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Reservations for Two for Pierogies! A Giveaway from Jennifer Lohmann

02.11.13 | 7:02 am | 148 Comments

Y'all remember Jennifer Lohmann, right? She's the 2010 RWA Librarian of the Year, and we had a Photoshop contest to celebrate, playing with the cover of Karina Bliss' What the Librarian Did. The entries were amazing, and the winner is still one of my favorite cover mockups ever.

Reservations for Two - by Jennifer Lohmann I've done two book events at the Durham County library branch where Jennifer works, and she's still hosting romance reading groups, and trying to reach more romance readers through her job at the library.

But dudes, guess what? SHE WROTE A ROMANCE! Jennifer's attendance at RWA inspired her, and her SuperRomance Reservations for Two came out this month!

The heroine of her book, Tilly, is the chef/owner of a Polish restaurant, and there's a LOT of Polish food in the book. So when she approached me about doing a celebratory giveaway of pirogi, there was NO WAY I was passing that up.

 

Why pierogi? I had to ask. 

Jennifer: A couple years ago, you had a giveaway for a road trip kit for a Kristan Higgins book and I though, "If I get published, I'm giving away pierogi to people!" The heroine of my first book is a chef at a fancy Polish restaurant in Chicago so there is a lot of pierogi. A friend called the book Pierogi and Prejudice.

Anyway, outside of the okay kielbasa you find in the meat section of your grocery store, pierogi are usually people's first exposure to Polish food. While there are versions in pretty much all central and eastern European countries, they are the quintessential Polish dish and people associate them with Poland (they are the Polish national dish). 

What would you tell someone who hasn't had pierogi before?

Jennifer: For someone who's not had pierogi before, they are a filled dumpling with an unleavened dough that are first boiled and then fried in butter. They can be sweet or savory, with traditional fillings of cheese (sweet or savory), sauerkraut, mushrooms, or potato.

Like all beloved dishes, there are millions of recipes--one for each babunia in Poland and babcia in the United States. If you have some in your freezer, they make a wonderful dinner with a little sour cream, applesauce, and sauerkraut.Add a little kielbasa if you're feeling flush (pierogi are peasant food). Fry some breadcrumbs in butter for a topping and you are in Polish heaven.

Let's Do This! It's Pierogi Time!

The winner of this here contest shall receive a pierogi sampler from Piast Meats & Provisions. That's five dozen pierogi - which can be frozen, should you wish to space your pierogi madness over a few months of eating time. Plus, you'll also get a copy of Jennifer's book. You can eat pierogi and read about pierogi, as Jennifer says.

Five runners up shall receive a copy of Reservations for Two, ( A | BN | K | S | ARe | iB ) digital or print (winner's choice).

This contest is open to anyone in the US, including Alaska and Hawaii. Alas, shipping pierogi internationally does not appear to be an option. (I'm sorry!) Void where prohibited. Must be over 18 and prepared for pierogigasm to win. By submitting  an entry to the contest as set forth herein, each entrant does acknowledge and agree that, in the event such entrant is victorious, such entrant will perform a ceremony reasonably appropriate to such circumstance, including, without limitation, the Miposian Dance of Joy or, in the alternative, Gangnam Style. Contest winners will be chosen at random at noon ET Friday 15 February 2013.

To enter, simply leave a comment below telling us what food best represents you. The heroine opens a Polish restaurant and so much of the food represents who she is. So, what food is most "you?" Chocolate? Kugel? Your grandmother's stollen? Share and you're entered to win.

Congrats, Jennifer - let's feast on pierogi!

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  1. Virginia E said on 02.11.13 at 07:20 AM • [link]

    Ooo! I love pierogi!

    I’m lucky enough to have a Jewish Deli nearby that has a lot of classic dishes that came from that same Eastern European cooking pot. I adore their version of Krupnik: barley soup slow cooked until it’s like a stew. All the flavors of the meat and vegetables come together to warm and fill you.

  2. Teri Anne Stanley said on 02.11.13 at 07:37 AM • [link]

    What food represents me?  I’m going to have to go wtih Velveeta.  It SOUNDS fancy, doesn’t it?  Doesn’t it?  It’s really a mainstay of White Trash Cooking, which is central to my own ethnic heritage…

  3. Black Dragon Mama said on 02.11.13 at 07:46 AM • [link]

    Boy, my husband would be in pierogi heaven if I won this!  They are a major staple of his snack food diet.  I think the food that represents me is my mom’s chicken tacos.  They are fiddly and time-consuming, but oh so worth it.  Just like me. ;)

  4. Jamarleo said on 02.11.13 at 08:05 AM • [link]

    That’s so amazing that this is a pierogi give away!  This week starts lent, and with it Fabulous Pierogi Fridays at the local Orthodox church.  They’re following me everywhere…If I don’t win this I’ll buy it anyways.

    My food would be garlic roasted in olive oil and smeared on chewy bakery bread.  Wine would be optional except for saturday nights- then it would probably be necessary.

  5. Cloud said on 02.11.13 at 08:16 AM • [link]

    A Polish national dish, iiiinteresting. I now have to buy this book to see what else an American can tell me about my cuisine.

    “they make a wonderful dinner with a little sour cream, applesauce, and sauerkraut”

    That’s two different, separate dinners, nobody eats pieorgi with sauerkraut.

  6. KarenF said on 02.11.13 at 08:27 AM • [link]

    My family food memory is matza ball soup - my mom always makes it for me when I visit home (even though I can and do make it for myself now too), but probably the food that most represents me is homemade bread.  I love to bake whole grain breads (and NOT with a bread machine).

    Also my fist book/food memory is of bread.  I remember making myself a bread and butter sandwich after reading that that was what Laura and Mary ate in Little House.  Of course, at that time, my mom only had margarine in the house, and the bread was that white Wonder spongey bread, so the experience was pretty blah.  I felt sorry for Laura and Mary to have to eat that, even though I’m sure Ma’s bread was much better than Wonderbread

  7. Vandy Jones said on 02.11.13 at 08:40 AM • [link]

    A food that represents me?  Steak.  With potatoes and a good salad.  Solid western food. 

  8. sarah gagnon said on 02.11.13 at 08:45 AM • [link]

    I love pierogi!

    I’d like to say I’m strawberry shortcake, but I’m probably more undercooked steak with cayenne pepper.

  9. claritygolden said on 02.11.13 at 08:53 AM • [link]

    Mm, love pierogi. Uh, I don’t know what food I would be. Maybe mac and cheese?

  10. Jaclyn Davidson said on 02.11.13 at 08:53 AM • [link]

    From someone who keeps up the pirogi tradition in my family (it skipped from my great grandma to me somehow), I think the author is super awesome for sharing pirogi love :)

    The food that would represent me would probably be Mac & Cheese, because you can dress it up or put it in almost any company, but it’s still a basic, no-frills dish at heart.

  11. ECSpurlock said on 02.11.13 at 08:53 AM • [link]

    OMG Pierogi! I make them for all special occasions in my house and now I’m teaching my son so he can make them in college since it’s one of his favorite foods. (@ #5 Cloud I have had pierogi stuffed with sauerkraut - it was one of my grandma’s specialties - and it is surprisingly fantastic.) Also try frying some onions in butter and then pouring it all over your pierogi, it’s the traditional Ukranian topping.

    Much as I would like to say pierogis and paska represent me, since they were so much a part of my growing-up (or maybe some wierd mashup of pierogis and lasagna, since I’m half Ukranian and half Italian) my kids would probably say what represents me most is cookies, since I always keep the cookie jar full and am always trying new recipes!

  12. Megan said on 02.11.13 at 09:08 AM • [link]

    Love pierogi! It’s rEally difficult to think f a food that represents me, but I guess I would say beets. Favorite food as a kid

  13. Anna C. said on 02.11.13 at 09:08 AM • [link]

    I am of Polish heritage, with some Irish thrown in. I have alwaysbsaid that combination pretty mush means I’m 90% potato, genetically speaking.  I’ll read her book either way, but I sure would enjoy the pierogi platter.

  14. Rebe said on 02.11.13 at 09:24 AM • [link]

    I’m a Southerner married to a yinzer (ha!!!) so I just tasted pierogi for the first time last year. It’s pretty darn yummy! Of course, since I’m from the South I LOVE grits. Yummmmm….

  15. jenniferk66 said on 02.11.13 at 09:24 AM • [link]

    Since my brain is fried, my body is doughy (hey it’s February),  I am worn thin yet I am sweet (heh), I’m going with…Chruschiki! .....Polish pastry (fried dough covered in sugar)

  16. Caa said on 02.11.13 at 09:29 AM • [link]

    Pierogi! Oh, this brings back memories of my Polish Grandma. My DH (who is obviously not Polish!) eats potato pierogi with spaghetti sauce, but I want them sauteed in butter with onions and breadcrumbs.

    Now we just need golabki, cucumbers in sour cream and kielbasa from the butcher (never the supermarket kind).

  17. Sara said on 02.11.13 at 09:33 AM • [link]

    I’m a croissant—lots of layers ;)

    I’ve never had a pierogi, so I’d love to win this!

  18. Britbc said on 02.11.13 at 09:36 AM • [link]

    I think sour cream. Besides being an important ingredient in all off my favorite sauces, I like it on almost everything.  I think it is versatile, makes things richer or cooler depending on the type of food and isn’t good for you in daily quantities. Things that describe me or goals for the future.

  19. Lisa J said on 02.11.13 at 09:38 AM • [link]

    I’m a stuffed mushroom.  So, kind of crabby, with some cheesy, peppery (white), and oniony bits thrown in.  Oh, and lots of butter.

    Like so many others, I’ve never had a pierogi.

  20. Lenorej said on 02.11.13 at 09:43 AM • [link]

    They sound like polish pasties, which is a totally divine idea.  Since I am a sunday roast with two veg and a pud, I would be thrilled to try a pierogi!

  21. Tam said on 02.11.13 at 09:43 AM • [link]

    I’d be my English granny’s old-fashioned trifle, with lots of whipped cream and crumbled chocolate on the top, cherries in the middle, and a surprising amount of booze at the bottom. 

  22. Darlynne said on 02.11.13 at 09:50 AM • [link]

    I am cookies and milk, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, second breakfast, elevenses ... Within a small circle of friends, I am famous for my homemade chocolate chip cookies. If I ever write a book, I’ll be giving those away.

  23. Jaime said on 02.11.13 at 09:53 AM • [link]

    How about Fusilli bucati in vodka sauce with a side of garlic bread?  Carbs & booze; a winning combination.

  24. JoanneF said on 02.11.13 at 10:17 AM • [link]

    Well, since I’m a plump little Polish dumpling, I’d say pierogi represents me well.  Oh, how I wish Mom and Grandma were still with us to see this!  Both were lifelong lovers of both romance novels (I got started by reading Mom’s Harlequins) and Polish food.  Good luck with you book, Jennifer Lohmann, and sto lat!

  25. Annblackie said on 02.11.13 at 10:24 AM • [link]

    Could there be Chocolate pierogi? Because that would totally be me!

  26. Peggy OKane said on 02.11.13 at 10:25 AM • [link]

    Food like me? Hmm I aspire to Shaker lemon pie.  whole lemons (including rinds) sliced paper thin soak overnight in sugar baked in a two crust pie.  Tart, sweet, unusual.
    My kids Polish grandmother (in Chicago) taught me to make Kolocki, a wonderful filled cookie.

  27. JoanneF said on 02.11.13 at 10:26 AM • [link]

    When I was growing up, my friend’s Ukranian grandmother used to make pierogi stuffed with sauerkraut.  My family ate sauerkraut soup every Christmas Eve.

  28. Joykenn said on 02.11.13 at 10:33 AM • [link]

    I’m from the Chicago area and wonder if Jennifer has a favorite restaurant or deli to buy pierogi, maybe someplace she pictures as her fictional restaurant?

  29. Jdalrymple said on 02.11.13 at 10:37 AM • [link]

    Well as I am half Slovakian, pierogis are a big part of my heritage too. But mostly, I think my food would be the traditional bread that my grandmother used to make and that I have started making myself.

  30. Carla said on 02.11.13 at 10:38 AM • [link]

    Bread.  I bake homemade bread. My family won’t let me enter the room at a holiday gathering without my homemade yeast rolls!

  31. Lozza said on 02.11.13 at 10:44 AM • [link]

    My family is Hungarian, so I’d probably pick something poppyseed-based, like the little crescent-shaped cookies we call “kifli.”

  32. Stephanie Bujak said on 02.11.13 at 11:10 AM • [link]

    Mmm pierogi - My husbands family is from Poland and I’m still trying to get my husband’s aunt to share her recipe with me.

    I think I would be pancakes-  when I can’t think of anything to make I make pancakes. Filling, delicious, and really easy to make fancy by tossing in some bananas, chocolate chops, shredded apples and spices, pretty much whatever you want. That’s me-  pretty normal and simple - but sometimes I’ll throw in a twist ;) 

  33. SB Sarah said on 02.11.13 at 11:21 AM • [link]

    That’s funny! I’m a yinzer who went to college in South Carolina, and I thought grits with butter and cheese were the greatest thing I’d ever eaten. Oh, and boiled peanuts, too.

  34. jcp said on 02.11.13 at 11:25 AM • [link]

    lasanga

  35. I wear stetsons now said on 02.11.13 at 11:26 AM • [link]

    Great giveaway! 
    I’m going to echo Stephanie and say pancakes. It is my absolutely favorite thing, and I could eat them anytime and anywhere. 

  36. Kmlunsfor said on 02.11.13 at 11:29 AM • [link]

    Sweets best represent me. I have inherited a killer sweet tooth. But. I also love to bake for people I care about. Nothing beats the smell of baked goods baking in you house…. YUM!

  37. Purplepammy said on 02.11.13 at 11:30 AM • [link]

    Being born and bred in Chicago and half Polish, a pierogi is always greeted with a happy dance.  But food I would be is pasta. Any kind.  It was the first thing I learned how to cook and my father once said he was suprised I never turned into a giant noodle.

  38. cleo said on 02.11.13 at 11:33 AM • [link]

    I love this thread - so moving to read about everyone’s dishes.

    I’d have to say mine is Chicken Paprikas (Hungarian chicken stew with sweet paprika), a dish that both my Austrian Croat Grandmother and my WASP mother made.  My gram’s parents came from near the current Hungarian border, so I assume that’s why it’s a family recipe.  It’s one of the meals I made for my husband when we were dating, and he still gets mushy when I make it for him now.

    Don’t enter me in the competition - I already have the book on my TBR and I’m gluten free, so the pierogi’s would be wasted on me.

  39. Karen said on 02.11.13 at 11:37 AM • [link]

    What a great idea!  I have to say that I would be a cake—sweet (just ask my friends), with just a little bit of naughty (those calories!), and layers (it’s not just onions that have layers, you know)!

  40. Rachel McCready said on 02.11.13 at 11:44 AM • [link]

    I think I’m probably an apple crisp.  Sweet, tangy, and great topped with ice cream. ;)

  41. Tina said on 02.11.13 at 12:10 PM • [link]

    Food that best represents me?  Well, if we’re going on what I use the most when I cook, the best food to represent me would be anything with tomatoes, onion, and garlic in it.  I we’re going on “cultural heritage”, I’m from Kentucky and was born in the 60s, so I’d have to say fish sticks or chicken pot pie.  Ethnic heritage - I’m a Celtic mutt with English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, German, & French all muddled together - so let’s just say, “boiled”. 

  42. Diane/Anonym2857 said on 02.11.13 at 12:18 PM • [link]

    My family was never really big on ‘heritage’ stuff. When asked about my roots, the best I can tell you is that my mom is from Ohio and my dad was from Florida! LOL I am going to go with my own New Mexican heritage and say that sopapillas and posole represent me.  :)

  43. Tabs said on 02.11.13 at 12:23 PM • [link]

    No brainer.  Lasagna.  Lasagna all the freaking way. 

  44. mia said on 02.11.13 at 12:26 PM • [link]

    I’m gonna say elotes - corn on a stick with butter and cheese and a dusting of chili. :)

  45. Ashley F said on 02.11.13 at 12:27 PM • [link]

    Potatoes of some sort, I’m sure.  It might just be my love of potatoes though…

  46. Sandypo said on 02.11.13 at 12:31 PM • [link]

    A french dish—frogs legs. I’m exotic, unusual and not for the faint of heart. In fact, I’m an acquired taste. Like frogs legs!

  47. megsan said on 02.11.13 at 12:38 PM • [link]

    Chocolate chip cookie!!! That would be me

  48. Kelly Healy said on 02.11.13 at 01:01 PM • [link]

    Dark chocolate, definitely. The higher cacao percentage, the better.

  49. LSUReader said on 02.11.13 at 01:01 PM • [link]

    Cajun jambalaya most represents me. Thanks for a fun contest.

  50. Christy said on 02.11.13 at 01:09 PM • [link]

    Strawberries and cream.  Mostly fruity, sometimes sweet.

  51. Nancy said on 02.11.13 at 01:18 PM • [link]

    Ugandan rice and beans. Something that looks plain but is actually really flavorful and deliciously exciting.

  52. katherinelynn_04 said on 02.11.13 at 01:40 PM • [link]

    Just one food? That’s pretty difficult. I would have to go with chicken, in all of its incarnations. Oven-fried, barbequed, pot-pie, -and dumplings. Most of my favorite meals include chicken.

  53. Chris J. said on 02.11.13 at 01:41 PM • [link]

    Beer and pizza.  *Good* beer and *good* pizza.

  54. Emily A said on 02.11.13 at 01:49 PM • [link]

    Apple pie.
    Sweet and wholesome. Also the cultural heritage I really have is Americana.

  55. Leftcoaster said on 02.11.13 at 01:56 PM • [link]

    Hmmm   Chocolate covered roasted cocoa nibs? Bitter, sweet, slightly nutty and complex.

    I would love to read this. Spent 8 years in Chicago as a poor grad student before fleeing back to the west coast.

  56. Jen S. said on 02.11.13 at 02:27 PM • [link]

    Gingersnaps.  The homemade kind, which are crispy on the outside, soft in the middle and a little spicy.

  57. Maybe31 said on 02.11.13 at 02:30 PM • [link]

    I am hoping that it’s chocolate…  something sweet!

  58. Sarah Wegener said on 02.11.13 at 02:30 PM • [link]

    Sadly, bread is probably the food that best represents me—white bread, not the really cheap kind. I would love some perogies!

  59. Justine said on 02.11.13 at 02:37 PM • [link]

    Soup! All types from all cultures! Well, I’m not crazy about cream-based or cheesy soups, but anything else? Bring it on!

  60. Germaine said on 02.11.13 at 02:40 PM • [link]

    I learned to love pierogi when I spent a year living outside Cleveland, OH.  Yum.  I’m actually a Swedish girl from Minnesota who was raised in Southern California.  I spent the greater part of my adult life in Latin America, and my Mexican friends swear that if they scratch me, I’ll bleed red chile salsa for them.  If you want to define me as a food, I’d have to be a breakfast burrito made with chorizo and eggs with a good squirt of Sriracha sauce since I’m on the Pacific Rim.

  61. Lea Betty said on 02.11.13 at 02:40 PM • [link]

    Spaghetti! A little noodle-y, a little messy, a classic go to meal!

  62. Jess B. said on 02.11.13 at 02:52 PM • [link]

    I actually had a dream the other night that I was going on a job interview and had to bring a dish I had cooked that best represented me as a person.  I am a librarian so this isn’t a common job interview requirement.  After much debate, I chose my sweet potato and red bean chili.  I am a vegetarian from Texas so this dish celebrates both of those sides of my personality.

  63. JennK said on 02.11.13 at 02:56 PM • [link]

    I think I’m best represented by sushi. The rice is my everyday routine, the wasabi spices things up a bit, and different types of fish for my changing nature. You may love me or hate me, and I’m often not quite what you expected.

  64. Dread Pirate Rachel said on 02.11.13 at 02:57 PM • [link]

    My family’s green chicken enchiladas recipe! It’s spicy and time-consuming, but totally worth the effort.

  65. G-A said on 02.11.13 at 03:11 PM • [link]

    I’m a taco—crispy on the outside, spicy, stuffed, and just a little cheesy on the inside.
    taco taco taco…..

  66. susan said on 02.11.13 at 03:13 PM • [link]

    Definitely turkey barley soup. I haven’t made it in years—I never have the turkey carcass left over from Thanksgiving for the base. But it is a very thick, hearty soup, with turkey, barley, few giant lima beans, mushrooms, onion, and more. My grandmother dictated the recipe to me.

  67. Linda said on 02.11.13 at 03:26 PM • [link]

    My grandmother was Polish/German and pierogi brings back a lot of memories. She made her own saurkraut, kielbasa, bread and butter. So if I have to chose a food I’d be a slice of my grandmother’s homemade bread: crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and sinfully delicious. Welcome to Super Romance, Jennifer.

  68. library addict said on 02.11.13 at 04:08 PM • [link]

    Strawberry cheesecake.

  69. Jo said on 02.11.13 at 04:14 PM • [link]

    I love pierogi - although, growing up with a Ukranian background, we called them pudahha.  I remember being pressed into service as a child as soon as you could pinch them together, and I don’t think anyone complained because we knew what we would be eating later.

  70. CMaeTay said on 02.11.13 at 04:19 PM • [link]

    Funny, I’d say pierogi is my food. It always makes me think of Thanksgiving, because we always had potato and meat pierogi on our Thanksgiving table.

  71. Marta Shul said on 02.11.13 at 04:24 PM • [link]

    It actually would be pierogis! I was born in Poland and that is still my fave food that reminds me of my childhood!

  72. MissB2U said on 02.11.13 at 05:02 PM • [link]

    Coffee best represents me:  classic but adaptable, comforting and makes you feel at home.  Hey, I think everyone should post their pierogi recipes ‘cause I’ve never made them and would love to try.

  73. Grace Lillevig Heffernan said on 02.11.13 at 05:07 PM • [link]

    Hmmm, Norwegian meatballs?  How cool that a (fellow) librarian wrote this!

  74. kate gomberg said on 02.11.13 at 05:55 PM • [link]

    Missue- my family’s take on the Finnish bread nisu.

  75. Highlandhussy said on 02.11.13 at 06:01 PM • [link]

    Ooh…awesome giveaway. I think tiramisu represents me the best since I love coffee, cake, chocolate and custard. But if you put them together? I’m in heaven. Sweet with a little kick from the coffee.

  76. Diatryma said on 02.11.13 at 06:03 PM • [link]

    Right now, pigs in a blanket.  Little smokies, Pillsbury original crescent rolls, and butter.  Lots of butter.  I do not mess around with pigs.  They come out hot and buttery and greasy and delicious and there is not a single thing wrong with them.

  77. Laura said on 02.11.13 at 06:04 PM • [link]

    Oh! Wow, if I could win 5 dozen pierogies by Easter, I would be the best daughter-in-law ever!

    But the food that best represents me is probably nuts!

  78. Laura said on 02.11.13 at 06:07 PM • [link]

    I just got this book for my kindle and it seems pretty good. I’m thinking of trying the simple recipe some weekend.
    http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-...

  79. EB said on 02.11.13 at 06:12 PM • [link]

    Currently I’m fried potatoes & onions mixed with egg whites and placed on a layer of bacon.  Hopefully I will be something healthier soon for the sake of my cholestrol.  Pierogies would help.

  80. Lmurph0007 said on 02.11.13 at 06:13 PM • [link]

    I think I’d be chopped liver. Not because I lack self-esteem, but because I take some getting used to, but I’m full of flavor :)

  81. Julie Cole said on 02.11.13 at 06:31 PM • [link]

    Pasta is my favorite food.  It should be pierogie’s I love to eat them. My grandmother used to make them for us all the time, they were delicious. She was polish, she had a very strong personality with a polish temperament. I never learned how to make them nor do I have her recipe.

  82. DivineKittyCat said on 02.11.13 at 06:33 PM • [link]

    I have to say I’ve never had pierogi. Or sauerkraut. I always chicken out on ordering those types of things in restaurants, but I do want to try it. Someday. When I don’t have anyone sitting across the table from me in case I don’t like it.

    I’m thinking I’m boring, but I’d be pasta with tomato sauce. I’m half Italian on my mother’s side and pretty much stick to my roots. Of course, linguine with red clam sauce also counts as “pasta” and “tomato” sauce and that’s my favorite :)

  83. Kate K. F. said on 02.11.13 at 06:51 PM • [link]

    This is a neat question and a great giveaway. I think homemade mac and cheese represents me, because its comforting but when made well can be complex and as the flavors settle it improves with time. Also its something that changes with every making just as I change through time.

  84. Lori said on 02.11.13 at 06:53 PM • [link]

    I love pierogi. They are so good. My Czech grandmother used to make them. I haven’t had a really good one since she had to give up making them some years before she died. I would love to win these.

    So, to answer the question, I think the food that best represents me is homemade bread. People think it’s difficult, but it’s really not and even if it was it would be worth the effort. I should probably include some Nutella to spread on it because I love chocolate.

  85. Ms. M said on 02.11.13 at 07:17 PM • [link]

    Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, but wow, it sure seems like everyone on here is of European descent! (Nothing wrong with that- I am too, in part). I was originally going to pick salo, a Ukrainian treat (salted cured lard… so SO good after vodka), but to liven things up a little and to represent my actual heritage, I will instead pick char siu bao, which were my absolute favorite treat as a child and which were the one Chinese dish that my Caucasian father may have enjoyed even more than my mother. They are described here- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C…

  86. Emily K. said on 02.11.13 at 07:34 PM • [link]

    Oatmeal.

    Warm, lumpy, and comforting.

  87. silvermuse said on 02.11.13 at 08:06 PM • [link]

    Dumplings, specifically fried Chinese dumplings, because they are my favorite food and remind me of my heritage.  ^_^

  88. Reneesance said on 02.11.13 at 09:03 PM • [link]

    Fabulous idea for a giveaway!  So many foods that I would want to represent me, but I think I’ll go with Anchovy Spaghetti.  One of my first distinct food memories is of the Christmas party at my Great Aunt Ginny’s house every year.  All the Italian american standards there, but the spagetti tossed with fried anchovies and breadcrumbs were always my favorite

  89. NTE said on 02.11.13 at 09:10 PM • [link]

    I’m not sure it fits but I’d like to be a chocolate chip cookie - warm and gooey, homey and comforting.  With nuts, on occasion.  :) 

  90. Chele said on 02.11.13 at 09:12 PM • [link]

    Coconut cake! Sweet and flaky, hah!

  91. Gail Leinweber said on 02.11.13 at 09:17 PM • [link]

    Chocolate chip cherry cookies, classic with a twist.

  92. ksattler said on 02.11.13 at 09:37 PM • [link]

    Unfortunately, I think it might be prunes.  I’m reliable and a little sweet.  Not everyone likes me but I’m good for a body.  I should keep thinking…

  93. ksattler said on 02.11.13 at 09:38 PM • [link]

    Also, a big Woot! To Jennifer

  94. JenM said on 02.11.13 at 10:04 PM • [link]

    My favorite food to make is spaghetti and my special homemade meatballs. It’s a complete package, very filling, but nothing fancy, so it’s probably a good representation of me.

  95. Jules said on 02.11.13 at 10:29 PM • [link]

    I love pierogi! I am a polish girl who is actually in charge of making them for our Christmas eve feast! I only burn the butter once each year…. I’m lucky to live near Cleveland which has lots of great ladies working hard, making them homemade to sell to me to cook (and burn butter).

    If I had to pick a food to represent me… it would be the spicy dumpling soup I used to eat all the time in Chengdu. So hot broth that makes your lips numb to touch, like my “fiery personality”, but inside is some delicious dumplings. You just got to work for them through all the delicious spice.

  96. SB Sarah said on 02.11.13 at 10:37 PM • [link]

    I am now so freaking hungry. OMG.

  97. KatieF said on 02.11.13 at 10:37 PM • [link]

    I’ve heard of pierogi but have never eaten it or even been curious about trying it. Then, oddly enough, I was at the grocery store yesterday and saw a package of pierogi and was this close to buying it. If I don’t win the contest, I’m definitely going back to the store to buy some.

    As for the food that best represents me, I’d go with colcannon—yummy Irish goodness

  98. Vasha said on 02.11.13 at 11:09 PM • [link]

    A crisp apple… I have always lived in central New York state where orchards are common, and I have many memories of going to delicious-smelling cool farm markets full of baskets of fruit in the fall…

  99. Beth K. said on 02.11.13 at 11:19 PM • [link]

    I’m such a DIY person, I’d have to go with homemade pizza. So many ways you can do it, and it’s so satisfying when you get the dough just right.

    Congrats to Jennifer on her book!

  100. Grayce said on 02.11.13 at 11:38 PM • [link]

    Mocha Chip Ice Cream! It’s been my favorite food since age 5. I find it so completely superior to any other ice cream that I can barely stand the taste of any other flavors. I am not sure how it represents me, but the fact that I’ve loved it so passionately for so long makes it hard to disentangle from my sense of self.

  101. rebecca moe said on 02.11.13 at 11:57 PM • [link]

    Can I have a meal? Ravioli soup with herbed oatmeal pan bread. I got both recipes from my aunt, they’re awesome comfort food and go great together, and they’re my go-to meal when I have to cook to impress—I haven’t once messed them up (knock on wood!)

    The new book sounds lovely—and delicious!

  102. Elizabeth Gunther said on 02.12.13 at 12:03 AM • [link]

    I think the food that represents me the most is macaroni and meatballs.  It is my favorite food and I can eat it every day.

    My grandmother makes pierogies all the time (she’s Polish), but i’ve never actually had them—she isn’t a very good cook.  Also, she only ever puts in left over roast beef in them.

  103. MissB2U said on 02.12.13 at 01:09 AM • [link]

    I would KILL for a good pizza dough recipe.  I can’t get it right.  Crispy on the bottom but not too thick.

  104. Miss E said on 02.12.13 at 01:41 AM • [link]

    The food that best represents me would be Swedish Pancakes with lingonberries. It’s Swedish and it’s a dessert disguised as a meal.

    Oh man, this place has pierogi ze ?liwkami. Now if I could just get a good recipe for the sweet sauce that my host mother made to go with it, I’d be all set.

  105. Willaful said on 02.12.13 at 01:43 AM • [link]

    I couldn’t think of anything, so I asked my husband via chat

    w: what food do you think represents me?
    h: delicious food.
    w: more specifically
    h: I can’t say I ever thought about it. I can’t think of any one food that encapsulates you, anyway. (can you think of one for me?)
    w: Challah.  Soft and sweet and the staff of life

    I think I’m one of those filled chocolates where you never know what you’re going to get.

  106. Willaful said on 02.12.13 at 01:47 AM • [link]

    Hah… the conversation continued:

    h: well, if we’re going to expand the search criteria to include food you can’t eat, I did think of suggesting ice cream
    w: why?
    h: I don’t know. sweet. usually round. lots of different flavors, pretty much all of which are nice. occasionally prone to melting down, too, I guess.
    challah will do for me, I guess. I would have hoped for something more in a bacon, but you take what you can get.

  107. Sally said on 02.12.13 at 05:47 AM • [link]

    I never had Polish food before even though I live in a very diverse place. I know I’m missing out. ;_;

    A food that represents me? Probably Chinese egg tart. I love savory-sweet dishes~

  108. Maureen said on 02.12.13 at 05:57 AM • [link]

    While growing up we had pretty basic food so I would say roast chicken is my choice a representative.

  109. Vicky Tarleton said on 02.12.13 at 06:36 AM • [link]

    I would have to say German food. Our New Year’s Day tradition is a pork roast with sauerkraut for good luck.

  110. Vicky Tarleton said on 02.12.13 at 06:36 AM • [link]

    The above comment is mine!

  111. Cbeta Fiberson said on 02.12.13 at 07:22 AM • [link]

    Funny its Polish. I’m from Eastern Europe, (Russian Jewish,) and there’s a possibility that I might be trying out Polish with someone on the 14th. I’m not a cook, but I love eating my mom’s Russian food as well as Korean food. It’s hard to say what food represents me, maybe dessert? Like European dessert such as “day and night” cake?

  112. Bee said on 02.12.13 at 07:33 AM • [link]

    Potatoes. Many variations, same food.

  113. Susan Jean Blexrud said on 02.12.13 at 08:55 AM • [link]

    I’m definitely creamed spinach.

  114. Susan Jean Blexrud said on 02.12.13 at 08:55 AM • [link]

    I’m definitely creamed spinach.

  115. Lara said on 02.12.13 at 10:09 AM • [link]

    Barbecue! The southern food, not what up north means hamburgers on your grill.  Smoked meat, which around here means pulled pork, though it can be brisket, ribs, chicken, etc. depending on the region. We serve it on a bun with sauce, and I think this may just be an east tennessee thing, but we put the slaw on the sandwich too. Barbecue can be sweet, spicy, vinegar-y, and always smoky…  One of the southern food groups.

  116. CutMyTeethOnKleypas said on 02.12.13 at 10:18 AM • [link]

    Nachos.  All the way.  Fully loaded.

  117. birthdaygirl said on 02.12.13 at 10:19 AM • [link]

    A chocolate cupcake with pink icing and heart sprinkles, delicious and it makes you happy to look at it and eat it!

  118. eli yanti said on 02.12.13 at 10:38 AM • [link]

    chocolate avocado cake so yummy :D

  119. Melanie C said on 02.12.13 at 10:49 AM • [link]

    Gonna have to go with Reeses PB cups. Because they are the best. Ever. I should learn to cook so I could try coming up with some of these other delicious creations!

  120. Melody said on 02.12.13 at 10:55 AM • [link]

    I asked a friend, “What food represents me?”  She answered, ” A banana.”  “Huh?  Why?  I don’t even like bananas!”  “You ARE bananas!”

  121. LaurenD said on 02.12.13 at 11:10 AM • [link]

    Pasta. All pasta, all the time.

  122. Ashlandbaby said on 02.12.13 at 12:04 PM • [link]

    Potatoes. Pretty much any potato dish ever made.

  123. Brenda Hyde said on 02.12.13 at 12:56 PM • [link]

    I think the food that is most like me is my homemade quick breads—everyone loves them, and thinks of me when they think of that type of baked good. BUT, I will say that I love Polish food—my great grandparents were born in Poland, and I still love pierogies with a passion, and kielbasa.  Dang, are they good.

  124. AlexHano said on 02.12.13 at 01:07 PM • [link]

    Pirogues!!  Ok, very hungry now and planning a trip to the store.  My Polish grandmother made sure I know how to polka, so I will do that if I win.  Surprised how many of us there are on the list. 

    And maybe they don’t eat pirogues with sauerkraut in Poland, but in Chicago, on Sundays, we’ve had pirogues and kielbasa and sauerkraut all at once (with lots of butter, and cream). (No wonder Grandma had a massive coronary.)

    I make a triple chocolate chip cookie (which is what I will give away here when I publish) that is complex and not too sweet, with cocoa powder, melted semi and bittersweet chocolate, and chips.  Over time, the recipe has evolved to be the closest approximation of my personality I can manage in food.  But now reading everyone else’s, I’m wondering if I need to experiment some more…

  125. PamG said on 02.12.13 at 01:47 PM • [link]

    Food is my enemy and my beloved.  But if I were going to hire a food to represent me in court, it would have to be the noble potato.  Doesn’t everyone have a starch of choice?  Bread people, pasta aficionados, rice lovers, etc.  Basic, often shoved into the background, falsely considered bland, your favorite savory carb can define your life.  Every potato dish I’ve ever had is connected to at least one memory and can summon up visions of loved friends and family who are now gone.  Plain boiled in their jackets when I was a kid, mashed under a glorious deluge of gravy on holidays past & present, home fries in a black iron fry pan at the back of Gramma’s stove, patates en sauce escargot at the inlaws’s, potato salad (mine is superb) on summer picnic tables and at work pot lucks. And hey! Pierogies haz potatoes!  Sounds like fate to me!

    All the best to Ms Lohmann!  I look forward to reading her freshman effort.

  126. Deb G. said on 02.12.13 at 02:37 PM • [link]

    This is a fantastic giveaway with lots of funny comments! I’d be a lasgna - many-layered, a little acidic, kind of meaty, and VERY cheesy. :)

  127. Jenna said on 02.12.13 at 02:51 PM • [link]

    I’m Polish! Pierogi all the way! Though also cheese. Because I am cheesy. #obviously

  128. ECSpurlock said on 02.12.13 at 04:17 PM • [link]

    Pizza dough is easy. Put 1 pkg yeast and 1 tsp sugar in a bowl and cover with 1 cup warm water. Let stand until yeast is foamy. Gradually add 2 cups flour, blending with a wooden spoon. Knead until no longer sticky (you may need to add more flour.) Coat with olive oil, set in a clean bowl, cover with a dishtowel and let rise for about 10-15 minutes. This will make one thick-crust pizza; for a thin crust divide in two. Press into an oiled pizza pan and let rise for about 10-15 minutes again. (The longer you let it rise the thicker the crust.) Put on the sauce and toppings and bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes for a thin crust or 20 minutes for a thick crust; take it out when the edges are golden brown. Enjoy! :-)

  129. Anna N said on 02.12.13 at 05:48 PM • [link]

    I have to go with blintzes!

  130. Erin F said on 02.12.13 at 07:18 PM • [link]

    thanks for the fabulously fun and tasty giveaway! I’d have to say general’s chicken. Not just b/c I’m asian, but b/c I’m got a secret kick :) But then again, I’m a pasta nut. So maybe I"m secretly Italian under the asian :)

  131. Viridine said on 02.12.13 at 07:26 PM • [link]

    Homemade New York style cheesecake…you can make it in the time it takes the oven to preheat :) 

  132. Taylor Reynolds said on 02.12.13 at 08:19 PM • [link]

    This is the best giveaway EVER!!! Boring as it may sound at first, I think salad best represents me. A little bit of everything all jumbled together into something colorful and healthy. I’m super healthy for folks, just like a vitamin!

  133. JennK said on 02.12.13 at 08:22 PM • [link]

    I’m also Polish (and Hungarian, with a bit of Romanian for good measure). My grandmother made kreplach instead of pierogi, though. I think almost every culture has a somewhat similar food. Ravioli, pasties, dumplings—it’s all variations on a theme.

  134. dwndrgn said on 02.12.13 at 08:57 PM • [link]

    I think a sandwich.  Simple, easy to make and has a million permutations.  And when you’re feeling lazy you can always go with plain old peanut butter.  But you can dress it up, make it country or rock and roll - whatever suits your mood.  Even better, no cooking has to be involved!

  135. Emi said on 02.12.13 at 09:10 PM • [link]

    Coming from a Polish family - a pierogi giveaway is awesome.

    I am a Zuni-style chicken roasted over bread, which is my go-to dinner - perfect classic domestic comfort that can also clean up well enough to be classy for company.

  136. regencyfan93 said on 02.12.13 at 10:02 PM • [link]

    I am best represented by banana bread, my go to recipe when I have to bring a treat to work.  Easy to make with ingredients in the pantry or freezer.  If only it didn’t have to bake for an hour.  On the opposite end of the fragility and time-consuming scale, biscuits made from the recipe in Farm Journal Breads cookbook.  They always turn out well and bake in 12 minutes.

  137. Molli said on 02.12.13 at 10:38 PM • [link]

    spaghetti & meatballs!!

  138. Laskiblue said on 02.13.13 at 01:52 AM • [link]

    I am 1/2 Polish and have not had pierogis in quite a while—I would be thrilled to win platter.

    A pan of brownies made from deep dark chocolate represents me.  No nuts - no frosting - nothing frou-frou - just straight on simplicity that speaks for itself.

  139. rachel said on 02.13.13 at 10:03 AM • [link]

    I’m German so I suppose beer? But my husband is Chinese and our kids will be mixed. So maybe a dish like beer-infused stir-fry chicken or something. :)

  140. Karen said on 02.13.13 at 04:15 PM • [link]

    I am very crusty bread with a soft interior :)

  141. LisaC said on 02.13.13 at 05:06 PM • [link]

    Grilled burger with onion, bread and butter pickles, and a side of potato chips, and a brownie for dessert. Oh wait, you said a food, not a menu.

  142. Lisa said on 02.13.13 at 05:14 PM • [link]

    Hey, me too! I’m German, my hubs is Chinese, yep on the kids. Coincidence that we read SBTB and enter pierogi contests?

  143. SaraC said on 02.13.13 at 08:03 PM • [link]

    Orange chicken I make in my crockpot. So delicious.

  144. C Bink said on 02.13.13 at 09:35 PM • [link]

    Potatoes. Why? Because they are Samwise Gamgee’s favorites. And Tolkien is the reason I ever started writing.

  145. Knitting Witches said on 02.14.13 at 01:34 AM • [link]

    OH, it would have to be my grandmother’s Pierogi. LOL. with my dad’s sauerkraut. YUM!

  146. Lynda Ryba said on 02.14.13 at 01:35 AM • [link]

    OH, it would have to be my grandmother’s Pierogi. LOL. with my dad’s sauerkraut. YUM!

  147. rachel said on 02.14.13 at 09:35 AM • [link]

    How funny! What are the odds of that??

  148. Em said on 02.14.13 at 03:06 PM • [link]

    Food that represents me best:  Chocolate chip cookie with nuts.  I am a grown, adopted Army brat who lived all over the U.S. and other parts of the world.  Like so many service brats, my ethnic background didn’t make any difference—we were all just 7-hr. olds, 9-yr. olds, 10-yr. olds, etc.  Our common denominator was the fact we were Army brats and proud of it.  Chocolate chip cookies are the same: they go by different names in different parts of the country, and their ingredients may differ a little.  But at the end of the day, they’re still wonderfully all-American.

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