I posted this article on the old hedgren.org web site in 2015.

Submitted by Wade Hedgren on Sat, 11/21/2015 - 12:42

For those of you who had the pleasure to taste my grandma Edie's Swedish pancakes, this will bring back some great memories. My friend Elaine Haile Peddecord (Frank Haile's youngest), when she was 9 years old, received this recipe from Edie in the mail. Elaine had a Swedish pancake breakfast while visiting Cincinnati with her mom and dad and never forgot how great it was.

So, I followed the instructions this morning and created Swedish pancakes to perfection! It zoomed me back to my mother's kitchen and Edie pumping out the paper thin delights like it was nothing.

I miss you Grandma Edie but you were here with me for a few minutes this morning. Thanks Elaine!!!

Since then, I have made my Grandma Edie's Swedish Pancakes hundreds of times and I think I have the procedure down pat. So, here is my recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 Large Eggs

• 1½ Cup of whole milk (2% is fine)

• ½ Cup All Purpose Flour

• 1 Tablespoon of Sugar

• A Pinch of Salt

• 4 Tablespoons (½ Stick) Unsalted Butter melted

Directions:

• In a large bowl, whisk eggs, add sugar, salt and milk and whisk until smooth.

• Add the flour 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time and continue to whisk until all of the flour is incorporated and the batter is smooth.

• While whisking, slowly pour in the melted butter and mix until incorporated. As Edie says in her recipe, "the consistency of rich cream". So, this batter is not very thick

• Heat a skillet to medium high heat. once hot, swirl a little bit of butter in the pan to keep the cakes from sticking (do this on a non-stick pan also)

• Pour about ⅓ cup of batter into the hot skillet and let it spread out to about 7 to 8 inch diameter.

• This is the tricky part and takes a little practice. Once the cake looks dry on top (about 3 to 4 minutes), reach under it with a thin spatula and flip it. Cook the second side for about 1 minute.

• Roll the pancake up and serve with Lingonberries.

Notes:

• Non-Stick pans work the best but I have done this many times with a stainless skillet. If you use stainless, add a little butter in the pan before each pancake.

• Using a second skillet at medium high heat can make flipping the pancake easier and production is a little faster.

• Keep the batter mixed... The butter tends to separate, so frequent whisking is a good idea.

• Cooking time is always a moving target. A little over cooked is better than a little under cooked.

This was my mothers go to spaghetti sauce recipe. It was my favorite when I was growing up and it's a favorite with everyone in my family. I remember as a kid having a big plate of spaghetti with buttered bread and huge glass of milk... Ah, the good old days.

During the last few years of my mothers life, she and I cooked dinner for the entire family every Tuesday and this spaghetti sauce was often on the menu.

I call it Danish Spaghetti because my mom was Danish and I believe she got the recipe from her mother (that's the lore anyway).

I've adapted it to my liking over the years and this represents my version of Grandma Mary's spaghetti.

Ingredients:

• 1 Pound - Lean Ground Beef (optional if going vegetarian)

• 1 - Large Yellow Onion diced

• ½ to 1 - Stalk of Celery diced

• 1 - Yellow and 1 Red Bell Pepper diced

• 8 ounces - Fresh Mushrooms chopped (double if going vegetarian)

• 3 or 4 - Cloves of Garlic minced fine (I use a press)

• 1 teaspoon - Dried Oregano

• 1 teaspoon - Dried Basil

• 2 - 14.5 ounce cans of Stewed Tomatoes

• 2 - 14.5 ounce cans of Tomato Sauce

• 1 - 6 ounce can of Tomato Paste

• 1 - Bay Leaf

• ¼ Cup - Red Wine

Directions:

• Brown the hamburger, drain and set aside.

• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot until shimmering (300 to 350F)

• Sauté the onions until lightly golden brown (about 5 to 10 minutes).

• Add the mushrooms and sauté until they lose their water. (another 5 minutes).

• Add the garlic and spices and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

• Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot and reduce until about half.

• Add the rest of the vegetables and sauté until tender.

• Add the meat, if using, along with the Stewed Tomatoes, Tomato Sause and Tomato Paste.

• Let simmer on very low heat for at least two hours or until the flavors meld and the veggies are tender.

Notes:

• If you want it exactly like my mother made it; leave out the wine and garlic, use a green pepper instead of the red pepper and add 2 to 4 tablespoons of sugar.

• I've made this recipe hundreds of times and I find that the best sauces result when the vegetables are diced very fine.

• I hardly ever make this recipe with meat these days. It certainly stands on its own as a vegetarian sauce.

• Use fresh oregano & basil if you have it. I use Penzeys Tuscan Sunset blend on occasion.

• Whenever I make this recipe, I save all the veggie scraps in a small saucepan and boil them to make a vegetable stock reduction that I then add to the sauce.

• Don't use crappy wine!

If you grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio then Cincinnati Chili is in your DNA. The two main chili parlors are Goldstar Chili and Skyline Chili. They are everywhere and have been around forever. Empress chili, the original Cincinnati chili, was once a contender but they only have one location now in in Northern Kentucky.

This recipe come from my friend Celeste and the lore goes like this.

"My sister Missy was dating a guy that worked at [put chili parlor name here] and she got the recipe from him..."

The fact is that they used to make the chili at the individual stores back then (1970s) so the story is plausible...

My mother, who had a recipe that came with a very similar story, would make big pots of chili and freeze it in Cool Whip containers for after school meals when she was working.

This recipe is dead on great Cincinnati chili! It is the only one I use now after trying many.

Ingredients:

• 1 - Large onion, finely chopped

• 4 - Garlic cloves, finely chopped

• ¼ - Cup olive oil

• 2 - Pounds lean ground beef (ground twice)

• 1 - 12 ounce can tomato paste

• 2 - Tablespoons Vinegar

• 6 - Cups of water (1 1/2 quarts)

• 2 - 14.5 ounce cans of red kidney beans (optional)

• 1 - Ounce of Bittersweet Chocolate (or substitute 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder)

Spices:

• 4 - Tablespoon Chili Powder

• 1 - Tablespoon Paprika

• 1 - Tablespoon Salt

• 1 - Teaspoon Thyme

• 1 - Teaspoon Allspice

• 1 - Teaspoon Nutmeg

• 1 - Teaspoon Cinnamon

• 1 - Tablespoon Cumin

• 1 - Teaspoon Oregano

• 1 - Teaspoon Basil

• 1 - Teaspoon ground mixed Pickling Spices*

• 1 - Bay Leaf

Directions:

1. Sauté Onion and garlic in the olive oil, then remove from pan.

2. Add ground beef next and cook until browned. Use a spoon to break up the meat into fine pieces.

3. Add remaining ingredients and cook on simmer, stirring occasionally for about 2 hours.

4. If necessary, add more water if it becomes too thick and to prevent sticking.

5. Allow it to cool and the oil will rise to the top. Remove excess fat. (If you use lean beef, this will not be necessary.) Warm before serving.

6. Ladle over spaghetti and top with beans, shredded cheese**, and onion. Chili hot dogs too !

* Pickling Spice contains: yellow and brown mustard seeds, allspice, cinnamon, bay leaves, dill seed, cloves, ginger, peppercorns, star anise, coriander, juniper, mace, cardamom, crushed red pepper.

** Mild cheddar is used by Skyline. Goldstar's site simply says "cheddar cheese".