Category Archives: Recipes

Nadyezhda’s (Надежда) Kulich (Paska)

This is a historic post that I will probably repost every year during one of the days leading up to Easter. Easter shares the rank with Christmas as my favorite holiday of the year. My winter favorite and my Spring favorite. Easter has more ‘dear to me’ food traditions. Our mom Nadyezhda (Nadia) passed these recipes to us with tweaks along the way. Nadia or Nadya (Надя, accent on first syllable) is the diminutive form of the full name Nadyezhda (Надежда), meaning “hope” and derived from Old Church Slavonic.
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Paska is a slightly sweet Easter yeast bread that is traditional in the Ukraine and Russia. My Russian relatives call this bread Kulich. My mother and relatives always made dozens of loaves in the cylindrical shape using coffee cans or large juice cans.

What many of you call Paska we call Kulich. This is my mom’s Russian Easter Bread Recipe that I quartered because the amount she would make is quite daunting for me. We have cut it in half in years past. What you need to know about my mom and recipes is that she ends up tweaking them from year to year so this recipe is for her Kulich from 2001. I have a 2009 and 2012 recipe, too. This one was easier to quarter. Here’s the link to the original. My dear mom passed away from this earth in September of 2013 so I cherish her tweaked recipes.

I will post her recipe every year about a week before Easter for inspiration. We like it fresh so many years we bake it on the day in between Good Friday and Easter. This is not a recipe that I would attempt on my own. In my mind it calls for company enjoying the process together, like this group of loved ones in 2016.

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It’s always good to pray over your dough!

Kulich

Ingredients:

  • 2 packets rapid rise yeast
    1/4 cup lukewarm water
    1/4 cup lukewarm milk
    1 teaspoon sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
    1 egg
    1-1/4 cups sugar
    3/4 cup butter
    1 cup whipping cream
    1 cup half and half
    1/2 ounce apricot brandy
    1-1/2 teaspoons powdered vanilla
    1 teaspoon salt
    Zest of half a lemon
    About 2-1/2 pounds of flour, sifted (about 7 cups)
    Vegetable oil to coat the rising dough
  • 6 to 7 one pound or two pound cans for baking. You can use loaf pans or large muffin tins if you don’t have the cans to bake them in

Method:

Add yeast to the lukewarm water and milk and sugar in a stainless steel bowl making sure the liquids are lukewarm. Let this mixture dissolve and sit.

Beat the egg yolks and egg together.
Cream the butter and sugar in the large bowl of a stand-up mixer.
Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture slowly mixing to combine and then beat to incorporate well.

Mix the half and half with the whipping cream and heat until lukewarm, not hot, and slowly incorporate into the creamed mixture.
Mix in the vanilla and brandy.
Add the yeast mixture and the salt and beat with a mixer.
Continue beating and add the lemon zest.
Continue beating and add the sifted flour about a cup at a time.
Once you cannot beat the dough any longer using the mixer, put the dough on a floured surface and start incorporating the remaining flour by kneading the dough.
The dough should be kneaded very well, approximately 10 minutes.
You should knead the dough until you can cut it with a knife and it is smooth without any holes.
Place the dough in a stainless steel bowl.

Take some oil and pour a little on the dough and spread it all over the dough making sure to turn the dough so it is coated evenly.
Cover with plastic wrap right on the dough and a dish towel on top of that.
Place in a warm place away from drafts to rise.

(My sister usually puts it into the oven that has been warmed slightly).

It is now time to prepare the coffee cans (1 lb. and 2 lb. cans are the best)

Cut circles the size of the bottom of the cans out of wax paper. You will need four circles per can. Make sure the cans are well greased. Put the 4 circles in the bottom of the cans.

Use a empty and clean coffee can like the ones above. If there is a label make sure to take it off. If the can has a lip at the top you’ll need to use a can opener to cut the lip off the can. I hope these pictures will make the process easier to understand.

After putting the circles in the bottoms of the cans, cut sheets of wax paper long enough to line the sides of the can and tall enough to be 2″ above the rim of the can. Use Crisco to seal the ends of the paper.

Back to the dough…

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and turn it over.
Let it rise a second time until it doubles in size. Punch it down again.
Now the dough is ready to put into the prepared cans.
You will take a portion of dough about 1/3 the size of the can. Knead it and form it into a smooth ball that you can easily drop into the can.

Let the dough rise again inside the can until it is at least double in size.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown on top.(approximately 30 minutes or more depending on your oven.)

Let them cool slightly in the cans. Remove them from the cans and then cool completely standing up. Some people cool them on their sides turning them often to keep their shape. We found this time that they cool just fine and keep their shape standing up so we didn’t bother with that step!

This recipe yielded 7 loaves.

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To go with this bread my mom always made a wonderful sweet cheese topping that is formed in a mold in different shapes.  I’m adding the recipe here.

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 Seernaya Paska

Ingredients:

18 – hard boiled eggs /
3 pounds Farmers cheese /a dry curd cheese like a dry cottage cheese can be substituted.
1 pint whipping cream /
3 cubes unsalted butter (12 oz.) /
3 cups sugar /

Press the Farmers cheese through a sieve. (This is the hardest part of the recipe) If you find a very small curd cheese you won’t have to do this to the cheese. I usually use a wooden spoon and press it through a wire strainer a little at a time. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. (You will not be using the whites).

Press the egg yolks through the sieve. Cream the sugar and butter together. Beat in the egg yolks. Beat in the cheese. Add whipping cream and mix well. You will place the mixture into a strainer lined with about 3 layers of cheesecloth. You will need enough cheesecloth to wrap up and over the top of the cheese. Place the cheese mixture into the cheese cloth lined strainer, or flower pot with holes in the bottom. Bring the ends of the cheese cloth up and tie the ends on top of the cheese in a knot. Place the sieve or flower pot into a larger bowl suspended with enough room for the cheese to drain without sitting in the drained liquid. Place a plate on top of the cheese an place a heavy rock, brick, or other weight on top of the plate. Refrigerate over night.

This recipe is enough to feed an army. If you don’t have to feed an army here’s a scaled down version :0)

If you just want a normal amount, cut the recipe in thirds. (6 cooked egg yolks, 1-lb. cheese, 2/3 cup whipping cream, 1 cube butter and 1 cup sugar.) Enjoy!

Farmers Cheese or Hoop Cheese can be hard to find. There are Russian-Ukrainian delis that sell a dry curd cottage type cheese that will work. If you can find a dry cottage cheese at the grocers that will work too.

I found a site online that sells the cheese that I use for this yummy spread.

The cheese spread in the flower pot in the refrigerator with the stone on top to help release as much liquid as possible.

We like to serve the kulich with the spread and strawberries.

When the Mennonite Girls Can Cook had a Paska demonstration at Lepp Market in Abbotsford I brought a completed Seernaya Paska, sweet cheese spread molded from home since it has to sit in the refrigerator having all the liquid pressed out for at least 24 hours. I plated it and showed one of the flower pots I use to mold the cheese and the heavy stone wrapped in plastic wrap to weight the cheese and force the liquid out. We used fresh viola blossoms to decorate it.

Because the class was all about Easter I have to explain what the X and B on my Russian Sweet Cheese Spread is all about. On Easter the greeting that we always express to one another is

Christos Voskress! Voistinu Voskress!

Христос Воскрес!

Воистину воскрес!

Christ is Risen!

Truly He is Risen!

So the X (the first letter of Christ in Russian) stands for Christ and the B (the first letter of risen in Russian) stands for Risen, Christ is Risen. This is what Easter is all about.

I made an error in the pronunciation of this dish in our first cookbook. It is called seernaya paska not seerney paska . I’ve always had a hard time with my Russian. I’ve found these plastic flower pots work well to mold the cheese. Make sure you add holes in the bottom of the pot so the liquid can escape easily.

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You do not need old coffee cans to make Kulich/Paska. This next photo shows individual sized portions using paper baking cups that were baked for our cooking class at Lepp Farm Market years ago.

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This blast from the past was probably our first Easter in Washington State, 1989.

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True Confessions: I have not attempted to make Kulich here in Colville. I have made Seernaya Paska to go with Kulich that I purchased at Kiev Market in Spokane. The market Kulich was only good for decorating the table. It does not compare to our mom’s recipe.

Are you preparing for Easter?

Eating in Budapest

On Saturday February 28th we walked from St. Stephen’s Basilica to the Jewish District looking for Mazel Tov. We had reservations for a meal at 4:30 but we wanted to see if they would slip us in at 1:30 instead since our dinner reservations at Retek Restaurant were for 7:30 on Saturday instead of Friday. (Did you follow that?)

The area had a lot of interesting murals.

We arrived tired and thirsty from our 1.6 k walk in the sunshine. They graciously changed our reservation and we joined the crowd of diners for our meal. We met someone from Costa Mesa, California who is studying abroad. That was fun.

 

Our meals were both delicious. Greg ordered the DIY Falafel Sandwich and I ordered the spicy lamb shank ragout, couscous with root vegetables, raisins and red onion chutney.

We had another long walk (1.6k) ahead of us to get back to our hotel. We were entertained by interesting buildings on the way.

Our dinner reservations at Retek would be a 1 k walk so we opted for a taxi ride to the restaurant and then we’d walk back to the hotel after dinner.

We went traditional at this very popular restaurant.

Hungarian Beef Goulash with the fresh bread.

Chicken Paprikash

Cottage Cheese Dumpling and Grandmother’s apple pie for dessert.

A delightful all around experience. This was all my kind of comfort food.

This statue was the beginning of history we would learn all through our cruise about the Habsburg empire.

The year 1795 saw Archduke Josef, son of Emperor Leopold II and brother of Emperor Franz, being appointed Palatine of Hungary, a post he held for more than half a century. As such he was the deputy of the King of Hungary – who was of course none other than the Emperor in his capacity as the head of the house of Habsburg. 

The streets we walked at night in Budapest seemed safe.

I’m saving St. Stephen’s Basilica which we visited on this two restaurant day for another post.

Persian Salad Dressing

The original recipe posted can be found here. This recipe is perfect for salads we serve with our Persian influenced meals that include lamb and rice. As I posted in the original recipe my parents lived many of their formative years in Persia after escaping out of Russia in 1932. They lived in Iran (Persia) near Tehran from 1932-1947. This is a perfect dressing for salads that include tomatoes and cucumbers.

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 C. Olive Oil
  • 3 T. lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • 1 clove garlic pressed or minced

Method:

  1. Whisk all ingredients together until incorporated.
  2. Serve over salad greens with tomatoes, cucumber, and onion.

This makes enough dressing for a large salad that serves 8-12 people.

Creamy Poblano Soup

In the past I’ve found good recipes that are included with store flyers. This recipe came from a flyer that Fred Meyer sent out some years past, recipes with a Latin flair. I tried two of their soup recipes. The first one I tried and the whole family enjoyed was this Creamy Poblano Soup. There are no credits given in the magazine for the recipe so I’ll give Fred Meyer the credit.

Creamy Poblano Soup

6 poblano peppers
1 lb. ground beef (80% lean)
2 cups sliced leeks (from 2 large leeks, white part only)
2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the broiler in your oven.
Arrange Poblanos on a sheet pan and place 4-6 inches under the broiler.
Cook until charred on all sides, turning every few minutes, about 8-12 minutes or more.
Transfer the charred peppers to a bowl and cover them tightly with plastic wrap.
Let them steam for 10 minutes then peel and chop the peppers, discarding the skin and seeds.
Set aside.

Add the ground beef to a large pot over medium heat.
Cook, stirring often, until the fat is rendered and the beef has begun to brown.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the beef and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.
Add the leaks and cook, stirring occasionally until they have softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the reserved poblanos and corn, and continue to cook until the corn has cooked through, about 5 minutes. (add some olive oil to pan if it seems dry) Add the chicken stock and simmer until the flavors incorporate about 5 minutes. Stir in the cram and reserved cooked ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the soup is warmed through then serve at once, refrigerating any leftovers.
This will serve 4-6 people.

Notes: I salted the raw beef lightly while it was cooking and I also salted the leeks and corn lightly while they cooked. You could prepare the poblanos a day ahead to speed up the cooking process on the day you want to eat the soup. If you have a gas stove top you can char the peppers over the flame but it’s easier to char them under the broiler.

We really enjoyed this flavorful soup! Poblano peppers have a more gentle spiciness than jalapenos or Anaheim chilies.

Bruschetta Ricotta Cheese Spread

We enjoy Bruschetta which is a simple Italian appetizer consisting of grilled bread lightly brushed with olive oil and rubbed with garlic. From here the varieties are abundant. We enjoy this prepared bread topped with a simple tomato and fresh basil mix or with an added dimension of this ricotta spread.

Ricotta Cheese Spread
Ingredients:

  • 1 cup ricotta
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
  • 1 clove roasted garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons chives chopped
  • 1 or more tablespoons of grated Parmesan

Method:

  1. Mix all of these ingredients and store in refrigerator until ready to use.
  2. When your bread and tomato topping is ready arrange on plate and serve.

Tomato Topping:

  • 3-4 roma tomatoes chopped with liquid drained
  • 1 clove minced roasted garlic
  • chopped fresh basil (amount to taste)
  • Small amount of olive oil to just coat ingredients and salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Mix together and serve fresh on toasted or grilled slices of bread spread with olive oil and garlic.
  2.  Spread the toasted bread with the ricotta mixture and top with tomato/basil mix and enjoy.

You can also offer an olive tapenade to your serving platter which will go well with the ricotta spread.

Slow Cooker Veggie Curry

You can prepare this dish ahead of time storing it in a large storage bag sealing tightly with all the air squeezed out for up to 2 days in the refrigerator before cooking in slow cooker. You can freeze it to thaw and cook at a later date. I found this idea in a grocery store flyer.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can (14 oz.) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 head cauliflower florets cut to bite sized pieces
  • 1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed (I used asparagus)
  • 1 sweet potato, washed and diced
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrot
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup light coconut milk
  • 1 tsp. curry powder
  • 1 tsp. turmeric
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Method:

  1. Combine all ingredients (excluding cilantro) in a large plastic storage bag sealing tightly to store.
  2. Refrigerate for up to 2 days in the refrigerator or freeze.
  3. When ready to use empty the plastic bag contents into slow cooker and cover.
  4. If frozen, thaw contents before putting into slow cooker and cover.
  5. Cook on low setting for 4 hours.
  6. Serve topped with cilantro.

Alternate Method:

  1. Combine all ingredients (excluding cilantro) in the crock pot.
  2. Cook on low setting for 4 hours.
  3. Serve topped with cilantro.

Depending on the size of your cauliflower this will serve 4- 8 people.
Judy’s Naan bread would go well with this curry.
Here’s what it looks like before it is cooked.

 

Year of the Cabbage Hodgepodge

Weather or not Hodgepodge, thank you, Joyce!

Warning: You might end up hungry when you are done with this post.

1. I live in the south so we’re pretty much only talking about the weather right now. Give us a weather report from where you live.

We are in Northeast corner of Washington State very close to Canada. So far we are still cold and we still do not have any measurable snow. Forecast for Wednesday/today is for a 30% chance of snow with a 37 degree high. It’s warming up. 🙂

Does the kind of weather you’re having today affect your mood in some way? 

Not at the present.

2.  Avocados, kale, cauliflower and cottage cheese have all had their time to shine. 2026 brings us the year of the cabbage. Is this a vegetable you like?

When I was young I hated cabbage. I could sit in front of a bowl of borsch for hours trying to wear my mother down so I wouldn’t have to eat it!  Nowadays I really enjoy cabbage in many forms and it is in a lot of our traditional Russian dishes we grew up with.

If so, what are some of your favorite dishes that call for cabbage?  


We grew up enjoying Golubtzi, Голубцы, a Russian version of cabbage rolls, above, and borsch, pictured below.

Click on any of these below to get the recipes.

Borsch, Golubstzi, Cabbage filled piroshky

Piroshky with cabbage, potato and ground beef fillings.

3. Was a Cabbage Patch Doll a part of your childhood?

Not in my childhood.

Or maybe your children’s childhood?

All three of our children did own a Cabbage Patch Doll. It was quite the hunt to track them down back then.

What’s a toy trend from your childhood you remember wanting for your own? 

I really don’t remember anything from my childhood that was trendy and wanted. In Junior high for some reason suspenders became a ‘thing’ and I really wanted a pair of them!

4. Something you’ve spent a lot of time doing lately? 

Researching Budapest history and points of interest. Also learning about other towns/cities we’ll be making stops at on our river cruise like Bratislava, Krems, Linz, Cesky-Krumlov, and Vienna. After the cruise we’ll be in Cambridge so I’m studying up on this college town, too. I have a Cambridge Reformation Walking Tour book to take along. I watch YouTubes and ask questions on forums to make sure I don’t miss things I’ll kick myself for missing after returning home.

Speaking of Cabbage, one of the YouTube virtual guides I’m following has named his site, Stuffed Cabbage-Adventures. He is a great resource for Budapest!

5. Somehow it’s the last week of January…sum up your month in just three sentences. 

January was filled with family birthdays, some that were milestones like a fortieth and an eighteenth. We had no snow to speak but we did get rain and fog. It’s been a month of discipline for a good end.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

On the subject of cabbage let us not forget sauerkraut in a good Reuben and my take below which we called Rebekah not to be mistaken for a Rachel. Are you following? Click here to get more clarification.

Persian Kotlety


One of our favorites growing up were Kotlety. We used to call them Russian hamburgers. A recipe for a more Russian version of these is in our cookbook but I wanted to share this recipe that has a Persian twist.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of ground meat
  • 1 cup grated onion
  • 1 egg
  • 1 slice bread soaked in milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1-2 cups fine bread crumbs or Panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil for sautéing the patties

Method:

  1. Put first 9 ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
  2. Form patties with this mixture, you can choose round or oval.
  3. Roll the patties in bread crumbs.
  4. Saute them in butter and olive oil flipping half way through the cooking process till they are cooked through.
  5. Serves 4.
  6. Serve with your favorite sides.

I used panko this time instead of fine bread crumbs and I liked the result.

I served them with my mother’s rice and a salad but the cutlet would pair nicely with potatoes in any form. My mother always formed the patties in this oval shape. These are also great cold in a sandwich form.

Talking to Myself

I’ve been talking to myself since I finally stepped on the scale last week. Yikes! That number I saw was shocking to me.

Before I stepped on the scale, I had already planned and started a 1200 calorie a day eating plan. I bought a book for inspiration but my choices are personalized.

After a full week on 1200 calories a day I’m telling myself…

1200 calories is plenty of food to eat in a day.

Some days after dinner and being satisfied, I still have 200 calories left to consume.

It’s okay to eat the same thing over and over again if it is what I like.

Adding cucumbers to wraps gives you a delicious crunch and satisfaction.

That a single serving of oatmeal with a walnut, two teaspoons of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of blueberries was delicious and satisfying and under 300 calories. (I’ll be having that for breakfast again)

The varieties of good food I can eat is encouraging and doable.

A Costco chicken deboned chopped or shredded and frozen in smaller portions is a plus.

Shopping with a list of  good things to buy is important. I need to have those items on hand.

Keeping an ongoing, daily list of everything I put into my mouth is necessary for me.

My math skills are being challenged in figuring out calories then adding and subtracting. 🙂

I’m reminding myself that things might be slow going but I’ll be pleased in a month, more pleased in 2 months, etc.

A huge help for me is knowing my ‘girls’ are cheering me on. They are praying with me for resolve to continue doing what is good for me physically and mentally. Accountability is key.

Because of my Plantar Fasciitis I’m not able to walk regularly for extra exercise but I have started chair exercises with a YouTube that is good and going well. Just 10 minutes in the session but still helpful and easy on my feet.

Another reality is that there will be special events where I won’t be counting calories and that is okay.

As my clothes feel less tight I will remember to take notice and be thankful.

You won’t hear any weekly reports from me about this journey but I will try to post something monthly or every six weeks for more accountability.

This ground turkey soup I made on Saturday ended up being 175 calories per cup (8oz.) and was very tasty per Greg and me.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. cooked ground turkey
  • 1 can chicken broth
  • 1 can Rotel original diced tomatoes and chilies
  • 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 small zucchini sliced
  • 2 mushrooms sliced
  • 1 Carrot sliced

Method:

  1. Combine all ingredients in soup pot.
  2. Bring to a boil then turn down to simmer.
  3. Simmer for 30 minutes.
  4. Serve while hot.

Yield: About 5 cups

Note: This was spicy with the Ro-Tel but added some nice depth of flavor.  You can substitute a can of chopped tomatoes instead if you don’t tolerate hot spice.

Some other meals I’ve enjoyed, just to name a few.

  • Low Fat Cottage cheese with pineapple
  • Cooked ground beef wrap with cucumbers and salsa
  • 2 eggs on toast
  • Strawberries with a squirt of whipped cream
  • Avocado and egg on toast
  • Cheese melt on English muffin
  • Teriyaki Chicken breast with rice and brussels sprouts