Chokladbollar (Chocolate Balls)

This is probably my favorite dessert of all time. It reminds me of my childhood, as a little girl in Sweden.

Makes about 15 balls

-1 dl sugar (.42 cups)
-3 dl quick oats (1.36 cups)
-3 tablespoons cocoa powder
-50 g butter (room temperature)
-2 tablespoons coffee
-1 tablespoon milk
-Pearl sugar (buy at Ikea)

In a large bowl mix together top 5 ingredients. Roll oat mixture into small balls. Pour pearl sugar into a bowl and coat each chocolate ball. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Shrimp and Marinara Pasta with a Zing

serves 4

3 shallots
4 gloves of garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 tabelspoon red pepper flackes
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (no added salt)
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce (no added salt)
Whole wheat pasta
Shrimp
In a food processor combine shallots and garlic. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high. Add shallots and garlic to pan and saute for about a minute. Stir in other spices and cook for another minute. Add diced tomatoes (pouring out most of the juice) and tomato sauce - bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on stove top for about 15 minutes while you heat up your pasta. When your pasta has about 2 more minutes add the shrimp to the marinara. Pour shrimp sauce over pasta and serve with a little grated romano or parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

*this recipe is also delicious with scallops
*if you prefer a thicker sauce simply add a few tabelspoons of tomato paste to thicken.

Julpepparkakor (Christmas Gingerbread Cookies)

God Jul! Merry Christmas!
This is a traditional Swedish recipe for gingerbread cookies, and it is amazing! Please, please, don't ever make ginger bread cookies with molasses! The syrup in this recipe can be found inexpensively at Ikea (called Ljus Sirap by Dan Sukker).

150 g butter
5 dl sugar (about 2.1 cups)
2 dl syrup (about .85 cups)
2 dl water (about .85 cups)
1 tabelspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon baking soda
1.4 liters all-purpose flour (5.92 cups)

Mix butter, sugar, and syrup together. In a separate bowl mix together water and the spices. Add water to butter mixture. Slowly stir in flour until a uniform dough ball forms. Wrap dough in foil and let settle overnight in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 392 degrees f (200 C.) Spread a light layer of flour over a large portion of the counter. Take one third of the dough and roll it thin with a flour dusted rolling pin (roll it very, very thin, just before it seems so thin it will tear). Using cookie cutters cut shapes and place on a greased baking sheet. Cook for five minute in the oven.

*If dough sticks to counter top simply lift dough as you roll it out and place more flour on it. Likewise, if the rolling pin sticks to the dough simply dust it with flour
*This dough can be used for a ginger bread house if you add .42 cups of flour to original dough.