The Crankiness Crusher™

Apologies for the belated dose of happiness! After cleaning up my “toy circus” of a house and dealing with a 2-hour Battle of Wills with my 4-year-old over eating his dinner, I was tapped out. Before all of this happened, though, I had a very pleasant afternoon with my Mamochka (AKA mother-in-law) and kids.

I’ve been trying to learn how to make certain Russian foods lately, not only because my husband Vlad and I like them and I want to introduce them my kids, but also because they remind me of Vlad’s grandmother Baba Valya. She was a selfless person and an AMAZING cook (which my mother-in-law inherited), and whenever I eat the meals that she was known for, I feel like she’s smiling down from above because we’re enjoying something that she passed on to us.

Yesterday, Mamochka taught me how to make “piroshki” (they’re like dumplings). Baba Valya used to make ones filled with meat and the others had cabbage and egg in them–which I loved and have been craving for a while. This turned out to be a family project; my 4 1/2-year-old rolled out the dough (as my almost 2-year-old danced around us to The Wiggles) and then we stretched it, filled it, and pinched it together to form a piroshki. While I definitely need to work on my dumpling-making skills (mine were totally ugly), knowing in my heart that I was making a woman who I deeply admired proud, made me care less about making the perfect piroshki and more about appreciating how it tasted. And they were good, dammit.  Here’s a pic:

A special shout-out  to my mother-in-law for bringing all of the ingredients and for taking the time to teach me how to make delicious Russian cuisine. I love learning about my other half’s culture and making sure that we incorporate it into our little family.

Is there something that you cook or bake that reminds you of a loved one you lost? (Please feel free to share!) I bet taking the time to make it will make you smile too.

~Tara

xoxo