Super Mom and the Best Bubble Mix Ever!

Super Mom I am not. Despite what my shirt says. That shirt was a gift anyhow. From a Super Mom. She is such a Super Mom that when my daughter had a Super Hero birthday party, my Super Mom friend made us all Super Hero t-shirts and Super Hero capes. Thanks Super Mom.

It's not my intention to make Kielbasa Stories the glorification of myself as a mother. I'm not really into the Mommy Blogger thing, although "Mommy" is one of the titles I proudly hold. The Mommiest of my moments? I do make my kids' birthday cakes and share them here, but not because I'm Super Mom. It's because I'm not. My kids won't eat store-bought birthday cakes, and I'm so proud of myself for not fecking the whole thing up and that it is actually edible.I am in such disbelief that I have to share them here to immortalize them for all eternity. As simple as that. 

Oh, and this week I made pierogi, and I took a picture, and I shared it on two forms of social media, so there!

Having said all that, I'm about to do the most Super Mommiest thing I have ever done. I am going to share with you my super secret recipe for seriously the Best Bubble Mix Ever! And I mean it. That's not click bait. I have created with my own hands the most amazing Bubble Mix with just a few simple ingredients.

I started from buying industrial size Bubble Mix from Tesco for a birthday party we were planning. It cost an arm and a leg, smelled like old socks, and my kids promptly spilled the whole thing in the backyard. Furious and not wanting to lose my temper, I took that now empty bottle and checked the ingredients. As you may know Bubble Mix is basically soapy water, well soapy water and some glycerin. So I bought a bottle of glycerin and mixed it with water and some dish washing liquid. Voila, bubbles. Well, kind of. The bubbles weren't very bubbly. They didn't want to come off the wand. When they did, they popped quite quickly. 

Hmmm, back to the ingredients list. I didn't recognize the rest of the ingredients I must admit. Most of them seemed to be responsible for the old sock smell as far as Google could tell me. Then I Googled one last ingredient, and was surprised that Google showed me bottle after bottle of Durex Play. Yep, the missing link in my bubble mix is the main ingredient in Durex Play. Durex Play is not cheap, but a bottle that costs 28 zl in Poland is enough for about 4 liters or more of bubble mix. However, when buying three bottles at the pharmacy, it isn't the best of ideas to tell the pharmacist that they are for your kid's birthday party. Live and learn.

So here it is...

The Best Bubble Mix Ever

A bottle or jar of water

3 healthy squirts of a good quality dish washing liquid

A small bottle of glycerin 

4-5 healthy squirts of Durex Play 2 in 1

Depending on your bottle and your definition of healthy squirts, your mix might be too concentrated. No worries. When you pour some out for the kids, just dilute it with a bit of water.

What makes this recipe the Best Bubble Mix Ever? Well, the mix is extremely productive. With one dip of the wand, you can make 10 bubbles. The bubbles come off the wand easily, they are bouncy, and they last a long time. Plus it doesn't smell like old socks. 

 Happy bubbling!

PS In case anyone is in doubt that my kids are totally Polish, please note my daughter's footwear ;)

Marynowane Jajka - Pickled Eggs

Ta amerykańska potrawa jest tradycyjnie podawana w mojej rodzinie na Wielkanoc. Smakuje świetnie kiedy jest podana na zimno z szynką i kiełbasą jak również z wołowiną. Niektórzy wolą jajka, niektórzy buraki, a niektórzy tak jak ja wolą to i to. Robię tę potrawę dla mojej rodzinie w Polsce co roku i oni ją uwielbiają…tak przynajmniej mówią. Osądźcie sami. Smacznego!

Marynowane Jajka – Pickled Eggs (click for recipe in English)



Składniki
Buraki  (5 lub więcej)
1 szklanka octu winnego
1 1/2 szklanki wody z buraków (co najmniej)
1/2 szklanki cukru (biały lub brązowy)
1 łyżeczka soli
1 liść laurowy
1/2-1 łyżeczki ziela angielskiego
1/2-1 łyżeczki goździków
1/2 łyżeczki imbiru
1/2 łyżeczki kminku – cały
1 (lub więcej) ząbek czosnku – posiekane lub w całości
jajko na twardo (8-12)
słoiki

Przepis
1. Ugotować jajka i usunąć skorupki. Odłożyć na bok.
2. Umyć, obrać i ugotować buraki. Wyciągnąć buraki z wody (zatrzymać wodę). Ostudzić, obrać i pokroić (w plastry albo kostki).
3. W wodzie z buraków wymieszać czosnek, ocet, cukier, sól i przyprawy.
4. W dużym, czystym słoiku (słoikach), ułożyć warstwami jajka (w całości) i buraki. Wypełnić przyprawioną wodą z buraków. Zamknąć słoik i na krótko odwrócić do góry nogami żeby uszczelnić. Trzymać w lodówce.
5. Czekać co najmniej 12 godzien przed podaniem.
Życzę pyszne śniadanie.
przepis na Wielkanoc, jajka na Wielkanoc, Śniadanie wielkonocna

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.

Co zrobić z dynią?

Placek dyniowy!



Jak sprawdzałam przepisy po polsku na dynie większość była na dania mięsne albo pikantne ale nie słodkie. Jak już przejdę przez ten cały czasochłonny proces od dyni do ugotowanego puree, chcę potem ugotować/upiec coś lepszego niż pikantny sos do makaronu albo krem z dyni. Ja chcę deser! Mój ulubiony deser - pumpkin pie! To jest przepis mojej mamy na pumpkin pie - wersja bez spodu. Jeszcze udoskonaliłam go troszeczke i zmniejszyłam ilość cukru do norm Europejskich - nie na smak przeciętnego Amerykanina. Smacznego.

Przepis na placek dyniowy Chris –

Składniki

1 szklanka mąki

1 ½ łyżeczki proszku do pieczenia

1/8 łyżeczki soli

przyprawy do smaku (cynamon, imbir, gałka)

½ kostki masła

¾ szklanki cukru (biały lub brązowy)

2 jajka

½ łyżeczka ekstraktu waniliowego

1 puszka niesłodzonego skondensowanego mleka

3 szklanki miąższu dyni (gotowane i zmiksowane)

Sposób przyrządzania

1. Podgrzać piekarnik do 180°C. Smarować naczynie masłem (boki i dno) i odstawić na bok.

1. Zmieszać razem mąkę, proszek do pieczenia, sól i przyprawy.

1. W dużej misce ubić razem cukier i masło (lekko zmiękczone). Wbić 2 jajka.

1. Dodać suche składniki i wanilię. Zmieszać.

1. Dodać dynię i zmieszać.

1. Dodać mleko i zmieszać łyżką.

1. Wlać do naczynia. Piec w temp. 180°C przez ok. 45 min – 1 godz. Ostudzić przed podaniem.

In English...

Chris’s Pumpkin Pie Recipe – The no-crust version

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

spices to taste (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg)

½ square butter

¾ cup sugar (white or brown)

2 eggs

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 can evaporated milk (non-sweetened)

3 cups pumpkin (cooked and mixed)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease one glass pie pan with butter (bottom and sides) and set aside.

1. Sift or mix together flour, baking powder, salt and spices.

1. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter (slightly softened). Beat in 2 eggs.

1. Add dry ingredients and vanilla. Mix.

1. Add pumpkin and mix.

1. Add milk and stir with a spoon.

1. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 180°C for about 1 hour. Let cool before cutting.

1 cup=235 ml
tsp.=teaspoon
1 tsp.=5ml

Enjoy!

Konfitura, Baby!

I have made konfitura. Myself. From berry bush to jar, all from scratch.
I’m expecting a call from the President at any moment.

This is not a very elegantly presented or photographed dish, but homemade waffles with homemade blackberry preserves is the best.

Konfitura can be translated simply as jam or as I prefer, preserves. My original plan was to make jeżynówka or nalweka from jeżyny. Nalewka is homemade liquor. If you’ve ever had it, especially berry or cherry liquor, I’m sure you’d agree that it is delicious. It’s so deceptively delicious that I have seen people who don’t usually drink, quickly get falling-down drunk. OK, that was me, but I am sure it has happened to other people as well. I checked the nalewka recipes and saw that I’d have to wait a month or 2 or 3 to consume said nalewka. There is also a process of filtering that looks like a lot of work for a person who rarely drinks alcohol. So it seems that delicious nalewka is reserved for the patient which I am definitely not. (Notice the unhealthy pale color of my waffle. Waiting for it to brown up was just taking too long and I had already started to eat all the preserves straight from the jar.) In the end, I opted for a recipe which allows me to eat berries now.

We pick blackberries in a secret and undisclosed location near our house in the village. Judging by the quantity and quality of berries we’ve been picking the last few weeks and the unscientific research I have done (i.e. ask the drunks at the shop), we are the only people who pick berries. Apparently picking berries is for biedaki and/or hipsters. At any given time, I fall into either or both of those categories, so I guess that evaluation is spot on.

Here is how this poor hipster made some delicious jam.

Blackberry jam – Konfitura z jeżyn

We picked about a kilogram of ripe berries. We ate another half a kilo on the walk. We spotted an eagle catching a fish and then a frog jumped into my berry container. Don’t worry, I didn’t preserve it. At home, I cleaned the berries and removed all extra material such as leaves, a snail, a worm of some kind and the frog. Next, I started cooking the kilo of berries in a big pot. I added a teaspoon of citric acid to keep the color vibrant. Next, I added the seeds of one vanilla bean. Finally, I added cukier żelujący – gelling sugar and cooked for 3-5 minutes. After that I transferred the hot berries to clean jars, put the lid on, and let stand upside down for 5-10 minutes. I then checked that the jar top sealed and that’s it.

That’s all there is to it. Easy, isn’t it? We also found some big, fat mushrooms I thought would be perfect for pickling. I know nothing about wild mushrooms so when Misiu declared, “I think you can eat them.” I decided that pickled mushrooms can wait for another day.

Smacznego!

A Polish Thanksgiving

Along with Halloween, we celebrate Thanksgiving here in Poland. When I say “we” I mean our family. Thanksgiving hasn’t made it into the Polish holiday line-up ;) I’m always kind of bummed out on Thanksgiving because I know my family in the US is sitting down together for dinner and I am…at work. Our Thanksgiving always takes place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Not quite the same but good enough.
Do you know what is the best thing about Thanksgiving (besides family and giving thanks and all that)?
The pumpkin pie! I had to practice to make sure I remember how to make pumpkin pie from last year. Here’s my first practice pie. My second one didn’t turn out.

And now the best thing about NOT having Thanksgiving in Poland…no Black Friday! I am much thankful for that.
Chris’s Pumpkin Pie Recipe – The no-crust version (which is really my mother’s pumpkin pie minus the crust and some sugar)

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

spices to taste (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg)

½ square butter

¾ cup sugar (white or brown)

2 eggs

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 can evaporated milk (non-sweetened)

3 cups pumpkin (cooked and mixed)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease one glass pie pan with butter (bottom and sides) and set aside.

1. Sift or mix together flour, baking powder, salt and spices.

1. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter (slightly softened). Beat in 2 eggs.

1. Add dry ingredients and vanilla. Mix.

1. Add pumpkin and mix.

1. Add milk and stir with a spoon.

1. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 180°C for about 1 hour. Let cool before cutting.

1 cup=235 ml
tsp.=teaspoon
1 tsp.=5ml

Enjoy :)

Hoping to turn this…

into this…



and this.



And have no idea what to do about this…

…I guess not make a mountain out of it ;)

Blueberry Muffin Recipe

dry ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch of salt

wet ingredients:
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup or more of blueberries

Sift the dry ingredients together. Next mix the wet ingredients together. Add the wet mixture to the dry one and stir just enough so that everthing is mixed. Fold in the blueberries. Bake at 200 °C for about 25 minutes in a greased pan or muffin tin.

Smacznego

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!

Christmas Dishes: Kutia and Herring - Potrawy Świąteczne: Kutia i Śledź

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Kutia. Here’s the recipe according to my mother-in-law. And she knows her stuff!

Nie byłoby Świąt bez kutii. Oto przepis według mojej teściowej. A ona się zna!

Kutia

“kutia” wheat -whole grains

raisins

honey

nuts of your choice

poppy seeds

candied orange peel

cream at least 18%

pszenica na kutię – całe ziarna

rodzynki

miód

orzechy – do wyboru

mak

kandyzowana skórka z pomarańczy

śmietanka – co najmniej 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.

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 .

Here’s the finished product.

Oto gotowy produkt!

Smacznego!

This is the first time I have made herrings myself at home. It required a phone call to my friend to make sure I was on the right path.

Pierwszy raz robiłam sama śledzie w domu. Wymagało to telefonu do koleżanki, aby upewnić się, że jestem na dobrej drodze.

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.

Herrings with dill in sour cream Prepare herring filets as above.

Sour cream sauce – Mix together sour cream, chopped pickles, chopped dill, a little bit of chopped onion and one clove of garlic. Mix with herring filets and allow to sit at least 12 hours. Decorate with dill.

Śledzie z koperkiem w śmietanie

Przygotuj filety śledziowe jak wyżej.

Sos śmietanowy: Zmieszaj śmietanę, posiekane ogórki kiszone, posiekany koperek, odrobinę posiekanej cebuli i jeden ząbek czosnku. Zmieszaj ze śledziami i odstaw na co najmniej 12 godzin. Udekoruj koperkiem.

Smacznego!

Easter: Rosie’s Birthday and Pickled Eggs

It’s Rosie’s 2nd birthday today. I can’t believe Rosie’s the same age that Lizzie was when we brought her home from the hospital. She still seems like such a baby, and Lizzie seemed liked such a big girl back then.

What to do for a child on her birthday when she’s on a restricted diet? A gelatin “cake”! 

Happy Birthday Rosie!Both girls loved it.

After the cake, we decided to crack open our first jar of pickled eggs. This year, we managed to wait 24 hours. Last year we couldn’t stand it and tried them on the first day. They turned out  great.

For me, it wouldn’t be Easter without pickled eggs and beet and horseradish relish.

One jar down, another one to go!

Pickled Eggs RECIPE

Ingredients

beets

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 ½ cups beet water

½ cup sugar (white or brown)

1 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf (liść laurowy)

1 teaspoon whole allspice (ziele angielskie)

1 teaspoon cloves (goździki)

½ teaspoon ginger (imbir)

½ teaspoon whole caraway seeds (kminek)

1 garlic clove – chopped or whole

hard-boiled eggs

jar

Directions

1. Boil eggs and remove shells. Set aside.

1. Clean and boil beets. Remove beets from water to cool and cut.

1. In the beet water (1-2 cups), mix garlic, vinegar, sugar, salt and spices. Bring to a boil.

1. In a large clean jar, layer eggs and beets and fill in with spiced beet water. Close jar tightly and briefly turn upside down. Keep in refrigerator.

1. Wait at least 12 hours before serving.

We also made…

Horseradish Sauce - Sos Chrzanowy

grated horseradish

mayo

pepper

a little milk/cream

and…

Beet and Horseradish Relish-  Ćwikła

grated cooked beets

a few spoons of grated horseradish

a teaspoon of vinegar

a teaspoon of sugar

a pinch of salt

a bit of cumin

and...

Vegetable Salad - Sałatka Jarzynowa

Cook and cube potatoes, carrots and celeriac (celery root). Also cube pickles and hard boiled eggs and add peas, corn and (optional) chopped onion. Mix with mayo and season to taste (pepper, parsley, dill).

Yum!

Good Friday Easter Preparations: Cooking

Today was a day of cooking and cleaning. I guess that despite my dirty windows, I really am turning into a Polish mom and housewife.

I cooked a lot today. I’ll give you the lowdown on all my tasty dishes tomorrow, but I can tell you about the main player in our Easter menu this year – ham. In case you didn’t know, ham is not pink. It’s whitish brownish like regular pork. If your ham is pink, that means it is cured. It’ll probably be salty too, so adjust for that in your recipe. (I’m telling you that because a few years ago I didn’t know it, hee, hee) Last year we waited till Good Friday (Wielki Piątek) to do our meat shopping. That was a mistake, and we came away empty-handed. This year, we reserved a raw ham at out local butcher’s. I split the ham in half and cooked it two different ways.

Na słodko – Sweet Glazed Ham

I prepared a sweet glaze of honey, brown sugar, mustard, some water and a clove. I smothered the ham with the glaze and baked covered in foil. It is delish!

Piercarkowo – Ham and Mushrooms

I baked the rest of the ham with mushrooms, garlic, marjoram, pepper, and a little olive oil. Also delish.

It helped that I had fresh mushrooms. And when I say fresh, I mean super fresh, like practically still growing. That’s because they came from our new home mushroom farm (a present from our client).

Our mushrooms yesterday in the evening

Our mushrooms this morning before harvesting

Our mushrooms after cooking

More to come tomorrow. Gotta go. There’s a glass a bottle of wine waiting for me.

American food: Banana Bread and Carrot Cake

Banana bread and carrot cake are two desserts I remember from my childhood in America. They are so good that I decided to make both of them yesterday. Clearly, we do not follow Lent. Don’t worry. I’ve kept up my pseudo-Catholic façade by frying up a big batch of cod- nice and stinky for the whole klatka to smell. C’mon, I had to prepare provisions for the weekend ‘cause my vampire books finally came in at Empik. Yeah!

Anyhow, back to the cake. I made them as a layer cake which prompted Lizzie to ask whose birthday it was. I sometimes make them in a loaf pan or as muffins as well, without any frosting. Both banana bread and carrot cake are kinds of quick bread. They are moister and heavier than regular cakes. You can add honey, raisins, dates, almost anything that you want.

Tort in Polish can be translated as simply torte or as layer cake (or layered cake). The act of cutting the cake into layers is to tort the cake. I am not adept at such things as torting cakes so instead I baked my cakes as 4 shallow cakes in round spring form pans. It is best to allow the cake time to set after frosting. The layers stay together better. This cake was sliced much too early thanks to my little ones hungry bellies and the layers are net yet stuck together very well.

If you’d like a taste of America, here are my recipes:

Carrot Cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups of grated carrots

1 grated apple

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract (not vanilla oil) or replace some of the sugar with vanilla sugar.

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 180° C. Butter baking pan(s) and lightly dust with flour. You can line the bottom with baking paper.

2. Mix all dry ingredients (except sugar) in a bowl (flour, soda, powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg)

3. With an electric mixer, mix sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla.

4. Combine the dry and wet mixtures and then add the carrots, apple and nuts and raisins (optional).

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and bake for 20 minutes for a shallow cake to up to 60 minutes for a loaf.

Banana Bread

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar (can be white or brown or 1/2 each)

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (not vanilla oil) – optional

1 tablespoon honey – optional

3 ripe bananas, mashed (a little more than a cup)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 180° C. Butter baking pan(s) and lightly dust with flour. You can line the bottom with baking paper.

2. Mix together dry ingredients except sugar (flour, soda, cinnamon, salt)

3. Beat together sugar, eggs and oil (and optional honey and vanilla)

4. Add bananas and nuts.

5. Mix the wet and dry mixtures together.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and bake for 20 minutes for a shallow cake to up to 60 minutes for a loaf.

Frosting

2 packages of Philadelphia cream cheese or any other serek śmietankowy (one package in Poland is 125 grams)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup vanilla sugar (homemade) or 1/2 cup sugar including 1/2 package vanilla sugar

1/2 cup or more powdered sugar

1/3 cup whipping cream

Beat all the ingredients together. If too thin, add more sugar. This frosting and the frosted cake will need to be refrigerated.

True to form, Lizzie after receiving her piece of cake and a fork switched to a spoon, scraped off all the frosting and left the cake.

Happy Baking!