...and cheddar cheese??? That may be a noodle and potato casserole, but they're not pierogis! Not like my Gramma used to make! Sorry Gramma!

We have a couple of Polish delis not too far that sell pierogis so I could always saute them up with onions and put them in a casserole to keep warm until serving time I suppose, but they were really more part of our Polish family. I don't ever remember DH's Slovak grandmother making them, nor did they make golumpki.

The mizeria is similar to what we make, though we use mayo instead of sour cream. And we soak the cukes in salt water and vinegar for hours first to wilt them before we drain them.

I love hearty soups as soon as the weather turns cool and was searching the internet last week for some new recipes. I found this one for Veselka’s cabbage soup which has gotten very good reviews on various blogs/websites. I haven’t made it yet, but it sounds like something your guests might like. Since I have been planning to make it, I’ve looked at various versions of it online. In Veselka’s cookbook they use a 2 lb. pork butt and 3 cups of sauerkraut. The pork butt is cooked whole then cut into large cubes after it’s cooled. They don’t mention fresh cabbage. They strain out the bay leaves and berries from the broth. In most other recipes the weight of the pork butt is 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. I’ll probably go with one at least 1 1/2 lbs.so as not to dilute the flavor too much if I need to add more water. Other adaptations have cut down the amount of sauerkraut from Veselka’s recipe and added fresh cabbage like in the following recipe. That sounded good to me because you can always add extra juice from the sauerkraut to taste.

I can picture this soup served with a mix of rye, pumpernickel and black bread or rolls for taste and to add more color to the table since the soup is kind of pale in color. Annie, your artisan bread looks delicious too. Can that be made in a bread machine then baked in an oven? If so, I’d love the recipe. I bought a bread machine thinking my husband would like to try his hand at it once he retired but he hasn’t touched it. Years ago he’d make bread every now and then but he’d make a mess of the kitchen with flour and dried bread paste all over.

https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/veselkas-cabbage-soup/

chickadee...the artisan bread has no need of a bread machine...it's a no-knead bread and way too easy to make. It's all about technique so it has to be done in a specific way to get the results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0t8ZAhb8lQ

Well, I think it's been decided. DH wants halusky with ham and the wilted cucumber salad. I can add my home made whole wheat biscuits to the mix and that should please them. (I know...nothing under consideration in the beginning and a far cry from stromboli or soup and salad!) Since they're his cousins, I'll do what he thinks is best.

I'm thinking apple crisp with cinnamon ice cream for dessert.

To have the big meal midday is traditional in his family when guests come so this will work fine. I'll use smaller dishes so they can have luncheon portions and go back for seconds if they wish.

I so appreciate everyone's inputs and suggestions, and I know that every time I checked this thread, I just got hungrier! I'm definitely keeping this in mind for the next luncheon I'm planning as there are so many good suggestions. You guys are the best.

Something with apples like the tarte tatin mentioned above sounds delIcious. I‘ve saved this other apple recipe which looked yummy, but I haven’t made it yet.

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/salted-caramel-apple-galette/

You can't go wrong with apple crisp.

Here are a couple great fall salads. The second one actually has roasted squash in it so no need to make squash soup.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/fall-salad-recipe-1950381

https://www.wisconsincheese.com/recipes/3349/autumn-greens-salad

Annie -- sounds like a plan and I agree -- apple crisp would be a great dessert!

Annie, you have me curious, what’s Halusky?

We just called them creamed cucumbers, but that was always a staple in our house. I make it a lot in the summer.

Good idea on the pierogis, too. We have a Polish deli about 10 min from our house.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/220716/haluski-cabbage-and-noodles/

Lukki, it's wonderful comfort food.

That does sound perfect, Annie. And, growing up, my family preferred bigger meals to be served midday, too. "Supper" was always lighter.

Regardless, I always love threads like these because I get really good ideas from the suggestions. Badgergal's fall salads will be on my list this week.

Thanks for letting us know your final decision. Stupid me. I never heard of Haluski so I looked it up when all I had to do was click on the website you posted. :-))) The recipe I found made it with bacon. Bacon, Ham, pancetta......it all sounds good to me and I love, love, love apple crisp!

Thanks Annie! That looks really good. I haven’t made any thing like that in a long time, I think I’m going to give it a try. :c)

Georgymon2, I made your suggestion but used sharp cheddar and added a sprinkle of bacon and sliced tomato . Yum! I did the tomato soup as well with a drop of sour cream.

I can‘t remember the last time I had a grilled cheese sandwich but think it’s been years. I had some thin sliced sourdough bread and did it nice and crispy. Boy that was good!

"I had some thin sliced sourdough bread and did it nice and crispy."

I just did the same thing, justerrilynn. It had been years for me, too. So good!

Annie, if you have the time do you mind sharing your mushroom soup recipe.

thanls

Chickadee2, I made the salted carmel apple galette and can highly recommend it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

Bonnie that looks amazing!

Oh! That looks so yummy! I’m glad you liked it. What kind of apples did you use? I’m definitely going to make it soon.

If you go Italian, make or order a pizza with lots and lots of pepperoni on it. The other pizza could be sausage.

Cream of Mushroom Soup with Pecans...my recipe is from Maryana Vollstedt. This one is essentially the same except Maryana uses 3 c chicken stock and 1 1/2 c half n half or whipping cream. I didn't use the pecans...if I did, I'd toast them first for more flavor.

https://wisconsinlocalfood.org/recipe/cream-of-mushroom-soup-with-pecans/

Ah! I remembered a recipe for a fruit dessert that my MIL used to make...I'll have to nose around and see if I still have it. I remember it had a dough you pressed into an 8" square pan, filled with fruit filling and then rolled the rest of the dough into logs to make a criss-cross pattern on top. I'll have to dig through my "mental disk drives" to see if I can remember what she called it....

Thank you Annie for the recipe. I am off to buy mushrooms now.

Annie! That Jenny Loves to Cook video for the bread is so fun to watch. She’s a natural in front of the camera and I love how excited she gets over the finished dish. I’m a new fan! Thank you for sharing it, I’m going to give the bread as well as several of her videos a try. She has perogies!

Annie, I can’t believe how easy it looks to make that bread In the video. When you make it, do you use regular or bread flour? After 30 minutes when Jenny removed the bread from the pot, I didn’t hear her say to turn the oven off before she put the bread back in to finish off the crust. She was sort of noncommittal on time considering that’s a pretty hot oven so I was wondering if I missed something? What do you do?

I’m adding yeast to my shopping list. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

I sometimes give the bread 5 min without the lid if I want it browner.

I've made it all white, all wheat or half and half...I use organic all purpose flour, not bread flour.

lukki, I'll have to check out her pierogis!

Thanks, Annie. That makes more sense than 10-20 minutes which seemed like toast to me.

chickadee, be sure to measure the yeast...it's far from the usual packet. It's amazing how much rise you get out of such a small amount of yeast. Also do make sure the water you add is below 110 degrees or you can kill the yeast. I have an instant read thermometer and check the temp with that before I add it. Our tap water can get too hot.

Annie....thank you! for the "Jenny Can Cook" video. It's so cute! I will try the bread. I have some Rye flour to use up.

Lol, I just watched the video and thought, "Hey, she kinda looks like Jenny Jones!"

I attended one of her tapings with my mom back in 2001 when I lived in Chicago.

We have cabbage and some kind of porkish meat (could be turkey, could be veggie sausage or could actually be bacon or pork sausage) for dinner constantly, with many variations. Had it last night for dinner with kale and potatoes and veggie Italian sausage. Ironically, a small starter of squash soup would be something I would enjoy with that meal. Squash and cabbage is a great combo IMHO. I also love fruit crisps! Sounds like my kind of meal. My mom made cucumber salad all the time, but she used lemon as the acid in the salad. More of the middle eastern take, although she was Dutch and they use vinegars.

P.S. for what it's worth, I make squash soup with the frozen bricks of butternut squash, is almost an instant soup that way. It's an easy way for me to try and get something healthy into my Dad. When he sickens of cream of tomato.

I watched the Jenny video on making pierogis...very nice, very encouraging...if I can enlist DH's help, we may give it a try...only thing is I'd definitely use farmer cheese as that's how Gramma used to make them. And serve them with lots of buttered sautéd onions with sour cream.

Annie, thank you so much for this thread! Although I've been baking bread for years (with and without a breadmaker), I'd never heard of the no-knead version. Or if I did, I dismissed it as implausible.

I made some this morning, started last night and left out for 12 hours before baking. It's simply amazing. I made it just like Jenny, except I used cold tap water because of the longer rise. Not only did the timing work out for me, but I was so skeptical of a mere 1/4 tsp of yeast (!!!) and read that the longer rise gives the yeast more time to grow.

Here's the deal, this is not just easy to make, it's my favorite kind of bread. I don't like sourdough as much as others and prefer a more rustic Italian style bread. But they are harder to find and can be rather meh. I tried to wait until it cooled, but I couldn't help myself and lopped off the end and slathered it with butter. Divine!

I used my generic black cast-iron dutch oven and it was smelly at high temp. Not bad, but along with the browning parchment, I had the fan on and windows open. It didn't affect the taste of the bread.

I prepped by buying a good oven thermometer and some high arm oven gloves. I learned that when my oven beeps ready, it's not. I actually had to crank it up another 10 degrees to hit 450.

Thanks again.

So glad it worked for you, Bunny! Yes I give my oven a full 30-35 min to reach temp with the dutch oven in it before I add the bread dough and parchment. I find it works well and after 30 min, I often don't need to do the extra 5 uncovered as it's quite browned enough.

I *love* this bread. I find I like it best with 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white.

I watched the video and Jennie looked so familiar....Thank you for posting her last name so I was able to place her. I guess I watched her show way back when. I had to smile watching her make the bread. It was the same as Raven's "Crusty Bread" which was posted here about 5 years ago. I've made it many times and have enjoyed so many compliments about it, I hate to admit how easy it is to make. :-)))

I think I'd like 1/2 ww and 1/2 white, or 1/3-2/3.

Does anyone have an enameled dutch oven that isn't Le Creuset they recommend? I don't know if I'm ready to pay $350 for a dutch oven.

I got a Lodge on clearance at an outlet. I see one on Target for $60.

I had one that had a handle that couldn't take the heat, so for $3.50, DH bought a metal handle at home depot and changed it. Now it's fine.

Bunny, I bought a stainless steel pot at Goodwill that was the perfect size (5 qt.) for $6.50. I make my bread in that and it comes out great. Just as crusty. I didn't like what the heat was doing to my enamel Dutch oven, which is one I bought for $50.00 at Walmart for the sole reason to make this bread I figured I didn't have that much invested in the ingredients or the time, so I would give this S.S. pot a go. Maybe it's an older pot and heavier S.S., I don't know. I only know the bread doesn't stick to the bottom or burn. Comes out better than when I used the enamel one. The pot has stainless steel handles.......didn't have a lid but one of the lids from my Cuisinart pots fits perfectly.

georgysmom, I'm surprised that stainless is thick enough at that sustained temperature.

I found the smell of my cast iron during the preheat and baking to be off-putting, so if I'm going to do this again, I will explore other containers in which to bake. One slight disappointment from this method is missing the smell of baking bread.

I'm pretty sure it's S.S. Can't read the bottom, but that's what it looks like to me and I know the lid is stainless steel for sure. Works better than the enamel coated cast iron which after many loaves, discolored inside and the bottom of the bread was starting to stick and get too dark. Love, love , love this pot. I figured I didn't have much to lose if it didn't work. It was well worth the $6.50. :-))))

Just wanted to follow up...I did have the cousins over with the haluski and the ham and the cuke salad and I found the apricot squares recipe my MIL used to make only did it with apple filling and cinnamon ice cream. It was delish and cousin even went back for seconds so I guess it was a winner!

I was reviewing this thread as I'm looking to have 4 friends over for lunch (men and women) and need to come up with a menu again. At least I can use the same table scape!

I so appreciate everyone's ideas and inputs...this thread has become a great resource. Thanks!

Happy to hear your lunch was a hit. It sounds delicious. My grandmother used to make apricot squares and used a scallop edged tool for the lattice...so pretty. My aunt gifted me a scallop edge cutter, but I have never been successful with the dough and it always ends up undercooked on the bottom, but then again I’m not much of a baker.

Speaking of which....I did try your bread. I found it did not come together with the 1 1/2 cups hot water, I needed to add more. Also, I cooked it in a Calphalon pot since I don’t have a dutch oven. Well, it was a total bust. Took an hour to get it browned on the outside and it never cooked on the inside. I realize now I did not let the oven preheat long enough snd maybe it’s the pot? Maybe my flour was old? I followed all instructions to the letter. I am going to try it again with fresh flour, but you don’t find you need to add more water? Thanks for any suggestions.

I'm not sure what kind of pot you used, but the dutch oven is kind of essential to the process, and so is letting the pot heat to screaming hot...the full 35 min. The amount of water I use is maybe a touch more than called for only because the whole wheat flour soaks up more. I add it just til I get a shaggy dough.

Sorry it didn't work for you.

I'm not sure about stainless steel, but I have a cast aluminum dutch oven and it works great for transferring heat. Way lighter than cast iron too, and since I don't cook directly in it, I'm not worried about the aluminum. Was not a problem much with the cast stuff anyway, it was with the stamped pieces.

Thanks Annie....Im going to try it again this weekend and I’ll report back. I figured before I invested in a dutch oven I would try it in my 6 qt “soup pot”——which Im pretty sure is SS. I’ll report back on how it turns out using new flour and pre-heating for longer.

Loved the bread recipe - thank you! I made the recipe as written for a "plain" loaf, and have since made a whole wheat with cranberries/walnuts, and two rosemary loafs topped with coarse sea salt - so delicious! I have my grandmothers cast iron dutch oven, and it works perfectly.