvy

I'm listening to lots of Christmas music on my day off from school due to the cold. Livvy's always been one of my favorite singers dating way back to junior high. Every Time It Snows, a duet with Jon Secada, is beautiful. 

Ephiphany 2014 - Bitter Cold

I woke up at 8:00 this morning and the temperature was 20 below. Still that cold an hour and a half later.

Ephiphany 2014 - Windchills

These are the windchill temps from 3:00 am today. Governor Dayton has called off school. The last time school was called off for extreme cold was by Governor Carlson about 20 years ago. As far as I know, that's the last time the winter chill was this frigid.  I remember Dale  and I waking up in 1994 on a Saturday or Sunday and seeing the battery operated clock on the kitchen wall being behind due to being slowed down by the bitter cold. A 12-pack of Diet Coke that was pushed up against this same wall was starting to freeze too! Granted, the old apartment wasn't very well insulated - but still!

Twelfth Night 2014 - Three Kings

The 3 Kings finally made it to the manger scene at church today.

Twelfth Night 2014 - Downton Abbey

Very low key Twelfth Night. Dale and I watched the season 4 premiere of Downton Abbey on PBS. 

Twelfth Night 2014 - Luminaries

Made some ice luminaries using a Bundt pan mold. They look quite festive.

Twelfth Night 2014 - Gingerbread Cookies

Didn't make a fancy dinner tonight but did bake some gingerbread cookies. They made the house smell wonderful. These came pre-cut and ready to put in the oven. 

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Holiday Brunch

Dale and I invited Phyllis and Julie & Regina over for our holiday brunch this year. Dale made the egg-bake, I made the rum cake, Julie and Regina brought cinnamon rolls, and Phyllis brought the makings for mimosas. 

Top left: Athena smelled lots of good smells coming out of the kitchen.
Top right: My martini.
Bottom left: Dale serves up the egg-bake.
Bottom right: Stairs leading to the front door. Yes, our holiday brunch occurred at night time (long story). 

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Holiday Brunch Egg-Bake

Left: Dale made the egg-bake (recipe below).
Top right: Sauted vegetables for the egg-bake.
Middle right: Cinnamon rolls brought by Julie and Regina.
Bottom right: What was left of the pistachio rum cake pudding.

Brunch Egg Bake

"Here's an easy, tasty dish to make for company that still allows you to spend plenty of time with your guests. I grew up in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and food was always the center of attention at our family get-togethers. We think brunch is the best meal of the day to gather and enjoy. -Gloria Rohlfing, York, Pennsylvania"

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 (4.5 ounce) jar sliced mushrooms, drained

1/3 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 cups diced fully cooked ham

8 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Combine cheeses; place 3 cups in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish and set aside. In a medium skillet, saute mushrooms, onions and red pepper in butter until tender; drain. Place over cheese; top with ham. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. In a bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, flour, parsley, basil, salt and pepper; mix well. Slowly pour over the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minute before cutting.

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Holiday Brunch Rum Cake 2

Pistachio Rum Cake Pudding

Top left: Just out of the oven.

Top right: Glaze poured on bottom.

Bottom left: Pre big reveal.

Bottom left: The big reveal.

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Holiday Brunch Rum Cake 1

We hosted our holiday brunch today. I made a pistachio rum cake pudding and Dale made an egg-bake. The rum cake is was quite easy and fun to make. The recipe comes from family friend Judy and is as follows:

Pistachio Rum Cake Pudding

1 package pistachio pudding mix
1 package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup light rum
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs

Beat all ingredients together at medium speed for 2 minutes. Bake in a Bundt pan at 325 degrees for 55-60 minutes.

Rum Cake Glaze

3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup light rum
1/4 cup water

During last 10 minutes of baking, combine glaze ingredients in a pan. Boil 2-3 minutes [I stirred it the whole time]. Reduce heat [I continued to stir and removed from burner a couple of minutes before removing the cake from the oven]. After removing cake from oven, poke holes in the bottom with a knife to allow for seepage and then pour glaze over it while still in pan. Remove cake in 45 minutes from the pan.

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Our Pastor's Cocktail Party

Tonight our pastor held a cocktail party for parish council members and their spouses. He and his spouse have a real tree with clip-on candles. Not electric lights that look like candles but REAL candles that you have to light. I've never in my lifetime seen a tree in with real candles outside a book. There's a first time for everything. 

Christmas Season 2013 - Russian Tea Cakes

My friend Noel makes Russian Tea Cakes every Christmas just as her mother did and, I believe, as her grandmother did as well. Her grandma, who was of Czech descent, refused to call them Russian Tea Cakes because of what the Russians did to the Czech people. I believe the family still calls them pecan crisps or something like that. Pictured above are some of the actual cookies made by Noel. She sent some home with us after her most recent holiday fete.

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - My Swedish Heritage and Disney Cartoons (Kalle Anke 2013)

What does my Swedish heritage have to do with Disney cartoons? On our recent (December 31) visit to the American Swedish Institute, Dale and I noticed that part of the Christmas displays included a showing of Disney cartoons (dubbed in Swedish) on a regular sized television set up in the old ballroom. Accompanying the showing was the following on a placard:

"A Swedish Christmas is a mix of many traditions, both old and new. While Carl Larsson may cringe, children no longer ask for fruit and nuts for Christmas, not when they can request the newest PlayStation or Xbox."

"The Christmas tree is traditionally brought inside just in time for Christmas Eve. Those in rural areas sometimes hack down their own trees with saw, ax, or whatever tools they have on hand... with varying levels of success."

"To outsiders, the most bizarre Swedish Christmas tradition is a ritual viewing of American cartoons. At 3:00 PM on Christmas Eve, all good Swedes tune in to the 1958 Walt Disney special, Kalle Anka och hans vanner onskar God Jul. ('Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas.') For reasons unknown, between 40 and 50% of the population watches the rebroadcast each year, bringing a touch of American nostalgia to Scandinavia."

Wow. Who knew?

Back in the late 1990s I used to show the kids an old VHS cassette titled Disney's Very Merry Christmas Sing Along Songs just before Christmas vacation. They loved it. I now have it on DVD. While it's not the same program as the one in Sweden, it is Disney and Christmas themed. So, just for fun, I watched it today as a tip-of- the-hat to my Swedish heritage.

New Year's Day 2014 - It's a Wonderful Life

Dale and I finished watching It's a Wonderful Life last night. We both commented on how the ending gets us every time. We were both crying like babies.

Happy New Year 2014

Happy New Year - Welcome 2014

New Year's Day 2014 - Bailey's

Finished up the day with the last of the Bailey's Irish Cream.

New Year's Day 2014 - Lazy Day

Lazy morning. Didn't leave the house until noon. We went to Turtle Bread for lunch and ran into Warren. After lunch we went to see Anchorman 2 at the Southdale Theater. It was amusing but nothing to write home about...

New Year's Eve 2013 - Ellis

To keep their son Ellis busy while entertaining, Alyn and Chris put him to work cutting out animal pictures (and for a 5-year old he cut quite well) from some old wall calendars. He then gluied them on paper. He picked out the lion cub for me and the blue jay for Dale.

New Year's Eve 2013

We went to the house of our friends Alyn and Chris for New Year's Eve. Our mutual friend Eric was there with his new beau, John. Chris made beef stew for dinner which was quite tasty. Eric brought tirimisu for dessert and we brought the champagne. We had a great time and left around 10:30 so they could get their son, Ellis, to bed.

Top right: Alyn lines their front walk with luminary bags. Quite festive.

Middle: Chris built a lovely fire in their fire place. Very cozy.

Bottom right: Champagne.

Left: We were home from Alyn and Chris's house by about 11:00. It's been a few years since Dale and I have stayed up until midnight. We weren't planning on it this year but as we all know, sometimes even the best laid plans...

Below: Eric's tirimisu.

Christmas Season 2013 - New Year's Eve Day at ASI Part 3

Left: Tomten

Top right: Long shot of the tomten in the turret near the music room.

Middle right: Dala horse rides.

Bottom right: FIKA

Christmas Season 2013 - New Year's Eve Day at ASI Part 2

Left: The fireplaces at the American Swedish Institute are works of art. This one depicts Thor.

Top right: The courtyard and south facing side of the mansion while waiting for a table at FIKA.

Middle right: The courtyard and south facing side of the mansion after lunch - the sun came out.

Bottom right: Gas stove in the kitchen of the mansion. I've been in this great house many times over the years and was surprised as I have never seen this section of the house. It turns out it just opened this past fall.

Christmas Season 2013 - New Year's Eve Day at ASI Part 1

Yesterday Dale and I made a visit to the American Swedish Institute for lunch at FIKA. The following is from the restaurant's website:

"FIKA is the acclaimed New Nordic cuisine restaurant helmed by Executive Chef Dustin Thompson inside the American Swedish Institute. [It is c]ited by the Minneapolis Star Tribune as having the 'Best lunch in Minnesota'..."

"...FIKA boasts a seasonally-inspired, family friendly menu dedicated to regional ingredients and Nordic traditions with a contemporary twist."

Top left: I started with a cup of glogg (The word is pronounced like you're saying the word glue with a /g/ at the end. I know this because our kind waitress pronounced it for me after I asked. She added with a smile that "there is no judgement here.").

Top right: Dale and I each ordered a cup of the cabbage soup. Divine.

Bottom left: We shared and order of meatballs with lingonberries over mashed potatoes. Also divine.

Bottom right: We also both ordered the salmon smorgas (open faced sandwich) with beet relish. Yes, this too was divine. It was ALL divine. On top of this the portions were very reasonably sized.