ОНУФРАК

One morning over Winter break, my father walked into my room and showed me the origin of our last name, along with the accompanying immigration collection. The original name was ОНУФРАК, before being adjusted to Newfrock, the Americanized equivalent. Apparently, my last name is Slovakian/Ukrainian of origin.

Diving deeper, I found records and settler information for my ancestors, dating back 200 years ago. Most of the settler information is fairly accurate as well, considering most of them settled around the New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. If you haven't checked out your own name, I would give it a try!

http://www.americanlastnames.us/O/ONUFRAK.html
http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=onufrak

Собор Василия Блаженного!

Saint Basil's Cathedral, Red Square, Moscow, Russia

Directly adjacent to the Kremlin, lays the Saint Basil's Cathedral(Собор Василия Блаженного), standing over 150 feet tall at its peak. The cathedral is very distinct in that it was created in the mid-16th century, as well as it's architecture. It was designed to resemble a bonfire in full flame and is not only unique to it's time period, but all subsequent time periods, for the entire millennium from the 5th century to the 17th century. Very few structures rival the beauty and exceptionality of this structure. The building was originally used as a church until being seized by the Russian Federation. Since then, it has maintained the re-purpose of a museum.

More information:
http://www.saintbasil.ru/
http://www.moscow.info/red-square/st-basils-cathedral.aspx

Всемирный день кошек!

International Cat Day (Всемирный день кошек) is an "unofficial" holiday celebrated most commonly on August 8th and has been a tribute to cats everywhere for over a decade. While some celebrate their feline companions in August, Russians prefer to celebrate March 1st. Luckily! For those who weren't on campus early enough to attend the numerous festivities I'm sure the SPREES center put on, the United States celebrates on October 29th! The day is fully supported by the ASPCA and is often revered as a great opportunity to encourage awareness of pets without homes as well as adoption of animals in general.

More information (and cat pictures) can be obtained from any of the following links:
http://www.nationalcatday.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/29/national-cat-day_n_4173471.html

Бефстроганов!

Beef Stroganoff (Бефстроганов/Befstróganov) is a Russian dish of sauteed pieces of beef served in a sauce with sour cream. It is delicious, my favorite food, and everyone should know how to make it.

Ingredients: http://pastebin.com/BTbPN0Dt
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Ready in 1 hour 40 minutes

1. Remove any fat and gristle from the roast and cut into strips 1/2 inch thick by 2 inches long. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of both salt and pepper.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and brown the beef strips quickly, then push the beef strips off to one side. Add the onions and cook slowly for 3 to 5 minutes, then push to the side with the beef strips.
3. Stir the flour into the juices on the empty side of the pan. Pour in beef broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and stir in mustard. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
4. Five minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms, sour cream, and white wine. Heat briefly then salt and pepper to taste.

Credit: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/25202/beef-stroganoff-iii/