Pavlova

This wonderful dessert is not actually Russian, but originated in New Zealand from what I have found on the internet. It is believed to be named after a Russian though. Her name was Anna Pavlova, and she was a ballet dancer in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you are interested in a bit of history, her story can be found here.

Pavlova has a crunchy outside with a marshmellowy (I know...probably not a word) inside, and is topped with whipped cream. Then it can be topped with a variety of things. Different types of berries, kiwi, banana or whatever you think might taste good. I used strawberries drizzled with chocolate. YUM!

So here we go! Here are the ingredients for the crust:

6 egg whites, room temperature
 1.5 cups white sugar
 2 tsp corn starch
 1.5 tsp lemon juice
 1.5 tsp vanilla extract

Other ingredients:

Whipped Cream

Fruit of your choice

Chocolate (optional)

Preheat the Oven to 225 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

  Beat 6 egg whites and 1.5 cups sugar for 6.5 to 7.5 minutes on high speed, or until stiff peaks form. The mixture will be smooth and glossy. Use a spatula to blend in 1.5 tsp lemon juice, 1.5 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tsp corn starch. Blend well. You can either make one Pavlova or make several for individual servings. If you make one large Pavlova, I recommend baking it in the dish you will serve it in. This is a fragile dessert and moving a large one is very difficult. I know this from personal experience because mine fell apart horribly when I transported my large one. If you do not want to serve it in the same dish that you bake it in, the best way would be to make individual servings. No matter how you feel will work best for you, it is important to use parchment paper underneath. Bake at 225 degrees F for about an hour until the outside is dry, crispy, and very pale cream colored. I recommend just turning your oven off and leaving it in there to cool. When I removed mine from the oven warm, it cracked badly. I read that it is the change of cool air that causes this. After it is cooled down, top it with whipped cream and your favorite fruit! This is delicious! Though it takes a while to prepare, it is relatively easy. I hope you will try it and let me know what you think! Happy baking! = )
 



Ukrainian Plov

Ukrainian Plov
This is a favorite of ours in Russia. We like to eat it with sour cream. The thing about many recipes in Russia is they taste different depending on who makes it. Many eat this with lamb or pork instead of chicken. So if you would want to play with the recipe, please do! And of coarse, please let me know what you think or ways you like it better! :)

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breast, cut into little pieces
Olive oil or whatever oil you like to use
1 onion, finely chopped
1 or 2 large carrot, grated (depending on your taste)
2 cups white rice, rinsed well and drained
 2 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup ketchup
2 cups of water
1 can chicken broth
1 teaspoons salt
black pepper to taste

How to make Plov (Rice Pilaf):
1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat
2. Saute chicken until golden and cooked through
3. Add onion to the skillet and saute about 3 minutes
4. Add carrots to the skillet and saute 2 more minutes
5. Add butter and ketchup and stir
6. Once the butter melts, add chicken mixture, rice, broth, water  and seasonings to a large pot.
7. Mix well and cover with a tight fitting lid on medium low heat for around 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

What's for supper?

I often get asked what the food is like in Russia. My goal is to share different recipes with you over time in a tab I just added. I really hope you all enjoy this! If you cook this, let me know what you think. By the way, I sauted some garlic in the cabbage and onion. The crust is delicious!


Meat and Cabbage Pie


Ingredients:
Filling:
1 head of cabbage (small to medium)
1 medium onion
4 large eggs, hard boiled
1 lb ground beef
Salt
Other spices

Crust:
-If you live in countries where pie crust is sold in supermarkets, get 2 9" round crusts.
-If you are making the crust yourself, here are the ingredients for the dough:

2 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup of ice cold water

Instructions:
Filling: Finely cut the cabbage and onion. Heat up a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil; when it is hot add chopped onion; saute the onion until golden brown; then add cabbage and cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until golden in color and soft in consistency. Simultaneously, in a separate skillet brown the groud beef. Boil and chop the eggs. When everything is ready, mix the cabbage, meat, and chopped eggs together; add salt and other spices. Your filling is ready!

Crust: In a large bowl thoroughly mix together flour, salt, and sugar. Then add butter. Begin chopping the fat/butter with a pastry blender or fork. When you are done, the mixture should be a coarse consistency; dry and powdery. Then drizzle over the mixture 1/3 cup of ice cold water. Mix dough until evenly moistened and begins to form small balls. Press down on the dough. If the balls of dough stick together, you have added enough water; if they do not, drizzle the dough with 1 to 2 tablespoons of ice cold water. Continue to mix the dough first with the spatula, then with your hands until it coheres. The dough should look rough, not smooth. Divide the dough in half; press each half into a round flat disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling. When your dough is ready to roll, roll out 2 9-inch rounds. Place one crust on the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan; press the dough over the bottom and into the corners of the pan. Transfer the filling into the pan. Place the second crust on top and seal the sides. Before baking, cut 4 ventilation holes on the top crust of your pie. Bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes or until golden. When done, let the pie sit for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

The Goodbye Picnic

Jed and Allen have been here visiting from our church for almost 2 months and are headed back early Tuesday. We had a picnic today for everyone to say their goodbyes. Russians love Shashlik. It is very similar to kababs. It marinates overnight in onions and spices.

When the meat is ready to be cooked, it is put on metal skewers.

Then it's put on special grills made just for shashlik.

It is a cold job though in the winter!

The ladies work inside making delicious salads!

We had such a good time of fellowship.

Above is a picture of Jed and Allen with Ane and I.

And below is a picture of most of the group that came to the picnic.

Picnics are always so much fun! We are doing well and thankfully staying warm enough. I wear a couple layers whether I'm going outside or not. They reported that over 150 Russians have froze to death this winter, and it's not over yet. We still have another month at least of hard winter. I was told that some snow will stick around until May or June. I'm so thankful for a warm home, hot food on our table, warm clothes and our precious Savior Who takes care of us day by day!

Don't eat the last piece!

When we first arrived in Russia a few weeks ago, I put on several layers to walk down to the store. Halfway to the store I was sweating! Sweating...in winter.... in Russia! Well, that is not the case anymore. We just went from the house to the car this evening and my hands were throbbing. Moscow is not among the worst, but it does get cold. Right now it's around 3*F with noticable breeze bringing the windchill to -13* according to weather.com. I still stand by my claim that I prefer arctic to desert though, but will let you know if that changes! LOL :)

We just finished an English intensive camp today. This one seemed to go a lot smoother than the one we did last summer. Living with the Russian people for several days straight definately gives some serious cultural experience for both Americans and Russians. Jed and Allen, the guys visiting from our sending church, have many stories. Some they probably wish they didn't have! Of course, the reason we do these is to meet people and share Christ with them. We have a preaching/devotion everyday and have opportunities to talk with them during the camp. It takes time to build relationships. Loyalty and trustworthiness is everything to the Russian people, but it certainly does not happen over night. They have a saying that basically means we'll be true friends when we've eaten a bag of salt together. That either takes a very long time or one really rough, challenging experience. I pray Joel and I have many bags of salt and lots of patience ahead of us!

I was listening to a conversation about culture during the camp. It is very rude here to eat the last piece of anything. Someone was saying how Americans don't care if you eat the last piece. One said, "Yes, because Americans are rude." The conversation progressed as the American tried to explain that just finishing the last piece is not rude in and of itself. It is based on culture. The Russian did not understand how anyone could think that was not rude. Culture is such an amazing thing!