Soup and Sandwich at Homesteader's Kitchen

Egg salad sandwich and borscht - Saturday’s lunch. #yegfood #mystonyplain #yegeats #foodporn

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Nov 21, 2017 at 12:42pm PST

I gave a presentation at the Multicultural Heritage Centre in Stony Plain last weekend, and afterwards had lunch at their Homesteader's Kitchen. The menu items are prepared from local ingredients, and the prices are incredible. I had an egg salad sandwich, which was on thick white break. The egg salad was prepared with dill and vegetables, and on its own would have been filling enough. However, I had the borscht on the side, which was a creamy, garlicky broth with beets, carrots, and other seasonings. I actually have never had hot borscht before, and this was a pleasant introduction. If and when I am back in Stony Plain, I will definitely head here for lunch.

Marusia's Kitchen at the Ukrainian Petrekivski Folk Art Exhibit

On April 13 I attended the Ukrainian Petrekivski Folk Art Exhibit at the Ukrainian National Federation building on 106 Avenue and 98 Street. The event featured folk art from private collections, a craft sale, dance performances from Ukrainian and Polish youth dance groups, and, of course, food. Upstairs, traditional Easter breads (paska and babka) and treats were on sale, while downstairs, Marusia's Kitchen had a variety of fresh Ukrainian foods for lunch.

I was offered a sampling of some of the food. Of course, I had to try the perogies. Let's just say that they were much better than the frozen variety, from the firm dough to the creamy potato and cheese filling. On the side I had some sauerkraut, something that I don't care for, but again this was very different from the mass-produced stuff. For one, it was not watery. It also had meat in it (probably pork). I still found it very strong, but anyone who likes sauerkraut would have been in foodie heaven with it.

I also had a steaming bowl of borscht. Again, my familiarity with this beet soup is the bottled version I have at Passover. Having it hot was a very different experience. The broth was much richer than what I am used to, and it was jam packed with shredded beets and some beans too. It was absolutely delicious.

After my meal I enjoyed some of the excellent dancing! Many thanks to the organizers for letting me know about the event. Oh, and by the way, Marusia is a real Ukrainian babushka who I had the pleasure of meeting.

From left: Karen Woywitka, Mary Hoshko (Marusia), and Mary Ann Dutka.