You Tube : Frank & Nancy Ep 1

This is our very 1st attempt at doing a You Tube...We had a LOT of laughs doing this piece !!

The Bear`s Varenyky...( PEROGIES )

The Bear`s Varenyky

 Or as they are commonly known... Perogies

As a pre - amble, I need to pay a little homage to my sister Debbie! My “Perogies”, are good, but Deb is the QUEEN! She no doubt makes the best in my book ;o)))

There are many possible fillings for these dumplings, which are found in one form or other in every Eastern Europe cuisine. Except for times like Christmas Eve (when meat and dairy products are not allowed), many Ukrainian cooks fill the Varenyky with a cottage cheese filling or a potato and cheese filling, and serve them with sour cream and onions sautéed in butter. They can also be filled with sauerkraut combined with fried onion, or even cooked prunes or other fruit. The fillings may vary tremendously during summer time, with cherries, plums and berries.

Ingredients

Dough

- 400 g (about 4 cups) flour

- 1 tsp. salt

- 2 tbsp. corn or other vegetable oil

- 2 beaten eggs

- 250 ml (1 cup) water

Filling

- 3 cups cooked & mashed Potatoes... (See my Thanksgiving recipe)

- ¾ cup of finely chopped onion

- pressed garlic cloves

- 3 cups of grated mild cheddar cheese

- ½ lb crispy crushed bacon

- 2 tbsp. corn or other vegetable oil

- Salt and pepper to taste

- Sautéed onions, for serving

Making the dough

1. Combine the flour and salt.

2. Mix in the oil, beaten eggs and water and knead the dough until smooth.

3. Cover and let the dough rest for at least 15 minutes.

Making the filling

1. Sauté the onion in the oil until translucent.

2. Mix into the mashed potato, cheese, bacon and season with salt and pepper.

Making the Perogies

1. Roll the dough out thinly on a floured work surface.

2. Using a round cookie cutter cut the dough into 10 cm (4") rounds. Place a spoonful of the filling in the centre of each circle. Moisten the edges of the dough, fold in half to enclose the filling and seal the edges well.

3. The Varenyky can be frozen at this point in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, they can be placed into freezer bags.

4. To cook, drop into boiling salted water and cook until the dumplings are floating. Serve with sautéed onions, (and bacon if you wish).



It`s Dinner Time ;o)))

BAKED BEANS RECIPE

Baked Beans

Navy Beans (1 can = 540 ml) 4 cans thoroughly rinsed & drained

Soya Beans 2 cans thoroughly rinsed & drained

Red Kidney Beans 2 cans thoroughly rinsed & drained

Ketchup 1.25 litre

Home Sauce 1.25 litre

Tomato Paste 369 ml

Spanish Onion 2 diced & sweated off

Garlic Cloves 8 diced

Bacon 500 gr fried, drained & diced

Brown Sugar 1 cup

Molasses 1/2 cup

Dry Mustard 1 tblsp

Chili Pwd 1 tblsp

Dijon Mustard 2 tblsp

Malt Vinegar 1/4 cup

Bay Leaves 4

The Bear`s Special Spice Rub ;o))

THE BEAR`S

SPECIAL SPICE RUB

;o)))))))

Believe me when I state this, but I’ve worked on the chemistry of this Rub for a couple of years! Now, I’ve got it down to where it`s quite versatile. Meaning, I can use it as a full on rub, like on the Pork Shoulder you see in the background of the picture, or as an add-in to enhance the flavours of dishes, yet not be overwhelming. In the case of Thanksgiving I`ll use it on the Turkey, in the Stuffing, and a bit in the Mashed Potatoes.

Now, I’ll tell you what it is composed of, (of course leaving out 3 secret ingredients).......

· Dry Mustard - 1/4 cup

· Dry Ginger - 1/4 cup

· Cayenne Pepper- 1/3 cup

· Kosher Salt - 1 cup

· Dry Ground Basil - 1/2 cup

· Dry Ground Oregano ( Greek ) - 1/2 cup

· Garlic Powder - 1 cup

· Onion Powder - 1 cup

· Cumin - 1/2 cup

· Ground Chipotle ( homemade ) - 1/2 cup

· Paprika - 1/2 cup

· Ground Black Pepper - 1/2 cup

·       Brown Sugar - 1 cup

·       Ground All Spice – ¼ cup