Blog Archives: December, 2005
Happy Holidays!
Hope you’re all enjoying a relaxing holiday. I’ve been in Windsor and, apart from a few family outings and visiting friends, have been enjoying some quiet time. I’ll be back in Waterloo on January 3, for my first (and only) class, Integer Programming, the next day, and the start of FASS auditions.
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Done with Sun
So yesterday I finished up my most recent tour of duty at Sun Labs. I’d been there since August and the last few weeks were particularly busy, but I ended up finishing all the demos and code that needed to be done. I’m in Pasadena now (part of LA) attending a workshop at Caltech on classical and quantum information security. I’ll be home in Windsor on December 19.
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Stebila family pyrogies
Uncle John and Aunt Irma Last night my aunt Irma and uncle John came over for dinner and I made pyrogies. I haven’t made them in a few years now, and I must confess I was a bit rusty. My dough was too sticky and rolled out too thick, the potato filling was a little too watery, I undercooked them like I usually do (though not quite as undercooked as previous times), and top it all off I forgot to put one ingredient in the brownies. But for my uncle who doesn’t cook at home and hasn’t had pyrogies in probably 10 years, they were pretty good.
In case you’d like to give them a try, here’s the Stebila family recipe, handed down for generations, or at least from my grandma to my mom and I. My cousin Jonathan and I were taught by the master many years ago, as you can see in this picture.
Pyrogies
Filling – Ingredients
- 4 lb. potatoes
- 8 slices sharp cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper
- 6 heaping tbsp. of Kraft grated cheddar cheese product (blue package)
- 1 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Filling – Instructions
- Cook and mash potatoes.
- Add other ingredients. Mix well until all are melted.
- Let cool.
Pyrogies – Ingredients
- 1½ cup water
- 1 tbsp. salt plus 1 tsp. salt
- 4 eggs
- 5½ cups flour
Pyrogies – Instructions
- Mix ingredients together until well blended.
- Roll dough out on floured surface until ¼” thin.
- Cut in 2″ wide strips and then into 2″ squares (approximately).
- Put filling on each piece.
- Fold up and seal edges tight. (Recommend folding squares into triangles).
- Put each pyrogy on floured surface until ready to use.
- Boil large pot of salted water.
- Add pyrogies and stir carefully to prevent sticking.
- Return water to boil and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Drain and rinse with a little cold water.
- Melt ¼ cup butter and pour over. Salt to taste.
Makes 50-70 pyrogies.
Reheating instructions
Pyrogies can be reheated by pan-frying them with butter until hot and slightly golden on the outside. For a less artery-clogging meal, reheat in the microwave for about 3 minutes on 60%; put a small glass of water (¼ cup) in the microwave as well to provide moisture; flip half-way through.
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Kilauea Volcano, Hawai’i
Lava flow, East Rift Zone 1 Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island in Hawai’i is all over the news right now. Flowing lava has caused a huge 44-acre lava shelf (“bench”) along the coastline to collapse in the ocean. My parents and I visited Volcano National Park in Hawai’i in August 2002 and walked out to the lava flowing down the hill. There were miles of solidified lava benches that had built up over 30 or more years. When we were there, the amount of above-ground lava that was flowing was minimal (see picture at left), and we were able to get within a few feet of the lava before the temperature was uncomfortable. Now, though, a lot more lava is flowing, as you can see in the pictures from the U.S. Geological Survey. Here’s an interesting anecdote from a recent visitor to the island.
