My Own Family Traditions
Today, my family enjoys our lefse with a variety of toppings. My father likes his topped with his mother’s Swedish meatballs, my grandmother likes hers with plain butter, and I like mine with butter and a combination of cinnamon and sugar. My grandmother and I have been making lefse since I was twelve-years-old. While this grandmother is my father’s mother, we actually use my maternal great-grandmother’s recipe because we like that one the best. Every fall, my grandmother and I get together and we pull out the lefse griddle, the rolling stone and floor sack, the rolling pin that has slices cut into it, and lefse paddles. My grandmother is the designated lefse roller. She puts a ball of the potato mixture on her rolling stone with a flour sack over it, and rolls it out with her special lefse rolling pin. When the lefse is rolled out and thin the way we like it, I wrap it with the lefse paddle; a long, thing, wooden stick that my grandfather makes in his workshop; and unroll it over the griddle. I wait for one side to bubble up before flipping it.
If I go up to my grandmother’s house to make it, we invite her friend over to help. We also invite my aunts to come over and learn in order to keep the tradition alive for them. We always make enough so that everyone can have large bags to store in their freezers.
A few years ago, my grandmother bought me my own lefse griddle, rolling pin, and stone with a flour sack. My grandfather sent the lefse paddles that he had made in his workshop for me as well. Having my own set of supplies makes it easier for multiple people to help make lefse. Last year, we invited my twelve-year-old sister to help out. My grandfather and I manned the griddles while my little sister and grandmother rolled the lefse dough balls out.
I cannot wait to pass this tradition on to my nieces and nephews. It will no longer be a “women” only task.