Korovai Ukrainian Wedding Bread - Na Zdorovya
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  Korovai Ukrainian Wedding Bread - Na Zdorovya

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Christmas/Rizdvo 2023 but really 2024

1/15/2024

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PictureGoopy kutia
We finally had a weekend where we could get most of our family together for Christmas/Rizdvo, January 13! Luckily, the Christmas season doesn’t technically end until February 2, so we felt we were right within the timeframe.
I prepared our family’s traditional 12 dishes. Casper, Wyoming unfortunately doesn’t have a lot of access to Eastern European supplies so sometimes I have to improvise.  Plus we are at 5,500 feet, so altitude sometimes influences how we make things. 
I wanted to share my kutia trials and varenyky dough recipe.
First kutia. After looking through the recipe files on a Ukrainian Recipes Facebook group I am in, perusing my recipe books, and Ukrainian Christmas folder I decided to try the slow cooker method. At my Holodomor event in November, I mixed hard red winter wheat with Haleem wheat for a display. That’s what I had, so that’s what I used. I read somewhere that the hard red wheat should be beaten, to get off the bran. I sent my husband outside to the garage and he beat the blend with a rubber mallet. I rinsed it all about 20 times, then threw it all in a slow cooker, at night, with a ton of water, turned it to low and went to bed. I woke up to a goopy mess of something akin to oatmeal. 😳
Round 2, I went to our local Natural Grocers. All they had was hard white spring wheat, so that’s what I got. This time there was no beating involved, except my Ukrainian ego. I didn’t even rinse it or soak it or anything like that. I just put it in the crockpot overnight with a whole bunch of water in it and woke up to beautifully popped wheat! Yay! After straining it, then adding in the poppyseeds, honey, walnuts, and Walmart’s raisin, cranberry, cherry dried fruit blend (that I soaked in salted caramel Crown Royal!), when my husband threw the kutia on the ceiling a lot of it stuck. So it will be a good year.  Ego restored! 🤗
Onto the Varenyky. I have to say that making these little pillows of love don’t come easy to me.  I have wonderful memories of my Babtsia, working in the middle of her kitchen on the special board my Dido made for her. Luckily, I am the owner of that board now but my Varenyky never live up to hers. So again, I perused the files in the Facebook recipe group online, read the comments, and finally I think I found the perfect dough.
I mixed the ingredients in my KitchenAid mixer, hand kneaded it for about three minutes, put it in a big baggie and let it rest for about an hour. The dough seemed tough at first, but after resting it was pretty pliable. A couple of years ago at Christmas, I invested in the pasta dough roller for the KitchenAid, and I love it.  I took a piece of the varenyk dough, about the size of a tennis ball, flattened it out and put it through the roller. Twice on level one, once on level two, and once on level four.  We tried level five but it was a little bit too thin.  I had made the potato/farm cheese mixture the day before, so it was ready to go. My son Simeon is an expert pincher, so I rolled and cut the dough while he filled and pinched.  The other tool I love to use is a melon baller.  Mine is the Pampered Chef version and the size is perfect for varenyk filling. Another tip was we did not use any water or egg on the edges of the dough for pinching. And one other thing is to make sure there are no air pockets, so pinch all the way up to the filling.
 
KitchenAid Varenyky/Pyrohy dough recipe, makes 75 varenyky
3.5 cups of flour
1.5 cups of potato water
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons of sunflower oil (from Ukraine)
2 tablespoons of sour cream.
 
As for the first trial of Kutia, I put it in the fridge to deal with later. I hate throwing away food, so today I took it out of the fridge and decided to make cookies out of it. I searched on the Internet, and surprisingly there were not a lot of wheat berry baking recipes.  So I improvised and they turned out absolutely delicious!
If you ever find yourself with extra kutia or wheat berries this might be a way that you can use them up.

McD’s Wheat Berry Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
Two eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups of flour
3 cups of cooked wheat berries, finely chopped
2 tablespoons baking soda
Half a tablespoon of salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 cups of chips. Chocolate, peanut butter, whatever floats your boat
 
Directions: preheat oven to 325°F. Cream together butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla until fluffy. Mix in flour, wheat berries, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Fold in chips. Drop by tablespoon onto cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Смачного!

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Who doesn't love jello shots?

7/2/2021

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Jell-O is a childhood favorite. It's a staple in hospitals and on Chinese Buffets. A million recipes have been created using the fruit-flavored, gelatinous, protein, boiled animal skins and bones. AND at some point in time, some smart cookie added alcohol to the Jell-O, poured it into small cups and it became an easy way for a server to make some extra coin at bars and nightclubs as the Jell-O Shot. In the 80's, at the Edmonton bars I frequented like Denny Andrew's, Barry T's, Goose Loonies, The Thunderdome, Ezmerelda's, Club Malibu, Cook County, etc. Jell-O shots were THE thing! Cheap enough for someone to buy a round for a group or a guy to buy for a girl he liked.
​Funny story that just came to mind... in those days, Drivers Licenses, Government IDs, even library cards were sent out to be laminated. Most companies did not own laminators. My mom just so happened to work for a laminating firm called Photo Ident. Well, Photo Ident just also happened to do all the VIP cards for all the big name Nightclubs in town. My mom was pretty awesome! I was everyone's best friend, bypassing all the long lineups with my Fake-but-Real VIP cards!!! I digress....back to the topic....these bars in the 80s made a killing from Jell-O Shots. I can't even guess how many Jell-O shots I have had in my lifetime. When I had my bar in Edmonton, Na Zdorovya Ukrainian Pub, on special occasions we would make blue and yellow vodka Jell-O shots. One of my favorite memories occurred at at 'The Hall' (Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex in Edmonton) at one Malanka (Ukrainian New Years) night when my Baba and her best buddy Pani Iwanyshyn did Jell-O shots with me and a friend James. 
Over the years, my attendance at nightclubs has seen a sharp decline as has my enjoyment of Jell-O shots. Every once in a while though, I revive the tradition. One revival in 2014, with my side gig with NYR Organic, a consultant of mine earned the Suite room at our Summer Conference in Phoenix. We invited over a number of the representatives that came from the Head Office in London, UK for pre-dinner cocktails. Since we had a full kitchen at our disposal we decided to make a fun treat, and earlier in the day filled a Watermelon with Jell-O and Vodka. Sliced it up and served it to the unsuspecting Brits. The theme song I played while serving the treats was the Watermelon Crawl. I think a video exists somewhere of the dance I came up with as well. Needless to say, the Director of  the company had 5 slices!!! Since then I have recreated the Watermelon Jell-O Shots a few more times. Most notably at Bandura camp and the latest was for our July 1, 2021 Canada Day celebration. This time, because we had some minors attending I made a boozy version for the adults and a kid-friendly version sans vodka!
After posting the pics on social media I had a flurry of requests for the recipe. I used an online recipe myself but found it was too small of a supply for a large watermelon. So I redid it for YOUR next event! Luckily, we have leftovers, so we will have Jell-O shots in a few days on the 4th of July. Happy Independence Day and don't Drink and Drive!!!
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This recipe below will fill half a large watermelon. I doubled it because I knew the kids at the party would also want some once they saw the adults having Jell-O. So before I added the vodka, I filled one of the halves with the nonalcoholic Jell-O mix. Then, I added the vodka to what was left and then poured it into the other half. Be sure you mark which one is alcoholic and keep them separated so the kids don’t get mixed up (and so you don’t get mixed up in the fridge and have to sample both! ) I put the adult one on the bar, and the kids one on the dessert table and labeled them appropriately.

McD's WATERMELON VODKA JELLO SHOT SLICES
Ingredients and supplies to fill half a large watermelon:
  • 16 oz. watermelon Jell-O (I used 4 big boxes of the Sonic Brand that I bought at Walmart)
  • 6 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
  • 4 Cups boiling water
  • 3 cups chilled watermelon flavored vodka (I didn’t have watermelon flavored vodka, I used bubblegum flavored)
  • 1 watermelon (mine was a big one, if you use a smaller one you’ll obviously use less Jell-O, and you’ll obviously have less slices!)
  • Large measuring cup
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • A big knife not serrated
  • Metal ladle, ice cream scoop or spoon
  • Cookie sheet or a bowl to put the watermelon half in so it doesn’t wobble around. You can put paper towels around it so that it doesn’t wobble.
  • Someone to eat all the watermelon you’re going to scoop out or you’re going to need another bowl to put it in the fridge!
 
  1. Make a huge space in the fridge especially if you’re doing two halves. Cut the watermelon in half lengthwise. Scoop out the watermelon. I used a big metal ladle. You can also use an ice cream scoop or a spoon. Dry out the inside of the watermelon with a paper towel. Put the halved watermelon in the refrigerator empty. Prop it up with the paper towels so it won’t roll around. Trust me here, because carrying a heavy watermelon on a tray filled with liquid Jell-O is hard!
  2. Mix your dry boxes of jello with the packets of unflavored gelatin.
  3. Add in the boiling water and stir until dissolved.
  4. Once dissolved, you can stop here for the non-alcoholic version and pour it into the halved watermelon or for the boozy version, add in the vodka and stir to combine.
  5. Pour the liquid into the halved watermelon (fill to the top!) that you placed into the fridge for 3-4 hours until the jello is set. I made mine the day before and once it was set I covered it in saran wrap.
  6. I sliced it upright as I was worried if I turned it upside down it might fall out. I also sliced them fairly thick because the thinner they are the wobblier they are. Each slice I cut into threes. I got about 15 slices out of each watermelon half.
  7. To serve, place them flat on a tray not layered on top of each other or upright as they can bend over and the Jell-O can crack.
  8. Enjoy!
I bought little mini chocolate chips to put in to make it look like seeds, and I forgot to do that. I was planning on setting an alarm and putting them in once the liquid had cooled down a little bit and it had started to set somewhat. It was still fabulous without the chocolate chips.
There are other recipes online. Just search ‘sliced watermelon Jell-O’. There’s these little cute ones made in a lime half. Also be aware each Jell-O slice is like a shot of vodka. They catch up to you if you have more than one slice! Drink/Eat Responsibly!
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James, Baba, Pani Iwanyshyn and me at Malanka in Edmonton late 90s
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Phoenix, NYR Conference, 2014
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Getting ready to do the Watermelon Crawl in Phoenix
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Bobriwka Bandura Camp gets some Watermelon slices
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My dear friend Olya loves my inventions!
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1 Comment

A Macedonian WEdding Bread

8/28/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
Saratoga, Wyoming - might have to check out the Hot Springs!
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My customer requested an 18" braided bread with a hole in the middle covered in sesame seeds. Done!!!
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Ready for the trip to Saratoga! Thank you Ginni for being my bread mule!


I’ve had the craziest week. A few days ago, I got a call from the Fed Ex Concierge out of Toronto asking if I made Wedding Bread. She said she had a client in Saratoga, WY looking for someone to bake a wedding bread for THIS SATURDAY and could she give them my number. I said sure, thinking it was a scam.

I had to look up where Saratoga was as I have never heard of it before. It's a small town. Really small. Population 1,623 in the beautiful Platte Valley in Southern Wyoming along the Platte River with the town's motto "Where The Trout Leap In Main Street." You can't make this stuff up!

Well, YESTERDAY, Thursday he called me! I guess one of the top wedding destination ranches in the US is in Saratoga, Wyoming and could I make a Macedonian Wedding Bread for him. So…. after finding someone to deliver it 2.5 hours from me, a lot research, late-night baking and early morning packing, Chris got his Macedonian Wedding Bread this morning for his daughter’s wedding tomorrow. Keeping customers happy should be MY motto!

So today's blog is devoted to my newest business venture...the Macedonian Wedding Bread!!! Here is what my research turned up.

​Similar to Ukrainian and other European nations traditions, bread is a central element of Macedonian weddings. Called either pogacha or koluk, the Macedonian Wedding Bread is a large, round, loaf of bread made with rich ingredients, like traditional Macedonian Easter bread.

The wedding bread takes various forms but is always round. The round shape symbolizes the wedding bands and a circle that has no beginning and no end. The bread can be braided, sometime with a hole in the middle, or sometimes a bunch of dough balls are put together to form one large mound. Decorations also vary with white flowers, sesame seeds or other dough decorations sometimes added.

Traditionally, a young unmarried girl on the Bride’s side of the family bakes the large round loaf of bread on Saturday morning. It can be up to 2 feet wide and a foot tall and is often packaged in a clear bag. During the wedding ceremony at the church, the ritual Bread is placed on the table in front of the altar.

​After the ceremony, at the reception, all the guests are invited to the dance floor, where the Nunko (godfather) lifts the bread over the couple's heads and does a little dance. Meanwhile, everyone joins hands in a circle and does a line dance called the horo or ora, it’s a “one, two, three, kick, kick” dance. I have been to a couple Bosnian-Ukrainian weddings where a similar dance is performed and of course at any good Greek restaurant, the hora dance happens at least once during the night. At a Macedonian wedding, as the guests circle the room with arms linked, the Nunko holds the bread over each guest’s head in turn, to bring them good luck.

When the dance is over, there is a competition between the bride and groom called the 'Breaking of the Bread'. The couple moves to the center of the dance floor and each holds a side of the large, heavy Wedding Bread.   On the count of three, the couple rips the bread apart.  The outcome decides who will ‘wear the pants’ in the family and be the head of the household. Maybe this is where the saying ‘breadwinner’ comes from! Sometimes the fathers of the bride and groom are the ones that compete in Breaking the Bread. There is a lot of strategizing that goes on beforehand to ensure their half of the bread is bigger and their daughter/son will be the boss. After this ceremonial game, the bread is offered to the guests who, when they take a piece of bread, wish the couple a good marriage.

I've been to a lot of Ukrainian weddings and it sounds to me like attending a Macedonian wedding is just as much fun!

Наздравје - Nazdravye - To your health!

~Lisa
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    Super-Uke Lisa McDonald, born in Edmonton, Alberta, transplanted to Casper, Wyoming writes posts about Ukrainian things, interesting things and her Baba.

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