"Special Spuds" or "A Rose by Any Other Name"

We have now officially introduced to the Danish Young Single Adults......Ta Da!  Funeral Potatoes. The meal tonight was a rousing success.  We fixed ham the Danish way and the American way.  The Danes boil it.  The Americans generally bake it...so just to be safe I did both!

The truth is that we were served some delicious ham by our mission president's wife a few weeks ago, so I called and got the proper way to cook it.  We were able to find a very large ham at a very good price....it was about 12 pounds or so.

The ham packages say that they are pre-cooked, but that doesn't necessarily mean ready to eat.  Sister Sederholm told of an unfortunate dinner where an American sister had purchased one and stuck it in the oven for an hour or so just to warm it up.  When she took it out and sliced into it, it ran pink!  With a large number of guests waiting to eat, she began microwaving several slices at a time!

So I put it in cold water and brought it to a boil and then simmered it for nearly an hour.  Then I got it out, sliced it and drenched it in a brown sugar sauce and baked it for half an hour.  It was tender and juicy and popular.

But not as popular as the funeral potatoes.  Don't tell a soul I told you this, but I found fresh cubed potatoes at the Costco wannabe and the price was incredibly reasonable.  So making funeral potatoes was a piece of cake...so to speak.  I had enough of everything to make three large 9 X 13 pans full, but going back to my R.S. President days and funerals....I made a command decision to make only 2...but the pans were deep and filled to the brim.  I thought I had easily enough for 40, and the weather has been bad so I didn't think we would have more than that there.

When they came out from class, the potatoes were gone within the first 15 minutes and several came in wondering if there were any more in the oven.  The Danes loved potatoes and they seemed to enjoy these very much.  Well...that is not a surprise....who doesn't love funeral potatoes?  But I have to think of a classier name than funeral potatoes.  Any ideas?  Pretty Party Potatoes?  Sounds pretty mundane.

Last week one of the YSAs told me about a broccoli salad she loves to make so I asked her to come early tonight and make it for the center.  She told me the ingredients and I purchased them and together we made the salad which was also a grand hit.

We also had some rod kohl.....I don't have a Danish keyboard so I can't spell it properly, but it is red cabbage that is kind of pickled, but so much better.  There is no way to describe it but to say it was wonderful.  It was left over from a ward party so we heated it up and served it too.  It is a condiment by the way...eaten with meat.  I may have to start importing it when we get back to Arizona.  You buy it ready made and just heat it up.

For the grand finale, I made chocolate waffles with hot fudge sauce and whipped cream, and they were as good as they sound.  How can you go wrong with that?  Waffles are easy, the hot fudge was chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and butter, and then we topped them off with whipped cream.  I made about 90 and they nearly all went.

A lovely thing happened tonight.  When SK and I were in North Salt Lake staying with Lia and Peter and waiting for visas, we traveled down to Provo to receive help from volunteers through the MTC.  The first one I ever met with was Kiersten from Denmark.  She and her son were there for only a few days and volunteered to help us one afternoon.  I thought she was so kind and helpful.  She came to see us tonight!

She lives in northern Denmark....about 5 hours by car and train.  She is here for 3 days doing temple work and will return on Saturday to her home.  She came in and helped me with the red cabbage and whipped the cream and manned the sink with the dishes that needed washing.  She stayed all through the dinner until the last dish was cleaned up!  She was an angel.

She is so kind that I don't think it ever even entered her mind that she had to speak English to me all evening!!!!!!  My first tutor.  But just to help her know that she hadn't completely wasted her time on me, I threw out a Danish word or phrase every now and then.

Kiersten and her son helped us with our Danish and is one of the kindest persons you would ever want to meet.

We said goodbye at the end of the evening and she went back to the temple guest house where she is staying.  We exchanged email addresses and will keep in touch.  She helped me so much tonight and answered some cooking questions I have had....still learning weights, measures, oven differences and ingredients.

Another exciting thing...Benedecta told me that she will come next Thursday evening and show me how to make a real Danish meal!!!!  She is one of our cute YSAs and comes from a great family of chefs.  Next week is Stake Priesthood meeting, so there will be no Institute but there will be a girl's night.  And we'll cook Danish!!  That is going to be a treat for all, but especially to me.

I spent a lot of the evening visiting with Kiersten and enjoyed it immensely, but found that I had missed visiting more with the young adults.  They are so fun.  They tease us in the most gentle and sweet way.  And I get a kick out of it.

Well...another great Thursday.  One of the YSA's told me that I was 12 for 12 on the meals...or something like that.  I laughed and told her that I am not a cook.  The truth is that they don't eat until after class which is usually about 8:30 so they are very hungry.  And SK and I always pray that it will taste good to them.  I know the Lord has so many really serious prayers that need answering, but He has been very kind to us in answering that particular prayer.  And I am grateful.