My hubby came up with these after gathering ideas from his mom. They are truly the best katleti I’ve ever had. He bakes them after sautéing and they come out juicy and tender. You aren’t really Russian or Ukrainian if you haven’t had katlety; end of discussion.
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Posted in Dinner, Meat, Russian/Ukrainian, lunch | Tagged How to make Katleti, Katlety recipe, Russian Katleti Recipe, russian katlety recipe, Ukrainian Katleti recipe | Leave a Comment »
We call these “canapky.” A canapé is a small, decorative finger food you eat in one bite; an hors d’oeuvre (zakuska). My aunt Anna is a great cook. She attended culinary school with my mom. Her spread for these canapes is the best I’ve tried. It’s flavorful and much healthier than my old recipe. There is NO butter! It’s replaced with laughing cow cheese. These are wildly delicious and super easy.
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Posted in Appetizers, Russian/Ukrainian | Tagged bruschetta, Canapes recipe, canapki, canapky recipe, canopki, canopky recipe, Hors d'œuvre recipe, Russian Recipes, tea sandwiches, Ukrainian Recipes, zakuska recie | Leave a Comment »
If only babies had snooze buttons right? David usually sleeps soo well (and I’m thankful for sure); 7:30pm to 7:30am, or 7am. Today he started chatting over the monitor at 6, having friendly conversations with the pooh bears dancing on his crib bumper. Continue Reading »
Posted in Family | Tagged David, Family, Vadim | 3 Comments »
I have to admit, the first time I tasted brie cheese (BY ITSELF), I thought it resembled stale laundry. I don’t believe its meant to be eaten alone. I picked up this idea from my friend Natalia K. She is a wonderful home cook who always comes up with something new and fancy. At our annual church camping trip, her camp site always smells best!
The combination of brie with walnuts, dripping with honey is addictive. It always goes fast when served at parties. (It was torture not to be able to indulge in this soft cheese dish while I was pregnant!) I split this recipe in half and enjoy it in the evening with my hubby. Of course that means we get to have it twice!
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Posted in Appetizers, Italian | Tagged appetizer recipes, Brie Recipes, Brie with honey, Brie with walnuts and honey | Leave a Comment »
Wrapping the cod in prosciutto keeps the fish moist and succulent. It looks super fancy, but is very easy. My sister Tanya showed me how to make this. I’ve made this dish for family and romantic dinners with my hubby. The prosciutto gives the flaky cod great flavor. I give it two thumbs up!
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Posted in Dinner | Tagged baked fish recipes, Best cod recipes, Cod recipes, Cod Wrapped in Prosciutto with vine tomatoes, Roasted cod with prosciutto | 3 Comments »
Russian Tea Cakes are a popular treat. I even saw a knock off (boxed version) at costco this year. Why buy them when they are simple to make and nothing beats fresh, real ingredients. These almost always appear at our church banquets. There are slight variations of the recipe. I like to add more walnuts and sub half the flour with whole wheat. Hope you enjoy them. You will likely make them more than once!
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Posted in Dessert, Russian/Ukrainian | Tagged How to Make Russian Tea cakes, Russian dessert, russian dessert recipes, Russian food, Russian Recipes, Russian Tea Cakes Recipe, Russian Teacakes Recipe | 1 Comment »
This chicken is named after the queen city of Ukraine; Kiev. Its a famous dish but most Ukrainians never prepared it at home because it was a gourmet treat. Chicken Kiev is considered ”the pinnacle of Russian cooking.”This s a modified version of the Russian Tea Room’s recipe. The original Chicken Kiev has a bone that sticks out like a handle (for presentation only). I’ve omitted the bone and created a recipe that is accessible to the everyday home chef. This dish takes some prep and practice, but it is sooo worth it! The first cut into the chicken releases a flavorful stream of hot butter which makes the chicken incredibly tender.
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Posted in Dinner, Russian/Ukrainian | Tagged Chicken Kiev Butter Recipe, Chicken Kiev Ingredients, Chicken Kiev Recipe, Chicken Kiev Russian Tea Room, How to Make Chicken Kiev, Kiev Butter, Russian Chicken Kiev, Russian food, Russian Recipes, Russian Tea Room Chicken Kiev, Ukrainian Recipes | 2 Comments »
Mom made these all the time when we were kids and she still makes them regularly. They are excellent with all kinds of toppings; sour cream, fresh fruit, jam, maple syrup… They are nothing like boxed pancakes or the junk from Ihop because they won’t taste like soggy bread the next day.
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Posted in Breakfast, Russian/Ukrainian | Tagged Blinchiki Recipe, Buttermilk pancakes recipe, how to make buttermilk pancakes, russian buttermilk pancakes, russian pancakes recipe, ukrainian buttermilk pancakes | 4 Comments »
Shuba means fur coat. This salad looks like one, hence the name. Originally this salad is made with herring. I know many people are turned off by the herring, while others love it. I used to be able to eat it until one day, my brother-in-law, Slavik, made it. It was quite tasty and I could not resist. However, I didn’t exactly think things through. I had that for breakfast the day after I had my wisdom teeth pulled and was on Vicodin for pain (side effect: nausea); it gets better. We decided to drive into the mountains (a two hour, windy road) to go mushroom picking. So to cut a nasty story short, I can no longer eat the original herring salad (shuba).
The idea to use smoked salmon actually came from my sister Tanya, who I believe is not a fan of the herring either. It’s so much better than herring! It’s the most bazaar salad to those who haven’t seen it. My husbands co-workers tried it; ”What is it?” asks one; “I don’t know, but it’s good!” You can make the veggies ahead of time and assemble when you’re good and ready.
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Posted in Russian/Ukrainian, Salad | Tagged Fur Coat Recipe, Herring Salad, how to make herring salad, How to make shuba, Russian Salad Recipe, Russian shooba recipe, Russian Shuba Recipe, Salmon Salad, Shooba, Shooba Recipe | 2 Comments »
My sister Tanya is a great home cook. She is always discovering something new and delicious and sharing it with us. Tanya showed us how to make this soup. It’s very tasty and healthy too! The meatballs are the real stars of this soup; you will savor each one. Make a big pot for your family and enjoy it all week (if it lasts that long). It’s one of those soups you don’t get tired of.
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Posted in Soup | Tagged healthy soup recipe, how to make meatball soup, meatball soup recipe, soup recipes, turkey meatball soup | Leave a Comment »
These are soo soo good with hot tea. They are tasty as-is and even better with the raspberry preserves. These were one of the cookies I made for Christmas, but you can use any shape cookie cutters as long as they are symmetrical for the cookie sandwiches (i.e. heart, circle, star). Get your kids in on making these with you. They can cut out the cookies, spread raspberry preserve and even dust the powered sugar. Of course, I had my 5 month old do all those things!
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Posted in Dessert | Tagged Barefoot Contessa Shortbread cookies, best shortbread cookies, How to Make shortbread cookies, shortbread cookies recipe, shortbread cookies with raspberry preserves | Leave a Comment »
Nalisniki, cheese blintzes, cheese crepes, blinchiki. This Russian dish has many names, but whatever it’s called, it has remained one of the most popular dishes with Vadim and I for breakfast, lunch or a late night snack. There are many ways to make them and a variety of fillings; everything from cheese to fruit and even meat! Make a batch of these and have gourmet breakfasts! They seem intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, they are fast and easy to make.
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Posted in Breakfast, Dessert, Russian/Ukrainian | Tagged best crepes recipe, Blinchiki Recipe, Cheese Crepes Recipe, Crepes with Cottage Cheese, How to make crepes, how to make nalesniki, Nalesniki recipe, nalesniki with cheese recipe, Nalisniki Recipe, russian nalesniki | 2 Comments »
My husband makes this version of the famous olivye salad. The chives and dill add a nice element of freshness. The great thing about Russian and Ukrainian cooking - there is no one right way to make any recipe. Each family has their own version which get passed down through generations. This olivye recipe really is the best I’ve tried. It takes some time to dice everything, but in the end you get the best potato salad that lasts almost a week in the fridge.
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Posted in Russian/Ukrainian, Salad | Tagged Best Potato salad recipe, Olivye Recipe, Russian Olivye, Russian Olivye Recipe, Russian Potatoe Salad Recipe, Ukrainian Olivye | 2 Comments »
My name is Natasha and I am a shrimp-aholic.
The ingredients are simple, the prep is easy and you saute for less than 5 minutes. Between the garlic, lemon and Dijon, it packs a lot of flavor.
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Posted in Dinner | Tagged garlic and herb shrimp, Grilled herb shrimp, how to cook shrimp, jumbo shrimp recipe, sauted shrimp recipe, shrimp recipes | 1 Comment »
I have just one word to describe this recipe; “RAARRRR!” It’s delicious. Your palate will thank you! It’s probably one of my favorite chicken recipes. The white wine and cream pair wonderfully; flavorful yet subtle. Hope you like it!
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Posted in Dinner | Tagged Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce, Chicken recipes, Chicken with cream sauce recipe, chicken with mushroom recipe | 1 Comment »
