I was hungry typing the mac and cheese. My mom called while I was typing it. She told me don't drain the tomatoes. Today she asked me how the mac and cheese was. I laughed. She thought I was making it and needed to know. I told her I was giving it to Andrew's friends mamas. She said they won't be able to read it. I told her if they can read cat they can read anything. She just looked at me. She wants to know if it is made and how it was. She said it was my grandmother's. We all like it so much. Mom doesn't make it anymore cause of her health and age but she made sure my brother knew how to make it. I have to try some of the stuff you all talked about. 

Mom

Yay! Thanks Ella Bella. I wait your recipe. I was thinking... if I put meat to them can I do that?

I try Andrews grandmam mac & cheese too.

I give my Karelian stew recipe, it´s easy, just put all in a casserole and wait.

Karelian stew: 

1/2 kg Pork meat

1/2 kg beef meat

(and little lamb if you like it)

2 - 3 onions (halved)

2 - 3 carrots ( peeled and halved)

1 package of bacon ( if you like bacon)

Meat stock (stock almost cover meat & veggies)

2  - 3 cloves of garlic

5 - 6 whole pepper

1 bay leaf

Oven 175C/347F and 3 - 4 hours or until meats are very soft almost falling apart.

Meowmy

Andrew here. Me mom usin me page. Me no yik you food. Mom say her will tryied it. Her telled you say to her mommy and her say yummy. Her telled her mommy her buy and you cooked it. Her mommy say sounded good. Me Leben. Mom telled me her needed tell you to cooked her tuff on 375 wif an F. Me no undder tan. 

Andrew. 

Yes it sounds good. Mom said she wanted to try it and if I buy it she will cook it. She said we will have to get with my brother that makes the mac and cheese to have him come over too. He goes to her place a couple times a month. He will be the one doing the cooking. He is a good cook. He dropped off some mac and cheese yesterday again. He told me to put it in the freezer. I asked if you can do that and he said yes, but you have to heat it in the microwave but you might be able to warm it up in the oven. He said he takes it to work with him and uses the microwave. I never knew you could freeze it and then reheat it. I did know you could reheat it the next day. I have done that on the stove and in the microwave.

Mom

Mama said this was her Baba’s recipe.  She was grandpa’s mama.   She died when mama was little, but mama remembers helping roll out the dough and pinch the edges.  ❤️  Ella Bella

(I don’t know about meat.  I’ve never done it.  I’d google to see what adjustments you might have to make.)

Baba’s Pieroghis

dough - mix all together (I use my stand mixer with the dough hook, then turn out onto kneading board and finish mixing with hands) (dough should be drier than a pie dough)

5 cups flour (I use white flour)

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

Iced water - enough to make dough come together 

Filling

2 pounds sharp cheddar cheese

5 pounds russet potatoes

milk (to aid in mixing - couple of teaspoons at most)

cook potatoes like you would mashed potatoes.  Once done, mash them, adding cheese and enough milk to help the mashing.   They should be a little on the drier side than regular mashed potatoes

roll out dough, using flour to prevent sticking, to about ¼ inch thick.

cut out circles, roughly 4 inches in size.  Put two tablespoons in the center, fold over the dough and crimp the edges together.  (I follow with the edge of a fork all around the edges)

boil the pieroghi in salted water, for about 5-7 minutes.  Rinse with cold water.

they freeze great!

you can boil them when you are ready to serve, another 7 minutes or so.  Or you can sauté in butter, about 10 minutes on each side.  

I top it with sautéed onions and sour cream.

Yes Andrew... if mom make my Karelian stew she put cassarole in 375 Fahrenheit or 175 Celsius hot oven because meat is raw when put in cassarole and it takes about 3 or 4 hours to cook. I almost forgot... must sometimes look how dark meats are. I am couple of times burn meats almost black and that no good thing to do. Here Karelian stew is served with mashed potatoes and lingonberry. I eat stew without lingonberry cause I don´t like it. I try mac & cheese this weekend.

Ella Bella´s mom... I wrote the resipe up and try it this weekend. I google and found Pieroghis with meat. First I try your Baba´s resipe.

Meowmy

Now I am hungry again. I can't get up to even get a snack. Andrew is sound to sleep and the rule is don't wake the babysitter after a long day of work. Bake the mac and cheese at 375F too. My mom said to keep an eye on it if you don't want crispy noodles. She said make sure cheese is melted. She said you can leave the tomatoes out but it could make the mac and cheese dry. I have her on the phone while I am typing this. She said amount of noodles is your choice. One pound of sharp cheese. She said make sure it is sharp. You can uses less cheese if you like. She said grandpa didn't like real cheesy mac and cheese like the box kind. She said she doesn't even know how to make that kind. She said you can use sea salt instead of table salt if you like. That is what my brother uses and it doesn't taste any different. My brother is going to make yours Sunday for my mom. Hope you enjoy it. I will let you know how yours goes. Mom said it sounds really good. She has another dish to share but she has to think of how to make it. You know moms they just have all this in their mind and know how to do it. She kind of thinks we are funny going from cats in space to making meals. I told her we just do thing as it comes into mind.

Mom

Me sleepy brats tired me out 

Andrew

I like crispy noodles and I love cheese.

Karelian stew is good. I forgot about salt. I don´t put salt because bacon and meat stock have salt already and stew thicken slightly so salt don´t be necessity, but your brother can add salt if he want (taste first of course). Put big carrot pieces that they don´t overcook, onions disappear when softening and meat stock almost halves. You can make mashed potatoes or hole boiled potatoes.

Moms are moms and make best foods. I´m sad cause I don´t get grandmam´s bread recipe, it was so yummy cause it was made in old root of the dough and fresh directly from baking oven. My mom don´t remember anymore at her cookings because of memory disorder.

Meowmy

Let me know if you have questions!  Nancy

Just talked to mom and she told me to call my brother and find out the way to cook the other dish. So I did. He said she called it Old Shoe. It is a roast with potatoes, carrots, onions and Coffee. Yep coffee. He said he can't remember it all but he said if you know how to cook a roast you can make this. He said he has it in his head but it is written down. He isn't at home and he said he would have to look for the book. He said he made it for mom at Easter. He said he did it in a crock pot. He said he put the roast, cut potatoes, and cut carrots in the pot. He said you cook the same way in the oven but he could remember the temp or time., but did say when the meat is cook thru and the carrots and potatoes are soft it is done. Brothers. The coffee mom used was instant he said but he has used the coffee he makes in the coffee maker. Yes you make the meal a cup of coffee. Mom said the coffee was grandma's saying. She didn't know why she put it in there. You make the gravy out of the juices from the pan. She can't remember how to make it. She said you don't have to use it. My brother said he doesn't use it he makes regular gravy. So it is nothing special. But really good.

Mom

Coffee to roast? Never heard before. I try it next time when I make roast. I don´t have a crock pot (I´m thinking to buying one) but I have high edge ceramic pot. Coffee is like a stock?

Old Shoe sound easy to make and taste good too. 

Meowmy

I want some day make (hole or in pieces) turkey in oven. Is´t same like do chicken? I like taste of turkey.

I make Pieroghis today and mac & cheese tomorrow because I can´t wait to taste them.

Meowmy

I like turkey better then chicken but eat both. My brother made mac and cheese tonight and going to make Pieroghis tomorrow. I have my mac and cheese coming home tomorrow. Mom's mac and cheese you can heat out of the freezer. My brother made a big pan today cause my niece wanted some for Mother's Day to take to her boyfriend's mom house. My sister in law died a couple years ago so she spends lots of the holiday's at his moms. My brother is fine with it. She was at my mom's today. Can't wait to try my brother's making of the Pieroghis. 

Mom

I’m going to have to make pieroghi too.  Memorial Day weekend.   I’m recuperating from the 8th grade field trip today, next weekend we are interring my mom.   But it will also be my dad’d Father day present, so all is good!

Brother did a real good job 0n both. It was so good. He won't tell use what kind of meat he used in the stew. Have a feeling it was venison. He said he was going to make a change in it but told him not to change it. He said I'm making it so just sit back. It was really good. I think he mixed venison with beef. Yes he is a hunter.  The pieroghi was good too. His girlfriend made that. I bet my mom thought she was having an army coming. We ate at mom's and I got some left overs and so did my mom. They took the rest to her mom's house. He said that is why they made so much. So now I got both recipes from on here and mac and cheese. Oh yah they were taking some of that to her mom's house too. I told mom the army wasn't coming here it is going to her mom's house. She has a big family. My brother is a good cook. We even had pies. 

Hope all moms, meowmys, mamas, and kitty moms have a great day

Mom and the boys

Mac & cheese was yummy. Mama like it very much. we eat it today too and rest we put in freezer. You can make a change at stew if want or need to do. My Karelian stew have 2 chance, garlic and bacon. The original stew don´t have bacon or garlic. Sometimes I put mushrooms. Original stew have meats, onions, meat stock, peppers, carrots, rutabaga or turnip and bay leaf.

What kind of pies do you have?

Mama want me to do a big sandwichcake to her. 

Meowmy