In February, we were Russian!

We “visited” Russia in February. We didn’t do a ton for it because we were pretty busy in our regular non-Russian lives, but we did do three fun things:

We had Caviar!!!
We splashed out on a $200 box of caviar (yep!), because we had no choice…that’s what Russians do, right?

 
This is how much caviar $200 buys you — those five little circle containers!

 
Worth it!  I’ve never had caviar (Jac has, of course). I need try it at least once in my life. So, we dressed up like Russians, had a little vodka (’cause Russians do that too!):

 
and we had a very fun, very unique, very Russian experience!  Look at this spread!!!

Our grand caviar spread included five types of caviar and six different toppings to go with it, all served on a
plate of crushed ice–just like they do in Russia. (Extra points for Jac on that one. He thinks of everything!)


As I soon learned, the caviar and the toppings go on top of “blinis” (little pancakes, also made fresh by Jac).  By combining different types of caviar and other toppings you can make some very delicious, very different taste experiences.  Jac walked me through several creations so I could experience the range of tastes and the impact of different toppings, and then he set me loose to make my own caviar creations.

The verdict — VERY yummy.  If caviar wasn’t so dang expensive (and so much prep work for Jac!), I’d be suggesting we have it for dinner at least once a month. But it is expensive and time consuming, so I’m just glad I got to have this experience this one time, with my Jac….whose awe-inspiring food knowledge makes all these fun country experiences so incredibly memorable!  

In the end, we ate every little bit…

got a little goofy on vodka…

so much so that someone even sang to their beloved, homemade beet necklace. Because Russians like beets, of course. 🙂


Yep, this was the best $200 I’ve spent in years!  THIS is what our country dates are all about for me. Such a authentic, unique experience! 🙂

Russia Party #2
There was more Russian food to be made, and a few more Russian decorations to put up, so we decided to have a second Russian date, but this time invite my family!  Jac prepared a bunch of different Russian foods, including: 

  • pierogis (potato dumplings)
  • beet salad
  • pirozhkis (stuffed meat pies)
  • shashlik (shish-kebabs)
  • mizeria (cucumber salad)

And my mom made her famous beef stroganoff. We were having it at her house, so I did just a little bit of decorating to create the atmosphere.

Here’s the final spread (we ate buffet style). I made little labels so that people would know the Russian word for what they were eating:

 
 

In the end, the food was yummy and it was fun to get together with family…

but the caviar date KILLED it.  If I get reincarnated as a Russian, I need to be a rich Russian, because momma needs more caviar!!


St. Basil’s Cathedral 3D Puzzle
The last thing we did for our Russia adventure was this 3D puzzle of St. Basil’s Cathedral.  Jac made us some pierogis (potato dumplings) to eat while we worked. And we did put in a few hours on it….

but then we lost interest and never picked it back up again. We got a little bit further than show here:

I’m thinkin’ 3D puzzles aren’t really our thing. We also never finished the clock we were putting together during our Switzerland month. Live and learn….no more 3D puzzles for us.  Well, except for next month.  I’ve already bought one to go with our England theme. We’ll give that one a go and then for sure call it.   🙂

 ____

Some ideas for next time we ‘visit’ Russia. I admit it…we didn’t really do a lot of Russian things this month. Thats on me. I did think of a ton of fun/goofy ideas, but we just didn’t do ‘um. So, I’m listing them here for next time we do Russia:

  • Famed Trans-Siberian Railroad & the Russian love of gymnastics — dress in our Russian t’s and hats, pack up the canisters with Russian food, and take Frontliner to a U of U gymnastics meet
  • Famous Russian Faberge eggs — Make DIY faberge eggs like described here. Could be fun for Easter!
  • Russians love ballet — Go to Ballet West (or watch a ballet performance at home after a fancy dinner) 
  • Getting around in frozen Siberia — Snowmobiles and dogsleeds are the main mode of transport in Siberia. Park City tour operators offer day trips for both.
  • Russians love hockey — Ice hockey is a popular sport in Russia, and the country often wins this sport in the Olympics. Go to a Grizzlies hockey game.
  • Make rustic Russian breads — Russia’s steppes are extremely productive for growing wheat. In fact, Russia is the world’s largest wheat exporter. Have Jac teach me how to make bread. 
  • Nesting Dolls tradition — Paint our own nesting dolls (using these unpainted wood nesting dolls)
  • Play the Russian Roulette drinking game — follow directions listed here
  • Watch movies set in Russia — like A Gentleman in Moscow, Bridge of Spies, Anna Karenina
  • Eastern Orthodox religion — visit SLC’s Eastern Orthodox church (services Sunday at 9:30)
  • Russia LOVES chess — Have Jac teach me how 
  • Russian folk dancing — Russia is the origin of those cool jumping/leg-kicking folk dances. Find some good ones on this site and invent a White Russian drinking game to go with it.