Hello <<First Name>>; Happy March!
I hope this finds you well and possibly seeing the beginnings of spring.
I'll start off with a quick reminder that March 8th is International Women's Day or in Poland Dzień Kobiet! A day to acknowledge the contributions of the ladies in your life. Chocolates and flowers being the perennial favorites for those giving gifts. Here's a quick background on the day from an earlier post..
Polish Festival in Phoenix
We went to Phoenix last Sunday to check out the Polish Festival at Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish. They had a great turnout, and so many people had done so much work to make it happen. The food was fabulous, Bigos, cabbage rolls, potato pancakes, a variety of sausage, pierogi, Polish beer and the most generous pours of wine I've ever seen.
There were folk dance groups in their colorful traditional dress, but the thing that caught my eye was the ladies demonstrating the Easter egg decorations created with melted wax. Because they were chatting with the crowd and answering questions, they made simple patterns. Simple enough I think you and I can duplicate them!
The tool they were using to draw on the eggs with melted beeswax, an ordinary pencil with a straight pin stuck in the eraser. The pins were the kind with a small ball on the end, and that became the wax delivery tool. The technique seemed to be:
- dip the ball end of the pin in melted wax
- place the tool (giving you the larger rounder end of the line) and then drag (to give you the longer, thinner part of the line)
- turn the egg a bit and repeat.
If you need to see the process to imagine it, this video seems helpful.
I'm planning to try it out with my mother and sister. It will be a good excuse to sit around and chat for a few hours on a weekend. Share your photos if you give it a go! Whether it's your first effort or you're an expert turning out works of art.
Something fun for an Easter basket
I'll bet you know someone who needs a Dyngus Day shirt,and I'm happy to be affiliated with the folks who have them. They have all your Polish shirts, aprons, etc. covered. Purchases generate a small commission for my website.
Meatless Recipes for Lent
So many will be forgoing meat on Fridays for the next six weeks, so I thought I would share some meatless recipes to add to your lineup:
Vegetarian Goulash
Cabbage & Mushroom Pie
Polish Potato Salad
Vegetarian Smalec
A Mushroom Sauce to top your favorite starch
Recently on the blog:
Polish Fried Fish - still on our meatless theme, delicious with a quick brine
Polish Meatloaf with Egg
Polish Zebra Cheesecake
Before I close, may I ask a favor? If you enjoy this newsletter, my Facebook page, my website, it would mean a lot to me as I try to grow my audience, if you'd share them with your friends. I think they'd enjoy them too!
All the best,
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