Lately, I have been feeling a bit nostalgic for Russia, which is probably because Andrey is back there visiting. He is there for a very good reason, his brother’s wedding, but that doesn’t change the fact that I miss him and wish I could have gone as well.

There were reasons we went to live in Russia and reasons that we chose to come back. Some of you wonder why I would miss a place that still has movie theaters without modern plumbing, but Omsk had its good points. To put my sudden nostalgia to good use I thought I would share a few of the things I miss about Omsk.

1.     I miss that every morning on my way to the theater I passed the beautiful Dormition Cathedral. Even on cold, snowy mornings I was happy to get a look at it from the bus.

2.     I miss the Siberian silver birch forests that surrounded the city. They presented a gorgeous view that I had never experienced before my first visit.

3.     I miss hearing Russian spoken everywhere. Even though I didn’t understand everything and often got lost in a conversation, I enjoyed hearing it and trying to see how much I could catch.

4.     I miss visiting my husbands parents and trying to get through whole recipes with my mother-in-law without Andrey’s help. And of course I miss the homemade vareniki and bellini she often greeted us with.

5.     Finally I miss being the amerikanka. It was fun to be so special. Everywhere I went people wanted to ask me something about the U.S. or about why we were in Russia.

And to finish off my mental trip to Russia here is my version of a traditional recipe, кулебяка рыба or fish pie.

Russian Salmon Pie

Makes one 8x8 inch pie

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 sticks butter, cold

1 tsp. salt

½- ¾  c. ice water (as needed)

Filling:

1 lb. salmon

½ c. cooked rice

2 hard boiled eggs

1 large shallots

1 large carrot

4 tbs fresh dill, chopped

1 tbs fresh parsley, chopped

salt & pepper to taste

Sauce:

1 shallot

2 tbs. butter

2 tbs. flour

½ c. fish broth or vegetable broth (low sodium)

½. c. white wine

Directions:

Sauce:

1.     Heat the butter in a small saucepan.

2.     Add the shallot and sauté until cooked.

3.     Use a fork to stir the flour into the mixture.

4.     Add the broth and wine and simmer on low for 4-5 minutes to cook the flour.

5.     If it is too thick you may add a bit more broth or cook it longer if it is too thin.

6.     Set the sauce aside until the rest of the pie is ready.

Crust:

1.     Take the butter out of the fridge and cut it into small chunks in a bowl.

2.     Add the salt to the flour.

3.     Add the flour one cup at a time using a fork to mix it gently into the butter. Then continue using a fork and knife to cut the butter into the flour until it is pea sized, but avoid mashing the butter.  This should be done as quickly as possible, so the butter does not begin to melt.

4.     Remove the ice from the water and pour a half a cup into the flour and butter mixture. Mix it in and add the additional water if necessary.

5.     After it is mostly mixed use your hands to bring it together. Use as few strokes as possible to kneed it and do not over-work the dough.

6.     Once the dough has come together in a ball place it onto a floured piece of wax paper.

7.     Split the dough in half and set one part aside.

8.     Form one half into a square and set it on the wax paper. Flour it and place another piece of wax paper on top of it. Now use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into the correct size (using your pan as a guide).

9.     Repeat with the second half of the dough.

10. Lay one rolled out piece into an 8x8 inch square baking dish pressing it into the corners and cutting off any that goes over the top. This will look a little rough, but it is a rustic style pie and no one will see it once it is filled.

11. Leave the second piece between the wax paper and use a cookie sheet to place it in the refrigerator until later.

Filling:

1.     Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. When it is hot lay the pieces of salmon in skin side down and cover. After about 3-4 minutes flip the salmon over and peel off the skin. Recover and cook another 1-2 minutes or until done. Remove from the heat and flake the salmon. Set it aside.

2.     Finely dice the carrot and shallot.

3.     Heat olive oil in a small frying pan and add the shallot. Cook until it softens and add the carrot. Cook until the carrot is done being careful not to let it burn.

4.     Dice the hard boiled eggs.

5.     Chop the dill and parsley.

6.     Mix the rice, egg, herbs, and shallot and carrot into the salmon using a fork. Avoid breaking the salmon into smaller pieces.

7.     Add salt and pepper to taste.

The Pie:

1.     Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.

2.     Reheat the sauce and pour half of it into the salmon mixture. Stir it in and add as much more as you think it needs. The rest can be reserved to serve on the side.

3.     Spoon the salmon mixture into the bottom pie crust.

4.     Take the top crust out of the fridge. Carefully peel one piece of wax paper off. Then flip it onto the baking pan and peel the other piece of wax paper off, so that the crust is left laying on top of the pie.

5.     Use your fingers to press the two crusts together.

6.     Bake for 30 minutes or until the curst is golden brown.

For a healthy vegan dessert this pie is deceptively sweet and rich, which means that a whole week after Easter we still have half a pie left! This is not to suggest that it isn’t amazing, but it must be eaten in tiny portions (or you will regret it).

I cannot claim this creative recipe as my own it is from Oh She Glows and you should check out her original post for its beautiful photos. This was my second time making the pie and I use her recipe with only one alteration: I leave out the ground flax because I think the taste is better without it.

Chocolate Coconut Pie
Vegan, grain-free, processed sugar free



Ingredients:

Crust:

1 ¼ c. pitted dates*

1 ¼ c. coconut

2 ½ tbs. raw cocoa

1 tbs. coconut oil

¼ tsp. salt

Filling:

1 c. coconut milk (full fat)

300 g. chocolate

3-4 tbs. maple syrup/honey*

1 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

*soak ahead of time if they are firm.

* depending on how sweet the chocolate you are using is. If you use an unsweetened baking chocolate you will need all 4 table spoons, but if you use a baking bar or chips that are semi-sweet then you will want less or none at all.

Directions:

1.     Toast the coconut. This is not essential, but it only takes 7-10 minutes at 350 and adds to the texture.

2.     Line the 9-inch pie plate with saran-wrap. You absolutely want to do this. The second time I decided I would just grease the pie plate and I spent a long time carefully chiseling each piece of pie out.

3.     A food processor is the best way to prepare the crust, but if you don’t have one it is possible to do it without one. If you are not using a food processor you should definitely soak the dates. If you have an emersion blender that can be used to pulverize the dates, this is what I did the first time I made it.

4.     Start the crust by putting the dates either in a food processor or using an emersion blender or blender to pulverize them.

5.     Then continue to add the ingredients to the dates in order until they are all combined. If you are using a food processor do they whole crust in it. If you used a blender or emersion blender I would mix the other ingredients in by hand.

6.     Now the crust should be in a ball feeling sticky but pliable. Place the ball in the middle of the pie plate and begin flattening it out. Be careful to press the dough out evenly in all directions, so that you don’t end up with too much on one side. Set the crust aside.

7.     To prepare the filling begin by melting the chocolate in a double broiler or over low heat with consistent stirring. Once it is smooth let it cool to room temperature.

8.     Combine the melted chocolate and the coconut milk and whisk until smooth.

9.     Whisk in the sweetener, vanilla, and salt.

10. Spoon the filling into the pie crust and carefully set it in the freezer to harden. There might be a bit more filling than fits into the crust. Both time I put the extra in a ramekin and froze it as well.

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as we have. Let me know if you make it and what you think of the results!

Easter holds many happy childhood memories for me. Some that are specifically related to the holiday like dying eggs or decorating the house, but many more that are generally related to the coming of Spring. That wonderful time when the sun feels warmer and the outdoors feels alive again. When this change in weather occurs I am always reminded of the past by the scents and sights of Spring. I walk past a yard that is being mulched and I think about going to gardening stores with my mom to pick out things to plant and of course to order a giant pile of mulch. The new grass reminds me of the much coveted feeling of putting one's bare feet in the grass for the first time after Winter. As a child the weeks around Easter were a time when I was still in school, but the promise of Summer vacation was within reach. A wonderful time of excitement and expectation and the Easter holiday was the preview. A chance to sample all the wonderful things that Summer will bring.

Even now with no promise of a Summer vacation I still enjoy celebrating Easter. For me it has become a day to stop and recognize that Spring is here with all the wonderful feelings of new life and a clean slate that this particular season holds. Plus who doesn't enjoy having a reason to make a special meal.

I was pretty excited to plan a menu for this Easter and decided to try a couple new things. Thanks to some prep-work these were ready on Sunday morning.

We dyed the eggs using vegetable and fruit pigments, the best results came from onion skins and blueberries, but we also tried beets and spinach. The scones were actually supposed to be a Russian Easter Bread, a first for us. This was one of my attempts to add some Russian Easter traditions into our holiday. However, the dough ended up not rising, so my mother made a quick save by turning them into mini-scones! 

Continuing on the theme of blending some Russian traditions into our holiday, brunch was blini with a variety of toppings: smoked salmon, cream cheese, stewed blueberries (from dyeing the eggs), jam, and eggs. During the meal we even played a Russian Easter game. While American children search for hidden eggs on Easter morning, Russian children play a slightly more aggressive game. One person holds an egg and the other attempts to crack the opponents eggs with their own egg, but without damaging their own egg. Whoever doesn’t have a cracked egg gets both eggs and eats them. 

Since the weather was beautiful yesterday and we had just finished a very filling brunch, a walk seemed like a natural choice.  Our first idea was to check if the cherry blossoms were out, but it looks like one more week until DC is filled with their blooms.  Instead we headed down towards the mall and wandered through several of the small gardens between the Smithsonian’s museums.

After we got back we laid out a cheese board and some smoked blue fish for an afternoon snack. Apparently we were so excited to consume it that I didn’t even take a photo of it, but it was delicious.

As you might imagine after that a long break was required before anyone even wanted to think about eating again. But eventually around 8pm we reconvened for a dinner of scallops, asparagus and a new mushroom tart. It was a tasty dinner, but we were all so full that we could barely enjoy it. Clearly we should have gotten an earlier start to the day or planned fewer dishes.

I mentioned earlier that I was trying some new dishes out and the mushroom tart was one of them. I love mushrooms and goat cheese so the idea of a pretty tart consisting of both sounded perfect. However, the recipe is a work in progress. We used an all whole-wheat crust and it was a bit strong for the tart and the mushrooms were less flavorful than we hoped. It will require some tinkering, but eventually I will share a mushroom tart recipe.

Finally I couldn’t do Easter without some sweets (even if I should have). I made my homemade bounty bars in the shape of eggs and the chocolate coconut pie I made for New Year’s. We manage somehow to sample them, but not much more so we have dessert for the week now.

I would love to hear how you all spent Easter. Let me know in the comments below. And if you were hoping for the chocolate coconut pie recipe check back in a few days please.

I call this dish eggplant bolognese, but it is not actually an exact replica of a traditional bolognese replacing the ground beef with eggplant. I concocted the recipe over time based on which flavors I prefer, but eggplant bolognese seemed the most appropriate name for this saucy, tomato filled, eggplant dish.

This dish has been a staple for us for a few years now and gets rave reviews from Andrey and other family members. However, while we were in Russia it was quite difficult to find eggplant, so it was somewhat absent from our table. Now that we are back and eggplant is easy to find I am excited to make it more often again.

It is a pretty straightforward recipe, but it takes a little time to cook everything down and meld the flavors. My favorite way to make it is on a relaxed weekend night with a glass of wine in my hand, but it will taste great any day of the week.

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant

1 large yellow onion

4 cloves garlic

1 can (15oz) tomato sauce

1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes

2 tbs dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

½ tsp ground cinnamon

dash of chili pepper

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

olive oil to cook the onions in

Directions:

1. Begin by slicing the eggplant in half lengthwise and salting the inside. Leave it on a plate while you do the next few steps.

2. Diced the onion and crush the garlic.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large and deep saucepan. First add the onion and cook it, stirring occasionally until it is translucent. Reduce the heat to medium-low, then add the garlic and stir.

4. Once the garlic and onion are cooked add all of the spices except salt.

5. Turn the heat down to low, pour in the tomato sauce, and cover the pan.

6. Return to the eggplant and pour off any water that has collected on the top then gently squeeze it to remove excess water. Chop the eggplant into bite size pieces.

7. Add the eggplant to the pan and stir it in completely. Recover and let it cook on low for about 20 minutes.

8. Add the diced tomatoes and stir into the sauce. Let it cook for an additional 15 minutes.

9. Taste the sauce and decide if it needs additional salt.

At the end you will have a thick sauce full of eggplant. It is wonderful served over whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, or quinoa. I hope you enjoy this recipe and please let me know how your experience is in the comments!

Moving to Russia was always meant to be a stepping-stone for Andrey and I. For me we hoped that the company in Omsk would provide the opportunity I had been waiting for to grow as a dancer and an artist. For Andrey it was a time to recalibrate and determine his next course of action. As with all plans this one did not go quite as we had hoped. The company turned out to be very different than I expected and for Andrey opportunities were scarce. I will admit that after the first couple months it began to feel like we had made a mistake.

I had high hopes for dancing in Omsk, what ballet dancer hasn’t looked up to the Russian stars of the past or watched those who pepper the roster of every major company today in awe? I was excited to dance in such a large company with many productions. And I hoped to learn the graceful port de bras the Russian ballerinas are famous for. What I got was a bit different. I have mentioned before that class was viewed only as a warm up, which made working on one’s own technique difficult, but what really disappointed me was the rehearsal process.

Unlike in American dance companies, in Omsk they do not prepare a ballet for a few weeks and then perform it for several shows before putting the piece aside and beginning something new. Instead they perform a piece for one show and then again next month or in two months. Which means they are constantly changing what they are focused on and on top of the 4-5 ballets that happen each month there are also children’s shows, musicals, and operas. So, a corps dancer could rehearse 5-8 pieces in one week. Because of this packed schedule the only time a ballet is rehearsed fully is before the first time it is performed in the season. The rest of the season if you are lucky it is 3 days before the show, but sometimes only the day before.

As you might imagine, this schedule makes for some extremely overworked dancers. Unfortunately, this made for a relatively demoralizing atmosphere in which most of the dancers do not really care about the technique or artistry of their work. This was probably the hardest part for me. It made me realize how important it is to me to work with dancers who respect the art form and want to excel at it, understand it, and push its limits.

Instead of spending my time learning the classics alongside dancers I admired I found myself often learning silly numbers for musicals or operas. And a lot of the time I was not used at all because there was no time for someone new to learn choreography the day before a show. In fact this general lack of time meant that the most important quality of a dancer was how long they had been with the company not how talented of a dancer they were.

The Omsk State Musical Theater Ballet Company is a unique place that is primarily focused on churning out tried and true Russian staples that you have never heard of and never will. It is not the grand Russian company I had imagined, but it was an interesting experience and I did learn from it.  All of this is not just to vent it is by way of explaining that we have left Russia and returned to the US. I am trying not to think of this as a defeat, but as another chapter in our story together. As for the future I will continue to share moments from our life with you, but now from the nation’s capital. 

When you tell someone you are a ballet dancer they light up. It sounds exciting and glamorous. They imagine a life of premieres and galas, living your art, spending time with others who also live in the magical world of the creative. They imagine a life that does not exist (or at least not often). The day-to-day life of a ballet dancer is actually quite routine much like the day-to-day life of a 9-5 office employee. You go into the studio to warm –up, take a class, rehearse, take a break, and rehearse some more. Then you head home for a bit before going back to warm-up, put on makeup, and perform. Or if there isn’t a show, like most people you cook dinner, catch up with your spouse, and try to relax and prepare for the next day.

Dancers go in day after day to repeat the same movements over and over. It can be grueling and numbing, but of course there are moments of brilliant success that brighten up the day; your variation goes smoothly, you hit every difficult turn in class, or a coveted role is assigned. Dance is rigorous, repetitive, and unforgiving, but the glamour often associated with it comes only on stage. And as with most things that happen on a stage that is where it stays. The life of a dancer is not glamorous, we are usually overworked and underpaid and worst despite being a group with a very high skill level in a very difficult field we are wildly underappreciated by our employers. No the glamour is something we put on to go on stage and just like the costumes, makeup and pointe shoes we take it off to go home when the show is over. Okay you say, so its not as it appears from the outside, but then why do you dance?

Why do I dance? It is the question that has haunted my life, asked of me countless times by those closest to me and regularly by complete strangers. When someone learns that you are a ballet dancer the most common reactions are either a mix of surprise and delight, like you are some rare creature that they doubted existed or incredulity and amazement of what I can never be quite sure. Either that you are willing to make all the sacrifices that the life of a dancer requires or that you are so much of a dreamer that you would make such an impractical life choice.  Either way the question comes, why do you dance?

I have answered this question many ways over the years. The easy answer and the one I usually give to strangers is that I love it; it is my passion. This is not a lie, but it is only a portion of the true answer. Over the past few months the more complex and complete answer to this question has been nagging at me along with the question is it enough? That is to say are my reasons for dancing still worth the sacrifices?

I have made many sacrifices in the pursuit of ballet and those closest to me have made their fair share as well. And now that I have chased this dream all the way to Siberia and still not quite found it, the time has come to get very honest with myself about why I dance.

When I first pose this question to myself I think it’s the passion: for pushing the body to its limits of flexibility, endurance, strength, and grace. But its also the beauty of the positions, their symmetry and length. It is the ability to put into movement what we hear in the music, what we feel, but cannot put into words. But then I waver and wonder while all those things are true maybe it has become about the routine, dancers are after all creatures of habit. And worst maybe it is just the fear of giving up on something I have spent almost my entire life pursuing.

In the past I have found reassurance that I still belong in this world every morning at the barre. No matter how badly the previous day’s class or rehearsals went, or the doubts I have let play in my head the evening before, all it takes is the first combination, listening to the music, feeling my muscles snap to attention and I know this is still where I want to be.  

But since coming to Russia and joining the Omsk State Musical Theater I have lost this feeling. Most of me believe this is because of the way the company is run. They treat every class as a warm up to be done as quickly as possible. Of course barre is about warming up, but in my experience it allows dancers the time to center themselves, find what is going well that day and what will require an extra push. There is always enough time to work hard to focus on different aspects of the technique and artistry before ever stepping into center. 

Not here, here it is solely about going through the motions as if we are just putting on the act of being a ballet company. It is frustrating and depressing and makes me miss the way I used to feel when I danced. So, then maybe the problem is not between ballet, and me but between this company and me. And I hope that once I return to the US and return to one of my old studios I will feel at home with ballet again. 

Even with that comfort in the back of my mind I still feel compelled to continue analyzing my reasons for dancing. At this point in my life, no longer a teenager chasing a dream, but an adult in the midst of life I feel I owe it to myself and to my husband to make sure that I am still on the right path. 

The reasons why I love ballet are clear to me, so then why question staying with it? Because I now know that there are other things I want out of life and ballet makes achieving them seem difficult and maybe even unlikely. For me ballet has meant a life of instability: constantly ready to move for a job offer, often between contracts, continuously low on money, and always searching for what’s next. This lifestyle makes many things people associate with a normal life difficult. Little things like deciding to decorate the apartment or buy a new piece of furniture and big important things like starting a family or saving for the future. The starving artist life might look romantic in the movies, but in real life it sucks. 

I love ballet, but it has required putting the rest of my life on hold. I was okay with that for a long time, in fact I even thought it was part of the deal, part of the sacrifices necessary to gain entry into the selective ranks of those who have succeeded at the dream. But it is no longer just my life that I am putting on hold, I have been married for almost two years and Andrey has patiently waited while we put my career before everything else. And now I feel the world tugging on me towards the desire to live life with my husband and maybe chasing the dream is not enough to keep shutting the door to everything else.

To keep pushing forward hoping to be one of the lucky ones or to set the dream on a shelf and get on with life, it is an enormous question to face and at the moment all I can do is keep looking for the answer. 

Andrey loves Bounty Bars, a popular imported candy bar here in Russia. They are very good chocolate filled with coconut just like a Mounds Bar, but like all mass-produced candy bars their ingredients list is full of lots of things that are difficult to pronounce. We all know that candy bars do nothing good for our health, but sometimes a sweet treat is necessary. For both Andrey and I Bounty and or Mounds bars remind us of our childhood, but when we split one today we are always struck by how overly sweet they are and then by the guilt of eating something that unhealthy. 

A few weeks ago Andrey was have a Bounty craving while we were picking some things up at the local health food store. The store sells goods from a couple of locals who make natural, healthier chocolate and candies and on that day they happened to have a chocolate bar filled with coconut. It cost 4 times as much as a Bounty, but we figured it was worth a try. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed. This bar was not sweet at al, it had a sour taste, and the chocolate was waxy. This experience sent me on a researching frenzy to find a simple, healthy recipe for Bounty bars I could make at home without any fancy equipment. I found my answer on Detoxinista. The recipe is super simple, I was able to whip it up on a day I was also baking bread and making soup. Even better the finished product is delicious, just sweet enough to satisfy and full of coconut flavor! 

With Valentines Day around the corner it is the perfect time to whip up a batch of these for someone special. What’s better than receiving a homemade tasty treat that is free of the chemicals and guilt that come with the store bought box of truffles?

Coconut filled Chocolates

Makes 14-16 candies

Ingredients:

1 c. coconut

4 tbs coconut oil

2 tbs maple syrup or honey

2 tbs water

½ tsp vanilla

pinch of sea salt

1 c. chocolate chips/chunks for melting

Directions:

1.     Mix the coconut with the coconut oil until it is evenly distributed.

2.     I used maple syrup if you do as well add it and the water straight to the bowl of coconut. If you use raw honey I would mix the honey and water together first to soften the honey before adding it to the coconut.

3.     Add the vanilla and salt and mix completely.

4.     Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes so that the coconut absorbs the liquid in the recipe.

5.     Now use your fingers to turn the mixture into bite size balls and place them on a plate covered in wax paper. Put the plate in the freezer for 10 or more minutes.

6.     While you are waiting melt the chocolate in a double boiler or holding a small pot with the chocolate in it over a larger pot filled with boiling water. Make sure to continuously stir the chocolate until it is melted.

7.     Now the coconut bits should be fully hardened. Once the chocolate is cool enough to handle it is time to dip the coconut bites into the melted chocolate making sure to fully cover all the coconut.

8.     Place each bite covered in chocolate back on the plate and the plate back into the freezer.

9.     The chocolates will be hard enough to handle in about 15 minutes, but the longer you give them the more solid they will become.

10. To serve them you might want to take them out of the freezer a few minutes before so they are not quite as cold, but do not leave them at room temperature for hours because they will melt. 

Russian cuisine is heavy on desserts, they have cookies, pies, and filled pastries, but for some reason no chocolate desserts. Don’t get me wrong Russians like chocolate it’s a common hostess gift and is usually put out any time you have tea at a friend’s house, but they don’t bake with it.  So, I have been seriously craving a chocolate baked good. And with Andrey’s love of cookies in mind I decided to start on a chocolate cookie recipe. After a little research and borrowing bits and pieces of other cookie recipies I came up with a double chocolate chip cookie recipe that is low on fat and sugar and free of white flour. They have a full dark chocolate taste without being overly sweet or riche. They are officially my favorite cookie!

Ingredients:

Wet:

1 egg

¼ c. + 2 tbs. applesauce

2 tbs. coconut oil

1/2c. brown sugar

Dry:

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

3 ½ tbs. cacao powder

¾  c.  whole wheat flour

¾ c. oat flour

1-2 tbs. water (depending on how dry your dough is)

100 g. chopped dark chocolate

Directions:

A bowl and electric hand beaters will work fine for this recipe, but you could also use a stand mixer.

1.     Add the egg, applesauce, and coconut oil to the bowl and beat till combined.

2.     Add the sugar to the bowl and beat till smooth.

3.     Add the dry ingredients one at a time mixing as you go.

4.     If the dough is a bit dry add a tablespoon or two of water.

5.     Stir the chopped chocolate in by hand.

6.     Form the dough into balls by hand and put them on a cookie sheet. Flatten the balls into discs.

7.     Bake at 350 F for 9-10 minutes.

For Russians New Years is much more important that Christmas, which is a purely religious holiday and since the Russian Orthodox Church runs on the old calendar, takes place on January 7th. But New Years does share some of the same traditions that Americans and most of Western Europe associate with December 25th. As a holiday it combines Christmas traditions that were originally outlawed under Communism, celebratory techniques often used to welcome the New Year, and some things that are just Russian together to make something that at first glance would appear to an American like Christmas, New Years, and the Fourth of July all rolled into one, no make it a couple, of days. 

Now for what is a bit different. There are no stockings, candy canes, or Santa and elves at the mall in the Russian holidays, but many parents do schedule an actual visit from Ded Moroz and Snegurochka. In the days leading up to the 31st parents will schedule some actors to come to their house dressed as Ded Moroz and Snegurochka. The holiday characters bid a Happy New Year to the family and Ded Moroz has his sack of gifts, but before the children receive theirs they must recite a poem they have practiced for the occasion. 

On New Years Eve it is traditional to have a big dinner with ones family, in front of the TV. The menu, of course, changes from family to family, but for most people it will include caviar sandwiches, champagne, clementines or tangerines, and olivier salad, a Russian potato salad. For the adults at the table, like New Years celebrations around the world, the dinner involves a fair amount of drinking. And of course as a Russian celebration it would not be complete without toasts. At the dinner people say goodbye to the year that is coming to a close. 

When midnight strikes, it is time to welcome the New Year and wish luck and new opportunities to friends and family with a glass of champagne and sometimes a sparkler in hand. The President always makes a televised speech and then many people head outside to set off fireworks. I am told that at this point it will sound like a war is taking place. After the pyrotechnics the party continues on until morning with more drinking, eating, toasts, and the television as a constant background. It is not that common anymore, but some people do dress up in costumes and go outside to continue the party, happily greeting everyone they meet. 

On New Years Day the celebrating continues. On this day it is traditionally to eat pelmini, Russian dumplings with meat inside and to continue drinking. Since New Years Day is the start of a 12-day holiday for most of the country people may continue the party for a few days, visiting friends and relatives to welcome the New Year together.

Here in Omsk our holiday festivities will also include the ice sculptures and lights the city puts up in a park downtown. I am not sure if this is a very old custom, but it seems to be popular now. In Moscow they have a full-blown Winter Festival from December 25th-January 5th, which I am sure is more elaborate. Our little winter wonderland will open on December 26th. We went down there today and it is starting to look pretty impressive with huge ice sculptures, a giant New Years tree, and lights being strung everywhere. Here is a preview of one of the sculptures, more photos to come.