Russian Pascha Treats for Bright Week...

Ilya Kavernez - Joyous Resurrection - source

Today I'm sharing my recipe for Russian "Sweet Pascha Cheese", a traditional Russian treat put into Easter baskets and served at Pascha and during Bright Week to accompany "Kulich", a delectable sweet bread (click here for the bread recipe).  There are lots of authentic Russian Pascha Cheese recipes out there - this is a fairly simple one - "tried and true" - that was passed along to me by a friend who has made it for years.

PASCHA CHEESE INGREDIENTS:

3 lbs Farmers Cheese (or Ricotta)

1 1/2 lb. unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 pints whipping cream

2 T. + 2 t. vanilla extract

4 c. granulated sugar

5 egg yolks*

Procedure: (Do this a week in advance)  1- Gather all your ingredients before you start.

2- Line 6" clay pots with 2 layers of cheesecloth, letting the edges hang over so you'll have extra to cover the top when you're done.  (You'll need at least four 6" clay pots - or you can mix 6" and 3".  I ran into trouble because this recipe made so much and I didn't have enough pots - luckily, my daughter had some mini ones that we filled!

3- Beat the butter, vanilla, and sugar until light.  Add egg yolks one at a time, beating until creamy. Add farmer's cheese until blended. (The eggs in this recipe are uncooked - go here to decide if you're comfortable with this.  If not, there is a version of the recipe without eggs here.)

4- Whip the cream in a chilled bowl, until soft peaks form.

5- Fold in the whipped cream to incorporate it with the cheese mixture.

6- Pour into prepared pots and cover with the over-lapping cheese cloth.

7- Put all the pots in the refrigerator, placing a saucer (or weight) on top and paper towels or a pan underneath, so any extra liquid can drain out.

8- After 5-7 days, the cheese is ready to un-mold.  Note: You can put it on a plate with edible flowers or strawberries around the edge.  We made a bunch of pots - a large one to share at our church celebration and some smaller ones to give away and enjoy at home! Here was the finished product - it tasted like cheesecake!  Symbolism: Cheese is something Orthodox Christians fast from during the 40 days of Lent.  White symbolizes the purity of Christ and the Joy of the Resurrection!

A TASTE OF PARADISE ON BRIGHT MONDAY

Happy Bright Week! Christ is Risen! 

On the heels of Pascha (for all my Orthodox readers), and Easter for those of you who celebrated earlier in the West, I hope you're enjoying after-Pascha-treats from your basket. We certainly are! Especially my yummy Russian Pascha cheese, which kind of tastes like paradise. 

But that's not the taste I'm here to tell you about today...

I have a soon-to-be-released children's book to share with you:  A Taste of Paradise, Stories of Saints and Animals. 

This delightful picture book is by Katherine Bolger Hyde, illustrated by Anastasiya Sokolova. It's exquisite, and I love it! And I think your kids will too. 

It seems safe to say that most children love animals and animal stories, and this book is a wonderful way to introduce them to some extraordinary saint stories...

Long ago in Paradise animals and men walked side by side.  When we return to Paradise, the wolf will lie down with the lamb, and a little child shall lead them.  In the time in between, many holy men and women have befriended even the fiercest beasts through the power of God's love.  Come and meet a few of these saints and their animal friends in this beautifully illustrated collection of inspiring stories!

Starting with Modestos, the patron saint of animals, we are introduced to saints from around the world (St. Herman of Alaska, Elijah the Prophet and the ravens, St. Kieran of Ireland and a wild boar, and St. Melangell of Wales and her rabbits, to name a few). 

Anastasiya Sokolova's luminous illustrations will draw you into each of Katherine Bolger Hyde's beautifully descriptive accounts of the saints and animals - perfect for children ages 4-8!

Be on the lookout! This book can be ordered soon from Ancient Faith Publishing.

BRIGHT MONDAY BREAKFAST

Christ is Risen! I hope you had a glorious Pascha (or Easter, last week, if you follow the Western calendar). We celebrate according to the Julian Calendar, and our service started late Saturday night and went into the wee hours of the morning on Sunday.

Bright Monday is one of my favorite mornings!  I'm a bit more bright eyed than on Sunday morning, and I love my favorite pairings: coffee and cream, bacon and eggs, strawberries and croissants (with Pascha Cheese that I make for our parish celebration after the Pascha liturgy - recipe here).

Breakfast gets prepared as we listen once again to Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Festival Overture.

I love how strains of the Paschal Anthem, "Let God Arise" and "Christ is Risen From the Dead" are woven in and out of the symphonic music.

The weather is fine today, and the butterflies are out!  And I need to get back to blogging.  Watch for my post on Margaret Wise Brown, coming soon.

Psst...Pascha Giveaways

Giveaway #1 - A Child's Guide to Confession.  This wonderful book (companion to A Child's Guide to the Divine Liturgy) is a great little volume to tuck inside a child's Easter basket! Perfect size for young hands, with lovely and colorful illustrations.

From Ancient Faith Publishing: 

This 100-page, easy-to-use aid will help a child understand and prepare for confession. Designed for both younger and older children, this book assists the child with brief, inspirational thoughts followed by prayers and an age-appropriate self-examination based on 1 Corinthians 13 (the "love chapter").  Available from AFP, here. 
Leave a comment (by 4/23/19) at the end of my post telling me you'd like a chance to win this book - be sure to leave your email so I can contact you!

Giveaway #2 - Spyridon's Shoes by Christine Rogers. Your kids (especially boys!) are in for a treat with this chapter book.  Spyridon's Shoes is a fun read, and Christine Rogers has done an amazing job in introducing young readers to the special-ness of having a relationship with the saints gone on before.

From Ancient Faith Publishing:
Young Spyros spends his days fishing, octopus hunting, and dreaming of attending school like his best friend, Niko. When he encounters an elderly man on the beach after an accident, his whole life begins to shift and change. But who is this mysterious, saintly man, and why is his friendship so important? Take a short trip back in time to the Greek island of Corfu and discover the real reason for the mystery surrounding Spyridon's shoes.  Available from AFP, here.
Leave a comment (by 4/23/19) at the end of my post telling me you'd like a chance to win this book - be sure to leave your email so I can contact you!

Before seeing "The Durrells in Corfu" series on PBS, I had never heard of the Greek Island on which St. Spyridon lived. Both the television series and Gerald Durrell's entertaining account of life on Corfu, My Family and Other Animals, mention a comedic, rather than mystical, encounter with St. Spryridon's relics. I highly recommend the book (which by the way, is child friendly, whereas the TV series is not) as a read aloud to kids who love animals and nature. (Not part of my giveaway.)

The youngest of the family’s four children, Gerald, whose love of animals drove him to become a famous zoologist, wrote in his 1956 book how the family stayed for five years in this Mediterranean paradise until the onset of World War II. ‘Living in Corfu,’ he concluded of the hilarious adventures he recounted, ‘was rather like living in one of the more flamboyant and slapstick comic operas.’ [source]

Giveaway #3 - The Resurrection of Christ, translated by Fr. John Hogg from the Russian, by Elena Trostnikova with colorful iconographic illustrations by Olga Podivilova.  

Fr. John has recently started a publishing company, Exaltation Press, so that he can begin publishing good quality Orthodox books in English that he's translating from other languages as he works with Orthodox publishers from other countries.

This is the Paschal book from the series “Scriptures and Feasts for Children” (books are all pictured at the top of this post). This book goes through the events of Holy Week — the Entrance into Jerusalem, the Mystical Supper, the betrayal, crucifixion, Death, burial, and Resurrection of Christ.  Each scriptural evenT is explained in a clear and simple way that is suitable for the very youngest children.

The illustrations are gorgeous!  Look at the end covers...

At the end of the book is a glossary and "How to Tell Children about the Resurrection" section that goes into a more detailed explanation of the events for parents.  (One thing to note is that since the books are translated from Russian, some of the traditions mentioned in celebrating Pascha - "kulich", cheese Pascha, and pussywillows (for Palm Sunday) - may or may not be unfamiliar to readers from Antiochian or Greek Orthodox traditions.)

Fr. John has done a series of three books, "Scripture and Feasts for Children". All these beautiful books are available from Exaltation Press, here.
Leave a comment (by 4/23/19) at the end of my post telling me you'd like a chance to win this book - be sure to leave your email so I can contact you!

PASCHA 2019 GIVEAWAY RULES:
1 - Leave a comment telling me which book (or books) you'd like a chance to win for your children (or grandchildren, godchildren, nieces, or nephews!) 
2 - There will be three winners, with one book per winner.
3 - Be sure to include your email so I can get in touch with you.  If you are uncomfortable leaving it in the comment section, just send an email to me:wendyb1963@sbcglobal.net.
4 - You must leave a comment by midnight on Tuesday April 23, 2019.  Closed for comments after that time.