Two squirrels for dinner is what began the family tradition of pierogi making here in the United States. It was during the Great Depression and my Bobchi came running home to her newly wedded husband, and his family with two squirrels in hand for dinner. When Great great grandma Bobrownicki saw them she began talking frantically in Polish (it was the only language she knew), and she took my Bobchi under her wing and taught her how to make food that was cheap, good, and from Poland.

Great great grandma Bobrownicki came to America to raise her family. She came from a small town in Poland called Bobrownicki in Bialystok County. As I did research I learned that there are a lot of towns called Bobrownicki. I argued with my mother for a good 20 minutes about which county my great great grandmother grew up in. My great-aunt Donna told us it was the Bobrownicki of Bialystok County.

I learned that my family owned hotels in Poland. You can now stay there for $46 a night (In US currency). From the pictures online it seems to be a small town with houses that line a narrow path along rolling hills. I had no idea Poland could be so alluring. Finding out that my family owns a hotel there made me keen on wanting to visit and stay in that very hotel.

I never wanted to travel to where my ancestors lived. I never found the places they came from to be particularly interesting. If I did want to travel there it was for other reasons than to learn about my genealogy. After finding out so much about my family from Poland, I feel I've had a change of heart. This would be a place I'd like to travel. I would love to imagine where my Great great grandma Bobrownicki grew up and what house she lived in.

She had a husband, three sons, and one girl when she lived in Philadelphia. She was this thin petite woman, but all her boys knew not to mess with her or out came the rolling pin and a sharp tongue. My great grandfather married my Bobchi, Anastasia (Nell) Halko. My Bobchi isn't Polish. Her parents came here from Russia.

When she married a Polish man, though, she immediately became Polish herself. She was taught how to make pierogis after the whole squirrel fiasco. Her, my Great great grandma Bobrownicki, and the other Polish ladies in the neighborhood, would spend days pealing potatoes to make homemade pierogis.

There were many kinds of pierogis. "All the women in the neighborhood would make 150 of every kind. There was mushroom, cabbage, cheese and many more. You could really stuff the pierogi with anything." My mom told me when I asked her about the tradition of pierogi making.

She also told me that many of the Polish foods she grew up around were made during the Eves of every holiday. The Polish had a 'no meat' rule during that time. Growing up I can remember on Christmas Eve and All Saints Day (just some to name) we weren't allowed to eat meat. My mom would make things like Polotskies, or we'd have 7 fishes. I learned that this was a part of the tradition passed down by my assertors from their home countries like Poland.

My Bobchi grew up in New Jersey on a farm. Her mother and family risked a lot to come here to America. When they were fleeing Russia by train my Bobchi's Grandma and aunt were killed. It's scary to think that my Bobchi may not have made it. I think about the risk my family had to take just to come to America to be free. I sit back and say I'm proud. It makes me think that I may not have had a chance to be here myself if my great great aunt had been my great great grandmother instead.

My Russian heritage didn't bring its great food with it or its traditions. Most of my Bobchi's life growing up was farm life. She grew up in a house with 11 siblings in the 1920's. I had the great fortune of meeting my Bobchi. She was the type of great grandmom that would come up and pinch your cheeks. She also came with a sense of humor. When doctors told her she needed to lose weight she simply told them "I'm smoothing out my wrinkles."

My mother learned the skill of pierogi making from this fine woman. She would gather with the many women and make 150 pierogis of every flavor. In almost 100 years this tradition still lives on.

It was nearing the Eve of Christmas. My mother hadn't been keeping up with the tradition of making 150 of any kind of pierogi after having my sister and I. We lived in a beautiful house filled with beautiful things. For the longest time my mother's goal was to keep the house nice. At this time she had two very rambunctious kids. She had to choose between a tidy house and tradition.

My parents used to live in Philadelphia while growing up. When they started a family of their own they started it out in the suburbs of Bucks County Pennsylvania. In the end, tradition followed her into our suburban home. My father came home from work that night to find the kitchen painted white with flour. Some doe had found its way onto the ceiling, ceiling fan, and chairs. My sister and I look like ghost caked in a thick layer of flour. The floor was slippery and sticky between droppings of doe, flour, and cheesy potatoes. My mother had a large rolling pin. Probably the same kind my great great grandma Bobrownicki used to use. She looked at my father and smiled. "Hi honey." My father had a look on his face like my mother had finally lost her mind. It wasn't that. She had finally found her roots again. He left us girls to create something wonderful. We then began to make 150 of cheesy potato pierogis every year around Christmas time. The tradition began again in Warminster, Pennsylvania.

These wonderful stuffed noodles came from Poland all the way over to Philadelphia. The moved to the cozy little suburbs. Now they are resting here in Florida with me. This recipe is not like the ones you find in the cookbooks at Barns and Noble. It has been passed down by the hands of every woman who sat there and rolled the dough, mixed and peeled the potatoes and boiled the pierogis for a bountiful meal.

Here is the recipe:
Day 1. Make your filling. I peel and boil, until soft, one bag of regular brown potatoes. It usually takes at least 40 minutes or more at boiling with the lid on to get soft. When soft, drain the potatoes. While still hot add 2 sticks of butter and 2 bricks of Cracker Barrel cheese (black label- NY Extra Sharp). After it melts a little use a blender/ mixer and mix until it is like thick mashed potatoes. Store in frig overnight.
Day 2. Now for the hard, but fun part! Time to make the dough! First, in a large measuring cup, add 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon of salt. Add water to that until you reach the 3 cup line. Mix well. Then, in a bowl, add 3 cups of flour to that mix- about.
Take the dough and roll it out on a well-floured surface with well-floured rolling pin. Use a well-floured glass to cut circle shapes. Put to side. Then re-roll each circle. Add a spoon of Day 1 mix. Pinch outside with floured fingers or gently with a fork. Place pierogi in already boiling water (with salt in it). Boil gently for 10 minutes. Remove carefully with a slotted spoon. Place on a plate or in a container. To prevent them from sticking (and to really taste good) separate in layers of sautéed onions and butter. Then enjoy! Then send some home to me!"

My mother sent me the recipe a while back. One of the things we always did when we made these was share them with family and friends. At the end of the email she wrote: "Send some home to me." This reminded me that this recipe won't stay in one place for too long. It goes where my family goes. The people who will eat them are the people in our lives.

I plan to travel and see more of the world. One day I hope to do the same as my ancestors did and pass on the art of pierogi making to my own family. When I get married they will marry into my Polish heritage just as my Bobchi married into hers. Some traditions never die no matter how far they travel from home.