Family recipe

Kulebiaka is a Russian recipe that could be looked at as similar to a chicken potpie. Sandwiched between two piecrusts is a savory combination of ingredients that include salmon, rice, carrots, eggs, mushrooms, and onions. This recipe is one of my absolute favorites that I was raised with.

My grandma once found a series of foreign cookbooks, ranging anywhere from France to Germany to Russia. Being the cooking machine that she is, she bought these cookbooks and decided to try out new cuisine from all around the world. She hit the jackpot on the Kulebiaka recipe. It quickly became a family favorite-one that the girls would request for dinners, and later on in life, even the son-in-laws would ask for it. Kulebiaka isn’t exactly the easiest dish to make, so my grandma eventually had to say that she could only make it for Christmas dinner, and very special occasions. Every Christmas that I have spent in Utah consists of lots of warm, moist Kulebiaka. Every time I eat it, it brings back nostalgic memories for me.

            My mother will also make this dish for us upon special requests.  When I first came up to Utah State, she gave me my own little cookbook with a typed up and printed out version of the recipe. That was what she has in our house as well. Although it is typed up, there are clear indications of notes along the sides of modifications that have been made throughout the years. She has made notes to herself about my grandma’s recipe for piecrust: how thick to make the ingredients, suggestions as to how to cook the salmon, and sometimes she adds a little more egg to make it moister.

            Recipes that are passed down among family members can tell a lot more about a family than just what they would like to cook. Kulebiaka isn’t just a normal dinner to my family and I. Kulebiaka represents good quality family time spent together and acts of love that my grandma shows when making it. It tells about the type of food that my family enjoys; clearly we are not picky eaters and we like to try out new things. We love perfection of the dish, which is why modified notes are important. Perhaps trying new things is not only in my family’s interest of food, but of life. I can assure you, it certainly is. Kulebiaka is a dish that makes me feel at home, and makes me remember of all the good times spent with family. 

 This is a picture of Kulebiaka from my grandma's original cookbook. Yum!

 

Cultural Artifact

Welcome to my blog! In my posts, you should expect to hear me talk mostly about families; more particularly, my family, as a part of an English class I am in this semester. I will be analyzing and talking about various aspects that deal with family throughout the blog.

In my class, we have discussed all the different definitions of family. It was interesting to me to see that everyone came up with their own definitions, though we could all agree that though they are dysfunctional, chaotic, and get on our nerves, our families are also always there for us at the end of the day. We love and cherish them more than anything, and would do anything for them. This rings true to me.

My cultural artifact, or object that defines me and made me who I am today, Is a small glass frog. This frog is no bigger than a quarter, and has been painted green with small black dots for eyes. This may appear to be a small knick-knack to anyone, but to me, it describes where I am from. I have about one hundred of these small glass animals. They come in all different colors, shapes, sizes, and creatures. My mom gave me this collection when I was eight, and I have added to it. She told be about how she had started it when she was little, and that she would spend hours creating houses for the animals, and then play with them all afternoon with her friends. I loved hearing stories of her playing, and I wanted to do the same. I carefully laid out houses and roads for my animals to play in. I would save up money to get the next animal to add to my collection.

            To me, this frog reminds me that it is important to know about out family member’s past. I love hearing stories about my mom’s childhood, it allows me to understand where she came from, and I can get to know her better. The underling concept being: If we do not take the time to get to know what is important to the people that love us, how can we expect the same from them? I have had wonderful experiences coming out of this, and have been able to better appreciate where I come from, and have a stronger connection with those I love.