American Ukrainian Easter Dinner

[ML]

We had a ‘mixed’ Easter dinner here.

American: Baked ham, sweet potato with brown sugar and butter, green olives, black olives, crescent rolls, Sauvignon blanc wine.

Ukrainian: Grated beets with diced prunes, chopped walnuts and garlic.
Cheese paska with chopped almonds, diced dates, chopped dried mango, and raisins.

The cheese part of this was made from scratch over several days using whole milk and a kefir starter.  Quite amazing how good this tastes, even with no other flavoring or added ingredients.  I have started putting this (when available) on blini in place of Philadelphia cream cheese.

Next Sunday we go all Ukrainian . . . as I understand it.

What did you have?

[Boethius]

My parents are away, so it was just my family.  My sister had a long weekend and wanted to relax with her kids.

I cooked a 12 lb turkey, made stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, mashed turnips (my daughter's favourite), steamed broccolini, and a salad.  No wine, as hubby does not drink and I can't finish a bottle myself within a week.  No dessert, but the kids drank coke.


For Easter next week, I will make an Easter basket to be blessed, which will contain a paska (never with cheese, it is not in our tradition), a small ham, kovbassa, eggs, cottage cheese, beets, horseradish, butter, and salt. 

My Grandmother, God rest her soul, always put together the Easter basket, it had to be done a certain way, and my Grandfather took it to the midnight service.  Later, one of my siblings did this for her.  Until her eighties, she cooked Easter dinner, which consisted of holubtsi (with both sweet and sour cabbage), varenyky, a roasted chicken (she rarely roasted meats, in fact, she rarely ate meat, and her chickens were the best I've ever tasted), stuffing, beans (a special recipe, not green beans), studenetz (which I don't eat), and assorted veggies.  That was usually for a large group of people.  My mother and my aunt later alternated in making these meals.

We likely won't have Easter dinner next week, but perhaps I'll make holubtsi and varenyky. 

[The Natural]

I had dinner with my brother and his family yesterday. He's some kind of expert with the turkey and had prepared a 6 kg. (13 lbs.) turkey with homemade boiled potatoes, carrots, Waldorf salad and a wonderful gravy.
This is my favourite dinner and we also had that just before my girl returned home from her visit here.

[ghost of moon goddess]

...
Cheese paska with chopped almonds, diced dates, chopped dried mango, and raisins.

The cheese part of this was made from scratch over several days using whole milk and a kefir starter.  Quite amazing how good this tastes, even with no other flavoring or added ingredients.  I have started putting this (when available) on blini in place of Philadelphia cream cheese.

Cool! 

Cheese paskha


HAPPY EASTER !!!

[Gator]

Moon Goddess,
 
Delightful photo of cheese pashka.  XB?  Does that mean "Christ Rose (verb, not flower)?"
 
My older son spent Easter with his mom.  My younger son was with his girlfriend.  My future stepdaughter went to a Russian family dinner.  I stayed home, alone with my Great Dane.   
 
The Dane and I had a delightful time watching the entertaining five hours of the Masters Golf Tournament.  It was won by a religious cracker named Bubba Watson from Bagdad, Florida who can produce magic with his unique, self-taught style.   Did I say unique?  His driver (his longest club) is colored pink.   Can you imagine a RM playing hockey with a pink stick!   
 
Early in the day a golfer from South Africa made a miracle shot (a double eagle) to take the lead.  He held the lead for the entire day as one golfer after another would rise to challenge him and then falter......then Bubba tied  him to force a playoff.  There they stood: the South African, calm and steady.....  Bubba, anything but calm and steady.  On the second playoff hole, Bubba was 'in jail' deep in the woods and could not see the green (his target).   From there he performed magic to make an even more miraculous shot.  In the game of golf, it was equal  to "rising from the dead."

 
What did we have for dinner?  While watching the tournament I grilled steelhead trout, steamed some greens and spiced it with ginger and a homemade dry mustard and horseradish sauce.  The Great Dane had the leftover steelhead skin mixed with her dry dog chow.   Would pashka taste good on a cracker with pivo? 
 
 

[Gylden]

"Would pashka taste good on a cracker with pivo? "
 
LOL Gator, my wife says if you like yogurt with beer than yes!
 
We had a simple but delicious roasted leg of lamb with roasted vegies!
With her son and his girlfriend.
 
My wife is a master!

[Hammer2722]

Yesterday, I treated myself to pork and chicken cutleti. Its a recipe I found on-line. It  was delish!!!!

[Gator]

GQ,
 
I was hoping that Tiger would show he's back.  He faltered in most every aspect of the game.  Not one round under par.   He needs more time.   Will he win another major?  Is it true that he is thinking about moving to the left side.   
 
Even with Tiger's absence from the leaderboard we had a very entertaining Masters.   Do you agree?
 
I wrote this in another thread.  The Masters " was won by a cracker named Bubba Watson from Bagdad, Florida who can produce magic with his unique, self-taught style.   Did I say unique?  His driver (his longest club) is colored pink.   Can you imagine a RM playing hockey with a pink stick!   
 
Early in the day Louis Oosthuisen from South Africa made a miracle shot (a double eagle) to take the lead.  He held the lead for the entire day as one golfer after another would rise to challenge him and then falter......then Bubba tied  him to force a playoff.  There they stood: the South African, calm and steady..... Bubba, anything but calm and steady.  On the second playoff hole, Bubba was 'in jail' deep in the woods and could not see the green.   From there he performed magic to make an even more miraculous shot.  In the game of golf, it was equal  tt 'rising from the dead,' so appropriate for Easter Sunday."

Meet Bubba:

http://espn.go.com/golf/masters12/story/_/id/7788966/2012-masters-bubba-watson-rallies-win-green-jacket-2-hole-playoff
 
 

[ghost of moon goddess]

...
 XB?  Does that mean "Christ Rose (verb, not flower)?"
 

That means "Christ is Risen" (the Paschal greeting). And the response is "Truly, He is Risen"

[mendeleyev]

Gator, in agreeing with Moon Goddess,

Христос воскрес! (Christ is risen!)

Воистину воскрес! (Truly/Indeed risen!)


There is an excellent guide to Easter terms and how to pronounce them here: http://listen2russian.com/lesson05/d/index.html