Eating ala Polska - Making Kapusta & Kielbasa

We enjoyed a weekend of  Polish cooking and eating over Memorial Day at the cottage. While the weather left something to be desired, there was no shortage of good times as family and friends came up to celebrate the long weekend. In preparing for company, the question is always what to make. I thought some Polish fare might be in order, since there would be some fellow Poles in the mix over the weekend.

The first dish we made was kapusta - Polish sauerkraut. It always amazes me when I go into a Polish restaurant or have a Polish cook prepare a meal that includes sauerkraut. Typically, what I see on the plate is something that involved no more than a can opener. Yes, this is technically sauerkraut, but in the great tradition of Polish cooking it simply will not do! Kapusta is something that is long-simmered, and while it requires brined or pickled cabbage, there is so much more to it. I've made hundred of pounds (maybe more) of kapusta for church dinners, big parties, etc. I make it as my mom made it, and she got the recipe from my dad's mother. It's something, like soup, that is difficult to make a small quantity of - but that's alright because if there is any left over, it freezes beautifully.

So, when you have a little time and really want to make something special for a Polish (or any other) meal - especially if you are serving pork or poultry - don't just open a can. Make something special that you and your guests will really enjoy!

Making Kapusta



Polish Kapusta

4 large cans sauerkraut (rinsed and drained)
4-5 medium onions, diced
1 stick of butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 1/2 - 2 tsp. caraway seeds
1 1/2 lbs. pork neck bones
salt and pepper (to taste)
water

In a small electric roaster or 8 quart pot, melt butter and add onions. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook onions until translucent. Once onions are done, add the sauerkraut, brown sugar, bouillon, onion soup mix, caraway seeds and enough water to come up to the top of the sauerkraut. Mix ingredients well, making sure the onions on the bottom are well incorporated into the cabbage. Lay neck bones on the top, cover and bring to a simmer. Keep cover on and continue simmer for six hours. Check water level periodically and add more if necessary - do not stir! After the cooking time carefully remove neck bones from top. Using a fork, pull meat off bones and discard bones and any remaining cartilage. Return meat to kapusta and mix it in. You can serve immediately or transfer to small containers and place in refrigerator or freezer. Freezes up to six months.

Smacznego!!



Once the kapusta was made, I thought it would be good to serve it with kielbasa. There are lots of options for Polish sausage out there, and most of what is sold in the supermarkets are a far cry from the real deal. Sausage also gets a bad rap because most of what is made commercially is not very good for you. Load with salt, nitrates and preservatives, these fatty tubes are heart attacks in the making. But it doesn't have to be that way. When you make your own sausage you know exactly what goes into in, and you can control the amount of fat, salt and other ingredients. Once you've had homemade kielbasa, you'll understand why it is well worth the effort to make.

Making Kielbasa



5 1/2 lbs. pork shoulder (boneless, excess fat trimmed)
3 cloves garlic - finely chopped
3 TBSP salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/2 cup water
natural casing (most butchers will be able to supply you with this)

You need to have a food/meat grinder for this job. There are the old-school types that are hand-powered (like I use), but there are also electric ones and attachments that can be added to your stand mixer (like Kitchen Aid).

Insert the course die on your grinder. Cut the pork into cubes (maybe an inch to an inch 1/2), trimming off any excess fat. You don't want to remove all the fat - fat provides moisture and flavor, but depending on the cut of your pork, you will probably have more fat on the meat than you want going into your sausage. Run the cubed pork through the grinder. In a shallow pan or bowl, combine the garlic, salt, pepper, marjoram and water with the ground pork. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator overnight. The next day, put the sausage stuffer attachment on your grinder. Prepare casing (it may be packed in salt - if so, soak in water for a few minutes, this will make it easier to handle) and fit casing over stuffing tube. Run meat through the machine taking care not to allow air into the casing a filling the casing so that it is snug around the meat but not overstuffed. You don't want the casing to break. Make sausages to desired length. You can tie off the ends with string, or tie knots in the casing itself. Once sausage is made, you can grill it, boil it or bake it. I prefer to boil/bake it in the oven in a covered pan of water at 375 degrees for about an hour. This will render some of the fat out of the sausage and keep it moist. Serve with horseradish and your homemade kapusta!

Smacznego!!

Cottage Kitchen - Making Risotto and Gnocchi

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I've posted on Cavalcade, but it's been a long, cold winter here in Michigan and so other than some routine baking for my crew at work, I've been in hibernation! Now that spring has FINALLY arrived (only within the last couple of weeks has the weather even been warm), this bear has emerged from his cave and is ready to go!

The first weekend of May I opened my cottage for the season. This is always a ritual that brings great excitement and comfort. The shutters are off, the water is on, the cobwebs have been dusted away and now the place is ready for another season of life. There is no place on the earth that I love more, and I often threaten that one day I'll leave for the cottage and not return. My dream is to make good on that some day.

My dad gave me a video camera as a gift, thinking this would be something I'd like. I guess he knows me well, because I've been having a lot of fun with it. Ralph and I were talking about all the great meals that are served at the cottage during the season. In addition to enjoying the beautiful Lake Huron and Michigan's Thumb, me and my guests do a lot of cooking at the cottage, and wouldn't it be great to get it on video?

As the summer approaches, the bounty of Michigan's farmland will begin to avail itself to us, and with it comes endless possibilities for good cooking and eating. Not to mention all the bread, cakes, pies and canning projects that are routine throughout the summer and autumn. And, of course, there's lots of Polish food - city chicken, kapusta, pierogi and homemade kielbasa.

So, with Ralph serving as cameraman, we embark on videologue called, "Cottage Kitchen" that will serve to share some of these moments of cooking, sharing and celebrating life with family and friends.

Here are the first two installments from this past weekend. I guess we were in an Italian mood, as two of our dinners were centered on great Italian fare: risotto and gnocchi. I'm happy to report that both dishes came out beautifully, which made the efforts worthwhile. These were both dishes that my mom used to occasionally make - she made them look so easy, as she did with most things - and I felt her guidance as I stumbled through some of the mechanics of creating these dishes. Thanks, mom - I think of you every day!

Cottage Kitchen - "Risotto"

2 TBSP olive oil
8 oz sliced mushrooms (your choice - we used baby bellas)
2 TBSP olive oil + 2 TBSP butter
1 small onion - diced fine
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
4 1/2 cups hot chicken stock
Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
4 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Saute mushrooms in olive oil until tender (about 4-5 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside.Add olive oil and butter to pan and saute diced onion until translucent (about 3 minutes). Add rice and stir to coat all grains with oil/butter. Let rice toast in pan for about 2 minutes. Add first ladle of hot chicken broth (about a cup) and stir until broth is absorbed and rice begins to release some of its starch. Repeat this process one ladle at a time until all the broth has been added and absorbed. Rice should be creamy and slightly al dente. Add mushrooms back in, pepper as needed and then add the Parmesan cheese. Stir and enjoy!

Cottage Kitchen - "Gnocchi" 

8-10 medium russet potatoes
1 egg yolk
2-2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 TBSP salt
A big pot of boiling water
3 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TBSP salt

Pierce potatoes with fork a couple of times and bake in 350 degree oven for an hour, or until soft. Remove potatoes from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Slice hot potatoes lengthwise and scoop out flesh with a spoon. Once all the potatoes have been removed from their skins, put potatoes through a ricer or food mill. Let potatoes cool some more - about five minutes. To potatoes add egg yolk, 2 cups of flour and the salt. Stir with a spoon. As dough comes together work with your hands until all the flour has been combined into the potatoes. Remove from bowl. Flour a board and kneed dough for a couple of minutes by hand. Add additional flour if dough is too sticky. When dough is smooth, break off a piece about the size of an egg and roll on board into a tube that is about as big around as your thumb. It will probably be about 12 inches long or so. Cut into 1-1 1/2 inch pieces with knife. Roll small dumplings on the backside of a fork to make small indentations. Set finished dumpling on a floured dish. Continue process until all the dough is used. Have a big pot of water at boiling point - add vegetable oil and salt. Add gnocchi ONE AT A TIME into the water (about 20 at a time) - turn the heat down if boiling too rapidly. When gnocchi are cooked they will float to the top. Remove cooked gnocchi and continue process until they are all cooked. Cover with your favorite sauce and dig in! 

The sauce we made:
1 large can San Marzano tomatoes
1 medium onion - cut in half leaving the root ends intact
5 TBSP butter
pinch of salt (to taste)
pinch of pepper (to taste)
pinch of sugar (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan and cover. Simmer over low heat 45 minutes to an hour. Stir occasionally and press whole tomatoes against pan wall with spoon to help break them down. This is a light sauce with big tomato and onion flavor and a silky buttery finish. 

If loving this fruitcake is wrong - I don't want to be right!

Fruitcakes? Really?!?

Yes, really. I'm the first one to make a fruitcake joke (pun intended!), but I'm convinced the reason why so many people detest these annual holiday cake-bricks is that they have experienced so many awful ones. I know chewed on a few dense, tasteless versions. I have also had the extreme pleasure of sinking my teeth into some luscious, choc-full-of-everything-good, festive fruitcakes. (Pictured - Dad chopping up 2+ pounds of roasted pecans for the batter.)



When you see really good fruitcakes in the bakery or story, they might seem pricey considering their size. There's a couple of things at work here. First, they are not meant to be eaten like Moon-Pies, devoured one after the other (that's how everyone eats their Moon-Pies, right?). A good fruitcake is savored in small slices, sometimes with coffee or tea, or with a nice glass of brandy or egg nog. A little goes a long way.

The second reason for the hefty price, the stuff that goes in them are expensive, comparatively speaking, to the ingredients of many other Christmas baked goods. (Pictured - pounds of candied cherries and pineapples - yes some of them are GREEN - and a couple more pounds of golden raisins and dates. In the background - a pound of butter softening up.)

Sometime during Thanksgiving weekend, Dad, Marianne (aka "Sister") and I make up our fruitcakes for holiday entertaining. When mom was still with us, she generally made them at this time, so that they would have a month or so to cure with the wine-soaked cheese cloths prior to that first cut. We use the same recipe that mom and my grandma used - it came from my Aunt Helen, actually my great-aunt, she was one of grandpa's sisters and never turned down a cold beer - my kind of girl! (Pictured - creaming the butter before the dry ingredients get mixed in.)

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While the recipe is not complicated, it's not something you can throw together in a few minutes. There are a number of steps, beginning with chopping the pounds of nuts and fruits that will get folded into the batter. The batter itself, which uses a pound of butter and ten eggs (how bad can that be?!?) flour, baking soda, a little mace, vanilla and sugar, really puts the test to any mixer. I'm sure when Aunt Helen started making this recipe, she probably didn't have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer like I have, and probably used the biggest bowl she could find and a wooden spoon. Even now, the mixer will only take the batter so far. the fruit and nuts must be mixed in by hand. (Pictured - Dad getting a workout by mixing pounds of nuts and fruit into the stiff cake batter and making sure that each part of the batter gets a little bit of everything.)

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One recipe makes four standard loaf pans. Once the pans are greased, the batter goes in almost to the top - this cake does not rise much - it's too heavy! Once the batter is in the pans, we decorate the tops of the cakes with pecans (that makes it fancy!) and in the oven they go. These bake in a somewhat slow oven (285 degrees) for two hours. You know they are done when they are lightly golden on the tops.

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Pictured is the finished product, right out of the oven. I can't tell you how awesome the smell is in the house while these are baking. There is something very old-fashioned about these cakes, and something very comforting. Like most heirloom food, they remind me of the people I loved who make these cakes before it was my turn to do so. So, I look back and know that my mom is, like always, in the kitchen with us as we bake these wonderful traditions. And I look forward, knowing that these cakes will be shared as we celebrate Christmas, and all that it means, with the people we love today and are fortunate to have close.

After the cakes cool for a couple of hours I remove them from the pans and let them sit on a baking rack for another hour or so. Then it is time to give them their first wrap. Wine is poured in a bowl (I like to use a white semi-dry) and cheesecloth is soaked in the wine. The cloth is then wrapped around the cake, as the wine will gradually be absorbed. Then, I wrap it in Saran Wrap, then in foil, and in the fridge it goes for a couple of weeks. It will come out again and for a second soaking of the cheesecloth in wine, and wrapped back up.

This is a fruitcake to love!

Come Cook With Me - Let's Make Golabki! (Stuffed Cabbage)

Let's face it, who can turn down a GIGANTIC head of cabbage for only a dollar? When walking through Detroit's Eastern Market on Saturday, I was bombarded with huge cabbages, cauliflower, squash of every variety and literally tons and tons of beautiful Michigan apples. I couldn't buy it all, but for my money, the huge cabbage was a must-have!

I love cabbage. It gets a pretty bad wrap, and it seems more and more, the hearty cabbage seems to be fading from the everyday culinary landscape. I'm not on a cabbage crusade by any stretch of the imagination, but there are a couple of things that one can make with cabbage that are among life's greatest pleasures. A hundred variations on cole slaw would be one, and golabki (this is the Polish word), or stuffed cabbage is another.

Often, I will hear people say things like, "making golabki is so much work - I don't bother anymore." Yes, it's work to make stuffed cabbage, just like it's work to make bread, or cook a roast, or make mashed potatoes, so what's the difference?? Either you're going to work and make stuff, or you can fill your pantry with shoes and just go out to eat all the time.

So, I had the big, beautiful head of cabbage. Now I had to do something with it. I made up my mind we (meaning dear sister Marianne, Dad and myself) would make golabki. With the holidays coming up, there would be any number of occasions where we could serve them. So, yesterday Dad went to our favorite Polish butcher - Joyview Meats (on Joy Rd. just east of Telegraph in Redford) and got two pounds of pork and one pound of beef (chuck) ground together. When I got home from work, I sauteed one large onion in butter with a little salt and pepper and then added the onion, a cup of cooked rice, a couple of crumbled chicken bouillon cubes and some salt and pepper to the meat. It went in a ziplock back and back in the fridge.

When I got home today, it was time to begin. With the meat filling ready to go, we got into the kitchen. I got the largest pot I have (I use it for canning) and filled it two-thirds with water and got in on the stove. You really can't start until you have your water at full boil. Dad cut the core (stem) out of the bottom of the cabbage. This helps the leaves to release when they are in the hot water. We put out some towels and got out the food scale. (Photo - there's Dad carefully lifting the cabbage leaves off the head as they blanch in the water and soften up a little)

Once the leaves come out of the pot, they have to be trimmed before they can be used. This was my job. You take the leaf and cut the center vein off the outside. This vein is always tough, and it prevents the leaf from rolling easily, so it really needs to be removed. With the vein off, the entire leaf is now the same thickness and the golabki are more uniform. But be careful, these leaves are hot coming out of the water and you don't want to tear them while trimming. Practice makes perfect! (Photo - me trimming the outside center vein of the cabbage leaf)

Once the leaf is trimmed, it's ready to roll! You can see the photo of the meat mixture (pork, beef, rice, onion and seasoning). Determining how much filling to put in each leaf depends on how large your leaves are and how much filling you have. We had nice, big leaves - so after some reviewing, we decided on 3 1/2 ounces of filling per leaf. As you continue to peel away at the cabbage, the leaves naturally get smaller, so the last few we did we only put in 3 ounces of filling.

It is usually easier to portion out the filling in advance. This way, when the cabbage leaves start coming to the table, you can start rolling. Sister was in charge of the rolling, and using a food scale she made up the filling portions and was ready to go! (Photo: Marianne at the table making up the filling for the golabki)

There is a little technique to rolling the golabki. Marianne has it down - you start with the filling at the bottom and roll once around, then you fold in the sides, and complete the rolling. This makes a nice, tight seal for the filling and totally surrounds it with cabbage goodness.

Notice (photo left) that before the golabki are put into the roasting pan, the pan is lined with cabbage leaves. These are either the outside leaves that are torn, or very thick and wouldn't work well for a roll. By doing this the golabki are sort of kept in a cabbage cocoon - never touching the sides of the roasting pan. It helps prevent browning of the golabki and infuses even more cabbage flavor.

Once the roasting pan is full, then the golabki is topped with it's tomato sauce. Nothing complicated here - we had a total of 18 golabki. I used two cans of condensed tomato soup along with one can of water. Heat in a sauce pan on the stove, and then ladle over the golabki.

After the tomato soup, sprinkle a little brown sugar on top (maybe 3 or 4 tablespoons). This gives just a hint of sweetness and deepens the flavor. It also cuts a bit of the acid from the tomato soup and the cabbage.

Just like the bottom of the pan, put cabbage leaves on top of the golabki once you have finished with the tomato soup and brown sugar. This will insure that the rolls don't brown from contact with the foil (which will go on top of the pan) and it will keep that cabbage flavor circulating while it bakes.

Finally, the golabki are ready to go in the oven. For the first bake, put them in for one and a half hour at 350 degrees. When you take them out, keep them covered. Let them cool. Put them in the refrigerator. DO NOT EAT THEM!! They haven't achieved their full potential - they must sit for a day (or two) and then, and only then, can you put them back in the oven for a second bake - one hour at 325 degrees, and enjoy every succulent bite! Or, you can put them in the freezer (like we're doing tonight) for a later time.

Smacznego!!

On the Road: Baltimore and Beyond!

Sometimes, if you're lucky, life gets peppered with accidental traditions. One such example in this life of mine is making periodic trips to the Baltimore/Washington DC area to pay a visit on my very dear friends, Liz and R.M. Kelley - otherwise known in my household as "The Fabulous Kelley Sisters." For 15 years now I have been making my way by land or sky to visit them, and without exception, each trip brings memorable adventures in good eating! (R.M., Liz and me in front of Cafe Hon in Baltimore)

Ralph and I set out by plane this time (got a great deal from Southwest) and was greeted by Liz at BWI. It was an evening flight, so after arriving back at her house, some quick catching up and a couple glasses of wine, we were off to bed. The weather was INCREDIBLY HOT (record-breaking temps - 100+ degrees). Our first junket was out to explore Baltimore, particularly it's "Little Italy" neighborhood downtown near the inner-harbor and the Fells Point neighborhood. We stopped and picked up R.M., and had the chance to meet the beautiful and delightful Terry and see their charming house. Upon our arrival they made us tomato sandwiches with these incredible fresh summer tomatoes on top of a thin layer of mayonnaise on toasted bread. Dee-lish! It was the perfect summer appetizer.

When we got to the Italian section of Baltimore, we ventured into a new place called "Vino Rosina." The decor was ultra contemporary, and I was worried that it would be one of those places that try very hard to be trendy and cool, which generally means small portions and mediocre food! Not the case here. We were seated right away - the place was fairly busy and it felt good to get out of the oppressive heat and into the air conditioning. One of the things they specialize in is panini sandwiches, and each of the four of us ordered a different one. They were all delicious, but the most memorable part of the meal was our appetizer: Olive Hummus. Was it wonderful! Served with warm crusty Italian bread and olive oil/balsamic vinegar, I could have just eaten all this and been satisfied. It had a good olive flavor, slightly garlic, and it spread nicely on the bread. (Olive Hummus - our appetizer at Vino Rosina in Baltimore)

After lunch, we proceeded into the Fells Point neighborhood of Baltimore. I've been here before and love to walk around to the many quirky unique shops and take in the great variety of architecture and history. I'm amazed at the the small narrow townhouses people live in here - one right after the other, block after block. Detroit never had housing like this, so compact. After walking around for a while and shopping, we headed back to where we were parked. As we walked, the air was full of the wonderful aroma of baking bread. Sure enough, there is a large commercial bakery in Fells Point, H&S Bakery. They make lots of local bread sold in area supermarkets and wouldn't you know we walked right past the H&S Bakery Thrift Store on our way to the car? How could I pass up this chance? I could have bought a dozen loaves of bread and other baked goodies, but something that caught my eye was a box of heavily frosted cookies called "Bergers Chocolate Cremes." Liz and R.M. explained that Bergers Cookies are a local icon, and that if I wanted to experience a real part of Baltimore life, then I should get a box. Say no more! I could hardly wait to get back to R.M. and Terry's house to try these cookies. The cookie itself is a white cakey wafer - not much to it. But the cookie really serves as a frosting delivery device, as it holds a thick layer of rich, creamy chocolate fudge frosting. Out of this world!

After the Bergers Cookie coma wore off, we were ready to venture out into the furnace and head to another Baltimore neighborhood called Hampden. I had never been to this part of the city before, but we were set on going to Cafe Hon for dinner. "Hon," short for "honey," is a local expression that people call each other. The epicenter of hon-ness is the Cafe Hon, which is adorned by a three-story pink flamingo in the front. More than just fun and kitschy, the food at Cafe Hon is original and terrific. Everything is homemade and you can tell. There are a lot of choices on the menu, but it's foundation is good comfort-food, including some regional dishes like crab everything. (I wanted to get a t-shirt that said, "I got crabs in Baltimore" but Ralph wouldn't let me!) As we like to do, everyone ordered something different. Ralph started with Maryland Crab Soup - a house specialty, and I had the Cream of Crab soup. (Liz and Ralph standing outside of Cafe Hon and wondering when am I going to finally snap the picture!)

For dinner I ordered one of the daily specials, the coconut crusted tilapia. Ralph ordered another special, crab cake sliders! R.M. ordered the black bean burger and Liz ordered the crab cake. (The Maryland Crab soup at Cafe Hon)

Here's a photo of my dish - the coconut tilapia. It was a little adventurous to put coconut and fish together, but this delicate piece of fish along with a salsa of tomato and pineapple worked beautifully. And as a side, I sampled their homemade macaroni and cheese. The plate was very large, and you can see that the fish took up half the plate, so no one was going home hungry tonight!

Here's the crab cake sliders that Ralph ordered. These mini crab cakes on soft hamburger buns served with a sour dill pickle on top and lots of fries. He's holding the side of spinach he ordered, which was steamed with garlic. It was comfort food redesigned in a fun and delicious way.

My feeling is, if you're on vacation and don't order dessert when you're out then you might as well stay home! The Cafe Hon offered a long list of desserts, including lots of homemade cakes and pies. When we walked in, we happened to pass the counter where the desserts were on display, and since I'm a sucker for anything coconut, I couldn't help but notice this giant coconut cake sitting on a pedestal. I knew it would be mine!

Our waitress also told us that their bread pudding had just won an award as "Baltimore's Best." Since bread pudding lists as one of Ralph's favorites, it seemed clear that we were going to be ordering a couple of desserts. Common sense got the better of me and we only ordered those two, but I could have kept ordering! (R.M. samples the luscious coconut cake)

Here is Cafe Hon's award-winning bread putting in the process of being eaten by four forks.













Our last full day took us to our nation's capital to check out an exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and get a bite to eat. It was 104 degrees outside. Needless to say, we kept the walking outside to a minimum. We went into the DuPont Circle neighborhood and had lunch there at Pizzeria Paradiso. In addition to offering really unique artisan pizzas, they also offered an incredible selection of beers from both local breweries and around the world. Two people in my party ordered a beer called "Raging Bitch" - I won't say who ordered it but they found the name fitting!
So, on this blazing hot day with humidity almost in the triple digits, we got some cold drinks, salads and ordered up a couple of pizza pies. (Veggie pizza from Pizza Paradiso)


One of the pizzas was the veggie - very yummy. I ordered one of the pizza specials, which was a peach/cheese pizza that had feta, fresh peaches and prosciutto on top. It was a salt/sweet combination, very light. It was interesting, not something I would eat all the time, but it was fun to try something different. We hated to leave the cool of the restaurant, but we managed to not totally wither and walked ourselves around DuPont Circle for a little while.




As I've said on this blog many times before, part of the fun of any trip is to sample the local specialties - things you can't find at home. Such is the case with Utz potato chips. They are actually made in Pennsylvania, but they are a staple in Baltimore area snacking. What's more, they actually make a "crab chip," which is a chip lightly coated with Old Bay seasoning. Talk about awesome! I love my made-in-Detroit Better Made chips, but these Utz chips were a quality product. Light, crispy, not greasy and a good potato flavor. The crab chips were over the top - as you can see, I had no problem putting away this small bag in mere minutes.







Our last official function before getting on the plane and heading back to Detroit was, of course, food related. I couldn't get my mind off of those Bergers Cookies, and wanted to take some home for my dad and friends. Liz got online and I started calling around, and we found that we could buy them at a grocery store called "Giant." What's better than a giant - a Super Giant! So, before dropping us off at the airport Liz took us to her local Super Giant and there in the bakery department was boxes and boxes of Bergers Cookies. I grabbed three boxes and didn't worry about how I was going to manage them on the plane. I happy to report that they made it home in good shape and are LONG GONE!




Yes, it was another wonderful weekend with the fabulous Kelley sisters - such generous hosts and dear friends. Spending time with them made every meal special, every trip an adventure, and gave us a weekend to remember. When you are with people who love food, you are with friends! We're looking forward to seeing them again soon! (R.M., Liz and Ralph in front of Cafe Hon)

Orange Pineapple Cake

I ran across this recipe for orange-pineapple cake a few months ago and had been meaning to make it for a while, but kept forgetting about it (so many recipes, so little time!).

Last night, I decided to just make it, and if people seemed to like it, add it to the rotation of cakes served up at St. Josaphat's during church dinners, parties or luncheons.

It wasn't a hard recipe, but as is always the case, the trick is having ALL of the ingredients on hand. A stop at my neighborhood Kroger insured that I had everything that was needed.

An interesting note about the cake batter - no oil or fat added. It did call for a half-cup of applesauce and an 11oz can of mandarin oranges (including syrup) as well as four egg whites. The cake was light but moist and orangey. The topping was a breeze - CoolWhip, a can of crush pineapple (un-drained) and a package of vanilla pudding.

I served it up this afternoon with a pot of piping hot coffee and we all took a mid-afternoon cake break. I vote that we make this a daily thing.

Many thanks to food-porn photog extraordinaire Liza Lagman-Sperl who makes everything look even more luscious than it really is for her wonderful pictures. Check them all out at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kodamakitty/4625113170/in/set-72157601682866366/

Feeding Detroit: Pork Chops ala Polska

On the face of it, 280 pork chops sounds like a lot, but in a matter of about 25 minutes, they all disappeared. Today was the annual Polish Pork Chop dinner at St. Josaphat Church. It's hard to say what makes these pork chops Polish - maybe it's the Polish butcher who cuts them to order (about 1/2" thick with the bone left in), or the Polish folks who cook them up, or the fact that they are served at an old Polish parish. Either way, these pork chops are prepared the way my mom always made them. They are dipped in egg wash, coated with seasoned flour and browned in a frying pan. After that, the chops go in the oven with ton of sauteed onions and bake low and slow until they are fork tender and melt in your mouth. (The west dining room is ready for service)


We usually serve these with boiled redskin potatoes topped with lots of melted butter and parsley. This year, at the request of the dinner's sponsors, we made Potatoes Supreme. Some people call these cheesy potatoes, others call them creamy potatoes, but whatever you call them, they are one of those dishes that you eat at some sort of special celebration. The base is diced potatoes and then you add melted butter, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, onions, cream of chicken soup and some seasoning. They are baked until a golden brown top crust appears.


(The pork chops are ready to go into the oven and bake)



We always make kapusta (Polish sauerkraut) at this dinner. You'll see it mentioned in previous blogs - it cooks for 10 hours and has an aroma that anyone who had a Polish grandma will recognize. (Ken is mixing up the Potatoes Supreme - three huge batches to feed this hungry crowd)









The other items on the buffet included peas and carrots, cucumbers and sour cream (our sponsor always makes these-they are incredible), pickled beets, dill pickles, applesauce, rye bread and butter, ice cream and cookies. (Dad is getting the peas and carrots ready to cook)











This was a record crowd for this dinner. Tickets sold-out in a matter of a couple of weeks. It always amazes me that as much as people come for the food, they also come for the fellowship. When the hall is filled with people eating, laughing and celebrating the community of our parish, it's a beautiful thing. (One of two roasters filled with kapusta, cooking away and getting ready for the buffet)



(Dear friends Marianne and Helen making their way through the line - it's so wonderful to share these dinners with family and friends....like having a party!)