Seattle trip

[kareina]

I arrived in Seattle on Friday morning, which required getting up at 04:00 to get ready and get to the airport on time for my flight. Landed, went straight to my mom & sister's house to drop stuff off, then went Christmas shopping with Mom so that I could try on the things she wanted to buy for me. We then met my sister for lunch at a restaurant. Whilst there we realized that it was the first time the three of us had been out to eat together with no one else present since before she left to be a foreign exchange student in high school (~1985). From there we went to the Birkenstock store in the U district to replace my poor worn out sandals, which have been on so many adventures that the cork has been breaking at the toe joint. However, they were out of the kind that I wear, so they ordered it and gave me a 10% discount. They assure me that it will be delivered to my sister's house before I return here on the 5th of January. Then we went grocery shopping to get things to make mom's birthday cake, and went home to bake cake. I used both grated carrots and grated golden beetroot in the cake (along with butter, yoghurt, brown sugar, eggs, white flour, lots of walnuts, and a bit of rye flour to make a nice moist, dense, heavy cake (yum!). Then, after dinner, we unwrapped presents with my nieces for their second Christmas this month (one when our step sister visited a week ago, one for my visit, and the next one will be on the day itself). Then we had to play Apples to Apples, which I'd picked up while shopping on an impulse buy. I have wanted a copy of that game myself, but not seen it in stores, so when it was on display in an isle stand on the way to the store we had to go to, I picked it up for my sister and her family (since it won't fit in my luggage). My five-year old niece won the game. She's one smart cookie. It was nearly midnight before I did my yoga and went to bed.

Saturday was Mom's birthday, so we celebrated by making pasties (note: short
a" sound in this word. The long "a" version is something one puts on one's nipples, not the yummy Finnish food we so adore). We did lots and lots using Grandma's recipie (coarse ground meat (1/4 pork, 3/4 beef), potatoes, carrot, onion, salt & pepper) and a smaller amount of vegetarian ones (zucchini, golden beet root & greens, broccoli, potato, carrot, leeks, sunflower seeds, spices, pie crust dough). After that I was so sleepy that I did my yoga at 8pm, and was asleep soon after.

Today the plan was for Christmas cookies, but first my sister, her husband, daughters and I walked to the local school and played in the playground. Then I made the dough (Voitaikina) for the Joulutortut and put it into the fridge to cool. Then my friend josiestraka came over, and she and I went for a walk before playing games with my nieces while my sister baked the cookies.

Voitaikina
(butter pastry)

Mix 1 cup flour with ~ 1/3 cup water to make a soft dough. Refrigerate.
Mix 1 cup soft butter with 1 cup flour. Refrigerate.
When both doughs are firm, roll out the flour-water dough to a rectangle, repeat for the butter-flour dough, place the butter dough onto the flour-water dough, fold into thirds, roll out, turn, fold into thirds, repeat till doughs are well blended. Roll out to a large square and use for Joulutortut or other pastries.

Joulutortut
(Yule tarts)

Double batch of Voitaikina
4 oz dried prunes
¼ cup sugar
½ tablespoon lemon juice

Cook prunes in water till soft, drain, remove pits and press through wire strainer or run through a blender or food processor. Add sugar & lemon juice. Cut pastry into 3-inch squares. Place a mound of filling in center of each square. Split each corner of dough from the top to within 1 cm of the filling. Fold one half of each corner of the square to the center thus forming a star/pinwheel. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before baking. Bake in a hot oven (400 F) for 7 to 10 minutes or until a light golden brown. Cool on rack.



Tomorrow I fly to Anchorage, and I'll be in Alaska through to the 5th of January.