{"id":795,"date":"2009-04-25T11:14:13","date_gmt":"2009-04-25T17:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hottie-biscotti.com\/blog\/?p=795"},"modified":"2009-04-25T11:14:13","modified_gmt":"2009-04-25T17:14:13","slug":"a-swedish-fika-and-a-german-tourist-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hottie-biscotti.com\/blog\/2009\/04\/25\/a-swedish-fika-and-a-german-tourist-town\/","title":{"rendered":"A Swedish Fika and a German Tourist Town"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is no excuse for not having posted in almost a month. \u00a0But I have been so very busy! \u00a0I have been cooking and baking and traveling and building compost bins and planting rosemary and starting an herb garden and watching classic movies and reading books and tutoring for the past 27 days. \u00a0Well, I guess there are excuses afterall. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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I spent the first weekend of April in central Texas to celebrate my mom’s 60th birthday. \u00a0It was quite a success. \u00a0I have never seen my mom so surprised and pleased and beside herself with happiness! \u00a0All my sisters were there, Aunt Susan, Aunt Laurie and my cousin Ruthie came from California to surprise my mom. \u00a0My mom’s Dad and wife Marj were there, also from Cali, and my cousin Julie came from Denver. \u00a0With my sister Lisa coming in from NYC, we had a lot of the nation represented. \u00a0It was great.<\/p>\n

My trip began with a drive to Austin from Amarillo, an 8 hour trip, with a puppy who got carsick. \u00a0Woohoo! \u00a0After the first two vomitting episodes (within the first two hours) she slept the remainder of the trip.<\/p>\n

My sisters got to my parents house on Friday. \u00a0The party was Saturday afternoon. \u00a0The theme for the party was a Swedish Fika<\/a> which is basically a coffee party with cookies, breads and a cake. \u00a0<\/p>\n

One thing we knew we wanted was a princess cake, or\u00a0Prinsesst\u00e5rta.\u00a0 This is a Swedish cake\u00a0swelling with whipped cream, sponge cake and jam, all covered in light green marzipan exterior, powdered with confectioner\u2019s sugar. \u00a0A pink rose is placed on top. \u00a0Unfortunately, not many bakeries have this on their menus. \u00a0We didn’t feel quite experienced enough to make these cakes ourselves. \u00a0However, a few years ago we took a Swedish baking class at Central Market in Austin<\/a>. \u00a0They made this cake at the class, so we contacted Central Market and they agreed to specially bake the princess cakes. \u00a0They were beautiful and delicious. \u00a0It is a rich dessert not for the faint of heart or those counting calories. \u00a0Special thanks to Central Market. \u00a0They did a tremendous job.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, Swedes serve 7 different kinds of treats at a Fika. \u00a0We had 7 sweets and also a tray of herring, cheeses, meats and bread. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The 7 Sweet Treats<\/p>\n

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Rosemary Pecan Shortbread Cookies (top)<\/p>\n

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Lemon Almond Pound Cake (middle)<\/p>\n

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Lingonberry Jam Bars (bottom)<\/p>\n

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Cardmom Braid \"cardamombraid\"<\/p>\n

Fruit \"fruit\"\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cupcakes from Be My Cupcake<\/a> in Round Rock, Texas\u00a0\"cupcakes\"<\/p>\n

Princess Cake \"cake1\"<\/p>\n

Here is the tray of savory treats! \u00a0\"meatplate\"<\/p>\n

Pickled herring is a food thing I just do not understand. \u00a0Smoked fish I love. \u00a0This stuff though, I am just not a fan.<\/p>\n

My Aunt Susan has a talent for writing songs and she has done this for many family weddings, birthdays and aniversaries. \u00a0She takes a familiar tune and writes lyrics about the couple or person being honored. \u00a0Here we are singing a song for my mom to the tune of “Wouldn’t it be Lovely” from My Fair Lady. \u00a0Susan changed the title to “Isn’t Becky Lovely”. \u00a0I had this song in my head for days afterward.<\/p>\n

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Here is the birthday girl with here sisters, Susan and Laurie.<\/p>\n

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The birthday girl, sweet husband Dennis and the daughters.<\/p>\n

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The next day the ladies went to Fredericksburg to shop, eat dinner and stay the night at a Bed & Breakfast.<\/p>\n

Shopping downtown. \"shop\"\"fred\"This PETA acronym stands for People Eating Tasty Animals. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The B&B is called the Hoffman Haus<\/a>. \u00a0My mom and sisters stayed in the Basse House. \u00a0It is the largest and sleeps 6 people, has a full kitchen and a litte living room in the center. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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None of these pictures do the place justice, but let me just say that it was perfectly lovely. \u00a0The weather was wonderful, our room was incredibly comfortable with a slightly rustic feel. \u00a0Many of the walls of the house are exposed stone. \u00a0There are wood floors and comfy furniture. \u00a0I sunk it to the bed and couldn’t move for about 10 minutes. \u00a0\"easter-094\"\"easter-092\"\"bb\"<\/p>\n

Breafkast, a piece of spinach quiche, sausage, fruit and a lemon cranberry muffin, was delivered to our doorstep in wooden picnic baskets. \u00a0I will go back here if I ever get the chance.<\/p>\n

We ate dinner on Sunday at The Nest<\/a>. \u00a0The restaurant is an old house so our table of 10 had our own little room. \u00a0All the food was wonderful. \u00a0<\/p>\n

French Onion Soup\"img_9007\"<\/p>\n

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Field green salad with goat cheese, pear slices and pecans \"img_9011\"<\/p>\n

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Roasted Quail with a port demi-glace over grilled vegetables and polenta<\/p>\n

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Profiteroles and coffee ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce<\/p>\n

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It was such a treat to see my mom so happy. \u00a0We might have outdone ourselves on this party though, so we will have a hard time pleasing her for the next big birthday!<\/p>\n