Gathering Chestnuts

Yesterday we wandered through the park, trying to keep warm and trying to wind down the energy of our little toddler. We crossed paths with a couple of women who nanny some of the kids in our apartment complex. Josiah likes to join up with them because one of the boys is always bound to have a toy car with them. I enjoy the company of the nannies. They are sweet, but usually quick to question why I don't have Josiah dressed warm enough. Must keep those ears covered!

In spring, I saw Ana, one of the nannies picking buds off a blooming tree to take home for some tea. Today, she was leisurely talking to another nanny and started picking up some of the chestnuts that had fallen from the trees. That was all the invite we needed!

Soon we were wandering through the trees gathering chestnuts galore until our pockets were stuffed full. After the toy cars drove on with their little owners, Josiah too joined in the gathering. But most of his time was chasing after that one chestnut that kept sneaking out of his stuffed pocket. We had fun, all three of us, out in the wooded park gathering nuts off the ground. In fact, we came back the next day better prepared with a bag and basket, which gathered many other things, thanks to Josiah.

The only thing we didn't know, was that we were gathering horse chestnuts, the other chestnut you are not supposed to eat! I guess we should have questioned why no one else was picking up the abundance  of chestnuts. Maybe the nannies were using them for decoration purposes, who knows. I guess God made some things to taste bitter for a reason.....horse chestnuts are one of those foods.

Oh well....making family memories can be fun, even if they are 'bitter.'

Moldovan Stuffed Peppers

One of the 'yummies' on my list of tasty Moldovan food are the stuffed peppers. I was surprised how easy they were to make, so I thought I would share the recipe with you incase you would like to have a cultural taste of Moldova.

Some of the things you would miss, should you not be in Moldova, is the shopping at the market to buy the much cheaper grown local peppers, now that they are in season. Shopping at the farmer's market is an adventure in itself. Also, carrying your plastic bag filled with peppers home for the night's meal, sure makes you feel like one of the crowd as someone else is bound to be making the same dish that night.

Moldovan Stuffed Peppers:

8 bell peppers (local peppers are small/medium sized and tend to be a little bitter)

1 onion

1 carrot

2 cups of cooked rice

2 cups of mince raw beef

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

fresh dill

parsley

salt

Step 1: Cut a small opening on top the pepper and hollow out. Set aside.
Step 2: Finely dice the onion. Sauté in a fair amount of oil. Grate the carrot and add to the sautéing onion till both are soft. Add in 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and mix together. Let cook together for a minute. Remove onion mixture to a bowl.
Step 3: Add the cooked rice, chopped dill and a good amount of salt to the onion mixture. Don't skimp on the salt. It really enhances the flavor.
Step 4: Add the mince beef to the mixture. If you don't have a meat grinder you can always break up the mince meat into tiny sizes. Mix all together.
Step 5: Stuff peppers full and place upright in a pot. The pot should be tightly packed with peppers to keep them standing up.
Step 6: Cover with water, salt and 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. Sprinkle parsley over top.
Step 7: Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the peppers are soft.
Step 8: Serve peppers with a dollop of sour cream.

Pretty easy, huh! Now you just need to be adventurous and make some, or you could come visit us and I'll make a hearty plateful just for you!