Alexandra's Personality Traits - Good & Bad

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

Correct me if I'm wrong, I have read that the Grand Duchesses knew French too, not perfectly but well enough.

[nena]

Of course..What about Pierre Gilliard then?

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

Yes, of course was Pierre Gilliard to teach French to the Grand Duchesses...I was forgetting that the girls had him as a teacher.

[Ally Kumari]

Gilliard wrote that although the girls liked French and often used it among themselves theynever learned to speak it fluently and without mistakes.

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

So I was right to say that the girls speak French, but I was wrong to say that they speak it quite well.
Thank you for the information!

[Sarushka]

It was vanilla. I think the book even gave the recipe. I could re-order it from the library if you want the recipe for Ice Cream Romanov. ;-)

ICE CREAM ROMANOV

2.5 pounds sugar
10 egg yolks
1 quart light cream
1 large vanilla bean
1/2 pint whipping cream

Beat sugar and egg yolks in a saucepan until the mixture is ribbonlike in consistency when swirled from a spoon. In another pan, combine the light cream and vanilla bean and bring to a low boil for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add a little of the cream and egg mixture, stir, and continue to add a little at a time, until all of it has been stirred in. Continue to stir over a moderate flame until the mixture coats the spoon, but do not allow to boil. Strain the mixture into a large bowl and stir occasionally until it has congealed. Whip the whipping cream lightly and fold into the mixture. Place in the freezer until ready to serve. NOTE: for a smoother texture, after the ice cream has been frozen, remove it from the freezer, spoon it into a bowl, beat it thoroughly, and return it to the freezer. The more times this is done, the smoother the ice cream will be.

Other flavors
Any flavor of ice cream can be made by substituting chocolate or any fruit for the vanilla bean. However, in making chocolate ice cream, it is desirable to use about half of the vanilla bean in addition to the chocolate. In making any of the fruit flavors, substitute 1/2 pint of the fruit juice for an equal amount of the cream.

~quoted from Rasputin: The Man Behind the Myth, by Maria Rasputin and Patte Barham
page 157

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

Absolutely yes, we all know that she had her faults, but nobody is perfect, I'm sure that she was a good woman...so, my answer is yes.

[Olga Maria]

Did she want her children to eat moderately? I think she did because she sounds disappointed whenever she sees Maria and Nastasia growing fat.

[Olga Maria]

Of course I would (if she'd accept me so).I would like to know how my soulmates think.
She's also a very interesting person to talk to.

[Grand Duchess Jennifer]

I think so. Why would she want her children to stuff themselves? I don't think any mother likes that.

[violetta]

Alix was a little bit chubby when she was a child but I guess it was just puppy fat that one could easily get rid of as one grows. I think Alix is guite roun-faced and not as slim as she usually was at one of the pictures after the birth of alexei. I definitely saw it here. A famoues picture with NII, AF , 4 girls and little alexei. After the birth of Olga she became a little bit more rounded (natural reaction towards pregnancy) but I `ve always wondered how it was possible that she remained slim after she had given birth to Olga who was a big baby and weighted quite a lot!

[Olga Maria]

You're right about those, violetta!
I also wonder why she Olga's is so heavy as that when she was born.
Any more pics of the pregnant Alix? Please post those in her pictures thread. thanks in advance!

[amartin71718]

For those, you'll want to look here.
http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=2152.0

[Sarushka]

I `ve always wondered how it was possible that she remained slim after she had given birth to Olga who was a big baby and weighted quite a lot!

All the imperial children were 9-10lbs each at birth, which was very heavy at that time. It's my understanding that female carriers of hemophilia often have babies with high birthweight.

[nena]

Yes, it is true, about female hemophilia carries.