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Polish Housewife

Polish recipes served up with tidbits of folklore, customs, and history

Autumn

Pierniczki Polish Gingerbread Cookies

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Toruń, Poland, home of Nicholas Copernicus, is one of many European cities that claims to have invented gingerbread. One story goes that woman had consumed a little too much mead and made the happy mistake of adding honey and spices to bread she was making.

The city, which is one of the few in Poland not damaged during World War II, even hosts a Gingerbread Museum. When we spent the night in Toruń on a Thanksgiving road trip, the hotel left individually wrapped gingerbread cookies on our pillows.

After seeing the beautiful gingerbread figures available at most festivals in the Stary Rynek (Old Market Square) in Poznan, I wanted to buy some wooden gingerbread molds to bring home with me. They’re not easy to find. I found my first at a gingerbread shop in Gdansk (they only had two and my friend bought the other for her daughter), subsequent wooden molds were purchased at a wonderful souvenir shop in Toruń (I wish I had the address), and finally,

I bought a large reversible mold (man on one side, woman on the other) in an antique store in Amsterdam, so I guess technically this one would be a speculaas mold. I think the large size be striking to use in holiday decorating.

gingerbread houses

I’ve made gingerbread in the past. I used to make three gingerbread houses every Christmas for our daughters to decorate. My American recipe uses molasses. The Polish recipe I used for inspiration, from Moje Wypieki, uses honey and is a little softer than what I’ve worked with in the past.

The finished texture is light and lovely. One change that I will make next time is to reduce the baking soda. I hope with less leavening, the details from the mold will be more distinct after baking.

This is the first time I’ve used the gingerbread molds, which I have seasoned previously with mineral oil. It was fun to try them out. After rolling the dough, I patted and pressed it into the molds, which I lightly dusted with powdered sugar to be sure the gingerbread would release. It worked like a charm.

 

Pierniczki Polish Gingerbread - easy to prepare without a mixer! #gingerbread #christmas #cookies #polish #poland

I trimmed the pattern before baking, using a combination of a pizza cutter, a little pasta cutter, and the corner of my metal spatula. My royal icing piping isn’t precise enough to accent the lines in the molds, so Ed had the good idea of speading icing on the relief and then wiping it off, almost as if I were antiquing furniture. It highlights the pattern better. I may also leave them plain in the future.

Pierniczki Polish Gingerbread Cookies Pierniczki Polish Gingerbread Cookies

In addition to my wooden molds, I tried out two large Christmas cookie cutters and made a bunch of little hearts. I piped a little royal icing on the larger cookies and the molded gingerbread, but I left my little hearts plain, but you could certainly sprinkle them with coarse sugar or sprinkles before baking, or coat with a thin glaze after baking.  Traditional pierniczki should look rustic, not too perect. It would be a great baking project for kids.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Pierniczki Polish Gingerbread Cookies

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 50 little cookies
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A light, crisp, spice cookie

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup honey (spray the measuring cup with oil and the honey will pour out easily)
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/4 cups flour (you might like to try rye flour)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cocoa
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. In a saucepan, heat the honey, butter, and brown sugar over medium heat until the butter melts and sugar dissolves
  3. Remove from heat
  4. Stir in egg
  5. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cocoa, and salt
  6. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, about 1/4 inch thick
  7. Cut into sharpes or press into prepared molds
  8. Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet, about 8 minutes

 

Łazanki z Białą Kapustą (Polish Noodles and Cabbage)

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The first time we were stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, Ed was training in the F-4, and I was a college student. His parents drove down from Pennsylvania to visit us. I’d been a guest in their home before, but it was the first time we’d hosted them, so we broke out of student mode long enough to give out townhouse a thorough cleaning in anticipation of their visit. Like moms everywhere, his mother had brought the fixings to cook for us the first night. One of the things she prepared was Łazanki z Białą Kapustą (Polish Noodles and Cabbage). As we were cleaning up  the kitchen after the feast she’d prepared, my mother-in-law asked how to lift up the top of the stove to clean under the burners. I had to confess that I didn’t know; it was wasn’t something I’d done in the two months we’d bene living there. Busted! To be fair, we didn’t cook a lot back then. An occasional Sunday dinner or omelettes for his classmates after a Friday night at the Officer’s Club were the extent of our meal prep.

Łazanki z Białą Kapustą (Polish Noodles and Cabbage) a comfort food side with kielbasa

Recently, Mike from PA asked if I could reconnect him with a noodle and cabbage dish his grandmother used to make. I hope Łazanki z Białą Kapustą (Polish Noodles and Cabbage) will come close to what he remembers. As with all recipes, there are as many variations as there are cooks. To me, a key trait is that the dish is generously seasoned with ground black pepper. Sometimes, my mother-in-law would add a can of sauerkraut that she’d rinsed and drained. I think it would also be delicious if you added sautéed mushrooms, and everything goes better with kielbasa. You might slice and saute the kielbasa and add it to the noodle and cabbage mixture or serve it on the side. Now that I’ve lived in Poland and gotten a feel for typical seasonings, I like to add a bay leaf an a couple of whole allspice berries.

Łazanki z Białą Kapustą (Polish Noodles and Cabbage) with kielbasa

As we enjoyed this for a quick dinner last dinner, Ed said, “you know, this would be tasty for breakfast too.” Whenever you decide to serve it, I hope you’ll enjoy Łazanki z Białą Kapustą (Polish Noodles and Cabbage).

Smacznego!

Lois

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Łazanki z Białą Kapustą (Polish Noodles and Cabbage)

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 6-8 servings
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

Full of flavor, a Polish comfort food, a delicious side dish or add sausage for a hearty main

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 small onions, sliced
  • 1 head white cabbage, quartered, cored removed, and sliced thin
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 whole allspice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 14 ounce can sauerkraut, rinsed and drained (optional)
  • package wide noodles, prepared according to package directions

Instructions

  1. Add butter and oil to a Dutch oven over medium high heat
  2. Add sliced onions and cabbage, bay leaf and allspice, salt and pepper
  3. Cook, stirring and scrapping the bottom frequently, until the cabbage is tender (it will cook down to about 1/3 of the original volume)
  4. (Add the optional drained sauerkraut if you’re using it)
  5. Add the cooked (and drained) noodles, toss to combine

Notes

Variations: add sliced kielbasa or serve kielbasa on the side
Add sautéed sliced mushrooms

 

Rogale swietomarcinskie St. Martin’s Croissants

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November 3, 2017–You’ll find my original post below, which includes links to a lot of interesting info about Rogale swietomarcinskie St. Martin’s Croissants and St. Martin’s Day in Poznan. I’ve updated the recipe this year with a quick and easy way to make a smaller croissant and a smaller batch. I actually prefer my new version. The pastry is tender and light and just the right size!
Much like Champagne (it must come from France), the real rogale switomarchinskie can only be made in Poznan and only by certain bakers, and by law it must be at least 250 grams, or half a pound! This year I made a small batch of the filing, scaling it down for the 1.25 ounce jar of poppy seeds that I picked up at my American supermarket.
I’ve also include a quick video to help you through the piping and rolling process. You cut a little notch on the small part of your dough triangle. This serves two purposes, it helps to distribute the filing throughout the pastry, and it keeps the middle from being too thick, insuring more uniform baking.

Smacznego!
Lois
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Rogale swietomarcinskie St. Martin’s Croissants

★★★★ 4 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 12 mins
  • Total Time: 22 mins
  • Yield: 16
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A quick and easy version of a traditional Polish pastry!

Ingredients

  • small jar (1.25 ounces) poppy seeds
  • 3/8 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup chopped almonds
  • 1/4 cup shortbread cookie crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoons butter
  • pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 cans of crescent roll dough

for glaze and topping:

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • milk, enough to make a spreadable consistency, it won’t take much
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped peanuts

Instructions

  1. Process the poppy seeds, walnuts, raisins, almonds, and cookie crumb in food processor until texture is uniform and fine
  2. Transfer to a small saucepan and add cream, powdered sugar, butter, and a pinch of salt
  3. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly
  4. Remove from heat, stir in almond extract
  5. Cool
  6. Open crescent roll dough and seperate into 16 triangles, make a 1 inch cut into the short part of the triangle (the side where you’ll begin rolling up the dough)
  7. Put the cooled filling into a pastry bag of plastic sandwich bag, snip off the tip or corner to give you an opening that’s about 1/2 inch across
  8. Pipe the filling in a Y shape along the dough
  9. Roll up the dough, giving a horseshoe shape to the roll
  10. Bake at 375 for about 12 minutes
  11. Cool
  12. Combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk
  13. Spread with glaze and sprinkle with finely chopped peanuts
Rogale swietomarcinskie (St. Martin's Croissants)

November 9, 2011–I’ve been wanting to make Rogale swietomarcinskie St. Martin’s Croissants, a local specialty for a long time.  It’s traditionally made for November 11th, St. Martin’s Day.  The first year Ed was in Poland, he told me about them.  The second year, he put one in the freezer for me because I was coming for a visit just a week later.  I began reading recipes online back in August.  So you can imagine how thrilled I was to be invited to a  Rogale swietomarcinskie workshop hosted by the head of the bakers’ guild.  That was so much fun, and I picked up some good tips.  And now I know that if I make thousands, this pastry dough will become a simple matter for me, as it was for the professional bakers.  It wasn’t simple today.

The filing was easy to put together.   I can see myself using this in other ways – in thumb print cookies, in kolachi rather than a canned filling.  The dough was such a chore to prepare that it maybe be prepared less frequently.  The professionals have a giant rolling machine that I would love to have.  I think with that roller, I could be unstoppable – making fresh croissants every couple of days.  I would have to be riding my bike every waking moment that I wasn’t in the kitchen.

Source:  This recipe is adapted from  Regionalna Kuchnia Polska, a cookbook I picked up in the train station and have been translating with the help of google.  

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Rogale swietomarcinskie (St. Martin’s Croissants)

★★★★ 4 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
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Description

A flaky crossiant with an almond poppy seed filling!

Ingredients

filling:

  • 2/3 cup poppy seeds, white poppy seeds prefereable
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2/3 cup chopped almonds
  • 1/2 cup shortbread cookie crumbs
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon almond extract

pastry:

  • 7/8 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 packet dry yeast
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter chilled,sliced

egg wash:

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil

glaze:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • milk or cream, to create spreadable consistency

Instructions

filling:

  1. With a steel blade, process poppy seeds, walnuts, raisins, almonds, and cookie crumbs in food processor until the texture is a coarse meal
  2. Dump the mixture into a sauce pan , add cream, sugar, butter, and salt
  3. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, the mixture will still ooze a little
  4. As it cools it will become more firm
  5. Stir in almond extract, cool

pastry:

  1. Heat milk to 110 degrees.
  2. Add 2 tablespoons butter, yeast, and sugar.
  3. Let sit for 5 – 10 minutes, should be foamy.
  4. Add egg yolks.
  5. Stir in flour and salt.
  6. Place in a clean bowl, cover the top of the dough with plastic wrap.
  7. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
  8. Roll dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
  9. Top dough with butter slices.
  10. Fold dough into thirds, and roll it out to the original size
  11. Fold into thirds and roll 4 more times (you now have 243 layers of your original butter topped dough)
  12. Cut dough into long triangles
  13. Top with filling, I used my hands and rolled it into ropes 1 inch in diameter
  14. Roll up starting with the short side
  15. Place croissants on baking sheet , cover and let rise 30 minutes
  16. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  17. Combine egg, water, and oil. Lightly brush rolls with egg wash
  18. Bake until brown, about 15 – 20 minutes
  19. Remove from oven and frost with glaze made of butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk
  20. Sprinkle with sliced almonds, or chopped peanuts

 

 

Zupa z Kopru Włoskiego – Fennel Soup

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Zupa z Kopru Wloskiego – Fennel Soup was headlining on our menu when we hosted friends from the church where I work for a meal recently. We had Sue (who shared her relish recipe with us), Bill (one of our beloved volunteer receptionists), and Mila and her husband Jan. Mila is a Russian-Swedish artist, whose Icons in Transformation exhibit is at the church for the next few months. Jan is originally from Bydgoszcz, Poland, He grew up in Sweden, but he was raised by a Polish mother, so I suspected that soup would be a most welcome first course.

Zupa z Kopru Wloskiego - Fennel Soup

We were serving salmon, and fennel was one of the many complimentary flavor listed in The Flavor Bible (affiliate link). Fennel soup it was! Given its appearance and the fact that Fennel or Koper Wloski is from the Mediterranean, it makes sense the Polish name translates as Italian Dill.

Fennel isn’t something that I ate growing up. I first tasted it a few years ago when we visited Ireland. I had a quiche with fennel in a wonderful wine bar, that was owned by a Polish woman. I’ve found a few ways to use it since that first experience. The Zupa z Kopru Wloskiego – Fennel Soup is definitely a do over. It was perfect to proceed the salmon. The flavor was harmonious without being overpowering. I’d love to hear about the ways you use fennel.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Zupa z Kopru Włoskiego – Fennel Soup

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 50 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
  • Yield: 8
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

Layers of flavor in a delicious cream soup

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 2 whole star anise
  • 2 cardamom pods, crushed
  • 1 whole clove
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 4 large bulbs fennel, trimmed and roughly chopped (I used the stalks too)
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • chives for garnish

Instructions

  1. Add the coriander sees, star anise, cardamom pods, clove, and oil to a Dutch oven
  2. Saute over medium high heat for a few minutes until the seeds begin to pop
  3. Transfer the spices to a piece of cheese cloth and bundle and tie into a tight package (or put the spices in a tea infuser that encases the tea on all sides)
  4. Add the fennel and onion to the pan and cook until golden, about 25 minutes
  5. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half
  6. Add the spice package and stock, bring to a boil
  7. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally
  8. When the vegetable are tender, discard the spice package, and puree the soup with an immersion blender or working in batches in a blender
  9. Return the soup to the pan, add cream and season
  10. Gently simmer for a few minutes
  11. Serve sprinkled with chopped chives

Notes

You might include a peeled and cored, sliced apple to the vegetables as they’re cooking.
Candied nuts would also make a nice garnish.

 

Kompot a Homemade Fruit Drink

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I was only served kompot once during my stay in Poland. We were in Nowe Wioska for a ceremony honoring American airmen in their area during World War II. Ed was asked to represent the U.S. government at the event. It was a moving experience, and you can  read more about it in this post. Everyone in attendance was served a hearty lunch (obiad) after, and cherry kompot was on the tables. It was delicious.

Kompot

You may be familiar with the dessert of stewed fruit known as compote, however, this kompot is a drink made from stewed fruits and popular in central and eastern Europe.

I think it’s fair to say that kompot has about half the sugar of soda, but it’s main selling point would be the very few and all natural ingredients. You know what’s in it, and that is a good thing. The other thing than makes this better for you is the Polish sense of portion control. We drank from little IKEA glasses, probably 8 ounces. There were no Big Gulps of kompot.

Kompot is something you can make year round. Make it in the summer to use up an abundance of inexpensive, fresh fruit. Make it in the winter with dried fruits. The possible combinations are endless and every batch will be a little different.

The basic proportions are a gallon of water, a cup of sugar, a pound to a pound and a half of fruit.

Enjoy!

Lois

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Kompot

Kompot a Homemade Fruit Drink

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A healthy fruit drink

Ingredients

  • 1 gallon water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 10 dried apricots
  • 1 apple, cored and sliced
  • 6 ounces raspberries
  • 6 ounces blueberries

Instructions

  1. Add the sugar to the water in a large pan
  2. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves
  3. Add apricots and apple
  4. Simmer for 15 minutes
  5. Add berries
  6. Return to boil and remove from heat
  7. Cool

Notes

The next time I use blueberries, I will muddle them to allow more juice to escape while steeping.

IMG_2972

Sausage in a Jar (Biała Kiełbasa w Słoikach)

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Many of our friends in Poznań grew up in rural villages and still have family on a farm. Specials occasions such as Easter or a wedding call for slaughtering a hog. We were often the reciepiants of homemade pate and sausages made for these celebrations. My favorite? White sausage in a jar (biała kiełbasa w słoikach)! It’s delicious paired with a good bread.
Sausage in a jar

Major Demel was one known to send us treats like sausages. When Ed told him that I especially liked his white sausage in a jar, that I would have a little bit everyday. Major Demel sent a warning, that I should be sure to have a little vodka with it to protect my liver!

When we weren’t the lucky reciepiants of white sausage in a jar, I could buy it on Saturday morings at Bio/Green (organic) market in Plac Bernardyński. There was an organic butcher that set up shop in a little refrigerated truck. He always had the longest line. Seriously, people would wait for 30 or 40 minutes to buy from this butcher. Thinking back, I don’t remember anyone cutting in front of us in line. Which makes this unique as queing up experiences go in Poland.

I’ve always wanted to find a recipe for white sausage in a jar (biała kiełbasa w słoikach), so that I’d be able to make it myself when we returned home. A search of the internet and I found several recipes to translate. As I read through the ingredients, I realized that the flavors are the same as smalec. You’ll find garlic, salt, marjoram, and pork. The sausage is just more meaty.

Sausage in a Jar

 

The cooking process described in Polish recipes calls for heating the sausage inside the jar three times. It is commonly accepted in Poland that after being cooked three times, that the sausage in a jar in shelf-stable and can be kept for months without refrigeration. The process is known as Tyndallization. Heating will kill bacteria, but not the spores. Leaving the jars at room temperature between heating allows the spores to germinate into bacterial cells which can be destroyed by a subsequent heating. I don’t know a lot about canning, but this doesn’t seem to match modern American thinking on the subject.

I will play it safe and refrigerate my sausage since I’m make a small amount and have room in the refrigerator. I probably shouldn’t worry. I’ve heard stories about my grandmother cooking sausage when they butchered a hog on the ranch. She would pack the cooked meat in a barrel and then pour melted lard over it to fill in any space and seal out any air. I suspect the barrel was kept in the root cellar for months. A long way from modern refrigeration. I faced a similar challenge when I made ajerkoniak. When putting bacteria up against grain alcohol, I trusted the Polish advice and left it in the cupboard.

I’m not sure what it is about this sausage that makes it different for me. Maybe it’s because it’s cooked very slowly, in a very moist environment. I realized one morning as a was warming up some of this sausage to serve with fried eggs for breakfast that it, in appearance anyway, resembled Spam. Spam, the nemmisis of every camping trip I took as a child. Don’t let that put you off. There’s something about using good cuts of meat and delicious spices that set the two worlds apart!

Smacznego!

Lois

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Sausage in a Jar

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Yield: 4 pint jars
  • Category: Main
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Description

A wonderfully seasoned preserved pork

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds pork
  • 1 pound bacon
  • 5 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon spoon marjoram
  • 2 teaspoon black pepper
  • A few sprigs of marjoram or thyme

Instructions

  1. Coarsely grind the pork and bacon (or do a fine dice on 1/3 of the pork and mix it with the ground meat)
  2. Run the garlic though a garlic press and add to the raw meat
  3. Add the sugar and seasonings
  4. Boil water and let it cool, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water to the meat mixture
  5. Pack the mixture into sterile jars, using the back of a spoon to push out pockets of air
  6. Using a clean cloth or paper towel, wipe the tops of the jars to ensure a good seal
  7. Screw on lids
  8. Place jars in a large pot, add water 3/4 the height of the jars
  9. Bring to a boil, simmer for one hour
  10. Cool, leaving jars at room temp
  11. Repeat the cooking procedure the following day, boiling for 40 minutes, again leaving the jars at room temp
  12. Repeat the cooking process again on the third day, this time boiling for 30 minutes
  13. The white sausage in a jar is now ready to store as you wish

 

 

Polish Cabbage Salad Sałatka z Kapusty

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With my reference point being the Sonoran desert, I’ll say that so much of Poland is farmland. Any drive outside of the city will have you passing cultivated earth. Beautiful yellow fields of flowering rape weed, beets, carrots, and the largest cabbage I have ever seen, seriously, cabbage the size of basketballs. Cabbage is the number one vegetable crop in Poland. It’s so popular; it plays a role in most traditional Polish dishes, and even in some that aren’t so traditional. Think of gołąbki (stuffed cabbage leaves), bigos (a hearty hunter’s stew), cabbage based pierogi fillings, kapusta kwaszona (sauerkraut), cabbage on a hot dog, cabbage on a kabab, even a simple Polish cabbage salad like this one. It’s the sort of thing you’ll find in any buffet line, or served along side your main dish. It reminds me of coleslaw, but it’s lighter, more salubrious.

Polish Cabbage Salad

In this case, the shredded cabbage is lightly cooked (chemically) in lemon juice and salt, just enough to wilt it a bit. The addition of shredded apple and a smidge of powdered sugar, along with the lemon juice, add to the sweet and sour combination that I associate with coleslaw. I made this according to the recipe, but if I’d had a carrot, I would have shredded that too to add a bit of color. The recipe comes from Treasured Polish Recipes for Americans, published by Polanie Club In Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was first published in 1948. The used copy I have is from the 15th printing in 1973. I saw something online about a 25th printing, so it’s been a very popular cookbook for decades!

This Polish Cabbage Salad is just what I remember from our time in Poznan. I’ve tried to recreate it on my own, but it was never quite right, the texture, the subtle favors that complement the cabbage. I’m thrilled to be adding this recipe to my collection.

As for the actual preparation, I used the slicing blade on my food processor, but it left the cabbage in bigger pieces that I wanted, so I popped it back in the processor with the steel blade and blitzed it for just a second or two to get finer pieces. I had planned to use a Granny Smith apple, but forgot to buy one. 🙁 The Gala apple I had on hand, worked very well. I didn’t have any dill seed in the spice rack, but I did have an envelope full of dill flowers that had gone to seed in a cupboard waiting to be planted. So I picked out the fine little stems and managed to get the required 1/2 teaspoon.

Give this a try, I think you’ll find a lot of menus that would benefit from a serving of this light and crisp Polish Cabbage Salad.

Smacznego!

Lois

(The Amazon links below are affiliate links, meaning Amazon sends me a few cents if you make a purchase)

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Polish Cabbage Salad

Polish Cabbage Salad Sałatka z Kapusty

  • Category: Salad
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A light and crisp salad of shredded cabbage and apple, dressed in lemon juice and oil

Ingredients

  • 1 small head cabbage, finely shredded
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 apple, grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon dill seed
  • Dash of garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (granulated will work too)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 small carrot, grated (optional)

Instructions

  1. Mix the cabbage with the lemon juice and salt.
  2. Let stand for 4 hours or refrigerate overnight
  3. Add the apple, dill seed, garlic powder, sugar, oil, and carrot (optional)
  4. Toss lightly

Polish cabbage salad


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Date Bars, Matrimonial Cake

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Date Bars seem like an old fashioned treat, simple, wholesome, sneaking a bit of fruit into the mix, as moms love to do. Date Bars, Matrimonial Cake in Canada, are something I’ve only recently made, but I’m sure the new tradition will continue.

Simple, wholesome date Bars, Matrimonial cake in Canada

We celebrate staff birthdays monthly, and my friend and colleague, Sue, is our only December birthday. We’ve shared enough meals together that I know she’s not terribly big on sweets, preferring savory treats like olives in puff pastry. As I was trying to decide what to bake last December, I got in touch with Sue’s sister, and she recommended Date Bars.

The recommendaton was spot on! Sue appreciated the effort and the research. We all enjoyed the snack. Another colleague said about the date bars this year, “I love that the crust tastes buttery.” Sue, with long standing family ties to Canada, told us that our American Date Bars are often called Matrimonial Cake in Canada. The blog Little Gray Bird offers some reasons for the name.

date bars

For the last two Decembers, I’ve made two pans of date bars, matrimonial cake, one for work, one for my cookie tray at home on Christmas morning. I can tell you that they freeze well and can easily be made vegan, substituting something like Earth Balance for the butter.

Whether you decide to make them with butter or a vegan version, I hope you and your friends will enjoy.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Simple, wholesome date Bars, Matrimonial cake in Canada

Date Bars, Matrimonial Cake

  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 36
  • Category: Dessert
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Description

A wholesome, fruit filled dessert in about an hour!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups chopped pitted dates (1 lb)
  • 1 1/2cups water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1cup butter, softened (or Earth Balance for vegan version)
  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400
  2. Combine dates, water, and 1/4 cup sugar over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes
  3. Cool 5 minutes
  4. Grease the bottom and sides of 13×9-inch pan
  5. Cream the brown sugar and butter until well mixed
  6. Stir in flour, oats, baking soda and salt until crumbly
  7. Press half of the crumb mixture evenly in bottom of pan
  8. Spread the date mixture over the bottom crust
  9. Top with remaining crumb mixture; press lightly
  10. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown
  11. Cool 5 minutes in pan
  12. Cut into 6 rows by 6 rows while warm

Notes

Recipe can be halved and made in a 8×8-inch square pan.

 

Marie Callender’s Pumpkin Pie Recipe

by 9 Comments

Marie Callender’s pumpkin pie recipe has always been my favorite. The spice combination is just right, and it’s just a little richer than everybody’s go to recipe, the one on the can of Libby’s pumpkin. This was the first pumpkin pie our children would eat, before Marie Callender’s pumpkin pie recipe they stuck to my pumpkin log for a Thanksgiving dessert.

Marie Callender's pumpkin pie recipe

Almost twenty years ago, our daughter’s band teacher was married to Marie Callender’s grandson. He was pressed into service one year, baking dozens on pies with Grandma’s recipe in the Middle School Home Ec (or whatever they’re calling it now) kitchen as a band fund raiser.

Marie Callender's pumpkin pie recipe just out of the oven

The kids and a few parents helped out as they baked late into the night. He was very careful, not to let anyone too close and he was mixing up the pie filing. Little did he, or any of us, know then, that in today’s world any recipe you want is just a click away.

I’m really happy that I could find versions of Marie’s famous recipe on multiple websites. It’s the one pumpkin pie recipe the whole family loves! I’ll be baking one for our family this Thanksgiving.

Marie Callender's pumpkin pie recipe ready to bake

For those of you outside the United States, Marie Callender was an avid home cook, like you and me, who found great success, and it all started with her pies. You can read more about her here.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Marie Callender's pumpkin pie recipe

Marie Callender’s Pumpkin Pie Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 65 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
  • Yield: Serves 6-8
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This makes a pumpkin pie that’s just a little richer than the usual recipe with just the right amount of spice!

Ingredients

crust:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup shortening, butter, or lard
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3-4 tablespoons cold water

filling:

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1-15 ounce can pumpkin (1 3/4 cups)
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425

crust:

  1. Combine flour and salt
  2. Fit in shortening (or other fat) with pastry blender, two butter knives, or using a food processor until the texture resembles small peas
  3. Sprinkle water over mixture, a tablespoon at a time, lightly stirring with a fork until just moist enough to hold together, too little water and the dough will crack, too much water and the dough will be sticky and tough
  4. Form into a ball and flatten until 3/4 inch thick on floured surface
  5. Roll into a circle 1 inch larger than 8 or 9 inch pie pan
  6. Fold pastry in half, transfer to pan
  7. Unfold an fit into pan
  8. Fold edges under to create a standing rim, flute

filling:

  1. Combine all ingredients until evenly mixed using a whisk, wooden spoon, or mixer
  2. Pour into pie shell
  3. Bake 15 minutes
  4. Reduce hear to 350 and bake 40-50 more minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean
  5. Cool before serving

Marie Callender's Pumpkin Pie Recipe, my family's favorite!

Easy Turkey Chili

by 2 Comments

A webpage listing a bunch of anti-inflammatory recipes is where I came across this little gem. They touted the many health benefits of peppers, tomatoes, beans, and turkey. This page was a gold mine for a foodie with arthritis, so if NSAIDs like Advil and Alleve are part of your daily routine, you know what I mean. If you have young healthy joints, count your blessings and enjoy this delicious turkey chili for the taste and convenience alone!

I’ve made only small changes from the original source, Two Peas in a Pod. I don’t use a slow cooker for this recipe because I’m just not good at planning that far in advance. If you like to use one, know that this can be made in a 6 quart crockpot.

Convenient & Delicious

We’ve gotten to the point where we make a batch of this tasty and easy turkey chili at least every other week. It’s quick and easy to put together, makes a large quantity, and freezes well.

I work four 10-hour days, so I love the convenience of having a full meal ready to eat at the end of a long day, and my husband, Ed, loves the warm, earthy spices.

Turkey chili

Every time I serve this, he comments about how the combination of spices is perfect. We’ve made a lot of chili over the years, even competed in a 4th of July chili cook off at our air base in Spain back in the day. He seemed let down when I said that all I did was follow the recipe. I shouldn’t have burst his bubble, better that he think of me chopping, grinding, and tempering a variety of spices. I’ll let you in on the secret, chili powder and cumin, 2:1.

I hope this doesn’t hurt my chili cook-off friends’ feelings, but this is so much better than the chili we offered up on that 4th of July, but nothing could compare to the fun we had that day.  The length of our shorts identifies this as the early 1980s!

Chili cook off

I hope my easy turkey chili recipe will be as popular at your home as it is at ours.

Smacznego!

Lois

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An easy turkey chili recipe that's quick and delicious!!!

Easy Turkey Chili

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
  • Yield: 10-15 servings
  • Cuisine: Tex Mex
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Description

Quick and easy, a delicious pot of chili

Ingredients

  • Olive oil
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 yellow pepper, diced
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chilies
  • 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • Chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons Wondra flour

Instructions

  1. Add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil to a frying pan and brown the ground turkey, breaking it into small pieces as you turn and stir
  2. Season with salt and pepper. (Go easy on the salt. The canned ingredients will be salty and you can always add more. That being said, I like to add a little salt to each layer of flavor as I’m preparing a dish)
  3. Move the turkey to a Dutch oven.
  4. Add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil the same frying pan and sautéed the onions and peppers, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper
  5. Add the onion and peppers to the ditch oven
  6. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans, green chilies, corn, chili powder, and cumin
  7. Stir, add enough chicken stock to almost cover the ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes
  8. Sprinkle with Wondra flour and stir it in to thicken the broth

Notes

Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, or sliced green onions