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.
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 | 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!
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”.
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. 🙂
No brainer. Lasagna. Lasagna all the freaking way.
I’m gonna say elotes – corn on a stick with butter and cheese and a dusting of chili. 🙂
Potatoes of some sort, I’m sure. It might just be my love of potatoes though…
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!
Chocolate chip cookie!!! That would be me
Dark chocolate, definitely. The higher cacao percentage, the better.
Cajun jambalaya most represents me. Thanks for a fun contest.
Strawberries and cream. Mostly fruity, sometimes sweet.
Ugandan rice and beans. Something that looks plain but is actually really flavorful and deliciously exciting.
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.
Beer and pizza. *Good* beer and *good* pizza.
Apple pie.
Sweet and wholesome. Also the cultural heritage I really have is Americana.
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.
Gingersnaps. The homemade kind, which are crispy on the outside, soft in the middle and a little spicy.
I am hoping that it’s chocolate… something sweet!
Sadly, bread is probably the food that best represents me—white bread, not the really cheap kind. I would love some perogies!
Soup! All types from all cultures! Well, I’m not crazy about cream-based or cheesy soups, but anything else? Bring it on!
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.
Spaghetti! A little noodle-y, a little messy, a classic go to meal!
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.
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.
My family’s green chicken enchiladas recipe! It’s spicy and time-consuming, but totally worth the effort.
I’m a taco—crispy on the outside, spicy, stuffed, and just a little cheesy on the inside.
taco taco taco…..
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.
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.
Strawberry cheesecake.
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.
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.
It actually would be pierogis! I was born in Poland and that is still my fave food that reminds me of my childhood!
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.
Hmmm, Norwegian meatballs? How cool that a (fellow) librarian wrote this!
Missue- my family’s take on the Finnish bread nisu.
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.
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.
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!
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-…
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.
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 🙂