Tradition

er’s home. Along with their meatless meal, the family will share oplatek, one of the most ancient and beloved of all Polish Christmas traditions. Oplatek is a thin wafer made of flour and water, similar in taste to the hosts that are used for communion during Mass. Someone in the family volunteers each year to go into Philadelphia to the Polish American Cultural Center on Walnut Street to purchase the Christmas wafer.

This year, the pierogimaking venture took 12 pounds of flour, 30 eggs, 8 cups of water, 5 tsp. of salt, 9 pounds of potatoes, 14 tablespoons of butter, 14 pounds of sauerkraut, 3 pounds of American, Cooper Sharp, and cheddar cheese, and 7 onions. The pre-pierogi making day chores are divided up among the Kosloski sisters or their children. This year, Denise made the saurerkraut and onions. Carolynn Kosloski Loughead of Norwood, another of Floss and Steve’s daughters, made the dough, and Terry Olsen, made the mashed potatoes and cheese. One year, they weren’t explicitly clear about who was supposed to make what, and they all made sauerkraut.

“We all got our signals crossed that year,” Tina laughed. “We had to quickly start boiling some potatoes to save the day.”

The Kosloski clan had as many memories as the years spent honoring the family tradition.

“One year, we had a huge snowstorm,” Olsen remembered with a smile. “It took us four hours to get down here. We could hardly see driving through the blizzard and then it got so bad that we had to stay over. I have to admit, it was fun though, after we got here!”

Young and old gathered around the kitchen table Saturday. Nine-year-old Kendall Northrop of Prospect Park, great-granddaughter of Steve and Floss, wiped off flour that accidentally flew into her eye, and then reached for another ball of dough to roll.

“This is so much fun,” the fourth generation pierogimaker exclaimed. “I can’t wait to do this again next year.”

Duties at every year’s pierogi-making event are designated. Some rolled, some cooked, some served snacks, some filled drinks, and some replenished supplies. Each year, all participants bring their own rolling pin, cookie sheet to use as a take-home tray, and apron. Although not everyone can make it every year, attendance is “pretty good” those in the room said. There are always unexpected, extra people who attend, friends of family members, other cousins, or family members of in-laws. The family warmly welcomes first-time attendees, as well as repeat visitors, and eagerly shares their tradition, recipe, and tips with them.

Loughead cut the dough into small pieces, while those at the table rolled out a piece, took a spoonful of mashed potatoes or sauerkraut from bowls on the table, dropped the fillings on the flattened dough, brushed water around the perimeter of the dough piece and crimped closed by pressing the sides of the dough with their fingers.

“Tina and I are certified pierogi-makers,” Loughead announced proudly with a chuckle, explaining that she and her sister once took a class in pierogi-making from first generation Polish women at Sacred Heart Church in Clifton Heights. “We wanted to see if they made theirs any differently than we made ours and we hoped to pick up some tips. We ended up getting certificates to show that we aced the class!”

As each platter was filled, Stuhltrager and her niece, Alexis Maguire of West Chester, who stood by the stove throughout the event, took the pierogi and dropped them into pots of boiling water to cook.

“We’ve only had three fall apart this entire day— that’s a record,” Stuhltrager laughed as she carefully spooned the cooked pierogi onto trays.

Michael Kosloski of Titusville, New Jersey, another of Floss and Steve’s eight children and the only man at the table, said perfecting his perogi-making is an art.

“My family likes to keep the basic recipe. I tried to switch it up one year by adding mushrooms and another year I stuffed some with shrimp, but everyone had a fit about me doing this,” he laughed. “I think of our pierogi day as a wonderful stress-reliever. Sitting down with family totally relieves your stress and it’s really nice to keep a positive family tradition alive.”

“Daddy and mom would be thrilled to death that we still do this,” Tina said as she recorded amounts of ingredients used this year and how she could improve or tweak how things were done for next year. “To have the whole family coming here to carry on our parents’ tradition is one of the best parts of the Christmas season for me.”

“This is the very best day of the year for me, too, ” Olsen elaborated. “It’s better than any holiday—it’s family time! I just couldn’t even imagine not having this day together. We share one-onone time,that you just don’t get when you go to family parties and other events. We’re a close family and we get together often. But sitting around a table like this, is so intimate and so loving, and you really talk and are able to be with one another in a way unlike the rest of the year.”

Some of the men and paticipants who took breaks here and there, watched football on TV and chatted in the other rooms as the perogi were made. The party lasts until the dough runs out.

“We’re not allowed to leave until that last bit of dough is rolled out,” joked Natalie Kosloski who rolled out pierogi dough next to her ten-year-old son Tommy. Natalie’s husband Stephen Kosloski, Floss and Steve’s grandson, is serving in the U.S. Navy in Saudi Arabia. She traveled to the event from Clermont, New Jersey, because she didn’t want to miss it.

Clean-up detail is also a family affair. As chairs and counters were being wiped, Chrissy Revoir of Audubon, New Jersey, Tina’s sister, talked about a mechanical wheel that she saw on the internet to automate the pierogi making. At once, the kitchen crew, busy at work, while three-year-old twins Aaron and Jason Maguire zipped through the kitchen, vetoed the idea before she even finished explaining it. They immediately and unanimously agreed that they like doing the entire process with their own hands.

“We used to scrub the table until our fingers were numb,” joked Revoir. “One year, we wised up and now we put plastic on the table so we can just roll up the mess and throw it out. It makes clean-up a lot easier.”

Following clean-up, the family ends the day with a full dinner, minus any of the just-made pierogi which are saved for Christmas Eve. After dinner, they sat around and discussed who brings what for the December 24th meal and found out who they get for their polyanna. In the extended Kosloski family, Godmothers and Godchildren exchange gifts and the others are called “Orphan Annies” and get their names in the hat to draw for the gift exchange.

With over 500 pierogi made in one afternoon, the family felt like Pierogi Day 2017 was another successful venture and they were ready and prepared for the fifty plus hungry family members who will gather in a few weeks on Christmas Eve.

“Ours is a lovely family tradition,” Loughead said warmly. “It’s not only a lot of fun, but it reiterates how much we enjoy being with family members. It really is one of the best parts of the Christmas season for us.”

KOSLOSKI FAMILY PIEROGI RECIPE

(enough to feed an army)

DOUGH

5 pounds of flour 2 tbs. of salt 1 dozen eggs 4 cups of water (approximate)

Mix dough, form into ball and refrigerate.

POTATO FILLING

5 lbs. of cooked potatoes 2 pounds of cheese Mash cheese and cooked potatoes together with no milk or butter until smooth. Mixture will be thick. Adding sour cream to the potato/cheese mixture Is optional.

SAUERKRAUT FILLING

4 medium chopped

8 tbsp. butter or margarine

4 two pound bags of sauerkraut, wrung out

Saute onions in butter until soft and turning brown. Add dry sauerkraut. Cook about 30 minutes until it turns brownish and fairly dry.

MAKING THE PIEROGI

onions,

Take a small amount of dough out of refrigerator at a time. Cut into small pieces. Roll out each piece into a small circle of dough, about 5” in diameter, on a floured surface. Fill with either the potato mixture or the sauerkraut. Brush water slightly around edge of circle and fold over and seal tightly by pressing edges together to form a half-moon shape. Drop the pierogi in boiling water with a small splash of oil added to water, for about 5 minutes. When done, place pierogi on oiled cookie sheet, placing oiled saran wrap between each layer. Cover very well and freeze until ready to fry in butter with onions for serving., The pierogi can also be warmed in oven instead of fried, but “we know the difference.”

PEG DEGRASSA – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Tina Maguire, the eldest daughter of Steve and Florence Kosloski, has assumed the family matriarch position now that her parents are deceased. She hosts the family’s annual pierogi-making party each year at her home in Norwood. Here, Maguire holds up the time-honored family pierogi recipe from a book of family recipes that she and her sisters compiled.