In my family, the Friday after Thanksgiving is a cooking day. The women on my mom’s side of the family get together every year and make Christmas cookies and other family favorites. Though we’ve introduced lots of new stuff into the repertoire over the years, it’s nice to have those old recipes written in longhand alongside the computer printouts and iPads.

This year, we decided to go a more savory route and make pierogies from scratch using my great aunt’s recipe. 

We made two batches: one filled with potato and cheese, and another filled with sauerkraut & mushrooms. Given me mushroom tooth, I had an obvious favorite, but they were both great. I’ve been enjoying the leftovers a little at a time. The other night, I had one of each flavor with some leftover cabbage, mushrooms, and chicken sausage. 

It’s the dietitian in me—I can’t help piling on the veggies. Try it—I swear it’s delicious!

What are some of your family’s food traditions?