The whole process of decorating a pysanka, consists of twelve basic steps listed in this post. I have chosen a very basic egg design for the first egg, and if you purchased an egg decorating kit, you will find several other designs to choose from for your next projects.
These Ukrainian Easter Eggs were decorated by my Great-Aunt Anna Kril Bart (Bartoszewska) and her children, in Queens, New York, over 80 years ago. The “sticks” displayed in front of the platter, are homemade styluses, used for drawing the outlines for the design on these eggs. The stylus handles were made from tree twigs, and the metal funnels were made from a metal can cut out…..such was life even in New York, USA, many years ago.
Most of you already are familiar with Cabbage Rolls, but to Eastern European cooks, they are known as Holupki. Holubtsi, or Golabki. All Cabbage Rolls may look the same, yet be very different, depending on the filling used to prepare them. The most popular filling consists of cooked rice mixed with ground beef and spices; however you can also use rice or buckwheat mixed with mushrooms, spiced up mashed potatoes, or a vegetarian filling, which I will introduce in this recipe. Cabbage Rolls are not the easiest dish to prepare, since it requires a lot of prep work beforehand, especially the cabbage, but if you love them, it’s well worth the effort.
My family and I had the great pleasure of attending a very special Traditional Ukrainian Wedding. What made this wedding extra special, is that it was very close to our hearts, and many of the traditional wedding items were created by people very close to the heart of the Bride and Groom.
During my working years, I have built beautiful friendships with many of my Jewish colleagues. Now that we are retired, and our lifestyles have changed, it is so wonderful to still keep in touch.
Today at sundown they will begin their Hanukkah celebration with friends and family.