Maria Sokolovskaya 
Dinner with Friends [EPUB ebook] 

Maria Sokolovskaya was born in Moscow, Russia. Interestingly, she was born during the time that Socialism was very pronounced in Russia and she left as an adult when Socialism was collapsing. For 54 years, Maria witnessed the growth and fall of Socialism, as well as the communistic ideas for a better life.
She received a graduate degree in economics. She worked in different areas of this field for 20 years before deciding to do something particularly useful for women. In 1980, she opened a school of Home Economics and named it ‘Aurora’ (the goddess of morning star). The school was very popular in Moscow where 750 women studied the fashion history, image enhancement, home decorating, cooking, skin care, and 12 native handcrafts of various Russian nationalities. The idea of this school was perfect for the special attention needed by hard working women who were tired, exhausted and lonely. By attending the school, they could see that someone cared about their personal enrichment. There was a cooking contest every month at the school. Students brought original dishes accompanied with their recipes. Maria collected the recipes for 8 years. She arranged a tour of ethnic cooking and shares her knowledge with you in this book.
Maria published several books on handcrafts, fashion history, cooking, and an encyclopedia on macramé. She is the author of countless articles that address women’s interests. Articles have been published in Russian magazines, ‘Krestianka’, ‘Rabotnica’, ‘Family and School’, and ‘Romahka’. She published her own magazine called ‘Maria’ and has appeared on the television program called ‘Moscvichka’, which was telecast on a major Moscow network. When Maria immigrated to the United States, she decided to continue working with women. She graduated from the National Academy of Beauty Arts, Midwest Institute for Medical Assistants. She traveled to Paris, London, Vienna, Rome, Denver, and all over the United States to receive a decent education in image development and skin care.
In 1994, Maria opened her new studio in St. Louis, Missouri, called ‘Art of Appearance’. This facility was neither a beauty parlor nor a doctor’s office. It was unique; something in between and nothing existed like it in the industry at that time until later in the century. Her motto was ‘Every woman is beautiful if she knows how’. Maria studied at the College of Freelancing and published articles in the ‘St. Louis Seasons Magazine, ‘ ‘Uptown Magazine, ’ and ‘Progressive Woman Newspaper.’ She regularly publishes her own newsletter called ‘Art of Appearance’.
Dinner with Friends is dedicated to Maria’s 54 years of life memories in Russia. She followed a desire to write this book because an inner voice urged her to make certain that everyone remembers the Union of Nations and know a little bit more about their cuisine.
Each section of the book has a short introduction on the fundamental principles of cookery at origin. Important advances have been made in recent years in our knowledge of the art of cookery. This book does not include all the recipes, which can be used in homes of my friends who lived previously in Moscow. Its purpose is not to supplant, but only supplement some distinctive dishes of different nationalities, which can be tried at home.
Maria has two children: Margaret, a Nurse Practitioner who has a daughter named Eva, Maria’s joy and hope; and Aleks, a Doctor. Maria resides in Oswego New York along with her precious library. Maria believes that ‘to add a library to a home is to give that home a soul’. She is in complete agreement with W. Somerset Maugham when he stated ‘It is a funny thing about life: if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”