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Category Archives: Culture

The Great Lent Is Here Again – Over 30 Vegetarian Recipes

The Great Lent begins on Monday, as it always does for the Byzantine Rite Catholics. 

The Great Lent for Roman Catholics does not start until Ash Wednesday, so they have two extra days to enjoy meat meals. They also celebrate a very traditional Fat Thursday, when they enjoy their delicious “Paczki”, doughnuts.
I personally like to prepare meatless meals on Wednesdays and Fridays for the duration of the Great Lent, as well as during the full Holy Week, which is the week just before Easter Sunday.

Kapusnyak (Sauerkraut) Soup – Recipe

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

Ukrainian New Year Celebration – Julian Calendar

Christmas celebration on December 24-25, and New Year on December 31-1,(Gregorian calendar), are well-known dates to the majority of the population, however, per the Julian calendar, Christmas was celebrated on January 6-7, some called it Orthodox Christmas, and the New Year was celebrated on January 13-14.

As of this year, 2024, Catholic and Orthodox Ukrainians in UKRAINE and around the world joined together, separated themselves from their oppressor Russia, and began celebrating these holidays according to the GREGORIAN calendar. 

Ukrainians call this New Year “Malanka”, the day of St. Melania, or “Generous Eve” (Shchedryi Vechir).

Marinated Mushrooms – Recipe

Ukrainians looooove mushrooms. They incorporate mushrooms into numerous everyday recipes, but especially for their Christmas Eve 12-course meatless meal.

Traditional Ukrainian Christmas Eve menu will include mushrooms in Mushroom soup, varenyky filling (pierogi), Holubtsi filling (Cabbage Rolls), Vooshka filling (dumplings that accompany Ukrainian Christmas Borscht), mushroom gravy (referred to as, Machka, in some households), mushrooms with cabbage, and of course marinated mushrooms.

Ukrainian Doughnuts – Anna’s Recipe

My mom made the best homemade doughnuts, using her European recipe.  Hers are so much better than the quick recipe I used before. 

Every Christmas Eve my mom joined us for dinner, and always brought in a huge platter of freshly made doughnuts.  We all are still reminiscing about those sweet memories.

Today I will share that recipe with you all, in memory of my mom’s baking and cooking.