Mary

We love you Mary.

Please start sleeping at night.

Carpathian Mountains

We took Packa Low Low to the Carpathians to hunt an elusive bird ...

We found the bird, but we ended up capturing a wild beast  that refuses to be tamed. Periodic stops in the car-ride - case in point. 

Fortunately the rest of the crew traveled very well.

We sang The Sound of Music,  had some much needed daddy-daughter time. (During nap-time Ella and Daddy went to the river. Daddy said he liked the calm parts of the river, and the rapids. When asked what her favorite part was, Ella responded, "my favorite part is just being with you Dad.") 

 We breathed the clean mountain air, and had fun resting in the grass.

 We attended a Russian Orthodox church meeting, briefly. I can't help but be impressed and humbled by the faithfulness and unity of an entire village joining together in worship of Deity.

Packa Low Low

We are so excited! Grandpa Nelson came to visit, bearing gifts of a most American nature: fajita mix, and Betty Crocker cake mix are not to be found in Lviv. I'm told there is a store in Kyiv that has brown sugar ... needless to say, there are some food items, and other necessities, we're accustomed to that just aren't available in these parts ... like Downy, Betty Crocker frosting, Carter's onesies, Melissa and Doug floor puzzles, and food coloring.

Amazingly Packa Low Low was able to fit an incredible amount of goodies for everyone in his bags.

A dear friend, and surrogate grandma while we lived in Millbrae, Marlene McBride, helped me make Ella's first birthday cake just like the one we made for Mary.
It's fun to see how the colors turn out ... and even more fun if you are 3 or almost 5 to help make!
Just make a white cake mix according to directions, separate the batter into bowls (glasses) and add food coloring to make separate colors (don't forget to leave one white).
Drop colored batter by tablespoons into 2 flowered round cake pan ... try to alternate colors.
Continue until all the batter is gone.
Once the two round cakes are cooked, and cooled, frost and decorate as desired.
Another friend (Allyson) taught me how to more effectively frost cake.
Freeze each cake before frosting to make them easier to handle, and then apply a 'crumb' layer of frosting (thin layer), chill again, and finish frosting.
This is a fun, festive, easy cake for kids to help make, and eat.
Happy birthday Mary!

Mary's First Birthday

Little Mary is now officially "a number" - as her sisters would previously remind that she was "not yet a number." (Evidently months don't count.) We celebrated all day long - Daddy made German pancakes for breakfast, after naps we went to the park, had a snack at a cafe, stopped by Bubbles, and made it home in time for a real American-boxed birthday cake and frosting from a can ... yum:)!

Borscht

A Ukrainian Staple. 

Here's how I was taught to make it ~

you'll want to wear an apron, beet juice is not easy to get out ... and that's coming from someone in the laundry business:)! 

Happy cooking ~ Ukrainian style!

Finely slice half a head of cabbage (in thin strips about 2-3 inches long).

Peel and chop (bit-size pieces) 3 large potatoes. 

In large pot, boil 1 cup large beans.

Add sliced cabbage and chopped potatoes. 

Wash, peel, and grate 3 medium size carrots, and 2 medium size red beets. 

Separate the grated beets into two piles (2/3 of beets in one pile, 1/3 of beets in the other).

Chop 1 medium onion - fry in large skillet in two table spoons of oil. Add the grated carrots and smaller (1/3) pile of grated beets. Add the larger (2/3) pile of grated beets to the cooking pot of beans, potatoes, and cabbage.

Over medium-low heat add to the onion, carrot, beet mixture 1/3 cup tomato paste dissolved in 1/3 cup water. Continue cooking for several minutes. 

Add frying pan mixture to pot.

Add salt, pepper, fresh dill, and parsley to taste. Wait patiently.   Continue cooking on low heat for several hours.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream, and fresh bread.  Other borscht variations include meat ... with or without a variety of beans ... and spices to taste.  Borscht is sort of like American chili and people get passionate about what should and shouldn't be in a 'good' bowl of borscht.  As long as you have beets, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and onions in there - it counts as Borscht, I'm told - and then you can do whatever you like to spice it up!

Ukrainian salad

This quick and easy Ukrainian salad is a staple we eat several times a week.

Sliced cucumbers, chopped tomatoes, fresh dill, salt, pepper and drizzle with oil.
It's eaten here as a side to almost any, and every, Ukrainian meal.

potato verenyky

You can make verenyky with virtually any fruit or vegetable. Potato is probably the most common. If there is meat, it's called palmanni. I love verenyky with cabbage, onions, and carrots. At our favorite Lviv restaurant they serve poppy-seed verenyky with golden raisins and a honey sauce ... mmm.
For potato verenyky, peel, boil (in salted water), and mash 4 medium potatoes.
Make the verenyky dough.
Once the mashed potatoes have cooled a bit, add 1/2 cup ricotta (type) cheese.

Then, roll out the dough, add potato filling, and pinch tight to close - adding flour to seal the edges.

Boil for 5-7 minutes.

In the meantime cook a 1/2 cup finely chopped onions in oil until brown.
Top verenyky with golden onions, and serve with sour cream.