Time for a fresh start

Due to the crazy winter weather....so many house bound days due to snow....I've decided to start a new blog....Kitchen InSight I've probably lost the few followers I had since starting this blog in 2007 so it should be easy to make a clean break.

I may periodically post here....but for the latest information on what is happening, in the Nord kitchen...check out Kitchen InSight.

College Care Packages

Change continues in the Nord Kitchen. There are now fewer seats around the dinner table and I've become a regular at my local post office.

With two off to college, Care Package production has gone into high gear. An all time favorite and sure to help make new friends is a Yogurt Rum cake. It is very simple to make and will ship well. Once, while cleaning out the liquor cabinet I found a small bottle of rum, left over from a long ago trip to Bermuda. The rum was 150 proof and there was only about a tablespoon remaining. Just enough for this cake. Flavor might have been a bit overwhelming for some but was a big hit with the college crowd. Recommend using an amber rum like Mount Gay - - my personal favorite.

What you need:
1 cup plain unsweetened whole milk yogurt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rum (light amber recommended)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray sides of 10 inch round springform pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla, oil, rum and whisk again. Pour the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let stand for 10 minutes. Once completely cooled, slide into a gallon size food bag and prepare for packing.

If you decide to keep for yourself, serve slightly warm or a room temperature. You can always make another one tomorrow.

For more ideas about feeding college kids away from home, check out the Boston Globe article, Mother knows (cooking) best

Watching the Red Sox make an incredible comeback tonight, down by 7 runs in the 7th inning. To then comeback and win the game 8-7. Just incredible.

Guess even I can make a comeback. Where has the time gone?

Since I last posted so much has happened in the Nord Kitchen. One child graduated from high school and left for the University of Vermont in September. Another spent the summer in Scotland and the third grudgingly stayed home. But was able to watch baseball at Fenway Park, including a playoff game. Not a bad life.

The Tomato plants have come and gone. A rainy summer produced a lower yield so most of the tomato sauce has already been consumed. It will be a long winter. This year I'm experimenting with freezing whole tomatoes. I'll let you know how that works out.

We also discovered homemade ice cream and experimented with lots of new flavors. New cookbooks have appeared on the kitchen counter while I continue to work on my own book. More to come later....

Bread Rising

If you have read previous blogs In the Nord Kitchen, you know that the kitchen caters to those with tastes that lean a bit towards Scandinavia. But, you would also know that the kitchen resides in a sports oriented house. (Yes, there is also a strong focus on the Arts, but I'll leave that for another blog.)

So, as the kitchen prepares for Super Bowl XLII we also watch Swedish Cardamom bread rise. I find kneading bread very relaxing and the smell of bread baking fills the kitchen with soothing warmth. As I wait for the loaves to rise I will be scanning my recipe file for items from previous Super Bowls. A real favorite was the Ground Turkey and Sausage Chili prepared for Super Bowl XXXVIII, Patriots vs Panthers in 2004.

I have prepared this recipe for many a football game and it has been enthusiastically devoured. This year though, with a teenager who has sworn off meat and fish, I have been experimenting with vegetarian chili. The 2004 Boston Globe article had a version which wasn't quite hardy enough.


As the bread rises, I will be searching for a more Super Bowl worthy recipe.

Kirsten's Cardamom Coffee Braid

2 packages yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups warm milk
1 cup sugar
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup margarine, melted
3 cups whole wheat bread flour (plus extra for kneading)
Melted butter, cinnamon and sugar

Dissolve yeast, water and 1 tablespoon sugar. Add milk, 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour and cardamom. Cover and let stand until bubbly; then add salt, eggs, margarine and 3 cups whole wheat bread flour. Knead, cover and let rise until double. Roll out and spread with melted butter, cinnamon and sugar. Divide into fourths. Cut each of these rectangles into 3 strips. Roll and pinch each of the 3 strips together and braid. You should get 4 large bread braids the length of the cookie sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 325 degrees, about 30 minutes. Loaves will rise more while baking.

Makes 4 large braids

Adapted from Var Sa God