Summer Borcht and buns!

OK so this is a soup that you have to keep an open mind about, it s a recipe passed down many generations from large Mennonite families. This particular version comes from my grandmother who is greatly missed, she had 18 children, so you see the recipe is large! I still make it in this quantity because we put it in several containers in the fridge and eat it for a week! My family goes CRAZY for it, even my 8 year old loves it. I'd have to say it's an acquired taste. I'm posting it for the brave few who might try it, once you get a taste for it, you will make it in the quantities that I make lol!! It's always so sad when it's done. It is called summer borscht because it is FILLED with summer greens as you will see in the recipe, we used to call it marijuana soup when we were young and thought we were funny.

Now there is one ingredient that is tough to find, either you grow it and freeze it like I do, or sometimes you can find it in those nice little plastic containers of fresh herbs in the grocery store, but as of late, I cannot find it anymore. Luckily this can be substituted quite well with...another odd ingredient... BEET LEAVES lol!! Shame on me, I have been known to sneak a few leaves off the beets in the grocery store cause well...other people just throw them in the garbage lol!! TERRIBLE!! I had another option once, my neighbor brought me to his backyard to show me his gardens and he happened to grow a lot of beets. He also mentioned once that urine was really good for growing plants and vegetables....also he is such an awesome environmentalist that he doesn't waste any of his bathwater by simply draining it, he uses it to water his plants, what an awesome guy!! Anyway, short story long, I now shoplift the beet leaves from the grocery store....

This is best served up with FRESH buns, recipe to follow. I would give you a much better recipe but heck I am not my mother and cannot make a freezer full of buns at one time, so I sufficed with this recipe I found online. If you are interested in the BIG recipe of mouth watering buns/bread I can certainly pass it on and I will take a picture of how much it makes next time my mom makes her recipe lol!!  P.S.  My soup is boiling in the picture hence the bubbles on top!

Summer Borscht
(feel free to half, or even quarter this recipe, I suggest quarter when you first try it, remembering to keep an open mind and have no expectations for what it will taste like, it is like no other potato soup you will have tried)

10 cups soup stock made by boiling a smoked ham and 2 onions chopped for 1 hour.

Add 2 cups of a mixture of chopped greens including:
Sorrel
beet leaves
green onions (about 3 bunches)
FRESH dill (around 3 tbsp)

and around 6 cups cubed potatoes
salt to taste

Cook until potatoes are done.

take off the heat and let cool for a while, then add 1 litre of buttermilk and bring to a boil again.

then WA LA, you are done! Here is what it looks like... generally, this soup had probably more greens but hey, whatever floats your boat.

ok on to the buns!

Sweet Dinner Rolls

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions

1. Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.
2. When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12 inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over entire round. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden.