Pierogies with Ma

Pierogi_Recipe

We went to Omaha for Thanksgiving weekend and had a great time spending the holiday with family and also attending a wedding. Mom wanted us to celebrate Christmas since she would not see us so we decided to call it Festivus. 🙂

While home this time, I really wanted to make pierogies. We used to make them with my Grandma P. and I hadn’t made them in years. I think Mrs. T’s brand was acceptable for my sister… until she made the homemade kind. Here is the recipe we followed, which can be modified to suit your tastes.

Filling ingredients:

  • 5 lbs white potatoes peeled and boiled
  • 12-24 oz cottage cheese (range for preference)
  • Onions lightly sautéed
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Dough ingredients:

  • 6 c flour
  • 1-2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • Warm water (add to dough as necessary)

Instructions:

  1. Boil potatoes. When done, mix with other filling ingredients.
  2. Mix dough ingredients and roll into a log shape.
  3. Cut 2-3 oz pieces of dough and roll into circular shape.
  4. Add 1-2 tablespoons of filling.
  5. Add small amount of warm water around edges and fold over to seal.
  6. Use a fork to seal the half-moon shape.
  7. Boil pierogi until it floats (only a few minutes).
  8. Remove from boiling water and dip into cool water.
  9. Add to pan with butter and fry until lightly brown, (replacing butter about every two uses).

Thanks Mom for making these with us and passing down Grandma’s recipe. For my sister’s first time making these, she did a fantastic job assembling her pierogies into perfectly small half-moon shapes!

I would have taken a photo of the finished product, but I was too busy eating!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, my husband and I had a quiet Thanksgiving dinner at home, just the two of us. This was the first year where I felt totally prepared. We selected all the recipes in advance and went to the grocery store early in the week. I didn’t forget anything so I didn’t have to go back and fight crowds!

While I do have some family recipes that we’ve used in the past, I decided to try some new ones to potentially add to the tradition. Here’s what we had, which is pretty typical of an American Thanksgiving:

 

Jalapeno, Sausage, Jack, and Egg Breakfast Braid

Jalapeno, Sausage, Jack, and Egg Breakfast Braid

Jalapeño, Sausage, Jack, and Egg Breakfast Braid – we had this for breakfast, to give us energy to cook all morning! It was so good and can easily be made with different ingredients. One of these days, I’m going to make it with calzone fillings.

Naked Grape, Pinot Grigio – this too helped provide energy for cooking!

Classic Herbed Bread Dressing – the fresh sage and thyme really make this recipe wonderful! I have a family dressing recipe that I sometimes use, but I like to alternate years with this one.

Green Bean Casserole – this was my first time making this recipe. I really like the use of fresh green beans. And even though I am a cheese head, it really does not need the cheddar on top. Next time, I’ll just add a few more French fried onions to the top for extra crispiness. Either way, it was very good!

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes – I just made this one up along the way. Red and russet potatoes, roasted garlic, butter, dollop of sour cream, milk, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Came out pretty good!

Turkey – I made the mistake of buying a run of the mill bird. My husband wasn’t pleased. But I had made up my mind that when I was done doing the food shopping, I was truly done. I bought turkey bags and twine though so that made up for us not brining the turkey first. I also used a random mix of spices from the cupboard which worked out great. Now time to make turkey chili!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce – I made this last year and will never again buy canned cranberry sauce! 1 cup sugar, pinch of salt, 3/4 cup orange juice – bring to boil in small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium, add 12 oz of cranberries and watch them pop over the next 5-15 minutes. Viola!

Sweet Potato Pie – my brother-in-law always made these each year but this time my husband decided to learn how to make them so that he can master a recipe for years to come. It turned out delicious!

I am thankful for my husband, family, and health, and thank God for it all. I wish you and yours Happy Thanksgiving!