By Gwen (Erickson) Katula, Fountain City, Wisconsin
Gwen Katula – Lefse Time
My story isn't much different than everyone else's. Lefse has been part of my family as far back as I can remember. I guess I must have some strong scandinavian blood in my veins, because it was love at first taste. We always enjoyed lefse through the winter holidays. My family would gather in the kitchen on that special day and bask in flour and potatoes. Always producing large batches to make it through that holiday stretch.
It would begin early in the morning peeling several pounds of potatoes and with every pot we had boiling with what we peeled. There was enough time while the boiling took place to start prepping for everything to come and a cup of strong black coffee. The ricing and patties would start to make your hands ache, those rolling and frying would take their familiar positions as the afternoon set in. It always took a few test sheets to find the groove. Getting the sheets just thin enough and with not too much flour. To fine tune the delicate handling of the Lefse sheets from pastry cloth to griddle. Remembering just how long you wanted it to bubble and cook. But those test sheets were heaven. Of course we were forced to eat them, just had to find out if we were doing it right.
That first bite would instantly flood your mouth with yummy and your mind with memories. Those memories of creating lefse the years before and all those moments you shared your labor of love with family and friends. We would proceed into evening and finally finish cleaning the flour off the ceiling fan. (Somehow Dad always managed to get flour everywhere.) A hard days work full of fun, stories and lefse eating. Another day creating the next favorite lefse memory. I think that's where our stories start to sound the same. Lefse is full of memories. I'm the one rolling and frying now, my kids are the ones running around the kitchen and asking all the why questions-starting their lefse memories.
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