Anna's Pepparkakor

Say what?  These were brought to us from Sweden from one of our cacklers who paid a short visit to the Nordic land.  They were carried in his checked baggage and although we didn't really know what they were it sure sounded like what was left was a bunch of Pepparkakor bits and pieces. From the tin we assumed they would be the Swedish version of the ubiquitous Danish Butter cookies but that proved not to be the case. The tin was also instrumental in this being the treat to bring home by the specialist in gastric glands because on the tin is included a picture of a Swede from Gastricland. (Okay it's really spelled Gästrikland but you get the picture).

Imagine our surprise then when we opened the tin and the Pepparkakor was not smashed into crumbs.  The star-shaped thin cookies were mostly intact. We don't know if the Peppar part of the name indicated pepper as an ingredient but these were most certainly a Swedish version of the ginger snap. They were a hit and certainly were not filling.

We learned A LOT about Sweden during this session.  The cackler who had just been there found it interesting and worth a look. However another expert had the goods on the Swedes. Who would have imagined that on Saturday afternoon when everything shuts down the entire country goes inside their respective homes, closes the curtains and starts drinking. Is this why there are so many different flavors of Absolut? We are a bit suspicious but that's how the person remembered it.  We imagine there is some hyperbole in the recollection.  Or at least we hope so!

Blueberry Pie and Bye to George

Today we had a good old standard - blueberry pie from Scialo Brothers Bakery on Federal Hill in Providence courtesy of the Moss Man.  This is a great pie!  It's always fresh and full of blueberries. Furthermore the filling is never congealed with too much corn starch but is juicier than one sees with a mass produced commercial pie. The hatched crust is enhanced by some granulated sugar which is what provides most of the sweetness. The pie is very well balanced and always delicious.  We highly recommend it if you are in the Atwells Avenue neighborhood in Providence.

Today we were told that this would be George's last day. George did some work here then left to go back to school. However, he was also kind enough to pay visits, coming down from Boston to hang out help or bring a cake. Now he says this was his last visit..or is it?  Initially it was to be a fond farewell but then he said he may come by next year regardless of the fact that his sister will move on from the lab. Time will tell but in the meantime - keep smiling George!