pepper steaks, rosettes and fat squirrels

mom had dug into the freezer and found 2 packages marked "moose steak", their contents couldn't have been more different. my initial idea was to make stroganoff of the meats but the cuts were way too good for that. this one was tied, browned on all sides and cooked in a finnish design dutch oven with onions and carrot. later on, i took the meat and vegetables out, reduced the liquid and added some cream. delicious, with mom's mashed potatoes







in the other package was a wonderful moose tenderloin which ended up as pepper steaks. classic dish, sear the steaks on a hot pan, add cream and some brandy. there aren't too many dishes that beat this one







my dad's paternal grandmother was an excellent cook and baker. i'm glad i got to meet her, i think i was 6 when she died. i remember we used to go and visit her regularly, she always had something fresh out of oven. when i was a kid i saw the box in the next pic and played with its' contents never quite thinking what it's for. the other day, while fighting boredom i found a recipe for rosettes. meanwhile, mom had found this box in their storage, there was a simple recipe for rosettes inside the box and there were plenty of people at the cottage to finish of a batch...







today the little red dutch oven was working overtime after decades of neglect







the very simple recipe in the box for batter for these rosettes, or waffles, is similar to batter used for crepes, only slightly thicker. the recipe i posted in the link is from martha stewart and is a bit more complicated, but equally good, i'm sure. this batch tasted like a combination of crepes and doughnuts. these are not for anyone on a diet, though







the squirrels are getting fat. over the years dad has been trying to figure out ways to hang out fat (in the winter) for birds so that the squirrels can't get their tiny paws on it. this one has figured out a way to do it anyway. the squirrels do provide fair bit of amusement for us with their acrobatics







this one is either too fat or too lazy (or both!), it dines on sunflower seeds

sacher torte, of sorts, and another soup

decided to try this sacher torte, the recipe is in finnish so i won't post a link, sorry. i was at my brother's house and had the little niece to help me, so i had an extra pair of hands. the recipe might have required a smaller cake pan, the cake turned out ok, it just could have been a little higher.





used orange juice to moisten the cake, apricot jam as filling





little sous pastry chef at work





always thought that chocolate frosting would be hard to make, it's not!





the cake at the cottage, we brought to my mom. orange and yellow nonparells on top





for lunch today we had frankfurter vegetable soup, as easy as they come. i used carrots, rutabaga, parsnip, root parsley, celery, potatoes and frankfurters





chopped veggies, minus potatoes. i started by sauteing the chopped veggies in olive oil for a couple of minutes, then adding 2 stock cubes and boiling water to cover veggis. after 15 mins, i added the potatoes and some more boiling water, after another 10 mins the frankfurters. another 10 mins and the soup is ready.





didn't have any leaf parsley, that would have been nice garnish, or chives





curious thing at the cottage... there is this tiny flower bed with daffodils. last year the daffodils were the normal size, approx 25 to 30 cm high. this year, they are in full bloom but are only approx 12 cm tall, or short i should say. mom did replant some in the fall, but there are no new bulbs in the flower bed. weird, is what i think