Little Bo Peep and the Lost Porridge

Easter is not complete without an Easter basket.  I think the 'bead and pin' basket fits the bill quite nicely.

 

The basket pictured above is a fabulous foot tall and made in the 1950's.  Called a Victorian Bride Basket or Little Bo Peep basket, the bottom is open, so it can be slipped over a narrow bud vase.

 

I think Little Bo Peep would have loved it, but would not have been able to figure out why her flowers kept falling out of the bottom.  She was quite the dim bulb.

Pay attention:

'Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep and doesn't know where to find them.'

What? They're big fat puffs of wooly animal! It's not like she dropped her contact in the grass. Sheep are not exactly known for sprinting.  They stand around eating all day and maybe saunter a bit.  How far could they go?  Did she even try to find them? Did she look in the next meadow?  Did she look behind her?

What a lazy pill.  I hope she got a punishment.  Like no porridge for supper.

That would have meant English porridge made by boiling barley flour and water.  ICK.

It's not much of a punishment to miss that tasty treat, but not so with Norwegian porridge. 

Norwegian porridge, called Rømmegrøt, is a thick, warming, filling supper dish that, like many traditional ethnic dishes, is a 'love it' or 'hate it' menu item.

I wholeheartedly vote YUM!  It's perfect for evenings when you are completely snowed in.  Pretend you are in a cozy Norwegian mountain cabin and enjoy your supper.

 

              

Good grief!  How do you pronounce Rømmegrøt?

ROOM uh groot (Roll your R's, ignore the funky Norwegian O's and you're pretty close)

 

 

What's in it?

1/2 Liter (2 C + 2 T) Full Fat Sour Cream 

1/2 Liter (2 C + 2 T) Whole Milk

2 Deciliters (1/2 C) All-purpose White Flour   

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Cinnamon

Butter

 

Now What?

Heat the sour cream to a boil and boil for about 3 minutes.

Lower the heat and stir in half of the flour.

Stir until there are no lumps.  Try not to lose interest.

Stir in the rest of the flour and milk little by little until the porridge is thick and silky and “hangs” on the spoon.

Bring to a boil.

 

And then?

Serve with sugar, cinnamon and butter.  Makes enough for four people or go ahead and just be a pig.

 

Stop Doll Abuse!

Do you ever wonder 'what were they thinking?' 

I do every time I encounter a certain genre of handmade craft. 

It's not really ugly.  And for what it is, it is usually skillfully and carefully made.

It's the kind of thing that if you received it as a present, you would be speechless.  You would not be able to look the giver in the eye to express your thanks.

It is almost embarrassing in its tackiness.

It's tacky and kitschy.  It's tackitsch.

I am drawn to it.  Its awfulness is a magnet.  I can't get enough of it.

The bead and pin basket comes to us from the post-World War II 1950's.  It was originally designed to slip over a vase of flowers.  One of these would make a great mother-in-law gift.

Crafts made with shells have been around since the first woman said, "If you want to get in my cave, you'd better show up with some bling."  In addition to using seashells, pearls, beads and lots of gold spray paint, the crafter who created this music box also used macaroni shells.

Crocheted flowers are a huge step up from the plastic flower, but still …

I think they are a nice complement to the flamingo high ball glass.

My grandma Hope, a Victorian, was also a wizard with a crochet hook.  She crocheted intricately designed doilies and trims for bed and table linens.  She taught me to crochet a circle with yarn.  I can still do it, but that is the extent of my skill. 

Some of Grandma Hope's creations had ruffles that would stand up if stiffened.  Laundry starch was not strong enough, so she used sugar water.  She would be amazed at all the polymer sprays and brush-on stiffeners available to the home crafter today. 

But rest assured, my grandma would never have done this to a doll . . .