“Blini” - Traditional Russian Crepes. This is my favorite dish that my mother cooked in my childhood in Russia. The ones that fill my memory with the warm smell of melting sugar on a hot crepe and a tang of cold sour cream or condensed milk. They are thin and delicate and occasionally lacy. They are cooked in large batches and eaten in stacks of 5-10-15.There are hundreds of different crepe recipes in Russia. They cook blini with water, milk or kefir. They can fill them with caviar, herring or any other fish, mushrooms or potato. The Russian blini can be served as a first or second course, or with hot tea along with honey, sour cream, cottage cheese, or jam. Russian blini are food for every day, but also a symbol of the Shrovetide holiday (Maslenitsa). It comes from an old Slavic tradition to worship the beginning of spring with pancakes, symbolizing the Sun. It was even adopted by the Orthodox church. Maslenitsa lasts for a week. You are supposed to make and eat tons of blinchicki during that time.Each time I make these traditional Russian crepes, I think of my mom. She is the queen of crepes. As children, my sister and I loved to watch how our mother kneaded dough, fried pancakes in a pan and turned them over. Our kitchen was filled with a sweet aroma, it was so cozy and warm.  Now this tradition is also in my family, because my children and husband love it when I cook them pancakes according to my mother's recipe.  Our favorite weekend breakfast is to make delicious tea and eat pancakes with sour cream, jam and condensed milk.  I plunge into my carefree childhood in Russia. 

– Snezhana

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