God Bless America & Apple Pie
Remembering September 11, 2001
  Tucked alongside a string of other prominent eateries in the Heathrow/LakeMary area, Fin-esse will soon prove itself an anchor establishment! Their menu covers a delightful array of yummy cuisine extravagances - all lovingly cooked from scratch and artfully presented. "The servers were exceptionallywell-trained, quiet and inconspicuously efficient," Dorothy observed. "The location on 46A is fantastic with plenty of free parking. There is nothing to wish for at Fin-esse, it's all here" she affirmed.
"Whether you are one of my FB, website or a local friend, when in the Heathrow area, be sure to drop by Fin-esse at I-4 & CR 46A for a meal you'll always rave about to everyone. Do say 'Hello' to Autumn too!"[Dorothy]
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| Ron Plummer, owner of Polonia Restaurant |
If you are in the Orlando Florida area, please drop by the Polonia Restaurant for delicious, authentic Polish food. They're open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. I really enjoyed a Polish National Alliance club meeting there with many friends. Compliments to the new owner Ron Plummer.
Dorothy’s Polish Borsch
Because there are so many variations of beet soup – also known as Borsch – you can’t make a mistake. After tasting your Borsch, if some one should have the gall to say “It’s not quite like my mother/aunt/x-wife made…” do look surprised and ask if they haven’t ever tried this (Buffalo/Minneapolis/Chicago – or make up your own name) version! All Borsches are good. Especially with a big dollop of sour cream on top of their soup bowl portion.
Be sure to wash and rinse the veggies really well.
(Approximately) 4 or 5 small red potatoes - quartered
1 large sweet Vidalia onion – chopped
3 cloves of garlic – minced
½ bag of baby carrots – sliced like coins
2 turnips – peeled, then chopped into dice-size squares
3 beets – peeled, then julienned (reserve the leaves)
1 32oz. box Swanson’s chicken broth
1 32 oz. box Swanson’s beef broth
3 or 4 fresh dill– just the leafy greens chopped, no stems
¼ (+/- to taste) cup balsamic vinegar
Put all into a large kettle. Do not boil. Stir occasionally. Let simmer until vegetables are tender. Then add beet tops just a few minutes before serving to wilt them. They add color and texture to the borsch. Serve hot or cold.
Top each serving with a generous dollop of real sour cream. The cream will curdle because of the vinegar. Serve with warm French bread loaf or garlic bread.
Bodsa finah (Very fine!)
Dorothy
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Polski Burgandy Beef Dinner
Here is a filling, home made winter dish that soothes the stomach, and takes away stressful December days. It will sit and wait for you and your busy family until you are ready to serve dinner.
You’ll need approximately:
1 large Vidalia onion, peeled and chopped
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 lbs. lean beef, very thinly sliced (chuck, sirloin, filet)
1-2 Tablespoons Wondra white flour for thickening gravy
1 teaspoon sea salt (+/- to taste)
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (+/- to taste)
2 cups Swanson’s beef broth
1-2 cups Burgundy wine (more if you wish)
1 box fresh sliced washed mushrooms
Sauté meat slices using butter in a heavy pan until browned. Add onion, salt and pepper. Add Wondra flour and stir until it is blended into meat and onions. Add broth slowly forming a paste while stirring; then add the wine and mix until smooth. Add the mushrooms. Cover and simmer on a LOW heat for at least three hours, stirring occasionally. Correct the gravy texture by adding more broth, wine or flour as needed.
Serve with smashed potatoes, asparagus or green beans and warm bread.
Yummy!
Dorothy
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Easy Asparagus
Be prepared for compliments!
Dorothy
Christmas Traditions from Poland
Cookies
It wouldn't be Christmas without kolaczki (pictured here), the flaky filled cookies many people are familiar with. But there are also gingerbread cookies, sandwich cookies, nuthorns, sugar cookies, almost too many to choose from!
Holiday Cake
This cake is made from similar ingredients as kolaczki, but is rolled flat. Mazurka also contains jams, but usually contains a variety of jams in one cake. These jams are used to add a delicious fruity flavor to the cake and serve as the decor.
Autumn Traditions
Fresh mushroom sauce is a simple combination of boxes of fresh mushrooms chopped into small pieces, fresh onion, heaps of butter and a few fork-fuls of flour, all sauted slowly until the juicy mushrooms are tender and the sauce is melded. Add a cup or two of broth and allow the mixture to simmer. Salt and pepper to taste. A handsome addition to any dinner.
About Pierogi
If you know a nice Polish restaurant, be sure to try some homemade food. A staple on the Polish dinner table is a plate of delicious Pierogi. Today's woman will go to the grocery store and in the frozen food section you'll find that familiar blue box of Mrs. "T's" frozen brand. Almost as good... Here's MY secret. Cook the Pierogi in Swanson's Chicken broth. Then, saute them with carmelized onions and serve with a big dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh dill on top. Oh my! Delicious. Let me know how much you enjoyed them, OK?
