Smörgåstårta aka Swedish Sandwich Cake

Over the summer, I found an amazing book while thrift shopping in Galveston. The recipe I was dying to try was the Party Sandwich Loaf. I stuck pretty closely to the original recipe in the book. On Pinterest, I spotted another version of this cake that is much more "Swedish" which is filled with smoked salmon and smoked herring mousse. It looks incredible, topped with smoked Salmon and shrimp...definitely a wower if you are wanting something more refined. My recipe sure impressed everyone who tried it....now that I know how to put it together, I am definitely open to doing some creative fillings and other sandwich toppings. 

Foodarama Party Book copyright 1959


Party Sandwich Loaf Recipe

1 small round loaf white bread (I used sourdough)
Softened butter or margarine
Ham and Celery Filling
Curried Egg filling
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
Avocado filling
Cream cheese (I used 2 packages)
Light cream (I used a 16 oz sour cream)
Sliced stuffed olives
Sprigs of parsley
Other vegetables to garnish

Ham and celery filling: Combine 1 cup ground cooked ham, 1/2 cup finely chopped celery and enough mayonaise to moisten

Curried egg filling: Combine 4 finely chopped hard-cooked eggs, 1/2 tsp. curry powder and enough mayonaise to moisten. (I used a lot more than 1/2 tsp. and it was soo good)

Avocado filling: Mash 2 fully ripe avocados; add 2 Tbsp. highly seasoned French Dressing. Stir until well blended. (Not sure what 'highly seasoned French Dressing means so I just bought the one that said sweet and tangy)

Cut bread loaf, crosswise into four thick slices. Spread each slice with butter. Spread bottom slice with Ham and Celery Filling. Top with second bread slice; spread with Curried Egg Filling. Top with slices of tomato and third bread slice. Spread with Avocado filling; top with remaining bread slice. Mash cream cheese; stir in enough cream so cheese will spread easily; beat until smooth. Spread on top and sides of loaf. Garnish with olive slices and parsley. Cut into wedges and serve. Makes about 12 servings.

I mixed up a little extra cream cheese and sour cream than necessary, and I also had some of the ham filling left over so I threw it all together and it was a delicious veggie dip for the extra carrots and radishes I used for garnish.

Veggies I used on top:
Thinly sliced lemon
Radish
Parsley
Olives (I didn't use black but they would've been good too!)
Cherry (or grape) tomatoes
Carrots (using my apple corer, I cut rings)
Cucumber

I was afraid the bread would get soggy, but it stayed dry...it was a big hit at the fall fest party I went to Saturday night!!

Knob Noster.

Each fall I look forward to the Missouri Art Education Association conference. It is held at the Camp BobWhite State Park in Knob Noster, Missouri near Warrensburg. It is a good three hour drive to the campground and the accommodations are notably primitive. We sleep in bunk beds in a cabin without air conditioning or heat. The presentations and demonstrations are held in open air tents. The local Boy Scout troop prepares our meals (and I must say, the food is fantastic--bread bowls with soup, BBQ and biscuits and gravy--all of my favorite foods). Perhaps the best thing about Knob Noster is the camaraderie among the people. Every single person there is an art teacher, and every person at the conference does the same job on a day-to-day basis so there is always someone to talk to who 'gets it'. It is one of my favorite things of the year....it is a place where I can be myself.

You can read more details from Knob Noster conferences in previous posts.
Knob Noster 2010, Knob Noster 2009

And from last year, 2011....I guess I never posted these photos.

I needle felted this iPhone case last year.....to match my ugly sweater. Isn't it awesome!

I love a good sunset.

Okay, now I am going to go all 'girl gets a camera, thinks she is a photographer and takes pictures of barbed wire and sunsets' on you. I know, these photos are totally cliche. But I don't even care. I brake for sunsets. And sunrises. I pull the car over and hop out if I see a pretty silhouette.

my first fried twinkie ever.

If you've never been to the War Eagle craft fair in Arkansas, you should really try to go just once.


 And if you do go....here are a few things to keep in mind.

 #1 It really doesn't matter if you go at 9:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m., you will be stuck in traffic for at least an hour....so be ready to entertain yourself.

#2 The traffic really isn't that bad...because you are surrounded by Arkansas in the fall. And it is gorgeous.

#3 Watch out for Turkey legs in the parking field. We ran over this one. It made me hungry for a turkey leg. And then I saw the grease stain on the tire. And I still wanted one.

#4 Put a bird on it.

#5 War Eagle has amazing food. I decided to try something new. A fried twinkie. My first ever. And probably my last. It tasted like a funnel cake.

#6 Funnel cakes and kettle corn are delicious.

#7 Cotton candy is delicious too. Especially to kids.

#8 There are some pretty cool crafts at War Eagle. Many of the things I saw were from Pinterest. Some were new to me...and I thought, hey, I wonder if I can find a DIY for that on Pinterest....or hey, I could probably figure that out...and do it with my students....I wonder where I can get 50 metal rods?

#9 Wear comfortable shoes.

#10 Or just have someone push you in a stroller.

#11 Real craftsmen are so cool.

#12 Some people are hard core about craft fairs. Rain, sleet, or two broke feet....they are there. (Back to # 9, wear comfortable shoes.)

#13 Arkansas really is beautiful this time of year. My favorite part of the whole event was sitting by the river, enjoying the shade, watching the people.

Some of my favorite memories are days like this. When the sun is shining, and I'm trying something new. I'm so happy to have my new camera. It was a fun day taking pictures and telling the story of War Eagle. 

Third Thursday October

I've finally replaced my camera (since my D5000 was stolen)......I've upgraded to the Nikon D90 and I am having tons of fun playing around with it. Last night at the Joplin art walk I took a few photos while wandering around downtown. The sunset was just gorgeous.

This was the last art walk of the season. My favorite thing about the art walk is stopping by the Focal Point gallery for a cheap original print by the MSSU art department. And eating pizza at the Blackthorn. Awesome stuff.

I'm so glad it is Friday.