The Oldest House

The Hardanger Folkemuseum‘s traditional exhibits are amazing, but there is more to see at this museum in Utne, Norway! Up the hill from the museum proper is an open-air division. Two of the buildings there were original to the grounds, but most have been moved from other locations in the Hardanger area, and restored. It’s a gorgeous setting.

Eldhuset, a Cook House.

The buildings have been arranged to suggest a cluster farm, which was common in the 1800s. Several families often shared a courtyard or common area while farming their own holdings beyond.

When I was planning Fiddling With Fate, the 10th Chloe Ellefson Mystery, I chose to feature the Hardanger Folkemuseum in part because of the open-air division. My favorite building is Tveismestova (Tveisme House), which inspired the fictional Høygård used in the novel.

Warning: Mild plot spoilers ahead!

Tveismestova is the oldest building in the museum’s collection. Scholars believe the home was constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries.

Taken from inside the entryway, this shows the front door on left and the doorway to the main room on the right.

This single space was used for everything. Note the raised hearth in the center and the kroting on the back wall. The wooden shutters in the back wall covered the hatch.

As tour guide Klara explained in the book, In the old days, people believed that a dead person’s soul would try to return to the house where it had lived, using the entrance where it last emerged.  So bodies were removed through the hatch, which was kept closed at all other times.  That way the soul wouldn’t return through the door.

A closer look at the raised fireplace, with iron kettle hanging above.

Looking up at the smoke hole. It could be covered with a greased animal bladder.

The house has only one window, which replaced the original hatch. In one of the final chapters in Fiddling With Fate, Chloe approaches the house from this side, and peeks in the only window.

Tveismestova had a turf roof, constructed on top of a layer of birchbark…

…but some the buildings in the open-air division had slate roofs. This is the type of slate tile Chloe picks up in the book.

The real Tveisme Farm was struck by more than one tragedy. An avalanche struck the farm in 1781, killing the farmwife. The house, barn, and sheep barns survived, but the farm was moved to a safer location nearby–all except the old original house. When the farm burned down five years later, only the cabin remained.

Once moved to the Hardanger Folkemuseum in 1931, it had many stories to tell.

A Fiddling With Fate Celebration!

The 10^th Chloe Ellefson Mystery, Fiddling With Fate, officially launches on September 8th! That’s quite a milestone.

And the story includes a major milestone for main characters Chloe and Roelke, too.

Chloe was born and raised in the charming town of Stoughton, Wisconsin—where Fiddling With Fate begins and ends. Chloe’s backstory, everything that makes her unique, is rooted there. So what could be better than letting Chloe readers explore her heritage with people who are actively working to preserve Stoughton’s history and Norwegian cultural traditions?

To that end, I’ve partnered with the Sons of Norway-Mandt Lodge, with help from the Stoughton Historical Society, to plan a unique event.

The celebration will begin at 3:00 PM, Saturday, October 26th. Attendees will visit the Society’s museum to hear about Stoughton’s history, Norwegian settlement, and its role in reviving the folk art of rosemaling (rose painting).

The Stoughton Historical Society Museum.

At the Mandt Lodge there will be folk art demonstrations and a live performance of Hardanger fiddle music. Afterwards we’ll enjoy a traditional cod dinner and Norwegian dessert.

The Sons of Norway Lodge in Stoughton.

I’ll provide a richly illustrated program about the people, artifacts, and historic sites featured in Fiddling With Fate.

(Photo by Solveig Lund)

Event Time & Date:  Saturday, October 26, 2019, 3 PM – 7:30 PM.

Price:  $20.00 per person. Registration is limited, and pre-registration is required. Click HERE to access a registration form.

I’m enormously grateful to my friends in Stoughton who are making this event possible. I hope you can join us!

And to see all of the events scheduled for September and October, please visit my Calendar page.

Hardanger Fiddles

The 10th Chloe Ellefson Mystery sends Chloe and her fiancé, Roelke McKenna, to Norway. Given the book’s title, it’s probably obvious that the plot involves Hardanger Fiddles.

Historians believe that violins arrived in Norway by the 1600s, probably from Germany and Italy. The first known Hardanger fiddle (the Jaastad fiddle) dates to 1651. The Hardanger region in SW Norway became famous for its fiddle makers—and fiddlers!

When Chloe arrives in Norway, the director of the Hardanger Folk Museum introduces her to the instrument:

“How much do you know about Hardanger fiddles?
“Not a lot,” Chloe allowed humbly.
“This region is, of course, the birthplace of the hardingfele—the Hardanger fiddle. They have understrings that resonate when the top four are played. That gives the instruments a unique sound.”
“Haunting, I’d call it,” Chloe offered.

Fiddler at the Norsk Folk Museum, Oslo

Later, a fiddler explains why the instrument was so important in rural Norway:

“Hardingfele tunes once measured everyday life. Music was deeply rooted in rituals and traditions. There were specific tunes for every aspect of a Hardanger wedding. There were tunes for planting, for harvesting, for celebrating a good yield.”

As beloved as the instruments were, there was a time when Hardanger fiddles were considered, by some, to be “the devil’s instrument.” They were associated with parties, heavy drinking, and casual sex.

(Adolph Tideman)

One particular tune, Fanitullen, was supposedly taught to a fiddler by the devil himself.

(Adolph Tideman)

Some zealots went so far as to destroy any fiddles they could find.

Such violence must have been wrenching to the fiddlers and fiddle makers, especially because Hardanger fiddles are gorgeous, decorated with intricate inked designs and mother-of-pearl inlay.

(Hardanger Folk Museum)

Many also feature an elaborately carved figure at the scroll on top of the instrument.

(Met Museum/Wikimedia)

Some fiddlers and makers emigrated, bringing their skills to the new world. The Helland brothers, who arrived in Wisconsin in 1901, became famous for their fiddles and violins.

Knut and Gunnar outside their fiddle workshop in Chippewa Falls. Picture taken before 1920. (Wikipedia)

And happily, the traditions continue today. I had the chance to learn more about Hardanger fiddle construction when Madison, WI resident Karen Rebholz made a presentation at Livsreise in Stoughton.

Karen Rebholz and several exquisite fiddles she made.

Fiddle by Karen Rebholz.

Fykerud’n Spelemannslag, which performed at Syttende May in Stoughton, WI, 2019.

I’m not a fiddle player, but I loved exploring the music and traditions while writing Fiddling With Fate!

To learn more, visit the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America. You can also find lots of performances on YouTube.

Fiddling With Fate Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to  Megan Barry, Merry Chapman, Carol Pasbrig, Sue Wendt, Christine Witherill, and Moscato Zingler! Each won a signed Advance Review Copy of the 10th Chloe Ellefson Mystery, Fiddling With Fate.

Thanks to all who entered! Winners were chosen at random from all entries here and on my Facebook Author Page.

The official release date for Fiddling With Fate is September 8th. Happy reading!

Our Lady Of Good Help

Adele Brise was born in Belgium in 1831, and immigrated to Wisconsin with her family in 1855. The Brise family settled about 16 miles northeast of the city of Green Bay in Robinsonville, now Champion, Wisconsin.

Little is known of Adele’s early years, but she was remembered as a devout young woman.

(Photo on display at Our Lady of Good Help)

In October, 1859, apparitions of the Virgin Mary occurred to Adele as she was walking through the woods. Mary instructed Adele to teach local children in the faith. Adele devoted the rest of her life to that charge.

Adele Brise with students. (CatholicLane.com)

Many church leaders doubted the veracity of Adele’s story. Her friends and neighbors believed, however, and Adele’s father built a chapel nearby. In time it was replaced with a larger chapel, and facilities for students.

In 1871, during the Great Fire, some area residents fled to the grounds. They processed around the chapel carrying the statue of Mary. Conditions almost overwhelmed them, but Adele instructed them to pray. When the firestorm finally passed, everything around the chapel grounds had been destroyed. The outside of the fence was charred, but the grounds were undisturbed. 

Adele Brise was not a nun, but she adopted attire similar to a nun’s habit. (Photo on display at Our Lady of Good Help)

Adele’s vision was not accepted by the church before she died in 1896. Finally, over century later in 2010, the apparitions were formally approved. Today, The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help is the only Marian shrine in the United States on the site of an approved apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

I read about Adele while doing early research for The Lacemaker’s Secret, the 9th Chloe Ellefson mystery, which focuses on Belgian immigration to Northeast Wisconsin. I wanted to include Adele’s story. As a non-Catholic, I also wanted to be respectful.

Before making any final decisions, I visited the site itself.

It includes a small museum that tells Adele’s story.

The apparition appeared between a maple tree and a hemlock tree. These are pieces of the roots of those trees.

The site includes a contemporary church, home to an active congregation. The sanctuary is beautiful.

Around a corner and down some stairs is the Apparition Oratory.

These crutches near the entrance are testament to reports of visitors being healed of illness or affliction after a visit.

To me, even more powerful was the absolute, reverential beauty of the small chapel.

 

I knew that if Chloe visited the chapel, she couldn’t help but be moved as well. I decided to have her visit at an emotionally low point, so she could find solace.

The grounds are also peaceful and inviting.

This is Adele’s grave.

The building below is a roadside chapel that was moved to the site and restored in 2003.

Visitors are welcome to visit any day of the year, from 7 AM to 7 PM.

* * * 

To learn more about The Lacemaker’s Secret, or my other books, I invite you to visit my website.

Click here for a more detailed account of Adele’s story.

The Lacemaker’s Secret Giveaway!

I’m celebrating last fall’s successful launch of the ninth Chloe Ellefson Mystery with a Giveaway! Nine winners will receive a signed and personalized trade paperback copy of The Lacemaker’s Secret.

To enter the Giveaway, leave a comment here before 11:59 PM (Central US Time) on Wednesday, January 30, 2019. One entry per person, please.

Nine winners will be chosen at random from all entries here and on my Facebook Author Page. Winners will be announced here on Thursday, January 31. Good luck!

Libby’s Legendary Banana Bread Pudding

Sometimes you just need some comfort food—something steaming and fragrant and utterly delicious.

The 9th Chloe Ellefson Mystery, The Lacemaker’s Secret, begins at just such a moment.

   “Something is burdening you,” Libby told Roelke McKenna. “Spill it. Now.”

   “Nothing’s wrong.”

     Libby’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe you.”

   Roelke turned to the kitchen counter where an old-fashioned percolator burbled with promise. Trust his cousin to just know. He’d had another rough night, but he didn’t want to talk about it.

   . . . Libby turned and cracked the oven door. A rich wave of banana, vanilla, and cinnamon swirled into the room.

   “Please tell me that’s Libby’s Legendary Banana Bread Pudding.” Roelke’s favorite Sunday-morning treat at his cousin’s house.

I came up with this recipe for Banana Bread Pudding on a frigid Wisconsin morning. It pairs beautifully with the delectable maple sauce, so don’t skip that step! 

Pudding Ingredients
3-4 ripe bananas
4 c. 1-inch bread cubes (French, Italian, or any other sturdy type)  
3 large eggs
2 cups milk (soy or dairy)
2 t. vanilla extract
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. ground cardamom (optional)
1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Note: Because the sauce is sweet, I used no sugar in the bread pudding itself. If you prefer a sweeter version, add 1/4 c. or 1/2 c.

 Maple Sauce Ingredients
3 T. butter
2 T. sugar (raw or granulated)
1 T. cornstarch
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. maple syrup
1-1/2 t. vanilla extract

Instructions
Grease a 2-quart casserole. Pre-heat oven to 375.  

Place the bread cubes in a large bowl.

I used half a small loaf of Italian bread. Bread that’s a day or two old will retain its texture better than soft bread.

In another bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Stir in milk, vanilla, and spices. Add sugar, if using.  

Set one banana aside, slice the others into this mix, and stir to coat. Add this mixture, and walnuts if using, to the bread cubes. Gently stir.

Stir the pudding into the casserole dish. Slice the final banana over the top.

Use banana that are ripe but firm if you want to retain their texture. Over-ripe bananas can be mashed and mixed with the bread mixture.

Bake for about 40 minutes. Towards the end of the bake start the maple sauce (directions below).

Remove the casserole when the pudding is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center emerges clean.  

Fresh from the oven.

When the pudding is partly baked, begin the Maple Sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan. Mix the sugar and cornstarch together and stir into the melted butter.

Add the milk and maple syrup, whisking continuously. Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a low boil. Let simmer until thickened, about a minute or so.

The silky-smooth sauce just coming to a simmer.

 Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Serve the pudding warm, topped with the warm maple sauce.

I think Libby and Roelke would enjoy this version of Banana Bread Pudding. I hope you do as well!

Belgian Spice Cookies

The latest Chloe Ellefson Mystery, The Lacemaker’s Secret, celebrates Belgian heritage, so of course my research included foodways. I quickly came across references to Belgian Spice Cookies, also called Speculoos.

These crisp spiced shortbread cookies are also popular in the Netherlands, where they’re called Speculaas. Children in both countries often receive the cookies on St. Nicholas Day in early December.

In North America the cookies are often known as Windmill cookies, because several bakeries produce them in that shape, or Biscoff cookies. (Delta Airlines has been handing out Biscoff cookies since 1986.)

This company sells Speculoos as Biscoff cookies in the US. (Wikipedia)

Since Speculoos date back only to 1932, when a Belgian bakery started producing them, I included them in the mystery’s 1984 timeline. Chloe Ellefson enjoys a taste at a St. Nicholas celebration at Heritage Hill State Historical Park in Green Bay.  

Even though my maternal grandmother (who was famed for cookie-baking) had family roots in the Netherlands, I had never made Speculoos before.

None of the vintage Wisconsin/ethnic cookbooks on my shelf include a speculoos recipe. The Milwaukee Public Library’s wonderful Historic Recipe Collection turned up this recipe for Brussels Spice Cookies.

Milwaukee Journal, December 27, 1962.

A quick online search turned up lots of Speculoos/Speculaas recipes. The cookies themselves are pretty basic, but bakers use a lot of latitude with spices. The simplest use only cinnamon, while others call for various blends of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, coriander, and/or pepper. Some people simplify by using Pumpkin Pie Spice.

(WIkipedia)

Traditionally, bakers used shallow wooden molds to imprint elaborate designs in the cookies. The dough can also be cut into shapes or decorated with a cookie stamps. Most recipes call for rolling the dough to no more than 1/8 inch.

However, Wisconsin’s fabulous New Glarus Bakery sells delicious Speculaas that are thicker and unadorned. 

Speculaas cookies from New Glarus Bakery

Some recipes call for sliced almonds to be sprinkled on top of (or even on the bottom of) the cookies; some mix sliced almonds into the dough, as the New Glarus bakers did. And some substitute almond flour for some of the regular flour.

When I put out a call for favorite recipes readers recommended several sources, including the New York Times, A Spruce Eats.and Cooks Illustrated. (The latter requires membership for web access; a free trial is available.) You can also find good information in the September, 2018 print edition of Cooks Illustrated. Belgian Foodie is another good source.

After some experimentation I came up with my own favorite:

Speculoos
1-1/2 c. all purpose flour (I use white whole wheat)
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. cardamom
1 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. cloves
1/2 c. softened butter
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 c. raw sugar or Turbinado sugar
1 egg

Mix flour, soda, and spices in a bowl and set aside.

I particularly love cardamom, so I only buy whole pods and grind them just prior to baking.

Cream softened butter with the sugars.

I use raw sugar (left), but because the crystals are larger than regular sugar, I buzz them in a spice grinder until fine (right). Belgian bakers used a special dark sugar (sometimes beet sugar) that is not readily available in the US.

When smooth, beat in the egg.  Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until dough is completely blended. Place dough in an airtight container (or wrap in plastic wrap) and store in the refrigerator for at least several hours to allow spices to blend.  Note:  It will be easier to roll the dough if you flatten it into a disc shape before chilling.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease baking sheets.  Roll dough approximately 1/8 inch thick.  Use cutters or stamps as desired to shape the cookies.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until cookies are a light golden brown around the edges.  Remove pans from the oven and allow the cookies to sit for two minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.

For my first batch I used antique cutters passed down from my grandma; for the second, I tried using modern stamps.  

I like soft cookies, so I didn’t worry too much about getting the cookies as thin as 1/8 inch.

With so much variety, you can’t go wrong. Try mixing up a batch for your book discussion group or family. I think they’ll be a hit!

The Belgian Heritage Center

When I first started considering a setting for a Chloe Ellefson mystery about Wisconsin’s Belgian immigrants, I knew it would primarily feature the Belgian Farm restored at Heritage Hill State Park.

Then I discovered that a Belgian Heritage Center existed in southern Door County.  I made arrangements to meet with a Board member and learned about the excellent work being done at the Center. That visit changed the trajectory of the story, because I knew Chloe would enjoy a visit too!

The building which now houses the Center, the former St. Mary of the Snows Catholic Church in Namur, WI, came very close to demolition.

When a group of local residents (many of Belgian descent) learned that the church was slated to be razed, they organized around the idea of acquiring the building and creating a space that would celebrate Belgian heritage. They managed to purchase the church from the Catholic Diocese in 2010.

Today, the Belgian Heritage Center is a shining example of what a few dedicated volunteers can accomplish.  

The Center “tells the story of the Belgian settlement in Wisconsin and works to preserve unique elements of Belgian culture such as foods, beverages, customs, architecture and the Walloon language.”

Visitors will find some formal exhibit areas that tell a broad story.

Other exhibits focus on individual photographs…

…and artifacts.

The panel below is one of my favorites. I’ve read several accounts of women carrying very heavy loads of grain to distant mills in order to provide bread for their children. The Belgian women had a unique way of carrying the sacks of grain, as illustrated. Visitors can now simulate the experience.

The building also has space for programs.

Historian Barb Englebert Chisholm reenacts the history of the Great Fire as experienced by her great-grandmother.

The Center hosts a variety of speakers and special events. Volunteers have produced a growing collection of videotaped interviews with local Belgian-Americans, and are involved with efforts to preserve the Walloon language.

For more information, visit the Belgian Heritage Center website.

And for more information about all the Chloe Ellefson mysteries, visit my website.  Happy reading!

The Belgian Farm

Every Chloe Ellefson Mystery is set at a real historic site or museum. This lets me celebrate special places, and allows readers to visit the scene of the crime.

When I planned the 9th book in the series, The Lacemaker’s Secret, I honed in on the Belgian Farm restored at Heritage Hill State Historical Park in Green Bay, WI.

The house, constructed in 1872, was originally located in Rosiere, Kewaunee County, WI. The farm belonged to John Baptist and Theresa Massart.  (To see photographs of the buildings before they were moved, visit the Belgian-American Research Collection at the UW-Green Bay Archives.)

Members of the Massart Family standing in front of their home. (Photo displayed at Heritage Hill)

The buildings were moved to Heritage Hill in 1984, and restored to show a farm typical for Belgian-American farmers in northeast Wisconsin. The timing was almost perfect; The Lacemaker’s Secret is set in late 1983, so I only needed to make a slight adjustment.

The house was built of logs and covered with a brick veneer—a practice common after the Great Fire of 1871. The low building  to the right is the limestone summer kitchen.

The Massart Farmhouse, restored at Heritage Hill State Historical Park.

When restoring any home, curators choose artifacts that help tell stories about the people who once owned, made, or used them. In the mystery, Chloe accepts a consultant job tasking her to create a furnishings plan for the farm.

The furnished kitchen—what Chloe imagined as she toured the empty farmhouse.

Some of the artifacts currently on display in the farmhouse made their way into my story.

The next lady brought two round crocheted pieces with beads added along the fringe. “Do you know what these are?”

“Doilies?” Chloe hazarded. “Maybe to put under a candlestick or vase?”

“No!” The old woman was clearly tickled to stump the curator. “My mother made these to keep insects out of beer mugs and water glasses.”

“Ah!” Chloe imagined the pieces draped in place, stymieing inquisitive hornets. “Beautiful and practical.”

Glass protectors.

Religious artifacts reflect the strong faith that saw many Belgian immigrants through difficult times.

The skirt and shoes below became Seraphine’s in the book, special attire brought from Belgian and worn to celebrate the first Kermiss.

Seraphine felt festive in her full brown skirt with green and purple stripes near the hem and the Sunday sabots Jean-Paul had carved with flowers for her.

The large log barn at the Belgian Farm, also featured in the book, came from the Lampereur family in Brussels.

Animal stalls were built into each side bay. The center bay of was used as a drive-through when unloading hay. 

 

Inside the center bay.  Note the ladder leading to the loft, and the hay fork hanging from the ceiling.

 

After the Great Fire, a few trees were damaged but standing. Farmers harvested them quickly, before disease could render them unusable for building. One log here shows a large knot left in place, and charred scars.

Incongruously, another structure mentioned in the book is visible from the Belgian Farm:  the Green Bay Correctional Institution. A plotline that involved police business at the prison let me bring cop Roelke McKenna to Green Bay for the final chapters.

One scene in The Lacemaker’s Secret is set at another historic building at Heritage Hill, the Cotton House, which dates to the 1840s.

Mr. Ernst and I had a great time exploring Heritage Hill. I hope you can plan a visit too!