Instructions: Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Make well in the center. Pour in the wtaer and the oil. Mix well to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured board and knead 10 times (dont over knead or the dough will be tough) and then let rest for 30 minutes. Roll out on a floured board to a thickness of 1/4" . Use a cutter 2" round and cut the dough. Place 1 rounded tsp. of the filling of your choice on each, fold the dough over to form a half circle and pinch the edges closed to seal well. Bring a LARGE pot of water to a boil and then add 1-2 Tbsp. of oil to the water. Drop the perogies in, boil only as many as the pot will hold without crowding them.

Boil until they rise to the top, about 4-5 minutes. Remove carefully with a slotted spoon and serve with a topping. At this point they may also be prepared for freezing. To do this, toss with some butter or oil and lay out in a single layer to cool. I use cookie sheets for this, and then pop them in the freezer right on the sheets. Once frozen, I bag them as needed for a meal and return them to the freezer. They are now cooked, so they can even be used straight from the freezer and heated in the microwave. Now thats fast food! Many people also pan fry theEfrozen perogies with bacon and onion to end up with a nicely browned and slightly crispy perogy. Most times, these are served with sour cream on the side.

Potato Onion, Bacon and Cheese Filling

2 1/2 lb. red potatoes (these have the best starch content for the filling) peeled and cubed for boiling 2 medium onions, peeled and minced
1/2 - 3/4 lb. side bacon, diced
2 Tbsp. butter
6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Put the potatoes on to boil and meanwhile prepare 1 recipe of perogy dough. Fry the bacon and onion together until the bacon is just cooked and the onion is very soft. Stir in the butter, then pour off 1/2 c. of the fat from the pan and set aside for topping the cooked perogies. Drain and mash the potatoes until they are very smooth. Stir the bacon onion mixture and the cheese into the potatoes and mix well. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Fill and boil the perogies as described in the dough recipe. This is a filling that is equally good if you choose to mix and match the ingredients, for example using just potato and cheese, using potato and bacon, potato and onion....

Sauerkraut, Bacon and Onion Filling

4 c. sauerkraut, well rinsed and drained 3/4 lb. side bacon, diced
2 onions, minced
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper (I use white)

Mince the sauerkraut, or put it through the food processor to shred. Fry the bacon and onion until the bacon is cooked and the onion is soft. Stir in the butter and fry 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and mix into the sauerkraut. Add the salt and pepper. Pour out into a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Let cool, chill well before filling your dough. Baking the filling for the 20 minutes infuses the flavour of the bacon into the sauerkraut.

Mushroom and Onion Filling

2 medium onion, minced
2 tsp. butter
3 - 10 oz.
cans mushrooms, minced (you may use fresh)

salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. mashed potatoes

Heat the butter in a skillet and saute the onion until it is very soft. Stir in the mushrooms and cook 5 minutes if using canned, long enough to cook off the liquid if you are using fresh. Add the salt and pepper. Let cool. Add the potatoes to bind the filling just before filling the dough.

Rayna Says: I am Rayna in Saskatchewan Canada, live with my partner of 12 years, Dave (Honey) our pets Ruba a 7 year old shepard/rotty/heeler cross and our 17 year old near toothless (hes a still a scrapper!) cat called Bandit. This is my first submission, You can make these ahead or if you cant stand to wait, eat them right away! They are a bit of work, but if you make them once, you will realize that it really is no more work to make 200 and freeze them than it is to make a small batch. I am Housemother to 10 growing teens, and let me tell you, they can pack away the perogies! I include the basic dough recipe and three for fillings because I couldnt decide which filling was my favourite...I love them all!

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