Michael Hinko Jr

 Easter - Velykden - is coming, and there's a lot of cooking to be done before company arrives. Here are some of the traditional dishes served in Ukraine for the holiday. Paska - a sweet bread that is traditionally baked in a round shape and decorated with symbols or designs that represent the holiday. Babka - a rich, sweet cake that is often flavored with vanilla, raisins, or other fruits. Kovbasa - a type of sausage that is commonly made with pork and flavored with garlic, salt, and pepper. Ham - a roasted or boiled ham is often served as a main course during Ukrainian Easter. Holubtsi - cabbage rolls that are filled with a mixture of ground meat, rice, and spices. Varenyky - boiled dumplings that can be filled with potatoes, cheese, or meat. Deruny - potato pancakes that are typically served as a side dish. Beetroot soup - a hearty soup made with beets, potatoes, carrots, and meat. Easter eggs - hard-boiled eggs that are traditionally decorated with intricate designs using wax a...

 Recently I received an urgent request for the potato salad recipe of Donna Michels. The requestor said she had searched the PDFs of the recipe books, but couldn't find it. I was able to provide a quick link to the recipe on the Hinko Family Recipes blog . I added that I was certain the recipe also could be found in the PDF of one of the recipe books. It was there. It was just attributed to the person who originally shared the recipe with Donna. The recipe is titled Glenda Unger Potato Salad. It can be found on Page 58 of the PDF titled The Orange Binder . Comparing the two recipes establishes the provenance. But it's the differences that bring forth the evolution. Both recipes call for the addition of a bay leaf to the potato boiling water. But in Donna's later edition, the one from Hinko Family Recipes, she doesn't boil the potatoes, she steams them. This yielded a more favorable texture. From there, we find an assortment of tweaks made over the years.  There's a ...