Three-Course Ukrainian Dinner

In my last post, I shared the Ukrainian tablescape that I set to celebrate Ukraine Independence Day.

And today, I want to share what we had for dinner than night.



For the first course we had borscht (a beetroot soup that is popular in many East-European countries). I learned to make borscht a long time ago and I cook it quite often. However, making the same old borsht for a special dinner wouldn’t be any special!
So I searched the web for a new and exciting recipe, and I found it here. At first, I was skeptical about the recipe, but it turned out pretty good and my family liked it.
This is my official special occasion borscht recipe now!



For the second course, we had cabbage rolls and boiled potatoes. Cabbage rolls (another dish common in Ukraine) consist of meat and grain filling (such as beef and rice, or pork and barley) wrapped in cooked cabbage leaves.
My family is vegetarian, so I had to get creative about the filling. I substituted ground beef with vegetarian Morning Star crumbles. I must admit I wasn’t too happy about it, I think next time I will omit meat altogether and add more seasoning. Anyway, you can see the original recipe here.



For the sweet course, we had thin pancakes that are similar to crepes. In Russian they are called blini, and if memory serves me right in Ukrainian they are called nalesniki. I learned to make them when I was a little girl, so I don’t follow a measured recipe and don’t have one to share with you today.

I served my blini with homemade plum jam that I made just the day before. The plums came from my (neighbor’s) garden; they weren’t very big but very sweet. I followed the measuring from this recipe, but I didn’t peel my plums as suggested in the recipe.



I now only have to tell you what we drank during our celebration. My husband suggested Horilka (Ukrainian vodka), but I did not approve. Instead, I made a fruit drink that I remember my mom and grandmother making back in Ukraine. It’s kind of like fruit punch. It’s made by boiling fresh fruits in a big amount of water. When the fruits release their juices and aromas, sugar is added. The drink is strained and chilled, and the fruits are discarded.

And this was our traditional Ukraine Independence Day celebration dinner! It might sound simple, but it actually took me two days to make it!

I’m joining Stone Gable for On the Menu Monday Link Party.

Ukraine Independence Day Celebration

Today is a very special day! It’s the day when Ukraine celebrates its independence. And being of Ukrainian descent I have a tradition to make a special dinner on this day to celebrate my cultural heritage and pass it on to my children.

All month long, I was looking forward to setting a Ukraine inspired dining table. And now I want to share it with you!



I used one of my Ukrainian rushnyks as a table runner.
The center piece was a Ukraine countryside inspired bouquet. Two things here are of special importance.



In Ukraine there is a tradition that wheat ears must be present on the table during celebrations as they represent prosperity of the family. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any luck finding them at the craft stores I went to. But I did not despair! I substituted wheat ears with millet ones (they grew in my garden from the seeds that fell down from a bird feeder); they both are grains after all!

If you take a drive in the Ukrainian countryside during summer, one thing you are sure to see is endless fields of sunflowers. To remind me of that beautiful sight, I have a sunflower in my bouquet.

To hold my bouquet, I used a plain clay jug that I received as a present on my visit in Ukraine several years ago.



And here are a couple of details on my table: the clay ram and the straw pig bring country charm to my diner setting.





Blue and yellow are the colors of the Ukrainian flag. That is why I used the flowers of these colors for napkin rings.





The dinnerware is quite simple. All the plates are from different sources (the bowls are from a yard sale, the salad plates are from a thrift store, and the dinner plates are from Wal-Mart), but I think they matched nicely.



Setting this table and making dinner brought so many beautiful memories of Ukraine.

By the way, if you would like to see my Ukrainian outfit, you can check my post from the last year here. Sorry to say, I didn’t take a picture this year.

You might ask what we had for dinner. Well, I’ll tell you that in my next post.

Thank you for stopping by.

I am joining these link parties:

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch,
Home Sweet Home Friday @The Charm of Home,
Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home,
Feathering Your Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage.

Tuscan Chickpea Soup

My blogging friend Sheila recently returned from a vacation in Italy. On her blog, she shared pictures and cultural notes about the town of Cortona in Tuscany. I’ve never been there, so I really enjoyed Sheila’s photo tour. I even went a step farther and took a “culinary trip” to Tuscany :-)

I found the recipe for Tuscan chickpea soup on My Recipes. The soup is delicious and easy to make.



2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onion
8 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups water
1 teaspoon minced fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a cooking pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the water and the next 5 ingredients (water through tomatoes), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Place 2 cups soup in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Pour the pureed soup into a bowl. Repeat procedure with 2 cups soup. Return all pureed soup to pan. Stir in the vinegar, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Serve sprinkled with 1 tablespoon cheese.

Makes 6 servings.

I'm contributing this recipe to Foodie Friday @ Designs by Gollum and sharing it at Home Sweet Home Friday @ The Charm of Home.

I'm also joining Friday Potluck Recipe Hop @ EKat's Kitchen.

From the Garden to the Kitchen

Just look at these vegetables! Aren’t they beautiful? They all came from my garden!



Actually, what I love to call “garden” in reality is a tiny suburban backyard. It makes me happy to realize that even with so little space I manage to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, onions, and herbs.

It’s great to go to “the garden” and pick a few ripe tomatoes, a red onion, and a bit of fresh basil, then wash and chop everything, add a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, and enjoy a delicious summer salad.



I love picking vegetables from my garden, and my son loves picking berries. Just when I thought that all the berries were gone, he managed to find a big blackberry and a small strawberry.

Luckily, the raspberry vines are begging to bloom again, so there will be more raspberries for my sonny to enjoy in the fall.



If you are a gardener, don't forget to visit An Oregon Cottage for Tuesday Garden Party.

It’s a Roosters and Chickens Party!

Shelia at Note Songs is having Heart of the Home Party - Roosters and Chickens, and I wanted my darling kitchen rooster to join too.



When my husband and I bought our house a few years ago, I was so happy that it had a nice and roomy kitchen. The kitchen is the place where I spend a lot of my time (no, not eating, cooking!), so it must be a pleasant and enjoyable place. Even though we live in a suburban city, I wanted my kitchen to have that cozy and warm farm-living feeling.

Originally, I wanted a duck or a goose to inhabit my kitchen. But when I came across this colorful and vibrant rooster, I knew right away that’s the bird for my kitchen!



Thank you for stopping by and, please, join Shelia to see more roosters and chickens in other homes.