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	Barnebirkie-2006 by Gene Kaczmarek


	Imagine the energy of 1,300 kids, ages three to 13, standing on skis awaiting the sound of the starting gun for the Sons of Norway/Swiss® Miss Barnebirkie cross-country ski race for kids. The excitement - and noise - is exhilarating as each participant anticipates his or her 1-, 2.5- or 5-kilometer event. Each year, Swiss Miss® provides the hot chocolate and Sons of Norway lodges in District 5 provide the cookies and the volunteers for the Barnebirkie children's ski race in Hayward, Wisconsin. Every participant takes home an Olympic-style victory medal, ski bib, and commemorative Barnie sticker for notebooks, lunch bags/boxes...or foreheads. The mementoes will help keep race day memories alive for years to come. Thank you to members of Skjold lodge who provided homemade cookies for this event. Jostein Bakken and Gene and Tordis Kaczmarek collected and took the cookies to Hayward and volunteered at the event. Details are available on the Internet at www.birkie.com.


	When cooled, enjoy with butter and sugar! * Norway was invaded by the German army in April 1940. As basics became more difficult to obtain, creative cooking was necessary. There are plenty of war stories, some comedic, some sad, some adventurous. Perhaps you have a relative that can share stories with you!


	Potetkaker: A thicker potato lefse by Barbra Kronborg-Mogil The day after Thanksgiving has become potetkaker day at our house. Mormor and her granddaughters shape the "cakes" for me to bake on the lefse griddle. Made from potatoes and flour, these "Norwegian tortillas" are a special treat! While shaping the potetkaker, Mormor tells of her regular chore during the WWII years* when she baked over 100 potetkaker every 2 weeks on a wood burning stove. Sugar and butter were not easily obtained during those years so instead, she remembers using a fruit spread on the potetkaker. You can enjoy making potetkaker too. Have an adult help and share a story or two! Here's the recipe: just cook 5-10 lbs potatoes. After cooking, dry and leave them to cool before peeling them. Then "rice" or mash the potatoes to eliminate as many lumps as possible. Add flour to make dough that's not too sticky. The trick is to not add too much flour as you'll need to use flour when shaping the cakes also. Pat each out to a thickness of approximately ¼" or less and a diameter of approximately 6" - 7" for easy handling. Bake the potetkaker on a lefse griddle or a cast-iron pan on the stove, flipping when "bubbles" form.