These were traditional for Christmas at Izzie's house, and still are at Jerri Garretson's house, two generations later.  This is an old Norwegian recipe that may seem very strange to you.  Yes, it really does use hardboiled egg yolks!  These are THE BEST cookies.  They melt in your mouth!

What You'll Need:
8 eggs
1 pound of soft butter (four sticks)
     Don't substitute!
1 cup of sugar
4 cup of flour
Sugar cubes (one box)
Hammer or mallet
Hand towel
Plastic bag to crush sugar cubes in (sandwich
     bags work fine)
Waxed paper
Cookie press with large star pattern
      (If you don't have one, you can shape
      cookies by hand.)
Ungreased baking sheet
Large mixing bowl, mixing spoon &
     measuring cup

What to do:
1.  Crush the sugar cubes pea-size or smaller.  To do this, put enough of them into a plastic bag to make one layer.  Close the bag and put it between layers of a hand towel.  On a surface that won't be damaged by this (we do it on a concrete step), hit each cube one or more times to break it into pieces.  Save the sugar chips in a small bowl for step 11. 

2.  Hard boil 4 of the eggs.  Peel them.  You don’t need the hard-cooked whites for this recipe, so you can either save them (for a salad or something) or discard them.  Cool  the yolks and mash them through a sieve or strainer.  Use your thumb or the  back of a spoon to press the yolks through the mesh. 

3.  Separate the other 4 eggs.  Refrigerate & keep the whites for steps  8 and 11. 

4.  Cream the butter and sugar in the mixing bowl. 

5.  Mix the raw egg yolks into the butter and sugar, then add the crumbled yolks and mix them in thoroughly. 

6.  Add flour gradua

7.  Put your crushed sugar lumps into a bowl.

If you are going to use a cookie press use this section (a).  If not, skip to the next one (b).
a1.  Put the bowl of dough into the refrigerator to chill for about one hour so it won't be so sticky to work with.
a2.  Whisk half the raw egg whites frothy.
a3.  Load dough into your cookie press using a large star- shaped opening.
a4.  Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
a5.  Press 4-inch lengths of dough onto waxed paper.
a6.  Form “wreaths” or rings with each length of dough. 
a7.  Continue with directions after section (b)

If you are not going to use a cookie press, use this section (b):
b1.  Whisk half the raw egg whites frothy.
b2.  Roll the dough between your hands to form balls about one inch in diameter.
b3.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
b4.  Flatten the balls to form cookies about two inches wide.
b5.  Continue with directions below:

Finish and bake the cookies:
8.   Dip top side of each cookie into the frothy egg whites and then into the crushed sugar lumps.
9.   Place on baking sheet sugar side up.
10. Bake on middle shelf of the oven until BARELY tinged with brown, ABOUT 12 minutes.  Watch carefully! They burn fast. 

This is a kind of soft flat bread a little bit like a flour tortilla.  It tastes great!  In Jerri Garretson's family, they are so popular that when she makes them, she has to count them 
and tell each person how many they can have! 

They are simple to make, but it takes awhile.  If you practice, you can speed up the process by rolling out several and using three or four pans to "bake" them at the same time.  This requires careful timing and speed, though. 

It also takes some practice to judge just how much flour to add.  You can't give an exact amount in a recipe because it depends so much on how moist the mashed potatoes are. 
Too little flour and your potetkage will stick to the pastry cloth when you roll them out.  Too much and they will be dry and hard after you bake them instead of soft.

Most Scandinavians seem to call them "potato lefse" but Izzie's family calls them "potetkage," which means "potato cakes."  They are traditionally made about 12 inches in diameter, but Izzie's descendants make them about 8 inches because it is easier to find pans for that size that will fit on our stoves.

What You'll Need:
Refrigerated mashed potatoes
     (You can use "real" mashed potatoes or
     instant ones.)
Flour
Rolling pin and pastry cloth
Heavy griddle or large iron skillet
     (no grease or fat)
Mixing bowl

What to do:
1.  Put the mashed potatoes into a mixing bowl. 

2.  Use your hands to work in enough flour to make a soft dough that you can form into balls about 2 inches in diameter. 

3.  Form all the dough into balls (put them on a big plate). 

4.  Get your pastry cloth and rolling pin floured and ready. 

5.  Heat your griddle or skillet as you would for pancakes.  It's hot enough when drops of water "dance" on the surface. 

6.  While the griddle is heating, flatten one of the potato balls and dip it in flour. 

7.  Roll out the floured dough as you would for pie crust, about 1/16 inch thick. 

8.  "Bake" the potetkage on the hot griddle or skillet until it gets gold and brown spots on the pan side, then turn over and repeat. 

9.  Continue, repeating steps 7 and 8 until you are done baking your potetkage.  You can stack them up like pancakes.  

10. Be sure to cover them after they cool so so they won't get hard and stale.  If you don't eat them all the same day, refrigerate them so they won't spoil quickly.

How to eat them:
Of course you can eat them plain if you wish. 

You usually butter them and either fold them in quarters or roll them up.  Eat them this way if you don't want them sweet. 

The traditional way in Izzie's family is to dip the buttered and rolled potetkage into syrup and then eat them. 

Another popular way is to sprinkle the buttered potetkage with sugar and cinnamon, then fold them into quarters.
 

This traditional Christmas bread is slightly sweet.  The recipe given here is a family variation.  Most Julekage recipes include citron and may have a sweet glaze and candied cherries and citron on top.  "Julekage" means "Christmas cake."  This makes wonderful toast!  It is still a Christmas tradition at Jerri Garretson's house.

What You'll Need:
2 cupc milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup soft butter (1 stick)
1 egg
2 packages dry yeast
3/4 cup raisins
     (Seeded Muscat raisins are traditional. 
     If unavailable, use golden or regular
     raisins.)
1 teaspoon cardamom seed (ground)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 - 4 cups flour plus 2 cups more flour
     for kneading
Mixing bowl and spoon, measuring cup
     and spoons
2 greased loaf pans

What to do:
1.  “Plump” the raisins by boiling in water if they are dry.  Discard water and cool.
2.  Sift 2 cups of the flour with the salt.  Mix in the yeast and cardamom.
3.  Melt the butter.
4.  Beat the egg.
5.  Combine the milk, melted butter, beaten egg and sugar to form a warm (not hot, not over 110°) mixture.
6.  Beat the flour mixture into the milk mixture until smooth.
7.  Add the raisins.
7.  Add more flour a little at a time (up to 2 cups) to make an elastic dough.
8.  Put flour on a kneading surface.  Knead the dough on it for about 10 minutes.
9.  Form the dough into ball.  Put it into  a greased bowl and bring the greased side to the top. 
10. Cover with damp towel.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.  This takes about one hour.
11. Punch down and shape the dough into loaves. 
12. Place in greased loaf pans and let rise again until doubled.  Don't cover it this time.
13. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
14. Bake for about 45 minutes.  Brush with beaten egg white or melted butter and bake for another 10-15 min. 
15. Cool on racks.

These are very chewy, "bready" old-fashioned cookies, just slightly sweet.  They seem a little bit like a bagel or a soft pretzel in texture.

What You'll Need:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 cups sour milk*
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs
About 5 1/2 cups flour
     (enough to roll; don't use too much)
Mixing bowl and spoon, measuring cup
     and spoons
Floured pastry cloth
Ungreased baking sheet

*These days, households aren't as likely to have sour milk around.  If you don't, make your own by adding: 
2 Tablespoons of either lemon juice or white vinegar to the fresh milk (put it into the measuring cup before you add the milk so that you don't increase the total amount of liquid).
Or, you could try using buttermilk.  You need the sour (acid) incredient to interact with the baking soda so the cookies will rise.

What to do:
1.   Cream the sugar and the shortening
2.   Sift the baking soda and nutmeg with 2 cups of the flour.
3.   Beat the eggs with the sour milk.
4.   Add the flour and baking soda to the creamed shortening and sugar alternately with the sour milk and eggs.
5.   Add the rest of the flour.  You’ll have to use your hands to work it in.
6.   Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
7.   Take lumps of dough about the size of a large egg or a little larger roll them out with your hands into a "rope" about 9" long.  Bring the ends in to the center to form a figure eight or "eyeglasses" shape.
8.   Place the cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
9.   Bake on middle oven shelf until barely brown. 
10. Remove and cool on racks.

These are great with milk or tea, or dunked in coffee, but take some "adjustment" in your mind about what a "cookie" is supposed to be.  Most of our American cookies don't 
have this bread-like texture and are sweeter.

What You'll Need:
8 inch baked pie shell
     (See pie crust recipe on this web page.)
Mixing bowl, spoons, and measuring cups
     and spoons
Saucepan
Electric mixer or hand mixer

Filling ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 cup cold milk
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 square Baker’s bitter chocolate, melted
    (you can melt it in a microwave or on the
     stove, but be very careful; it burns easily!)

Meringue ingredients:
2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
     (you can get by without it)
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
     (you can get by without it)

What to do:
Filling
1.  Stir the sugar and flour together in the saucepan.
2.  Beat the milk, egg yolks and vanilla together in a bowl.
3.  Stir the milk mixture into the flour and sugar.
4.  Stir in the melted chocolate.
5.  Cook over low heat until thickened. Stir constantly.  It burns easily.
6.  Pour into baked pie shell.

Meringue
1.  Heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  Mix the sugar and cream of tartar together.  Don't leave any lumps.
3.  Beat the egg whites until frothy. 
4.  Continue beating while gradually adding the sugar mixture.  Beat until stiff but not dry.  It should form nice peaks.
5.  Carefully fold in the vanilla.
6.  Heap the meringue onto the chocolate filling and shape it into peaks.
7.  Bake about 12-15 minutes until peaks are golden brown.

What You'll Need:
9” baked pie shell
     (see pie crust recipe on this web page.)
Mixing bowl, spoons, and measuring cups
     and spoons
Saucepan
Beater

Filling ingredients:
11/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
11/2 cups cold water
Juice of 3 lemons
4 egg yolks

Meringue ingredients:
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
     (you can get by without it.)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

What to do:
Filling
1.  Mix the sugar and cornstarch together thoroughly in a saucepan.
2.  Stir in the cold water.
3.  Beat the egg yolks and lemon juice together.
4.  Stir while you heat the sugar, corn starch and water mixture to boiling.
5.  As soon as it boils, stir in the egg yolk and lemon mixture.  Stir constantly and cook until thick.
6.  Pour into the baked pie shell.

Meringue
1.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  Mix together the sugar and cream of tartar.  Don't leave any lumps.
3.  Beat the egg whites until frothy. 
4.  Continue beating while gradually adding the sugar mixture.  Beat until stiff but not dry.  It should form nice peaks.
5.  Carefully fold in the vanilla.
6.  Heap the meringue onto the lemon filling and shape it into peaks.
7.  Bake 12-15 min. until peaks are golden brown.

This is one of the best desserts we've ever eaten!  This is what Jerri Garretson and Marion Kundiger always want for their birthday cakes.  It is easy to make and unusual.

What You'll Need:
Upside-Down Topping Ingredients
1/4 cup soft butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 can apricot halves in heavy syrup (drained)

Cake Batter Ingredients
1/4 cup soft butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
11/4 cups flour
1 cup whipping cream

Mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons
9” Iron skillet (ungreased)
Whipping cream

What do to:
Upside-Down Topping
1.  Cream the butter and brown sugar together.
2.  Spread the butter and sugar mixture evenly in the bottom of the skillet.
3.  Cover the sugar mixture with apricot halves, cut side down.

Cake Batter
1.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  Cream the butter and sugar.
3.  Beat the egg and milk together.
4.  Sift flour and baking powder together.
5.  Add the milk and flour mixtures alternately to butter and sugar to make a smooth batter.
6.  Pour the batter over the apricot and brown sugar topping.
7.  Bake for about 35 min. at 350°.  Test with toothpick.
8.  INVERT immediately onto LARGE serving plate. 
     BE CAREFUL.  It is heavy, and can burn you!  Be sure the plate is at LEAST 2 inches larger in diameter than the skillet because when you invert it, some of the apricot and brown sugar mixture may run out over the edge and burn you if the plate is too small.
9.  Serve warm or cold with sweetened whipped cream.

This rich pastry recipe makes two single or one double crust. 
You can use it for recipes that call for unbaked or baked pie 
shells.  To bake, see below. 

What You'll Need:
3 cups flour
1 1/4 cups shortening
1/4 cup cold water (appoximately)
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Mixing bowl, and measuring cups and spoons
Rolling pin and pastry cloth
Pastry cutter or two knives
1 or 2 pie pans (8 or 9 inches in diameter)

What to do:
1.  Sift the dry ingredients together.
2.  Cut in the shortening.
3.  Add the water to form a soft dough.
4.  Gather into two equal-sized balls.  Flatten each one and dip each into flour.
5.  Flour your pastry cloth and rolling pin.
6.  Roll out each crust and put them into pie pans.

For a recipe that calls for an unbaked pie shell:
The pie shell is now ready to follow the directions in your recipe.

For a recipe that calls for a baked pie shell:
1   Heat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  Prick the crust evenly with a fork.
3.  Bake 10-15 minutes.  Watch carefully.
4.  Cool if the recipe calls for it.  Otherwise it is ready to use as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Mmmmm.  Yummy.  Makes a great bake sale item . . .  if you succeed in getting it out of the house before your family gobbles it up.

What You'll Need:
3 bananas (overripe ones work great)
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup soft butter
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Blender
Mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons
Greased loaf pan

What to do:
1.  Heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  Put the eggs into a blender
     (minus shells of course).
3.  Peel the bananas and add them to the eggs in the blender.  Blend on high to form a thick, smooth mixture.
4.  Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
5.  Mix or sift together the flour and soda in another bowl.
6.  Alternately add the banana and flour mixtures to the butter and sugar.
7.  Fold in the nuts.
8.  Pur into the greased loaf pan and bake for about one hour.  Test with a toothpick as you do for cake.
9.  Cool on rack.

Note:  If you don’t have a blender, you’ll have to crush the bananas some other way.  Overripe bananas work so well because they are very soft.  It’s also a way to use up bananas no one is going to eat!  If you have overripe bananas and don’t have time to make this bread, freeze them.  Unthaw when you’re ready to bake the bread.  The  exterior will turn black in the freezer, and the inside will be mushy, but they work great and you don’t even have to mash them.

You can also use this recipe to make about 16 muffins.  You'll have to adjust the baking time for the smaller size.

Great addition to your Thanksgiving menu, but don't save this delicious recipe for just once a year.

What You'll Need:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup sugar
Juice of one orange or 3/4 cup orange juice
2 Tablespoons shortening or butter
1 cup fresh chopped cranberries (or more)
     (Chopping these in a blender is fastest, but
     you can cut them up by hand it necessary)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans are best)
Blender
Mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons
Pastry cutter or two knives
Greased loaf pan

What to do:
1.  Heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  Sift or mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3.  Cut in the shortening or butter as for pastry.
4.  In another bowl, beat together the egg, juice and sugar.
5.  Combine the egg mixture with the flour mixture.
6.  Add the chopped cranberries and nuts.
7.  Pour into the greased loaf pan and bake for about a hour.
8.  Cool on rack.

Note:
You can also use this recipe to make muffins.  It makes about 16 muffins.  Adjust baking time for the smaller size.