While most children are awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus, many others are expecting a visit from St. Nicholas.

My grandchildren are very excited about receiving  gifts from St. Nicholas, since they also get to participate in plays and poetry recitals at our local church, and youth organization.

It makes this holiday that much more special, feeling like a star, performing on a stage at such a young age of three.

This year, my granddaughter received a Gingerbread House kit from St. Nicholas, and could hardly wait to get home, to get the project started with her mom.

She was very patient, following all the instructions from her mom, and very meticulous about positioning all the candy in the proper places ( sampling few here and there…that’s part of the fun).

She was so proud of her completed project, and so were we, so I promised that I will post some pictures on my blog.

This is the front entry to the Gingerbread house.  She was deciding on the colors and type of candy to use, and the positioning of the figures. Her mom handled the icing part.  The white base was part of the kit.

She decided on a back entry as well, including additional windows. How cute is that.  Maybe that’s grandma’s private entrance?

A side view.  As you will see, she decided to decorate the house from all sides.  Good thing there was plenty of candy with this kit.

View of the other side, and top of the roof.  Not sure what all the gum drops represent on the roof top??

Close up view of the roof with a chimney.  She was very excited about the chimney, so I needed to point it out as well.

If you are looking for fun projects to do with your children, or grandchildren, putting together a Gingerbread House is a wonderful idea.

It lets you spend quality time with them, and makes their imagination run wild.

If your children, or grandchildren are older, you may want to make a Gingerbread House from scratch.

It is a known fact that holidays mean spending fun time with family and friends, as well as enjoying lots of delicious food and drinks.

As our family tradition, and to alternate with our married children in-laws, we celebrate Christmas Eve on December 24th, by the  Gregorian calendar , and then again the Traditional Ukrainian Christmas Eve, per Julian calendar, on January 6th.

I am still making all the traditional foods and baked goods for both dates, but have more time for shopping, as this year’s  gift exchange will take place in January.

Since I will be doing most of my baking later on this month, I will share links to my past year’s baked goods recipes, for your convenience and baking pleasure.

Cream Wafers

Miniature Nut Cups – Tea Tassies

Sugar Cut- Out Cookies

Sugar Wafers

Pecan Butterballs

Dycio Crescents

Frosted Lemon Cookies

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

Chocolate Scotcheroos

Ginger Chocolate Truffles

This should give you a good start for early holiday baking.

This recipe has been in our family since at least the late 18oos.  My great-grandmother was making these sauerkraut filled pyrizhky, she called “Kapusnyachky”, and my grandmother continued making them for her family as well.

My maternal grandmother always made these for me, as a special treat, on our visits with my mom.  I was a very finicky eater, as a child, but these were my favorite snack.

Sweet treats were not as popular then, maybe because of high cost of many of the ingredients, as well as their unavailability.   However, yeast raised baked goods were made fresh on regular basis.

One of my readers inquired about a recipe for these pyrizhky, so I promised to make them, and to prepare a post with pictures.

These pastries may also be filled with fruits, jams, buckwheat, sautéed onions, spinach, cheese, poppy seed, or even ground cooked meat.  They may be eaten as a snack, an appetizer, or as an accompaniment to soups, or salads.

There is a similar pastry called “Pyrih”, or “Pyrohy” (plural), same recipe and fillings, but in a form of a sheet cake.

Some folks use the word “Pyrohy”, to describe Varenyky, which is totally incorrect.  The word “Varenyky” derives from the base word “varyty”, which means to cook, hence these filled dumplings are cooked.

Pyrohy,or Pyrizhky, as you see in this recipe, are not cooked dumplings, but rather a baked pastry.

Next time you hear someone asking for “Pyrohy”, but expecting to receive “Varenyky”, please correct them politely, by explaining the difference between these two dishes.

My favorite filling is the sauerkraut filling, which I am using in this post.

This recipe yields at least 24 pieces.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (3/4 oz = 21g) Fleishmann’s Rapid Rise dry granular yeast
• 1 tsp. white sugar
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1 cup whole milk, scalded
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp white sugar
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg (to use as egg wash for the final step)

Filling:

• 2 lbs sauerkraut
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 Tbs butter
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Filling Directions:

1. Filling needs to be prepared ahead of time, and cooled off, or it can be done during the time the dough is rising.
2. Place the sauerkraut in a colander, and rinse for about a minute, under running cold water.
3. Fill a 4 quarts pot with 5 cups of cold water.
4. Add sauerkraut and bay leaf.
5. Bring to boil, partially over, and cook for at least 20 minutes.
6. Remove bay leaf, drain onto colander.
7. Mix with a spoon, to cool it off faster.
8. Using your cupped hands, squeeze out the water from the sauerkraut, over colander, until fairly dry.
9. Place the butter in a saucepan, warm up, add chopped onions, and saute until golden.
10. Mix in sauerkraut, salt and pepper, and saute few more minutes, to blend the flavors.
11. Set aside to cool off.

Dough Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix the warm water with 1 tsp. sugar, and sprinkle the yeast over the top.
2. Keep it in a warm place, free of draft, for about 10 minutes, so the yeast becomes bubbly.
3. Scald the milk, add butter, and cool to lukewarm.
4. Mix the flour with the salt and sugar, and set aside.
5. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs .
6. Add the yeast to mixture to the lukewarm milk, pour into the egg mixture.
7. Add the flour, and mix about 10 minutes to form a soft bread dough. You can use a mixer with a hook, but I mix it by hand, just like my Paska dough.
8. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, keep it in a warm place, free of draft, until the dough doubles in bulk.
9. Punch down, and knead it a few times, cover it up again, and let it double in bulk, once again.
10. Divide the dough in half, for easier handling.
11. Place one half of the dough onto a floured work area, and knead it for a minute.  I love working withe the doughon a Silicone Silpat.
12. Roll out into a rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick.
13. Using a pizza cutter, or a knife, cut into  2 x 3 inch rectangular pieces.
14. Spread a teaspoon of filling, in the center of each rectangular piece.
15. To close up the filling into the pyrizhky, fold over one side of the longer end of the dough piece, pushing the filling under, and keep on rolling to the other end, overlapping it.  Before final overlapping, moisten the other edge of dough with a drop of water, to form a better seal.
16. This is how they should look, once rolled and sealed.  While you are working with the rest of the dough, turn them over on the seam, so they do not open up during rising and baking.
17. Grease a cookie sheet ( I use vegetable Crisco shortening, since butter burns too quickly), and place the rolled pyrizhky, seams down, spaced enough to allow for growth, so they don’t stick together during baking.
18. Beat one egg with 1 tsp of water, to prepare an egg wash.  Using a pastry brush, dip it in egg wash, and brush tops and sides of the pyrizhky set up on a cookie sheet.
19. Place them in a warm place, until they rise again, about 20 minutes.
20. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, place the cookie sheet on a middle oven rack, and bake for 25 minutes.
21. Remove onto a wire rack to cool.
22. I quickly brush some butter on the warm tops and sides, to retain the softness of the crust.

These are absolutely delicious while still warm, but they are just as great at room temperature.

Once fully cooled, they freeze very well.  Actually, if you do not plan to use them within a day or two, it is better to freeze them in a ziplock bag, to preserve their freshness.

Enjoy.

Most popular mushrooms in the US,  and most readily available,  are the farm grown white mushrooms.

There are also other varieties of  mushrooms, more on a brown side in color, called Cremini, or Portobello Mushrooms.  These two types are tastier, but a little more expensive, and not as readily available in all grocery stores.

I am also lucky to have some dried mushrooms (borowiki), grown in Poland, and these are my all time favorite, due to their rich flavor.  I use these for preparing filling for Vushka to serve with a Ukrainian Traditional Christmas Borscht.  I also like to add a couple of these mushrooms to my Kapusnyak, which I usually prepare for Easter Brunch.

Today I am sharing my recipe for a Ukrainian Mushroom and Vegetable Soup, which my husband and I really enjoy, and hopefully you will too.

Ingredients:

• 4 quarts soup stock
• 1 lb white mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
• 2 large carrots
• 2 stalks celery, cut into thirds
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Tbs Canola oil
• 1 Tbs dill weed, chopped
• 1 Tbs garlic chives, chopped (optional)
• 1 Tbs all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup of uncooked pasta (optional)

Directions:

1. Fill a 6 quarts soup pot, with soup stock.
2. Add chopped carrots, potatoes, celery, and bay leaves.
3. Bring to boil.
4. Heat Canola oil in a saucepan, add chopped onions and saute until wilted.
5. Add chopped mushrooms, and saute 3 minutes, until juices start to build up.
6. Add chopped garlic, and saute another minute.
7. Season with salt and pepper and add to the soup stock.
8. Add pasta, if you choose to use it. ( Before adding pasta, I use a potato masher, and pulsate it several times in the soup, to break up the veggies to smaller pieces, and make the soup creamier).
9. Cook, until all veggies and pasta are tender.  About 15-20 minutes.
10. Remove the large celery pieces, and bay leaves, and discard.
11. Add 1 Tbs flour to the sauce pan, and fry it until golden, mixing frequently to prevent excessive browning.
12. Gradually whisk in the heavy cream, or milk, forming a creamy mixture.  You may add some of the soup stock if needed to make it creamy.
13. Cook for a minute, and add to the soup.
14. Cook soup for a minute longer. Turn the heat off.
15. Add the chopped dill, garlic chives, and adjust seasoning to your taste.

Serve hot, with a fresh piece of rye bread, garlic bread, or Kapusnyachky. (see TIP)

Enjoy.

TIP: Kapusnyachky recipe is coming up very soon.

Sauerkraut soup, also known as “Kapusnyak”- in Ukrainian, or “Kapusniak” – in Polish, is a very refreshing, zestful, and  nutritious soup.

I like making Kapusnyak for Easter late afternoon meal, since in Ukrainian Easter tradition, very special foods are served for brunch, so Kapusnyak is a wonderful addition to this menu for an early afternoon meal.

It also gives me a chance to use the leftover shank bone from the baked ham, and some of the pan juices, which add wonderful flavor to the Kapusnyak.

Ingredients:

• 1 ham shank bone, with some meat on it
• 8 cups of water
• 1 whole onion
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 carrots, cubed
• 2 stalk celery, cut to large pieces
• 2 cups sauerkraut (drained, and rinsed out)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 Tbs. Canola oil
• 2 Tbs. flour
• Sour cream (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tbs dill weed, chopped
• 2 dry Porcine mushrooms (optional)

Directions:

1. Fill a 6 quarts (or larger) soup pot  with  cold water.
2. Add the shank bone, and bay leaves, and some of the pan juices (these may be quite salty), and bring to boil.
3. Cook for 30 minutes.
4. Add whole onion, chopped carrots, celery, and 2 dry Porcine mushrooms.
5. Cook for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the celery stalks, whole onion, and the bay leaves.
7. Drain the sauerkraut, place on a colander, and rinse under a running, cold water, for about 2 minutes, continuously mixing it, to remove most of the sour juices.
8. Squeeze out, to drain the water, add to the soup pot.
9. Bring to boil, and cook for additional 30 minutes, or until kraut is tender.
10. Remove the whole mushrooms, chopped them up, and add back to soup.
11. Remove the shank bone, cut away the remaining meat, and add the meat back to soup.
12. Heat Canola oil in a sauce pan, add the chopped onions, and saute until golden.
13. Mix in 2 Tbs of flour to the onions, and brown lightly.
14. Gradually add some soup stock to this mixture, and mix well to creamy consistency (not lumpy), while cooking it for a couple of minutes, so it thickens.
15. Add to soup, and bring to boil.
16. Season the soup with salt and pepper, to taste.
17. Add chopped dill.
18. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, and fresh rye bread.

If you like creamy soups, you will enjoy this Broccoli Cheese Soup, which may also be served in a Bread Bowl, rather than the traditional soup bowl.

Cream soups are usually higher in calories, due to the creams and cheeses, but by preparing it yourself, you can lighten it up with low-fat cheese, and low-fat milk.

If you are not a big fan of broccoli as a side dish, you might surprise yourself, and really like this broccoli soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups potatoes, diced
• 1 cup carrots, sliced thin
• ½ cup celery, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cups broccoli flowerets, separated to smaller pieces (or 16 oz. package frozen, chopped broccoli)
• 1 Tbs canola oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups of soup stock (I used chicken stock) see TIP below
• 1 cup of low-fat milk (see TIP below)
• 1 Tbs. corn starch, or flour
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 1/2 cup cheese, shredded (Swiss, Cheddar)
• 1/8 tsp ground thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Simmer potatoes, carrots, and celery in 4 cups of soup stock, for 20 minutes.
2. Add broccoli and cook for 7 more minutes.
3. Remove 1 cup of cooked broccoli, set aside.
4. Saute chopped onion in 1 Tbs of canola oil, until golden.
5. Add butter and minced garlic. Saute 1 minute longer.
6. Set aside.
7. Pour the soup into a blender, or food processor to puree it.
8. Return back to soup pot.
9. Add sautéed onions and garlic.
10. Mix corn starch, or flour, with 1/4 cup of milk, until smooth.
11. Add to the remaining milk, and pour into the soup.
12. Bring to boil.
13. Season with thyme, salt and pepper.
14. Mix in shredded cheese, until melted.
15. Fold in the reserved cooked broccoli.
16. Serve it hot.
17. You may also cool  it, refrigerate, and reheat before serving.

You can create quick bread bowls, by hollowing out crusty rolls, such as Portuguese Rolls, and serve the soup in them.

TIP:  You can prepare a quick soup stock by dissolving chicken, or vegetable bullion in water, per package directions.  You can also use ready-made stock, if you do not have time to make your own homemade stock.

For richer soup, and higher calories of course, you can use whole milk, or even cream and milk mixture.

You read my previous posts about the healing power of soup.

I shared a recipe for making your own soup stock, and now it’s time to cook some soups, and share the recipes with you.

Some people enjoy eating soup so much, that they even eat it as a late breakfast meal.

Many Europeans eat soup daily, and sometimes soup and sandwich is a perfect way to end a day, and call it a complete dinner.

Today I cooked Corn Potato Chowder, and I kicked it up a notch with some ground red pepper, to appease my husband’s taste for spicier tasting soups.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. Canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 cups of soup stock (meat or vegetable)
• 3 medium potatoes (I used red potatoes), cubed to dice size
• 4 cups frozen corn (16 oz bag)
• 3/4 cup of milk (whole or low fat – I used low fat)
• 2 Tbs. sour cream
• 1/4 cup chopped chives (to garnish soup before serving)
• Pinch of ground red pepper, or a couple of drop of hot pepper sauce (optional)
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Use a 6 quarts stockpot.
2. Pour 2 Tbs of canola oil into the stockpot, and heat it up over medium heat.
3. Add chopped onion, and celery.
4. Saute until onions begin to turn golden.
5. Add chopped garlic, and saute 1 minute longer.
6. Add peeled, cubed potatoes.
7. Pour in the soup stock.
8. Partially cover the pot, bring to boil, then reduce the heat to low.
9. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.
10. Use a potato masher, and pulse the potatoes (in the pot), about 5 times, to break them up a bit.
11. Add corn, and simmer for 8 minutes longer.
12. Using a slotted spoon, remove about 1 cup of the corn/potato mixture, place it in a food processor, or blender, and pulverize it (optional).
13. Return it back to the pot (this makes the soup a bit creamier).
14. Stir in milk, and heat for 2 minutes.
15. Turn off the heat.
16. Place the sour cream in a small bowl, temper it with some of the hot soup mixture, then mix it into the soup.
17. Season the soup with salt, black pepper, and red pepper (if using).
18. Serve hot, garnished with 1 tsp. of chopped chives.

Enjoy.

photo credit: Merelymel13

Today I will introduce you to the first step of making a homemade soup, which is making homemade soup stock.

Soup stock is the basic liquid part of the soup, to which you add all the other ingredients necessary to create your chosen kind of soup.

You can prepare a vegetarian soup stock, or a meat soup stock.

Vegetarian soup stock is made by simmering your favorite veggies, with added oil or butter, to enrich its flavor.

Meat soup stock requires either portions of actual meat, or bones with some meat on them.

My favorite (least expensive) meat soup stock is from the carcass of a leftover roasted whole chicken, or turkey, plus the flavorful leftover basting pan juices.

If you have been discarding these parts, you are throwing away the best base for a homemade soup stock.

Another great idea for meat soup stock is the shank bone from a baked ham, with some snippets of meat still on it, or the cut away bone from pork chops, leaving only boneless fillets for the main course.  I usually do not prepare my soups with beef stock.

Ingredients:

• 4 quarts of cold water
• 1- 1.5 lbs meat with bone (ham shank, 2 chicken wings plus breast bones, bones cut away from 4-6 pork chops,   1 chicken breast, or 1 carcass of a whole roasted chicken, or 1/2 carcass of a whole roasted turkey).
• 1 Tbs. salt
• 1 medium onion, whole
• 2 stalk of celery, cut to large chunks, crosswise
• 2 medium carrots, cut to large chunks, crosswise
• 1 parsley root ( optional)
• 3 garlic cloves, whole
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 peppercorns (whole black pepper grain)

Directions:

1. Fill a 6 quarts soup pot with 4 quarts of cold water, and set it on a stove top.
2. Rinse the meat and bones (if using raw meat), and add it to the pot of water.
3. Add salt, peppercorns, and bay leaves.
4. Cover, and turn the heat to high, until the water begins to steam.
5. Turn the heat down to medium, and bring it to a low boiling point.
6. Using a large serving spoon, skim and discard the frothy mixture accumulating on the top surface of the water, until almost all gone. (This will make your stock nice and clear).
7. Lower the heat to simmering, place a lid (partially covered) over the pot, to prevent the liquids from excessive evaporation, and from steaming up your kitchen.
8. Let it summer for 1 – 1.5 hours.
9. Add chopped vegetables, whole onion, parsley root, and garlic cloves.
10. Simmer 30 minutes longer.
11. Add more salt, if needed.
12. Strain the stock over a strainer, into a clean container.
13. Cool off, and store.
14. You can store the soup stock in the fridge for a couple of days, if you plan to use it for soup, otherwise pour it into zip lock freezer bags, and freeze it for later use.

TIP:   If I plan to cook soup the same day as the stock, I add the whole onion in step 3, and strain the stock in step 8.  While the  stock is cooking, I chop ( into dice size pieces) all the veggies required for the type of soup I am making, and add them to the stock right after straining it in step 8.

Preparing homemade soup, of any kind, is a simple process.

If you are able to boil water, and chop veggies, you are a budding soup chef.

I mean it. It is that simple.

Cooking soup requires some very basic ingredients:

• Soup stock (ready-made, or homemade)
• Your favorite vegetables
• Your favorite herbs
• Pasta, rice , or other favorite grains
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Some soups might need additional flavor enhancers:

• tomato paste
• cheese
• eggs
• heavy cream, or milk
• vinegar
• lemon juice
• wine

The reason soup is easy to prepare, is that you are able to alter its taste and texture, throughout the entire cooking process; unlike baking breads and pastries, or preparing main course dishes.

Did I convince you yet that you ARE able to prepare some yummy soup?

Next time I will show you how to make some soup stock, since it is very easy to prepare, and much cheaper than buying it ready-made.

If you think your mom and grandma were the only ones preaching that soup was good for you, especially during illness, some scientists agree with this theory as well.

Homemade chicken soup, also referred to by many as “Jewish Penicillin”, has been known for its “healing” powers for colds.  It is believed to inhibit inflammation, and break up congestion.

I am convinced that hot soup, hot tea with lemon and honey, and fresh garlic bread, are my best remedies for getting well from such recurring ailments as the common cold.

Soup is a winter staple that no one should be without, as it warms you up from inside out, and boosts your immunity.

Homemade soups made with organic veggies, are the best.

If you must depend on the manufactured soups, please watch out for the amount of sodium and fat,  they contain.

I will share some excerpts from an article I read in a post by Dr.Maoshing Ni.

The therapeutic value of soup comes from the ease with which your body can assimilate the nutrients from the ingredients, which have been broken down by simmering.

1. Lose weight with soup.

It has been found that people who eat one serving of soup per day lose more weight than those who eat the same amount of calories, but don’t eat soup.

2.  Build your immunity.

When you slowly simmer foods over low heat, you gently leach out the energetic and therapeutic properties of the foods, preserving the nutritional value of the foods.  Keep in mind that boiling can destroy half of the vitamins found in vegetables, so cook soup over low heat.

3.  Detoxify your body.

As a liquid, soup is already helping you flush waste from your body.  When you choose detoxifying ingredients, you are really treating your body to an internal cleanse.

4.  Warm up with a hearty soup.

Soups provide something the body craves in a cold weather. The Chinese nutrition would call this the “warming energy”.

5.  Get well faster.

When you are sick, there is no better healing food than soup.  The reason for this is that soups and stews don’t require as much energy to digest, freeing your body up to fight the infection.

Are you convinced yet of the health benefits your body is able to obtain from adding soup to your daily diet?

Preparing homemade soups might sound complicated and intimidating, but it is really very simple.

You can check out the soup recipes I already posted, but there are more coming up, so please stay tuned.