Meritagery.

mer·it
n.
A quality deserving praise or approval; virtue.

her·i·tage
n.
Something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition.

mer·i·tage
n.
A neologism created by California winemakers for their high-quality blended wines.

mer·i·tag·er·y
wtf.
The "art" of teaching your lady friends how to make some of your traditional family recipes...all the while mixing many varietals of wine...oh, and vodka.

Around this time of year - once the tree is up, snow dusts the ground and Bing Crosby croons on about Silver Bells and Parson Brown - I become nostalgic for my Polish heritage.  Ha.  Non-sequitor, anyone?  Well, for my family, Christmas Eve was always the time of the year we celebrated our Polish traditions.  And, even though I'm a fourth generation partial Pole (a.k.a: mutt), this is the only heritage I experienced growing up and it's the only one I still celebrate, to this day...

Leo and Stella Klein (Grandma and Grandpa on my Dad's side)

Every Christmas Eve, many generations of my family would gather to celebrate the Polish tradition of Wigilia.  Our feast, while I'm sure bastardized over the years, consisted of many courses - a soup (borscht or a sour mushroom lima bean concoction), creamed herring (which no one eats without a dare or death-wish), pierogis, sauerkraut, kielbasa (traditionally Wigilia is vegetarian but, we didn't seem to adhere to that rule), potatoes, galabki, etc...

Now, I realize this feast is a gluttonous entity (it's like a whole new world of Thanksgiving hurt just one short month later) and for calorie intake alone, should only be consumed once a year.  Still, I think we can have certain parts of this meal once and a while, right?  And, in my mind, the star of the meal - the element I always loved as a kid and continue to crave until this day are the pierogis! Yes: doughy, delicious, butter-laden and onion-slathered pierogis - with a dollop of sour cream, please...

Anyone who has made pierogis (and I really hope you didn't try to make them by yourself) knows they take a long-ass time.  This is the kind of work that you begin to understand why women used to say "slaving in the kitchen."  Don't get me wrong - this is not hard work by any means but, incredibly time consuming and labor intensive.  And this, my friends, is why I thought it'd be a great idea to invite some ladies over to help me in my sweatshop of dough and butter - in trade for a good time, some wine and the promise of many leftovers!

We start with some Polish Vodka that Sara brought to help us get in the "spirit" of things!  I'm pretty sure my great aunts were drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon or that syrupy Blackberry liqueur in the kitchen when they were cooking for the crew but, we opt for a more hard-core tribute to Poland.

Na zdrowie! 

(This beautiful vessel is made for Vodka.  My mom gave this to me about 10 years ago and this was actually the first time I've used it.  Genius!)

PREP

Before you start - lets just get real - you need butter....like, a LOT of butter.  And diced onions...like, a LOT of diced onions.  One more friendly tip: there's simply no reason to even try to make this recipe low fat - it will fail miserably and make you very sad. 

Oh, yes, it all starts out so innocently...

The beauty of scoring an onion - makes it so easy to dice...

FILL

I made all the fillings ahead of time because it's pretty darn easy, saves time and well, that's what my Mom does!  I made three traditional fillings and, as an homage to my family's weird obsession with making one special pierogi that someone will "luckily" consume and win a prize, which is simply that you get to pick next year's weird filling: one experimental concoction.

My experimental concoction: Sweet Potato (a safer, more savory choice)

• Boil three sweet potatoes
• Mash with butter and a bit of sour cream
• Sauté in diced onions and butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Set aside your fillings for later...

DOUGH

• 2 c. of flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 ounces cream cheese (room temp)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp butter, softened
• 1/2 c. lukewarm milk

Now, we doubled this recipe and made three batches (makes about 250-ish pierogis)

 If you can find a beautiful hand model, like Shannon here, the dough will also look pretty when you roll it out!

• Use a cookie cutter (or I just use a rocks glass) to cut the dough out in circles
• Spoon teaspoon of filling in each piece of dough
• Score the dough just like you would any other pie or dumpling

• Two pots of boiling water on stove
• Two sauté pans with butter and onions ready to go
• When the dumplings float to the top, take them out with a slotted spoon and fry them up in butter and onions

"It's like a Jesus butter baby..." - Vanessa Greenway

Somewhere in between boiling and frying, Kristen brought out this beauty of a wine.  Kristen is my most favorite "wino."  She's quite knowledgable, always willing to share, not snobby about it, up for a good bargain or investment - all the while having the most exquisite taste.  Anyway, she brought this bottle to share, opening it up to breathe right when she arrived explaining she brought a back up bottle "just in case!" because she was afraid something might have happened to it in transit.  I can tell you that only amazingness must have happened in transit because as we all took our first taste, we immediately did that thing where your eyes get really wide and you all start smiling and laughing and saying things like, "Wow!" "Yum!" and "Holy shit, Kristen!"

"The wheels are falling off this bus but, it's okay because it's delicious!" - Sara Jean McCarthy

And, once they are all fried up, they look like this...

"Eat whatever you want because we have five thousand million pierogis here..." - Carolyn Klein

Oh, and I also made some kielbasa and sauerkraut in the slow cooker to compliment our doughy love.  Such an easy recipe - kielbasa, fresh kraut, an onion, stick of butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar and pepper to season - cook for 3-5 hours.

Three words: GENE'S. SAUSAGE. SHOP.

www.genessausageshop.com

Sara's Mom used to call this ''toothpick food" - so we stuck some toothpicks in as a tribute...

And, this is how we look after 5,000 glasses of wine and vodka while slaving in the kitchen for five plus hours!

"I can feel the butter in my system now..." - Kristen Hudson

"It's like savory donuts right to your soft spot...happy food dance moments..." - Shannon Rawley

We came. We drank.  We diced many onions and used a shit-ton o' butter.  We talked about life, love, work, marriage, holidays, travel, family and cooking.  We ate.  We conquered.  We took leftovers home to our partners and neighbors.

Just as our ancestors did.

Until next time...Ciao!

Yes, we can.

Two Saturday afternoons.  Steaming pots of water.  Mason jars.  Fresh produce from Kristen's farm and Sara Jean's garden.  The aroma of vinegar, fresh dill and cinnamon.  Jackie refers to her hand-written journal listing how to make her grandma's beets and dill pickles.  Kristen armed with her canning bible in hand.  For lunch: Kristen's beautiful fried squash and crowder peas.  Sara Jean makes a lovely leek, mushroom, Gruyere bread pudding.  We eat all these things.  And we get to work!

We form our amateur assembly line and embrace our sometimes "sweat shop" of patience.  Generous pours of Prosecco flow.  And hours, days, months later - we have jars of deliciousness to share with our loved ones...

Sometimes we have to "improvise" - like when I can't find cheese cloth bags at the grocery store.  A little cheese cloth and some thread will do the trick...

Beautiful tomatoes generously donated to the project by Sara Jean and Khud. 

Cin Cin!  Canning is always better with Prosecco!

Beautiful beets from the Lincoln Square farmers market.  Pre-roasted the night before courtesy of myself and Khud.

We place the tomatoes in the boiling water until the skin starts to pull away.

Then we peel the skins off and core... 

We simply squeeze lemon juice in the bottom of the jars and fill with tomatoes to the top!

Seal the jars... 

Processing begins...

While they process, Sara Jean starts to whip up some lunch.  We had to bring out the hot plate skillet from Jackie's camping gear because the entire stove was covered in steaming pots!

And after several hours...and hours...and well, days...Wallah!!!

Beets, Dilly Beans and Bread and Butter pickles. 

Grandma's dills.

Grandma's beets - spicy and cinnamon. 

Beautiful Bread and Butter pickles. 

Tomatoes. 

The tomatoes soon after they start to settle...

All the while we were preparing, assembling and catching up on the latest in our lives I started to romanticize about the history of the generations of women who "canned" before us - I wonder what their conversations were like years ago - someone is newly engaged, another shares the exciting news of a baby on the way, or someone reminisces about their childhood cooking with Mom - all conversations seeming to touch on family, work, friendships and lovers.  I'm sure there was laughter and maybe even a few tears as they shared about their lives over seemingly simple ritualistic tasks.  

It is here that I am reminded that we are not too far off from these women in the kitchens of the past, getting together for a day of preparing food for ourselves and our loved ones.  Sure, we may run marathons, have iPhones, wear stilettos and drink martinis - but the conversations retain similar themes.  And, I couldn't help but feel Jackie's grandma smiling down on us that day as we ran out of sugar - Jackie reached into her cupboard to show us her Grandma's sugar jar, only to discover it still had sugar in it and, exactly the perfect amount to complete our recipe!

It's in these moments you feel the past winking at the future.  And it's in these moments that I realize there is something special about putting your heart and soul into cooking for your loved ones - rolling up your sleeves, throwing on an apron and creating something with love - from one kitchen to another's table.  

Appendix:

Dilly Beans and Bread and Butters courtesy of The Chopping Block (A fine Chicago institution)

 Jackie's Grandma's Sweet Dills (Good) and Beet Pickles

Ciao.

THE SOUPSTRESS - Ms. Sara Jean!

NAME: Sara Jean McCarthy

OCCUPATION: Actor/Massage Therapist

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?  International Falls, Minnesota - on the Canadian border, yah sure, eh...

ANY NICKNAMES WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?  S-Mac, SJ, Mac (my dad called me Pumpkin Seed growing up :))

WHAT MEAL REMINDS YOU OF YOUR CHILDHOOD?  Tuna Hot Dish, Goulash, Huevos Rancheros (my dad would make this every time we went camping), Bisquick Biscuits, Walleye Pike, Fondue

WHAT'S THE ONE THING YOU MAKE THAT PEOPLE CONTINUALLY COMPLIMENT YOU ON?  The butternut squash soup I make at Thanksgiving is always raved about. I also make a pretty luscious PBR Veggie Chili. In fact, soups in general are rather my speciality. One day, I will have my own soup wagon. #pipedreams

FAVORITE COCKTAIL/WINE?  Bubbly rose, Loire Valley Savignon Blanc, Jameson on the rocks, Ketel One martini with a twist

BEST MEAL YOU HAD WHILE TRAVELING?  I broke my 15 years of vegetarianism with a street food sausage. Yup. My friend Mechelle and I were in Switzerland on the German/French border and one day, after hiking in the Alps, we wandered the streets of the mountain village. We passed by countless seasoned German men selling sausages fresh off the grill with a piece of rye bread and a dollop of mustard. I...well, I could not resist. I inhaled my first non-fish animal product in years and years and happily hopped on my 8 hour train ride back to Amsterdam. (where I also ate some incredible smoked salmon toasties at the local brown cafe on the Amstel River). I am now a porkatarian and will never go back.

FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPINGS? Wild Mushrooms, Swiss Chard, Poblano Peppers, Brussels Sprouts

NIGIRI OR SASHIMI?  Either/both/all of the above - give me some super fresh raw fish in any shape and i will shove it in my mouth...

DEATH ROW/RAPTURE MEAL?  Laurent Perrier Brut Rose, Cheese plate with persian feta, burrata, smoked gouda and drunken goat, Something (Anything) with Scallops, Wild Mushrooms & Truffle Oil, Kale salad with avacado dressing (or perhaps ceasar dressing) yellow cake with chocolate frosting, AND this crazy pie from Bang Bang Pie Shop that is some sort of dark chocolate, salted caramel, rosemary crazyness...OH and tons of San Pellegrino...

WHO WOULD YOU PICK TO BE IN YOUR CELEBRITY HOT TUB? Ben Nichols (Lucero), Justin Timberlake, Joel McHale, Ani Difranco, Caitlin Moran, AAAAANNND (last minute write-in due to current Dr. Who obsession) David Tennant

IF YOU WERE AN HERB/SPICE, WHAT KIND WOULD YOU BE?  Fresh Sage or Rosemary - unmistakable and yet usable in many ways...ORRRRR this crazy new smoked spice from the Trader Joe's...ORRRR cinnamon - i just like me some cinnamon...

WHAT IS THE MOST FAVORITE THING YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR PARTNER? N/A

ANYTHING ELSE? I'm a foodie by upbringing, passion and curiosity. My folks always took us out to eat. A LOT. (even though we lived in a tiny rural isolated town - we still ate lobster dipped in butter and flaming Greek cheese) And they also cooked a ton. We learned the joy of sharing cooking duties and clean up duties and new restaurants and nourishment. I also was lucky enough to share my very first apartment with women who appreciated a shared meal and home-cooking as much as I. And then I have years of valuable restaurant employment where I learned more than i could ever take from classes about unique seasonal ingredients and fine wine. I am honored to have had such a history of food as community building. I am always ready for more YUM!

Her fried green tomatoes should be illegal, y'all...Introducing Ms. Kristen!

NAME: Kristen

OCCUPATION: Attorney - Commercial Litigation

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?  Concord, N.C.

ANY NICKNAMES WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?  KHUD, Kris, K-MONEY, RAMBO

WHAT MEAL REMINDS YOU OF YOUR CHILDHOOD?  Country Style Steak and collard greens

WHAT'S THE ONE THING YOU MAKE THAT PEOPLE CONTINUALLY COMPLIMENT YOU ON? Fried squash and homemade pickles

FAVORITE COCKTAIL/WINE?  Wine or Champs but, recently I've taken a liking to Manhattans made with single batch rye whiskey

BEST MEAL YOU ATE WHILE TRAVELING?  Fresh sushi at Tsukiji Market in Toyko.  All meals in Italy. Sandwiches in the Jardin du Luxenburg in Paris.

FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPINGS?  Pepperoni - hold the pizza

NIGIRI OR SASHIMI?  Sashimi.

DEATH ROW/RAPTURE MEAL?  Chicken and dumplings, biscuits and gravy, fried squash and Greek french fries.

WHO WOULD YOU PICK TO BE IN YOUR CELEBRITY HOT TUB?  Frank Sinatra, Cate Blanchett, Diana Krall, Johnny Lee Miller, Alexander Skaarsgard.

IF YOU WERE AN HERB/SPICE, WHAT KIND WOULD YOU BE?  Dill.

WHAT IS THE MOST FAVORITE THING YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR PARTNER?  He remains calm when I don't...

ANYTHING ELSE?  (crickets...)

The original HOTDISH...Ms. Jackie!

NAME: Jackie

OCCUPATION:  Ha ha ha ha! Which one? Mommy, Photog, Choir Director, Voice Teacher, Stella & Dot Stylist, Trophy Wife

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?  New Richmond, WI...just across the border from Minneapolis/St. Paul

Any nicknames we should know about? Jack, Jackson, Jake, SasperJo, Sasp, Jay, JJ, Momma

WHAT MEAL REMINDS YOU OF CHILDHOOD?  Thanksgiving dinner, especially stuffing. Tuna macaroni salad. (Has to have pasta rings and peas). Swedish meatballs. Green bean casserole. Creamed corn. Potato pancakes. Grilled Cheese & Tomato soup. Alphabet Soup. (Not really meals:) Spaghettios. Marshmallow Creme/Cream Cheese Fruit dip. Velveeta anything. Spam. !?

WHAT'S THE ONE THING YOU MAKE THAT PEOPLE CONTINUALLY COMPLIMENT YOU ON?  Hotdish. It's an art, baby. And....I'm working on the foodie version(s)!

FAVORITE COCKTAIL/WINE? Wine, wine, wine. Anything except sweet. No can do. The occasional Mojito without too much sugar....bourbon & ginger.

BEST MEAL WHILE TRAVELING?  I could not put my finger on exactly which food but it was definitely many things consumed in Tuscany in fall 2006. Hands down. Okay, VERY close second, Pulpo with paprika and olive oil in Madrid. Oh. Em. Gee.

FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPINGS? Bell peppers, onions, artichokes, fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach. Yes. ALL of that.

NIGIRI OR SASHIMI?  I can never flippin' remember but no rice, gol' darnit! (I have to ask Currlyn every time. Sawry!).

DEATH ROW/RAPTURE MEAL? Ok, well as long as we're talking sushi, yeah, death by sushi. And a sexy red. And holy cow, give me some kinda rich dark chocolate heart stopper.

WHO WOULD YOU PICK TO BE IN YOUR CELEBRITY HOT TUB?  Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Newman, Michael J. Fox, Meryl Streep, Madeline Khan

IF YOU WERE AN HERB OR A SPICE, WHAT KIND WOULD YOU BE?  Ah! That's hard! Okay, well I'm in love with rosemary. Especially because I've used it for my babies when they've had coughs and congestion. But also I love the scent so much and it reminds me of my Grandmas. And fresh basil. So green. So fragrant. So delicious.

WHAT IS THE MOST FAVORITE THING YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR PARTNER? He keeps it real. I also hate this at times. But in the end, it's just what I need, being a dreamyMcdreamypants and all...he grounds me. And, ironically, he keeps me from getting too serious!!! Nutball. I'm one lucky kid.

ANYTHING ELSE?  I am one crazy-arse mushball. And I believe that magic happens in the kitchen. I feel a palatable connection to my beloveds when I replicate their recipes and any time I share the kitchen and the kitchen with other women, I feel that we form an indescribable bond. It fills my soul in a way nothing else can.

This woman will bake things for you that will mess with yo mind - Ms. Shannon!

NAME: Shannon

OCCUPATION: CBAB - Chief Bitch & Baby-sitter

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?  IL, IA, Peru, TX, PA

NICKNAMES WE SHOULD KNOW?  Shan, The Shan, Trannon, Shantastic (Editor note: I need to add "Shanners," because that's what i call you!!! - CK)

MEAL THAT REMINDS YOU OF CHILDHOOD?  Mac n' cheese

WHAT'S THE ONE THING YOU MAKE THAT PEOPLE CONTINUALLY COMPLIMENT YOU ON? Baking

FAVORITE COCKTAIL/WINE? Depends on the day but, I always love a dirty martini

BEST MEAL YOU ATE WHILE TRAVELING?  Ribs in London after three weeks in India

FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING? Cheese

NIGIRI OR SASHIMI?  Sashimi

DEATH ROW/RAPTURE MEAL?  Warm chocolate chip cookies and Lasagna

WHO WOULD YOU PICK TO HAVE IN YOUR CELEBRITY HOT TUB?  Paul Newman, Tatum Channing, Ryan Gosling, Angelia Jolie, Charlize Theron

IF YOU WERE AN HERB/SPICE, WHAT KIND WOULD YOU BE?  Cayenne Pepper

WHAT IS THE MOST FAVORITE THING YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR PARTNER? N/A

ANYTHING ELSE?  "I'm too hot to handle, too cold to hold."

Ms. Vanessa - She will cook you something really naughty - like honey glazed cayenne bacon - then Pilates your ass!

NAME:  Vanessa

OCCUPATION: Actor, Pilates and Gyrotonic® instructor

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?  First 12 years on an organic farm in rural Oregon; then in Eugene, Oregon till college (Chicago)

ANY NICKNAMES WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT? Ness, Nessa (family and friends call me that), VG, Judy, Banessa

WHAT MEAL REMINDS YOU OF YOUR CHILDHOOD? red sauce with spaghetti noodles-my mom would make this crammed full of veggies from the garden,zucchini, chard, carrots, mushrooms, sometimes with ground beef or turkey, sometimes not....we gobbled it because it was basically spaghetti and red sauce with Parmesan on top, delicious. One of the first meals I learned to cook on my own, I still think of her and my family and how much we loved it when I make it and cram veggies into it (clean out the produce drawer). Total comfort food for me.

WHAT'S THE ONE THING YOU MAKE THAT PEOPLE CONTINUALLY COMPLIMENT YOU ON?  Most continuously (I've fed the most people with) is my "bean feed" (really, it's turkey burritos, but Paul calls it The Bean Feed) : big pot of black beans with tons of cumin and jalapenos, lean ground turkey with onions, peppers spices, romaine and red onion and avocados and limes to complement, tortillas and/or chips to scoop it up....I love to serve this and people love to eat it because it's delicious, nutritionally sound and satisfying.

FAVORITE COCKTAIL/WINE?  I love martinis (but not the sweet ones). Dry belvedere vodka martini with an olive or Hendrick's gin martini with a twist. Wine depends on what I'm eating, but I am am partial to dry sparkly whites and big jammy Cabs.

BEST MEAL WHILE TRAVELING? Greece: crazy deep tomato sauce with cloves and nutmeg (I think) on fresh pasta, delicate most freshest grilled calamari (this was on an island, Spetses I think?) and that ubiquitous but and addictive Greek salad of cucumber, feta, tomato and olives. Bread, Retsina (which is only good there)

NIGIRI OR SASHIMI?  Nigiri, cause I like a lotta texture in my mouth (that's right, you heard me...) UNLESS I'm somewhere I know the fish is excellent...then bring on the sashimi (wasabl with all)

DEATH ROW/RAPTURE MEAL? Hmm. Vodka martini, dry with an olive, smoked salmon with capers and red onion, fresh pasta with olive oil, garlic, red pepper and Parmesan, peppercorn crusted filet, raw kale salad with bleu cheese and balsalmic. Dude. Might have to make that tomorrow.

WHO WOULD YOU PICK TO BE IN YOUR CELEBRITY HOT TUB?  Leonard Cohen, Dean Martin, Hugh Laurie, Judy Dench, Meryl Streep

IF YOU WERE AN HERB OR A SPICE, WHAT KIND WOULD YOU BE? Crushed red pepper.

WHAT'S THE MOST FAVORITE THING YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR PARTNER?  He can have a good time anywhere (and reminds me that I can too when I forget).

ANYTHING ELSE? (...tumbleweeds...)