Danish Hot Dogs

Danish & Scandinavian Hot Dogs have come to Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Danish Hot Dogs, Swedish Hot Dogs, Norwegian Hot Dogs, Finnish Hot Dogs and Icelandic Hot Dogs are now the order of the day thanks to a collaborative effort between Vienna Beef in Chicago (Est. 1893) and SkagenHus in Williams Bay, WI.

There are some similarities between the delectable treats and some stark differences. Most of the Scandinavian dogs use Remoulade as well as fried onions. For the the dog itself SkagenHus has chosen to use the 8 inch long All Beef wiener from Vienna Beef to accommodate the mandatory ends of the dog protruding past the bun. The Remoulade and Aukuaka are both home made according to a secret family recipe and give the dogs that traditional Scandinavian taste. The fried onions are another authentic must have and here at SkagenHus we sell that "hard to find" item online.

Kelli Kunes and Lindsay Schryver of Williams Bay and Fontana stopped in during our open house today. Kelli says the dogs are great and the price is right (Just $2.75)! Lindsay says she enjoyed the flavor and array of new and unusual toppings. Thank you ladies, for stopping by! Of course they left with our Hot Dog girl, Kristina, which leaves Dad to clean up for the night! I've survived High School with Teenagers so I guess I'll survive the College years as well? Oh, the joys of a family run business!

Oh, and for you die hard Chicago Hot Dog Fan's SkagenHus does serve the traditional Chicago Dog with all the authentic fixens from Vienna Beef. So far we've converted a few folks to the Danish Delight but many people in the lake Geneva area are happy to finally find the real deal...A Vienna Beef Dog, dressed Chicago style (drag one through the garden please), in a steamed Rosen's Poppy Seed Bun. It's been our experience that many a fine Chicago treat has been somehow botched by well meaning cheese heads with no true Chicago experience. Here at SkagenHus the only Dog makers allowed are those whose first Chicago Dogs were devoured in Chicago or the northern suburbs!

They've Stopped Making Geneva Lake Access Property

"They've Stopped Making Geneva Lake Access Property"

Kind of an odd headline, I know. Then again Lake Geneva Wisconsin and our little Village of Williams Bay is all about lake access and weekend/summer homes. I recently found a blog written by one of our long time area residents who was also a teacher in the Williams Bay School system for our oldest son. If concise area home information is what you need, here's the spot to find it http://www.genevalakefrontrealty.com/blog/

Area visitors are quick to ask us locals about the best of anything in the area. This is our tip when it comes to real estate matters. We believe with a little reading you'll see why we think David is tuned into the area market in a way that benefits both buyers and sellers. Happy weekend and summer home hunting!

Spring May Have Sprung Today?

Mother Nature has certainly given us a good hard look at what winter in the Midwest can be like. This year has been one of those old fashioned snow, cold and ice spectacles I remember from my childhood. My morning trip to Bells Store was complete with local information that the ice on Lake Geneva is 18 inches thick and some of the smoothest and fissure free in some time. Geneva Bay is full of the normal ice fishing enthusiasts, Fontana is decked out in ice boats (minus a good wind unfortunately) for the annual regatta and Williams Bay has it's usual mix of Snowmobiles, Ice Fishing Shacks and weekend folks walking their best friends across the ice.

What struck me in the Studio today was the mix of people passing by and the hopefulness in their voices that winter was about over. Outside were joggers, dog walkers and the occasional snowmobile heading for gas. It was a bright sunny day and people were finally venturing out of their homes. Lightweight coats seemed to be the order of the day as well.

As I headed home early this afternoon I stopped by for a chat with my neighbor John who was busy outside, chipping away as much ice as possible from his front walk. The conversation was a back and forth about the possibility of Spring at hand. He had stayed the winter without his normal Florida trip due to the recent birth of his grandchild. He had no complaints about staying and even offered he had grilled ribs last night outside while listening to the rumble of snowmobiles maneuvering the trails of Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy. His son in law was reported to be waist deep in lake trout caught in the narrows a few nights ago; one even 10 pounds plus. But in the end we were both in agreement that the snow storm reported to be on it's way was hopefully more about news and less about reality. My optimistic belief is today we saw the first of Spring with many more sunny days to come.

Royal Copenhagen Collectable Easter Eggs In Stock

Flora Easter Eggs Gift Sets (www.skagenhus.com)

This series of Royal Copenhagen Easter Eggs speaks the language of flowers. The small eggs are made of the brightest white porcelain and are decorated with white pansies, yellow crocus, blue anemones and pale mauve violets. The shades have been carefully coordinated to complement and work with each other.

The flower design itself is inspired by Royal Copenhagen’s first Flora Danica service from 1790, a costly gift from the Danish Royal Family to Catherine the Great of Russia. The service was decorated using illustrations from the great botanical work Flora Danica, which catalogues the Danish kingdom’s flora in detail.

Royal Copenhagen’s creative team has spent countless hours admiring the original illustrations and carefully selecting the most beautiful spring flowers to be printed on the eggs for Easter.

GIFT BOXED WITH NESTING MATERIALS. FREE GIFT WRAP AND CARD!

Always Free USPS Priority Shipping Within The USA.

Why Buy From Us? We’re a licensed retailer able to handle all aspects of the transaction and we always sell all Royal Copenhagen products at 20% below MSRP to our private clients! Shop Safe.

Found some beautiful Winter pictures from Norway!

http://fieran.blogspot.com/

For some beautiful photography, check the above blog out. Not your normal tourist pictures by any means. You get a real sense of Norway in Winter plus some other great shots.

Danish Meatballs - Frikadeller

Danish Meatballs Known As Frikadeller

Try this great tasting alternative the next time you think about cooking something new.

Serves 4 to 6

1 1/2 pounds ground pork
shoulder or similar cut
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dehydrated onions
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2 eggs
1 cup milk
Butter or margarine
Vegetable oil


If you purchase pork already ground at the market, be sure that it is not seasoned pork sausage. Danish Meatballs can be frozen and reheated in the oven or microwave.

1 - Combine the ground pork with the flour in a bowl and mix well. Add the dehydrated onion, granulated garlic, salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs and then the milk. Spoon the mixture into a deep plate and chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours for easier shaping.

2 - Add enough equal parts butter and oil to a skillet to measure 1/4 inch in depth. Heat over medium heat. Hold the dish with the meatball mixture in the left hand and spoon the pork mixture carefully into the pan with a soup spoon, shaping it into balls with the spoon. Cook the meatballs until brown on both sides, turning once.

3 - Remove the meatballs to a plate. Serve warm with Red Cabbage and Caramel Potatoes or serve a as a light lunch with Potato Salad.

Find all these and more recipes in Cooking Danish! Cookbook

Small recipe alterations as suggested by Ditte to make them extra tasty. We've made them this way for 50 plus years and even the youngest eater will love them.

Reduce Flour to 1 Tblsp
Replace Milk with Chicken Stock
Replace Dehydrated Onions with 1 medium/large onion Grated

For the Danish Carmel Potatoes simply purchase a can or two of small new potatoes. Rinse the potatoes and dry. Cook a combination of butter and brown sugar slowly in a fry pan over medium to medium low heat. There should be at least a 1/8 inch thick mixture of sugar and butter coating the bottom of the fry pan. When the sugar has melted into the butter just add the potatoes and cook until the potatoes have a nice brown sugar skin on them. Turning the potatoes infrequently will help in the browning process. Enjoy!

New Years Resolutions

Take some action and do things differently this year. Connect with new friends and re-connect with old ones.

For most of us there's no denying that time and the dreaded "To Do List" are way out of balance; more things to do and the same amount of time within which to do them. My friends and I often vent with each other over a concept we call "Living Lighter." Loosely defined it means trying to re-balance our lifestyles to make more time for the things we want to do while still giving us the time to complete the things we need to do.

The things we want to do is as varied as our imaginations allow. The things we need to do is much more uniform; work responsibilities, home responsibilities, commuting, civic & school involvement, etc.

What seems to inevitably get shorted is time just connecting with others, or at least it's that way in my life. Family dinners have gone the way of the 8 track tape as have weekends off and short adventure drives. I could go on here but for the sake of brevity I'll let you add your own version of the things that happen less in your life these days due primarily to the overload of the things that need to be done.

My resolution this year is to try and re-connect, re-establish and create new opportunities for time with others. I don't expect that the things I want and the things I need to do will ever balance perfectly (unless of course I win the lottery) but somewhere in that equation is a little more peace, tolerance, acceptance and sense of spirituality. Finding that point is my resolution for 2008. Whatever your resolutions are, I hope you find your way to fulfilling them.