About Me

Ever since I came to the U.S. for the first time in 1993 as an exchange student, I was asked for recipes for the food I cooked or dishes that friends knew from when they were kids that their grandma made. I landed in Wisconsin, an area saturated with 2nd, 3rd or even later generations of Polish and Eastern European immigrants. Conversations about food were always prominent.

Growing up, I was mostly influenced by my grandma (Babcia) Stasia’s cooking. She spent a lot of time with us and was a primary cook in our home. I curiously watched and “recorded” everything she did in my head. We had a large kitchen with a huge island in the middle, enough room to spread pasta to dry, pierogi lined up for boiling, or rows and rows of jars waiting for pickles in preparation for the winter. Babcia let me “help”, while patiently explaining the exact measurements of “a little bit”. Cooking became art in her hands. No written recipe, no cookbooks, no professional training, and yet somehow it always came out exactly the same.

My dearest Babcia Stasia passed away at the age of 89 in 2016. With her guidance in my heart, I’ve been perfecting her recipes for years. I’ve recreated many and I’ve simplified and adjusted to the ingredients that were available in the U.S. My cooking may not compare to Babcia’s, but since I’ve craved flavors of home ever since I left Poland, I had to keep trying to get it right.

“Polish Your Kitchen” was born in 2016 and came at a busy moment of my life. My family and I were preparing to move from Hawaii to Pennsylvania as my husband was still on Active Duty in the Army. I couldn’t wait to start sharing my stories and recipes with you and longer. It must have been the right time then.

In 2018, after 23 years in the service, my husband retired and we decided to move our Polish-American family to Poland. It was the best decision for us. I love being close to my family again, my husband is appreciating the European way of living and our daughter can finally be spoiled by her Polish grandparents year-round. We live in Szczecin and love to show it around on our YouTube channel. 

Recipes that you see here come from my family’s table or are my renditions on new dishes I taste around the country. All photography is also done by me. I continue to learn from my mom and dad and explore Polish regional cooking while traveling through Poland. My idea is to include traditional Polish recipes that most of Polish immigrants know and love but also and present a modern take on Polish kitchen.

I’ve self-published 4 cookbooks:

Polish Your Kitchen; My Family Table

Polish Your Kitchen; A Book of Memories, Easter Edition 

Polish Your Kitchen; A Book of Memories, Christmas Edition and

Polish Your Kitchen; Dumplings and Dragons

I hope you find many inspirations here and some will even bring back memories of flavors from your Polish home.

Happy cooking and smacznego!

Anna

ps. please to send comments and questions. My goal is to answer all mail.

119 Comments

      1. Anna I really enjoy your videos and I was wondering whether you were ever going to offer cooking classes in person. My cousin and I will be visiting Poland next year. Would love to meet you in person.

  2. Many years ago, when I was in Jr. High and High School, my very best friend was Polish. She was being raised by her father and grandmother, who we affectionately called Babcia. I was like one of the family and was often at their house for lunch or supper. I loved all the food Babcia prepared. Coming from an Italian family, the food my mother served at home was vastly different.

    I’m so glad I came across your blog, and I’m looking forward to cooking some of the recipes you have posted.

    2. Hi Judy! Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you can re-discover some of your favorite dishes. Let me know if you have any questions about any of the recipe. Cheers! Anna

  3. I’ve been Anna’s close friend for years. We used to cook Polish food together a lot, we grilled, went camping and prepared food together as well as pickled vegetables and discussed new recipes. She always makes her home welcome and treats me and our friends with delicious food and an atmosphere that you can only dream of. I learned a lot from Anna before she became a blogger, and I just can’t wait for her next delicious recipes!
    Cheers Anna!

  4. I discovered your site today and am enjoying reviewing the recipes . I am Polish as well and love Folish cusine…as do my friends. So thank you for such a nice site.

  5. Czesc Anna!
    Your comment about not wasting any food rang in my head loud and clear! Our Mom even made us kids kiss a slice of bread if were clumsy enough to drop it! The only way old or stale bread was not eaten is if it were really bad, i.e. more mold than bread! and then, it was thrown out for the birds. Mom always said, “feed the birds”. Will definitely keep in mind how to revive old bread and use the recipe for koptyka. Thanks for reviving “Mom” memories!

  6. I’m second-generation Polish on both sides of the family. My mom was the one who taught me how to prepare all the traditional Polish foods my dad grew up with. My Babcia never even learned to speak English. I remember visiting her with my dad after church every Sunday and just listening to them talk. My maternal grandmother died when I was very young, but my mom was the storyteller and tradition-keeper of the family. She was also a great cook! I’m so glad I was the kind of kid who loved watching her and learning. The only thing she wouldn’t make (or eat lol) was czarnina. My Babcia always made it for my dad… I followed my mom’s example. I’m so glad I found you on Pinterest! I’ve been trying different foods that my mom didn’t make, and it’s nice to get an “Americanized” version of an authentic Polish recipe- thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us!!

  8. I’ve just discovered Polish Your Kitchen and made galareta this weekend. Now I’m getting ready to make the rhubarb cake – yes we still have fresh rhubarb on the west coast of BC. “Polish Heritage Cookery” by the Strybel’s has been my Polish “Joy of Cooking” for many years. I’ve been looking for some more updated recipes for Polish cooking and have found your blog is just the answer. I’d love to buy your cookbook when you get it published. I spent 2 weeks in Poland this summer and am so inspired to cook more Polish dishes. Milk bars are my favourite!

    1. Pani Danuto, thank you for your kind words! Please make sure to SUBSCRIBE to my blog, so you don’t miss the book publishing. Till then, hope you find what you’re looking for on my website 🙂
      Love, Anna

  9. I have such fond memories of cooking Polish dishes with my babcia when I was a child. I love your page dearly, it helps me to reconnect with that time in my life. My grandmother has since passed away and I think of her often; mostly when I see recipes or eat the dishes she made so often. Thank you for putting the effort into sharing these recipes with everyone. I hope to pass down the joys of my childhood, cooking great Polish food, to my children. Dziękuję Ci!

    1. Dear Emily, I’m glad you’re here! Keep cooking and passing down the love of food and gathering around it with family. Your grandma lives on within you. Warm greetings to you. Love, Anna

  10. Anna, my name is Paul Kielbasa,and i remember from years ago my busia making ,i hope my spelling will help,called kowats, a bread with cheese and yellow raisins for us. She would take it from the oven and butter it and it was to die for. I cannot find it in any polish stores and no one knows or have heard of it. I live near chicago and would love to find this and bring back this wonderful taste as all of my family is deceased and cannot find anyone who knows of this bread. Thank you,Paul

    1. Czesc Anna,
      I’m so excited that I came across your site! I moved to the US when I was 10 and have so many fond memories of the delicious food my mom used to make (she doesn’t make much of them here because she claims the ingredients are not the same). Now that I’m married and have my own family, I’d love to introduce them to some of my favorite foods from my childhood but getting recipes from my mom is impossible (like you mentioned your Babcia used to say, “a little bit of this” “a little bit of that” …but that’s not an actual recipe!! Lol)
      I love that your site is in English but has all traditional Polish foods. I will be a frequent visitor here and will be subscribing and looking forward to new recipes and posts!
      Dziekuje Ci bardzo!

      Agnieszka

    4. Im in Chicago area. I have a recipe for kolocz. 1/4 c butter, 1 tsp salt, 1 c milk, 1/2 c sugar 1/2 tsp mace. Scald milk, let butter melt in it and add remaining ingr. Dissolve one packet yeast in 1/4 c water, add to cool milk mixture. Beat 3 eggs add to mixture. Add 4.5 -5 c flour, knead, let rise, punch down. Form 2 – 10″ rounds,let rise, top w 1 carton bakers cheese beaten with 2 eggs, 3 T sugar, 1/4 t salt, spread on tgmhe rounds abd and brush with beaten egg. Bake 350 for 35 min

  11. The illustrations and videos for the dumplings and pierogi are really useful. I’ve tried to make these over years (my mother’s family is from Podkarpacie but now lives in Wroclaw) as I remember them, but they usually turned out like doorknobs — slimily overcooked on the outside, raw dough on the inside. I’m eager to give your recipes a shot. Glad to see that you including a vegetarian section, as well.

  12. I also am a second generationof Polish descent. My mother was not one to cook many Polish dishes, but I am proud of my heritage and look for Polish recipes all the time. I have taught my 4 daughters and grnddaughters how to make Paczki before Lent and kolaczki at Christmas. We have a baking day for those two. We also have Blessings of the Basket in our Church on Holy Saturday as we used to be a Polish parish, but hve since merged with 2 other parishes and also have quite a few Spanish now. I will be trying many of your recipes and the cake before Easter to start a new tradition. Even though I am in my 70’s I enjoy this type of food. Thank you for all of the recipes and your story. I would like to come to Poland someday.

  13. Dzien dobry, Anna!
    I am so excited to have found your site and am looking forward to “Cooking with Anna”. I too am a second-generation on both sides. I have to compensate for some of the ingredients as I no longer eat meat (Bigos is out, I imagine), but I make a killer pierogi just like Babcia, with cabbage (not sauerkraut) and onions. It’s a lengthy process, but oh-so-worth it. I remember being at Babcia’s house when she was making her babka with raisins. She had the dough in big baking pans rising in her bedroom and my sister and I would sneak in and grab pinches of the raw yeast dough. I can still taste the warm, sweet and slightly tangy (from the yeast) dough. She would catch us and shoo us out of her room. When she made egg noodles, she would spread out a white sheet on her bed and after rolling out the dough, lay large circles of the thin dough to air dry before cutting them into strips. Gosh, I miss those days…

    1. Judi – thank you for reminding me of the sheet on the bed, and home made noodles spread everywhere through my Babcia’s house on noodle-making day! My grand-parents moved to Canada when they were first married (at 15), but she carried with her all her Polish traditions and foods and we were blessed to be the lucky recipients of that. All but the very basic staples were raised and harvested on the farm. Farm-raised chicken soup with those farm-egg noodles…. oh my – there was nothing better! It’s been so many years now since my Babcia passed, but memories of all the food she made (almost daily) bring tears to my eyes every time I think of it. I still make egg noodles today (and pierogi and holoptchi (my mom’s spelling – I’m not sure if that’s right)) and many other Polish recipes, but none match the taste and texture of my Babcia’s (not even my mom’s). She made it look so effortless! Anna – I’m so glad to have stumbled on your blog – I will be visiting it often! I have a question about the sour rye soup starter – does it matter the type of rye flour? In Canada, there are three different grades: light, medium and dark. I would love to try that one! Thank you.

      1. I love this!! I can’t say I know the distinction between the three flours, but… I will be posting a video on YouTube about how to make sour rye soup on Monday… I’d try one (flour) at a time and see how it goes… either way it will come out… it may vary in flavor a bit, but it will most likely resemble the one you know. 😊 Try the process. 😉 Good luck!! 🍀

  14. Hello Anna!
    Most of my ancestors are from Poland, then came to America in the late 1800s or early 1900s. I grew up eating my Busi’s (then my mom’s) kwas, kielbasa, placek, paczki, and kruszciki.
    I recently started the process of trying to get Polish citizenship by Presidential grant due to my ancestry, and conveniently, found your website on Pinterest. Your recipes are delicious and the stories about your ancestry are delightful. I hope to be able to live in Poland one day 🙂

  15. Anna! What a great site and recipe selection!
    I am English, living in central England and although now just turned 60 I started learning Polish just over 4 and a half years ago. Of course, this means imbibing in everything Polish, from culture, history, people and of course food. My Skype teacher (one to one lessons weekly) is awesome, living in Edinburgh and on holiday meeting her family in Warsaw at the moment – my wife and I met her last year in Warsaw when we visited 🙂
    I sent her a photo of some potatoes we have grown and she said I MUST make sałatka ziemniaczana, and so I found your recipe and your whole world opened up to me. I look forward to many new home-cooked meals!
    I cannot wait to get back to Poland now that lockdown in England seems to be lifting.

    1. Thanks Jamie! Wow! Props to ya! Polish is not an easy language. Good luck! Happy cooking! Please let me know some of your favorites. Did you check out my YouTube channel yet? 🎥☺️

  16. I absolutely love watching you cook during your shows. I remember my Mom hanging noodles all over the kitchen. All the polish foods were the best memory of my younger life. I am not able to find one of the recipes with sauerkraut, meat, caraway seeds & noodles. All I can find is a recipe for bigos and that isn’t it. Maybe you can make that dish on your show? You brighten my days with a chuckle!
    Tc, Rita Sokolowski Ellis

  17. Hello Anna, my wife and I found your You Tube channel recently and we have really enjoyed watching. We plan on trying many of your recipes. My mother was a great southern cook and your approach to your cooking helps me relive wonderful memories of my mother. Also, as a veteran myself, thanks to your husband for his service. I’m glad we found you!
    Thank you and Wszystkiego najlepszego!
    Chip Daniel

  20. I’m so excited that I found your channel! My Babcia and Dziadzio came to Chicago from Poland after WWII, and lived in a very Polish neighborhood on the south side. I also remember “helping” Babcia in the kitchen–she would cut me tiny circles of dough to make little pierogi with my little hands while she whipped out piles of normal sized ones 🙂 A few years ago I realized I needed to pick up the torch and learn to cook like her, so I’ve been practicing my pierogi folding and golobki rolling and kolacky making…when people compliment what I’ve made, I always tell them, “Yeah, but it’s still not as good as Babcia’s!” I’m sad I didn’t find you sooner, but I look forward to going through all your videos and learning more and more–thank you!

  21. Anna,
    Hello. My name is Robert Bielejeski. (original family name Bielejewski) My family root are from Poland, Bydgoszcz, Opole, Znin and Poznan. I am 3rd generation Polish-American. Our family history is that my Great Grandfather and his best friend accidentally killed an officer that was beating a polish child for speaking Polish in the street in 1874. The entire village apparently pitched in and sent both families to America. I have not had much contact with any of my polish relatives for some very complicated reasons, but I LOVE my polish heritage and embrace it every chance I get. My father was a chef, so I learned to cook as a young child.
    Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all you post on YouTube. Your videos help me learn about my ancestral foods. I cook many of the dishes you teach.

    I have tried to teach myself some Polish for several years now, but it is a struggle, since I really have no one to speak with. I figure if my Great Grandfather was willing to fight to death for the privilege of speaking Polish, then I sure will do my best to speak as much as I possibly can to honor him and my Polish ancestors.

    Robert

  22. Hello Anna,
    I am glad to have found your website. My name is Rina (Wojciechowski) Rodriguez. My dad (2nd Generation Pole from Chicago) met my mother while stationed in Japan. I grew up eating Japanese foods and knowing my Japanese hertiage, but not so much of my Polish side. Even when we lived with my Polish grandparents, we never celebrated or ate anything (outside of sweet pierogies and kolaczki) that had come from the Polish culture.
    As an adult and with my own family, I am wanting to learn and cook the foods that make us -us. Me, being Japanese and Polish, my husband is Mexican and German, the only thing we are missing are the Polish foods and traditions. I want to make sure that my children understand and learn every part of what makes them special.
    Looking through the recipes, I am so glad you put the phonetic spellings of the foods. It helps so much since I don’t know how to pronounce anything.
    Thank you to your husband for his service. As a former Army wife, soldier, and daughter, it is a special community that we are a part of!
    Again thank you!

  23. Hi Anna,
    I discovered your “You Tube” channel when searching how to make Golumpki (not sure if I spelled that correctly). My mother was of Polish/Irish decent and used to make many Polish dishes. She passed away years ago but I am sure the recipes are somewhere in her house. However, initially seeing something being made is better. When I was telling my son about them, he said that a woman living below his friend made the golumpki all the time and he loved them. I surprised him with your recipe. It was delicious and I am now very interested in your channel and cooking. Thanks for doing this. There is so much I want to learn about my heritage.

  24. Dzien dobry, Anna!

    First, I want to let you know that ever since I’ve learned about your YouTube Page, I have fallen in love! I absolutely adore you, your husband, and everything about “Polish Your Kitchen.” You are the reason why my husband and I have finally decided to do our own vlogging. I will also be doing some Polish Recipes; certainly ones that I have learned from you and other recipes that I have learned on my own and from my Mother. My Grandparents were from Pinczyn, Pomerania, Poland. And my Dad passed away in 2000. Doing this makes me feel connected to him and to my Polish roots. I have also taken up the task to kind of do my own version of the Movie, “Julie & Julia,” (not sure if you ever seen that movie), but it’s about a lady who basically cooked 1 dish of Julia Child’s everyday for a whole year and blogged about it. I would love to kind of do that with the meals you have blessed us with. I am most excited about making my own Biala Kielbasa. I’ll also be wearing some of your aprons, T-shirts, and drinking my coffee from one of your mugs to also help promote your products as well!

    I just wanted to say once again, “thank you for being an amazing inspiration to many of us!” Keep doing what you’re doing! I look forward to many more of your amazing meals and beautiful smiles on YouTube!

  25. Hi Anna and Mark,
    I will be making Zurek soup soon and will be trying your recipe. This was one of my favorite soups when I visited Poland years back. Question…, As your video describes to use two cups of starter for one pot of soup, can I use the 4 cups (approx.) of the starter to make a larger batch all at once? The reason I am asking is because one of the organizations I belong to hear in Wausau, Wi. has a soup challenge contest and I will be using zurek and polish pickle soup for this contest. It will be a hit. BAR NONE!!!
    Also, one thing I haven’t seen lately from Mark, and being its very cold out now, is him wearing his Point Special Beer stocking hat. I was tickled pink when I first noticed it a month or two ago. You know we love our Point Beer here in Wisconsin. Love to see it again.
    You guys take care and we’ll chat soon.

    John Mijal

  26. Anna,
    As I posted on my pączki review, my mother’s side of the family is Polish and I grew up in NJ spending the majority of my time growing up with my babcia being raised in the Polish culture than. We share many similar things with you and your family – we are a military family also and I am now a retired Marine pilot living in Colorado. My first job out of the Marines was with Woodward Governor here in Fort Collins, we had a plant in Steven’s Point that you or Mike might remember. There is a large historic and current Polish population here in Colorado, so we put our daughters in Polish School at the Saint Joseph’s Polish Church here in Denver where they learned the Polish language and were a part of the dance team Krakowiacy. My work as a defense contractor brought me to Mielec with Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze (PZL). What has amazed me during my time in Poland was how very familiar it all felt after being raised in a Polish American home – it was if I came home on my first visit and every visit since. Just like family, Poland is not perfect but we love it!

  27. Love what you and Mark are doing! Don’t change a thing. When I watch you cook, I feel like I’m there with you and your husband is just right there ready for a sample. Love your unscripted presentation. Be you! Keep your vlogs coming. I miss seeing Polish cities and countryside.
    Greeting from Chicago,
    Danuta

  28. Dear Anna,

    I made the Polish Klupskis this afternoon and they were fabulous.
    They were tasty, juicy and very flavorful.
    I will definitely make them again.
    Stay safe and well.
    Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes and U Tube presentations.
    Sincerely,
    Lillian Berak

  29. Anna and Mark,
    It seems you have blocked further comments from this respondent on your youtube channel. I therefore relay a last word to you here, and I hope you think about these comments. It’s a pity you don’t give your other viewers the chance to do so. So…

    From the government website of the Republic of Poland

    https://www.gov.pl/web/coronavirus/temporary-limitations

    Effective until: 14 March 2021

    GASTRONOMY

    Stationary business activity in restaurants is forbidden. It is only possible to provide services consisting in preparing and serving food for take-away and delivery.

    Hotel restaurants

    It is allowed to run restaurants in hotels, but only for hotel guests staying for at least one hotel night. It is permissible to run hotel restaurants, but meals are to be delivered for hotel guests to their rooms.

    Why are such restrictions in place?

    As of March 5, 2021, approximately 16,000 new COVID infections are recorded in Poland each day. More than 45,000 have died so far, and the numbers are again increasing.

    Approximately 300 people are currently dying each day.

    It is up to every individual to take some responsibility for their behaviour, and at the very least, to follow government guidelines – and to urge others to do so. It is the only way we can look forward to the return of a ‘normal’ lifestyle.

    While some businesses in Poland, notably restaurants, have chosen a vigilante path of ignoring government mandates, one must ask if they will then also commit the double crime of applying deceitfully for government monetary assistance, thus ‘robbing’ the businesses who have done the right thing by remaining closed to In-house Dining during this pandemic (allowing only takeaway and delivery) and who genuinely need help. Ask yourself: Shouldn’t we support the businesses who are doing the right thing during this pandemic and not be too quick to thoughtlessly reward the ones behaving badly?

    Lastly, it’s a pity to not allow dissent, and rather, show name-calling on your vlog (google discloses that ”durack” is Russian slang for ”moron”). Influencers/youtubers and their ‘faithful’ followers resorting to schoolyard bullying – a further low point. Guys, sorry to tell you, you haven’t done the restaurant a favour, and in the process, you have also tarnished yourselves.

    1. Manfred,

      We haven’t blocked any comments on this video. You can comment right now if you chose to. We were told they were open legally, so we went to eat there under the impression all was on the up and up. We don’t allow name calling and had missed the durak comment. We do allow dissent as long as it remains civil, which you did. We have blocked nothing and wish you the best. If we find that the restaurant is open illegally we will take this video down as we are truly trying to do our jobs on the up and up. In the future I hope you can enjoy watching our channel again, but if not take care.

      Mark

  30. You are such a favorite in our family and I love using your recipes! Are you on Cameo by chance? My father is turning 70 this year and he has to be your biggest fan – I am wondering if you would sing Sto lat to him? If you are on Cameo, please let me know. Thanks!

  31. I’ve been to Poland several times and fell in love with the food. Returned to America and spent much time trying to replicate recipes with failure. Found your channel and now have brought the taste of Poland to my home. Thank you for all your efforts to replicate your recipes and share them with us. You’ve taught me so much, Thank You

  32. Hello Anna,
    I’ve been watching your video recipes for a couple weeks now and I have gotten through many! I’ve even cooked a few as well. Your instructions are fantastic and your video quality is as well. I love your’s and your hubby’s commentary throughout the videos and your polish kitchen closed episodes are wonderfully informative. I’ve never been to Poland but perhaps in the future I’ll get there. You bring back so many great memories of the recipes that I grew up making with my mother. You have now provided me with actual ingredient names and quantities so that I can make them too! I watched your live Facebook yesterday and it was a great time. I can’t wait for your second cookbook to be published so I can buy enough for my siblings so they can enjoy making some memories with their families. I ordered a burgundy PYK apron yesterday so I can now not worry about getting beets on my one and only white apron. Stay well and sending a big hug from Canada.

    Terenia

  34. Dear Anna, I’m so delighted to have discovered your website and YouTube channel! The first sight of you in your most recent video took my breath way as your presence and demeanor so reminded me of my mother, who had a cooking show on television in the early 1950s in upstate New York. She was the child of Polish immigrants, but at that time her focus was to bring to her audience the cuisine of all immigrants to the US and offer an opportunity to expand their taste buds. At that most everyone ate only their ethnic cuisine, so it was a great time to change things things up a bit. Anyway, she was smart, casual, funny, like you, so I really appreciate your ” show”. I learned to love and cook Polish food when I lived in Poland in 1978-79 as a young English teacher on an exchange program, and acquired a Polish husband in the process, celebrating 40 years this June! I’ll make the kotlety mielony tonight with best wishes to you!

  35. Hello Anna
    I enjoy watching you present polish recipes, I have made a few of them
    and they turned out good.
    I am wondering if I could get some nonrelated information from you and your husband?
    I am happy to communicate through this forum or privately whichever is more comfortable.
    Thank you
    PB

  36. Hi Anna,

    I discovered your channel when searching how to make saurkraut. It turned out great! I’ve since become a big fan of your channel and I’ve made some recipes for (my) Polish Kohaha! She’s from Warsaw originally and cooking is a big part of our relationship. I too am a 3rd generation Polish American, so learning about my heritage (and food) is amazing. I’m from PA and was wondering what part you (were) from while here?

    Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for all you do – and KEEP the recipes coming!

    Brad

  37. Anna,

    Love your show and recipe’s. I am 100% Polish on my Mom’s side and Polish and Lithuanian on my dad’s side of the family. It has been a tradition to make Kugelis and Polish Sausage on Christmas Eve ever since I can remember. My question is Kugelis a Lithuanian or a Polish dish or they have their own version of the recipe?

    1. Thank for following my blog John! Yes, kugelis is a Lithuanian dish, the closest thing to it that we make in Polish cooking is potato babka. I have a recipe published, just type into the search bar. Happy cooking!

  38. My husband and I are coming to Poland in September. Hopefully there will be no more Covid travel bans. My youngest daughter was recently visiting from Seattle when she found your vlog while helping us research for our trip. I can tell you I had 2 weeks of “Mom how come you haven’t made …. in a while.” So dug out my recipe box full of my Polish grandmother’s recipes which basically were just lists of ingredients. My own mom, now in her 80’s, does not cook any more and my parents are excited to have me sending over the foods she made as a young bride in the Chicago area. We have also enjoyed your “kitchen closed” segment which is full of practical advise though it is doubtful we will be visiting a McDonalds. We watched the Polish Grocery Store segment with great interest and missing our favorite shop on the North Side of Chicago. Thank you and Mark for all your hard work. If you have the time we do have one small question. We will be in Poland for a month and have rented a car. Are the gas stations in Poland much different than gas stations in US and Europe?

    1. Thanks for following Sherry! Good luck on your trip.
      No, gas stations are not that different. You can’t pay at the pump though, so you’ll have to pump and then go in and pay (cash or card). Some gas stations have attendants to help with pumping, they are gas station employees and don’t require additional fee or tip. Sometimes the attendant will also have a payment card reader and you may be able to pay outside but that doesn’t happen a lot. They will also usually try to upsell😀 but I think it’s ok to stick to the “normal” gas. It’s expensive as it is. Hood luck and be safe!!

  40. I just discovered your YouTube channel and I am absolutely binging on it! I’m French – Canadian (and Irish) by birth, but I now live in New Jersey with my American hubby. His father was raised by a Polish step-mother, so he always thought he was Polish! Your style of cooking reminds me of the recipes I learned from my grandmother (who had 16 children) – comforting, delicious and not pretentious! Sorry – gotta go learn how to make meat pierogis. 😋. (Only one suggestion- on the “live” videos, can you please repeat questions – sometimes hard to hear your husband and Hannah 😉) Continued success to you!

  41. Hi Anna and Mark,
    I haven’t seen any of your recipe shows on Monday’s lately. I usually watch them on you tube on Monday’s but haven’t seen them for about a month or so. Are you still publishing on you tube?

    John Mijal

  42. Anna and Mark – I just watched your last Kitchen’s Closed with great interest! We live in upper Montgomery County, PA – in Pennsburg, the Upper Perkiomen Valley – and I was Director of the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center. The Schwenkfelders came to PA in the 1730s from Lower Silesia. I’ve visited the Schwenkfelder homelands in Lower Silesia – now Poland, of course, many times since 1998 and have brought groups of descendants of the immigrant Schwenkfelders to their homelands on 5 different tours. We were set to come Wednesday, Sept 1, but Covid thru our plans awry and so we will be visiting with a group in 2022 and the following year 2023. We have made many wonderful friends over the years we have been visiting: in Twardocice and Jelenia Gora and Lubin and Ossiek – all places with Schwenkfelder ancestral connections. We visit Wroclaw, which you showed the other week. We were in Kodzko where I think you are taking us next week! Have you been to Ksiaz Castle? Also, near Swidnica is a wonderful retreat center for Polish/German relations – they bring youth from both countries together to learn about each other. It’s Krzyżowa (Kreisau) – about 20 minutes from Swidnica in the middle of nowhere! We usually stop both sites (no Schwenkfelder connection) for a tour – it is cool! We visit the Peace churches in Jawor and Swidnica among other things. There is a monument in the town of Twardocice which the Schwenkfelders had built in 1863 and is still there. It was damaged during the war but we restored it in 2003 and added a translation stone for the German text into Polish and English. Near Twardocice is a really cool castle, part ruin, part worth visiting called Grodziec castle – we had a few feasts in the castle and made great friends with the director of the castle many years ago. We even have homemade – real homemade – meals for the groups and the food is always delicious! Sorry to write so much – really miss our Polish visit, looking forward to next year and so much enjoy your and Mark videos and comments and recipes!

  43. Hello Anna and Mark,
    I just watched your video on traveling to the States. And now, I realize why your Monday recipe blogs have not been published. I am very excited on writing this email because we would have loved to meet the both of you while you were here. I seen on your trip you were at a place called the Tine & Cellar which is located in Weston (Schofield) Wi. You were literally 1000 feet from our house. I really enjoyed the video and both I and my wife Renee hope you had a great time. You both put a smile on our faces and we are big fans. We have purchased some of your items like aprons and shirts and we get a lot of looks and questions on your Tshirts. It’s all good and fun. We have others that have jumped on to watch your videos also. You may be saying to yourself, these people sound like goofey people but really we are not. To be honest, we are about the same age and Mark’s personality is very similar to mine. That’s a compliment by the way. Well anyways, I would love to share some pictures with you both sou you know who we are and would love to stay in touch because you inspire us and would still someday get to meet you both. Keep up the great work and we look forward to seeing your post’s coming soon.
    Best wishes
    John & Renee

  44. I just found your blog looking for recipes in English to share with my friends and family in the US. We are retired military as well like here but in Bydgoszcz. Thanks for the great video’s so I can show how great Polish food is!

  45. Hola mí nombre es mirta, mis raíces son ucranianas pero hay muchas comidas que son muy parecidas a las polacas los fruschiquis o kruschiquis o como lo llamen es igual a la que hacemos es todo la misma preparación. En realidad creo que mis orígenes también son algo polacas. Las comidas se fueron pasando de generaciones y por suerte las conocemos. Gracias por compartir lo que saben de la gastronomía.

  46. Hello,

    My name is Marietta. I came to live in the USA when I was 16 in late 1989. I came across your blog and youtube channel recently, but I am so greatful for that. My mother passed away in 2014 and I don’t have any other/older female family members here with me. What I am saying, is that I do the cooking for my family, and when I say that, I am talking about polish dishes because what else is there.
    I was wondering if you don’t have it on your site (because I don’t see it), could you post a recipes for salatka z czerwonej kapusty do sloikow. I can’t find a recipe that I like anywhere and I noticed that your recipes are very similar to my Mom’s.

    Thank you

  47. Hello Anna, I just found your website and YouTube channel, very exciting as I lost my Babcia when I was too young to learn her recipes. Question, I was watching one of your videos where you grated carrots. Your grater was horizontal and had a plastic catch bin. Can you share where you got that? I’ve searched the web and cannot find one similar. Thank you, keep up the wonderful videos!

  48. I found your site before the holidays last year. My mother’s parents were both from Poland – somewhere near the border of Germany so the cuisine was inflenced. My grandmother lived with my family and was a great cook. I also spent all my summers with her Polish friends who had immigrated to Canada at the same time; they had a family restarant. I grew up cooking and still love to cook; baking is my biggest pashion. As I get older I am getting in touch with my cultural roots; my father side is Austrian.
    I love your wesbite and follow you on social media. Your videos are so helpful. Paczki are my newest favorite donut! This weekend I am going to make Pierogi for the first time – I really dont know why i have waited so long!
    Thanks for sharing all your recipes! Cynthia

  49. Hi Anna,
    Great recipes, great videos…..thanks+++
    We can easily find the ingredients here in Belgium.
    But….if we want to buy some of your merchandising the postage cost are really very high….(USA to Europ)….😔.
    Keep up the cooking….
    Kind regards.
    Do widzenia

    Dirk

  50. Hi Anna,
    My Grandmother was born in Krakow so I’ve grown up learning about the wonderful Polish culture and traditions, especially related to food of course. Each one of my great aunts had a specialty dish and family members would visit them in person to ask them to make their dish or dessert for weddings or other special occasions. It was an honor to have their delicacies on the table. I can’t wait for the second printing of My Family Table to give to my Mother. Best wishes for continued success.
    Dziękuję!
    Karen

  51. I received my copy of your new cookbook! So, I have decided in honor of my Polish ancestors, I am going to go through the recipes and cook all of them – I may run out of time before I can do them all but I am going to try. We can call this the Anna and Kasia (for Karen) project as in the movie Julie and Julia. I have already done the shortbread. Our friend had a crawfish boil – he, of course is Cajun – and I was asked to bring the dessert. I made Grapefruit Sorbet, to clear the palate, and served it with shortbread cookies to look like bunnies. It was the day before Easter. The cookies were a hit! More later! Karen (another nice Karen)

    1. That sounds lovely Karen. I hope you join the group on Facebook “PYK – Made by You” and share your journey with us. Happy cooking and smacznego!

  52. Hello Anna,
    I found your website looking for polish dill pickle recipes. When I was young, 50 years ago, we always had polski wyrob pickles which I loved. I guess that was the brand name, but I can’t find them anymore. Now that my wife and I garden alot, we have tons of pickles and I wanted to see if I could find a recipe that was similar. Your recipe for ogórki konserwowe is awesome. I made several jars and they turned out so good. I have given some away and the comments I get are ‘I ate half a jar and had to put them up’ they were so good. I have also made the Ogórki Kiszone, but have yet to try them…can’t wait. Just wanted to give you a shout out and say thank you, thank you, thank you for polishing my Texas kitchen. God bless you guys.

  53. Thank you Anna!
    When I was young my Polish grandmother always canned and cooked many polish dishes, and I used to help her. She also unfortunately died when I was about nine and I lost growing up learning how to make pretty much everything of my polish heritage. We still celebrated Christmas with polish traditions….pierogi, mushroom barley soup, herring in a cream sauce…lol Vita in a jar. I’ve come to realize I have a love of cooking I inherited from her. My mom and aunt did the Christmas stuff and golabki (which I always thought was spelled gwumpki
    I was born in Illinois, family moved to Wisconsin, then I ended up in Pennsylvania. Many years past and holidays became ham and turkey…etc. Then life took me to a New Jersey polish community and a Polish grocery that was like my grandmother in a store…I even tried head cheese again….still don’t like it. But I found things in dried mushrooms and jarred sauerkraut and farmers cheese and dried meats and pierogi. And it got me hooked. Then I moved to Texas…
    And I had to find out how to make these things because I couldn’t buy them. And I found you through pierogi.
    I used to have my grandmothers cookbook..Treasured recipes for Polish Americans. Her notes in the margins…my favorites marked, and I gave it to my aunt, she had a fire and it was lost.
    One day I wanted to make pierogi. At Christmas we had them boiled with buttered breadcrumbs after the fish serving. And I googled all the recipes I could find for basic pierogi dough, put them on a note card and tried them all. Yours was number 7. It tasted right and I was hooked.
    My husband’s job has now brought us to Mason, Texas, a small town with the friendliest people you could ever meet. We got invited to a regular Sunday potluck and I have used several of your recipes for everyone. It’s all been a big hit. Last time I made the beet salad, the leek salad, and my twist on Polish dried mushroom and wild rice salad, along with a wood ear and wild rice salad. The best part was when my husband came up to me and asked if I tried the coleslaw…it was the leek salad!
    Thank you so much for bringing my heritage back to me. It’s summer in Texas and over 100 degrees daily, can’t wait til it cools off so I can share more things I remember my grandmother making. I have ordered both your books from Amazon so I can share them. This weekend the potluck contribution will be the fish pate spread and braised red cabbage!
    I forgot to mention how when I was little I was the squished for homemade sauerkraut. My grandparents had a storage shed in their Wisconsin garage where all the canning went…so I have shared with my local friends homemade sauerkraut… big hit.
    Love how you cook…thanks for the basic measures but I too am just enough, a little more, and that’s fine. The best thing you have done is to tell your readers take the basic recipe and add or change it.
    Me…born in Illinois, raised in Wisconsin, moved to Pennsylvania. We might have bumped into each other…

  54. I am so glad I discovered your channel. I was born in the early 50’s and lived with my grandma who was first gen immigrant from Poland. Everything was homemade. I was very young when she passed but my mother was the same way and carried on with the Polish traditional dishes which I have adapted into my families lives. I make pickles, sauerkraut, kielbasa, (fresh and smoked), golobki, and many more. I’m slowly picking up the language as you use it and from what I can remember. I repeated what I thought I heard my mother say but I know I’m butchering it but I have passed some of those words onto my family. I traveled around the world twice in 30 years with the Navy and saw plenty and tasted the foods in many countries. Every time I got to the Mediterranean theater it was stop in Greece and on through the Suez to SW Asia. Our family took an 11 day European trip but it did not include Poland. Just the western Mediterranean, but would like to go back and see Poland if our countries ever get straight again. I won’t succumb to U.S. bs security nonsense. Anyway I will continue to watch your channel and relive my Polish heritage thru you. Thanks for the memories.

  56. I find that The apple Cake recipe has 14 oz of butter in the Christmas Book
    7 oz of butter. In the My Family Table
    I used 14oz. Since the crust is shortbread!! Delicious!!

    Helena Jerinsky

  57. I am so grateful to have found you on Facebook and ordered the book for my mother. I am of Polish descent on both sides, with my grandfather have come directly from Poland. My other grandparents were born in the states to Polish immigrants. I grew up with some of the traditions and recipes but living so far from the “older generations” we lost out on learning more. Some of my strongest memories were of my Babci over the stove with kielbasa going and Kapusta cooking- I can still smell it.
    I have even converted my husband to be a honorary Pollack – teaching him some words and he loves the food!
    Thank you so much for sharing these recipes! I wish you had a “you bet your dupa I am Polish” shirt! Be well!

  58. So happy I found you! After many attempts to find beet soup recipes with different combinations of words, Google finally decided to reveal you with “polish beet sauerkraut cabbage soup.” Ha!

    With that specific string of words, you can probably guess I’m of Polish ancestry. In addition, I am a Wisconsin native living in the ‘nort woods’. So, yeah.

    My Grandma was Polish. Sadly, her mother died when my Grandma was only 10 years old, so she did not receive a lot of Polish kitchen wisdom. Her father was a farmer and had little time to spend in the kitchen, leaving my Grandma to do the best she could to figure out how to feed her dad and two younger siblings. But I do remember sauerkraut was treated like a condiment; on her table all the time, next to the ketchup.

    I must have picked up a bit somewhere through my DNA to recognize Polish cooking because much of what I cook is very, very similar to your recipes. A lot of my soups and casseroles feature some sort of sausage, sauerkraut, cabbage, etc. And even if I didn’t cook, growing up in Wisconsin means you’re never too far from a sausage and polka fest. You can’t NOT be exposed to Polish culture!

    Enough of that. I love YOUR story and am happy you found a good Wisconsin man with which to share your life. 😀

    I am following you now of Facebook and will be back to scroll around your recipes, then order your book for me and my sisters. I love your videos, too. They are no-nonsense (just like my Grandma) and speak to all of us who trust ourselves to figure out how to put a memory-making Polish meal together!

    Thank you Anna!
    Patti

    p.s. My brother and I make about 40 pints of sauerkraut every fall – never with vinegar! 😀

  59. Hello Anna,
    I order your book and excited for it to arrive 🙂 If I may ask what part of Poland did you grow up? I grew up in the Białystok area, moving to the US in 1995, but my parents and brother still live there.
    Helena

  61. Anna I really enjoy your videos and I was wondering whether you were ever going to offer cooking classes in person. My cousin and I will be visiting Poland next year. Would love to meet you in person.

  62. Anna you have a wonderful thing going on here with your cooking, videos, and blog. I do not reply a lot but I have been following you for about 5-6 years, and have enjoyed making quite a few of your recipes. I’ll be getting a copy of your book soon too.

    One thing I can’t seem to find on your site is a recipe for City Chicken. I know it is a Polish-American thing that seems to be have been concocted in the USA, but for those who do know know what it is, or the old school way of making them, they would be in for a very big treat. My wife’s city chicken is out of this world, and is the most tender.

    Keep up the good work Anna. You and your husband are doing great!

    1. Thanks for being a long time patron. I appreciate you stopping in to say a few kind words 😊
      Unfortunately, I’ve never had city chicken, so I wouldn’t know where to start.
      Hope you keep cooking!

  63. Hello Anna, I love watching your videos. I am Polish and still cook like my Mom everyday. I too love using my blender to make Potato Pancakes, so much easier. I was wondering what pan you were using in the video, I am in need of new cookware and I love the look of the pan. May I please ask what brand they are? Thank you

  64. Dear Ones, Thank you for sharing your talents with us. Such professional videos, such fun and
    such good recipes presented in a way that gives one courage to cook.
    I wish that the film makers on our History Channel would use the background music the way that you present it–we are aware of the lovely music, but it does not drown out your voices. Some of us are older and hard of hearing.
    Your books are beautifully done.
    Blessings, Gayalyn and Wallace Wojtowicz

  65. Anna, I just recently discovered your cookbook. I too moved to the US as an exchange student in mid 1990s. I’m still here and trying to cook the food I grew up with for my family. I was super excited to see all the recipes in your book. I honestly love them all! I’m not so secretly jealous you moved back to Poland with your family. How did everyone adjust? Anyway, thank you so much for your book, videos and bringing a piece of Poland to my family 🙂 Dzięki!

  66. Thank you for the excellent delivery of your cook book. Easy to see the pages will soon be dog-eared from my constant use of these recipes. I will now be able to toss the Russian cook book I’ve had for a while and really eat Polish food with pride. My grandfather came to America from Poznan 151 years ago and on seeing your voyages when ‘kitchens closed’ lets you get away, we recently made the flight to Poland. Poznan was wonderful. Beautiful city and extremely clean with wonderful people and excellent food. We will return as soon as possible…it felt like family when we were there. The food was much as my father’s family cooked in Wisconsin…oh yes, my father’s family…mother and father’s parents are from Poznan and Zukowo. It was great to see that Stevens Point was home for your husband Mark. Before I ever found out his home town, I knew he was from Wisconsin… just how he talked and acted. Wonderful! I have traveled many, many times through Stevens Point to our family in Wausau. Many of your recipes in your wonderful cook book are much like how our family cooked as well. Your recipes are heart recipes for me. Thank you for your contribution to the world of wonderful cooking. Nice to see a G.I. on your channel as well as his loyal Army wife. We have always been an Army family as well. Good on you. Thanks again. Frank Springer

  67. Hi,

    I am planning a trip to Poland (Swinoujscie).
    I was wondering if we could cook food together. I really like Polish cuisine.

    //
    Mazdak

  68. I started watching your program on YouTube and I love it. I’m planning on trying your version of some of the recipes I make at home too. My husband and I are moving to Krakow Poland the end of 2024 when he retires (I’m already retired at 62.). Do you live in Krakow Poland? My husband is originally from Krakow left in 1980 and I’m from originally Chicago. We now live in Denver Colorado. I hope to one day meet you and your husband.
    Kathy and Peter Sala

  69. Thank you so much for your recipes and advice. I had to reconstruct “szczawowa zupa” (sorrel soup) my Babcia would make, from memory. First I obtained some plants from a cousin, then later found “French Sorrel” seeds at a local nursery. For “Buraczkowa Zupa” (Beet soup) I use the Adamba mix, and add to it to my taste. Same for “Zupa Grzybowa” (mushroom soup) for Wigilia (Christmas Eve), I add dried Polish mushrooms, fresh white and Portabello mushrooms, and “a bit of cream sherry”.NL

  70. Anna,

    I stumbled into your channel researching recipe’s on You Tube. Of course, I subscribed almost immediately. Mark, you are a lucky bastard. And I mean that as a complement. My Dad always said, Marry you’re own kind, meaning, a Hungarian girl. I’m Hungarian and my wife is Croatian and everything else from Eastern Europe. But with them being American, they don’t respect like the old country girls is what I’m getting at. I pushed our girls to learn our histories, our cuisines, and carry on with the family recipes. So, our menu is mixed up of everyone’s recipes. I’m also a cookbook collector and your books will be with the others and read through cover to cover.

    I’ve told my oldest school friend about you and this channel, We were born 3 days apart, attended school together until the 7th grade and she was gone! No warning, they moved and no one got the chance to say good bye or new address. 3 years ago I found her through another friend who is the same age, gone from a heart attack. We are non stop sending messages to each other. I can’t wait for her visit. Anna, you remind me of her looks and attitude and I love it. I’ve re-connected with our relatives’ still living in Hungary and exploring our ancestors.

    Thank you for creating the channel and sharing your life with me. Who knows, we could visit eastern Europe some day.

    Dale Konyha

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