Lego

Tomorrow morning we are going to a Lego Festival with my older son. Even I am getting excited!

Oh, the things you can do with Lego ! Have you seen this or that.

And talking about NY. I thought this was funny .

Have a great day!

Things I like

I thought I would share some interesting links with you.

First this amazing collection of photographs... Talking about being in a right place at the right time with the camera.

And then... have you heard of this Ballerina Project?

And then this! Quite different, don't you think? Kind of cozy! Still don't want to be there, hehe.

Flying over the Atlantic a lot myself I couldn't relate to it more.

Enjoy your day!

"At the porch"

Don't you love this painting! I can't get enough of all the wonderful details in the girls costumes and the entire mood of the picture is so soothing!I wish I can have the original to hang in my room! This is a painting by Russian master Rostislav Filitsin ,1855. Here you can see a couple of other works by him (click to enlarge).
Recently I have stumbled upon a great blog where the author is trying to introduce us to a great number of mostly unknown Russian painters. Have fun browsing through the catalogue. Hopefully the fact that it is in Russian would not stop you from enjoying the art. Please click on the name from the list on your left and you will be forwarded to their works. Don't forget to click on the pictures to appreciate it in bigger format.

Enjoy!

Blini

I am back! I know I haven't been posting anything recently. Combination of kids being out of school+ fantastic weather made us spent very little time at home. So during this hectic times I did not feel inspired to write anything and there was no time for me to take camera out and picture what was about to be eaten. But good things are coming to an end and my big boy is going to his first grade. So life will find its routine now and you will see more from me I believe.
Today I am posting a recipe for Russian blini the way I make them here. Of course they never come out as good as my mom's , but I hope you will still like them...

Usually the same batter works for different types of blini I make. If you pour a little bit more of the batter to the pan and swirl it to cover the bottom you will get a traditional sized blini. Serve them with sour cream and jam or stuff them with sweetened farmer cheese ( both rolling and folding will work).
The other option is to make three-four little blinis per pan. To me they look cuter and they work better if you want to serve them for a party with say a dollop of cream cheese and smoked salmon on top.

The bottom picture shows how I play with blinis when cooking for my boys. The key here is to use regular soup spoon for pouring to get a better control .

One more note before I get to the recipe. In Russia blinis are traditionally made with spoiled milk. It is very economical and convenient. Once milk turned sour they leave it on the counter overnight for it to fully separate. And then use it as a base for blini. Here in States the milk is ultra pasteurized so it has a longer life . I hardly ever gotten to the point when my milk got sour. So I am using another popular option-Kefir, which still gives you these sour notes in the flavor that we are after. Previously I tried making blini with milk and they were ok too however I was lucking the familier notes so once Kefir became widely available in supermarkets my blinis got better too:

1 cup of kefir (preferably at room temperature*)

2 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 or more tbs sugar

1 tbs oil

white flour ( about a cup)

In a bowl beat first 6 ingredients with a wisk. Now it is time to add flour. Start with half a cup and wisk everything together. Continue adding and wisking untill you get the desired consistesy. It should still be runny but thik enough to allow you to spread batter on the pan while swirling. Here is a trick. If you did not wait for the kefir to get room temperature just pour a bit of boiling water at the end into the batter to ' warm it up' . The blini end up being more airy this way.

Now fry them with a little bit of oil over the moderate-high heat. I like making my first one and trying it right away in order to adjust salt and sugar or may be adding more flour/kefir. Finish with the reast.
Enjoy!

I am back in States after almost one month in Russia. So I keep thinking about what makes us the people we are now. How important some basic things for our identity. Things that define the meaning of our home and our roots, things that are the simplest but yet the strongest in showing who we are . It is all about our childhood memories after all, isn't it?

To me it is the smell of freshly picked wild strawberries.

As kids we would pick a few along the path and bead them on a string of grass . But the best is when you go picking berries into the forest with the whole family and you are handed a mug to fill. So you pick these little rubies and then right before you dump them into a big basket you stick your nose in your mug just to loose yourself in this heavenly aroma. I am telling you this is the best! And have you even tried a home-made jam made out of wild strawberries?

Or some young potatoes with lots of butter and fresh dill! And a young garlic on a side.

My dad's kebab with a simple salad to come along.

And of course Russian bread... Oh it is so different and so authentic.

And you know what else I realised. Russia IS a country of birches. Growing up you cannot help but hear the most wonderful words about birches from all the poets of the country but I guess you have to live in the different country or at least travel a lot to finally come home and to feel it with your own heart. Birches and purple candles of Ivan-chai flowers were so symbolic to me this time around

My mom is here

Hi everyone. I know I haven't been writing anything recently. My mom is visiting!!!! So I haven't really been doing anything new or anything Russian. Instead I was trying to impress her with the new things that I have learned to cook over the past few years. I've made her a few of my favourite soups and she seams to like my shrimp over white beans, and quiches and my spinach burek (I should actually try posting the last one since it is very Turkish). I am waiting for her to start spoiling me in return once I am in Russia which is going to be in 2 weeks from now! Ain't I lucky!!!

Today though my dear neighbor was over and we have had a nice lunch together. Thank you mom for making these most delicious blini with tvorog ( farmer cheese). They were soo good! And thank you Deanna for my beautiful peonies!

Lentil snack

OK the original name for this dish is "Mercimek Kofte". The closest translation would be Lentil Meatballs. But hey there is no meat in here. We are talking a light vegetarian meal which is perfect for a warm season. You serve it cool on a crisp lettuce with a squeeze of lemon. This is what summer meal is all about, isn't it?

1 cup of red lentil

1 cup of fine bulgur*

2 tsp of salt

2 onions

1/3 cups of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp of black pepper

1 tsp of red pepper flakes

1 heaping table spoon of tomato paste

lots of chopped green onion and parsley ( to your taste)

* I have never tried it but I assume couscous would work here as well since it has the same properties as fine bulgur.

In a big pan cook lentil in 2 cups of water until it is done.Turn the heat off and add bulgur and salt. Mix them well, cover and let stay for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile fry onion in olive oil. Once onion is soft add garlic and spices. Cook for one more minute. Add tomato paste and saute for another couple of minutes. Now it is time to add onion mixture to the lentil mixture. Mix them well and leave to cool.

Now it is time to do all the chopping of parsley, green onion and any other of your favorite herbs: say dill or mint or cilantro. Try to mince them rather fine.

Once the mixture is cool enough to handle give your precious hands a good wash and start shaping the kofte.

Serve on top of the lettuce leaves with lemon wedges on the side. I like using the smaller center leaves or cutting the big ones in half to stay even on the kofte size.

Enjoy!