Okay, so, I’ve been meaning to try out some new recipes for the holidays, and since I’m spending this year in upstate Pennsylvania, I figured, why not try something local?
First, I started looking for some dishes from this region. I searched a lot of sites and scrolled through a ton of recipes, but I was getting overwhelmed. There were just too many options. I decided to just pick a few that sounded good and go from there.
Then, I got all the ingredients together. Thankfully, most of the stuff was easy to find at the local grocery store. A few specialty items took a bit more effort, but I eventually tracked them down.
Pierogies from Scratch
The first thing I tackled was pierogies. I’ve always loved them, but I’d never made them from scratch before. The dough was a bit tricky to work with at first, but I found that if I kept my hands floured, it was much easier. Followed the recipe for the filling. It was simple and consisted of potatoes, cheese, and onions. Assembling them took a while, but it was kind of fun. Finally, I boiled them and then pan-fried them in butter until they were golden brown. Man, they were good! Definitely worth the effort.
Chicken Riggies
Next up, I tried making Chicken Riggies. This is a pasta dish with a spicy tomato cream sauce. I sauteed some chicken with peppers and onions. The recipe I used called for cherry peppers, but I couldn’t find any, so I just used regular chili peppers. I whipped up the sauce with some tomatoes, cream, and a bunch of spices. It took forever to get the sauce to thicken properly. I mean, I stood there stirring it for what felt like an eternity. In the end, I tossed the sauce with some rigatoni pasta and the chicken mixture. It was pretty good, but next time, I think I’ll add more spice.
Apple Dumplings
For dessert, I decided to try apple dumplings. Peeled and cored some apples, then wrapped them in pastry dough. I had to make the dough from scratch, which was a bit of a pain, but it turned out okay. Brushed them with melted butter and cinnamon sugar. Baked them until the apples were soft and the crust was golden. Served them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They were delicious, although next time, I might try a different type of apple.
Overall, it was a fun experience trying out these upstate Pennsylvania recipes. Some were more successful than others, but I enjoyed the process. I will definitely be making these again, maybe with a few tweaks here and there. If you’re looking for some new dishes to try this holiday season, I’d recommend giving these a shot!
