Aloysha the Pot

Aloysha the Pot is one of Tolstoy's most praised short stories, and maybe the most heart breaking. This story is a great example of Tolstoyian Principles. You can see them in Aloysha's meek, non-offensive, loving, and obedient lifestyle.  Thus representing, in Tolstoy's mind, the perfect Christian.

Summary:  Aloysha is sent to a merchants house by his father in order to be a servant. He did have time to learn to read, write, or even pray correctly.   Aloysha did everything that is required of him with no complaint, and got little gratitude for it. However, he met a cook named Ustinja, who helped him sometimes and he helped her. He soon asked her to marry him and she agreed, but the merchant did not want this and told Aloysha's father. His father than scolded him saying "I will marry you when the time comes.... so you should forget it" and Aloysha did as he was told. One day Aloysha was clearing snow of the merchants roof when he slipped and fell head first , Ustinja was the first to ask if he was fine, he replied that he was but had to get back to work. It was no use, his injuries were too severe and would kill him. Right before his death he told Ustinja "it's better they didn't let us marry, nothing would have come of it". In his heart that if he was good here, obeyed orders with no offense, that it would be good after death as well. With that final thought and a prayer, he stretched as if surprised and died.

Zander or Walleye

Most North American freshwater fishermen (and fisherwomen) are familiar with the light, tender delicacy that is the walleye. This popular game fish is found all over the united states both in lakes and rivers, and on dinner tables. As sport fishing has grown in Russia, a familiar fish has taken the lead as prized sport.

No, its not the walleye. However, there's not much that differentiates zander from it's North American twin. The trophy fish of the largest paying fishing tournament in Russia, the 1st place catch earned over $27k. Commonly referred to as sudok in Russian, its not difficult to see why this tasty fish has become so popular.

sources: www.outdoorlife.com

Blini’s!

Blini are Russia's version of the thin French crêpe and a staple on most Moscovian menus, typically made with buckwheat for savoury fillings or white flour for sweet toppings. You'll see accompaniments of smoked salmon, creamy mushrooms, sour cream, jams and condensed milk– to name a few– but the high-end, revered combination is a spoonful of red salmon or black sturgeon caviar. Another tasty Russian pancake is the cottage cheese version called syrniki, a denser form of ricotta-pancakes, which are eaten for breakfast or dessert. They're best served with homemade jams made from Russia's large array of berries, although condensed milk, honey and sour cream are also served as condiments.(Expatica) 

Ingredients:
(makes ~15 crepes)

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of milk (or heavy cream for more indulgent blini)
• 1T sugar
• 1/2t salt
• approx. 2 cups of flour 
• 2T canola or vegetable oil + more for rubbing the pan

Instructions:

1. Whisk eggs, milk, sugar and salt
2. Slowly start stirring in flour. Start with a cup, and stir a little more at a time until you get a runny batter but not as thin as milk - don't stress about this step, you can always adjust as you go!
3. Stir in oil
4. Let rest for 15 minutes
5. Preheat a 10" pan over medium heat and rub with oil (I pour some in a little cup and dip a paper towel in, then run it around the pan before making each blin)
6. Use a 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup measurer the scoop the batter into the middle of the pan, then quickly tilt the pan in a circular motion until the batter spreads to cover the pan surface. It should be a very thin layer*.
7. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side, until small bubbles form on top and the crepe is light golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook for 30 seconds. Repeat until batter is used (don't forget to rub the pan with oil each time!)
8. As always, enjoy with sweetened condensed milk, sour cream and jam or any toppings, dips, or fillings of your choice. :)

*The first few blini may be experimental. Try the 1/4 cup and see if the batter covers the pan. Does it easily slide around the pan? If it's too thick, add some milk/cream to the batter. If it's too thin, add more flour to the batter. If it flows freely but doesn't properly cover the pan, use 1/3 cup per blin. I made these twice using a 10" pan, the first time 1/3 cup was perfect, the second time 1/4 cup was enough. Play with heat as well... my stove at home got hot quickly and the crepes were burning on medium (3.5/10 heat ended up perfect). At my parents' in law house in Maine, the pan wouldn't get hot enough on medium, but the crepes were cooking properly on medium high.
(http://www.russianbites.com)

The Dawn of the Space Race

Sputnik 1

On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union successfully launched the first unmanned satellite in the history of space exploration. Sputnik's launch shocked many around the globe, especially America who saw themselves as technologically superior to the Soviet Union. With this event, the Soviet union was able to get the upper hand in their arms race with the United States. Sputnik proved outer space is  reachable by humans. 

The embarrassment of the United States after Sputnik galvanized them to launch their own artificial satellite, the Explorer I, on January 31, 1958. The ensuing space race would be one the highest period of scientific research and discovery

Sunflowers

One may assume from seeing Van Gogh’s famous paintings of sunflowers that this happy flower is a native of the fields of Europe. This is not quite the case. Of the plants native to North America, the sunflower is probably one of the cheeriest. It was cultivated by Native Americans but found itself abandoned once our ancestors took over the landscape. Thanks to a few Europeans that took seeds back to Europe, it flourished in a new home, spreading across Europe to Ukraine and Russia. As we know from looking at food packaging today, cooking oil can be produced from the seeds of the sunflower. When the sunflower made its way to the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine and Russia, it found itself cultivated on a massive scale, as it was one of the few foods not banned during Lent, foods such as butter. More productive varieties were produced during the Soviet Era. Once it was discovered to be a more healthy oil compared to corn and soy oils, it became popular in America. Thus the sunflower found it had come full circle in its travels.

The Night Witches

The Night Witches was the nickname for a regiment of the Soviet Air Forces that consisted of almost solely female aviators. This group was notorious for taking on night bombings and harassing Germany throughout the entire war. Most of the women that survived to the war's end had flown almost 1000 bombing missions each, and flew in obsolete biplanes called the polikarov PO-2 biplanes. These planes could hold only 2 bombs and were the slowest planes to be in use, often coming back riddled with bullets. They often faced sexual harrassment, discrimination from male colleagues and superiors, the controversy of women in combat, and overcoming extremely demanding tasks to learn how to fly. The women would commit harrassment bombings on the Germans, and would often fly so low to the ground to be concealed by hedgegroves. It was said any German pilot to shoot down one of the Night Witches would earn an Iron Cross. The Witches would perform their raids by turning off their engines and silently gliding to their intended targets, releasing their bombs, then restarting the engines to quickly make their escape before being spotted. These women have a myriad of breathtaking stories about their feats and bravery. One thing is very clear: you did not want to be one of the Night Witches next targets.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Like the United States, Russia also has a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is located at the Kremlin Wall in Moscow. Here all those who died in World War II are commemorated. In front of the tomb is a five pointed star with the Eternal Flame coming from it. Every hour there is also a changing of the guard here.



http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Russia/Gorod_Moskva/Moscow-592480/Things_To_Do-Moscow-Tomb_of_the_Unknown_Soldier-BR-1.html

http://gallery.hd.org/_exhibits/places-and-sights/_more2006/_more09/Russia-Moscow-Tomb-of-the-Unknown-Soldier-red-brick-wall-and-flower-wreaths-behind-1-CKB.jpg

Russia does not plan on opening military bases in Cuba_Brett Ferguson

In recent news, talk about Russia possibly opening military bases in cuba was shot down by a top Russian diplomat on the 26th. 

During an interview the diplomat stated “We have no plans to open a military base on Cuba. This has not even been discussed, ever. We are developing our relations with Cuba on a completely different plane. The issues of combat readiness of the Cuban military forces are a completely different aspect and there is absolutely no grounds to suggest that we are planning to set up anything there,” the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for Latin America, Aleksandr Schetinin, said in an interview with RIA Novosti. 

Apparently during the Soviet Union era, Russia had a huge military intelligence base in cuba with over 3000 people working abroad there. It was closed in 2001 due to it costing too much money to maintain it. It's now used as a university in cuba. 

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

I find it interesting the dishes that Russia has. They are very different than what we have here in the United States. Take a look at stuffed cabbage rolls and how to make them.

Ingredients:

2/3 water
1/3 cup of rice
8 cabbage leaves
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can condensed tomato soup

Directions:

• Prep
  20 m
• Cook
  40 m
• Ready In
  1 h

1. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Bring a large, wide saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add cabbage leaves and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until softened; drain.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, 1 cup cooked rice, onion, egg, salt and pepper, along with 2 tablespoons of tomato soup. Mix thoroughly.
4. Divide the beef mixture evenly among the cabbage leaves. Roll and secure them with toothpicks or string.
5. In a large skillet over medium heat, place the cabbage rolls and pour the remaining tomato soup over the top. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring and basting with the liquid often.

Russian WWII Veterans

iremember.ru is a website created by the Russian Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communication. Available in both English and Russian, this site is a compilation of memoirs from Russian World War II veterans, most of whom are alive today. These interviewees range from front line soldiers to NKVD agents and encompass many age groups at the time of service. Not only do these interviews provide insight into the combat experience of these people, but they also detail Stalin's style of command during this time.