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!

Home

It has been four months since my last post, but I don't plan on filling you in on the details of those months. I'll keep it simple and pick up where I left off in my last post....on the hunt for an apartment.

I'll admit, I was a little nervous with what we were finding. I was trying to be humble but some of the apartments would have been a struggle for me to call home, especially with a toddler. And the apartments that were nice and clean were way out of our budget. Then we came across a new, unfurnished apartment that would be on the higher end of our budget but we knew we could call it home.

I was excited! I actually prayed for the apartment! If you know our family's past, then you know we have traveled and lived in different places, some a little rough. So to find a place to call home, in a foreign country that we now call home, was a big moment in my life as a woman, wife and mother.

Sure does make JuJu look tiny!

We were able to furnish our home with items donated to us by a wonderful mission organization called Missions Without Boarders (http://www.mwbi.org). We would not have been able to furnish our home without their giving, and they gave abundantly too!

So there you have it! We have a wonderful home in Moldova!

But I can't write this post without saying how grateful I am to so many who have helped us have a home. My heart and family are truly grateful for your support in helping us. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your support.

Welcome to the Morari House

The Morari House

Today marks three weeks since arriving in Moldova. We are still in the hunt for the right apartment to help us call Moldova home. In the meantime we have been staying at Nick and Uliana's house. They have offered to have us stay two months until a possible apartment we know of becomes available. That's who Nick and Uliana are. That is the Morari house.

It has been six years since the foundation of the home was laid. Just this past summer they were able to put a roof on it. As the money comes in and availability to work, it slowly becomes closer to being complete.

Nick, Uliana and their kids temporarily live on the bottom floor. We enjoy a nice sized room on the third floor. So, it is already a home, but it is so much more than that. It is a place of refuge, a constant meal being provided, shelter to youth, a place where discipleship and fellowship occur. It is a home that serves God and his kingdom. God's love is always being poured from their home.

Helping make a special meal of fajitas

After basketball camps and practices, the boys take buses to the house as they know Uliana has cooked them a meal. Imagine feeding a group of teenage boys! Uliana loves it! They greet you with a smile, shake the men's hands and enjoy what she has to offer them. It is evident the love, time and mentorship Nick and Uliana have poured into their lives.

Yesterday they were able to do some work on their home. Little Nick's room was painted and work was done on the second story floor. Five boys showed up and were willing to help out.

Little Nick's room gets color

Working on the second floor

It would be a blessing to see the Morari's home completed. They don't live the typical life of a 8-5 job and a monthly income. They have chosen to disciple and pour the gospel into to the youth of Moldova, and their home is one means of doing so.

Everything is Alright Except......

I was relieved when our passenger plane landed in the capital of Moldova. The whole trip was a little exhausting with a one year old who was rather active and fussy due to not sleeping on the overnight flight. The poor child screamed the last half hour of our flight from Munich to Chisinau. I'm assuming he had issues with his ears. Thus our final landing brought relief that our travels were over.

We had purchased our tickets for January first because no other flight was landing in Chisinau from Munich a few days prior. So I was surprised to find only eleven other passengers on our flight into the capital. I was also surprised to see another American on our flight. She was kind and tried to help me with Josiah's screaming. When we landed her comment struck me, "Everything is alright except we are in Chisinau." What was that supposed to mean? I had heard that Moldova is a poor country, struggles with corruption and has issues with human trafficking. But I was a little taken back by this lady's perspective.

I will admit, Moldova is a little poorer than I thought it to be, but my experiences have shown me that is where you can find the most giving of people.

Someone was sharing with me about life during the Soviet Union. She shared that they thought they had the best life. They were told by their government that they had the best products, quality of life and health compared to the rest of the world, especially those in the United States. When the Soviet Union fell, she said that people became 'broken', realizing the type of life that they really were living in compared to the rest of Europe and the United States.

From driving around the city, you can see the new advancements the country has made. You can also see that there isn't a middle class, just lower and upper. I've already met kids who live in a single parent family because either father or mother is working abroad to support their family. Just this morning one of the basketball players took a bus to his home town where his sister is raising him as his mother works in Turkey.

Greetings From Chisinau, Moldova

It has been over a week since our simple family has moved to this tiny country in east Europe, and already we have dived right into Moldovan life. I really didn't want to commit to an extra activity such as blogging, but I already have the urge to share what it is like in this little country. For those of us who are Americans, it can be difficult to imagine life outside our boarders, this is why I feel compelled to share about Moldova and the lives of the people here. Sure I'll share about our adjustments, experiences and of course updates on our little JuJu (Josiah), but I hope to provide glimpses into another side of God's beauty, through the Moldovan people.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

My Auntie is one of the best cooks I know. Whenever I get a recipe from her, I know it's going to be yummy. So if you like tortilla soup then I guarantee you'll eat up this easy recipe of hers!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Combine the following in a crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours:

2 chicken breasts with bone

1/2 chopped onion

48 oz. chicken broth

 8 oz. of salsa (I like Herdez salsa because it is chunky)

taco seasoning packet

For the last 10 minutes:

shred chicken and discard bone

1 can of corn

crushed tortilla chips

Top with:

cheese

avocados

sour cream

Josiah Ishmael

"Hello Josiah Ishmael! You were born so little, named by God and are already leaving footprints all over my and your daddy's heart. Don't grow too fast, my Love, I just got you three months ago!"

Josiah started his entry on an early Monday at 3:30 am. We decided to try and get a little more rest, after all having a baby could take hours! The day was spent taking long showers, strolls around town and the neighborhood, lunch with the parents (I think the waitress thought something was wrong with me and my funny contraction faces), and endless comforting rocks in the glider. By 11 pm we were in the car and heading into Pittsburgh. Gosh, it was hard to relax through those contractions and a 40 minute car ride!


The woman checking into the hospital before me was just about to have her baby right there in triage. Women in labor don't find encouragement seeing another woman so far along! By the time our midwife arrived I was praying for good news. 6 cm dilated! Good news indeed! What I didn't know is that my little boy would arrive in just three more hours!

I barely remember the pain, except 'excruciating' was a good term to use. I do remember being able to feel the top of this baby's head, and thinking why is everyone staring at me. I can recall sitting at the edge of the bed and pushing in intervals of three; pushing as if my life depended on each push! And everyone, including Michael, shouting, "He's coming!" And I'll never forget what it felt like to hold my son for the first time!

"Welcome to the life God has given you, my son!"

Josiah Ishmael Grinder

November 29, 2011

7 pounds, 12 ounces

...and beautiful!