Polish Your Kitchen

Ever since I came to the US for the first time in 1993 as an exchange student, I was asked for recipes for the food I cooked or dishes that friends knew from when they were kids that their grandma made. I landed in Wisconsin, an area saturated with 2nd, 3rd or even later, generations of Polish and Eastern European immigrants. Conversations about food were always prominent. 

 

Growing up, my grandma (Babcia) Stasia cooked for us a lot and I curiously watched and “recorded” it in my head everything she did. We had a large kitchen with a huge island in the middle, enough room to spread pasta to dry, pierogi lined up for boiling, or rows and rows of jars waiting for pickles in preparation for the winter. Babcia let me “help” her, while patiently explaining the exact measurements of “a little bit”. Cooking became art in her hands. No written recipe, no cookbook, no professional training, and yet somehow it always come to taste exactly the same.

 

Today Babcia Stasia is 87 and still alive and well. With her guidance, I’ve been perfecting her recipes for years. I’ve recreated many and I’ve simplified and adjusted to the ingredients that are available in the US. My cooking may not compare to Babcia’s, but since I’ve craved flavors of home ever since I left, I had to keep trying to get it right.

 

The birth of Polish Your Kitchen comes at a busy moment of my life, as my family and I are preparing to move from Hawaii to Pennsylvania but I couldn’t wait to start sharing my stories and recipes with you. It must be there right time then.

 

Join in and find out what’s YOUR favorite Polish dish (vodka doesn't count!). 

 

Na zdrowie! 

Anna