Labeling Serving Dishes - Party Time Saver

     During the holiday season, I figured out a neat trick to save time preparing for a party, especially if you are serving a lot of different things or have a lot of condiments.  I set the table a day ahead like I usually do, but this time I also cut out little sheets of paper with the food items written down.   Then I placed them in the serving dish to remember and keep track of what is for what.  That way I knew I had everything covered and was not scrambling at the last minute.  More importantly, it allowed my family to help plate everything the day of very easily.  They knew what and where something needed to be done without me telling them.  They just replaced each label with food.  It was like magic!  I could concentrate on getting the last minute items taken care of (like the heat smoked salmon) while they did their thing.

     This was a lefse party, one of my favorite things.  Lefse is a Norwegian wrapping bread that is often made with boiled potatoes and flour.  It has an appealing taste and texture suitable for both savory and sweet fillings - a beloved dish of Scandinavians.  It is mandatory at Christmastime, but we like lefse so much I do it more than once a year.  Sometimes I roll and fry the lefse with the guests joining in, and sometimes I do it a day ahead.  The lefse recipe is in Exceptional Comfort: The Recipes Volume I.

     

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      This year I did a lefse brunch party with smoked salmon on the big green egg.

Lefse Brunch Menu

Lefse and Toppings

Lefse

Heat Smoked Salmon

Capers

Chopped Red Onion

Spicy Mustard

Maple Turkey Sausage

Kielbasa

Hard Boiled Eggs

Pickled Cucumbers

Cheeses

  Geitost (Brown Goat Cheese)

  Hushallsost (Swedish Farmer's Cheese)

Lingonberries

Butter

Cinnamon Sugar

Ice Water

Dessert

Butterscotch Pot De Creme with Candied Bacon

Berliner Kranser (Wreath Cookies)

Fruit Cake

Peppermint Bark Candy

Tea and Coffee