Pierogi Party

Might as well keep going while I'm at it right? My cousin organized a Pierogi (Polish spelling) or Perogi (English spelling) Party this weekend. First of it's kind, she asked our grandmother and her mother to show us, first generation Polish-American women in the family, how to make them. We started off the afternoon with an appetizer of homemade chicken soup.

My aunt and grandmother made the filling (farmers cheese and potato mixture) and the dough (flour, egg, water and a hint of olive oil.)  The dough had to be rolled out and cut into circles (here we used the top of a pilsner glass to make life easier.)

Next you put a dollop of the filling and pinch it close. My grandmother was attempting to show us her technique she had mastered over the past 50 years and expected us to figure it out in 2 minutes. The MOST important thing is to seal them so they don't open and "explode" in the water.

Then you drop them in a pot of boiling water. When they float to the top, they are done. Add a little melted butter to the bowl of hot pierogies and as an added treat, put fried onion bits or caramelized onion bits on top. Enjoy!

By the way, I think I was too busy eating the finished product that I forgot to take a picture of them.

Coasters: A Housewarming Gift

I finally got around to making these coasters for a coworker. At first I tried out these round, unadorned dollar store coasters. I made one and used green tile and green colored grout but I was not too happy with them. I realized I should just hit up the Home Depot and get regular bathroom tiles. Even though they are slightly larger than your typical coaster size, it did the trick. 

Because the coasters new home would be in a living room with hunter green couches, I purchased a dark green, opaque glass with a little bit of white swirled throughout. Since I bought sheets of glass, I made sure I cut it into mosaic size pieces right away. I opted to leave the white edge of the tile showing and use white grout. My coworker was so happy and they will be a housewarming gift for her boyfriend!

Uh, just ignore the messy table the coasters are on. I also forgot to wipe them down before I took the pics. These took be a few hours to make and I just took the pics quickly before I fell asleep. Anyone can make this gift, you can easily buy pre cut glass from Michaels, and the grout and tiles at Home Depot. I'm thinking I need a set of my own.

Baby Book and Fondant Adventures

I can't believe it has been a whole month since my last post! Since we've last met...

 

I've been experimenting with cake decorating:

My sister-in-law has introduced cake decorating to me and we had an experiment with fondant and decorating evening. I tried this non-cook fondant (a Better Homes and Gardens recipe) but...let's just say I don't think it's the kind they use on Ace of Cakes.

 

I've been scrapbooking:

I've completed the baby scrapbook. It was a one year birthday present. This is the page I left blank for baby's momma to add a picture from the party too.