Ah, pierogies, one of Canada's favourite comfort foods and apparently an increasingly popular addition to Canadian Christmas dinners, brought to us by the many Polish and Ukrainian people who immigrated here. While they are traditionally meant to be boiled, I think it's safe to say that everyone has their own preferred way of preparing them, and mine is a method I don't think I've really seen anyone else use. My personal pierogies are a hit with my family, and now I want to share how I make them with you!

By the way, yes, I know that in Polish, "pierogi" is actually the plural and it's just that no one really uses the singular "pierog" because no one ever eats just one, but I grew up knowing them as "pierogies" and everyone I've ever known has used that plural form, so please don't come at me with corrections. What you're seeing is a result of where and how I was raised, not ignorance. :V

Ingredients:
- 1 package of frozen pierogies (standard potato and cheddar ones were used for this dish)
- 1 medium or large yellow onion
- 1 kielbasa sausage
- Butter or margarine
- Red wine vinegar
- Paprika

Topping suggestions:
- Salt*
- Sour cream
- Chopped fresh chives
- Additional butter/margarine*
- Additional red wine vinegar*
- Simulated bacon bits
- Cream cheese*
* - These are the ones I used

Recipe:
1. Peel the onion and cut a few slices from it, then chop the slices into small pieces.
2. Cut the kielbasa into slices as thick or thin as you please.
3. Fill a large bowl with water, remove as many pierogies as needed from the package, and put them into the water. Let them sit for about 5-8 minutes, then mix them around in the bowl with your hands and separate any that are still stuck together.
4. Drain the bowl and let the pierogies sit in it.
5. Heat up a big spoonful of butter/margarine in a large frying pan over medium heat.
6. Add the onion to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
7. Toss as many pierogies into the pan as you can fit and cook them together with the onion for another 2 minutes, then place a lid on the pan and let them sit for about 2 minutes more.
8. Remove the lid, flip the pierogies and add the kielbasa slices to the pan. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, gradually turning the heat up to medium-high.
9. Drizzle a few capfuls of red wine vinegar over the pan's contents and place the lid back on for about 1 minute.
10. Remove the lid, flip the pierogies and kielbasa, and sprinkle the paprika over everything. Place the lid back on one more time, again for about 1 minute.
11. Remove the pierogies from the pan and flip the kielbasa. Let it cook for another minute or two before removing it from the pan as well, along with as much of the now-crispy onion pieces as possible.
12. If cooking in batches, chop up some more onion and add it to the pan with another spoonful of butter/margarine, then repeat steps 6 through 11.
13. Divide the finished food into bowls, making sure each serving includes a decent amount of onion pieces.
14. Add desired toppings and serve.
And that's that, you've finished making a delightful meal of pierogies made my way! If you try this recipe, maybe you'll like it enough to want it to be your way too--just don't forget who shared it with you! :3