Pierogies and Cheddar Broccoli

Pierogies and Cheddar Broccoli

It's been awhile since I made pierogies. SP got tired of them after eating them basically once a week for a few months. Then one of his work friends told him she was going to a local place that makes homemade pierogies and offered to pick some up for us to try. She got us two dozen potato and cheddar so I cooked them up with some slow-cooked onions for dinner last Tuesday:


The pierogies were lighter and tasted much fresher then the Mrs. T's variety we're used to eating. I served mine with a little dollop of sour cream, but unlike all the previous times I've made pierogies I decided not to use bacon in an effort to keep this meal somewhat healthy.


I also steamed some broccoli in chicken broth and melted cheddar cheese on top before serving:


It was a delicious meal and even tastier because we hadn't had it in awhile. I think we're spoiled now by the fresh pierogies.

Pierogies and Broccoli

Pierogies and Broccoli

It's been a long time since I made pierogies and broccoli and since I'm all about revisiting old favorites right now this meal was at the top of the list.

I like to top my pierogies with bacon crumbles that I cook in a skillet to render the fat. That fat is then used to slowly caramelize the onions. Once the pierogies have been boiled they're tossed in the skillet with the onions. SP and I like a large dollop of sour cream with our pierogies.


To cook the broccoli I add the florets to a large pot with some chicken stock, cover it and allow the broccoli to steam in the stock. Once the florets are tender they're put in a bowl with some grated cheddar cheese and then I cover the bowl with tinfoil so the cheese can melt.


EDIT - Click here for a complete How-To for making this meal.

Pierogies

Pierogies

We're feeling the pinch these days so we're trying to use up some of the stuff in our freezer. We bought a huge bag of pierogies awhile back and then kind of went off them. I was going to try finding a new recipe but never got around to it, so I went back to the old standby of crispy bacon and slow-cooked onions:


SP said he was tired of broccoli so since we had a whole bag of frozen corn in the freezer (and corn is one of SP's favorite veggies) I decided to doctor some up using fresh thyme and finely chopped scallions. It actually worked out rather well and was quite a tasty meal.

Homemade Cinnamon Bread

I baked cinnamon bread last night.

I thought of it.

I wanted it.

So I baked it.

And then, this morning…I ate it! I didn’t want to be rude. To myself.

Juicy rationalizations aside, there are few things yummier than homemade cinnamon bread. Eat it sliced off the loaf, toasted and smeared with butter…or step things up and use it to make French or cinnamon toast. And take delight in knowing that no storebought version of this stuff will ever, ever compare.

Like, ever.

I left the raisins out, as I wanted to keep things simple. But I’ll tell you down below where you can add them in if you’re in the mood.

Let’s make bread, baby!

Start with 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) butter. The salty stuff, not the unsalted stuff.

Heat the butter in a saucepan or pot with 1 cup of milk. I used 2%, but if I’d had whole milk in the fridge, I would have used that.

I love using whole milk in baking. It makes me feel like a rebel, which makes me feel dangerous, which makes me feel like a brunette.

I draw strange links between things. Bear with me here.

Now, let the milk/butter mixture cool until it’s warmer than lukewarm but not overly warm. Then grab 2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast…

…And sprinkle it over the liquid. Stir it around just a little bit, then let the mixture sit for about ten minutes. That’ll wake the yeast from its deep sleep.

Active dry yeast is sold in either packets or jars; I usually go for the jars, because then I can measure whatever quantity I need. The packets are exactly 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast, and if I need a little more than that, I have to open another packet, use just a little of it, then try to be organized and neat enough to close the packet and store it without spilling it all over the cabinet.

And who needs that added pressure?

Now throw some sugar and eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. The reason I’m using the paddle attachment is that this is a dough. If it’s a dough, I use the paddle attachment.

If it’s batter, I use the whisk attachment.

Just a little rule of thumb.

Beat the egg and sugar together until it’s totally combined…

Then drizzle in the yeast mixture and give it a light stir.

It’s best if your eggs aren’t straight out of the fridge for this recipe, because if the egg/sugar mixture is too cold, it’ll stop the yeast magic from continuing. So just remove the eggs from the fridge a couple of hours before you want to make the dough, and you should be fine. (I’ll also show you another trick for helping your yeast along here in a second.)

Add in half the flour and all the salt…

And mix it up until it’s all combined.

Then scrape the sides of the bowl…

Add in the rest of the flour, and mix it until it’s just combined.

Next, switch out the paddle for the dough hook attachment. I hardly ever use this thing, but when I do, I’m always thankful for its existence.

Knead the dough on medium speed for about ten minutes. It’ll slowly slap around the bowl and make all kinds of weird noise. If, after the ten minutes, the dough seems overly sticky—as in, you even think about sticking your finger in the bowl and your fingers will be covered with dough—add in 1/4 cup of flour and knead for another 5 minutes or so. Note that the dough should be slightly sticky and should stick to your fingers just a little bit…just not overly sticky/messy.

Meanwhile, I’ve been warming up my metal bowl by filling it with hot, hot water and allowing it to sit for a few minutes. (You can also stick a glass bowl in the microwave for a couple of minutes to get it nice and warm.)

Drizzle a little canola oil in the bottom of the bowl…

Then add the ball of dough, toss it around to coat it in oil.