3.26.2015

grandma cichoski's polsih pierogies

as easter approaches, i thought this would be a great time to share one of cory's family recipes.  his grandmother was polish, and on each and every easter her house was filled with an abundance of delicious tranditional polish recipes!  cory  has raved over her pierogies since i met him.  i've tried several times to make my own from other recipes, but (understandably) they've never compared to his grandmother's pierogies. 

the last time we were in michigan, cory's mom kindly shared her grandmother's pierogi recipe with me (the same recipe his grandma used).  i decided to whip up a batch recently.... and let me tell you, this is no small task.  you will be in the kitchen for at least a few hours and there are lots of dishes to clean afterwards, but they are totally worth it!  i put my own little spin on these, with the white cheddar and fresh thyme.  while i'm sure that no matter how hard i try, mine will always lack the loving touch of his sweet grandma... hopefully these are a close second.



grandma cichoski's polish pierogies:
yield: about 4 dozen pierogies

ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 cups sour cream
2 large potatoes
1 cup extra sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
a pinch of fresh thyme
1 small yellow onion
*optional glass of red wine for the chef

instructions:

peel potatoes and cut into 1-2 inch cubes.  boil until tender, then drain and allow to cool.  while potatoes are boiling, mix together flour, eggs and sour cream.  form into a large ball.  take sections of dough and roll onto a floured surface to approximately 1/8 inch thickness.  cut dough into circles (i used a glass with a 3 1/2 inch thick diameter).  after the potatoes have been drained and cooled, place them in a bowl and mash them with a potato masher, then mix in the cheese and thyme.  brush the rim of the inside of the dough circle with a bit of water (this helps the dough stick together), then fill the dough with a spoonful of the potato filling.  fold the dough over the filling, and pinch the ends.

after this step is completed and you have used all of the dough, you will notice you've made quite a few pierogies (about 48 to be exact).  if you're not up to the task of cooking all of these puppies up at this point, you can freeze whatever amount you are not going to use.  to do this, simply line a baking sheet with parchment paper, lay the pierogies out in a single layer, and pop in the freezer for about 30 minutes.  once the pierogies are frozen, place into a large ziplock bag in the freezer until ready to use.  (some recipes insist on blanching the pierogies before freezing them, but i didn't have any problems with boiling/cooking the frozen raw dough during later uses).

bring a large pot of water to a boil.  boil pierogies for about 5 minutes, or until they float to the top, then allow them to drain in a colander.  slice onions, and sauté in butter over medium heat.  once the onions are softened, add the pierogies until they achieve a golden-brown color.  top with a dollop of sour cream, and enjoy! 









3.13.2015

five on friday 3.13.15

err, happy friday the thirteenth?  coincidentally, my last five on friday post was on a friday the thirteenth... so what better time to re-join the link-up than today?  here goes...



1.  yes, this is a picture of my favorite blogger taza and her son samson... but (for once), i'm not obsessing over her.  for this five on friday, i've decided to sign up for the capture real life in 52 weeks e-course from a beautiful mess.  with a focus on different techniques including freelensing and lens flare, this may just be the perfect tool to make me truly comfortable with my canon.  i may also incorporate whatever technique i've learned for the week into a weekly blog post (two birds, one stone).

2.  upon my journey of becoming a blonde again, my hair has been completely fried due to multiple highlighting and toning processes.  i started my own form of grapeseed oil treatments, and it really bring new life to my hair.  you can read more about the benefits here, but essentially, the steps are really easy and are as follows:
  •  ensure that your husband, boyfriend, significant other, etc., is away from your general vicinity, as this process is not very glamorous
  • douse hair in grapeseed oil (any type will do).  this step is best done over the kitchen sink
  • wrap hair tightly around your head in plastic wrap
  • wrap an old towel tightly around your head to help absorb any dripping oil
  • keep it in your hair for as long as you like, i've found doing this in the early evening and sleeping with the oil in my hair overnight works best
  • rinse your hair with a clarifying shampoo, i like this one
  • comb and dry hair....bam! now you have lush, soft and shiny hair 

3.  ever since i've seen another one of my favorite bloggers in a similar pair, i have been searching far and wide for a pair of red ankle boots for-ev-er!  i finally found these!  i received them yesterday, and they are exactly what i was looking for (bonus: they're super comfortable too).  i think they will be the perfect boot to transition my wardrobe from winter to spring.

4.  i cannot wait for the downtown raleigh st. patrick's day festival tomorrow!  the husband and i have been every year since we met, and always have the best time (from what we can remember, haha).

5.  i love when boredom + netflix = amazing doc discoveries.  earlier this week, i stumbled upon this little gem, "plastic paradise: the great pacific garbage patch".  i highly recommend this if you haven't seen it.  this film is extremely enlightening and eye-opening, yet the realization of what we are doing to our planet is horrifying.  it really will change the way you look at things.  the same night i watched this, i made tacos for dinner... i was shocked at the amount of plastic i threw away just as a result of this one little dinner.

i hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and have a safe and very happy st. patrick's day!

3.08.2015

sold!

we are so excited to announce that we are officially homeowners!  we have yet to move in, so i thought it would be fun to do a little photoshoot in the house while it's still empty.  cory carried me over the threshold, we danced in the living room, and we finally popped that bottle of champagne from our honeymoon that we've been saving for a special occasion!  here's a look (photo cred to our sweet friend, katie):   













we are so happy with our new little home, and can't wait to move in.  now who wants to help with the move?  we will pay you in pizza and beer :)