My mother wasn't a gourmet cook by any means. She never had a mother to teach her and almost all of the family recipes came from aunts or other relatives. What she knew was how to be a wonderful and gracious hostess to anyone who would visit and visitors were many. She always had something ready to offer guests. She was cheerful, adventurous, outdoorsy and had hobbies and collections that fascinated everyone.
I tried to choose a few recipes that brought back the most vivid memories of my mother while growing up with my older sister. The first is her simple cucumber salad. This was often made with fresh cucumbers from her garden.
Since my family was Danish, frikadellers were something that was a recurring item our family table. There are many recipes for frikadellers, some of which include ground beef, veal and pork and some that are pork only. Some are bound with flour and egg, some with bread and egg. My mother usually used ground beef and sometimes pork as they were the easiest to find at the grocery store. They were often served with potatoes and pan gravy from the frikadellars. They were an inexpensive and filling way to feed her family. My family grew up enjoying them as well.
My mother loved making refrigerator cookies. They were always baked with either black walnuts or hickory nuts that she had gathered and dried herself. My father would crack them with a vice and then she would pick out the nut meat. Now that black walnuts are readily available at the grocery store, I used them in my cookies. These are the cookies that were almost always on the table when friends and family stopped in to visit.
I was a little worried that I would be overcome with emotion the first time I made them after she passed away but, as I tasted the cookies, I remembered all the good times and conversations we had while eating them :)
Lastly, another treat that was always on the table when company dropped in was Danish Kringle. Growing up in a predominantly Danish city with Danish culture and bakeries, you never had to make Kringle at home. You could buy wonderfully flaky pastry Kringle in several well-known, authentic Danish bakeries in town. My favorite was and still is pecan Kringle but it's made with all sorts of delicious fruit and nut filling varieties. Raspberry is another favorite.
I hope you enjoyed this tribute to my mother and Happy Mother's Day to all mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers!
Mother’s Pickled Cucumber Salad
Printable Recipe
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups peeled and sliced cucumbers
1 cup peeled and thinly sliced red onion
Mix first three ingredients and stir until dissolved.
Place cucumbers and onion slices in a large enough bowl to fit them plus the liquids. Add liquid mixture, celery seed and salt and stir to combine.
Keeps in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.
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Frikadellers - My Mother's Way
Printable Recipe
• 1 pound lean ground beef or a mixture of ground beef and ground pork
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 slice hearty white bread, cut into small cubes - about 1 cup total (day old is great)
• 1/3 cup milk
• Salt and Pepper to taste
Soak bread cubes in milk for 5 minutes. Add soaked bread cubes with milk, egg, onion, salt and pepper to meat and mix just until blended (don't overmix).
Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to make handling easier. Form into small patties with your hands - using about 1/8 cup or more of mixture - you decide. Flatten slightly.
In large, heavy skillet (seasoned cast iron is preferred), over medium heat (with a tiny bit of oil or butter, if needed) brown patties well on both sides, about 3-5 minutes per side. Continue to cook until no longer pink in the middle - about 20 minutes.
You can make a gravy with the pan drippings and serve with boiled potatoes.
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My Mother's Refrigerator Nut Cookies
Printable Recipe
1 cup sugar
1 cup margarine
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
3-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup finely chopped black walnuts or hickory nuts
Cream sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, baking soda and nuts. Divide dough into three parts. Shape each part into a roll 1-1/2 inches in diameter and about 7 inches long. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
Heat oven to 400F. Cut dough into 1/4-inch slices and place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
Immediately remove from baking sheet.
