One murder changed the course of Christian history. And it wasn’t of a pope or church leader – it was the murder of Russia’s last czars, the Romanovs. This is the beginning of our series on how communist Russia shaped modern Christianity in America. Tsar Nicholas II made many crucial mistakes: allowing Rasputin into his life, ignoring workers, the Russo-Japanese War, and many others. How we dealt with these tragic errors led the country into the hands of the Bolsheviks.

Oh yeah, and we made stroganoff. The recipe is below.

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Our research was greatly aided by the following books:

The Romanovs by Simon Sebag Montefiore

A Well Ordered Thing – Michael D Gordin

Dairy-free stroganoff recipe

Ingredients:

Egg noodles (as many as necessary – we used half a bag)

1 lb ground beef

1 can mushrooms (small)

1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

1 diced onion

1/2 cup beef broth

1/2 cup dairy-free sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Directions:

  1. Brown ground beef in a skillet. A little extra beef is fine. Elk and deer meat work just as well, though you may want to add more seasoning if it is too “gamey”.
  2. Put hot water on to boil for the noodles.
  3. Drain the fat from the beef.
  4. Add noodles to hot water.
  5. When the meat is brown, add in garlic powder, pepper, mustard powder, onion, and mushrooms. Cook at about medium heat and stir.
  6. When the onion has softened a little, add in the mayonnaise, sour cream, and beef broth. Let that simmer for about 15 minutes.
  7. Drain noodles. Stroganoff is best served over a big heap of noodles. Put the beef mixture over the noodles and enjoy!

Questions we examine:

  • Why did communism take over Russia?
  • Who were the last tsars of Russia?
  • Who was Rasputin?
  • What was the Russo-Japanese War about?
  • Why did Lenin want to stay out of WWI?
  • Was Tsarina Alexandra crazy or just on a lot of drugs?
  • How did the downfall of the Russian tsars impact American Christianity?
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