Anniversaries Worth Remembering

The anniversary I’m remembering here today is the 79th anniversary of my parents and oldest sister arriving from Persia to New York on September 6, 1947. I’m posting this on the 79th anniversary of the day they left Tehran, Iran on September 3, 1947.

This is the actual airplane (Skyways International) that they traveled on arriving in New York, New York. Our daughter has been researching her grandparents history and has found information and documents we have not seen before. Andrew and Katie searched the Tail Number and were able to come up with the exact plane. Below is the Entry Declaration that they found, too.

These flights were during the Itinerant Migrant air Charter era. (1947-1949)

They embarked in Tehran and disembarked in New York, New York. The last leg of the journey was from Gander, Newfoundland.

My father’s sister and her husband and two children were on the plane, too.

Here is an account of events leading up to their travel in my Pop’s words dictated in Russian to a Russian journalist several years ago. My brother-in-law worked with a friend of ours to translate it into English. Sentences in (parenthesis) are my words inserted to the narrative.

At this time in our lives, (after our sister Kathy was born in May of 1946) my parents began to cultivate closer ties with our relatives in the U.S. In so doing they asked them to sponsor our family into the U.S. Sponsoring was necessary back then. The relatives agreed. As it turned out, only the siblings who had families and my parents had emigration status. That meant that my sister’s family and mine were the only ones who could leave. My parents decided not to come with us because they did not want to further divide the family. Because my father was a spiritual leader in the Molokan church, the immigration officer at the American Consulate advised us to have our American relatives sponsor him as a pastor which would expedite the emigration process for him and the rest of the family. And so it did for they all arrived two years after we did.

We ourselves left Teheran for the United States on September 3, 1947. I will give the details of our trip because it is different than how we would travel today. Our plane was a twin engine Red Cross cargo plane. There were no seats-only benches-and who needs seat belts? Some of us sat on the benches while others laid on the floor. Because our flight altitude was relatively low, we were able to discard Kathy’s dirty diapers out the window. Opening and closing them did not affect cabin pressure. Here is our itinerary; From Teheran we flew to Cairo, Egypt, refueled and flew on to Rome, Italy. We spent the night in Rome. From Rome we flew to London. We were not allowed off the plane and only stayed for lunch. We flew to Scotland and stayed overnight. From Scotland we flew to Iceland and had lunch. From there to Greenland where we spent the night. From Greenland we flew to New York. We arrived in New York late Saturday night, September 6th. ( I think my pop had mistaken the Greenland stop since the travel papers show they flew from Newfoundland into New York.)

We were planning on taking a train from New York to Los Angeles that night, however all our money was in travelers checks made out to my brother John. Union Pacific would not take those checks. We were stuck in New York for the night. We had the name of a Russian pastor and two kind ladies from Traveler’s Aid helped us locate his church. When we arrived he was just locking the doors of the church for the night. He took my sister’s family and the three of us to a hotel which did accept our traveler’s checks. In the morning Nadia woke up and was scared to death because of the height of the room. All she saw were people the size of ants below and this frightened her.

It being Sunday, we went to this pastor’s church morning and evening. On Sunday night one family took my sister’s family and another took ours for the night. Monday morning we notified our relatives of our plight. They wired us money for the train and we were able to leave for Los Angeles. (This was September 8th) We arrived in LA on September 12, 1947.

What a long journey for them with a toddler in tow and with my mom being pregnant and knowing very little English. Mom was pregnant with my sister Vera on this journey.

This is a photo of my parents and sister Kathy after they arrived in Los Angeles.

And that my friends is just the beginning of the story of my parents and relatives settling in the U.S.A. An Anniversary worth remembering for me and my family.

This is a very small portion of my Pop’s story. The last paragraph of his longer story ends this way;

I am so thankful for the unseen hand of the Lord guiding my life. I give all the praise to Him. It is my prayer that readers of my story come to know Jesus as I have come to know Him.

Thanks be to God for leading and guiding and bringing traveling ‘angels’ along to help them with the mishaps along the way! I am grateful to God for leading my parents to the USA and even more grateful to God for saving our pop through Jesus Christ and what that means for our family for generations to come.

I’m An American Hodgepodge

Speaking of cultures not my own, (Question #3) this is my kindergarten class. Top row left end.

Another summertime Hodgepodge is coming our way thanks to Joyce From This Side of the Pond.

When I went to link up this morning for the Hodgepodge we had the news from Joyce that her dear Mama passed away earlier this week. Our hearts and prayers are with you, Joyce, and with your whole family.

1. How do you feel about the transition from lazy summer days to a busier fall routine?

I’ve always loved the transition from summer to fall. Even the years I was in school, I welcomed with excitement going back. These days I enjoy the fact that Ladies Bible studies will start up again and there will be more order in our days. I enjoy Fall weather and Fall events like cider fest and the corn maze.

2. Your favorite cookie?

I like homemade Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies with oatmeal, walnuts, almonds, and sometimes coconut!

I use the toll house recipe and load them up with extras.

3. What’s something you’ve learned from a culture different than your own?

I grew up in Southern California just outside East Los Angeles and the neighborhoods we lived in were multi cultural with Mexicans, Jews, Russians, Armenians, Japanese, Scots, and Heinz 57 Americans. I included Scots, although I only first heard of anyone who was Scottish in 5th grade when Karen’s parents moved to Montebello and she was introduced as a new student in our class. I was enthralled with her from the start and she taught me a few Scottish dance moves that we shared with the class for show and tell. I think we sang a song, too, The Bonnie Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomand.

Apart from the great food we enjoyed in the homes of my friends from these cultures, I learned about the Jewish custom of coming of age.

A bar mitzvah and a bat mitzvah are both Jewish coming-of-age milestones. A bar mitzvah (“son of commandment’) marks the religious maturity of a boy at the age 13, while a bat mitzvah (daughter of the commandment) marks the religious maturity of a girl, traditionally at age 12.

I was invited to one of my Jewish friends Bat Mitzvah and I was blown away by the lavishness of the celebration!

These are my multi-cultural Cheer friends from my high school at a Russian dinner at my house before a football game. (My Scottish friend from 5th grade, Karen, is the one with the rollers in her hair). We would have a meal at a different Cheer members home before Varsity games. They are eating borsch. That was just one of the food items my mother prepared for them. I think I see piroshky on the table, also. After the meal we would all get our cheer clothes on and head to the game for a night where we would work off every calorie we ate at dinner!

This is one of my best buddies from school days, Nanc. I spent a lot of time in her home where I learned how to make guacamole and we learned every popular Leslie Gore song by heart. Her parents brought me along to Mexican restaurants with them and to the downtown wholesale fashion district for shopping. Growing up, my family did not eat in restaurants so that was an eye opening experience all its own. Her dad drove a Volkswagon Square back and we spent many miles in that little car. One summer when she got back from visiting her uncle who was a jeweler in Mexico City she gifted me the ring below that he made for me.

While we were living in Camarillo for a short time Nanc and I reconnected online and we met up a couple of times for meals and to catch up on life. The photo above is of one of our meet ups. I hadn’t seen her for 40 years! There is a long story about that…

4. Food critic, film critic, book critic, art critic…which hat would you most like to wear? Tell us why.

Of these choices I’d choose the Food Critic hat because I love to travel and I love to try new restaurants and eat good food. I’d have a hard time writing bad critiques, though. I’ll just choose to be a traveler and enjoy trying new food in different places and being satisfied.

I’m not a film buff, or the reader of a variety of genres, and I’m definitely not artsy.

5. What’s a small, random thing from your childhood that you still remember clearly?

This will give you a little insight into my character. I remember hiding from my mother and father on Saturday mornings because I did not want to go to Russian School. When they found me, I would stomp my feet and say, “I’m an American!”. Well that didn’t work. In my latter years I was thankful to have learned the Russian alphabet and to learn to read and write in Russian.

To say “I am American” in Russian, use Я американец (if you are male) or Я американка (if you are female). If you want to say “I am from America” or “from the USA,” you can say Я из Америки or Я из США.

Я американка, Yah Amereekanka, I am American.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

These questions pulled up a lot of memories from my past.

Until next time, hodgepodge friends…

Cambridge the 13th of March 2026

Our travel journal is coming to an end with our last full day in Cambridge on Friday the 13th of March. First thing that morning we walked to The Locker Cafe on King St. After we arrived and ordered it became quite busy.

This day would turn out to be a blustery cold day and our coats stayed on.

We ordered the Shakshuka and it was delicious.

After breakfast we walked to the Market area of Cambridge to see if St. Edward King and Martyr church was open before their scheduled mass at 10:30. We wanted to pop in before mass started.

Along this passageway Greg spotted our first dinky door!

Some of Cambridge’s most charming architecture is tucked away at ankle level. Since 2019, an anonymous couple has been working toward their mission of “Saving the World” by installing little portals to whimsical delight throughout Cambridge.

You can see why they are easy to miss. Can you see it?

You can read about dinky doors here.

The church played a unique role in the early days of the Reformation. A group of evangelicals in Cambridge, of whom Thomas Bilney was the first, had been meeting regularly in the early 1520s. They were influenced by a fresh translation of the New Testament by Erasmus and by the ideas of Luther, and they believed passionately in the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ.

At the Christmas Midnight Mass here in 1525, Robert Barnes preached what is thought to be the first openly evangelical sermon to be preached in any church in the country, proclaiming the Christian Gospel and accusing the Church of its heresies. This event led to St. Edward’s often being called the cradle of the Reformation in England.

Other reformers preached regularly at St. Edward’s, including Hugh Latimer until he left Cambridge in 1531. Some of his sermons preached here have been preserved, and the pulpit from which the reformers preached is still in use today.

Barnes and Latimer were both put to death for their beliefs. As he comforted Nicholas Ridley at the stake in Oxford. Latimer said ‘Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.’

These windows are in honor Thomas Bilney and Hugh Latimer

To the Glory of God and to honour those from this Parish who in the years 1523 to 1525 met near by at the White Horse Inn and there sought out the principles of the English Reformation Thomas Bilney + 1531 – Robert Barnes + 1540 – Hugh Latimer + 1555 who through faith quenched the violence of fire.

Since mass was about to start we didn’t take a lot of photos or hang around for long but we were happy to put more pieces together of the history of the Reformation in England.

Making our way next to ‘Bodies in the Bookshop’ we came across this bookshop that was not open.

The wind and the cold prompted us to pop into any shop along the way that looked interesting. We were thankful that there was no rain! As it turned out the Bodies in the Bookshop would not open till noon so we made the quick decision to pop into Fitzbillies and enjoy some hot tea. Greg started to feel under the weather and a spot of tea sounded good.

We were happy to get a seat far from the front door.

Greg opted for tea and a scone but I went for the classic Afternoon Tea.

When in Rome as the saying goes…

I didn’t want to leave England without enjoying High Tea.

Earlier in the week we did partake of the famous ‘Fitzbillies Chelsea Bun’. I neglected to take a photo of them.

We enjoyed our food leisurely knowing we’d be out in the cold again.

The bookshop opened while we were having our tea so we backtracked to peruse the offerings.

We bought a used book by Elizabeth Goudge and a gift book and then started our trek back to our lodgings.

We managed to find two more dinky doors. We heard there are at least 14 of them sprinkled around town.

Before making it all the way back to our lodgings we stopped at the Round Church which was finally open when we passed by. That post I’ll save for another time.

After the Round Church Greg retired for the afternoon and evening in our aparthotel room. He was not feeling well. I ventured back out and about to see what I could see.

I wandered about taking photos.

I popped into a church, I passed along the way…

St. Ephraim Orthodox Parish

In looking up this church now that I’m home I found out the history of it.

On December 2, 2023, celebrations were held dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the founding of the parish of the Sourozh diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church in honour of St. Ephraim the Syrian in Cambridge, UK.

I didn’t realize I had stepped into a Russian Orthodox Church. I learn so much after the fact! I knew it was an Orthodox church and different from other churches we have visited in the U.K.

Via Crucis Via Lucis ~The Way of the Cross, The Way of Light

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum ~ May the Peace of the Lord be always with you.

Before I joined Greg for the evening, I popped into Pizza Express and ordered a pizza to go for us to have in our room.

One more post coming up for the finale of our time in Cambridge, England. Thank you for traveling along with us.

Love the USA Hodgepodge

Hello July and Red, White and Blue Hodgepodge. Thank you, Joyce!

Happy Canada Day to our neighbors to the North!

1. What do you love most about your country?

Right now, this minute, I’m enjoying hearing all the good things that World Cup Soccer visitors have to say about this great country of ours. They have said over and over that they were lied to by their home country media on how awful the United States is. They are soaking up the amazing variety of landscape and food and convenience and largeness from coast to coast. We are a melting pot of culture and we are unique in how we display our patriotism and celebrate our country, especially on the 4th of July.

On the flipside we are enjoying their songs, their chants, their dress, their celebrations, their loyalty to their teams!

My parents fled communism (Russia) and spent their teen years and young adult years in Iran. They applied and immigrated lawfully to the USA shortly after World War II. In the nineties when they had an opportunity to re-visit the village our pop was from in Russia they saw first hand what they were delivered from. When they came back to the US and got off their plane in the USA, they kissed the ground! They knew and appreciated the freedom and the country they were providentially citizens of. They embraced the USA, learned the language and were good citizens.

2. Your favorite patriotic song?

God Bless America

“While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free.
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer:

God bless America, land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home sweet home.”

3. Red, white, or blue? Stars or stripes? Something you own besides a US flag with some combination of those colors or decorations as part of its design?

Blue as in blue jeans or the color of our home.

Stars are a favorite…

Red, White and Blue stars are outside and inside our home, especially this time of year!

4. What’s one thing you want more of this summer: fun, rest, adventure, connection, quiet, or confidence? Elaborate.

I’ve already had more fun than I deserve this year and there is more fun planned for October of this year. I’m going with connection. I’d like more connection in the everyday moments with my God and Savior. I’d like more connection in that regard with other believers, too. Good conversations and prompts that cast my eyes on how gracious God is and all that He is doing to make me more like his Son and my Savior.

Without God’s grace I’d have no hope. Here are parts of Spurgeon’s June 29th evening devotional;

“If the grace of God were to leave the best Christian, there is enough sin in his heart to make him the worst of transgressors. If left to yourselves, you who are warmest for Christ would cool down like Laodicea into sickening lukewarmness:

…Therefore let us cry to God to never leave us. Do not withdraw from us your indwelling grace!

Lord, keep us everywhere. Keep us when we’re in the valley so that we do not grumble against Your humbling hand; keep us when we’re on the mountain, so we do not lose our balance by being lifted up; keep us in our youth, when our passions are strong; keep us in old age, when becoming conceited in our wisdom, we may therefore prove greater fools than those who are young and silly; keep us when we come to die, in case at the very end we should deny You! Keep us living, keep us dying, keep us working, keep us suffering, keep us fighting, keep us resting, keep us everywhere, for everywhere we need You, O our God!”

5. What was your ultimate, go-to summer activity when you were a kid? Do you still do any version of that today? If you answered yes, does participating in this activity as an adult make you feel like a kid?

Going to the beach or going to the ‘plunge’, the pool at Montebello high school, was a favorite childhood activity. Did you ever call a pool, a plunge?

As kids, we would walk from our neighborhood in Montebello Gardens (called the Jardines in Spanish) to the high school pool in Montebello where for 10 cents we could enjoy the pools. We would spend a good amount of time in the pools and then have to walk back home. I remember being very thirsty and very tired on that walk back home.

Google maps shows that it was a 2.3 mile walk there and 2.3 mile walk back home!

Our mom never got a license so she never drove a car and our pop worked hard and long hours and always had the family car for his work so as kids we were on our own if we wanted to go to the pool or to the library.

As an adult I enjoy a nice walk on the beach in the cool morning hours and that is something we were able to do just last week!

Cannon Beach, Oregon with Haystack Rock in the distance.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of stars, here’s a flashback to 2021 and these two stars are my favorites!

If you are from the USA, I hope you are able to celebrate the 4th of July as the 250th year deserves!

If you aren’t from the USA, happy July to you and don’t be afraid to visit the USA!

Sibs and Sips Hodgepodge

All my living siblings in 2003 in age order left to right, oldest to youngest. I’m in the middle.

Time once again for the Hodgepodge questions from Joyce!

1. Egg on your face, putting all your eggs in one basket, a good egg, walk on eggshells, nest egg, or a tough egg to crack…which eggy idiom currently applies to your life in some way? Explain

This one wasn’t easy for me. I’ll go with walk on eggshells because of my whole Plantar Fasciitis episode in 2025. I try to walk lightly and I don’t jump or run or stay on my feet in general for long periods of time. I threw caution to the wind on our latest trip in Europe and England where we walked and walked and were on our feet every day. So thankful that my feet survived.

2. April 7th is National Beer Day…are you a beer drinker? If so do you have a favorite?

I do enjoy a good beer once in a while and especially on a sunny day. (Don’t tell my mom…oh never mind she’s in heaven now and she doesn’t care anymore.) Speaking of my mom, today was her birthday when she was on earth. She was a good Russian Baptist…no drinking, no smoking, no dancing, no gambling, no cussing. 🙂

IPA’s and Dark beer, like Guinness, are favorites.

These photos, above and below, are from Bratislava, Slovakia. These are the two beers that are brewed at Bratislava Flagship Restaurant, a Slovak beer hall housed in an 18th century monastery.

I’ll have a full post soon about our time in Bratislava.

Beer battered fish, beer bread, beer can chicken, beer brats…which one sounds good to you? Have you made any of these?

Beer battered fish and beer can chicken sound the best to me.

3. Do you have siblings?

I have/had eight siblings. Our oldest sister died in Persia/Iran when she was only two. I have seven living siblings, three sisters and four brothers. Four of my siblings still live in Southern California. Two (the twins) live in Texas. I’m the only one in the state of Washington.

Here is our oldest sister, Kathy, who died in Persia and what our Pop wrote about her in his life story.

On April 25, 1944 our first daughter was born. She was the ideal baby – beautiful, happy, loveable. Then in early 1946 she contracted dysentery and died. Our hearts were broken. In addition we as parents were blamed for her death because we didn’t have a dedication ceremony for her when she was born – neither in the Baptist or the Molokan church – because we could not agree as to what church should conduct it. This guilt added to our grief. But fortunately, it was mitigated with the birth of our second daughter, Kathy, in May of 1946.

Yes, they named their second daughter Kathy, too.

What’s the best thing about being your sibling? If you don’t have siblings, what would you say are the pros and cons of being an only child?

I keep in contact and check up on my siblings. On many occasions, I’m the communication link for us all. Over the years all of my siblings (but one) have stayed in our home for an overnight or longer visit.

My older brother has chosen to separate himself and his family from the rest of us for the past twenty or more years. It is hard to understand and sad for all of us.

4. How do you feel about floral scents in products? Do you have a favorite?

I’d rather enjoy real flowers with their scents. I’m not a big fan of manufactured scents in general. Subtle fragrance in candles are okay. I like a clean light citrus scent. If I was to pick a floral fragrance, I’d choose lavender.

5. What’s one thing in your home that begins with the letter G that you would say is a keeper, something you’ll hold on to? Tell us why.

I could have said the Grand Piano but that is slated to go to our daughter in the future.

I’m going with goblets. I like a nice goblet to set a table with. When we moved I scaled down on my goblets but I still have a nice collection in different colors and clear glass, too.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

It has been so beautiful here the past several days.

I finished this very hard puzzle yesterday. It was a challenge and it felt good to put the last piece in!

I’m still basking in the celebration of Easter and my wonderful Savior who when I repented gave me immunity with his own life and not just immunity but I was delivered by God from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

Easter Monday

We were in charge of the Easter Coffee Fellowship at our church for Easter Sunday. On Saturday we made a trip to Spokane to buy some of the goodies we would be serving. We had a very successful shopping trip at 6 stops.

Our first stop was at Kiev Market in Spokane and they were selling Kulich/Paska (Russian Easter Bread).

I knew it wouldn’t be as good as homemade but it was better this year than in previous years. After we dropped all the muffins, strawberries, yogurt and tulips off at church we had a quiet evening at home before our busy Easter Sunday.

I brought some of our outdoor daffodils inside to cheer up our kitchen space.

I’ve been working on this puzzle and only have the hardest part left.

Josh and Laura served at an Easter Service Saturday night helping with the photo area. They attended services on Sunday with Laura’s brother’s family.

Dan had to work on Easter but Jamie and her mom got this photo at the Easter service at our church. We were busy in the kitchen getting ready for the Coffee Fellowship in between both services. I did not think to get a photo of the presentation of the food tables. We got our photo with our Grands at our Easter lunch at Dan and Jamie’s.

Many Easter eggs were hidden and the kids were anxious to find them.

Ready, set, go!

Everyone had full baskets/bags of eggs and other vessels.

Three cute bunnies.

Dan got home after all the festivities and it was time for a family photo.

It was a wonderful day all around and a good weekend. I was on my feet for too many hours and will be giving them a rest for the next couple of days.

Hope your Easter was glorious, too.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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?

Nineteenth Bloggy Anniversary!

The photo above is of my brother Steve working on setting up my blog. We were all gathered at Greg’s brother’s home in Anaheim Hills.

Way back in March of 2007 my brother Steve strongly encouraged me to start a blog and he helped me to set it all up. When things didn’t post right he’d help me sort out the glitches. We were living temporarily in Camarillo, California at the time and it was a good season for me to have something extra in my life like blogging. It has been a fun journey and has morphed over all the years.

In February of 2008 I met my first Blogging friend, Willow. Here’s what I wrote about it 18 years ago.

God is so good to me. He gave me two desires of my heart today! I’ve said over and over again how sweet it would be to meet one of my bloggy friends and how I’d love to have a walking buddy in Southern California after I left my walking buddies in Seattle, Washington. Today Willow and I met and had a walk and plan to walk on a regular basis, keeping each other accountable. How sweet it is! We found each other through blogging and realized we both live in the same city. We’re in the same stage of life and have a lot in common. Check out her blog, she has very exciting news today! She became a grandmother!

In April of 2008, Willow, Sara and I met up at the Getty Villa. Here’s what I wrote way back then.

On Monday Willow and I met Sara from Much ado About Something at the Getty Villa. This was the first time I met Sara face to face. Sara in person is true to who she is on her blog. She’s gracious, thoughtful, and kind. What a fun experience to meet bloggy friends in person. I’ll be posting more about the Getty soon.

Here we are at lunch at the Getty Cafe. Willow from Willow’s Cottage, Sara of Much Ado About Something and ellen b. from the Happy Wonderer. See ellen b. leaning over without wincing with back pain. Whoohoo!

I met the lovely Cori G. in Southern California just before Greg and I moved back to the Seattle area. We met up in January of 2009. Here’s what I wrote…

On Tuesday I drove to Orange County for a family dinner at my parents’ apartment with my sisters, SIL’s, and nieces. Cori G. form Gingerbread Crumbs & Co. and I have been regulars on each others blogs and she happens to live in Orange County so we arranged a face to face meeting close to my parent’s apartment. We had a very short time to meet and “talk” but what a joy it was to spend this short time asking questions and sharing a little bit more of our lives in person. I was surprised how fast our time went.

Cori G and I met up one more time before Greg and I moved back at a restaurant in San Marino.

The Monday before we left California Cori G! met me in San Marino for breakfast at Julienne. I was a distracted blogger that day and forgot to get a fresh photo of the two of us at Julienne.

In March of 2010 Greg and I met up with Sandy and her husband. We were driving from Camarillo back to our home in Kenmore after selling our condo in Camarillo.

On our trip back to Washington from California, Dear and I had dinner with Sandy from The Reluctant Entertainer and her husband. We had our fabulous meal and time of fellowship at the Winchester Inn in Ashland, Oregon. I knew Sandy lived close by and it worked out that she and her husband were available to meet us. We didn’t run out of things to talk about. Sandy shares my passion for food and fellowship around food. Her blog is about simple entertaining and creative hospitality. If you haven’t visited there yet click on over. This is Sandy’s photo that I asked for since my photo was blurry. Thank you Sandy! Look at those great salads! I’ll be posting more about this great Inn later…

This epic meetup with 5 of the Mennonite Girls Can Cook was life changing and it all grew out of blogging! This was in April of 2010 after Greg and I had moved back to Kenmore and left our sojourn in Southern California behind for good.

Whoohoo! I finally got to meet some of the Mennonite Girls from MGCC face to face on Tuesday. Five of the Canadian Mennonites had a field-trip down to the Skagit Valley to see the tulips and we all met up for lunch in La Conner. It was like we were old friends. Each gal is so unique yet so cohesive in the group. I don’t know if that’s the right word but I hope you understand what I mean…

I feel so blessed to have been adopted into the fold even though I’m not Mennonite. Many of our Russian recipes are similar to the Mennonite favorites.

Seeds of Friendship

I planted some seeds of friendship
All nice and neatly in a row
I tended to them with love and care
Then watched them sprout and grow

All ten of us when we gathered in British Columbia to sign contracts for our first cookbook in September of 2010.

So what makes it easy for 10 women all together for the first time ever to be relaxed and enjoy each other? I think it begins with our faith in God, our savior Jesus Christ, our common comfort food experience, our heritage, and our openness to new adventures. I am aware of what a gift it is to have made this wonderful connection with these beautiful girls.

And then Herald Press came knocking at our door. This is a link to our October 2010 announcement.

In July of 2010 Dear and I met the Scrabble Queen from Scrabblequeen Knits for breakfast while we were in the Sacramento area for a funeral. She gifted me with some wonderful loose tea from England!

In April of 2011 during a ‘sister’ trip to Victoria on Vancouver Island my bloggy friend, Pondside, who lives on the island offered to pick me and my sisters up and give us a mini tour of some of her favorite spots. What a treat that was!

The last stop on our Victoria tour with Pondside was Hatley Castle. I can imagine how beautiful this location would be for a wedding when everything is blooming.

I really do thank God for many wonderful people I’ve met through blogging and blossoming friendships that continue. Pondside is one of those people who I thank God for bringing into my life.

On a weekend in July 2011 Jill a bloggy friend from Utah flew in for a visit at our house. We treated her to the usual tourist spots including the Lavender festival in Sequim. (pronounced squim). Andrew was in Afghanistan during this time so our daughter, Katie, was living with us and she was a great addition for our time at the lavender fields.

It’s a lot more fun with my navigator and a bloggy friend who understands that we take photos of everything! Jill and her camera are great companions for me. Here’s a link to Jill’s post about our time at the lavender fields.

And here’s another link to our Saturday shenanigans.

At a book signing in Winnepeg/Manitoba I was able to meet Millie from Wreathmaker. What a fun surprise to see her and her hubby at McNally Robinson bookstore.

In 2014 on Katie and my roadtrip from Seattle to North Carolina we arranged a meeting over lunch in Kansas City, Missouri with Pam from Abiding With Love. We had a wonderful meal paid for by Pam’s husband and great conversation with Pam and her daughter.

Pray for dear Pam as she has had health crisis after health crisis stemming from Lyme’s disease and now from a brain tumor her and her family call Georgia on my mind.

Several of these gals do not blog anymore. There are other gals who stopped blogging that I never met in person but would have liked to meet. Let’s see if my brain can remember them, Rosemary, Kim at Hiraeth, Gumbo Lily. There are some bloggers that I miss who have left this earth like Vee, and Sally from Blue Monday.

To those of you who are still blogging, thank you and It would be a treat to meet you in person!

All in all, blogging has been a joy to me and I’ll keep going as long as it is reasonable for me to continue.

I’m coming to you today from somewhere on the Danube river! I prepped this post for my anniversary before we left on our trip. Hopefully by now I’ve posted some postcards of what we have seen so far! Thank you for following along!

Christmas Eve 2025

On Christmas Eve after our Candlelight service Jamie, Addy and JJ came over for a simple meal of Blintzes. Dan was working.

We all enjoyed our Blintze snack!

We let A & J open one of their gifts. I’m so glad we did because the sizing was way off on both of their boots! Yikes. Size 1 was more like a size 3 and the size 2 was more like size 1. I tucked them away to return to the store where we bought them.

We were all in church yesterday. Andrew and Katie hit the road for home right after church. Josh and Laura will be leaving this morning.

It will take me some time to gather up all the photos and thoughts for all the events we enjoyed together.

Enjoy the last few days of 2025!

One Weekend Later

Our friend’s flights from Southern California came through without a hitch and we enjoyed a few days together. They arrived on Saturday afternoon and we were treated to dinner at our Colville kids’ home. It was a delicious gyro meal (all homemade) and homemade ice cream and huckleberry topping for dessert. Our kids grew up with Ken and Heidi’s kids in Southern California until we moved to Washington State in 1988.

On Sunday we all attended church together and split off after church for varied destinations. We spent a quiet evening at home on Sunday. I’ll share our full day of adventures on Monday in a separate posts. We drove around Colville and then up into Canada for lunch.

Heidi and I had many adventures together before we met our husbands and we’ve had some fun adventures since married, too. We can now add a Colville and Canadian adventure to our memories.

More to come, soon.

Thank you for stopping by.

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Category Archives: Russian