Grandma Marie's Pierogies

Grandma Marie and Me 1986

One of the many reasons why I blog....After watching all of my mother's and father's memories slowly disapear, I knew I wanted to try and perserve as many memories that I could (both big and small) through the world of blogging. We can take our memories for granted, yet none of us know just how long they will remain deep within us.  And who know's maybe one day my great great grandchildren will sit back and read a bit of what I've left behind or better yet cook up one of our favorite receipes for their children.  How I would love to have words written by my mother, father or grandparents.  When I found this perogie receipe card in my grandmother's own writing it was a true treasure.  So today I've decided to make one of Charlie's favorite's, again.                                                                                


First of all what is Pierogie's?
•A Polish specialty consisting of half-moon-shaped noodle dumplings filled with a mixture, often of pork, onions, cottage cheese, and seasonings. Served as a first course or side dish. Eveyone has their own favorite mixture they like them stuffed with. Ours is the cottage cheese mixture. The store bought perogie's can't even begin to compare. However they are time consuming but a true labor of love.

Lets Begin with the ingredents:  Makes 2 dozen
2 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
1tsp salt
1c. water
1 stick of butter

cheese filling: mix together
1 16oz large curd cottage cheese, drained- dry curd if possible put it's hard to find
1 egg yolk/ save egg white for later use
tsp sugar
nugmet 1/4 tsp (opptional)

To make the dough, mix dry ingredients well, add beaten eggs and water. Once dough separates from sides of the bowl, remove and make two balls, lay on flour cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
Roll dough out to approx.  1/8 thickness.  I have a awesome gadget that cuts out the circle of dough then after I've put my t. cheese mixture add egg whites to eggs to allow good seal(this is important so they don't open up while boiling) then the same circle cutter also pinches them shut.  My grandmother use to do all the pinchin closed by hand. They would take hours to make, but when ever she came to visit she made sure we make one BIG batch.  She got such a kick out of how many Charlie could put away!
After all have been filled, you carefully add about 12 at a time to large pot of boiling water. They cook quick, about 4-6 minutes, once they begin to float they are ready to drain.
I melt some butter in a casarole dish to lay them in, while I brown my butter. This is something you must do slowly, if not the butter will burn. The butter will begin to foam up right as it's getting ready to brown, watch closely, light golden brown, then set aside to pour over the Pierogies. They will melt in your mouth.  Step by step pictures to follow.

" Hey Ma what's for dinner?" Cabbage Rolls 101

Someone once told me they thought that a good name for a small diner would be Hey Ma What's for dinner?". So thought I would use it for my blog title.  Today's receipe is one taught to me by my grandmother. One of Charlie's favs.  About as easy as they come to make, and even better left overs.
Took step by step pictures to show just how easy they are to make.
Ingredients are 2lbs ground beef. 2lbs ground pork, 1 1/2 cups long grain rice, large can diced tomatoes, chopped onion, 3 large heads of cabbage. the bigger the better.  Beef broth. Jar of sauerkraut, opptional.  I make one pot with the diced tomatoes beef broth base and the second batch is the sauerkraut on the bottom of pot, beef broth.  both are good, just depends on your preference to the soup base. If you want to make a small batch, the meat is equal parts, so you would do 1lb beef 1lb pork, probably reduce rice to 3/4 cup. .. top it off with some fresh baked bread and you have a meal for a couple of days.

boil large pot of water to blanche the cabbage, this allows them to

pull off nice and easy. Only needs to be in the boiling water about 5 minutes, you will

see the cabbage opening up.

Mix, ground beef, pork, rice, salt and pepper.

portion the meat into balls a little bit larger than golf balls. they can be bigger if you have nice big cabbage leafs to roll.

                                                           Roll up like you would a burritto.

                                                 makes about 2 1/2 dozen

 Add to pot, opps. In the pot is onion, large can of stewed tomatoes, and beef broth, just enough liquid to cover rolls cover with lid, and simmer on low for about 45 minutes. You can taste one if rice is done, your good to go.

Yum! Yum!

thanks grandma for teaching me how to cook!

and This is why i LOVE to COOK!

Happy Birthday Zella.......again

What a beautiful day to celebrate Zella's birthday at the park with family and friends.  Jill's decorations were awesome, and love that I have a dil who loves to create as I do. Her Happy Birthday Banner was so adorable, gonna have to make one myself for my blackboard, seems like we are always celebrating someone's birthday. That's one of the joy's of having a big family. Fun day, Zella is growing up so fast

I decided to make my cake pops from Bakerella. They are so easy and a big hit. Thanks to a friend who introduced me to Bakerella's blog. The possibilites are endless. Course you also learn as you go along, I must admit I've dropped a few pops off their sticks into the hot melting chocolate, only to have my grandaughter shoot out "grandma I'll eat that one!". I was lucky to get the new Bakerella book for Christmas. filled will so many ideas, most of which i know i'll never make, way to much detail. but I take after my father and his love and obsession for books, espcially the ones with great pictures.  If you have time, take a moment to read Angie Dudley's story, inspiring for sure. Hey when Martha Stewart has you on her show you know you've created something special. For me the payoff is just putting a smile on someone's face after they've eaten one of my little goodies, but if Martha ever calls hey......I'm there.

Happy Birthday Zella

           How fast our youngest grandaughter Zella is growing up. Today 1/1/11 she turns six!  What
a beautiful, smart girl she is.  We love her to pieces.