Ukraine Christmas Cooking Update!

Wow.

Walking into European Tastee's (4700 South 900 East #51 Murray Utah) is like opening the door and stepping into Ukraine.

I brought Alex and Austin and we found the "special sauce" for the boiled eggs right off. (For all I know, it's mayo but whatever it is, we're serving it over boiled eggs.)

Austin LOVED the store and claims he wants to go to Europe. The loved looking at all the fish -with their heads still on! Austin couldn't believe the variety of sausages! The boys split some sort of peperoni sausage stick and then we tried all three of the stuffed scones (meat, cabbage and potato) I didn't find perogies but I did find poppy seed filling. I found the white cheese I needed and Alex got some Salted Pork Fat. (Uh....gross?) 

The lady there was very helpful and when I showed her a few of my recipes, (Yes, I showed up with 12 recipes printed off the Internet in hand) she asked if I wanted to buy some Ukraine flour? No, I have flour. But apparently not UKRAINE flour. She says it's just different, works better for Ukraine cooking. Thanks but I think I'll stick to my American flour.
The 2nd lady at the cash register tried to talk with Alex in Ukrainian. She couldn't believe that he could lose his language so fast. I don't find it hard to believe. I can forget where I parked my car in thirty minutes time, Alex has been here twenty months, submerged in English and very uninterested in retaining his native language. She suggested that we should get Alex and her son - who is also 12 - together. I asked Alex what he thought and he politely said "No thanks, I have enough friends." (See what I mean? He's very aloof about TOO much Ukraine stuff. Food is fine, but don't make him try to talk or remember too much. But I can't say I blame him.)

$25 later we left. No perogies, no brown bread but two boys with full tummies that didn't have much room for dinner and a plan B for my TWELVE menu items.

Later, when I was going over the list of menu items with Alex he mater of factually informed me that I don't have to make 12 things.
What?

"But, everything I've read says you need to have 12 dishes!?"

"Yea, but mom......you're in America!"

(He also told me that he will like everything I make and gave me a big hug and looked right in my eye and said "Thanks mom."  Yep. That's why I'm doing this. For my boy.)

So here's what is tentatively on the menu:

• Lazy Varenyky (Which is why I needed the white cheese, I tried to make these once before but they took so long and the result was.....blah. In this recipe you mix the cheese in with the dough and boil in water! I hope it works. If not at least I didn't spend HOURS making it.)

• Borscht (I have made this successfully once before! But it really does turn your hands purple to grate beets!)

• Salted Pork Fat (Whootwhoo...we have 12 tiny slices as I really don't think it will be a hit!)

• Alex's boiled eggs with his "special sauce" (Which might very well be mayo?)

• Kutya (Wheat porridge-everywhere I read it says this is a staple at Christmas. This is a terrific food storage recipe as I already have everything for it in my food storage!)

• Ukraine Chereshyank (Cherry Cake Bars-these look so yummy and I can cheat and use a can of cherry pie filling!)

• Brown Bread (that I'm buying at the grocery store!)

• Deruny (Potato Pancakes...this I have made before and they weren't half bad!)

• Lemon Cheese Babka (Another yummy looking recipe. It's suppose to not be very sweet so I'm not counting it as a dessert!)

• Ukraine Cookies (I bought at the store. Chocolate filled ones. I've had these before and in the event my other three desserts fail....I'll have store bought cookies!)

• Russian Cream Heart (I found on Taste of Home sight. No idea if it's Ukrainian but Russia is pretty close isn't? Plus it gives me an excuse to use my heart shaped cake pan. I bought it at a yard sale three years ago and have yet to use it!)

• Ukraine Christmas Poppy Seed Roll (Wasn't going to make this after reading that I had to soak the poppy seeds in boiling water for one hour, drain and repeat THREE TIMES! Then I found the can of poppy seed filling! Ahha!)

I did decide to forgo the sardine/egg/mayo salad, any sort of meat dish in gelatin, blood sausage and meat or sauerkraut filled rolls. (Oh, and for the record, during a traditional Ukraine Christmas they don't eat meat or eggs. Good thing I'm in America...right? ) 

For most my recipes I am using my friend Olga.  No, I don't know her but I love that she has pictures and everything in regular measurements/. Besides, I feel like she's my friend now after pouring over her recipes all day!

And now, I feel a little less stressed after Alex pointed out that I am in America and I don't have to have TWELVE dishes!

Good. 

'Cause if nothing turns out we'll have store bought cookies, brown bread and Salted Pork Fat!