Classic Polish Cucumber Salad for St. John Paul II

There are two foods that I associate with going to visit my relatives on the farm where my Polish American father was born and raised - and Mizeria, cucumber in a creamy dill dressing, is one.  It was a staple. From most Polish families you will hear the same. As a classic Polish salad side dish it seems very fitting for the feast day of St. John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła), October 22. And it is super simple to make - a bonus for a busy day.

Mizeria - Polish Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
• pinch of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Directions

Peel cucumber(s).  Slice cucumber very thinly and place in a bowl.  Sprinkle slices with salt and let sit for 30 minutes to pull the liquid. Drain water from the salted cucumbers and gently squeeze to expel any remaining water.  Pat dry with paper towel.  

Mix sour cream, vinegar, sugar, and dill in medium bowl.  Toss cucumber slices in mixture. Allow the salad to marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  Taste, season with salt and freshly ground pepper as needed and serve.  Garnish with dill if desired. Serves 4 but is easily doubled or tripled. 

St. John Paul II, the Great, Pray for us!

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Infused Water - Refreshing Drink for Summer Feasts

Infusing your water with fruits, herbs, or veggies not only adds flavor to the water, but also adds essential vitamins and nutrients that help your body.  It is a great way to quench your thirst and keep you hydrated on a hot, late summer day. They can be helpful for getting children to increase their daily water intake. And they are pretty, too. 

Making your own is more cost friendly and healthier than purchased waters. So join in making some feast day themed waters with a hint of summer flavors for our August saints. 

Making infused water is very simple. Just add desired fruit, veggie, or herb or combination to a pitcher of water with ice. Muddle mixture a bit if you want to increase flavor and let steep for at least several hours, up to 24, depending on how strong you want the flavors.  For some mixtures you can pour directly from pitcher, for others you may want to strain ingredients first to remove small floaters. As long as you keep the water refrigerated, the fruit should stay fresh. And you can keep refilling the pitcher as you drink the water but, it will dilute the flavor each time you refill.  It should last several days before you need to remake with fresh fruit.

One way to make infused water is with a single ingredient. Citrus is a great, no lose option for adding a touch of flavor to water, so it can be a good one to start with.

St. Dominic – Orange

In her recent post for Catholic Culture, Jenn Miller alerted me to the connection of St. Dominic (August 8) to the orange. So orange infused water would be perfect for his feast day.  

You can also make infused waters that combine a variety of fruits, veggies or herbs.

St. Maximilian Kolbe – Coconut Strawberry or Blueberry Orange

Infused waters are simple, no frills refreshers and considering that St. Maximilian Kolbe (August 14) died in a concentration camp it is a simple, non-extravagant treat for an austere remembrance. St. Maximilian had a vision of Mary – she offered him two crowns – red for martyrdom and white for purity and asked which one he would accept.  He chose both. Making a coconut strawberry infusion represents the colors of the two crowns that he was shown and accepted.

Blueberry orange infused water incorporates blue for his Marian devotion and formation of the Militia of the Immaculata movement of Marian consecration. Orange trees and their blossoms are symbolic of purity, chastity and generosity so the addition of oranges for St. Maximilian represents three strong characteristics of this saint who gave his life to take the place of another prisoner.

Assumption – Blueberry Lemon

As mentioned since blue is a universal color associated with Mary, the blueberry is a great fruit to use on Marian feasts. The lemon is a symbol of fidelity in love, and, as such, is often associated with the Virgin Mary in art. A lemon blueberry infused water would be a refreshing addition to this Marian solemnity.

Saint Rose - Raspberry, Rose, & Vanilla

The rose is closely associated as a symbol for St. Rose of Lima (August 23) but could be used, too, for St. Clare (August 11) as she has a rose story. The vanilla bean and raspberries of this recipe don't necessarily represent anything about the saints but were a infused water combination I found with rose that sounds delicious.

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Polish Sugar Cookies

You may have noticed that there are quite a few Polish saints on the liturgical calendar. Today's feast of St. Casimir is just one of many. I keep this cookie recipe in my cookbook for just such a feast day. These are a crisp, light cookie (think lemon snickerdoodle), and they would be a perfect tea time treat, as well as a perfect companion to some lemon sherbet or vanilla ice cream for dessert. The first time I made them, I was out of vanilla (I know -- a serious baker's sin), so I substituted 1/2 t. lemon extract. I intended to make them the next time with vanilla, but we loved those lemon cookies so much, I never did try vanilla.

Lemon Polish Sugar Cookies

1 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar, plus extra for rolling
3 egg yolks
1/2 t. lemon extract (or 1 t. vanilla)
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream sugar and butter.
Add egg yolks and vanilla (or lemon extract).
Add flour, baking soda and cream of tartar.
Mix until well combined -- dough will be stiff.
Pinch off dough and roll into 1-inch balls.
Roll in granulated sugar.
Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake until set, not brown, for 10-12 minutes.

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Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe

A Polish meal for the feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe

Kielbasa & Veggies

8 slices thick sliced bacon, diced
2 lg. onions, chopped
1 Polish kielbasa
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1" squares
Salt & Pepper

Directions

In a large skillet or electric frypan, fry bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside. Add onion to drippings and saute until golden brown. Cook kielbasa in boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain and cut into 1/2" slices. Add kielbasa and red peppers and stir over low heat for another 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pile on a serving platter and sprinkle with reserved crisp bacon.

Pierogis

8 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
warm water
1 recipe Potato Cheese Filling

Directions

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, carton sour cream, and salt. Stir in flour and warm water. Add water until dough feels like velvet. Turn out onto a lightly floured board, and knead until smooth. Roll out to a 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out 3 1/2 inch circles with either the top of a glass or a biscuit cutter. Cover with waxed paper to prevent drying out if not filling immediately. Place 1 or 2 tablespoons filling on one side of a circle of dough. Fold over, and seal by pressing the edges with a fork. Repeat until ingredients are used. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Immerse pierogi. Cook until the dumplings float to the surface.

Potato Cheese filling

4 pounds mashed potatoes
1 pound shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together mashed potatoes and shredded Cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For dessert we are baking 2 round cakes and decorating them with white frosting and we will sprinkle one with red frosting to symbolize matrytdom, and the other one we'll leave white to symbolize purity, because Our Lady offered St. Maximillian a white crown and a white crown, asking him which one he chose and he replied, "Both." Pin It

Feast of St. Maximillian Kolbe ~ Craft and Dessert

Sorry this is from my archives, but I thought someone might enjoy it:

We are celebrating with an impromptu and simple Coffee, Tea and Thee as we prepare to celebrate tomorrow's Holy Day with some new friends!

We are reading from A Catholic Child's Illustrated Lives of The Saints which is The Professor's favorite book of saints. Full page stories and beautiful illustrations, this book is a must have! (You can read a little about St. Maximilian here too.) In addition to our nightly decade we are going to say the Chaplet of St. Maximilian. We don't actually own one, so we made our own. Using this description, I made a drawing of St. Max using the picture above which the girls colored along with a picture of The Assumption of Our Lady. We made 15 beads out of paper and strung them together with a crocheted chain.For a special, treat, a friend recommended kiffels. They sound delicious, but every recipe I found required overnight refrigeration (not conducive to impromptu). So, since I am insisting on simple here were are going to make an American version of a Polish candy called Ptasie Mleczko which are basically chocolate covered marshmallows.

Our version:
1 can chocolate frosting
1 bag of large marshmallows
chopped peanuts and/or almonds

Warm the frosting in the microwave (or on the stove top) to make it soft (30 second increments, stirring in between), but not runny like glaze. Dip the marshmallows to coat using toothpicks or skewers. Allow excess to drain off. Dip the bottom of the marshmallow in chopped nuts and set (nut side down) on waxed paper to finish cooling.I'll bet a fondue pot would be perfect for making them if anyone still has one (and if you do, is it harvest gold? My mom's was.) just watch out for little fingers and open flames! Why yes I am a worry wart. I would love to try these someday using homemade marshmallows, but for today, Jet Puffed will have to do!

If you are interested in trying Polish style coffee here is what I found on a website:

The Poles make coffee very strong, like the Greeks. A tall flat bottomed glass has a large spoonful of grounds placed in it. Then boiling water is poured over the coffee and a little or a lot of sugar is added. My grandfather occasionally said that he liked his coffee, "As black as the Devil's Heart and sweet as a stolen kiss." It is definitely not traditional in Poland to add either milk or cream.

We will stick with our kid-friendly cafe au lait since I can't seem to find a tea that all of my kids like. As always, suggestions welcome! Have a Happy Holy Day tomorrow!
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