Our Easter in Poland 2016

It's Lany Poniedziałek (Wet Monday), and our Easter break is coming to an end. Per family tradition, I was the first one up so I was the water sprinkler, not sprinklee. Also as per tradition, one child was laughing while the other one was crying. Mommy almost cried too when she discovered that the crying child had slept all night on a chocolate egg! I must admit when I first saw it, I thought it was something else so I'm grateful it was just a smooshed and melted chocolate egg. Small mercies.

The weather is absolutely beautiful. The sun is shining. The sky is blue. The birds are chirping. And we are all inside with our noses in our books or gadgets because we're all sick. We've all got the same sickness, but at various stages and degrees of severity. That means no walking, running, cycling, or playing outside for us. It also means pajamas, syrups, cups of tea, and mountains of used tissues. 

Good Friday we spent getting the house ready. My husband arranged a wonderful lady to help out. She's a lifesaver even though she didn't do the windows "bo i tak nie świętujecie". Yes, she decided to leave the windows for later because we don't celebrate Easter. We had a good laugh. She promised to do them next time. It was during this time of cleaning up and decorating that we realized that we simultaneously have Easter, Christmas, and Halloween decorations up in our house. That's okay, right?

The girls made an Easter egg tree

This is my Easter tree with handmade glass ornaments and blown-out painted eggs.

I found the perfect use for this yellow vase I bought in Bolesławiec.

On Good Friday, we also paid a visit to our local egg dealer, an older lady from our neighborhood. Our old egg dealer is in prison. Our current egg dealer was feeling a bit lonely I think and wanted to chat. I got to know that her grandson was the getaway driver for our old egg dealer. He went to prison for that, but now he's out. He's been trying to grow marijuana in the garden and in the little woods near their house, but grandma and the chickens keep destroying all his attempts. We also got to know that most of the young people in her family have gone to England to work and that she'd much rather her grandson went to England to work than engage in questionable activities here in Poland. Then she had to run off to the shop to buy dishwashing liquid, you know, because she had to do her windows.

This is the first batch of eggs.

Some of the eggs got dyed.

The rest of the eggs were made into pickled eggs.

Good Saturday we packed up the sick kids and forced them to go for a walk near the church to get some fresh air and to see people taking their Easter baskets to be blessed. My children were not interested at all, so nothing has changed since last year. I, on the other hand, love looking at the baskets. My favorite basket carriers this year included a small gang of surly teenaged boys decked out in their favorite sweatsuits and a leather-clad biker dude carrying the most delicate basket of all. We wanted to peek inside the church, but the crowd made it impossible. Plus our children were bored to death, and our pockets were full of used up tissues. We came back home.

It was standing room only at the church on Good Saturday.

At church

A billboard outside the church "YOU crucified Jesus"

Easter Sunday is our girls' favorite day because the Easter bunny visits them, and did he ever. I think they were satisfied with what they found in the garden. We also found a chicken in our garden, a real one. This chicken has been hanging out in our garden, making a big mess, for the last three days. It's ours now, right?

They missed one..we found it today.

"Easter eggs"

Our new chicken. Rosie's named it "Rosół". That's Chicken Soup in Polish.

While the girls sorted through their Easter baskets, we could get breakfast ready. 

Pickled eggs and Spinach and Salmon Tart

It wouldn't a Polish Easter without veggie salad.

The spread

I almost forgot that we went to an Easter Market a week ago for Palm Sunday. I love small town markets.

There were so many stalls, these selling crafts and decorations.

There was also a palm contest.

I always wondered how they transported those big palms.

Jealous?

Honey, jams, and syrups

Bread with lard and a pickle and hams

Eggs, bread, heavy cream, sausages. The seller asked me, "Are you buying or just smelling." I was just smelling :(

Eggs

Fresh bread

These lovely ladies agreed to pose for a picture.

The Mazurek that we bought.

The selection of Babki decorated for Easter.

A selection of Easter cakes from the local bakery.

Lamb cake for Easter only 10 zl.

The Mazurek we didn't buy :)

An entry in the Mazurek cake contest

An entry in the Mazurek cake contest

An entry in the Mazurek cake contest

I believe this Mazurek took first place in the cake contest.

These baskets were much emptier after my visit.

Bunny decorations

Glass eggs ornaments plus one Maluch Fiat 126

A close up

It's not very Eastery, but I couldn't resist.

Little loaves of bread for the Easter baskets

Easter cemetery candles

Felt Easter baskets

All in all, it's been a very nice Easter holiday. Now it is time to think about going back to school and work.

MŁODA KAPUSTA ZASMAŻANA Z KOPERKIEM

FRIED CABBAGE WITH DILL

We are a cabbage family. We love cabbage. Bigos, cabbage. Coleslaw, cabbage. Gołąbki, the best part is the cabbage. We especially love fried cabbage. It's really easy if you have a food processor. It's less easy if you don't.

You'll need:

a small cabbage, a carrot, an onion, dill, caraway, salt & pepper, sugar, vinegar, flour, butter.

Here's what to do:

Chop the onion and fry in a large frying pan using about 4 tablespoons of butter. When the onions soften and start to brown, add the grated cabbage and some grated carrot. This is where the food processor comes in handy. Hand grating isn't my thing. Add some water and cook the cabbage till it's soft. That will depend on the age of the cabbage and how thick it is cut. As the cabbage cooks add some salt, pepper, dill, and cumin to taste. Add a splash of vinegar and a teaspoon or two of sugar. Stir in some flour or other thickener. Cook everything down till the cabbage is soft and the liquid has reduced. Give it a taste and adjust the spices to your liking.

Smacznego. I hope you like it.

Kefirek, my love.

I like kefir. Mmmm kefir with that lovely, zingy, slightly sour taste. It's refreshing and if you choose the plain one (the only kind I drink), it's a relatively low fat, low calorie protein boost. 

And apparently it's good for a hangover according to Misiu.

Misiu is the one who introduced me to kefir, not for a hangover, for breakfast. Well, I am sure I didn't have a hangover at least. We were traveling, and we needed a quick, convenient, and cheap morning meal. Kefir and a roll. Easy peasy.

I still occasionally drink kefir for breakfast on the go. I also add it to recipes calling for milk or yogurt. Sometimes I use kefir to make a smoothie for myself and the kids.

Kefir is not completely unknown in the United States. It can be found in large cities and in specialty shops. I suspect the demand is fueled firstly by immigrants and secondly by health nuts. Kefir cannot be found in small town grocery stores in America as Misiu discovered as he stood with a huge hangover at the dairy counter in the grocery store in my hometown. He searched the shelves in desperation and then asked, "What is 'kefir' in English?" Kefir is kefir but that didn't help in locating it on the shelf. He decided to go for the buttermilk hoping it was the same as Polish maślanka, vowing to never drink again. American maślanka isn't exactly the same and the vow to never drink again, well, let's just say we have free access to Polish kefir now.

Na zdrowie.

Here's what the press has had to say about kefir lately:

http://natemat.pl/129655,amerykanie-odkryli-kefir-tylko-nikt-nie-wie-jak-wymowic-jego-nazwe

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/08/kefir-next-greek-yogurt_n_6436992.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/09/12/kefir-benefits_n_3914818.html

Fat Thursday’s Donut Damage

Donut Day (czyli Fat Thursday) has come and gone. I suppose I can start my diet now – or tomorrow – or better yet, Monday! But before that let’s first review the donut damage. Despite the many, many donuts placed practically right under my nose yesterday, I consumed only 4 (tylko 4, albo aż 4 depending on your perspective). They were all glazed and filled with rose jam. Scratch that, one was definitely de-glazed by Rosie before it got to my plate.

The best donut had to be the first one in the morning. It was my favorite kind – delivered to me with a cup of coffee by a pretty lady and then getting paid to eat it. Even without all the fanfare, it was still the best of the day. It was fresh, not too dark and still warm from the bakery.

The next donut was also delivered by a pretty lady (a different pretty lady) with a cup of coffee and I was paid to eat it. The whole set up was a bit too elegant for me though. It’s just a donut after all. I got my coffee and donut on the good office “guest” china. I had a choice of 3 donuts – glazed with jam, powdered sugar with jam or glazed with adwokat. These donuts were really big but not domed like the other ones. And the jam wasn’t jammy. It was like fruit filling from a can. Anyhow, I tried to eat my donut as elegantly as a donut can be eaten with minimal lip-smacking and finger-licking. Prezes ate 3 donuts and in what has now become a tradition, told the secretaries that I ate them. Truly a mature and elegant way to behave – quite befitting for a president of a large corporation. And in all this elegance, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing when Prezes took a huge bite out of his first of 3 donuts and a big dollop of rose filling plunked down onto his suit trousers. I know it is soooo mature of me, but I was stricken with a case of the giggles and couldn’t stop. Luckily for me, Prezes has a good sense of humor and he got a good laugh out of it himself.

After that I refused the next few donuts offered me and waited to eat the donuts Misiu had bought. Unfortunately, they were the type I don’t really like (glaze overload and dark) so I had to eat 2 of them ;) And just as I was turning to tell Misiu about how Prezes ruined his trousers….you guessed it, Misiu dropped a dollop of jam from his damn communist bastard donut.

Til next year…

previous Fat Thursday posts can be found here and here.

Christmas in the Village

We spent Christmas at our village house for the first time ever. It was fantastic. Rosie kept saying “this is our prawdziwy dom”. That’s exactly what I was thinking too. We were able to spend Christmas at our house this year because we installed gas heating which was finished just a few days before Christmas. For future reference - when the gas company tells you that it only takes a month or two to do all the paperwork and install everything, please know that they are exaggerating at best or just plain lying at worst.  

We had a real tree and put it up in the girls’ room. That’s when I discovered that lights for a little apartment-tree are not enough for a big house-tree. Oh well, better luck next year. I also discovered that it is hard to play Santa Claus in the room where children are sleeping, but I managed to do it somehow. The top hit this year was Baby Alive for Rosie and Lego City for Lizzie. They were also thrilled with their room and the house and spending time together. So were we.

The girls made some decorations for the tree. I love them! It’s my Christmas 2011 “favorite thing”.

 

 

I cooked the usual - kutia, herrings and this year pork roast with prunes.

Here are all the ingredients for kutia. Recipe after the pictures.

Here’s the wheat after it is cooked…

 

…and after all the ingredients have been added.

Mmmm…kutia.

Kutia Recipe

“kutia” wheat -whole grains

raisins

honey

nuts of your choice

poppy seeds

candied orange peel

cream at least 18%

Soak the wheat overnight. Boil in a large pot until the wheat softens. Depending on the brand of wheat, it can take from 1 hour to as long as 3. Drain and rinse the wheat.

Mix the cooked wheat, honey (to taste – I use about 6 teaspoons for one bag of wheat), raisins, chopped nuts (I use walnuts and sometimes almonds), poppy and candied orange peel (I used canned and prepared poppy seeds) and a couple of tablespoons of cream.

Kutia Przepis

pszenica na kutię – całe ziarna

rodzynki

miód

orzechy – do wyboru

mak

kandyzowana skórka z pomarańczy

śmietanka – co najmniej 18%

Mocz pszenicę w wodzie przez noc. Gotuj w dużym garnku aż zmięknie. W zależności od rodzaju ziarna może to zająć od 1 do 3 godzin. Odcedź i wypłucz pszenicę.

Wymieszaj ugotowaną pszenicę, miód (żeby był smak ja używam około 6 łyżeczek na jeden woreczek pszenicy), rodzynki, posiekane orzechy (ja używam włoskie a czasami migdały), mak i skórkę pomarańczy (używam maku gotowego z puszki) i kilka łyżek stołowych śmietanki .

I can say that after all these years in Poland, I even like herrings – as long as I prepare them myself. My favorite way to prepare herrings is with onions.

Herrings with onions

8-10 herring filets matias (as we call them “majtasy”). If they are salted they need to be rinsed or even soaked and rinsed in water or milk. Drain and pat dry. Set aside.

Slice an onion or two very thinly. Place on a plate and sprinkle with sugar. Allow the onions to sit until they start to get soft and release some juice (at least an hour). Layer the fish and onions in a bowl. Sprinkle each layer with a little white wine vinegar and drizzle with some olive oil. Allow to sit at least 12 hours. Decorate with parsley and lime.

Śledzie z cebulą

8-10 filetów śledziowych tzw. MATJASY (my mówimy na nie MAJTASY). Jeśli są posolone trzeba je wypłukać lub nawet namoczyć w wodzie lub w mleku i wypłukać. Odcedzić i wysuszyć. Odłożyć na bok.

Potnij w cienkie plasterki 1 lub 2 cebule. Połóż na talerzu i posyp cukrem. Pozostaw cebulę aż zmięknie i puści sok (co najmniej 1 godzina). Ułóż warstwami rybę i cebulę na półmisku. Pokrop każdą warstwę odrobiną octu winnego i polej odrobiną oliwy z oliwek. Pozostaw na co najmniej 12 godzin. Udekoruj natką pietruszki i limonką.

 

I also prepared a herring salad with potatoes, beets, onions, pickles, apples, herring (of course) and mayo but it wasn’t as good as the plain herrings with onions.

I thought that my biggest challenge would be the schab ze śliwkami but in fact it was the easiest. I was most worried about how I would make the hole in the roast for the prunes but our butcher read my mind and asked me if I needed a hole punched through the meat. Problem solved.

Before…

… and after.

Our Christmas Eve supper  - pierogi and uszka courtesy of my mother-in-law

From the sofa I could admire our heater (yippee) and the Christmas decorations on our neighbor’s roof. We don’t have curtains as you can see. It makes things interesting ;)

Here’s some mistletoe from our garden that I hung in the kitchen. I stood under it for ages with no results. Maybe next time.

Some carolers came to our door but while I was looking for my wallet, they left. Impatient little carolers. I also saw my favorite neighborhood pijaki visiting the shop owner at home on Boxing Day begging him to take pity on them and open the shop just for a minute so they could buy a flaszka. The shop owner declined to open the shop. Good for him!

One more favorite thing of Christmas 2011 is the fact that we are mortgage free. We paid the last mortgage payment for our apartment (our house has been paid for awhile) and are now mortgage free. Yippee!