#kirstenscookbook

[alicianyblade]

December 13th is the feast day of St. Lucia of Syracuse, patron saint of the blind, who was said to maintain her sight after losing her eyes. Some say they were taken as part of her martyrdom torture. Others say that Lucia, wanting to remain single and serve the less fortunate, gouged them out herself and gave them to the man she was once engaged to as a parting gift because he found them so beautiful. In Sweden, St. Lucia is portrayed by young girls in white dresses with red sashes and candle crowns worn on the head head. She's also honored with these, St. Lucia buns! The recipe I used is from "Kirsten's Cookbook: A Peek at Dining in the Past with Meals You Can Prepare Today" from The American Girls' Collection. Kirsten Larson and her family moved from Sweden to Minnesota in the 1840s. I didn't read her series as a kid, but I did when I was older and started to get into my Swedish heritage. Happy St. Lucia Day, everyone! May she, the lady of light who saw without her eyes, remind you that wisdom and vision come from within. Blessed be. )O( #Yule #YuleTreats #StLuciaOfSyracuse #StLuciaDay #SwedishBaking #StLuciaBuns #SaffronBuns #SwedishHeritage #SwedishChristmasTraditions #Blindness #BlindHistoricalFigures #KitchenWitch #KitchenWitchery #WheelOfTheYear #TheAmericanGirlsCollection #ArchivedAmericanGirlsSeries #KirstenLarson #KirstensCookbook https://www.instagram.com/p/CmH5D7KvCSp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[alicianyblade]

I grew up with the American Girls series, but admittedly, Kirsten's books weren't ones I discovered until my early 20s. And yeah, I still read them then. :) It was interesting to read stories that might have been similar to my own ancestors' since, like Kirsten's family, a branch of mine emigrated from Sweden to the United States at the turn of the 20th century. The books were great enough, but when I found there was a companion cookbook--as there are with all the American Girls series--I had to get it. This is one of my favorite recipes from "Kirsten's Cookbook" and I just made it for tomorrow's breakfast: Rice porridge with apples, raisins, brown sugar, and cinnamon. And, when served, garnished with cream and honey. I'm telling you guys, this stuff is AMAZING! Super easy to make, and it will keep in the fridge for a few days. I'm not sure how long exactly, though, because it's always wolfed down within a few mornings at my house. Seriously, it's THAT good. But enough of my rambling. Here's the recipe: Swedish Rice Porridge 1 large, firm Granny Smith apple 1/3 cup raisins 1 t. butter 1 cup cooked white rice (I'm terrible with cooking rice, so I use the microwavable jasmine rice from Trader Joe's and it works great) 4 cups milk 3 t. ground cinnamon 3 T. brown sugar 1 t. vanilla extract Cream Honey Peel, core, and dice the apple. Place it and the raisins in a small bowl. Set aside. With your fingers, rub the butter on the bottom of a pot. Add the cooked rice and milk. Cook on high heat. Once the mixture simmers, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle bubble. Add the apple, raisins, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cover the pot and allow the porridge to simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla, and serve, garnishing with cream and honey. #FeedingCreatively #AmericanGirlsSeries #Kirsten #KirstensCookbook #SwedishRicePorridge https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo2-BDngUhZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=erfg5mpiv1ht