Year: 2009

Hello,

In Russia there are two foods that all Russians love. Mushrooms and sour cream. This is a recipe that gives the best of both…

* Chanterelles – wild or farm raised!
* 0.5 lb sour cream (fat percent your choice)

Cooking:

Rinse Mushrooms (some people soak in a very mild salty solution of water over night) to get all bugs and debris out.

Drain the mushrooms before use so that there is no liquid left and let sit to drain another 5 minutes. Re – drain mushrooms again.

(You can substitute store bought can variety – just drain well before use. Remember that any mushroom that is your favorite can be used instead. Warning: Wild Mushrooms are potentially deadly if you are not sure what you are picking!)

Fry in a skillet at medium temperature with a bit of butter till they acquire a slight golden brown tint.

Then add sour cream and simmer for 5-7 minutes on a medium-slow heat, mixing it all the time.

This is just too simple for how wonderfully delicious it is.

Yummy!

Windows to Russia!
Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

In Moscow, Russia a new metro station is about to be opened a station that was started back in the early 90’s. The area that it is located is on the blue line and it really needs this station.

It is a good video and lets hope they get it done in 2009. The area of Mitino is nice.

“Mitino, the second station on the Moscow, Russia metro outside the city’s ring road, will link the suburb of Mitino with the city center. Rail service on the link will begin later this year.”

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

I was sitting here in Russia, drinking my morning cup of coffee and reading up on the North Korean Satellite Issue! (Notice I said satellite not missile)

The new terror in the Western press is North Korea and the satellite (missile) of death. Of course Iran is still developing nuclear bombs but North Korea has over shadowed Iran in the press. Now North Korea is being threatened by Japan, USA and South Korea. They all say they will shoot that missile down.

North Korea has responded: Leave our Rocket alone it is a satellite Rocket and has nothing to do with missiles. If you shoot our Rocket down we will declare it an act of war by the USA, Japan and South Korea. Leave our rocket alone – Damn You!

I was wondering over my cup of coffee – How many countries can we fear and not like all at once?

Don’t like Mexico, the drug lords will cut your head off. Don’t like Russia, because the Mafia will rob and murder you. Don’t like Iran, because they are making a bomb (big bomb). Don’t like Iraq, because they have weapons of mass destruction (Oops). Don’t like Afghanistan, because they fight back when we try to take over their country. Don’t like North Korea, because they are launching a Rocket. Don’t like North Vietnam because they are communist. Don’t like the Gaza because they pick on Israel (Yea right). Don’t like China because they have no Human Rights. We could go on for quiet a while with the list…

So now the Western world once again threatens a country for working in a forward fashion. Here is a letter that I found by a Russia teacher who wrote to President Obama in the USA.

Lioudmila T., Nizhnevartovsk, Russia, teacher

Dear President Obama,

I have a question for you, that really bothers me. We are all convinced so much that the USA is a very democratic country. But what does exactly the word of “democracy” mean to you? Isn’t it connected with the conception of FREEDOM? If so, why does America has a problem with the choice of directions, that other countries want to go? Why does the word “socialism” sound like “plague” among Americans?

Best regards,

Lioudmila T.(Link)

Do you think Obama will ever see it? I doubt it. It was sent to Obama and printed in a Russian news source. It is a good question and one that comes from an educated person.

So think about what is happening right now:

Japan says, that they will shoot down the satellite from North Korea. America says, that they might shoot it down. South Korea says, we want it shot down and they might just do it. Everyone in the West says OMG North Korea is making a Nuclear Bomb and the delivery vehicle is this ballistic satellite carrier.

North Korea says, “Shoot down our satellite. There will be war!”

Russia says: West Go Home!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

PS: (two thoughts)

Did you know that the United States, has 28,500 troops in South Korea – still? Looks like we like to keep about 30,000 troops in our take over countries.

and

If Russia is such a bad evil Empire why is it that the USA is the one behind all military threats made to other countries.

Hello,

In the last few weeks the prices of food have been dropping at the stores. I do not know if it is because they are really dropping as a whole or the stores are having to adjust down because of competition.

What I can say is that: (The food brand is what I buy on a regular basis and there are hundreds of variations available. Prices vary according to quality and brand.)

Eggs (brown) per 10 (no dozen in Russia), have gone from 37 Rubles to 25 Rubles. (1 $ = about 35 Rubles)

Flour (white plain) per kilo has dropped from 25 Rubles to 15 Rubles. (1 kilogram equals 2.2046226 pounds)

Cheese (White) from 185 Rubles per kilo to 134 Rubles per kilo.

Milk (no powder in mix) per liter from 48 to 35 Rubles. (Price is my brand that I drink – But the fall is the same across all milk brands.)

Bread per loaf from 51 to 40 Rubles. (White sliced American style) Bread Russian Black style non sliced has dropped from 15 Rubles to around 10 Rubles at this writing.

Whole Chicken from 148 Rubles per kilo to 89 Rubles per kilo. (Big drops in poultry and pork. Beef is too high!)

On and On and On, I could keep listing the drops in price. Some drops are only a few Rubles and other are huge drops.

The news press in Russia keeps saying that inflation is still terrible and prices are going to the sky and beyond.

I do not see that. Maybe the prices in Russia are going up, but prices in Moscow where I live, for the staples type of foods, are going down.

I spent a good portion of my career watching food prices, so that interests me. I still watch prices and they are going down in Moscow, Russia…

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

A 7000 sq. meter nuclear bunker in Moscow, Russia of the Alternate Command Center “Tagansky” was built to serve as a nuclear bomb shelter. When operating it had sufficient foodstuff stocks and air cleaning systems, so that those sheltered inside could survive for several months. This is a Russia – Soviet Era Bunker that has been recently opened to the public.

Now, we have an opportunity to take a tour of this declassified refuge. That is what I want to do. 🙂

The Taganksky District is a district of Central Administrative Okrug of Moscow, Russia, located between the Moskva River and the Yauza River near the mouth of the latter. It takes its name from the former Taganskaya sloboda, where in the 16th century the copper-smiths lived. The modern center of this district is the Taganskaya Square, where the Taganka Theater is located.

It seems that we are always down in that area of Moscow so we might as well look it up and see how neat it is.

This is a private owned facility now and they say that the restoration was very authentic. It seems that about half the complex was not sold and was flooded by officials in Russia to make it unaccessible.

Hey Sweetie can we go to… 🙂

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

A very good interview by Russia Today. It will make you worried about the future of any paper currency:

Adrian Douglas, financial analyst and the director of the Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee says:

The low gold price essentially switches off the alarm in the financial system. What the purpose of the strong dollar was so that the US Government could issue lots of dollars without the alarm bells going off. The benefit for the US has been to live beyond their means. They managed to import goods from foreign countries and they have paid for them essentially with overvalued treasure debt. And they have even been so successful they have convinced other central banks that US treasure debt is a reserve asset. Now central banks around the world are sitting on trillions of dollars of treasure debt as a reserve asset which has a huge counter party risk now of the American government – they will not repay it. (Link)

Get ready for a rough ride Ladies and Gentlemen. No matter what country you are from, Russia or China or the European area. (All over the world.) Get ready for the ride…

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Simple pancakes: Blini

* 1 liter milk
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoonful of sugar
* A pinch of salt
* 2 cups flour

“Remember – In Russia pancakes (blini) are thin so the mix is not traditional American style thick!”

Cooking:

Mix all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl (wire-whisk is a good tool to use).

Heat a flat-bottom skillet with some pure vegetable oil spread on it! (medium heat)

Pour a ladle of the dough and spread it evenly.

Bake on one side until the dough bubbles, then flip it over and bake the other side.

Pile the ready pancakes (blini) on a flat plate, if desired add a tiny bit of butter on top of every newly baked hot cake.

Eating:

Pancakes (blini)  in Russia can be folded triangle shaped around ground meat, fish, sausages. hot dogs and or just about anything that catches your fancy.

Best eaten with sour cream, jams and honey. (Yummy for my Tummy!)

Windows to Russia!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Hello,

Not all news is that wonderful from Russia! I have watched a problem develop in Russia. This is a problem that I watched develop in America also… (remember needles washing up on the ocean shores?)

Drugs of all types – Now the big problem is “heroin”!

Russia says it has become the world’s biggest consumer of heroin.

The head of Russia’s anti-narcotics service, Victor Ivanov, said that seizures of Afghan heroin were up 70%. (Link)

You want Proof? Lets take a walk down our stairs in our building:

They leave the needles on the window sills!

They try to hide them on top of the lights!

They just leave them where they used them!

These are just the pictures of the needles, I chose not to show everything. Seems our kids have learned enough in this world with out someone showing them what to use to cook the heroin with.

These needles are located on 9 out of the 16 floors in our building. On the first floor they run a very substantial business of drugs. I have seen pot being the biggest seller, but about a year ago I saw an increase in crack and then the signs of heroin started to appear in the stairway.

I learned all I know from the huge drug problem that Americans have. I was an employer of huge numbers of people in my time. Now I see that Russia has a huge drug problem also.

Sad…

Kyle & Svet

PS:
Now as I walk the dog today we pick up the needles so that kids do not get aids or hepatitis or many other diseases.

comments always welcome.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.