Pierogies are a well-loved food in Pennsylvania. On Saturday, people came from all over to the Tamaqua Community Arts Center in Tamaqua to learn the art of making these tasty, filled pockets of dough.

The class included a tool for making pierogies, all of the ingredients needed and a recipe. The class of 25 was led by Rosie and Gerald Stianchie.Many came for the nostalgia of making this classic food from scratch."(My family) comes from a long line of doing things traditionally," said Joanne Schell, who traveled from Kutztown to take the class.Schell's family likes to make home-cooked meals and to keep old traditions alive, she said.The process was simple. Roll out the dough, which was already made for the students; cut out circles with the tool; place the dough and the filling into the tool; wet the edges; and simply press the dough together.The use of the pierogie-making tool makes the process a lot easier."Back in the day, you had to crimp the dough by hand," said Gerald Stianchie.The tool is versatile and can be used as a cutter to make the circles and to crimp the dough.Terry Dolan from Bethlehem thought the process was easy."Talk to me after I have to make the dough," he joked.The Stianchies have been teaching the pierogie-making class for a couple years now. It has grown in popularity as many want to learn how to make the delicious comfort food from scratch.The class is exclusive to the Tamaqua Community Arts Center."We do it for the community center. We've known the owner for eight to nine years," said Gerald Stianchie.The next class, which is scheduled for March, is already filled. The center is looking to add more classes later in the year.PierogiesYields approximately three dozen2½pounds of potatoes2 cups of shredded sharp cheese1 large onion3 sticks of butter, separated1 bag of sauerkraut3½cups of flour2 eggs1 cup of milkDough: Melt one stick of butter in milk over low heat. Add flour and eggs in bowl. Add butter and milk mixture to the bowl. Mix with dough hook on blender.Roll dough very thin. Add filling.Potato filling: Sauté butter and onions. Boil potatoes until soft then drain. Whip potatoes, onions and cheese.Sauerkraut filling: Add sauerkraut and butter to sauce pan and brown it.To cook pierogies: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pierogies and boil for about 5 minutes.You could also deep fry the pierogies.Serve with butter and onions.The recipe can be frozen. To do so, the Stianchies recommend that you boil the pierogies first, let them dry on a cooling rack and then freeze.