Laskiainen!

Since the 1930's, a small community in northern Minnesota called Palo has hosted the Laskiainen, a Finnish sliding festival. The festival coincides roughly with Shrove Tuesday and also my dad's birthday. My dad used to take my sister and me there every year to slide down the hill and then warm up with some mojakka (stew) or pea soup. It's a really wonderful family event--and one that seems to bring out the kid in everyone.

I was thankful to be home for the Laskiainen this year because it's been such a long time since I was able to go. Troy had never been there, but he was in when he heard about the steep, icy sliding hill. We borrowed an old-school, wooden tobaggan from his folks. It was a fast and thrilling ride!

The Cutest Puppy

Troy and I plan to move back to Charlottesville soon because he's got to start building the robots. It's stressful to do an apartment search from hundreds of miles away (thank goodness we have friends like Steve and Aurie to look at places for us in our absence)! We have also started the long and arduous process of applying with the IRS for official nonprofit status for the Friends of Brad Memorial Foundation. Let's just say that last week was a long one.

Luckily, I noticed a weekend event that would lift our spirits--the Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon's "cutest puppy" contest. Coincidentally, it was happening at the Fitger's building in Duluth which is home to one of our favorite Minnesota brewpubs. They have two new Belgian beers on tap, so it wasn't hard to convince Troy to go.

Good beer and puppies. It was big smiles all around.

This one was my favorite, although not an official entry because he wasn't yet 3 months old.

Another cutie, I think an honorable mention? BTW, they weren't all huskies, but I'm partial to these dogs.

My sister, Ethan and niece met up with us for the contest. Ria added to the overall cuteness of the day.

Authentic Wafels!

Ever since visiting us in Belgium last year, my mom and Tim have been enamored with Liège wafels.

Liège wafels (I'm not spelling it wrong, it's the Flemish spelling) are not at all like the "Belgian waffles" we have in the U.S. They are richer and denser than the waffles we are used to. And they are not served with syrup, because they are internally sweetened. Liège wafels contain Belgian pearl sugar which caramelizes as they cook. You can buy them from street vendors in Belgium for a couple of euros a piece. We ate our fare share while over there--they are amazingly addictive!

My mom got a professional waffle iron for Christmas and Tim special ordered the sugar recently. My mom and Troy had a little waffle throw down last weekend with two different recipes that we found. According to everything I've heard, Liège style wafels are notoriously difficult to make. But the heavy duty waffle iron definitely helped. Both recipes were pretty successful. Ironically, the one that I think is a little easier (the one mom made) tasted more authentic. We filled our guts with the delicious treats while reminiscing about our Belgian experience.

Another one turns one!

Happy birthday to our nephew Jack! He started walking just in time for his first birthday and has developed quite a little personality. He's a serious little man much of the time, you have to work to get him to smile. But the payoff is well worth it!

Ushering in the New Year

So much as been going on since I last posted. Here are some of the highlights:

We threw a fantastic wine & cheese party (if I do say so myself). We try to do this every year. This year we celebrated the holidays and our friend Courtney's birthday.

We had wonderful x-mas celebrations with our families (slightly tainted by Troy catching a stomach bug) and including our new niece and nephew.

We were lucky to get away for a night alone at Fortune Bay Casino (courtesy of Troy's dad). We're not gamblers, but we really enjoyed the fireplace suite, sauna and pool!

We attended a fabulous wedding and reception on the 1st. The party took place at a very swanky tequila bar in Minneapolis. The bride was one of my closest high school friends. It was really nice to reconnect with her and celebrate with old friends.

Perhaps the most exciting bit of news is that Troy's Kickstarter project has been funded! We never imagined that so many family members, friends and total strangers would pitch in to help fund the next generation of EMMI robots. Plus, there was a great deal of positive press during the campaign. We are thrilled and excited at the possibilities that are emerging. What a great way to usher in the new year!

Sunday in the Snow

This weekend, Troy and I relaxed for what seems like the first time in a long time. We watched movies, made x-mas cookies with his family, and we also made some delicious meals. I cooked raspberry balsamic glazed chicken on Friday and Troy made stoofvlees (Flemish beef stew cooked with Belgian beer) on Saturday. He even made homemade frietjes and mayonnaise!

We've been finding ourselves missing Belgium a lot lately, so this was a special treat. Christmas is really a festive time of year there. Each town creates its own little Christmas market with food and hot drinks as well as crafts and even ice skating. Despite cold temps and gray days, people get outside and enjoy themselves.

Our plan today was to take advantage of Minnesota's snow and cold by getting out cross-country skiing. We have our own skis, but ironically, they are in storage in (the state of) Virginia. We found some cheap used ones at the Salvation Army for Troy. I was going to borrow Troy's old skis but the bindings of my borrowed skis didn't match the thrift store boots Troy found for me last week. But we didn't let that hold us back. Feeling a desperate need to get out into the woods, we went on a trudge through the snow instead. I'm glad we did. It was just what we needed. Snow and sunshine can be really invigorating! It was the perfect end to a wonderful weekend.

A Tasty Family Tradition

Last weekend my mom decided to make potica (pronounced po-teet-sah). This delicious but difficult to make dessert is very dear to our hearts. It's a traditional Slovenian treat that my grandmother always makes for Christmas, Easter and other special occasions. Like, for example, my sister's wedding reception.

Potica consists of a thinly rolled yeast dough and a sweet walnut spread. Though I love to cook, making potica is a daunting task, I've never attempted to make it from scratch myself. I was excited to be home to help my mom with the task.

The dough has risen!

The filling. Ground walnuts, spices and honey.

Mom rolling the dough out

Mom called in grandma (who won a ribbon for her potica at the state fair this past year) for the toughest part--stretching the dough. It's really tricky to stretch it out over the whole length of a table without tearing it, but grandma is an expert.

First you stretch the dough, then you spread the filling over it. Grandma says it's best to do the spreading by hand.

Three generations

The next step is to roll it all up. In case you didn't notice before, there is a bed sheet spread over the table. This makes the process of rolling much easier.

The finished product! Delicious!