Pass the Perogies Please!

A special part of our time in South Carolina included a family reunion.  My parents flew to my brother’s house in Virginia, then they all drove down to South Carolina.  In anticipation of their visit, Debbie and I decided to make perogies.  Perogies are a special treat for us all as it is hard to find them in the South and of course you are not able to purchase them in Panama.  Making perogies every spring has become a tradition in our home for the last 7 years.  It is a special time of bringing together our family and friends, sharing in the work, fun and reward of making perogies.  It all started when I was at my Aunt Debby’s house Fort St. John, Canada one year.  She had made perogies and were they delicious!  Her family heritage is Ukrainian and so she knew how to make them well.  I fell in love with the idea of making them for my family one day and so she gave me her recipe.  It wasn’t until we were living in Belize and we couldn’t buy perogies that I finally decided to start a tradition.  My kids look forward every year to making them now and it is a cherished time.  This year we did not make them before we left Panama knowing that we would get to make them with my sister’s family. 

 And so the work began:  

First step - the day before make a wonderful mixture of mashed potatoes, cheese, sour cream, cream cheese and butter.

Second step - make the dough and let it rest (I always get that job)

Third step - roll the doll (Casey is my dough roller, thankfully for him, he gets to use a Kitchen Aid pasta roller)

Fourth step - Cut the dough into the right size circles (Caleb was our dough cutter this time)

Fifth step - Carry the circles to the other counter (Annika was our little runner, and did we ever keep her busy)

Sixth Step - Place the right amount of filling onto the circles (Hannah filled all the perogies for us)

Seventh Step - Close the perogies (This is the job that I usually do because if they are not closed right….you have a mess!)

Eighth Step - Carry the perogies to the stove (Judah was our runner on this step)

Ninth Step - Boil the perogies (This is a big job and Elijah did such a great job manning the boiling pots)

Tenth Step - Coat the perogies with melted butter and place on cookie sheets.  Take the cookie sheets to the empty freezer and then after they are frozen, put them in ziplock bags and place them back in the freezer.  (Malaya and Rosie were amazing on this step.  It was a lot of work as well, but they enjoyed it, especially getting to coat the perogies in butter!)

Eleventh Step - Fry the bacon and onions.  Grate the cheese (if you like) and get the sour cream.  EAT THE PEROGIES!!!!  (This of course is done by all, especially all the hard little workers.  And the reward is always worth the effort!  So when my brother, his family, and my parents came we celebrated with a special perogy meal together. Yummy!  They all enjoyed the fruits of our labour, and Debbie has some more in the freezer for a rainy day in the future.