A special meal coming for a Happy Easter

/ March 27, 2016

My dear wife Karen asked a couple of days ago what I’d like to have for dinner on Easter.

A ham steak? My answer had that question mark on the end of it, but that’s the way we left it. Then in those nether moments before I drifted off to sleep that night, a better idea hit me.

Fresh kielbasa, pierogi and trimmings.

Fresh kielbasa, pierogi and trimmings.

When I awoke the next morning, I volunteered to cook the traditional Polish Easter meal of fresh kielbasa and pierogi. My mother would make it every year for this holiday when I was a kid. Oh, she made it more than this one time annually — more like three or four times a year — but one of our three squares on Easter had to be fresh kielbasa and pierogi. Dinner, sure. Lunch, sometimes. Dad Frank even accepted it for breakfast, with the kraut opted out for pumpernickel bread and butter.

Karen quickly agreed. And so, with that day off from work, I drove to the little meat market in Solvay that trucks in the good fresh stuff made in Utica and bought a ring. Their freezer, though, held only cabbage pierogi. Not my thing.

So I drove to the Syracuse Price Chopper, hoping to find the specialty national brand of potato-and-cheese we both like. Not there. Mrs. T’s will do. We both enjoy them, boiled first and then quickly dipped in the frying pan of browned onions.

Three ways, but no cheese babka.

Three ways, but no cheese babka.

I also picked Price Chopper because their bakery prepares babka, the Polish bread-cake, every Easter week. Karen and I prefer their cheese babka variety. Alas, the specialty table held cinnamon, cinnamon-raisin and chocolate, but not a cheese babka to be found. Too bad. Those babies were a buck off the marked price, too.

I topped off my basket with frozen chopped onions, cans of sauerkraut and baked beans, and a jar of horseradish to complete the fixings.

I open at the store today, my shift running from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. I’ll do the honor of cooking our Easter dinner sometime after I get home.

Happy Easter to all who celebrate this holiday. May you enjoy a good meal, traditions and family.

What did you grow up eating at this time of year? What was your favorite traditional meal of all? What will you be eating today, and who will be cooking it?

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37 thoughts on “A special meal coming for a Happy Easter”

  1. this sounds soooooo good, mark. my fav traditional meal is thankgiving, every bit of it. today, we went out for breakfast, then over to one of daughters’ for an egg hunt and birthday party. it was a great spring day – happy easter you and yours )

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  2. You will be home shortly, based on the current time, and I am sure you have been looking forward to this meal all day!!!

    I had a nice relaxing meal with my mama and her husband, I miss Mr. B ant the young brickhouses but I was happy to learn that they were enjoying themselves with some fresh kielbasa as well! 😍

    Happy Easter to you and your Mrs. B!! 🌺

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    • I am so glad you had a relaxing meal at your dream Island with mama and her fantastic husband, and Mr. B and the young B’s are eating fresh kielbasa together back home, Mrs. B. Yes, I just got home. The water-boiling starts at 4:45, ETA for first fork-full is 6 p.m., beating Syracuse University Elite Eight tip-off. ❤ Happy Easter to you, mom, step-dad, Mr. B, daughter and son. ❤ ❤

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  3. Nothing wrong with Mrs. T’s. Is the Haps Wedding or Big Party? I would dump the beans. Canned sauerkraut?… If the bagged is too intense, I think it is, glass jarred is a little milder.
    I’m having a totally nontraditional pork loin and mashed potatoes. Thinking about the rest.

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  5. What with all our recent stress (one kid with a broken wrist requiring surgery, another with a bout of flu requiring an urgent care visit, and preparing for that kid’s purchase of her first new home), I decided to skip Easter this year. I simply could not handle the whole brunch for the entire extended family. So, it will just be hubby and me, and our youngest, enjoying a quiet dinner of ham, potatoes and cabbage.

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  6. We don’t celebrate Easter, so there’s nothing special for dinner here, but your post brought me back! A college boyfriend of mine was half Irish, and half Polish. His mom (the Polish side) made us fresh kielbasa and pierogi for Easter breakfast! I learned how to cook it for him, but it’s been years!

    I love chocolate babka. There are some bakeries that make it really well – with huge chunks of chocolate layered into it. It’s hard to find it made just right.

    It’s been awhile, right? Happy Easter, my friend! Love to you and your family. xoxoxoox

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    • Happy day to you, Samara. Celebrate even though you don’t celebrate, if you know what I mean. Every day is worth kielbasa, pierogi, chocolate babka, family, friendship. I hope Little Dude is well. I’ll see you soon, dear.

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  7. How dreadful that your store is open on Easter. My retail-working nieces and husband have the day off. I had no idea I was being at all traditional when I made kielbasa for dinner last night (day before Easter counts doesn’t it?). I like Mrs. T’s pierogies, baked then fried with onions OF COURSE. A few churches around here periodically sell homemade pierogies, and I used to work with a fellow who would occasionally bring in some he made himself, with electric frying pan to heat them. Yum! But I never knew they were traditional for Easter. I’ll bear it in mind for next year. Happy Easter!

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  11. Happy Easter MBM and DWK. We are heading to a breakfast/lunch/dinner combination because my children couldn’t agree on what meal to have. So we are having the one meal with all components in it! 🙂

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  12. We always had kielbasa cooked in with the Easter ham. Neighbors provided home made pierogi, but I must say, those Mrs. T’s are a great option. I cooked yesterday, family likes the cold ham buffet with all the trimmings.☺ Enjoy that traditional meal, Mark. Happy Easter. ❤️

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  14. Sounds like a great meal! Hope you and your wife have a wonderful Easter.

    This time of year, our family would be having hamentashen (for Purim) and maybe bracing ourselves for a week of matzah.

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  15. Up early (nothing unusual there) it’ll be the traditional Baked Ham, Leg of Lamb with roasted potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, glazed honey carrots, creamed corn, need I go on….You get the pic for 40 people! LOL- Happy Easter Mark, Karen and Elle B. The Gatorette.

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