When you think of noodles, you probably conjur up images of Italian pasta or Asian noodles or perhaps even German spätzle. The thought of a Norwegian noodle would probably never come up, and rightly so. Therefore, you might be wondering why I am posting a pasta dish.
Well…
I was invited to take part in @noodleholicsparty, a virtual gathering of fellow food bloggers celebrating noodles from all around the globe. That is to say, food lovers from all over expressing their versions of this cross-cultural staple. See the bottom of this post for all the participants and their dishes. I have a love affair with noodles, so I was immediately interested, but also hesitant at the same time because Norway does not have a version of the noodle. In fact, the macaroni did not enter Norway until 1913. Nowadays, noodles are borrowed and usually kept within their respective countries framework.
However, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to showcase just what a Norwegian noodle dish might look like. Because, after all, noodles are made with simple base ingredients. The same ingredients that are the building blocks for Norwegian breads, like lefse and flatbrød. So even though there has never been a distinctive Norwegian noodle, there is no reason there shouldn’t have been or should be one now. (more…)
Mother nature has been busy these past few days. Our snow has almost entirely melted and our skies have been clear and bright. The sunrises and sunsets have been a vibrant aura of orange, red, yellow, pink and purple hues. Temperatures have been higher than normal and it almost feels as though spring is just around the corner. The weather has a calmness to it, like the stillness of a snow globe when it rests on a shelf, unsuspecting of change. Seemingly ignorant that at any moment everything could change. 
Traditions are like threads. Threads pieced together from generation to generation. Some threads break loose and are replaced with newer ones, but others remain at the core. The dishes we eat are just a few of those threads. Everyone has their favorites, their must-haves, and when those are satisfied, there’s room for a few new threads.
My sister recently collated and copied my Great Grandmother’s recipes as gifts for the whole family. Reading through the recipes brought back so many wonderful memories. Her cookies were always a highlight of our holiday traditions. Cookies that, today, seem classical and perhaps a bit vintage. Something our grandmother grew up with and baked for us in our childhood, but we rarely, if ever, bake in our own kitchens.
