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A morning at the market … recipes included
On Saturday morning we decided to go to the open vegetable/fruit market. I really love the fresh veggies and they are a lot cheaper in the market place but I really DO NOT like the crowds and being bumped into. I am so glad that we went there and stocked up on fresh produce, though. I have declared this week as a Vegetarian Week. I have found 10+ new recipes that are veggie based. They are all not true vegetarian meals since last night I put some cubed chicken in the meal for some protein. Here are a few pictures of the market. A lot of the people selling produce are Russian.

Look at all the beautiful colors!!

A lot of different sights and smells. These fish are NOT in my meal plan. : )

Nectarines and cherries and blueberries and zucchini are in full produce right now.

My sweet little helper.

On Sunday I made Zucchini Herb Casserole
- 1/3 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 2/3 cup water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, cubed
- 1 cup sliced green onions
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 1/4 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped tomatoes
- 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
DIRECTIONS
- Combine the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, until rice is tender.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a shallow 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the zucchini, green onions, and garlic 5 minutes, or until tender. Season with garlic salt, basil, paprika, and oregano. Mix in the cooked rice, tomatoes, and 1 cup cheese. Continue to cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
- Bake uncovered 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Okay … so Sarah is not too enthusiastic about this Veggie Week. She is not my vegetable lover. The rule at our dinner table is that if anyone utters a complaint, they get an extra scoop of whatever it is they are not thankful for. Well, she may not have said a word, but her expression cannot deny her disapproval. Every morning Sarah prays for “the little boys and girls that don’t have a mommy and daddy – and for those kids that don’t have food to eat”. Bob told her those little boys and girls would love the meal she was eating. ( She didn’t have much to say about that! : ) ) This zucchini dish was really good and devoured by everyone else. I added 2 cups of rice to this dish because my family loves rice.
NEXT ….

So, this is my own little invention. I made this Cream of Broccoli soup … Doubled it. I doctored it up with fresh garlic and fresh parsley and crushed red pepper I steamed a bunch of broccoli and put it in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. I cooked cubed chicken in a little bit of olive oil and some lemon pepper seasoning. I then put the chicken on top of the steamed broccoli. I then poured the soup over the layer of broccoli and chicken. I sprinkled shredded cheddar cheese on top and baked at 350 for about 30 minutes. I served it over fettuccine noodles with some warm bread.
Cream of Broccoli Soup:
- 1 head fresh broccoli
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons minced onion
- 1 stalk celery with leaves, chopped
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cubes chicken bouillon
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 pinches paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
DIRECTIONS
- Place broccoli in a medium saucepan with water to cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, 15 minutes. Remove broccoli and reserve cooking water.
- In the same pan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onions and celery in butter until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in flour, milk and cream. Dissolve bouillon in 2 cups reserved broccoli water. Stir into soup. Season with Worcestershire, paprika and salt. Stir in cheese and cook 10 minutes more.

A much happier Sarah. : )
Today I made a recipe that we saw on the Travel Channel last week. We like a show called Chef Abroad and last week he was in Greece. So, I wrote down the recipe as he made it in Greece … an eggplant dish … with some potatoes and cream sauce ( made from milk and natural yogurt ). Bob hates eggplant ( I love it!! ) but he really liked this recipe I made today. It was quite time consuming – about 2 hours to make/bake. I will have to share it at another time, though. What a beautiful day it is here in Tallinn, Estonia! This entire summer has been gorgeous. This morning my son and I biked to the supermarket for milk and fruit. When I got home, Bob said my backpack weighed 30 lbs!! WOW – it was a struggle going uphill!! I was thinking as I was peddling hard how good it was going to feel when I arrived home and lay the backpack down. I then thought about how there have been times ( and still have times ) when I carry a heavy burden that just weighs me down and I keep carrying it around when I could just give it to God for Him to carry. It was a good reminder for me today and just thought I would share that thought I had in case some one reading this may need the reminder that God is right there, with arms outstretched, wanting to take our heavy baggage. God Bless!!!

Heather – you are such a sweet blessing to me. I love reading your blog!!! I wish we lived closer…..
I loved the picture of Sarah! How cute!
Heather I love the pic of Sophia being your little helper, she’s beautiful. Course ALL my grandkids are BEAUTIFUL! Thank you, for doing the blog its a blessing to my heart! Love you!