Today’s recipe is by my daughter Hanna, age 11. Pierogi are a Polish tradition for Christmas (Wigilia) but we like to eat them year-round. There are different varieties of pierogi. My personal favorites are meat (mięsne) and potato + cheese (ruskie). Some of the other fillings are sauerkraut + mushroom and even fruit (strawberries, blueberries, etc.)! The ones that I love to make (and eat) the most, are the meat ones. It can be fun to shape the meat into little balls or ovals. I remember making pierogi with my mom ever since I was little. I wasn’t good at it at first, but once I started doing it more, I got a lot better at shaping them. I love to take the excess dough and make fun shapes out of it. Sometimes if I was lucky, a piece of dough snuck into my mouth. The dough plays a very important role, obviously! It covers the entire thing and keeps the filling inside! Another important part is the boiling. Even though a simple step, it is a very important one too. Let your water heat up, and when it starts to boil slightly, add salt and about a spoonful of oil. When you think you have made enough pierogi, (see my mom’s recipe below) put them into the water once at a boil. Be sure to stir lightly after putting in, to ensure that they don’t stick together. After they all float to the top, take them out to cool. Once cooled, but still warm, butter up a pan and fry them until golden on both sides. Finally serve. And finally my favorite part, eating the pierogi! Smacznego! HH