Pop Pop's Kielbasa

My mother's side of my family is Polish. As in, my great grandfather is off the boat Polish & my grandfather speaks the language fluently. Ive always wanted to learn but, he's never had the time to teach me. Anyways, my point is that kielbasa has been a well-loved & common dish at every one of my family gatherings. Until I was about 10 or 11, I didnt realize that this wasnt a common dish at holidays. We go to a place called Ostrowski's located in Fells Point, Baltimore, MD. Having kielbasa from anywhere else just isnt the same.

ANYWAYS. Enough of that mindless family history & onto the recipe! Also, I consider this to be an indulgence so there's no serving size on calorie information for this one. I also feel as though that would take away from the family feel of this dish.

INGREDIENTS
3 lbs fresh kielbasa
1 qt fresh sauerkraut (canned sauerkraut tastes like shit!)
1 can beef broth (just in case -- you'll see what I mean.)
caraway seeds

DIRECTIONS
Poke holes in kielbasa with a fork.
Place cold water & kielbasa in a deep pan & bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat to medium high and cook for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove sauerkraut from packaging and rinse to remove excess salt.

When kielbasa is done cooking remove from pan and let cool.
Reserve the water & set aside -- you'll need this for the crockpot.
When the meat has cooled, cut into 2 in pieces.

In a crockpot, place a layer of sauerkraut in the bottom & then a layer of kielbasa.
Repeat until you've run out of ingredients.
Pour reserved water over top.
If water doesnt come to the top, add enough beef broth to hits the top.
Top with caraway seeds.

Cook on high for 4 - 6 hours or low for 8 - 10 hours.



I made about 5lbs of this for Christmas dinner & HOLY CRAP was it amazing! It tasted just like my grandfather had made it.

Pop Pop's Mashed Potatoes

I made this on Thanksgiving and Christmas because it's such a popular thing in my family. I know you're thinking, what's the big deal? It's just mashed potatoes. I dont know what it is but, my grandfather's mashed potatoes are the best thing on the planet for me, next to his kielbasa (&Ill be posting that recipe soon!).

Funny story, though. I was cutting it really close on Christmas day & made this dish last thinking it would be quick. Ohhhh no. It took so much longer than it should have and I pretty much was freaking out. My amazing boyfriend swooped in & save the days (&the potatoes)! He's officially in the family now. Haha. :]

Since this is considered an indulgence recipe I didnt bother to come up with serving size or calorie information. I just thought it would be neat to pass on a family recipe to those of you who read this.

INGREDIENTS
5lbs potatoes, scrubbed
1.5 c buttermilk
1 stick margarine, melted
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Place potatoes in the pot & cook for 8 minutes.
Remove potatoes & let cool.

When potatoes are cool enough to handle peel & cut into quarters.
Bring the same pot to a boil & cook for 8 more minutes.

Drain water & place potatoes bake into the pot.
Add margarine, buttermilk, salt, & pepper.
Mix with an electric hand mixer.



Again, I dont really know what makes these so special but they are freakin' delicious. Im not sure if it's the buttermilk or the way the potatoes are cooked but ohhhh man. I could eat the entire pot of these.