Happy Easter!

My most favoritest of all the holidays! I've mentioned before that Baron's family is very Polish, right? Oh... the smorgasboard of cured meat is amazing! 2 kinds of kielbasa from Martin Rosol's, ham, coleslaw, and a few glasses of wine (hic!). Possibly more than a few glasses, but Baron was driving (hic!) Okay, maybe it was a full bottle (hic!). And not one of those wimpy little 2 1/2 glass bottles.

A lovely time was had by all. I was NOT the Harbinger of Death for this holiday. I had a conversation with Auntie C, and didn't mention a single person dying (yes, my Gram had passed since the last time I saw them, but it didn't come up in conversation - a major victory (refer to this post if you have no idea what I'm talking about

I had too much to drink and hung out with Baron's twentysomething cousins. Love those girls - they are fantastic! We got on to the subject of FB, and I promised to friend them as soon as I got home (which I did). Baron's nephew still wants to come and visit for a weekend, which we promised soon. All in all, a sense of family, friendship, good conversation, and did I mention good wine?

Sigh. This is what family is supposed to be about (hic!). Only mildly dysfunctional and anesthetized by alcohol.

I'm off to go take a nap on the couch. Did I ever mention that I'm an "I love you man" breed of drunk?

Recipe of the Week

My husband, hence forth known as "The Baron" , is 3/4 Polish 1/4 Irish. Cabbage and cured meat runs in his blood. Polish food is something that he grew up with at the nightly dinner table. He grew up in the heart of central CT, in neighborhoods that still have all the shop signs in both English and Polish. Coleslaw is present at every holiday. His Mom makes Golabki every New Year's Eve. Easter brings the joy of two kinds of kielbasa from Martin Rosol's - fresh and cured. And yet... I'm the one who LOVES Polish food. It's smoky, exotic, salty, tangy, and I put on 3-5 lbs every time I sit at the holiday table. The Baron could take it or leave it. I beg to go to Staropolska at least once a month, but he just doesn't get that excited about it.

To put it in perspective for you - while his family is primarily Polish, mine is... well, American. Homogenized. Typical melting pot. I'm Scottish, English, Irish, Welsh, French, Portugese and French Canadian. I have no idea how many generations back my family has lived here in New England. There was the great migration down from Maine and Massachusetts, and for the last few generations we've been in CT. No one is fresh off the boat - I think the closest thing I had to a relative that was 1st generation was my great-grandfather, but he moved from New Brunswick to Maine - not really a tumultuous trip to Ellis Island. We don't really have any traditions that go back to the Old Country. We don't have an Old Country. We had potato farmers and a few odd Portugese traditions (I'll save the one tradition that I know is Portugese for Easter - but it involves hard boiled eggs, and an unhealthy sense of competition - somebody please remind me to blog about it in the spring!)

Old World, traditional meals intrigue me, and I crave the strong, earthy smells and tastes when the weather turns cold.

This week's experiment is another one for the crockpot. It is NOT Weight Watchers friendly. In fact, it's going to require a very light lunch and some serious time on the elliptical machine, but I'm betting that it's going to be worth it. I give you... Bigos (also known as Hunter's Stew or Poland's National Dish). I can't wait to get home tomorrow night for dinner, I think I just gained 2 lbs typing this post!

Bigos
1 onion -- chopped
1 clove garlic -- minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound cabbage
1 quart sauerkraut -- rinsed and drained
1/2 pound mushrooms -- sliced
1 pound boneless pork butt -- cut in 1" cubes
1 pound boneless veal -- cut in 1" cubes
1/2 pound Polish sausage -- sliced 1/2" thick
1/2 cup beef stock
1 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tart apples -- diced
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup red wine

Brown all the meat. Layer sauerkraut, fruits and veggies, meat. Layer again. Pour in beef stock wine, spices. Cook for 8-10 hours on low. Can absolutely be frozen, everything I've read says the taste is actually better after a few days.