Barbara, Jeff and Megan Vick enjoy visiting historical landmarks in Poland. Below, Megan gives a hug to Ennis, the newest addition to the family.
“I grew up all over,” says Barbara Vick. “My father was an expatriate and I was born in South Africa and spent time in Bangkok and Paris as a child. I moved back to the U.S. at the age of 7 and then lived in Michigan and Colorado before heading to Michigan for undergraduate and graduate school. Then on to the Washington, D.C. area to work for several years before marrying a Foreign Service Officer who swept me off to Warsaw, Poland five weeks after our wedding!”
Barbara, husband Jeff and daughter Megan have returned to Poland for Jeff’s second “posting” there, this time in Krakow, the country’s second largest city. Jeff works in diplomatic relations at the U.S. Consulate General. “There are several American families attached to the Consulate so we aren’t on our own,” says Barbara. “There are also a good number of expats here in Krakow—American, French, English and the Czech Republic.
“We’re back and amazed and so happy by the positive changes that have occurred in this country in the past 10 years. Krakow is a gorgeous city, so much history to enjoy, a ‘college town’ full of
The Vicks enjoy eating dinner at home most nights, and Barbara also loves cooking “American meals for friends who might not have had them, either because they aren’t Americans or they are Americans who’ve been living abroad for awhile and can’t get the ingredients to make things such as enchiladas!”
Many of Barbara’s favorite dishes are prepared using fresh garden ingredients, such as her Carrot Bake and Grandma Weideman’s Summer Bean Salad. “As a child I remember my mother making big batches of bean salad at the beginning of the summer and giving it to friends in decorated jars, a kind of ‘Summer’s here!’ thing.”
Barbara’s earliest cooking memories involve baking with her grandmother.
“Her pies were phenomenal. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to reproduce the crust, but she didn’t work from a written recipe, she just ‘knew’ how to make it. Also an important point in my early
“I think that attitude towards cooking has really served me well, especially once I moved overseas. We’ve lived places where I couldn’t plan a menu because it was so hard to shop for ingredients. Instead I had to see what I already had in my kitchen and then ventured out to see what I could obtain at the markets or stores and THEN come up with a menu. And substitutions? I’ve gotten really good at that.”
Barbara was introduced to Penzeys Spices in Warsaw of all places by another Foreign Service Officer’s wife who raved about them. “I love Penzeys because it allows me to share a little bit of American cooking with family and friends while overseas, and introduce others to tastes they may never have experienced before.”
This simple side dish from Barbara is especially delicious with garden-fresh carrots.
Preheat oven to 375°. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the carrots and cook until tender, 5-8 minutes depending on how big the carrots are cut. While the carrots are cooking, prepare the topping. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the breadcrumbs and cook until golden. Homemade breadcrumbs are easy and make the dish even better. Set aside. Drain the carrots, reserving 1/4 Cup of the cooking water. Place the carrots in a casserole dish. Add the onion, horseradish, mayonnaise, salt, PEPPER and the reserved cooking water. Mix well. Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping over the top and then sprinkle with PAPRIKA. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes.
Prep. time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 6-8
Nutritional Information: Servings 8;
Serving Size 1/2 cup (102g); Calories 170; Calories from fat 130; Total fat 15g; Cholesterol 10mg; Sodium 340mg; Carbohydrate 8g; Dietary Fiber 2g.
Barbara shares, “This is an old family recipe. It isn’t summer if my mother hasn’t made this salad. I hated it as a child but have come to appreciate it as I got older.”
Drain and rinse the beans and place in a serving bowl. Add the celery, bell pepper and onion. In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, water and sugar to a boil and stir until dissolved. Boil until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the ITALIAN SALAD DRESSING BASE and let the thickened liquid cool. Pour over the beans and veggies. Mix lightly but well. Chill for 24 hours or at least overnight before serving.
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: none
Serves: 6-8
Nutritional Information: Servings 8;
Serving Size 1 cup (261g); Calories 340; Calories from fat 10; Total fat 1g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 540mg; Carbohydrate 75g; Dietary Fiber 8g.
