Things That Amuse You

[muted]

I had borsch a few times in a former Soviet occupied country this year and it didn't look anything like yer bowl, Meadow Skipper. Good to learn there are many variants so I don't completely write it the experience off.

[old goat]

My mother's family came from Belarus and Lithuania. Our borscht was cold. My father's family came from poland, russia, and ukraine. The same village--it was just the country that changed. Currently Ukraine. My father's mother didn't amke borscht.
Borscht for me was a way to eat a lot of sour cream
We also had cabbage borscht--hot. It was sweet and sour.

[Lvovsky]

This is all I have. It was a family thing, so proportions were assumed to be known, and my wife has passed (fuck cancer). It’s from a handwritten page she sent to someone that asked for the recipe.

Pickled beets
Cucumbers - peeled & diced
Hard boiled eggs sliced
Chicken broth
Dill
Water
Sour cream
Green onions - sliced
Boiled potatoes, peeled , cut up, buttered

Combine all liquids then add beets & juice, cucumbers, green onions, dill.
Set aside some juice & mix in sour cream - chill till very cold.
Serve with hot buttered, boiled potatoes. <- drop them in the soup, that part was exquisite.

Edit: Google on Lithuanian Saltibarsciai (Cold Beet Soup) and you’ll find some ideas about proportions. Most seem to use buttermilk instead of sour cream. I’d go with the sour cream.

Pickled beets? That’s different. We just clean, peel, and boil

[Lvovsky]

Recipe? I like beets

My wife’s version:

Ukrainian Borsch
Ingredients:
2 large or 3 medium beets, washed, peeled, and grated
2 large or 3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into bite-sized pieces
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 carrots, grated
1/3 head of cabbage, thinly sliced
10 cups water approximately
6 cups chicken broth approximately
1 can of finely chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp lemon juice or 2 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 cloves garlic, diced

1. Fill a large soup pot with 10 cups of water. Add beets, potatoes, cabbage, and lemon juice or vinegar. Bring to boil, cover and boil for about 30-40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, add cooking oil and butter to the skillet and sauté onions until they are soft (7-10 minutes). Add garlic, carrots, salt, and pepper and sauté for additional 5 minutes.
3. Add 6 cups of chicken broth to the boiling beets and potatoes; add finely diced tomatoes, and sautéed vegetables to the pot.
4. Bring to boil and cook another 10-20 minutes, until the cabbage and beets are done. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.
There are many versions of this soup. Chicken or beef or beans could be added as well. Add any spices to your liking.

Enjoy!

Pro tip: borsch ALWAYS taste better the next day. Just warm it up to desired temperature and serve with sour cream.

For bonus points, eat it with dark rye bread, salo (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salo_(food) ) - prosciutto will do fine too, and small slices of fresh garlic - don’t ask, just do it. And, of course, vodka. Ice cold from the freezer. Shots.

[Lvovsky]

Lithuanians, Poles and Ukrainians probably never told the Russians about it. No love lost there. Lithuanians and Poles ruled over a huge commonwealth/empire back in the 1500s.

Don’t get me going about Lithuania. .

The fuck happened to that empire?.... gotta be amusing story. I bet it involves an asshole who wanted to make something great again...

[Lvovsky]

Good to learn there are many variants so I don't completely write it the experience off.

And each variant would taste different depending on who keys it. Just like Vietnamese pho are different at different restaurants or households.

My mother's family came from Belarus and Lithuania. Our borscht was cold. My father's family came from poland, russia, and ukraine. The same village--it was just the country that changed. Currently Ukraine. My father's mother didn't amke borscht.
Borscht for me was a way to eat a lot of sour cream
We also had cabbage borscht--hot. It was sweet and sour.

My family settled in west Ukraine after WW2 so we are unlike to be related. But that would be cool.
Cabbage borsch? Do you mean shchi (щи)? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shchi

Edit: never mind! I looked it up. My mom makes a version of it. Not sweet tho.

[stealurface831]

The fuck happened to that empire?.... gotta be amusing story. I bet it involves an asshole who wanted to make something great again...

"The end of the Jagiellon dynasty in 1572 – after nearly two centuries – disrupted the fragile equilibrium of the Commonwealth's government. Power increasingly slipped away from the central government to the nobility"

this is cited as a weakness of the empire from the start. i would say this is what caused the demise.

[Meadow Skipper]

The fuck happened to that empire?.... gotta be amusing story. I bet it involves an asshole who wanted to make something great again...

I had to look it up. Seems like ongoing wars with Turk-Tartars, Russians, Ottomans, Swedes and others wasted the empire’s strength.

Edit: And what suf said.

[MakersTeleMark]

This is my favorite version:

https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/ru...orscht-recipe/

[PB]

I had to look it up. Seems like ongoing wars with Turk-Tartars, Russians, Ottomans, Swedes and others wasted the empire’s strength.

Edit: And what suf said.

Weird ..... I would have guessed it was the cabbage that did them in.

[BCMtnHound]

Weird ..... I would have guessed it was the cabbage that did them in.

Lets just leave the Krauts out of this, okay?

[old goat]

And each variant would taste different depending on who keys it. Just like Vietnamese pho are different at different restaurants or households.





My family settled in west Ukraine after WW2 so we are unlike to be related. But that would be cool.
Cabbage borsch? Do you mean shchi (щи)? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shchi

Edit: never mind! I looked it up. My mom makes a version of it. Not sweet tho.

My grandmother also made stuffed cabbage--also sweet and sour. Ground beef and rice wrapped in cabbage leaves. Boiled in a sauce of tomato soup, sugar, and sour salt. It's a lot better than it sounds. I've made it myself a couple of times, about 50 years ago. It would probably be too bland for me now--my palate has been New Mexicanized by my wife.

[riser4]

Photo from CNN. Does this look more like a pic of someone toking some reefer?

[Vt-Freeheel]

Overlooking the theft aspect of this, it is amusing

[old goat]

In Sacramento a lot of petty theft by people on bikes. Not unusual to see someone pedaling down the street holding a second bikes. Homeless perhaps? Haven't seen any on trikes.

[::: :::]

this logo -- what were they thinking?


not sure my first impression is "yams"

[abraham]

There's a typo on one of the state ferries. Almost didn't know what to do.

[Viva]

I have a new cleaning girl. Yesterday was her first time working for me. When she showed up, I left for a couple of hours to do random shit around town. When I returned home, she was finishing in the kitchen. I was greatly amused to observed her washing the kitchen sink with Windex and a giant wad of paper towels wrapped around her hand. Guess I'll be looking for a new cleaning girl.

[CarlMega]

My grandmother also made stuffed cabbage--also sweet and sour. Ground beef and rice wrapped in cabbage leaves. Boiled in a sauce of tomato soup, sugar, and sour salt.

here's how the Poles do it - golumpki : https://delishably.com/world-cuisine...Cabbage-Recipe

[El Chupacabra]

I have a new cleaning girl. Yesterday was her first time working for me. When she showed up, I left for a couple of hours to do random shit around town. When I returned home, she was finishing in the kitchen. I was greatly amused to observed her washing the kitchen sink with Windex and a giant wad of paper towels wrapped around her hand. Guess I'll be looking for a new cleaning girl.

Just let her know you clean it yourself with regular sink peeing.

[KQ]

[KQ]

[TBS]

[KQ]

[old goat]

I don't know if this goes here or in the beautifully sad thread. Probably the latter but I'm already here.
There's a picture in our spare bedroom. Photo on canvas of kayaks on a lake. On the back it says "My love, every journey we take will start together. I love you, (signed woman's name). " And dated about 2 years ago. My wife just got it at the Goodwill for $2.49. Always doesn't last as long as it used to. The room it's in is where our son and his wife to be will be staying when they're out here in August to get married (we hope). I think I'll take the picture down while theyre here, for luck.

One year for xmas my wife gave me a computer bag. It looked new but it wasn't--the previous owner's medical cannabis card in it was the giveaway. I did try briefly to see if I could find the guy and return the card but no luck.