#29 Host Open House each December

I added this item to the list because I thought it would force me to finally invite people to the house. (We still haven't had a house warming!) Last December, I had to pass, since I was still hobbling about on crutches; sometimes life just gets in the way. This year, I had my family and some outlaws over—fourteen in all. We enjoyed appetizers, bigos, pierogis, and cheesecake, and because it was the fourth day in row we were with all the relatives, plenty of alcohol. After dinner, we played a chaotic game of What Were You Thinking? The game is fun for small and large groups, and very easy. All you have to do is think alike! Then everyone had had enough, and I was left with tons of washing up. But it was fun, and I haven't yet tired of the complements on my cooking and decorating.

I started with a recipe for the bigos, but in an uncharacteristic move, I improvised it on my very first go.

2 lbs sauerkraut
1/2 lb bacon
1/2 lb veal
1/2 lb pork
1/2 lb ham
1 kielbasa--don't know which kind, but next time we're doing it with "hunter's kielbasa"
small head of cabbage
3 onions
1 lb mushrooms
butter
dry mushrooms
2 c boiling water
2 bay leaves
1 T caraway seed
1 beer, I used Sam Light since it was the only lager in the fridge (and I wasn't using the Skullsplitter)
3 tomatoes

Bring the sauerkraut (with juice) to a boil. Meanwhile, fry bacon. Throw the bacon in the pot with the sauerkraut once it is browned. In the bacon fat, brown the meats. Add to the pot. Slice the cabbage and add it to the stew. Chop the onions and brown in the butter. Slice the mushrooms and cook with the onions. Throw the cooked onions and mushrooms in the pot. Put a handful of dry mushrooms in the boiling water. Once they are reconstituted, chop the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms and their (strained) liquid to the pot. If the liquid level seems low, add a beer. Add bay leaves and caraway. Chop and add three tomatoes (you can used canned).

Bring it to a boil and simmer for a couple of hours. The stew is purportedly better after a day or so. Boil it every day. I made the stew on Sunday and the dude boiled it on Monday. We didn't get to it on Tuesday, but heated it up (to boiling) well in advance of the party on Wednesday. Everyone raved.

Notes: The original recipe called for 1/2 c red wine instead of beer. It also suggested a chopped apple to sweeten it (it's a little tart from the sauerkraut). It called for 1/2 lb game (rabbit, venison) which is a little difficult to procure at the last minute. (But my father had both moose and venison in the freezer, if I'd only known!) And it said you could throw in any other cooked meats you might have. Which is why I decided I could play fast and loose with the recipe.