Beet, Pickled Herring, and Potato Salad

Roasted beets and blue potatoes from the farm share, mixed with pickled herring chunks and red onion in a potato salad perhaps only a Scandinavian would love.

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My family Christmas Eve tradition is a Scandinavian style smorgasbord reflecting our Norwegian and Swedish heritage with Danish and Finnish influences and the occasional Icelandic cheese. It is not an official competition, but you get bonus points for all the various ways you can serve herring at your table. [None of the ways involve dessert, ease your mind.]

When I got blue potatoes in the last Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share of the year, I thought it would be fun to add another herring dish to the spread by making a beet & potato salad with pickled herring. I already know beets and pickled herring go well together from my Quick Pickled Beet and Herring Salad. I've enjoyed a shockingly pink sildesalat which combines smoked herring, potatoes and beets. So this combination is not a stretch--if you're used to the above--which is why I thought it appropriate to serve at my family celebration last year. With so many herring lovers around the table alongside me, my spouse and kids were in the minority and the salad was seen as a normal addition, not something far out.

Eggnog Sourdough Waffles

Tangy sweet waffles made with eggnog and sourdough starter. A fun way to enjoy eggnog during the holiday season--and marked down eggnog after the new year!

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I'm a sucker for magical markdown stickers. Where some people see 'oh it's about to go bad' I see opportunity. I picked up a half gallon of eggnog with no clear purpose. Buying food not on a previously thought out list is NOT a good way to Reduce Food Waste, however it is a source of inspiration to me so I'll keep on doing it. Within reason. Walking to the grocery store as I have been for the past 2 months when all I need is a gallon of milk has really cut down on impulse purchases.

I've used eggnog in waffles before--my Pumpkin Eggnog Waffles with Chocolate Chips made it onto the blog, but the Pumpkin Effnog waffles I never did find in my earlier photo searches, even though I was pretty sure I'd made some before. [Note to bloggers, when pulling photos off your camera, check the spelling as you add labels.] Eggnog in French toast? You bet I went there. What about oven pancakes? Yes, I've used eggnog in my Finnish Oven Pancake. Heck, I've even used eggnog in savory pizza dough with butternut squash. I do drink it, though it may not seem that way by all of these recipes.

I have to interrupt my flow with a behind the scenes photo--Robert Barker eyeing the bacon. Don't let the short legs fool ya. He swiped a piece of coconut cream pie off the counter last month. He's a dickens and I love him.

Cream and Cereal Muffins #Muffin Monday

Got leftover cream? Got leftover cereal? This is milk and cereal with an edge. Save money and eat well by shopping your pantry first and combining your leftovers in a sweet-yet-wholesome breakfast snack.

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The idea behind these muffins is to make a warm breakfast bread out of something you've got on hand after the holidays. After countless pre-Thanksgiving trips to the grocery store [where every year without fail I overhear some confused man on the phone asking his spouse about the difference between heavy cream and whipping cream--while his harried spouse is probably thinking 'I should have just gone but these pies won't bake themselves'] the last thing I feel like doing is yet another run. One way to Reduce Food Waste (link to my recent post about reducing food waste) is to shop your fridge and pantry first. That's how these muffins were born.