Recipes 'n Reads: with Author Helen Henderson's Recipe for Lokse and her Fantasy Book Fire and Redemption #recipesandreads

 

Recipes 'n Reads Series
Guest author Helen Henderson

I am thrilled to have my friend and multi-genre author, Helen Henderson, return to Focused on Story blog to share her recipe and book on the Recipes 'n Reads series, scheduled every third Wednesday of the month. 

Helen and I have much in common. Helen is a Gemini, she wrote feature articles for magazines, and she is a multi-genre author. However, unlike me, she builds fantasy worlds and deals with dragons.

Welcome back, Helen!

Thank you for sharing the recipe, Lokshe, a Slovak dish, given to you by your Old World grandmother.  This one sounds like a winner. I love potatoes, so we must have that in common too! 

Lokshe--"an indispensable part of the Slovak kitchen"

Lokse (lokše, lokša singular) has been called an indispensable part of the Slovak kitchen. They are thin, rolled pancakes made out of potato dough that are baked on a hot plate or an ungreased frying pan. We originally learned how to make them on a cast-iron coal-fired stove.

Lokse were a special treat we only had during the summer vacations at my grandparent's mountain home or during her stays with us during the snowy, cold, winter months when her home was winterized and closed. The reason we only had them on these occasions was not because we didn't have the recipe. Grammy shared the recipe.

She shared the ingredients, including a dash, pinch, and handful, as she did for making pierogi, halupka (filled cabbage), homemade noodles, and my favorite kolatchki. She also attempted to teach us the technique of making  lokse, to be able to get it into the pan without tearing, and the spinning maneuver so that it didn't stick. My Old World grandmother could create the dough, roll it out to the right thickness (that of a tortilla) without using so much flour it got too soft, place the pancake into the frying pan without it falling to pieces, and spin and flip the pancakes using her fingers. We always had to use a spatula and fork.

The decision to share lokse is partly because I recently tried making them for the first time in years. No, I won't tell how they came out other than to say they barely made it from the pan to the plate.

RECIPE:  Without further distraction, the modernized recipe for lokse.

Boil six medium size potatoes until soft.

·       Coarsely mash and let cool.

·       Mix in 2 eggs and 1/2 cup flour. Add additional flour as needed until a soft dough forms.

·       Roll out by 1/4 cup balls on a floured board until some 1 or 2 millimeters thick.

·       Sprinkle a pinch of salt in the bottom of an iron flying pan, and place the pancake in the pan. Prick with a fork.

·       Brown on one side, spinning occasionally.

·       Flip over and brown on other side.

·       When done, rub with a stick of butter on both sides.

·       Fold into a roll and eat. (For those more elegant circumstances, you can cut the roll into inch-long sections and eat with a fork.)

·       An Additional Note: To avoid a rush, they can be wrapped in foil and kept warm in a toaster oven. That is if you can stop them from disappearing as soon as they come out of the frying pan.

* * * *

Fire and Redemption (Book 2 of the Tear Stone Collectors)
by Helen Henderson
Fantasy

BACK OF THE BOOK--Fire and Redemption (Book 2 of the Tear Stone Collectors)

Expelled from the dragon isle, Medraut is forced to shed his wings and take on human form to live amongst the people of the mainland. To have the future she desires, Brial must survive the fever, raiders, and most of all, Medraut’s dragon ability to control minds. Karst, son of the head slayer, disowned and sent on an impossible quest to kill a dragon, made himself a home in the trading wagons of Clan Vreis. His newfound happiness is threatened when the caravan stops to help an injured man lying in the caravan’s path.

Three men and a dragon desire the same woman. One wants her for power, one for her beauty, and one for love. The dragon just wants her.

Buy Links:

Paperback and ebook: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

More Sites

 

ABOUT HELEN HENDERSON:

A former feature-story writer and correspondent, Henderson has also written fiction as long as she could remember. Her heritage reflects the contrasts of her Gemini sign. This dichotomy shows in her writing which crosses genres from historical adventures and westerns to science fiction and fantasy. In the world of 

Author Helen Henderson

fantasy and fantasy romance, she is the author of the Dragshi Chronicles, the Windmaster Novels and the Tear Stone Collectors. Her stand-alone works include the dark fantasy, Imprisoned in Stone and the military tribute collection, Hearth and Sand.

In her books, she invites readers to join her on travels through the stars, or among fantasy worlds of the imagination.

Find her on online at: Facebook  /  Twitter  /  Goodreads. Excerpts of her work, writing tips, and information on new releases can be found at https://helenhenderson-author.blogspot.com. 

She loves hearing from readers. Write her at helenhenderson.author@gmail.com.

Thanks so much for being my guest, Helen!!

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Mom's Memories and Reflections on Motherhood
Book 3 in the Books for Life Storytellers Series
by JQ Rose

BACK OF THE BOOK:

Mom’s Memories and Reflections on Motherhood: A Guided Journal is adorned with bright yellow sunflowers and created with pages to chronicle mom's unique journey, capturing the laughter, tears, and growth that define motherhood.

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Three sunflowers in a bunch. I love this cheery flower.

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Thank you for stopping by. Will you try to make this recipe? Sounds sooooo good. Please leave a comment below.

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