My parents & oldest son are traveling up to Cleveland to visit my cousin, Sandy, & her husband, Robert, and spend some time at Cedar Point Amusement Park this week for my oldest son’s 14th birthday! It is one of his favorite Amusement Parks.

When my dad’s family immigrated to America, they moved to Cleveland, Ohio. There is a very large Ukrainian & Polish heritage community there. When I was young, I spent a very large majority of my time in Cleveland – a lot of the time with my dad’s family while my mom’s parents were ill & in the hospital. Some of my favorite memories are of my тітка Mary’s home – Sandy’s mother, my dad’s sister, who also raised him for a large part of his childhood. She held big family parties with lots of Ukrainian food, and lots of vodka. She unfortunately passed a few years ago, but I try to channel both her & my grandmother, Olga, through my Ukrainian journey. I wish to be the glue that binds the ancestors to the living to keep our Ukrainian heritage alive & strong.

I wanted to do something special for my favorite двоюрідна-сестра, so I cooked her up a little Ukrainian feast to send in a “care package” ❤️. I’ll take any excuse to cook for people – especially Ukrainian food – it’s my love language. Here is what I made:

Sunflower Oil | соняшникова олія

I did not make this, but wanted to note that when I make Ukrainian food, I always use Ukrainian Sunflower Oil to get as authentic as possible. I love that they make the Ukrainian flag out of the cap 🇺🇦. That’s really cute.

Chebureki | чебуреки

When I asked my cousin what her favorite Ukrainian foods are, she mentioned Chebureki. Chebureki are fried meat pie sandwiches made with usually ground beef, pork, or a mixture of beef & pork together. However, you can make these with whatever ground meat you have available including chicken, turkey, or lamb. I opted for beef (because I realized I forgot to ask her how she prefers them & felt it was the safest option), but next time want to branch out & make the beef + pork mixture. I don’t eat meat, but I imagine a mix of 2 different meats would make for an interesting & unique taste.

I found a recipe for Chebureki in one of my Ukrainian cookbooks and found that you are able to freeze them, which is essential for withstanding the 4 hour (plus rest stops) car ride. They will be kept in a freezer bag to help control the temperature, but will be slowly thawing throughout the car ride so that by the time my parents arrive, they will have a meal ready to heat & serve.

Green Raw Ajika | зелена аджика

This sauce is served with the Cherburki. It has a sweet & refreshing taste, with the perfect amount of subtle heat to follow. It uses jalapeño, green peppers, & lots of fresh Cilantro. It is very yummy!!

Herby White Bean Salad | салат з білої квасолі

Due to the car ride, I had a tough time making a decision for a side to accompany the Chebureki. I didn’t want to send anything that would spoil. Most Ukrainian salads and sides are made with mayonnaise & eggs, both of which don’t sit out well. I decided to go with this Herby White Bean Salad because it did not include either & can be served warm, room temperature, or cold. Plus I got to use some fresh herbs from my garden which makes it extra special.

Kompot | компот

Kompot is a delicious Ukrainian fruit drink that is made using fresh fruit, water, and sugar. It is very delicious and easy to change flavors to what you have on hand, or are in the mood for. I went with a Summer Fruit Kompot because that is what the recipe in my Ukrainian cookbook calls for, and it felt fitting since it’s summer. I used a fruit mixture of Strawberry, Mango, peach, & pineapple. It was very yummy.

You can serve this drink with out without the fruit. I strained as much as I could, but some pulp was left behind. If you choose to  leave the fruit in, you are supposed to serve with long dessert spoons to eat the fruit.

Sunflower Seed Halva | халва з соняшнику

Usually I buy my Halva from my favorite Slavic Deli near me, but I thought with it being shelf-stable, there’s no better time to learn to make my own! I wanted to make sure to send a dessert, but was limited as to what would make the trip. I would have loved to send honey cake, but I didn’t feel that the cream would last very well through the trip.

I found that I really love the smell of toasted sunflower seeds so much! It is so pleasant & cozy. I don’t know why I was so intimidated to make my own – it was SO simple! I made halva packages for my cousin, my dad, & my husband; he is not big on many sweets at all, but he absolutely loves halva!!

When I went to pack up the feast, I realized that someone had stolen one of the Chebureki. While I am displeased with the act of stealing from the package that I had made & portioned out, I am going to choose to look on the bright side and take it as a compliment that they are just that delicious.

I wrote a card letting her know what each item is. I wrote in both Ukrainian & English. She has sent me Christmas cards in Ukrainian language so I assume she is at least familiar with it, but used both languages just in case.

I packaged everything up tight to keep it safe in place then added pretty tissue paper, fake sunflowers (Ukraine’s national flower), and her card.

That is the “care package” I put together for her. It is filled with not only food, but lots of love, care, & good wishes of health & happiness for many more years to come. I would have loved to be there in person to share this meal with her, but with everything going on in both of our individual lives the timing just wasn’t right. So I figured this is the next best thing! 🥰 I hope she enjoys it!

Until next time ♡ Mama Morozov