Scandinavian Fair Fare

The ladies of our local Daughters of Norway chapter, Nellie Gerdrum Lodge #41, are all facing a busy week as they prepare for their tenth annual Scandinavian Fair, a highly attended holiday event that includes a Scandinavian Bakery, a café that serves traditional favorites like homemade pea soup and lefse, and Nordic crafts offered for sale by talented artisans.

My contribution last year was a batch of Norwegian Goro - delicately imprinted cookies that are prepared on a special cookie iron, flavored with cardamom, and have a texture that's a unique cross between a cookie, a cracker, and a waffle. Like most Scandinavian cookies, Goro can be baked ahead in quantity and frozen, making it easy to include them as part of the seven-item cookie plate that is traditional in Norwegian and Norwegian-American households during the holiday season.

I haven't decided yet what I'll be baking this year ... this week I'll feature a few of the delicious possibilities here.

If you're in the Pacific Northwest this Saturday, November 7th, drive on up to the Hampton Inn's Fox Hall in Bellingham, WA and check out the festivities!

Goro image ©2009 Kari Diehl, licensed to About.com.