PopSugar

Name That Dish!

partysugar — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 08:01:51 -0700

Do you know what the Russian dish pictured below is called? Hint: a Top Chef recently suggested these...

Yummy Link: Russian Vinaigrette Salad

YumSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 06:15:31 -0800

If you're looking for something new to serve this holiday season, why not try this beautiful Russian Vinaigrette Salad. Its festive color and lively flavor will surely be a cause for chatter at your next party. - Nami-Nami

Name That Dish!

partysugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:43:33 -0700

Now that it's officially fall, we are outwardly embracing fall foods. For example, the dish pictured below is an excellent cool weather meal. It's named after a Russian count - or so the story goes - and generally consists of tender beef sauteed with onions, mushrooms, and butter combined with a sour cream sauce. Do you know what it's called?

Come Party With Me: Travel Party - The Look & Music

partysugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 06:31:38 -0700

In my opinion, the best part of a travel party is transforming each room to resemble a different country. With a little imagination, it's easy to come up with festive and fun decor.

Mexico: Dress the table with Mexican blankets and hang a Mexican banner in a crisscross pattern along the ceiling. Plate chips and dips in plastic sombrero shaped serving platters. Use bright candles, flowers, and clear glasses for the tequila sunrises. Create a playlist with your favorite Latin stars: Luis Miguel, Mana, and my personal favorite Paulina Rubio.
Japan: Set the scene with red, white, and black decorations. Instead of floral arrangements, place bamboo in small vases filled with black stones. Rest a cherry blossom Japanese shade along one of your walls. Floating candles add a zen and relaxing touch. Search iTunes for some fun Japanese tunes. I recommend Pizzicato 5 and Cornelius.

Russia: Ornate metallic gold decorations with red accents are perfect to create a lux Russian room. Cover furniture with fur throws and arrange flowers in open Russian dolls. For music play Tatu and your other favorite Russian groups.
England: Plaster the ways with images of the Royal family, soccer teams like Manchester United, and a Union Jack banner. Instead of a tablecloth, cover the table with old covers of Hello magazine. If using red, white, and blue decor, be sure to make it British rather than American. Robbie Williams, Anastacia, Joss Stone, The Spice Girls, New Order, Oasis, Elton John and the Beatles should be playing softly in the background.
Cuba: Make posters that say, Abajo Fidel (Down With Fidel) in large block letters and pin to the walls. Wrap Cuba Libre glasses in Cuban flag beads. Allow more musically inclined friends to play the Cuban bongos or turn on a regatton radio station.

Do you have a great decorating or music idea for my travel-themed party? Tell us in the comments below!

' />

Come Party With Me: Travel Party - Menu I

partysugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 08:57:39 -0700

This week, I've invited guests to join me in traveling to five countries. While we won't be actually jetting on a plane and heading to each destination, five rooms in my house will be transformed into a specific theme based around each country. The rooms will have unique decor, music, food, and drinks. In the Mexican themed room I'll fill huge bowls with multi colored tortilla chips and homemade salsa. A large mortar and pestle will hold just mashed guacamole. I'll take help from the grocery store or local Japanese restaurant for the Japanese themed room, and offer platters of various types of sushi: California rolls, spicy tuna rolls, assorted sashimi, etc. Order whatever you and your friends like. Offer guests a classic bite of Russia with cornmeal blinis and caviar in the Russian themed room. To take a culinary journey around the world in your very own home, read more

Salsa
From Simply Recipes

2-3 medium sized fresh tomatoes (from 1 lb to 1 1/2 lb), stems removed, finely diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño chili pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced
1 serrano chili pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: oregano and or cumin to taste

Start with chopping up 2 medium sized fresh tomatoes.
Prepare the chilies. Be very careful while handling these hot peppers. If you can, avoid touching them with your hands. Use a fork to cut up the chilies over a small plate, or use a paper towel to protect your hands. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water after handling and avoid touching your eyes for several hours. Set aside some of the seeds from the peppers. If the salsa isn't hot enough, you can add a few for heat.
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Taste. If the chilies make the salsa too hot, add some more chopped tomato. If not hot enough, carefully add a few of the seeds from the chilies, or add some ground cumin.
Let sit for an hour for the flavors to combine.

Makes approximately 3-4 cups.

Print recipe with images | without images

Guacamole
Modified from Avocado Central

4 Hass Avocados, peeled and pitted
2 lemons, juiced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
¼ Cup cilantro, chopped
¼ Cup green onion, diced
¼ tsp ground cumin
1-2 Jalapeño, seeded and all of them minced
Salt and chile powder to taste

Place avocados in a large bowl and mash them.
Add lemon juice and mix well.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve with tortilla chips.

Serves 12.

Print recipe with images | without images

Cornmeal Blini with Caviar
From Chow

1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
Vegetable oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons salmon caviar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Osetra caviar
2 cups crème fraîche
1 bunch chives, finely chopped
30 small fresh chervil leaves

Heat the oven to 250°F.
In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt and stir well to mix. Add the egg and milk, and mix until smooth.
Heat a heavy griddle or skillet over medium heat until hot, then brush with oil. Using a spoon and working in small batches, drop 1-tablespoon-size dollops of batter into the skillet. When bubbles form evenly on the top of the blini, turn (just once) and cook the blini until golden.
Transfer the first batch of cooked blini to a heatproof plate lined with paper towels and keep warm, covered, in the oven.
Repeat with the remaining batter.
To serve, top each warm blini with 1 tablespoon crème fraîche, 1 teaspoon salmon caviar, 1/2 teaspoon of Osetra caviar, a pinch of chives, and a chervil leaf. Serve immediately.

Makes 30 blini.

Print recipe with images | without images

Image Source

Get to Know the Work of Russian Tatler's Anya Ziourova

FabSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:00:22 -0700

You may not know the name, or even face, of newly appointed Russian Tatler fashion director Anya Ziourova - here, snapped by The Sartorialist - but you've certainly witnessed her craft. The expert stylist has lent her talents to nearly all the Vogues: China, India, Greece, Portugal, Spain. She has even worked with Fab favorite Diane Kruger. Anya has a website where you can see some of her most awe-inspiring shoots. I've handpicked some of the best. All I have to say is, get ready to go gaga.
Source

View Slideshow ›

Ab Work: Seated Russian Twist

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:00:00 -0800

It may be early February, but now is the time to start thinking about creating bikini-worthy abs. On second thought, strong abs are great for any season and this exercise is great for your abs so the Russian twist may just be for you. This ab exercise targets your obliques, but your deep abs and your back muscles should be working together to support your spine while your ribcage rotates around your center.

Learn the details on the Russian twist when you read more.

Sit on the ground with your knees bent and your heels about two feet from your bum.
Lean slightly back without rounding your spine at all. It is really important, and difficult, to keep your back straight, but don't let it round.
Place your arms straight out in front of you with your hands one on top of the other. Your hands should be level with the bottom of your ribcage.
Pull your navel to your spine and twist slowly to the left. The movement is not large and comes from the ribs rotating, not from your arms swinging. Inhale through center and rotate to the right. This completes one set.
Do two sets of 12.

To make this exercise more challenging hold a medicine ball or a dumbbell in your hands with your elbows slightly bent. Conversely, if you have a compromised or injured low back, this exercises is not recommended for you. Try the bicycle crunch instead.

Happy Hour: White Russian

partysugar — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:28:37 -0800

White Russian's are my absolute favorite dessert drink. When I was in college I always kept a bottle of vodka and kahlua on hand in my freezer. Milk was only consumed when it was mixed in with a White Russian. Even when I was a bartender in Spain (where milk is an unheard of mixer) I would whip them up during afterhours and taught all of my fellow Spanish bar-mates how to make them. As I was thinking about milk today, I realized I haven't had a White Russian in forever (definition of forever: a few months). If you have yet to have one, make one now - they are super yummy! For the recipe, read more

White Russian
From Barmeister

1 1/2 oz Vodka
3/4 oz Kahlua
3/4 oz Cream or Milk

Mix the vodka and kahlua together in a cocktail shaker.
Pour into glass filled with ice. Float the cream/milk on top.

Print recipe with images | without images

Love It or Hate It? Russian Box Rug

CasaSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:15:47 -0700

This Russian Box Rug ($7,200) from Emma Gardner features Russian folk art-inspired patterns and an eclectic array of colors in New Zealand wool. Are you a fan of its unusual look?

New Product Alert: OPI Russian Collection

BellaSugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 07:00:00 -0700

New from OPI is its Russian Collection for Fall/Winter 2007. The line includes twelve glamorous nail lacquers, three lip colors and three lip liners inspired by the rich royal heritage, sophistication and aristocracy of Russia. The fall runways were filled with cashmeres, satins and velvets and this collection complements the clothing for the upcoming season. The nail lacquers are free of DBP, toluene and formaldehyde, and they each contain OPI's ProWide brush (which I love-it makes application so much easier .

The three shades that come with matching lip colours and lipliners are Krème de la Kremlin, Suzi Says Da!, and St. Petersburgundy. Each of the lacquers are $7.50, and the lip color and lip liners each cost $10. To see pictures of the Russia Collection and to find out more about the 12 different nail lacquers, read more

St. Petersburgundy - Claret
An Affair in Red Square - Shimmering red
Vodka & Caviar - Crimson
Russian Navy - Deep-sea indigo
Catherine the Grape - Deep wine
Siberian Nights - Onyx
Cosmo-Not Tonight, Honey! - Pale gold
Ruble for Your Thoughts - Copper-penny shimmer
Krème de la Kremlin - Terra cotta pink
Suzi Says Da! - Dark chocolate brown
Midnight in Moscow - Charcoal with maroon glimmer
Boris & Natasha - Raisin

View 3 Photos ›