Cheater Pierogi – This is No Polish Joke

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During this video for quick and easy cheese pierogi, I jokeabout my Polish grandmother rolling over in her grave, but after eating severalbatches of these delicious dumplings, I’m pretty sure Grandma Sophie would haveapproved. 
I’ve always been a big fan of wonton skins. Not only have Iused them for wonton soup, but also for tortellini, ravioli, and various otherdumplings.  They’re veryuser-friendly, but use a damp paper towel to cover the open package as youwork, since they can dry out quickly and become harder to work with.
Whenever I post a video like this, the most common questionsusually revolve around what alternative fillings would work. Let me handle thatissue right now. Anything will work as a filling. Literally. Most high-endgrocery stores will have farmer’s cheese, but if you can’t find it, a mixtureof half cream cheese and half ricotta would get you very close.
I decided to break with family tradition and serve these withbacon and caramelized onions, as we usually just fry in a little butter andserve with sour cream. I blame Chicago’s Pierogi Heaven for this, since it wasduring a recent visit that I had a plate served similarly, and it wasamazing.
Anyway, whether you’re an old pro, or brand new to the joysof pierogi, I hope you give these easy, cheesy dumplings a try. Remember theold saying...if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 50-60 Pierogi:1 1/2 cups warm mashed potato1 1/2 cup farmer’s cheese, or any cheese blend1 large eggsalt and pepper to taste pinch of cayenne50-60 wonton wrapperssour cream and chives as needed
Bacon and Onion Sauce (enough to garnish about 12 pierogi)4 slices bacon, sliced thin1/2 large yellow onion, diced2 tsp butter*After bacon is crisp, drain excess fat, reserving about 2tbsp to fry pierogi.

Zucchini and Ricotta Casserole – Help Us End SZF in Our Lifetime

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Recent made-up studies have shown that every Fall, millionsof Americans suffer from a condition known as Severe Zucchini Fatigue (SZF). 

After months of eating zucchini, their bodies begin to shut down and theysimply can’t stomach any more of the ubiquitous summer squash. Well, relief isnow just a casserole dish away.
Thanks to the magic of mint, the goodness of garlic, and agenerous topping of baked ricotta, your SZF can not only be controlled, itcan be cured. For this to be fully effective, be sure to not cheat on thehot oven. 

I know your oven smokes a little bit when set to 450 degrees F.(mostly because you only clean it like once a decade), but that’s thetemperature needed to brown the edges of the zucchini and cheese, before theliquids begin to leak out.
This is meant to be a relatively quick and easy vegetable side, but as I ate it I couldn’t help but think what a great one-dish mealthis would have made with the addition of some spicy sausages. Maybe scatter afew slices of chorizo or lamb Merguez sausage in there? How is that not goingto be great? Anyway, I hope you give this delicious zucchini and ricottacasserole a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:3 or 4 firm large zucchini2 or 3 tbsp olive oil 4 cloves crushed garlicsalt to taste
1/4 tsp smoked paprika 1/4 cup (packed) thinly sliced mint leaves1 cup ricotta cheese, or as neededcayenne to taste

The Friday Night Fish Fry

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I’m not exactly sure how it became such a staple of WesternNew York’s regional cuisine, but every Friday night, all over this part of theEmpire State, countless hundreds of restaurants feature what’s simply called a“fish fry.”
It’s a boneless fillet of haddock, usually dipped in sometype of beer batter and served humbly with tartar sauce, fries, baked potato, or as you seehere, mashed potatoes. I enjoyed this fine example at Countryside FamilyRestaurant, a few miles from my mom’s home, and it was awesome.
I really want to do a demo for this recipe, especially sinceI’ve had hundreds of requests for “fish and chips,” which I assume this is a directdescendant of, but to do it properly you really should use a nice bigdeep-fryer. I may get a turkey fryer in anticipation of the holiday season, andcould break it in with this fabulous fish dish. If you have any “fish fry”memories, please feel free to share!

Beef Borscht – You Really Can’t Beat This Beet Soup

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This delicious and vividly colored beef borscht is the firstsoup I can ever remember eating. Every summer, we’d drive to New York City tovisit my father’s side of the family. His father was Ukrainian, and his motherwas Polish, and like the pierogis they’d have ready for us, this beef and beetsoup was always a very welcomed part of the trip.
It was also this soup that started my lifelong love ofadding sour cream to things. The way the tangy, rich cream melted into the hot,beefy broth was a wonder to behold, and unlike any other soup I’d eat the restof the year. Speaking of beefy broth, I only used one measly piece of shank,but you are welcome to add one or two more to make this even more awesome.
Of course, there are a thousand versions of borscht, and asusual I have no idea how authentic this is, which is fine since, well, it’ssoup for God’s sake. Beside what vegetables to add or delete, there is also thequestion of temperature.
Word on the street is that the Ukrainian/Russian versionsare served piping hot, and that the Polish versions are served chilled.However, there does seem to be a general agreement as far as beverage pairingsgo. I’ll let one of my YouTube followers, Afterapplepicking, explain:
“Hot, beefy, red, Russian borscht is only to be served with copious amounts of beer orvodka. Which is quite a distinction from the cold, vegetarian, pink Polishborscht, which is only to be served with copious amounts of beer or vodka.”
Well said! Anyway, I hope you give this blast from my soupypast a try soon, and as always, enjoy!

Ingredients (amounts not critical!)2-3 quarts of beef broth(to make your own: simmer a well-browned beef shank or twoin 3 quarts of water for 4 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone,and completely flavorless)1 bay leaf1 cup chopped carrots1/2 cup chopped celery1 onion, chopped3 cups sliced beets2 cups chopped cabbagesalt and pepper to taste1/4 cup white vinegar, or to tastesour cream and dill or chive to garnish
*This soup doesn't require a lot of thought. Simply simmer everything until tender!

Cream of Cauliflower – Come for the Soup, Stay for the Bacon Gremolata

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We’re heading into the heart of hot soup season, and thiscream of cauliflower will ward off autumn’s chill with the best of them. I’m abig fan of the cauliflower in all forms, but this simple soup may be myfavorite application.

Of course, human nature being what it is, I wasn’t satisfiedwith just the soup, and wanted to garnish with something new and exciting.Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of anything, so I decided to follow that age-oldadvice which says, “when in doubt, bacon.”
I’ve garnished soups like this with bacon before, but nevertried toasting breadcrumbs in the rendered fat. Not surprisingly, it workedvery well, and the additions of lemon zest and parsley elevated things evenmore. The only problem with a recipe like this is the next time I’m served acream of cauliflower, no matter how good it is, I’m going to be a little sadthere’s no bacon gremolata floating on top.
By the way, I realize there are no breadcrumbs in a truegremolata, but I thought it sounded kind of cool, and besides, I’ve never beenthat big on respecting the sanctity of culinary terms. I was going to go with“baconized breadcrumbs,” but that sounded a little too much like moleculargastronomy, which is much worse.
If you’re not into eating animals, some diced shiitakemushrooms and a pinch of smoked paprika would be a great substitute in thegremolata. You’d also need to add some olive oil to replace the rendered baconfat, but you probably knew that.
Now that I think about it, that vegetarian version soundspretty amazing as well. Maybe next time I’ll skip the bacon and…oh, who am Ikidding? Anyway, I hope you give this delicious fall soup a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 8 servings:1 onion, chopped1 rib celery, chopped 1 tbsp olive oil3 cloves garlicsalt to taste1 large russet potato, peeled, quartered2 heads cauliflower, trimmed1 quart chicken broth1 quart water1/2 cup creamcayenne to tasteFor the gremolata:4 strips bacon1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs

Brio Tuscan Grille | Review & Giveaway

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I adore any opportunity to try out new locale flair and Brio Tuscan Grille was no different. I have walked by so many times on my errand runs to Fashion Place Mall, and the tantalizing lunch smells always seemed to speak to me, "Come in!" This time I had the opportunity to do just that, and I am happy to say that Brio Tuscan Grille tastes as good as it smells, and it is pretty to boot.





I loved the oversize, easy to read menus packed full with more than just Italian fare. There is something on the menu for everyone. While I love pasta, when I go out to eat I tend to order things that are a bit more hearty, and Brio offers a lot of menu choices for every different taste. 


The appetizers were my favorite part (they might always be my favorite part). These little guys below were some of my favorites.

I even ventured to try the calamari, and of the three times I have had calamari, this was definitely my favorite.


Spinach Artichoke dip is always a big hit. I loved these chips that it was served with. The cheese was so so so good.


I ordered a Strawberry Basil Lemonade. While it wasn't my favorite I was happy to steal a drink from Stephanie. She ordered a Berry Lemonade which was SO good I drank two. Thanks Steph!


I think what I adored the most about Brio was that they are super kid friendly. A service that they offer FOR. FREE. to kids is the opportunity to make their own pizza. They are given some pizza dough, once they are ready for toppings the server will take them to a counter where the chef will put on their desired sauces and toppings and then they bake the pizza in their brick oven. (This is the source of the remarkable smell outside!)


My little butterfly pizza waiting for toppings.




Here she is finished. I am sure that my kids will do better, next time we will try a unicorn!



We learned so much about Brio, from their catering program, to their ability to host parties and events of 100 people. The ambiance and excitement of this restaurant makes it kid friendly and classy all at once. They have merged the two beautifully.


I decided on a chop salad which I shared with Lindsey and the Gorgonzola Crusted Bistecca Filet. I love Gorgonzola Cheese, and I loved this steak. It was so melt in my mouth tender. I loved every bite until I was stuffed and was sad to share my leftovers with my husband. Next time there will be no leftovers, I want every bite for myself!

I am not sure if I can choose just one dessert as my favorite, but if I had to choose it would be the Torta Di Cioccolata below:




Brio is the perfect place to celebrate a wedding, anniversary, birthday or just meet for lunch with friends or a dinner date with your lover. Brio is beautiful outside, inside, and the food is just as beautiful.
Brio Tuscan Grille is offering two of my readers one free appetizer (the purchase of an Entree is required to redeem this offer)!

To enter, simply leave a comment on what you look forward to trying most at Brio, and your email address.

To earn additional entries:

• Check out Brio on Facebook
• Check out Kim Orlandini Photography on Facebook
• If you would like to follow my blog, that would be AMAZING! (Please leave a comment if you are already a follower.
• Share this giveaway any way you would like, and let me know you did so.

Please leave an additional comment for each additional entry, only individual comments will be considered part of the giveaway entries.

The giveaway ends Friday, August 10, 2012 at 8 p.m. MST. Winner will be notified by email.

**Disclaimer: Brio Tuscan Grille offered me and a group of ladies a complimentary dinner and opportunity to try a number of their menu items in exchange for an honest review of their restaurant. As always, I am honest in my opinions and reviews of the companies I choose to share with you. This review is no different.**

The Road Home Apple Tree Program to Help Homeless Children in Utah

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The Road Home Apple Tree Program was designed to collect new back-to-school clothing, shoes and supplies for more than 100 children living in the Road Home, a Salt Lake family homeless shelter.

As a mother, back to school time is always full of excitement. My kids start day dreaming about who their new teacher might be, and their tummies get full of butterflies as we go try on new school clothes and shoes and purchase new crayons and pencils and pack the backpack for that very special first day of school.
My heart aches more than a little bit to think of the hundreds of homeless children living in my area who don't have that opportunity and I am so thankful to Intrepid for providing me the opportunity, not only to serve in my community in such a way, but also to allow me to share the opportunity with you as well.



How you can help:
The Road Home Apple Tree campaign is available in 35 locations at DownEast, Payless ShoeSource, Salt Lake Area Staples, Sanctuary Day Spa and Intrepid, to provide an opportunity for the public to select an apple with the name of a child and purchase a needed item for back-to-school. The items, which should be new and unused, can be donated at any of the campaign partner locations from Provo to Ogden.

At the completion of the campaign, which runs through Aug. 13, Intrepid will deliver the clothing and school supplies to the Road Home before the school year begins.

During the seven-year history of the Road Home Apple Tree, more than 13,500 articles of clothing and school supplies have been donated, benefiting more than 380 children living in the Road Home shelter.

From July 16 - Aug. 13, you can pick an apple at the following locations:

Intrepid
375 West 200 South, Ste 275, Salt Lake City

Payless ShoeSource
11511 Parkway Plaza Dr, South Jordan (The District)
Jordan Landing-7083 S. Plaza Center Drive, West Jordan
575 E University Mall, Orem
484 N. 950 W. Space A, American Fork
1917 W. 1800 N. Clinton (in Super Walmart)
7015 S. 1300 E., Midvale
729 King Street, Layton
Layton Hills Mall-1038 N. Hillfield Rd, Layton
2274 S. 1300 E. STE G1, Sugarhouse
1216 Newgate Mall, Ogden729 N main, Tooele183 E 12300 S., Draper (Draper Peaks)
DownEast
DownEast Basics – Fashion Place Mall, 6191 South State Street, Murray
DownEast Basics – 1076 Layton Hills Mall, Layton
DownEast Basics – Newgate Mall, 36th Street Wall Avenue, Ogden
DownEast Basics – 1200 Towne Center Blvd, Provo
DownEast Basics – South Town Center, 10010 South State Street, Sandy
DownEast Basics – The District, 11400 Bangerter Highway, South Jordan
DownEast Basics - University Mall, 575 East University Parkway, Orem
DownEast Home & Clothing – 152 E. 12300 S., Draper
DownEast Home & Clothing – 411 W. 1425 N., Layton
DownEast Home & Clothing – 79 N. State Street, Orem
DownEast Home & Clothing – 7880 S. 1300 E., Sandy
DownEast Home & Clothing – 1170 E. 2100 S., Sugarhouse
DownEast Outfitters – 34 W. 600 N., American Fork
DownEast Outfitters – 2255 N. University Parkway, Provo
DownEast Outfitters – 1400 Foothill Dr., Salt Lake City
DownEast Basics – 170 South Rio Grande Street, Suite A., Salt Lake City

Staples
Staples - 10355 South State Street, Sandy
Staples - 3560 South 2700 West, West Valley City
Staples - 624 East 400 South, Salt Lake City

Sanctuary Day Spa
Sanctuary Day Spa - Gateway Mall-42 South Rio Grande, Salt Lake City
Sanctuary Day Spa - South Towne Mall - 10450 South State St #1406 Sandy
My kids and I are so excited to go and pick our apples off of the tree this Friday and purchase some fresh boxes of crayons, and some new clothes for these precious littles. Can't wait!

Camilla's Quilt Part 1 | Riley Blake Fly a Kite Fabric

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While browsing fabric stores online, I came across "Fly a Kite" by Riley Blake Designs. I immediately fell in love long before the line was released and put myself on the waiting list to be one
of the first to snatch up a few fat quarter bundles.


I adored the playful theme and bright colors of the fabrics, and what drew me into it the most were the strawberries. I have loved strawberries since I was a little girl. Not just eating them, but anything strawberry themed...I loved, and still do. This fabric line was no exception.



You may remember my last bubble quilt. I loved it so much and learned a lot from it, I decided to give it another go with a few alterations in order to make my life easier. Since this quilt was for little Camilla, I wanted to make it big enough that she could use it on a queen size bed. I didn't realize logistically how much fabric I would need (therefore, keeping my favorite quilt shops in business), as well as ultra time consuming this quilt would be. As it is finally coming together I can tell you it has been worth every minute of Bones and Scrubs reruns. Thank you Netflix!

The first thing? Cutting the circles:



The goal is to end up with a huge stack of perfectly cut circles. When I say huge stack, I mean the photo above is only 1/8 of the quilt. Yes. Yes.

I started off by starching and ironing each of my fat quarters. This enabled me to get them to lay as flat as possible and allowing me to get 4, 8.5" circles out of each fat quarter.





Of course, having a messy faced, sister-dress wearing little girl to help is half the fun.





After I ironed the fabric, the fun began. I purchased this little lovely for 50% off at my local fabric store. I wish that it could cut bigger circles than 8.5", but it didn't, however that turned out to be lucky because, as I mentioned I barely cut 4 circles out of each fat quarter at the 8.5" size.

This is quite possibly one of the coolest quilting gadgets around and if you don't have one, totally get one and create a quilt using circles. I am in love.

Olfa Circle Cutter:



I folded my fabric exactly in half so I could cut two circles at a time.



I carefully eyed the center of where the circle should go so that I made sure I left room for the other two circles to be cut out of the fat quarter. Nothing like making a mistake and ending up with a straight sided circle. That would be very sad.



Hold the little cutter on the pivot point and swirl it around. The blade is SUPER sharp, as is the pivot needle. I may have poked myself more than once, but luckily no cuts. After cutting no less than 1,000,000 circles I may have had some wrist pain, but it comes with the territory.



Finish up the fat quarter by cutting the other two circles, then give your scraps to friends who are making a Dear Jane quilt, then discover that you are obsessed with that Dear Jane quilt and next time you cut circles keep your own scraps.



Voila. Beautiful and perfect circles. The 8.5" size leaves a .25" or (1/4") seam allowance, so when the circles are finished you will end up with 8" finished circles.





Dig in and cut all of your fat quarters, as I mentioned you will need no less than 1,000,000 circles. (I may be exaggerating, when the quilt is finished I will let you know how many you may need.)



Don't forget to take two photos and allow your helper to put her little hand in one. It makes for a fun post. Are these fabrics not the most delicious you have ever seen?



Work on your quilt for three months only to determine you don't have enough fabric. So, order some more fabric. When the fabric comes and spring hits, and you go to photograph the rest of your tutorial, realize that the lighting in your photos is so drastically different, because your first photos were taken in the winter and processed at Walgreen's, and your second photos were taken in the spring and processed at your preferred lab. Then pretend that no one will notice anyway, but that your mistake allows you to photograph the next step of your tutorial and everyone will be so grateful they won't even notice the changes.

Sew each top side quilt circle right sides to your backing fabric circles leaving a quarter inch seam allowance. I went with a cream backing and a pink gingham backing. (When the quilt is finished there will be a checkerboard of pink gingham and cream squares...photo to come.)

The second thing I am doing differently from last time is cutting my batting into squares instead of circles. I wanted to cut down on bulk and needle breakage. So I measured my circle, found the size of square to fit inside. (It is about 6")





I used a rotary cutter and mat to cut the squares.



After I cut about 500,000 pieces of batting, it was time to get the batting to stay in place. This is where Quilt Basting Spray comes in SUPER handy.



I got a deep box and stuck a stack of my batting squares inside. I sprayed one side lightly with batting spray.





I took that piece off of the top, flipped it over and 'glued' it to the quilt top fabric side of each circle. This step is important. If you are like me and tired at 1 a.m. and on episode 101 of Bones, you will start to glue them to the backside. As you will see in a few steps, this will cause you to cut your backing fabric, and then you will cry when you realize that you have to order more fabric...thus continuing to keep your favorite fabric store in business. Thanks Angie!



Time for cutting.



Carefully separate your backing fabric from your quilt top fabric and slice a small hole only through your quilt top fabric. Cut along the edge of your batting so that you can turn your circle inside out.



Open the hole and flip your fabric right sides out.





You will end up with a deliciously messy stack of fabric circles.



Next (or it would be 100 times smarter to wait to do this step until after you iron, but again, I like difficulty) take the same template you cut to fit your circle and start drawing your squares. Remember to see my last tutorial if you feel a little lost.





Trace a square on your quilt top fabric, make sure to line the edge of the template along your cut fabric line. This helps ensure that your square batting piece lines up with where you will be sewing later. Continue to trace until all 500,000 circles are done.



Next, set up shop in front of your favorite Netflix shows. You will be ironing for a few hours.

We are going for perfect circles here, so I used a butter knife to help pop out my edges while I ironed.



Just slide the knife in the cut slit and kind of trace the lines as the iron glides the fabric.







You will end up with a pretty flat, almost perfect circle with the square piece of batting in the center. Like a little quilt hamburger bun.



Finish up the stack.



You will end up with stacks that look like this:



Stay tuned for post number 2 of Camilla's Quilt. She is very excited about it, and I am too now that I am 2/3 of the way done. Can't wait.
Happy Friday.