No, it is not the anniversary of Paul Revere's midnight ride in 1775, nor is it the anniversary of the Beatles first trip to the United States in 1964, but it is the day that my sweet Valentine will return from Russia. He has been weathering the frozen tundra of Sakhalin Island, an island just north of Japan. It has been a long two weeks without him.
I have never been much of a geography buff, but I am intrigued by the parts of the world that he travels. I want to know how the people live, what they wear, what they do for fun, and what they eat. This is what I have learned about this remote part of Russia through his eyes. They live in buildings not ice houses, they wear clothes (lots of them, who wouldn't in that kind of cold), they tell you how far it is from one point to the other in minutes because if you venture out in the cold you need to know how long it will take, they ski or at least there were ski slopes in the background of some pictures he sent, and they eat "stuff" with bread and more "stuff" with pastry. I asked if I wanted to know what "stuff" is and he said "I kind of recall it having the name of mystery meat from back in my younger days of some questionable school lunches." Sounds interesting, huh?
I won't tarry long here today! I have some nesting to do.....catch up on laundry, clean a little, get dishes in the dishwasher, change the linens, shave my legs, oh, how I must hurry. I wouldn't want him to think I have been slacking!
In honor of the return of my Valentine, Sunday Dinner recipes include one for British Russian Chicken and one for Goulash. Wait a minute....that's Hungarian...oh, well, isn't Hungary near Russia? I told you I wasn't a geography buff.
Russian Chicken
6-8 boneless chicken breasts
1 pkg onion soup mix
8 oz jar apricot jam
1 bottle red Russian dressing
Place chicken in 9x13 baking dish. Mix together soup mix, jam, and dressing. Pour over chicken. Bake at 350 for 1 hour covered until the last 5 minutes. Serve over rice. Now, that doesn't sound like "stuff".
Goulash
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz macaroni, cooked according to pkg.
1 can stewed tomatoes
chili powder to taste
Brown meat and onion. Add chili powder, tomatoes, and cooked macaroni. Stir and simmer for a few minutes. Serve with cornbread and good ole Texas red (pinto) beans.
Red (Pinto) Beans
1 small pkg dry pinto beans
Sort and pick out rocks and dirt. Rinse beans. Place in large sauce pan and cover with cold water plus about 3 inches. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to make liquid thick. Cook until beans are soft. Salt to taste.
This week I am preparing Russian Chicken with a twist...one different ingredient...not sure if I can find that canned ingredient this time of year, but if not, I have some fresh frozen in the freezer and will make my own. I'll let you know how it turns out.
As I was typing the directions for Red Beans, I was reminded of the first time I ever cooked Red Beans. That story will have to wait.....remember.....I have nesting to do.
If the shoe fits, wear it well!
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