Comfort meals on a cloudy day in Eastern Europe

Video Description

💫 My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/victoriaterekhina 🌟 My husband's Christian books: 📘 The Prayer That Changed the World: https://amzn.to/4mCJRik 📗 17 Things You Need to Know About God: https://amzn.to/48fdbXK 📕The Reformation: How God Changed the World: https://amzn.to/48GjFiz THE MEALS: 🥞 Breakfast: Kefir pancakes 🥞 • Kefir – about 500 ml (it shouldn’t be cold, so I warmed it up in a bowl of hot water, as you saw in the video) • 1 egg • 2–3 tablespoons sugar (optional) • 1/2 teaspoon salt • Flour – about 2 small glasses • 1 teaspoon baking soda • Oil or butter for frying Mix the warmed kefir, egg, sugar, and salt. Add the flour and mix well. Honestly, I usually don’t measure anything and just try to get the consistency of the dough like sour cream. It should be a bit thick, not runny, and slowly fall off the spoon. Add the baking soda and mix. The baking soda will start to bubble slightly in the warm kefir, making the pancakes fluffier. Let it rest for 10–15 minutes. Heat a frying pan with oil. Usually, people use quite a lot of sunflower oil for frying these pancakes, but I prefer a small amount of ghee butter. Fry over medium heat. We serve them with sour cream and jam. 🥪 Lunch: Labneh sandwiches 🥪 • Labneh is a Middle Eastern version of cream cheese made from strained yogurt, so it’s more sour and lighter – perfect as a spread. I also use it instead of cream to add a creamy texture to pasta and sometimes in salads. Super simple meal – tasty bread + labneh spread + sliced cucumbers or tomatoes 😋 🥘 Dinner: Big meatballs + mashed potatoes 🥘 Meatballs: • Ground beef – 700 g (I had 1 kg) • Rice – 1/2 or 1 small glass (I used almost a full big glass and it was too much 😁) • 1 egg • 1 onion • 2 carrots • 2 cloves of garlic • 2–3 tomatoes • Salt, pepper, and any spices you like 1. Chop the onion and grate the carrots, then fry until soft. 2. Boil the rice until it is half-cooked and add it to the minced meat. Add the fried onion and carrot, and the egg. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. 3. For the sauce: in the same pan where you fried the vegetables, lightly fry the chopped tomatoes and garlic under a lid until they release their juice and become soft. Add the grated carrot. Add a little water, salt, and blend it with a blender. (I don’t blend it too much – I like to keep some texture.) 4. Put the meatballs in the sauce. (You can fry them beforehand, or just put them in raw. Add some more water if needed to make sure there’s enough sauce.) 5. Cook over low–medium heat, adding more water if necessary. I usually cook for about an hour, but it’s not really necessary. Especially if the meatballs are smaller, they can be done much faster. Mashed potatoes: • Potatoes • Butter • Milk • Bay leaves (optional) Peel the potatoes and put them into boiling water. I also add bay leaves. Add some salt and boil for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft and falling apart. Drain the water and remove the leaves, then add butter and mash well. Add some hot milk and mash again. I don’t measure the amount of milk – I just add enough to get the texture I like. Thank you for watching! This video was sponsored only by my dear Patreon subscribers ✨🥰 * I may earn affiliate commission from any links related to this video and its description page.