Swedish Sugar Toast..Monday's with Mom



My mom was mostly of Swedish heritage, and my dad Norwegian. This was a constant joke between them for as long as I can remember. They would lovingly tease each other, almost daily.
Which was the best? Being Norwegian or Swedish? 

I grew up hearing comments like, "that must be how Swedes do that" or "you are as stubborn as a Norwegian!" "Swedes are sweet!" Then they would laugh.. it was a special joke between them.

We celebrated both heritages at Christmas time, with several dishes from both sides of the family. My mom made the most incredible Swedish Toasted Coconut Cookies and Swedish meatballs. She only made them during the holidays. 

BUT one thing she did make almost daily when I was a kid were, "wind sandwiches." She would take some white bread, butter it, sprinkle sugar on it, and send me outside to eat it in the wind! I LOVED this!

I don't know if "wind sandwiches" were just a way to get me out of the house or not, but it worked!

Sometimes she would toast the bread and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. She told me her mom used to do the same, but added cardamom to the mixture. Mom never kept cardamon on hand, but bought it fresh every Christmas to make Kringler. So my wind sandwiches didn't have cardamon in them very often. They were delicious either way, and I was always asking mom, "Is it windy today?" 

Those are fun memories, and I decided it was time to have a wind sandwich {Swedish Sugar Toast} once again. So I made one, toasted, with cardamon, and ate it outside in the wind!



Swedish Sugar Toast

Mixture:
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cardamon
1/8 tsp. clove
soft butter
white bread

Mix the sugar, cinnamon,cloves, and cardamon. Butter the bread, sprinkle with mixture and toast in the oven at 350 for about  to 10 minutes. Eat in the wind!

3 comments:

Michele said...

What a sweet story! I LOVE when recipes can take me back in time. These look so yummy!

Pam said...

LOL! Wind sandwiches! Next time, I'll be adding cardamom. My MIL was Swedish and baked a lot with cardamom, it was great!

Unknown said...

I was raised in Central Illinois and remember eating buttered white bread sprinkled with sugar (either white sugar or brown). This was about 70 years ago not too long after the Depression. Since we are Irish (not Swedish or Norwegian), I wonder if "Wind Bread" was served because it was easy and cheap since there were five kids in the family.