Chef Helen Irene Szabo-Czegeny Passing

Dearest Friends and Family

It is with extreme sadness that I bring you this news.

Helen Irene Czegeny The "HELEN" of Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes ™©2005 and widow of the late Alexander Czegeny) formerly of Evangel Church in Brantford, passed on from this life into the arms of her Kinsman Redeemer on July 14, 2013 at 2:30 pm in Calgary, Alberta.  She was vacationing in Alberta for the past 2 months.  Helen turned 88 this January.

I am so very grateful that I was able to speak to her on the phone on July 13 in the pm and tell her that 'no one ever loved their mother the way I did'.

Mom said "I know!"

Funeral arrangements will be announced on safe transport of Helen back to Brantford, Ontario

 

The "HELEN" of Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes

 

 

The Three Generation Wonder

 

Chef Helen Czegeny

Clara M Czegeny
Paris, Ontario, Canada 1-519-302-6484

A Tribute to my Dad on Father's Day by Clara M. Czegeny

A Tribute to my Dad...

Alexander Sandor Czegeny 1944 (Hungary)

Life and Chess and Making "ALL" the Right Moves!

Growing up in a classic Hungarian family, I witnessed many wonderful things to be grateful for. My parents viewed Canada as the land of dreams, freedom, and living life without limits or boundaries, full of hope, possibilities and abundance. But it wasn't just all about hard work, it was about love and family and making great and lasting memories. Dad always said "Let's try" or "Let's try again" or "Why not?". Nothing was out of reach or impossible. That confidence lives on in me to take on life's challenges and turn the obstacles into opportunities. And when things get out of hand, I ask God to turn the messes into miracles!

My dad was a good chess player. Ok, that's not true. Dad was an "AMAZING" chess player. And something I did not know, but learned recently, he learned to play chess from his baby brother, Nick! How cool is that? 
As a little girl, I would sit munching and watch him play his opponents, one after another-beating them all! Never for money, just the challenge - the ultimate win. It got so the spectators would place bets on not "who" would win, that was a given - but how fast!

Giving the chess game the 'old school try" and Dad's incredibly patient character didn't pay off with my mastering the game, but when we kept saying - "Dad, how do you know - how do you do it?" He said - "..you only have one chance to make the right move". Ok - lesson learned. Take your time, think things over, ponder and mull your options. That's why chess is so challenging to "WATCH". You don't know what is going on behind that serious look.

But his "right" moves were not all made on the chess board - but in real life, with his family, with his career opportunities and his business decisions. Competition and winning, I inherited from my dad. As an author and daughter, I have not made the mistake of basking in my moments of triumph, but have learned and inventoried countless bits of strategic information to use for life.
Some of the other special gifts that he passed along especially to me were: honesty, trustworthiness, humility and grace!

We all know life isn't a chess game and wisdom develops over time after failures and mistakes. Dad provided all the groundwork for me to secure those highly saught-after redeemable qualities such: as forethought, insight, tenacity and intuition as well as adventurous, compassionate and creative. 
~~~~~
Thank you so much, Dad.
I love you and miss you madly!
by the Hot Hungarian!  (Clara M. Czegeny)

Hungarian Headcheese - from Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes.

Hungarian Headcheese  

I miss my dad. Especially around Father's Day. He passed away in 1999 and he used to make authentic Hungarian headcheese just like this (photo below). Lots of garlic and authentic red paprika. He also make Slambucs, Ohon, open-fire szallona and much more. 

He would have L-O-V-E-D his wife's Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes cookbook. 

And he would have been soooo proud!

Photo below Courtesy of 

Hungarikum Community

Facebook 

 

Hungarian Headcheese recipe from our fine

Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes cookbook!

 WEBSITE LINK

Káposztás Lángos - another Hungarian classic from the Czegeny's

Hungarian Fried Bread with Cabbage Recipe - Káposztás Lángos

By Barbara Rolek, About.com Guide

Photo Barbara Rolek

Lángos (LAHN-gosh), Hungarian fried bread sometimes called Hungarian pizza, became part of the country's cuisine centuries ago when it was introduced by the Turks during their occupation.

Today it's a favorite street and fair food and eaten as an appetizer or snack, usually simply, rubbed with garlic and sprinkled with salt. Some incorporate caraway seeds and mashed potatoes into the yeast dough, as I have done here.

Variations are to serve langos with sour cream and dill or shredded Emmenthaler or Gruyere cheese, or sprinkled with cinnamon sugar or confectioners' sugar for a sweet version.
I adapted the cabbage filling for this recipe for káposztás lángos from "Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes ™© 2005 " by Helen Szabo and Clara M. Czegeny.

Clara Czegeny says, "Lángos ... comes from the Hungarian word láng or flame, because traditonally lángos was baked in brick ovens, close to flames. ... It is eaten fresh and warm, topped with sour cream and grated cheese, körözött (cheese spread), ham, sausages, rubbed with garlic or garlic butter. Lángos is known in the Czech Republic and Slovakia as langoš."

Czegeny adds, "Other ingredients and accompaniments (besides cabbage) are mushroom, quark cheese, dill or shredded Emmenthaler or Gruyere cheese, eggplant, cabbage, kefir, omelette, and icing sugar, or jam." 

For the complete recipes, click here Káposztás Lángos

Visit our main website for more recipes, stories, media posts and more....Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes

THE ONLY HUNGARIAN COOKBOOK YOU NEED!

 

 Helens Hungarian Heritage Recipes ™© 2005