Waiting for a Miracle

Merry Orthodox Christmas! May God bless you with health and happiness and may joy resides in your heart forever!

 

It’s always a double holiday for us – 31 years ago we came to the US. Tired after a very long flight, two days of traveling, a standoff with an unhinged mafia that was rampant at the time, and waiting for a delayed departure prior to that; shocked by a temperature change between -20 degrees back in Ukraine and a balmy 55 in New York; overwhelmed by the enormity of our decision and a new country where everything was unfamiliar and scary, yet determined to make it our new home.

Well, here we are 31 years later, settled, accomplished in our own way, blessed in many circumstances, challenged in some – waiting for a miracle of God’s grace just like all the years back

On this cold and rainy January weekend, tucked in my warm and comfortable home, with my pup quietly snoozing on her doggie bed, Christmas lights glimmering, a TV is mumbling softly in the background (and knowing that my kid is safe and happy somewhere out there doing whatever young people do these days), there’s no better thing to do but to get in the kitchen and bake.

 

What’s Cooking This Week 

We have a simple recipe of soft butter cookies made in a Slavic way that uses farmer’s cheese (a dry variety of cottage cheese) in the dough. If you can only find regular cottage cheese, squeeze out and drain all the liquid out. You may also need to 1-2 extra Tbsps of flour to offset the extra moisture. These cookies keep well in a cookie jar, if you happen to still have any left. You can also add a bit of lemon or orange zest to the dough, but I wanted to make them as the original recipe.

 

Gluten Free Slavic Cottage Cheese Cookies 

This recipe easily comes together in a food processor. Combine soft butter, farmer’s cheese, egg, vanilla, and sugar and blend to combine.

Sift flour with salt and baking soda and gradually add into wet mixture to create a soft dough.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it out to about 1/2 inch.

Cut out desired shapes.

Transfer cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with egg wash and top with extra sugar.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 17-20 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies.

Cool slightly before eating.

Cookies go well with tea or coffee, or on their own. They’re a bit addictive.

I’m waiting for my Christmas miracle, praying to be healed and feeling peaceful.