2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg, beaten

2 medium potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
2 slices pork bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup cheddar, grated
1/4 small onion, minced
salt and pepper

1. Mix together flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl mix together vegetable oil, warm water and beaten egg.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix. Knead dough well.
4. Cover dough with a clean towel and let rest for 2 hours.
5. After dough has rested, combine mashed potatoes, bacon, cheddar and onion in a bowl. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Roll out dough to approximately 1/4" thickness.
7. With the rim of a pint glass or something similar, cut out circles from the dough.
8. Fill the center of each circle with approximately a teaspoon of potato mixture.
9. Fold the circle over, pressing the edges to keep filling inside.
10. Boil perogies in salted water with a bit of oil to prevent sticking. They are done when they remain floating on the surface.

Makes 30 perogies

1/2 pound kielbasa sausage, cut into 4 even pieces
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped

1. Brown all sides of kielbasa in a medium skillet.
2. Add onions and garlic and reduce heat.
3. Continue frying until onions and garlic brown.

Makes 4 servings

16 ounces canned beets, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper

1. Saute onion and garlic in vegetable oil over medium heat until tender.
2. Drain beets and add to a sauce pan with lemon juice over medium heat.
3. Add onions and garlic to beets and allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings

As promised, I'm trying to redeem myself for betraying my Ukrainian roots by preparing a New Year's feast. However, I read tonight that Ukrainian New Year's was actually yesterday, so now I'm confused. Alright, to be honest, I've never really celebrated Ukrainian New Year's before. I don't even know why it's different from ours. What's really going on? Is this a portion of something that people would eat in the Ukraine? It wouldn't be the first time the internet has lied to me!

At any rate, I'm saving the cabbage rolls for later in the year. It seems like a waste to pair up two perfectly good entrs into one dinner. Instead, I just prepared the Perogies. I hadn't had a perogy in years and I'm glad I got around to making some. It's definitely cheaper to make your own than buy them prepared in the supermarket. They're quite easy and fun, but notably time consuming. You can make a large batch and freeze it, if you like. The dough itself is quite versatile and can be filled with whatever you like, but I prefer it with bacon and cheddar. This would be sacrilege for a traditional celebratory feast (no meat is to be consumed) but it's perfectly welcome at my dinner table. No complaints about this recipe whatsoever, they turned out perfectly.

Of course, you can't have a Ukrianian meal without some Kielbasa. I'm not a big fan of sauerkraut, but apparently it goes quite well with it. Kielbasa is common enough that you can find it quite easily in any sausage shop or supermarket. It's a relatively mild ham sausage and tastes even better fried, which is how I prepared it tonight.

I can't say I'll even be a fan of borscht, but I'm a big fan of Beets in general. It's a shame that I don't make them very often. I think this project might be a good excuse to incorporate them into more meals. Ukranian recipes are simple and these beets are no exception. They're tasty and satisfying and the hint of lemon juice adds a hint of pickled flavor.

Malanka!