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Your input is important

January 26, 2018 by polishhousewife 13 Comments

Thanks to all of you who took the survey below (it’s now closed). If you’re curious, this is what I learned:

Over 50% of you found Polish Housewife via facebook (it’s important more me to stay active there and try to navigate the latest algorithim changes.)
44% of you find out about new content via social media (ditto my FB comment above, when you like, comment share, it helps!)
47% of the responses were from readers 65+ (FB tells me readers are equally distributed between 35 and 65+, but I can see how someone 65+ has more time to take a survey)
83% have no dietary restrictions in the household
The biggest frustrations in the kitchen are lack of time (24%) and organizing/planning meals (34%) (I can relate! I often cook for blog post on the weekend, and we’ll eat those recipes during the week.)
Whether or not you make a dish you see online has to do with prep time/complexity (37%) and the ingredients (37%)
76% of you usually shop at a traditional supermarket.

Thank you for your kind words about what you like, or don’t like. (The most precise and valid point came from a technical writer who finds my use of commas instead of dashes, understandably annoying or distracting. If you let me know where I’ve errored, I’ll correct it. My former colleague in the communications office had a thing about dashes being overly used, so I may be gun-shy. As a CPA, I feel the same way when people use financial terms or concepts incorrectly, or when people use the word pierogies. Pierogi is plural, friends.)

As for what you’d like me to post about more often:

beside traditional Polish recipes, the most frequent comment was SIMPLE recipes
a desire for more use of buckwheat, cabbage, beets, fermented foods, nutritional info
ideas and recipes from other readers (this is going to lead to a new feature on the Polish Housewife facebook page. On Sunday mornings, I’ll make a zapraszamy post. Feel invited to share your what’s on your mind in the comments of that post. How have you simplied your favorite Polish recipe? Tell us about your last trip to Poland? What family traditions do you have for upcoming holidays? We’ll try it and see how it goes. I look forward to hearing from you!

Your enjoyment of what’s written here matters! To help us connect meaningfully, will you be so kind as to take a quick survey by answering 10 questions by clicking on this link? It really will take just a few minutes.

The main focus of my questions has to do with cooking and recipes, but you should feel free to respond on other topics in the open-ended questions. Your responses will be valuable input as I prepare the editorial calendar for Polish Housewife.

This isn’t a one time invitation, reach out anytime via social media, email, or a comment on a post. Your questions and suggestions have inspired some of my most popular posts, and I’m always happy to hear from you!

Pozdrawiam,

Lois

Smigus-dyngus (Easter Monday)

March 28, 2016 by polishhousewife 4 Comments

During our time in Poland, we’d heard dire warnings about Śmigus-dyngus (the day after Easter). Friends talked of teenage boys dousing tram passengers by tossing buckets of water on them as the doors opened at a tram stop or water balloons being dropped on passers by from apartment buildings. I heard that these pranks had become so extreme that there was talk of the police becoming involved. Easter Monday called for a good deal of caution.

Photo credit: Lorene W. This sculpture belongs to my friend and fellow blogger, creator of adventureshereandthere.blogspot.com

Maybe we weren’t out much on Śmigus-dyngus, but we’d never seen evidence of the asperges gone awry. Asperges in its proper form consists of a priest sprinkling the congregation with holy water. When the rector was retiring at the Episcopal church where I work, he dipped a sprig of rosemary in holy water and asperged parishioners in a special blessing on his last Sunday with them. (I mention this definition and example because it’s something I’d never come across in my mainstream Protestant experience.)

On our last Easter in Poland, we were out for a bike ride, waiting for a light at Rondo Śródka, at the tram stop in the middle of the road. I thought I felt something on my leg, and I looked down to see a young girl, four or five years old, squirting first me and then Ed with her pink water pistol. She was holding her grandmother’s hand and looking shyly mischievous. We both played along, feigning shock and surprise, in English of course, which seemed to give her great satisfaction. Her grandmother gave us a smile, glad that the foreigners understood.

I was glad that we got to experience śmignus-dyngus while we were in Poland. It was like being in the know on an inside joke. We were just lucky that it was such a tame experience.

Venison Stew (Gulasz z Sarniny)

November 15, 2015 by polishhousewife 4 Comments

This venison stew is the perfect way to eat game meat. The venison becomes super tender and melds perfectly with the unlikely combination of flavors, red wine, Madeira, dates, fennel, juniper berries, allspice (which in Polish is referred to as “English herb”). This may be only the second time I’ve ever cooked with fennel. I’ll have to search out more recipes; if you have a favorite I’d love to hear about it.

I grew up in a family of hunters. As a children, we ate venison, elk, quail, pheasant. I much preferred beef and chicken. I must say that the first time I truly enjoy game was when I had a Korean style elk prepared by Chef Rob Connoley at the Curious Kumquat in Silver City, NM. Apparently, I only like fancy game meat, 😉 and this venison stew qualifies as fancy!

I’ve been thinking about this recipe that’s in From a Polish Country House Kitchen, by Anne Applebaum and Danielle Crittenden ever since my brother was succesful deer hunting last year. I’ve promised to share the recipe with him, but it’s taken me a while to unpack the box with my cookbooks from Poland. Jeff lives 1500 miles away, so we had to visit a posh butcher shop rather than his freezer. Here’s to hoping he still has a shoulder roast in the freezer or to good luck in the field this winter.

I’ve served this with mashed potatoes and also with a combination of mashed potato and celery root. You could keep the Polish feel and serve it over buckwheat groats. Buckwheat is so common in Poland, but it’s a speciality item here in the states. I’ve used up what I brought home with me, so it’s time for an Amazon order. Like quinoa, I like to cook buckwheat in some sort of stock or broth to add flavor. You could go international and serve the venison stew over polenta too.

The original recipe doesn’t use any flour, but I like a stew to have a thick broth, so I’ve added some instant flour at the end. Wondra is a precooked flour. You can sprinkle it over a liquid and whisk it in without it getting lumpy. Because it’s precooked, you don’t have to worry about a raw flour taste if you add it at the end of cooking.

No matter what side dish or thickness you choose, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. We all need fancy food now and then.

Smacznego!

Lois

Venison Stew (Gulasz z Sarniny)

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Category: Stew/Soup
Cuisine: Polish

Description

A delicious, sophisticed stew. One that’s sure to please everyone!

Ingredients

6 cups dry red wine (1.4 litres)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar (120 ml)
1 cup sweet port or Madeira (240 ml)
6 juniper berries, lightly crushed
3 whole cloves
3 allspice berries, lightly crushed
l large head, garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 pounds vnison shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut in to 1 inch cubes (1.4 kg/2.5 cm cubes)
2 tablespoon olive oil
3 strips of bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces (or a small package of lardon)
2 large fennel bulbs, trimmed and thickly sliced
1 cup chopped dates (150 g)
2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons Wondra flour

Instructions

Add the red wine, vinegar, port or Madeira, juniper berries, cloves, allspice, garlic, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to a large bowl
Add the meat and marinade over night or for up to three days
Remove the meat from the marinade (save the marinade, you’ll cook the meat in it)
Pat the meat dry (it will be very purple now)
Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat
Fry the bacon until just crisp
Remove the bacon, drain on paper towels
In the bacon grease, brown the meat over high heat in small batches (5-6) to avoid overcrowding the pan
Pour the marinade to the pan, deglazing by scrappin up the browned bits stuck the the bottom of the pan
Add the bacon and venison to the pan, making sure the meat is covered by the marinade
Cover and simmer over low heat for two hours
Add fennel, dates, onions, and sugar, add more salt and pepper if needed, simmer one hour
Sprinkle Wondra flour over the top of the stew and whisk in to thicken the broth, simmer for just a few more minutes

A Day of the Dead Ofrenda

November 5, 2015 by polishhousewife 7 Comments

I’ve written before about All Saints Day on November 1st in Poland, posting photos from an evening visit to military cemetaries at the Citadel in Poznan, or an early morning visit on November 2nd while groups were tidying up the cemetary, picking up trash and relighting candles. Today, I want to compare and contrast All Saints Day in Poland to a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) as it’s celebrated here in Tucson.

Citadela, Poznan, Nov. 2nd

Day of the Dead has it’s roots in Atzec civilization. When the Spainish arrived brining Catholisism to the New World, they insisted the locals had to adapt their Day of the Dead celebration to fit with the Catholic Tradition of All Souls/All Saints Day, so the timing changed from Spring to Fall.

The finished ofrenda

The church where I’m working will celebrate All Souls Day on November 2nd. An artist who happens to be my colleague on the church staff, Stella M. Lopez, for several years, been setting up and ofrenda (offering in English) in the columbarium, just outside the church. She creates a similar ofrenda at the Tucson Botantical Garden. She’s sharing with us a practice she learned from her Mexican-American grandmother and great-grandmother.

These ladies kept small shrines on a bureau or chest of drawers in their bedrooms, faithfully saying their morning and evening prayers in front of the shrines which would have rosaries, flowers, candles, photos of favorite saints, or during World War II photos of sons who were had been called up.

Even though Stella’s parents were both from Mexican families and grew up in Tucson, but they didn’t want their children to learn Spanish. They wanted them to speak English without an accent. Something I’ve heard of Polish-American families doing too. Their home, which moved from place to place during her father’s military career, had a more cosmopolitan feel than that of her aunts and uncles back in Tucson.

Stella would tell you that she returned to her Mexican roots as a young adult when she was far from home and family, studying art in Boston. That’s when she began keeping a shrine at home, a practice she continues today. Hers is on the wall in her breakfast nook. It not only has items that remind her of saints and departed loved ones, but also photos of her daughter, projects that are of interest, etc.

Some items from her personal shrine are brought in for the ofrenda she sets up at church. Members of the congregation are urged to bring in items or photos that remind them of loved ones who have passed on. The collection keeps growing as the days go by. On November 2nd, the church had a service to rember those in the congregation who have died in the last year, and they processed past the ofrenda by candlelight.

Tucson is home to one of the largest Dia de los Muertos processions. Stella and her daughter have always participated since it began in the 1990s. They’ll join 150,000 other Tucsonans, who will walk two miles togehter and at the end of their march will burn in a cerimonial urn scraps of paper that contain the memories and prayers for the deceased.

I told Stella about the significance of All Saints Day in Poland, how families gather to pray for ancestors who might not have made it to heaven yet, for those who might be stuck in pergatory. She said that the emphasis of Dia de los Muertos was different, that the goal was not to pray the departed to heaven, but to encourage them to return and visit us here on earth. That’s why things are put out on ofrendas that would hold meaning for deceased loved ones, to entice them to return for one day, including favorite foods or cigarettes.

I wondered how Stella felt about the surging popularity of this celebration. She said she can see why non-hispanics would be drawn to the tradition because of the colorful pagentry. She said those who participate in the Tucson procession behave appropriately and understand the significance of the day. They haven’t made it into warped American version of the holiday, as we have with St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo.

Check out some of Stella’s Dia de los Muertos artwork on her website. I’m happy to have one of her butterflies.

Pozdrowiam,

Lois

White Sangria

September 5, 2015 by polishhousewife 4 Comments

I’ve boasted before about having a PhD in sangria. 😉 During the four years we lived in Spain, I sampled sangria all over the Iberian peninsula. It was all made with red wine, never white sangria, and it bore no resemblance to what you’ll find bottled and sold in the United States as sangria.

I hope you’ll forgive my ego on this matter, but people rave about my sangria, and 6,000+ have saved it to their Pinterest boards. Last week, I decided it was time to step outside of my traditional comfort zone, and I made a batch of white sangria for a family gathering.

I’ve realized lately that the Spanish cuisine I know is dated. I know what Spanish food was in the 1980s. A lot of innovation has taken place since then. When I google sol y sombra, a traditional after dinner drink from the 80s, I see that now resorts are offering sol y sombra as a frozen drink — perfect for sipping poolside or longing on the beach. **sigh** Change is the only constant.

Making sangria is a lot like preparing a soup or a salad. Exact proportions and specific ingredients aren’t necessary. You have some leeway to use what’s in season or what you have on hand. In my tradition version, I almost always include some kind, or possibly many kinds, of citrus, and I add triple sec to the wine. I like to use a mix of sparking water and lemon-lime soda because it most closely approximates the gaseosa that everyone used in Spain, but you could finish it off with either one of these fizzy options on its own or even with ginger ale.

This time for my white sangria, I used no citrus, and switched to peach schnapps to add to my cheap white wine (I found Tisdale Pinot Grigio at Sprout’s for $3 a bottle). I wouldn’t make sangria with bad tasting wine, but when you’re adding, fruit, liqueur, sugar, and soda, the finer points of a wine are lost, so why pay for them?

Here’s the recipe for the white sangria I whipped up. I love to hear how yours turns out!

Na zdrowie!

White Sangria

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 30 mins
Yield: 8 - 10
Cuisine: Spanish

Ingredients

750 ml white wine
3/4 cup peach schnapps
1/2 banana sliced
1/2 apple diced
3/4 cup diced peaches (I used canned because I’ve had such bad luck buying fresh peaches)
3/4 cup raspberries
1/2 cup green grapes, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
4 inch spring of rosemary
Mineral water, to taste

Instructions

In a pitcher, combine everything except the mineral water
Let stand several hours or overnight, with no citrus, I didn’t have to worry about the pith adding a bitter flavor if it sat too long
Add mineral water (1/2 to equal volume of the wine) and ice
I had planned to make a large batch in my punch bowl, but it seems to have gone missing (a lovely ice ring with peaches and rosemary remains in the freezer, abanded). Instead I used a large pitcher, which had room for the wine, fruit, and mineral water
In case we wanted a second pitcher, I prepared a larger canning jar with everything but the mineral water. We ended up not using it, but it was a great after-work drink during the week

Caramel Buns

March 9, 2015 by polishhousewife 8 Comments

I don’t remember having caramel buns or other cinnamon rolls as we traveled around Europe. I had it in the back of my mind that this would be an American creation. My research tells me I’m wrong; apparently cinnamon rolls are popular all over Northern Europe and thought to have originated in Sweden. I guess chocolate chip cookies are our only claim to fame in the baked goods department.

You’ll want more than 12

Rose’s caramel buns are extraordinary no matter where they originate. A brioche dough is spread with an egg wash (rather than butter) to act as the glue in securing the cinnamon sugar filling. Toasted pecans and boozy raisins are also added before the dough is rolled and sliced. I took liberties here and substituted dried cranberries for half of the raisins. I just love the tartness they add.

After baking the soaking liquid from the raisins is reduced and enriched with a bit of butter. This glazes the warm rolls before they’re topped with a delicious homemade caramel and pecan halves.

If you plan to make these, start early. The dough involves at least 9 hours of raising at various stages along the way. Maybe put this together the day before you plan to ~~gobble~~ eat them. Because these are so time consuming, my only complaint would be that the recipe only makes a dozen. I think it’s certainly worth doubling the recipe.

The caramel sauce is fantastic. To illustrate that point, I’ll tell you that as Ed was having the last roll on the serving platter, I grabbed a spoon and scooped up some of the caramel that had dropped onto the platter, and he was kind of territorial, reminding me that part of that caramel went with the bun he was eating. Try making this caramel, you’ll find yourself licking the spoons too.

Hendricks Gin & Tonic

February 22, 2015 by polishhousewife 2 Comments

We spent our last 12 days in Poland in a very nice hotel. Other than the view of the city (which could be seen from the shower thanks to the glass bathroom walls), my favorite thing about it was that we got to reconnect with a friend who works in the bar. Piotr was the bar manager at TGI Fridays at Galeria Malta until if closed a few years ago. Friday’s was our local. It’s was nice to catch up with Piotr, seeing photos of his daughter, and sampling his creative combinations. I have notes in my phone on some of the more elaborate cocktails, but this one, Hendricks gin and tonic, I was able to remember without any help.

I’m usually not a gin drinker, but this is one I enjoyed emensly. Maybe it’s just a matter of having the right gin. Hendricks is made in Scotland in small batches. In addition to the usual juniper, you’ll find Hendricks infused with rose, cucumber, and elderflower and other botanicals. It teams up beautifully with tonic water. A garnish of cucumber and a dash of black pepper and you’re good to go. It’s an unusual combination that I never would have thought to pair with tonic

I had thought about baking this evening, but instead we’re in from of the telly, watching the Academy Awards with our cocktail and chips and salsa. It’s a nice way to finish the weekend. It was great to see Ida win the Oscar for best foreign film. It was the 10th Polish language film to be nominated, and it was the first to win.

I’ll wrap this up by saying this is NOT a sponsored post. I just wanted to share something I found unusual and delightful! If you’ve never enjoyed gin, it’s worth trying a Hendricks gin & tonic. I don’t think you’ll find a smoother gin.

Transatlantyk Kino Kulinarne 2014

August 10, 2014 by polishhousewife 7 Comments

Organized by Oscar winning composer, Jan Kaczmarek, the Transatlantyk — Poznan International Film and Music Festival began in 2011, the year I moved to Poland. It seems only fitting that in our last summer here, that we join in the festivities of their fourth season.

Transatlantyk Kino Kulinarne

The Film

We participated in grand style last night. My friend, Barbara, was kind enough to invite us to join her group of friends for Transatlantyk Kino Kulinarne, which is done in partnership with Kulinarisches Kino (Culinary Cinema) from Berlin. We were part of about 200 people who saw Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 film Modern Times. I’ve never watched all of one of Chaplin’s films before and was surprised to see that besides starring, he wrote, directed, and composed the music for the theme song.

The film was not actually silent, but in keeping with the theme of technology and dehumanization, the only time the audience hears spoken voices are when they delivered by mechanical devices such as the videophones used by the factory president, who works a jigsaw puzzle while commanding the masses on the factory floor to “work faster!” Apparently, an anti-capitalism world view in Hollywood is nothing new. 😉

The Meal

The real highlight of the evening for me was the meal that came after the film. Two Polish chefs, Robert Trzopek from Warsaw and Jacek Fedde from Poznan, using the film we had just seen as their inspiration, prepared a four course meal in a tent set up just outside the theater. Let me walk you through our menu:

The first course was three mini-sausages, one each of pork, lamb, and boar; served on top of an onion marmalade. It came in a 35 mm film can, which we were invited to take home as a souvenir of the evening. I’m such a fan of caramelized onions that I think I would love anything put on top of onion marmalade.

The second course was a disc of chopped toasted nuts and black sesame seeds bound together with a light syrup, topped with a thin slice of turbot and a curry oil. I loved the nut and sesame seed combo; it’s one I’ll remember and incorporate into my own repertoire in some way.

Our main course was a oxtail topped with a small piece of rib-eye, foie gras, and a truffle jelly. Served with a sauce made from port wine and sherry vinegar and maxim potatoes. The potatoes originating from Maxim’s in Paris are very thin slices arranged in a flower pattern, brushed with clarified butter and baked into a beautiful crisp disk. Someone at our table picked up the thin potato flower and joked about such a small serving of potatoes in Poznan. This region has to be the potato capital of Poland. They even have their own regional word for potato, pyra rather than ziemniaka. Pyra is also used to refer to people from Poznan. We were chatting with our waitress last week, and when we asked where she was from, her response was, “I’m a Pyra.” Potato jokes aside, this course was amazing. The sort of thing you’d make at home if you had a big talented kitchen team for backup.

The dessert was described as banana parfait with crunchy macadamia, salty caramel sauce, corn bread crumble. The banana ice cream came out in the form of corn on the cob. This was especially creative because in the movie, an automated machine is feeding Chaplin corn on the cob, of course, it goes out of control at that point. One of our table mates said about the dessert, “it’s good that it’s not too sweet.” While I applaud the creativity of the dish, for me, it was a very Polish dessert, not at all sweet, and I want my desserts to be sweet — just a difference in taste.

The evening ended with a standing ovation for the crew who prepared and served our meals. It was amazing to watch the wait staff as they served the courses. Picture this; we’re at tables of 10. Five waiters arrive with a plate in each hand, standing behind every other chair. The lead waiter nods and in unison they place their plate on the table and then step to the left. The leader waiter nods again, and the second plate is served. A final nod and the team circles the table and they file after the leader waiter and return to the kitchen. It was a beautiful performance.

They sent us home with a goodie bag that included two copies of Food & Friends magazine and a jar of house made chutney from Bazar 1838. It was a great evening. If you have the chance to attend, by all means, do! It was pricier than your average meal out in Poznan, but this was no average meal! I am blessed to have friends like Barbara who make sure I get to see what makes Poznan so special!

ps – I should also add that Jan Kaczmarek stopped by every table during the evening, just to chat for a few minutes, see if everyone was enjoying the evening. I don’t think I’ve ever been that close to an Academy Award winner.

Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie for Pi Day

March 14, 2014 by polishhousewife 4 Comments

Today, on 3.14, I’m participating in a blog swap for Pi Day. I’ve posted my recipe for Cottage Pie with Guinness on Dizzy Busy & Hungry, and Jessie, from, The Dinner Pages, is sharing her recipe for Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie on Polish Housewife. Jessie is a working mom who has accumulated over 130 cookbooks, so she has some great inspiration; you’ll want to check out her blog regularly. Today she’s using two of my favorite flavors, chocolate and mint! Here’s Jessie:

Hi, I’m Jessie and I blog at The Dinner Pages! My blog generally features recipes I’ve found from cooking through my extensive cookbook collection with a focus on family friendly and often healthy and quick dinners, plus sweet treats. I’m very happy to be participating in this blog swap meet today. Thank you to Lois at Polish Housewife for hosting my post on her blog.

We are sharing pie recipes today, to celebrate Pi Day, you know Pi, like the number 3.141592… since today is 3/14. Get it? The nerd in me is a huge fan of Pi Day AND Pie Day, both of them. Since St. Patrick’s Day falls just after Pi Day, I wanted to keep things festive with something green, and I figured Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie would fit the bill.

I first learned that the combination of chocolate and mint was deemed “grasshopper” many years ago when my dad got me some Keebler Grasshopper cookies and had them hidden in a brown paper bag and told me he got me some grasshoppers to eat. I was grossed out until I learned what they were and then I became a huge fan!

Now, my Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie contains no grasshoppers, though apparently some earlier iterations do! That’s not really my thing. My pie gets its texture from crushed up Oreo sandwich cookies and not insects. Classically grasshopper pies are chiffon pies with whipped cream and gelatin with crème de menthe liquor for mint flavor. I opted to make my own grasshopper ice cream instead for this pie.

There are 3.14 ways to do this recipe. I’ll share two…The really easy way is to buy a chocolate cookie crust, soften up some mint cookies and cream or mint chocolate chip ice cream, and put it in the crust, top with some Oreos, and refreeze for a bit. Alternately, you can make your own crust by crushing up Oreo sandwich cookies (or your favorite chocolate wafers) and preparing your own mint ice cream, which is what I did. The results will be fantastic either way, but let’s face it, people get really impressed when you share homemade ice cream with them!

If you like what you see here, please visit me at The Dinner Pages for more family friendly dinners and tasty treats. Thanks for reading!

Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie for Pi Day

Author: Jessie @ The Dinner Pages
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 mins
Total Time: 3 hours
Yield: 8
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Description

A crunchy chocolate crust with creamy minty ice cream!

Ingredients

35 Oreo sandwich cookies, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
6 drops green food coloring
whipped cream for garnish

Instructions

Finely chop 20 of the chocolate cookies in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the melted butter until well combined. Press the crumbs into the bottom and sides of an 8-inch pie plate and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until thickened. Then add the cornstarch and set aside.
In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the half-and-half to a simmer. Remove from the heat and slowly beat the hot half-and-half into the eggs and sugar, stirring constantly to avoid scrambling.
Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan and stir constantly over medium-low heat until the custard thickens slightly. Do not let it boil.
Pour the custard through a fine strainer into a large bowl. Stir in the heavy cream, peppermint extract, and food coloring.
Depending on your ice cream maker, you may need to refrigerate the ice cream mixture until cold. Follow the manufacturer’s directions at this point. When the ice cream is almost finished in the ice cream maker, add in 6 coarsely chopped Oreos. Ice cream is generally still somewhat soft at this stage.
Transfer the slightly softened ice cream to the prepared piecrust. Garnish with remaining Oreos as desired. Place in freezer until firm, about 2 hours. Garnish with whipped cream before serving.

Notes

Cooking time includes freezing time
Ice cream recipe adapted from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book

My social media links:

http://www.thedinnerpages.wordpress.com

http://www.facebook.com/thedinnerpages

http://www.pinterest.com/thedinnerpages

http://www.twitter.com/thedinnerpages

Below the collage are links to all of the blogs that participated in our

Blog Swap Meet: Pi Day Recipes

Hosted by

Edward from If You Can Read, You Can Cook and Kristin from Dizzy Busy and Hungry

Stop by and visit them all!

Chef Mireille’s East West Realm

The Dinner Pages

Dizzy Busy and Hungry

Fearless Dining

If You Can Read, You Can Cook

Kneaded Creations

Polish Housewife

Restaurant Day February 2014

February 17, 2014 by polishhousewife 6 Comments

Restaurant Day began in Helsinki, Finland almost three years ago. A would-be restaurateur, put off by government restrictions and paperwork, joined together with friends with the thought of opening a one-day popup restaurant. The laws don’t apply in Finland if you’re only doing it for one day – similar to Health Department exemptions for Bake Sales in the US. They called it Restaurant Day and there were 36 popups in Finland and one in Pineville, North Carolina, USA back in May 2011. Restaurant Day now happens four times a year. With social media, it has spread across the globe. Anyone who wants to can join the fun and set up a restaurant for a day.

Yesterday, there were 1168 popup restaurants, 23 of them here in Poznan. With our friends, we managed to sample the fare at six of them.

Our first stop was at a language school in a beautiful old apartment building on Plac Bernardynski. As you can imagine, those who teach foreign languages need to travel and hone their skills with native speakers. Some of the staff had spent time in Portugal and wanted to share the good food with the rest of Poznan. They just hadn’t expected so much of Poznan to take them up of the offer.

When we arrived, they apologized profusely saying that they were really sorry, but they didn’t have a place for us. We gladly waited in the hallway, and within a few minutes, they brought in a table from another room and set it up in the hallway for us. After more than one person apologized for our seating, saying that it was the first time they’ve done this, we ordered one of everything on their menu, sampling five savory dishes and two sweets.

Most of the savory dishes included fish. It was used in ways that surprised me including something like a pancake. I snapped a photo of their menu, in case I want to google the dishes and try making some of them myself.

After catching the tram to Marcinkowskiego, we set out on foot, sampling yummy cupcakes and savory muffins prepared by Dolina Muffinkow. Then on to the Poco Loco Hostel where several popups were installed on the 3rd floor. Here we had Moroccan food and an excellent little pear tart. As we crossed through Plac Wolnosci for the second time, I grabbed a bite-sized almond tart (my favorite flavor) from fellow food blogger Ali Baby. I have to thank our mutual friend, Justyna, for the photo of the Ali Baby popup. (Her’s were better than mine.) Our final stop was an outdoor grill serving up cheeseburgers with a hot sauce and bacon marmalade (something that sounds so interesting that I know I will have to make it.)

As we were traipsing about town, we noticed police on almost every corner. Before we got to the Old Market Square, we could hear the chant of the football fans. Marching toward the stadium for that evening’s match. Wanting to see them pass through the square, we also crossed paths with a church procession, entering the square at the same time.

The football fans were carrying flares as if they were torches, tossing the occasional cherry bomb. In addition to singing their usual football chants, there were also patriotic songs. As we later debated whether they were fans or nationalists, an English gentleman, an Arsenal supporter, in town to visit a Polish friend, told us it was a group of football fans, but that they were also commemorating a famous date in history between Poland and German in ~~1914~~ 1919 (I have been corrected, thanks, Klaudia). They had been part of the group but had popped into Basilium for a cold one before the match. Mystery solved; except that I can’t find record of an important date this early in 1914. Polish readers, can you help me out?

I’ve condensed our day into just over two minutes in the video below. I hope it tempts to you look for Restaurant Day near you in May, or to make your own restaurant for a day!

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Transatlantyk Kino Kulinarne

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The Meal

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