Cinnamon rolls Finland style - Korvapuustit

This is a perfect activity for a Snow Day! These cinnamon rolls are so yummy and so easy to make. I remember baking Korvapuustit with my Finish Grandmother at her red kitchen table and in her wood burning stone oven.



Ingredients:
25 g yeast
75 g butter or 75 g margarine
300 ml milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
50 ml sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
750 ml all-purpose flour

Filling
100 g butter or 100 g margarine, room temperature
100 ml sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

For Brushing
1 egg, beaten for brushing
Change Measurements: US | Metric
Directions:
Prep Time: 50 mins
Total Time: 1 hr
1 Crumble yeast into a bowl.
2 Melt butter, add milk and gently heat the mixture to 37°C.
3 Pour over yeast and mix until yeast has dissolved.
4 Add salt, sugar, cardamom and stir; add about 200 ml of the flour and stir.
5 Add the rest of the flour and knead dough by hand until smooth and elastic, and it no longer sticks to the bowl (this shouldn't take long) nor to your hand (which takes a bit longer).
6 Sprinkle some flour on top and cover: let rise for 30 minutes.
7 Mix the filling ingredients together.
8 Lightly flour the baking board and turn the dough on it.
9 Roll dough out to a 40 x 60 cm square.
10 Spread the filling on the dough and roll it up tightly, starting from the longer side of the square.
11 Cut the roll in 3-4 cm pieces.
12 "Open" the pieces by pressing the centre of each piece with a handle of a knife so that the centre is pressed down and the sides spread.
13 Place rolls on a parchmented baking sheet, cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
14 Brush the rolls with beaten egg.
15 Bake at 225 C for about 10 minutes.
16 Cover the rolls while cooling.


Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/finnish-cinnamon-rolls-korvapuustit-98950#ixzz1JMCoJnBS

Home made pan cakes - Finland Style

Trow out your pan cake mix and make your own pane cakes from scratch! It is really not much harder and takes the exact amount of time ...

Here is a recipe from Finland...I love to make these pan cakes and I add banana, or any kind of berries or even apple pieces to it. I tis so yummi and so much better for you than the Bisquick mix which has 2.5 grams of trans fats!!!!


Ingredients for 4 servings
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cup) milk
- 2 eggs
- 200 ml (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. melted butter
- A pinch of salt
- 50 ml (3 tbsp.) sugar (sweet version)
- Butter or oil for frying
Method
Pour the milk into a bowl. Add the flour and salt (and sugar if desired) and mix until smooth.
Blend in the eggs and oil or cooled melted butter.
Heat the butter or oil in a frying pan and pour in some of the batter. Cook until the pancake is set and the bottom golden brown.
Flip the pancake and cook the other side.
Serve with jam, whipped cream, berries, cinnamon and sugar, honey or maple syrup. For a savory version you could also add 100 ml (6 tbsp.) blanched spinach, grated carrot or potato.

Flavors of Finland - Karelian Rice Pasties

We are talking so much about what to cook for our kids that we sometimes overlook the obvious! What did we like to eat as we were kids? What were our favorite dishes?

Here is one thing I remember from my childhood. I could not wait to get to my Grandmothers house in Finland and eat the delicious rice pastries she made.

Karjalanpiirakat



These are warm pasties traditionally served with egg and butter spread (I never really liked the egg spread on it so I ate them plain or with just a little salted butter on it. However, my brother loved it the egg spread)... Pasties may also be eaten topped with plain butter, cheese, slices of ham or roast reindeer, gravlax, shrimp or whatever you happen to like! Pasties can be reheated in an oven or toaster. No matter what you top your Piirakat with... EAT IT WARM!

Ingredients
Ingredients for 25 pasties
Rice filling
- 500 ml (2 cups) water
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 250 ml (1 cup) glutinous short-grained Rice
- 1 liter (4 cups) milk
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
Rye pastry
- 400 ml (1 1/2 cups) fine Rye flour
- 150 ml (1/2 cup) all-purpose white flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 200 ml (3/4 cup) water
Glaze
- 50 g (3 tbsp.) butter
- 100 ml (6 tbsp.) milk
Egg and butter spread
- 100 g (6 tbsp.) butter
- 3 hard-boiled Eggs
- 50 ml (3 tbsp.) chopped parsley
Method
Place the water and butter in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and stir in the rice.
Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the milk and stir until boiling. Simmer for about 50 minutes, until the rice is done. Season with salt and set aside to cool.
Combine the flours, salt and water. Knead into a dough.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 2 mm (1/12") thick.
Using a cutter, cut the dough into 8 cm (3 1/4") diameter circles.
Roll the circles into thin wrappers. A pasta machine can also be used. Use flour to help in the rolling.
Fill the wrappers with a thin layer of the rice mixture. Fold over 1 cm (3/8") of each side to create an edge and pinch the edges.
Bake the pasties in a 150° C (300° F) oven for 15-20 minutes. Brush with the butter and milk mixture. Cover with waxed paper and a kitchen towel to soften.
Serve hot with egg and butter spread.
Egg and butter spread:
Mix the soft butter with eggs and parsley. Serve at room temperature.



Total time: 30 to 60 minutes
Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking and baking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Chef's Note
North Karelia is the birthplace of Karelian pastries. Although they are eaten throughout Finland, the Joensuu version, spread with real butter, is the genuine article. The thin rye crust is filled with rice and shaped 'like a moccasin,' as a visiting tourist once described them.
Use fine rye flour that is finer in texture and lighter in color than regular rye flour. If unavailable, use half regular rye flour and half wheat flour.

Top 12 Fruits and Vegetables You Should Buy Organic

Found on Parent Magazin.com

In a perfect world, we would buy all of our groceries organic. Unfortunately, organic food is still more expensive (although the price is continually dropping) or even unavailable. To make wiser consumer choices here is a list of produce with the highest level of pesticide contamination. The following list is based on information and studies by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Consumer Reports, and the Environmental Working Group.

Nectarines – 97.3% of nectarines sampled were found to contain pesticides.
Celery – 94.5% of celery sampled were found to contain pesticides.
Pears – 94.4% of pears sampled were found to contain pesticides.
Peaches – 93.7% of peaches sampled were found to contain pesticides.
Apples – 91% of apples sampled were found to contain pesticides.
Cherries – 91% of cherries sampled were found to contain pesticides.
Strawberries – 90% of strawberries sampled were found to contain pesticides.
Imported Grapes – 86% of imported grapes (i.e. Chile) sampled were found to contain pesticides.
Spinach – 83.4% of spinach sampled were found to contain pesticides.
Potatoes – 79.3% of potatoes sampled were found to contain pesticides.
Bell Peppers – 68% of bell peppers sampled were found to contain pesticides.
Red Raspberries – 59% of red raspberries sampled were found to contain pesticides.

Chunky wagon wheel pot roast

I just fond this recipe in the parenting magazine the other day and we loved it!



Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
1 2- to 2-1/2-lb. beef chuck roast
Salt and pepper
1 26-oz. jar pasta sauce (I just used diced tomatoes instead of the sauce)
1 cup water
2 cups mini wagon wheel pasta
1 cup baby carrots, halved diagonally
1 cup fresh or frozen cut green beans
Directions
1. Coat a 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray; set aside. Season beef with salt and pepper. Place beef in the slow cooker. Add sauce and water. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 8 hours or high-heat setting for 4 hours. Add pasta, carrots, and beans, stirring into liquid. Increase to high-heat setting, if necessary, and cook 45 minutes more (pasta, vegetables, and meat should all be tender). Makes 8 servings.
Stovetop Method: Prepare as above, except place beef in a deep skillet or pot and add pasta sauce and water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover; simmer for 1 hour. Add pasta, carrots, and beans. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes more or until beef, pasta, and vegetables are tender.

Organic food

What is organic food, anyway?
Though organic food can be produced with certain synthetic ingredients, it must adhere to specific standards regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Crops are generally grown without synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilizers, irradiation (a form of radiation used to kill bacteria), or biotechnology. Animals on organic farms eat organically grown feed, aren't confined 100 percent of the time (as they sometimes are on conventional farms), and are raised without antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones.



Is organic food better for me?
Organic foods may have higher nutritional value than conventional food, according to some research. The reason: In the absence of pesticides and fertilizers, plants boost their production of the phytochemicals (vitamins and antioxidants) that strengthen their resistance to bugs and weeds. Some studies have linked pesticides in our food to everything from headaches to cancer to birth defects — but many experts maintain that the levels in conventional food are safe for most healthy adults. Even low-level pesticide exposure, however, can be significantly more toxic for fetuses and children (due to their less-developed immune systems) and for pregnant women (it puts added strain on their already taxed organs), according to a report by the National Academy of Sciences.

Pesticide contamination isn't as much of a concern in meats and dairy products (animals may consume some pesticides, depending on their diet), but many scientists are concerned about the antibiotics being given to most farm animals: Many are the same antibiotics humans rely on, and overuse of these drugs has already enabled bacteria to develop resistance to them, rendering them less effective in fighting infection, says Chuck Benbrook, Ph.D., chief scientist at the Organic Center, a nonprofit research organization.

Is buying organic better for the environment?
Organic farming reduces pollutants in groundwater and creates richer soil that aids plant growth while reducing erosion, according to the Organic Trade Association. It also decreases pesticides that can end up in your drinking glass; in some cities, pesticides in tap water have been measured at unsafe levels for weeks at a time, according to an analysis performed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). (To find out about the safety of your tap water, visit the EWG website at ewg.org/tapwater/yourwater.) Plus, organic farming used 50 percent less energy than conventional farming methods in one 15-year study.

When is it worth the splurge?
If you can afford it, buy local and organic, recommends Fromartz. Farmers' markets carry reasonably priced locally grown organic and conventional food; to find one in your area, go to localharvest.org. If you can't always afford organic, do spend the extra money when it comes to what the EWG calls the "dirty dozen": peaches, strawberries, nectarines, apples, spinach, celery, pears, sweet bell peppers, cherries, potatoes, lettuce, and imported grapes. These fragile fruits and vegetables often require more pesticides to fight off bugs compared to hardier produce, such as asparagus and broccoli. Download a list of produce ranked by pesticide contamination at foodnews.org, an EWG website.

When shopping for organic foods, always look for the USDA seal on any kind of packaged food. For meat and dairy, this seal ensures you're getting antibiotic- and hormone-free products. When buying meat or produce that isn't packaged, look for a sign stating that it's organic, or ask the store clerk.

Read more: The Truth About Organic Foods - Pros and Cons of Organic Food - Redbook

http://www.redbookmag.com/recipes-home/truth-about-organic-foods