And today was a very drizzly, gray day here in our corner. And everytime we get these kind of days in the fall, I get in the mood to bake bread and make soup. Which is exactly what I did today. And soup is always such a soothing, comforting food when one is sick. (Although I must admit that it is nicer when the ill one is not the one preparing it!) :)
So I made Ukrainian borscht and chicken noodle soup. Two huge pots of both. The borscht because Sergei's been asking me to make it for the last month and chicken noodle in case the other family members didn't like the borscht.
It was my first time making it. I used my grandma's recipe (my family is Ukrainian so I've got several of her authentic Ukrainian recipes in my recipe box) and tweaked it a bit to include some things that Sergei's grandmother used to put in hers.
Our little Ukrainian family, although the genders and birth orders are a little off! :)
Even though it was my first time (and I had a bigtime critic who LOVED his grandma's borscht), I wasn't intimidated. Soup is one of my favorite things to make. I think you can get so creative with a big pot of boiling broth - the possibilities are virtually endless. And I also knew that there were lots of different ways to make Ukrainian borscht.
I knew the real test would be Sergei's taste buds. I gave him a bite, and his eyes grew big and he said "very nummy!" I asked him if he was surprised that I could make a good borscht, and he just laughed.
So I am pleased to say that it was a success.
Now on to my flashback. Woven pot holders. Do you all know what I'm talking about? You know the little square frame with pegs on it? The little round fabric stretchy things that you stretch across and then weave in? My mom and grandma had a ton of these woven potholders in their kitchen drawers because I made an endless number of them when I was young.
I had found some for the kids and my mom had also bought some for them. So on this damp, rainy day we all sat in the living room and made woven potholders. It was mindless work. I enjoyed it.
Now that Brad's home and dinner's done, I'm going to try my best to relax and hopefully get to bed early. Wish me luck!
2 comments:
This brings back many memories to me. Borscht was also something our kids longed for and they surprised that I could make it. We still eat it quite a few times a year and even my older kids love it now. Marie and Elizabeth get cravings for it. Another one the kids all yearn for is Pirozkis... little savory pies, did you guys get those in Ukraine? I make those during the Holidays. There is something about having food from home that helps soothe. The kids don't really crave those things so much any more, but they really did at first. Hope you feel better. weaving hot pads sounds really sweet. Cute pictures.
Much Love,
Pam
Oh Amber, I feel for you - us mums never really get to be sick in bed do we? If your family is like ours then it does its rounds one by one. I am not too familiar with borscht or Ukranian food as I haven't ever had the opportunity to try it, but would love to try it someday. Hope you get well soon.
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