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Finding Another Way

Have any of you made fruit soup?  I used to make it quite often as a side dish when I made rice pudding. This is nothing like the cold soups that they serve on cruises, but it is very good.

I used to buy a pound package of mixed dried fruit for the base. That contained dried prunes, peaches, apricots, and pears. I added raisins on my own.

Last week I decided to make some of that fruit soup — just because I was hungry for it. I went to the dried fruit section of a local grocery store hoping to pick up my mix of dried fruit. There was no package of dried mixed fruit.

That got me thinking about how I would proceed. I had prunes and raisins. I also had some dried apples and cranberries. I purchased dried apricots which they had and embarked on a culinary journey to replicate the fruit soup.

In a saucepan I placed some prunes, apricot and raisins. I decided to put in a cup of frozen rhubarb to add some tartness. I added enough water to cover what was in the pan and turned on the heat.

Once the dried fruit was reconstituted I sliced in some apples and some cranberries and cooked them until the apples were softened but not mushy. I tossed in two tablespoons of tapioca and ™ c. of sugar and turned down the heat to get the tapioca to thicken it.

I had my fruit soup for supper and it was delicious. As to the sugar that goes by taste. I mentioned beginning with ™ c. of sugar but you may need add more if your apples are tart.

My fruit soup was my side dish for the yellow pea soup that I made with the ham bone from Christmas dinner.

Although I am a Swede only by marriage I do enjoy numerous Swedish foods. Of course, there are some that I do not care for as well.

We could not get through the Christmas season without korv. I have found that if I prick it and bake it in the oven along with my ham it is delicious.

Also we had to have scorper. I bought one bag of cinnamon and one bag of plain. We also had rice pudding made by my daughter and her family.

I always buy herring but after the jar is opened I send it home with my son because I do not like that.

The holidays spotlight all of the family favorites. You cook with old family recipes that just keep getting handed down.

The U. S. is a melting pot of cultures. I think people go back to their roots especially around the holidays. There is nothing wrong with that.

Over the holidays I received a request for a cookie recipe that I shared years ago. The lady who requested the recipe used to babysit for our children. I copied it and sent it to her. I trust her gingerbread men turned out well.

That recipe came from my grandfather’s side of the family. The recipe as I got it came from his mother through my grandmother. The first time I made it I had to call Grandma because there was no flour listed. Grandma told me about how much flour was needed. After I was successful I added the correct amount of flour to my recipe card.

Each of my girls got a personalized copy of the recipes that we enjoyed. I took a blank book and wrote out family recipes divided by categories

A few years later I published two cookbooks with the recipes that we enjoyed. The most important part  of the recipes I think is the fact that they can be made with ingredients that you have in your pantry.

I love to cook. I like to experiment. I watch many cooking shows. I have learned a great deal just by watching others.

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