Friday, July 8, 2011

REACHING OUT TO OUR FRIENDS IN THE BLOGOSPHERE ...

Happy Friday and Weekend everyone!

Well it's another glorious sunny day today in Chicago. I can't begin to tell you all how much fun I am having this summer. After a frigid winter and spring, Chicago is alight with sunshine, warm breezes, and sapphire blue skies. The Lakefront is a buzz with so much activity with cyclists, rollerbladers, volleyball players, joggers, and walkers. I do love the summer here. Ah, if it could only be like this all year! Or at least more than two to three months.

Chicago also has may visitors during the summer. It's a great place to vacation with SO many museums, parks, concerts, and fine restaurants. An today one of my favorite bloggers/friends Abby Minard of Above Water is visiting this weekend! YAY!

She and her family arrive this afternoon. Since Abby has a Polish lineage we plan to meet for coffee and dessert at Delightful Pasties... a wonderful Polish cafe located in the Old Town section of Chicago. Luckily it's close by to where I live. Her mother heard about this cafe because they are known for their Perogies. I just happen to come across this recipe on All Recipes dot com if any of you would like to try them.... Now these are NOT part of my healthy new way of eating, but I have had them in the past and they are AWESOME... but I didn't tell you.LOL.

Will I break my diet tonight? Only time will tell. As of now I just plan to have a coffee and have a wonderful visit with a blogger/friend. This is the first time we're meeting, so it should be a blast.

Isn't our community just the best?! I wish I could meet all of you some day and hopefully In Time ... we will.

Have a great weekend everyone and let me know your plans!





Grandma's Polish Perogies

By: STEPH577 
"My grandfather is Polish, and his mother taught my grandmother how to make these delicious perogies. The recipe has been in the family for generations, with a few alterations of course! Serve plain, or with butter, sour cream, bacon, etc. Perfecting the perogie technique takes time, and after a while, you will develop your own system."
Prep Time:
2 Hrs
Ready In:
2 Hrs

Servings  (Help)

Calculate

Original Recipe Yield 60 perogies

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  •  
  • 8 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons processed cheese sauce
  • onion salt to taste (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, sour cream, eggs, egg yolk and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour until well blended. Cover the bowl with a towel, and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. Place potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, and mash with shredded cheese and cheese sauce while still hot. Season with onion salt, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
  3. Separate the perogie dough into two balls. Roll out one piece at a time on a lightly floured surface until it is thin enough to work with, but not too thin so that it tears. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter, perogie cutter, or a glass. Brush a little water around the edges of the circles, and spoon some filling into the center. Fold the circles over into half-circles, and press to seal the edges. Place perogies on a cookie sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to freezer storage bags or containers.
  4. To cook perogies: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop perogies in one at a time. They are done when they float to the top. Do not boil too long, or they will be soggy! Remove with a slotted spoon.

Footnotes

  • Tips
  • For best results, choose potatoes that have as little water in them as possible such as Russets.
  • Choose a rolling pin that is very heavy - it will be easier to roll out the dough.
  • The perogies are less likely to burst during cooking if they are frozen when you put them in the boiling water.


24 comments:

Jessica Bell said...

Have a great time meeting Abby! :o)

Unknown said...

Chicago has to be one of the best summer cities in the world. Hope y'all have a good time!

EJ

Anonymous said...

My friend just visited Chicago - I'm totally jealous. ;) Have fun with Abby, I'm sure you two will have a blast!

Anonymous said...

Perogies?! You are killing me. I had lots of Polish friends in Chicago who had mothers who were wonderful cooks. And you are absolutely right: There is no summer like summer in Chicago (when it's nice). :-) Have a great weekend!

Laurel Garver said...

Have a great visit with Abby!

I live in a largely Polish neighborhood here in Philly, and one of the neighborhood shops specializes in handmade Perogies. Yummy!

Heather said...

Have fun chatting with Abby! I'm so glad the good weather is finally here too. Winter was long this year, or at least it felt like it!

Roland D. Yeomans said...

Have a great meet & greet with Abby. For me, the weekend may entail the fun of moving. Ugggh! Roland

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

You and Abby have a blast and give her a hug for me.

erica and christy said...

So jealous you are meeting Abby! HAVE A BLAST! And go ahead and break your diet!!! (Such a bad influence, I know.) I forgot to tell you my cousin just got a job in Chicago and is moving to the Lincoln Park area! Christy

Unknown said...

Sounds wonderful Michael, wish I could come visit you now and try out some of those polish treats as well. I would have no trouble tempting you with some sweets at all! Seriously, its Friday, you can indulge a little. I am going to stay home this week-end and play electrician to pass the time and stop me from biting my finger nails. Tonight is the big Minnesota night :)

Hart Johnson said...

Have a fabulous time with Abby! Oh, I love cities in the summer for young adults. (As a parent I like my suburbia with no reality, but as a young adult... definitely cities) Sounds fabulous!

Anonymous said...

Oh wow! You and Abby will have a great time chatting about blogging and writing and polish food.

We want to see the pics.

Happy weekend :O)

Summer Ross said...

I might get to meet a blogger buddy and author when i go to Denver in a couple weeks. Have a great time and thanks for the recipe.

Wendy Tyler Ryan said...

I, too, have polish in my family, but it was my grandmother on my mother's side (German) who made her own perogies. While she did do potato and sometimes cottage cheese, my favorites were her fruit ones - to - die - for!

Have a great week-end.

N. R. Williams said...

That sounds like a lot of fun. Summer is coming to Denver on July 22 with her family. We plan to meet and I am so excited. I have a fairy picture I did for her.
Cheers,
Nancy

Abby Minard said...

I had a blast and MIchael is such a wonderful host! It was too short but we were able to chat a ton! He even walked us back to the street we needed to get on the train. So glad we got to meet! Pictures to come! (oh and we didn't get to meet at the Polish place- it closed at 6 and we wouldn't have made it in time :( I told Michael if we get to go tomorrow we'll take a picture of me shoveling perogies in my mouth and send it to him ;p)

Susan Oloier said...

I hope you had a great visit!

Rachael Harrie said...

That's so awesome you guys are meeting/have met up! I'm a little envious, being so far away with not much chance of meeting the wonderful people I've connected with around the blogosphere :(

Hugs,

Rach

Elana Johnson said...

I have made perogies, and they are fantastic! I hope you had a fun time with Abby!

Lisa Potts said...

Thanks for the recipe, Michael! Yum. I hope you had a wonderful time with Abby. Looking forward to the pictures.

Talei said...

Oh, Chicago sounds fab. I hear a lot about the lakefront! Le sigh.

And, enjoy your time with Abby! I always love meeting up with fellow bloggers and writers where possible! ;-)

Rose Transpose said...

Chicago sounds interesting, and so does this recipe! Thanks for sharing.
- Cholisose

Brenda Drake said...

Hope you had a great time meeting Abby. I got to meet one of my fellow blog contributors on DNA Writers, Kari Olson, while I was in Dallas. It was so hot (107) and muggy. It was awesome! :D

Michelle Fayard said...

I'm originally from Chicago, and your post brought back many fond memories, Michael. That is wonderful that you and Abby were able to meet.

Ah, but the pastries! Our favorite bakery was Dinkel's near the corner of Lincoln and Belmont. Even after we moved from the Windy City, whenever Grandma came to visit for the holidays, she'd bring some of their pecan coffee cake. So heavenly!

I've left a response to your comment on Bird's-eye View, http://michellefayard.blogspot.com. I'm delighted to have you as a new follower and am following your site too.

Michelle