Time Passes By

It's been a while since I have updated this blog, dealing with the passing of my mom and the fracture of part of my family has just taken time. When I last posted I mentioned that mom would always say when god closes a door he opens a window. Little did I know how my life would change. Oct. of 2014 my daughter and son in law had a beautiful baby girl and I became a grandma, and in May of this year my son and daughter in law had a beautiful baby boy. I am now baby sitting both my wonderful grandchildren while their parents work. Its a great thing for all of us.

Here is a picture of our family this year at our annual family camping trip. We are in the top of the light house in point arena ca.  It was a great vacation.

My Mom

I am returning this blog, I will try and start updating it again soon.

I have taken this blog down temporarily due to the unexpected passing of my mom. She was the glue that held part of the family together, without her the  family is faltering. My heart is broken and I'm missing her so much I can't even express. This blog will be turning into a place for me to keep old photos, memories, stories and showing her great talents such as crochet and genealogy. Mom, you always said when God closes a door he opens a window, I'm waiting to see whats coming through that window. (luvyoumomxoxox)

Mom and I on her last birhtday

Korv aka Swedish Sausage

Swedish Sausage

Large recipe

10 lbs ground beef

4 lbs ground pork

10 lbs potatos

7-8 onions (5 lbs)

sausage casings

salt and pepper

*peel potatoes and cut into chunks that fit your grinder.

*peel off outer skin of onion and cut into chunks that fit your grinder.

*grind potatoes and onions together.

*mix ground beef, ground pork, and the potatoes and onions you just ground together by hand in a large bowl or tray.

*salt and pepper ~ I recommend pouring the salt in one bowl and the pepper in another, this is so you don't contaminate the salt and pepper containers.

* season the meat mixture with salt and pepper, remember you can always add more but you can't take it out. make small patty with the meat and fry in pan (add a little oil or pam to the pan).

*cut into pieces and have yourself a little tasting party. If it tastes seasoned enough then you are ready to stuff, if not season, mix and taste again. Some years this part can really go on and on. This year we only had 2 tastings.

daughter M. cooking the sausage meat for the first tasting.  Mom/Grandma and niece K. with cute little S.

*clean sausage casing in cold water, then cut into 12 to 18 inch lengths (you can do them longer if you choose)

We choose to stuff 2 different ways

1) use large funnel

 place casing on the funnel and push the casing up the funnel till you have about 10 inches of casing from the end of funnel opening. place meat in funnel and shove into casing. continue to stuff until casing comes off the funnel.

take a needle (if you use a needle or toothpick, take care to know where it is) or toothpick and pop all bubbles you see in the sausage. rinse off in cold water. place in freezer bags and freeze till Christmas eve.

2) use sausage stuffer 

I can't give any tips on this because I haven't actually done this part before, but I would say follow the stuffer instructions.  We have 2 sausage stuffers we now use and I would never go back to only using funnels. Our family has been making 3 large recipes every year for the past several years now and that would be a lot to make with only funnels. 

The Host and Hostess with the Mostess. Thank you M. and J. for hosting this years sausage day in your new home.  A great time was had by everyone.

And here is the future stuffers 

They are just too darn cute!

Family that is what its all about.

What a Great Day!

Just a quick update!

A picture at the end of the day.

Here's a picture of all the stuffers, peelers, grinders, mess cleaner uppers and of course the tasters.
Here's the one I took.

and here's the one niece J. did.
Thanks for this great picture.

I will be back with more pictures later today.

Pictures ~ Sausage Day 2009

Sausage Day Pictures from 2009

Thank you,
Kathi

Pictures from the past 2

This is a picture of  Sausage stuffing day at grandma G's home in Oak View California.

Thank you mom for finding and sharing this wonderful picture from our past.

Enjoy!

What Swedish Sausage Day Means To Me ~ by Jessica

Here is a wonderful story from my neice J.

J. and Grandma M
wearing those adorable caps

I can't think of a specific memory at the moment, I will have to think about it a bit for now I thought I would contribute what Swedish Sausage Day means to me.
It's funny how something so normal and routine to us can seem so foreign and confusing to others. It never fails every year in the excitement of Sausage day approaching I will mention it in every day conversation to someone. Their eyes usually get this perplexed look followed by "you do what?" "really, what it is that?" Now, I laugh at their confusion and explain how we are lucky enough to have a family tradition that still brings us all together each year. A tradition passed down from generations before. I remember as a kid when I would mention the Swedish Sausage stuffing and my friends would respond "what is that!?" I was the one confused thinking Wait, so this isn't part of everyone's Christmas traditions? Swedish Sausage making is so much more than just mixing up the cold meat, crying eyes from the pounds of chopped onions, the worry of "oh no, why is only one needle in the potato?!" when there should be two and the sore wrist from repeated shoving of the mixture through a funnel into the casings. It is a day we look forward to each year to see everyone together, it's a chance to catch up on what everyone has done in the last year. It is a day to reflect on the way great grandma would do it and how she never would be ok with the amount and size of our tasting patties. I personally also enjoy watching my children get to be part of such an amazing gift that they will also get to pass on to their children someday. I get to watch each year as they get to participate a bit more from the kid with the needle to pop the bubbles to beginning stuffer. Sausage day is never complete without a few inappropriate jokes about "mixing the meat" and laughing as like clock work someone's casing explodes or falls off their funnel. Over the years a few things have evolved with the new stuffing devices that make the process go faster. This has left us with time to have our Christmas Ornament white elephant exchange. The ornament exchange has quickly become what the kids look forward to and another source of laughs. It's always funny to see Uncle K. end up with a cute pink horse or everyone trying to get the Santa in the outhouse ornament. Oh and let's not forget to be sure grandma does not get another jingle bell ornament! Swedish Sausage day is more than just making the meat for our Christmas dinner, it's a day of family, love, laughter and memories. I cherish each and every year and feel truly lucky to have such an experience.

Thank you J. for sharing this story. I will love to come and reread in the years to come.

Pictures from the past

Pictures from our past

Sausage day at grandma g. home. I absolutely love this picture, left to right in the front: grandma G., mom, m2, and m1. Can't quite remember who the boy in the background is.

Welcome

I want to start by saying everything in this blog isn't Swedish, but evolved from my grandmas Swedish heart. This blog is going to be a place to share about what our family has come to call, "Sausage Day".

It is the time and place when me, my sister D. and  our mom and our families get to spend a fun day together.

I am going to be encouraging my family to share stories and pictures surrounding this special day for us.

Sausage Day ~ I think 2002

The start of my joining this fun tradition.

I can't say I remember it when I was a baby but I know I must have been there. I remember going to grandmas on the first Sunday of December and the kitchen smelled of onions, potato's and meat. These are the basic ingredients to this wonderful sausage. The thing that sticks out to me is grandma would fry up this little meat patty of the sausage makings and we would all get a little taste to see if it had enough salt (this part of the story really grows when my sister and I  start hosting it). Then this meat would get put into casings with funnels. After it was made it would get packaged up and frozen till Christmas eve.  I have to say that my favorite scent of Christmas is the smell of this sausage cooking it always makes me remember walking into grandmas house on Christmas eve.

More to come...