364 days ago...

A year ago we were enroute to Moscow.  Wow!  A year ago!  It's been such a long year and sooooo much has happened (and she's changed so much) that it hardly seems possible that a year ago she wasn't with us yet!  In honor of Gotcha Day tomorrow, I present Russia through Luke's eyes.

Literally the first thing he was desperate to find - he HAD to get a picture of the license plates in Russia.  Must a number thing...

And the "mustache" sign...

This is the building where we had court.

And our first stop after arriving in Tver, the police station.  See the crumbling bricks behind him.  The whole building was like that.  On another note, Esther's not the only one who has grown a lot in the past year! Apparently Luke did too!

Pork and Tomatillo Stew

1. I've had a package of pork stew meat taking up residence in my fridge the last few days and figured I better make a use for it.  I googled several pork stews and finally adapted a couple to our allergies.  The dinner table was quiet and no one complained.  Score!  That being said, I better write it down before I forget what I did...
2. Pork and Tomatilla Stew
3. 2 T olive oil
4. about 2 lbs boneless pork loin, cut into 3-inch chunks or the equivalent of boneless pork chops, etc
5. Salt and pepper to taste (I'd start with about 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper)
6. 2 leeks, cleaned and diced
7. 1 large red onion, finely diced
8. 2 Anaheim chiles, seeded and finely diced (for more heat add a jalapeño or 2 - this is very mild)
9. 4 garlic cloves, minced
10. 4 tps chile powder
11. 2 T ground cumin
12. 1/4 tsp dried oregano
13. 3 bay leaves
14. 3 cups chicken or veggie stock 
15. 2 cup finely diced carrots
16. 5 average sized russet potatoes, washed and diced
17. 1.5 pounds tomatillos—husked, rinsed and diced
18. In a large pot or pan, heat the oil. Season the pork with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until browned .  Add the leek,  onion, chiles, garlic, chile powder, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, until veggies are tender. Move to crock pot and add remaining ingredients.  Cook on high 3-4 hours.  Serve with shredded cheese (or some of us used crumbled goat cheese), diced tomatoes and avocados, sour cream and corn chips or tortillas.