Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Pancake: Pönnukökur - Traditional Icelandic and Manitoba Style

It’s been a while since I posted. 
I’ve missed you, too.
We’ve been busy travelling and checking items off our bucket lists.
When you’re turning 70 - if you’re very lucky - that becomes the new norm.
We find travel to be wonderful, and I hope you’ve been having a good summer filled with great experiences, too.

I notice that the recipe for Hoito Restaurant’s Finnish Pancakes is one of  last week's top posts.
I posted that recipe in June, 2015, after we had been in Thunder Bay.
It was one of our favourite memories of our trip.

Who doesn’t love pancakes in all their many forms, flavours, textures, with all their toppings and accompaniments?

Well, the Icelandics pride themselves on Pönnukökur, their pancakes.
During the last evening of our trip to Iceland, after a delicious meal in a Reykjavík restaurant, we had a chance to sample Pönnukökur for dessert.
Our guide, Hildur, said her grandmother’s recipe was much better.
That’s saying something - everyone raved about the Pönnukökur we were enjoying.
Still, I do wonder about Grandma’s recipe. Don’t you?


In Manitoba we have a strong connection to the Scandinavian countries.
During Folklorama we have a Scandinavian Pavilion which gives a nod to each country:
Monday: Danish - sausages and tart
Tuesday: Finland - Finnish meat pies, carrot casserole and cookies
Wednesday: Iceland - Fish chowder and pönnukökur 
Thursday: Norway - Lamb Stew and krumkake
Friday: Sweden - Fish and cheese pie and rosettes
Sunday & Saturday: Roast Pork 
Each day’s menu also included meatballs, chicken and asparagus tart, cheese platter, and all the regular desserts – vinarterta, rice pudding, compote.
You never leave hungry when you eat with a Scandinavian - or a Manitoban!


Hints:

Pönnukökur is usually cooked on a special Icelandic pancake pan, which is traditionally never washed or rinsed, not even with water.

The pancakes should be thin. A proper pancake is only about a millimeter thick! 
They are usually served rolled up with sugar (granulated or brown sugar and icing sugar) and rolled up, or filled with jam, folded into quarters and serve with whipped cream.
Icelandic cafés also serve them with ice cream. 

You can also stack them on a plate, sprinkling some sugar on top of each pancake.
They are good either warm or cold.


You can also bake the Manitoba Pönnukökur.
Lightly grease a griddle with butter and preheat.
Remove from heat and pour about 1/5 cup batter on it and bake.
Regrease pan lightly with butter for each pancake.

The Scandinavian Pavilions also served Janson’s Temptation and Kjotkaker.
Enjoy!!


                        Pönnukökur

In a bowl, whisk together  until thoroughly combined
3 Cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Melt in a small pot
1/2 Cup butter

Place in a large bowl
8 eggs
Whisk eggs until well beaten, then whisk in
1 Cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla 
Whisk the flour mixture into the sour cream mixture.
Stir in
4 Cups milk
the melted butter
Stir until you have a thin but smooth batter. 

Heat griddle to 350º - 400º F
Melt in griddle
1/2 teaspoon butter 
Heat over medium heat until the butter is fragrant.
Pour in enough batter to coat the skillet in a thin layer.
Allow to cook until the bottom is lightly browned, then turn the pancake over to brown the other side.
Remove to warm plates and keep warm.
Repeat, re-buttering pan now and then, until all of the batter is gone.
Fill each pönnukökur with brown sugar and icing sugar, and roll up.


                        Manitoba Style Pönnukökur

Makes about 2 dozen.

Sift together
1 1/2 Cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Place in a large bowl
2 eggs
Beat.
Add 
1/3 Cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Cup sour cream or buttermilk
Stir together.
Add sifted dry ingredients.
Mix under smooth.
Gradually stir in
2 Cups milk

Heat griddle to 350º - 400º F
Melt in griddle
1/2 teaspoon butter 
Add batter a half ladle at a time, making thin circles. 
Let brown on one side.
When bubbles appear on top, flip the pancake over. 
The colour should be golden brown on top and medium brown on bottom.  
Remove to warm plates and keep warm.
Repeat, re-buttering pan, until all of the batter is gone.

Serve hot spread with white or brown sugar and rolled up.
Or serve with blueberries and whipped cream.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Happy Tenth Birthday to I’m Turning 60…!! by Margaret Ullrich



Happy 10th Birthday to I’m Turning 60… and its readers!!
Ten years!!! Wow!!! We’ve reached a milestone!!

I want to thank each of you for visiting, whether it's been on a daily, weekly or occasional basis during the past ten years!
Also, a big 'Thank you!' to those who've told their friends to visit!
The past ten years have been full of changes - some good, some bad - and I want to thank you for sharing the years with me.

I especially want to thank those who have commented. 
I really appreciate it when you tell me that your family enjoyed a recipe, or when you ask if I have a recipe for a particular dish.


I’m Turning 60… continues to be more popular than its older ’sibling’ blog
Really!!
I’m Turning 60… - with 1,068 posts - has had over 818,900 visitors since July, 2010, when Blogger started keeping track of both blogs.
That's more visitors than its ‘elder sibling’ blog, Winnipeg is Better Than Chocolate, which has 2,769 posts, and has received a little over 433,800 visitors.
That's less than half the number of posts with almost twice as many visitors!


Okay… enough with tallying the reader numbers.
Let’s get back to the recipes which deserve the credit for all these visits!

I recently took a look at how this blog’s posts have been doing.                    
There have been a few changes in the order of popularity from last year’s favourites.
Here are the current all-time top ten posts:
               Italian Easter Pie with Ricotta and Meat




Please, if you haven’t already, do try a few of the recipes on these lists.
Anna Sultana's Imqarrun il-forn (Baked Macaroni, Maltese Style) has been viewed - and, hopefully, enjoyed - 12,712 times as of today.


I also get a kick out of seeing how you search for my blog, such as
folklorama filipino pavilion food
a christmas story red cabbage recipe
hoito pancakes
red cabbage a christmas story
the hoito thunder bay pancake recipe
how to fix ross il-forn maltese receipy 
cheesecake co-pckers new jersey
housefrau on twitter
site:blogspot.com pancake recipe easy 
eat your manicotti
pudina tal hobz ricetta bil malti
depression fruit cake recipe
how to cook petite scungilli with tomato sauce

And my personal favourite:
nearer and dearer anna
Ma would've loved that!


I'm always amazed at learning where you live.
I expected visitors from the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom since many Maltese immigrated to these countries, especially after World War II.
I’m surprised to see that Turkey is one of the top five countries, while the United Kingdom is a little lower on the list.

During the years there have also been visitors from Italy, Finland, Poland, Spain,
the Netherlands, Macedonia, Mexico, Afghanistan, Thailand, Slovakia, Ireland, 
Denmark, Bangladesh, Sweden, Israel, Moldova, Malaysia, Singapore, Kuwait, 
Greece, Kenya, Vietnam, Czech Republic, Brazil, Bermuda, Namibia, Cyprus, India, 
Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Norway, New Zealand, Madagascar, Armenia, 
South Africa, Romania, Iceland, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania, Argentina, 
United Arab Emirate, Belgium, Tunisia, Taiwan, Paraguay, Columbia, China, Jamaica, 
Portugal, Bahamas, Kazakhstan, French Guiana, Côte d’Ivoire, Bangladesh, Egypt, 
Kenya, Oman, Hungary, Belarus, Switzerland and Romania.
It is a small world after all!!



Now the top ten countries and their visitors are:   
United States………….. 401,946
Canada………….……….…. 69,547
Australia………….………… 45,539
Malta……………...…………. 42,296
Turkey……….………………. 29,247
Russia…………………….…. 28,249
United Kingdom…….…. 27,057
France………….………..…. 17,720
Germany……….…..…….  15,621
Ukraine.…….…….….……. 10,754

During the past two years there has also been a visitor which Blogger is calling ‘Unknown Region’.
I don't know where these unknown visitors live.
Oh, well, I wish a hello to you, wherever you call home.
Hope you found a recipe or two that you enjoyed.


I don't post very regularly and I don’t post on Facebook.
Please become a subscriber to the blog I’m Turning 60…
It’s easy and FREE - just click on the ‘FOLLOW’ link under the pictures of followers and post your email address. 
You can also follow I’m Turning 60… by email. 
Free, easy, and, I promise, your address will never be shared with anyone.
You’ll get an email when there is a new post, so you'll never miss a post.

I do post a link on Twitter whenever there is a new post. 
If you feel more comfortable using Twitter, just click on the Twitter link '@ImTurning60' and we’ll keep in touch that way.


I'd also like comments.  Really.  
It's easy to do - just click on 'Comments' and write. 
Tell me what you want to know about. 
Would you like more holiday recipes, or more easy, cheap, quick meals or…?


Thanks again for visiting!
Hope to see you again real soon!