The Rulers of the Sea

The Vikings

The cutest most fearsome Viking ever!

No, no the Minnesota football team, the sea-faring explorers / warriors / traders / settlers who ruled the seas, and much of the Northern Hemisphere from the late 8th to mid 11th centuries.

The Vikings were savage and fearsome to their enemies and those who they raided and looted but they were also superb craftsmen and women, shrewd traders and excellent story tellers.  They developed a written language and explored and mapped much of the Northern Atlantic.  They were known for their excellent seamanship and ship-building skills.  I encourage you to learn more about this very interesting ancient society.  We found a book at the library, Viking by Witness Books.  It had pictures and art from all aspects of the Viking society and was pretty informative.  Unfortunately, I can't spend all day covering the Vikings, so we are going to focus on the longboats because that is what our art project covers.  

The Viking's fearsome longboats had wide but shallow bodies which were able to navigate both the wide, rough oceans and shallow rivers yet still be light enough to carry when land barriers presented themselves.  The wooden boats had terrifying heads carved into the front to scare the enemies before the fighting even began.  The sides of the ships had a shield rack that both protected the oarsmen from attack and  held their shields- clever design :)  The ships were mainly propelled by a large rectangular sail but when additional speed was needed, or the winds were light, they had huge oars that were used.  Because wood decays so easily, especially in the salt water, there are not many Viking ships left.  Fortunately though, the Vikings had a tradition of burying the rich in their ships and so archeologists have been able to uncover and share in museums some of these amazing boats!! 

We aren't in an area with a lot of Viking influence so I wasn't able to find a Viking field trip to go on, so we made our own miniature

Viking Longboat
 For the project you will need:

• brown paper or cardboard for the boat
• a piece of paper (you can choose your own color) for the sail and shields.
• a drinking straw
• glue or paste
• stapler
• scissors
• markers
• template or you can design your own

1. Fold the cardboard or paper in half.  I made a little pleat in the "bottom" by folding it back again about inch up so the ship will stand up.  Place the template or draw your own design with the fold being the bottom. 

2.  Cut out the design and staple along the sides- the "boat" is done.

3.  Cut out a sail.  The template had a fancy rectangle shape but any rectangle would be fine.  Tape the sail to the straw or use a hole punch and poke two holes for the "mast" to go through.

4.  Draw a Viking design (or whatever) on the sail and then staple the straw to the boat.

5.  Cut out and decorate a few shield and glue them to the side of the boat and VOILA! 

Your very own Viking Longboat!!! 

 

 "Have fun raiding the castle!!" A quote from the all time best movie ever- The Princess Bride!!  Not about Vikings but still a great movie!!

 

Good times, Good friends

Hygge-

 

One of the important aspects of the Danish culture is the concept called "hygge" (pronounced hYOO-guh).  This phrase refers to anytime when you are surrounded by family and friends and relaxing with some good food and drinks.  To do it right it should have a cozy and warm feeling.  Think candles or firelight.  It is an emotion you feel as much as an event.

 

So, in the spirit of hygge, we spent last night hosting a backyard movie night.  We invited friends, new neighbors, family, and pretty much anyone who wanted to come.  We set up a projector and movie screen in the yard, threw a bunch of pillows and blankets on the grass and made sure the coolers were full of drinks.  Once it got dark the popcorn started popping and the beer (and juice) started flowing.  The adults got to catch up with each other while the kids got to watch movies under the starry skies....

Hygge is awesome!!!

On the Menu: Danish Food

A meal fit for a Viking!

Actually, while I'm sure the Vikings would have loved a meal like I'm about to share with you, I really can't picture the Vikings sitting around on their longships eating butter cookies and stuffed pork loin.  But I could be wrong. 





The cuisine of Denmark is pretty similar to the other Scandinavian countries we have visited ( the Netherlands and Sweden), and actually pretty similar to the whole Northern Europe region in general.  The cuisine was founded on the time when what you ate was what you grew or raised.  The food is relatively simply made using easily found ingredients.  Some of the most common ingredients included potatoes, rye, currants or lingonberries, cabbage, pork and seafood.  Some of their well-known dishes include "smorrebrod"- an open-faced sandwich of various toppings on buttered rye bread, frikadeller- fried meatballs, and one that I know is popular in our house, Danish butter cookies!  In fact, our neighbor gave us a 5lb. (!!) tin of butter cookies last Christmas and we ate all of them!!  Funny how 5 lbs. of cookies translated into 10lbs. on the scale.  But I digress. 

We have a great recipe for authentic Danish butter cookies that my friend Carla gave to me.  Her Danish grandfather made them in his bakery and now we can make them in our own home!!  Thanks Carla (and you will thank her too after you try them) but before dessert we need to eat our dinner.  We are preparing a pork loin stuffed with prunes and apples, the delicious gravy it makes will go over some boiled potatoes and on the side some sweet and sour cabbage.  I have been assured that this is a very Danish meal.  I hope you enjoy.....

Pork Loin stuffed with Prunes and Apples
recipe found online at www.jsonline.com
For the recipe you will need:

• 12-15 pitted prunes (or dried plums as they are called now)
• 1 large tart apple- cored and cubed and sprinkled with a little lemon so it doesn't discolor.
• 1 boneless pork loin- about 5 lbs.
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup dry white wine (I used what I had, I don't know if it was "dry" or not)
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tbsp. red currant jelly
• kitchen twine
• salt and pepper

1.  Plump up the prunes by placing them in a bowl with some boiling water for about 30 minutes.  Drain and pat dry.

2. With a sharp knife cut a deep slit in the pork loin almost all the way down the length of it.  Season with some salt and pepper and stuff it with the prunes and apples.  Tie it back together with some kitchen twine.
3.  Preheat the oven to 350°
4.  In an ovenproof pot that is just big enough to hold the meat, heat the butter and oil and brown the pork roast on all sides.
5.  When it's browned, remove the fat (spoon or turkey baster) and add the whipping cream and wine to the pan.  Cover the pan and place in preheated oven.
6.  Cook about 1 hr (maybe a little more) until the meat is about 145°.  I over did my meat because I followed the directions that said 1 and 1/2 hours- still tasty but tougher, oops.
7.  Take the meat out of the pan and bring the liquid to a boil on the stovetop.  Boil until mixture is reduced to 2 cups.  Add the red currant jelly and add some salt and pepper to taste.
8.  Carve your roast into 1" slices and serve with some boiled potatoes and vegetable of your choice.  We served ours with sweet and sour cabbage.  I'm not sharing the recipe but there are hundreds of them on the internet.

As I mentioned, I overdid my pork loin, but even tough it was still pretty good.  I thought the filling was a bit sweet but it looked nice.  The gravy was really good though!!  Sweeter than most gravies, because of the red currant jelly, with a very unique flavor.  The kids both ate it with delight and even asked for more!!!!!!  My daughter proclaimed my simple boiled potatoes with Danish butter (cost me $6!) "the best potatoes I've ever made"- must've been that butter.

This meal was pretty fancy and I think I used every pot and pan in the house, but I could see myself making an unstuffed pork loin in the sauce again in our future.  

And now since you were so good and ate your dinner....

Carla's Danish Butter Cookies
For the recipe you will need:

• 1 1/2 lb. butter- room temp.
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 7 cups flour
• more sugar for rolling

1.  Cream together the butter and sugar.  Not until "fluffy" just until combined well. 
2.  Add the 2 eggs and mix until combined.
3.  Add the 7 cups of flour and mix until incorporated.  I used my hands to really smush it all together.
4.  Divide the dough into 4 blobs and roll them into logs. 
5.  Sprinkle some sugar on your work surface and roll the logs in the sugar.  Put them into the refrigerator to firm up.
6.  When they are firm, slice the logs into 1/2" slices and put on cookie sheet.

7.  Bake in preheated 375° oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. 

OMG!  These are simple but TASTY cookies. Buttery and sweet but not too sweet.  Very similar to the shortbread cookies that we made for Scotland.  They made a great snack and got raves from everyone who tried them.  Be warned that the recipe makes a LOT of cookies, but I don't see why you couldn't freeze the logs and use them when the desire for a cookie (or 12) strikes.  Thanks again to Carla for sharing her family recipe!!

 

One Brick at a Time

Legos!!!

I don't think I know anybody who had never played with lego bricks!  They are an institution in schools and playrooms all over the world.  And it all began in Denmark.  In 1932, Ole Kirk Kristiansen, a master carpenter started a company making toys.  The company grew, and with the invention of plastics and injection molding, the iconic lego brick was born.  The privately held company is still owned by the same family, and still based in Denmark, but now their toys are sold in over 130 different countries and they have over 10,000 employees!

Lego bricks have twice been named the "Toy of the Century", and it's not surprising.  Legos are both an open-ended toy, where you are only limited by your imagination, and a goal-oriented toy.  If you buy the lego sets, you must follow the very simple (yet very detailed) directions to finish the project.  There are sets for everything from the Sydney Opera House to the Death Star! 

In our house we have only just graduated from the big legos (duplos?) to the smaller size.  I just wasn't ready to have all those teeny-tiny little pieces everywhere.  But the latest round of birthdays have brought us a few new sets- and now the kids are hooked!  So, of course, a trip to the Lego Store was in order!! 

Field Trip!!!!!

I had no idea how many different products there were at a Lego Store! The kids were in heaven, and quite honestly, I thought it was pretty awesome too! 











They had bins and bins of blocks and figures for the kids to play with.  They had already assembled sets displayed and, of course, they had lots of sets for sale.  Honestly, I kind of dislike the sets.  I think it takes the creativity away from the child.  I'd much rather have a big ol' bin of bricks and figures and let them make up their own creations.  Sure, it's probably not going to look like the Taj Mahal when they are done, but you know what? It might be pretty darn close. 

We had a ball at the Lego Store, the employees were so nice and even gave me a little magazine and a poster.  They seemed to really enjoy their jobs and every customer who walked in had a big smile on their face.  What a nice place to work.


 

Who knew little plastic bricks could make people so happy.
 

A Fairy Tale Life

Hans Christian Andersen

Known throughout the world as the creator and author of some of the world's most loved fairy tales, Hans Christian Andersen lived a life that wasn't exactly "happily ever after". 

He was born in Odense, Denmark on April 2, 1805 and lived a typical life until his father's death when he was still a young boy.  His mother remarried and young Hans was sent away to boarding school where he had to work and go to school to help pay the tuition.  He was very lonely and felt he never quite fit in with all the rich children.  At age 14 he left school for Copenhagen to become an actor.  He started writing stories when acting jobs proved scarce and the wealthy lawyer and politician Jonas Collin took him under his wing and sent him back to school with his own money. 

In 1822, he published his first story with more to follow.  In 1835, his first volume of fairy tales, Eventyr, was published.  Many more were published in the following years, including The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina, The Little Mermaid, and the Emperor's New Clothes to name a few.  His wonderful stories presented moral dilemmas and taught valuable lessons to people of all ages.  His works have been translated into more than 125 languages and his books are the 2nd most reprinted in history- the Bible is 1st.  All this fame didn't necessarily make him happy- he never married and was said to have been clutching a letter from a woman he loved (but who did not love him) when he died from cancer in 1875.  He had never married and, though his stories were beloved by millions of children, he had no children of his own.

As a tribute to him, his birthday, April 2nd, is celebrated as International Children's Book Day.  There are numerous statues of him in Denmark and his childhood home in Odense is a museum now.  One of his famous characters, the Little Mermaid, has been immortalized in a stone and bronze sculpture that resides in Copenhagen harbor. 

Thank you Mr. Andersen for making the childhood of so many children that much more special.

Week 45: Denmark

Denmark: Land of the Vikings

This week we are visiting Denmark, a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe.  Once the rulers of most of Northern Europe, the territory of Denmark has shrunk dramatically since the 20th century.  Now the country consists of  Jutland, a peninsula on the Northern tip of Germany, and about 474 islands.  The largest island, in fact, the largest island in the world, is Greenland. 

The country has the oldest monarchy in Europe- over 1000 years ago, Gorm the Old was crowned.  The current monarch is Queen Margrethe II, who has reigned since 1972. 




Here are a few other interesting facts about Denmark:

• The capital is Copenhagen (55.67°N / 12.56°E) which is located on the island of Zealand.  

• The flag of Denmark, called the Dannebrog, claims to be the oldest flag still in use today.  It has been flying since the 13th century when it was "dropped" down from the gods during a battle.

• Coins found near the city of Ribe dating back to 700 AD make the city the oldest in Scandinavia.

• The Vikings, who hailed from Denmark, were great sailors and feared warriors for centuries.  Danes are very proud of their Viking heritage (and they should be!)

• 2 of the oldest amusement parks in the world are in Denmark.  Park "Bakken", which first opened in 1583 and Tivoli Gardens which is the biggest and most popular park in Europe.  It is said that Tivoli Gardens was one of the inspirations for Disneyland.

• Hans Christian Andersen, author of many of the world's favorite fairytales was from Denmark.  One of his famous stories, the Little Mermaid, has been immortalized by a statue in Copenhagen harbor.

• Lego bricks, the toy blocks we all love (until you step on one in the middle of the night) were invented in Denmark in 1932.  The word "lego" is an abbreviation of two Danish words, "leg godt" which means "play well".

Whew, we've got a lot of areas we can talk about this week- Vikings, legos, fairytales, Danish pastries (!!!), and a very intriguing concept they have called "hygge" that I will explain later!  I'd better get a move on :)