Russian comfort food: Golubtsy

Rainy weather makes me homesick and craving for some Russian comfort food that reminds me of my happy childhood. Golubtsy is for sure one of my all time favorites. Originally it is a meat dish: cabbage rolls with meat and rice but keeping up with Lent and eating veggies, I had to go for a meatless version.

Hearty broccoli soup on a rainy day, or Hello spring

The day was rainy and a little bit cold (for California standards) and I was thinking about something nice and warm for dinner. It was an easy choice: cream soup. I am a big soup person and especially enjoy veggie cream soups. I had some broccoli in the fridge so broccoli cream soup was on the menu. It is an easy to make and very satisfying dish perfect for lunch or dinner. It would be great for St. Partick’s Day because of its color but, since it was the first day of spring, we welcomed it in with this green delicious meal.

St. Patrick’s Day on the American continent

Happy St. Patrick's Day -
from kitchen to your kitchen

One more of my many firsts here in the States: St. Patrick’s Day. Yes, they do celebrate it now in Russia too, and I’ve seen several St. Patrick Day Parades back home - it is always on Novy Arbat street, very close to my Moscow apartment, but I never cooked anything special for that day.

Unplanned tacos night

crispy tacos

Normally, I don’t cook Mexican food - it is not the first thing that comes to my Russian mind, but living here in California I enjoy having it once in a while. Last Sunday we stopped at a grocery store to get some tomato sauce as I was planning on using some ground beef I had left after making pelmeni and making spaghetti bolognese. Dave mentioned tacos though, and I thought why not. Instead of going Italian we decided for a tacos night. 

Russian Classics: Pelmeni

The other day Dave and I found ourselves near the Russia Cafe & Deli in Campbell, CA, and decided to drop in - Dave was craving ‘pelmeni’ (Russian meat dumplings) and I wanted to use my chance to get some buckwheat. I haven’t shopped in a Russian store here in the Bay Area for a while and was unpleasantly surprised by the price rise especially on certain goods being way too much overpriced as compared to Moscow stores (yes, sounds unreal but there is something that can beat crazy Moscow prices).

Meet my new friend: Mr. Smoothie Maker

Last week I was looking for something in the pantry and found a kitchen appliance I totally forgot about - a smoothie maker. Once a gift from my father-in-law, it was successfully buried under grocery stuff and was absolutely virgin, just from the store.

Happy Women’s Day To My Girls!

Today, on Women’s Day, I’ve decided not to cook or share any recipes but to write a tribute to the most important women in my life who taught me everything. They are thousands miles away from me right now but always in my heart and close to me. 

The Best Mom in the World!

Evgeniya, my Mom, the best Mom in the world, who has been supporting me in everything I am doing even when she was not sure it was the right thing to do. Being an amazing cook, my Mom taught me the most important thing: kitchen and dining room should always be extra clean. She is the most organized person I’ve ever known, and I can only hope I can be like her in that. Thanks to my mom I never left dirty dishes in the sink, know how to bone a chicken, make the best salads, eat healthy and enjoy it and do anything in the kitchen without a microwave!

Maslenitsa in the States

The next day after the Oscars a big Russian holiday has started - Maslenitsa. I know no Russian who doesn’t like it. Really, it is hard to say ‘no’ to those hot and yummy pancakes served with ‘smetana’ (sour cream), jam, caviar, salmon etc etc etc. Since it is so deeply rooted in the Russian culture, my Russian readers can hardly learn anything new from this post but for my foreign friends it may be interesting. 

Oscar night

With practically all the nominated movies being seen, I was very excited about the Academy Awards night, and it was going to be my first Oscars watched in the States! I must admit: living in California has its advantages - show stating at 5 pm is much better than at 4 am. Last year Dave and I were in Moscow and had to set up an alarm to wake up and watch the ceremony. This year I was also looking forward to the Red Carpet but any important TV show also means a party.