What’s a Fri-Jo?

That, my friends, is a very good, very bad-for-you treat that was first produced by Dottie Chase right here in Eugene 53 years ago.  Dottie and her Fri-Jos are a staple at Lane County events such as the fair and the Scandinavian Festival.  She even took her recipe to the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, where her tasty treat sold for 20 cents!  The price now is $5.75!  Her recipe remains unchanged over the years and is basically just a deep-fried piece of yeast dough covered with cinnamon and sugar and served hot.   Dottie keeps her age a secret but we saw her at the Festival over the weekend – riding a mobility scooter now but still going strong.
I wrote about the Festival and shared some of its history last year, as well as sharing a picture of Russ in his Scandinavian Outfit!  Click on the link if you want more info.

Vikings are always around during the Festival.


My favorite treat is not the Fri-jos but the Swedish Meat Pies.  Ground beef, cheddar cheese, potatoes, onions and celery in a flaky crust…what’s not to like.  Yum!!


One treat I thought Judy might like is a big favorite of the crowds.  These are basically little balls of pancake batter baked on a special round grill and served with jam or powdered sugar.




I couldn’t get close enough for a picture of the process so borrowed this one from the festival site.  This is how ableskievers are made.   They pour the batter in and as it cooks it puffs up.  They have little picks they use to turn the ableskiever until it is nice and round and brown on all sides.

Oh one more thing I found for Judy in a display of refrigerator magnets.

Don’t think I want to try that anytime soon!

We had a great couple of hours wandering the streets, eating fair food, and just doing a little people watching.  And when we left, we walked over the tracks just as a train was getting close.  So we stopped behind the gates and watched the train go by.  Simple pleasures.