Category Archives: Heritage

Happy Birthday Pop ~ 84 Years Young!

This photo is from 1974 so my pop is only 51 here.

I am so thankful to God for my father, Moisi (Moses) Timothy Bagdanov because…

He loves the Lord wholeheartedly.

He has paid the cost to follow Christ with joy.

He gave up retirement and his home to be a missionary to his hometown village in Russia.

He seeks reconciliation no matter what it costs him.

He loves and sacrifices for his family.

He loves my mother as Christ loves the church.

He calls a cellular phone a cellkular phone. 🙂

He still cares for the fatherless and those who have no one else to help them.

He is a faithful man.

He loves jigsaw puzzles.

He loves me.

Update: I just have to add two more Moisiisms to the list from September 2001. Yes I’m trying to keep a running list. Hey, brothers, sisters, nieces etc.  If you can think of your favorite Moisiisms add them in the comments! 🙂

“Michelle [his granddaughter] got 3 crackpots for wedding gifts”

“Fireman is outside checking the hydrogens”

Of Weddings and Manicures

If I had any male readers I’ll be losing them today. This weekend is a busy one at our house. My daughter Katie is the Maid of Honor in her best friend’s wedding today. We are all a buzz with nails, hair, dresses, toast speeches, schedules, pictures, etc. One thing I’ve found out about myself is that manicures are not for me! I went with Katie for her manicure and she offered to buy me one. OOPS!

Oh sure, my hands and nails look nicer than they usually do, but I don’t know how to behave with a manicure. This is maybe my third ever manicure. I have a tendency to be rough on hands and things. I knicked one of the tips as soon as we walked out of the salon. Now I feel as though I need to sit around like a princess till after the wedding. I’m being held prisoner by my manicured nails. No mowing the lawn, no washing dishes, no scrubbing anything! I guess I’ll just have to wait till Sunday to do the things I normally do. “Dear” is in California so he’s missing all this fun. I wanted him to see my nails before I wipe them out!

Here’s a photo of Katie’s preparation for her part in the wedding. More photos of the beautiful outcome coming soon…(I hope she doesn’t mind that I know I posted this…)  🙂

Katie (the maid of honor) and Heidi (the bride) on their way to the Wedding Rehearsal last night.

Best friends through the ups and downs of their teen years! So different from each other but God brought them together for fellowship with Him and one another.

Praying for a beautiful blessed event today and that the Bride and Groom and Maid of Honor can relax enough to enjoy the celebration!

As of July 2017 Photobucket has blacked out all my photos and is holding them hostage on their site.

Happy Mother’s Day

As of July 2017 Photobucket has blacked out all my photos and is holding them hostage on their site.

Mother

Happy days to you, Best of Mothers, Joy as dear as you give to others, And as much through life that is sweet and true, As my life owes to your love and YOU.

This was the sentiment on a Mother’s Day card from Rex (“Dears” father) to Nettie, Rex’s mother. On the back of the framed card are notes from Nettie about the history around this card.

 

We were staying with grandpa at Wayne City. Came home in March ’41. Rex was inducted in the Army April 9, 1941, was sent to Fort Custer Mich. for training. On mother’s day I went up to spend with Rex. On Dec. 4th he got to come home for 5 months. On May 18, 1942 he was called back to service, on June 20th he sailed for over sea service. On July 19 he landed in Australia, then to New Guinea. He has been gone over a year now. This mother’s day, May 9, 1943 I received a beautiful potted plant, a hydrangea with 12 blossoms on it. I hope and pray before another Mother’s Day Rex will be back with us safe and sound.

Rex made it back safe and sound. We have so many wonderful memories of both Rex and Nettie.  Rex and his mother Nettie died in 1985, Nettie in September and Rex in October.

 Happy Mother’s Day to my own dear mom.

Here she is with the first four of us. Mom, Kathy, me, Fred, and Vera. Fred and Vera have the cool shades on. I was the baby of the family for eight years then my mother and father had four more!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms I love…my sisters, my sisters in law, my friends, my nieces, my cousins, and my blogger friends. Enjoy the love of the Lord today in a special way. “Dear” had these sent to Washington to surprise me for Mother’s Day. What a dear he is…

Josh and Laura treated me to a Saturday afternoon trip to downtown Seattle and then to West Seattle for dinner at Salty’s.

Josh and Laura at Pike Place Market

This street performer was amazing!

Mother and Son

The view from Salty’s looking East to Downtown Seattle

Thanks Laura and Josh for a lovely afternoon and evening!

I’ll be spending Mother’s Day with Dan and Katie. God is good.

Here is a photo of our Mom’s Group at Sunrise. We meet on Tuesdays. I join them when I am in Seattle. It keeps me young to be around these Moms who want to stay close to Jesus and raise their kids in a way that pleases God. Happy Mother’s Day, Ladies!

Deena, Shawna, Sara and Terri. Bridget is missing in this photo, but I nabbed this photo of her with Finn from her blog…

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 107:1

Borsch

Many Borsch recipes include beets in them. The familiar Borsch that we grew up with and that we had at Molokan Church Meals did not have beets in it. Here is my mother’s recipe.

Nadia’s Borsch

For the Stock:
1 Chuck Roast (with bone would be good)
1 onion
1-3 celery stalks with leaves
2-3 carrots
2 bay leaves
5-10 peppercorns
Salt to taste

In a big stock pot, cover chuck roast with good water. Add all the stock ingredients and bring to boil. Lower heat to simmer. Simmer until roast is fork tender. Strain the stock. Reserve the roast.

1 head of cabbage shredded (green is what we use)
1-3 carrots grated
1-2 onions diced
1 bell pepper diced

2-3 stalks of celery diced

(saute the bell pepper, onion, celery and jalapeno then blend before adding to stock)
2-3 potatoes diced
2 cans stewed tomatoes blended in blender (we have those that don’t like chunky tomatoes)
1 can tomato sauce
1/2-small bunch of dill (to taste)
1 handful of chopped italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste
optional – 1 can of Garbonzo beans
option #2 – add a small jalapeno diced to the saute group above.

Put the strained broth back into a stock pot. Add all the above ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer until cabbage and carrots are tender. Taste and see if the soup needs more salt or pepper at this time.

The Borsch is ready now.

My mother doesn’t include this in her recipe but when she made borsch at my house once I saw her add a half a cube of unsalted butter at the end. 🙂 My mother mashes most of the potatoes to thicken up the soup a bit.

You can bake the chuck roast with a little of the stock, salt, pepper, and sauteeed onions to serve alongside the borsch with a good loaf of bread and of course…sour cream. This was my welcome home meal for my kids last night.

 

Russian Noodle Soup ~ Lopsha

This soup (Lopsha) is made in huge quantities for Molokan Church Dinners. I have recipes to serve 200-250 people. They make their own noodles using 20 dozen eggs, 60 lbs. flour and 1 lb. salt, then make a stock from 35 lbs. of soup bones and 350 lbs of choice (kosher) beef. Usually Lopsha is served at funerals and Borscht (recipe coming soon) is made for Weddings. This is basic Russian Peasant Village Fare. I’m giving you a very simple quick recipe that you should enjoy. My family is not Molokan (we left the church in the ’60’s) We still have relatives and friends that are a part of this group.

All you’ll need is store bought (or home made) Chicken Broth and Jewish very fine egg noodles. ( Manischewitz or similar)

Bring the broth to a boil.

Add as many noodles as you like, but remember they expand while cooking. When the noodles are cooked the Lopsha is ready. Adjust your noodles as to how thick you like your Lopsha. If your soup gets too thick for your liking just add some more broth.

If you want a little more interest in the soup you can add cubed potatoes and carrots to the broth to cook them before you add the noodles. If you want those carrots and potatoes to be a lot tastier saute them in a little olive oil, salt and pepper before you add them to the broth.  Happy memories! If you want to see more yummy food, see what my mom was doing while I was making Lopsha, over at my sister’s blog.

The Molokans also make Maloshni Lopsha (Milk noodles) This recipe serves 30-40 people. Cut it down for your purposes. This Soup comes from my Recipes of San Francisco Russian Molokans cookbook that “Dear” and I received as a wedding gift in 1974.

 

Maloshni Lopsha (Milk noodles)

1-1/2 gallons milk

1 quart half and half

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

1-1/2 “chashki” noodles (about 5 LARGE handfuls)

Using a 2-1/2 gal. double boiler (another good reason to cut the recipe…who has a 2-1/2 gallon double boiler??), heat the milk and half and half till it forms bubbles. DO NOT LET IT BOIL. Now add the salt and sugar and stir well. Start adding the noodles, a handful at a time, stirring often. Simmer gently for 1/2 hour. Turn flame off and cover. Let stand in double boiler till it thickens (about 30-45 min.) and serve.

HT: Recipes of San Francisco Russian Molokans (for Maloshni Lopsha) , Bagdanov Family Recipes for Easy Lopsha

You’ve Got A Friend ~ Carole King

All my photos for this post but one are being held hostage at Photobucket.

Spoken: Friends, you know, they’re there in the good times and in the bad times.

When you’re down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothing, no, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night

Chorus:
You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come running to see you again
Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall
All you have to do is call
And I’ll be there, yes I will
You’ve got a friend

If the sky, sky above you
If it grows dark and full of clouds
And that old North Wind begins to blow
Just keep your head, keep it together
And call my name out loud
Soon you’ll hear me knocking at your door

Chorus:

Now ain’t it good to know
That you’ve got a friend
When people can be so cold
They will hurt you, and they’ll desert you
They’ll take your soul if you let them
Oh, if you let them, but don’t you let them

Chorus:

You can call me when you want me
You can call me when you need me
Just call me
‘Cause you’ve got a friend
You’ve got a friend.

Words and Music by Carole King
1971 colgems-EMI Music Inc., ASCAP.

I love to listen to many songs written by Carole King. I have some of her original stuff and I also enjoy some re-do’s. One in particular is Tapestry Revisited ~ A Tribute to Carole King.I was thinking about her song after Allistair Begg mentioned it this last week on a series he was doing on Barnabas and what an encourager Barnabas was. A true friend you can count on. Well here are some photos of people I’d call on when I needed a friend…   Who would you call? Who do you encourage? Who encourages you? Who would call you?

 

“Dear”, Ellen, Jody (my walking buddy in Seattle), Dave (our Family practice doctor and friend, he delivered our daughter Katie 21 years ago in Ventura, California when he was just a Resident)

 

Jan (my other walking buddy) and Bob ( our pastor for 18 years in Seattle)

 

Ellen with sisters, Kathy and Lana (my youngest sister, we talk at least once a day…and we’re blogging soul-mates) Vera’s missing in this photo.

 

My brother Steve and his wife Kelly. Kelly has Homeschooled their 4 boys. Two of the four boys are attending Westmont College in Montecito, California. Their oldest son at Westmont is graduating May 5th.  Steve is a pastor in Nuevo, California.

Mandy and my brother Leonard (Dallas, Texas) Just married August 2006. He’s my baby brother and holds a special place in my heart.

 

My cousin Jim and his wife Jeanie. ( I introduced them to each other in college at Cal-State L.A.) They live in Clovis, California. We all graduated together. We have had many meaningful times together.

 

Ellen (matron of honor) when she was pregnant with firstborn Josh and Heidi her best friend in College. Ellen and Heidi had some great travels together before they were married. Friends at Bethany Russian Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Still friends after all these years and the distance between us.

My siblings and in-laws: Nick, Vera, Kathy, Tim, Letty, Kelly, Steve, Mandy & Leonard

 

“Dear”, Ellen, Christina and Terry (Dear’s brother) The half Swedish side of the family. Come to find out Christina has Russian heritage. No wonder we connected.

 

Dave and Beth our dear friends from our son’s friendship with their son.

Thank you, Jesus, for the Barnabases in our lives!

Blintzes

This is Nadia, she’s not making blintzes here. This was a photo from the 80’s in Wildomar for our Easter gathering.

Nadia’s  Blintzes

6 eggs
4 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 Tbsp. oil

Scald the milk. Beat the eggs. Slowly add the milk to the eggs while continuing beating. Add salt, sugar and oil, beat until blended. Slowly beat in the flour until combined.

I use two 10″ heavy Teflon pans to cook the blintzes. You might want to just start with one till you get this process down. Heat the pan. Coat the pan lightly with oil. (I use a piece of cheesecloth to coat the pan with oil and if needed I’ll coat again into the cooking process). Use a 1/3 cup measure to dip into the mixing bowl (you don’t have to fill to the top just use a uniform measure of the liquid for each blintz) Pour into frying pan and swirl the pan to coat the bottom evenly.

 

Cook until the blintz turns a nice golden brown. With a spatula loosen the edges and flip the blintz and brown on the other side. Remove from pan and let cool on a dish cloth.

Repeat the process. Sometimes the only hindrance to these flipping and cooking well is the temperature of the pan. You’ll have to experiment to get it at the magic temp. Start at medium.  After the blintzes are cooled you can stack them. They can be frozen at this time if you would like. This recipe will make approximately 24 blintzes.

 

Cheese filling for the blintzes:
1- cartons of ricotta cheese (8 oz. size)
(You can also use cottage cheese, hoop cheese or farmers cheese)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tbsp. sugar.
you will also need a small carton of half and half and a stick of butter (1/2 cup)

Beat all the ingredients till smooth except half and half and stick of butter. Spread about 1 Tablespoon of cheese onto one side of blintz. Roll up and place in a 9×13 baking dish. They can be layered. Melt one cube of butter and pour over the blintzes. Bake in 350 degree oven until heated through. Heat up to 8 oz. of Half and Half until is is warm but not boiling. Pour half and half over blintzes to cover and continue baking until half and half boils. Remove from oven and serve with sour cream and preserves or syrup.

For a savory filling:

Saute 1 large onion in oil and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 lb. hamburger (15%) and brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dice enough broccoli to make 2 cups. Steam until broccoli just turns bright green. Combine meat, broccoli and 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and heat through. Scoop about 2-3 T of mixture onto blintz and fold in the sides to form a square. Place in a baking dish. Melt butter and poor over the filled blintzes. Bake in a 350 to 375 degree oven until heated through. Serve and if you want to make additional sauce you can serve extra sauce with the savory blintzes. Oh I almost forgot, you can serve these with sour cream if you’d like, also. Enjoy Deena!

HT: Bagdanov Family Cookbook

 

 

The Ten Commandments ~ Following God Wholeheartedly

Pastor Steve at E.V. Free Conejo Valley is doing a series in Deuteronomy and we are at Deuteronomy 5.

Deuteronomy 5:1, 6-22 (ESV):

1 And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them.

6 “‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

7 “‘You shall have no other gods before me.

8 “‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 9 You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

11 “‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

12 “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

16 “‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

17 “‘You shall not murder.

18 “‘And you shall not commit adultery.

19 “‘And you shall not steal.

20 “‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

21 “‘And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’

22 “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

Questions from Pastor Steve to ponder in response to these commandments and to this question: Am I following God wholeheartedly?  2 Chronicles 25:2, “He did what was right in the eyes of God but not wholeheartedly.” 

What is your source of strength and guidance?  ~ What gives you a sense of security? ~ In what do you trust? ~ What has become the source of your joy this week? ~ What sparks your heart to adoration? ~ Who or what do you worship? (John 4:23) ~ What lifts your heart to wonder and praise? ~ What are you looking forward to? ~ What do you think will truly fulfill your life and make it worth living? ~ In whom do you place your hope?

God has given me these commandments for my good. I need to learn them and to remember them and teach them to my children and grandchildren and I am to be careful to do them and follow God wholeheartedly. Yep, I’m feeling convicted.

Disclaimer: I’m assuming the artwork at the top of this post is the Ten Commandments in Hebrew, but since I don’t read Hebrew I can’t be sure. Forgive me if it isn’t.

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Golubtzi with Smetana (Stuffed Cabbage with Sour Cream Sauce)

Nadejda’s Golubtzi with Smetana (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Sour Cream Sauce)

This is a recipe from my mom that my sister Vera has tweaked and published. My mom is always updating her recipes and just when we think we have them down she adds a little twist, always trying to improve the taste. If you are a Russian who has strayed away from home and good home cooking try this and be ready to be taken back in time! Any Russian Molokans or Russian Baptists out there who are looking for long lost recipes, I’ll be posting some over the next several weeks. As always there are several varieties to this recipe and others depending on where your roots began. The great thing about this post and picture is that I planned to post this recipe for Golubtzi tonight and when I was at my mom and dads today my mom sent her Golubtzi home with me for “Dear” and I for dinner. I’m sitting here at my computer ready to hit the publish button with a bowl full of Golubtzi!

2 lbs. Hamburger
1 – 1/2 cup cooked rice (1/2 cup uncooked)
1/2 onion grated
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
1 can tomato soup
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 onion chopped
1-1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups water
1 head cabbage

Core cabbage. You can carefully separate leaves or cook the cabbage whole. Boil in water until soft and pliable. Combine first 6 ingredients. Place about 1/3 Cup of the hamburger mixture onto a cabbage leaf and fold over the edges and roll up. Place in a baking dish. We use standard glass pyrex or other rectangular baking dishes to bake them in.

 

Fry the onion in oil until it is translucent. Add soup, sauce, ketchup and water. Stir until well mixed. Bring to a boil. Add a little of sauce to the sour cream to temper it, then add the sour cream mixture to the sauce. Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls. Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 1-1/2 hours.

You can eat these as a complete meal or add whatever side dish you might enjoy in combination with the Golubtzi. Yum my mouth is watering. Some extra tips included below to make the rolling process easier.

Shave the larger veins on the smaller leaves of cabbage so they’ll roll easier.

 

Yes, you can stuff peppers, too. We usually use green peppers. Don’t forget to put a dish of Sour Cream (Smetana) on the table so you can add another dollop to your serving. Sour cream is our butter.

II Timothy and The Reformation Study Bible

This year I took a suggestion to read through the Bible in a different way. Retention is not my strong point. I have to write things down and read them over and over to really get the point, so this Bible reading method was a great suggestion for me. I am reading every book of the Bible 20 times before I move on to the next. I’m starting with the shortest New Testament Books. At this rate I’ll not finish till I’m dead…but that’s OK. I find myself in 2 Timothy on my 17th read. I’m highlighting some great verses with footnotes and comments from The Reformation Study Bible, R.C. Sproul ~ General Editor, ESV.  I want to give a “heads up” appeal to Moms and Grandmothers to pay attention here to the great opportunity they have with their children and grandchildren!

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

In the ESV footnotes they say the word of truth refers to  The gospel (2:8, 9, 4:2).

2 Timothy 3:14, 15; But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Footnotes: ( from whom you learned it) A reference to Timothy’s mother and grandmother, as well as to Paul himself. (from childhood) According to custom, the Jewish parent was to begin instructing a child in the law when the child reached five years of age. (Sacred Writings) The false teachers have been misinterpreting the Old Testament. (I Tim. 1:7, Titus 3:9) Timothy needs to remember the proper instruction he received from the hands of his mother and grandmother. The “Sacred Writings” here are the books of the Old Testament. The New Testament did not yet exist as a collection. (Salvation …in Christ Jesus), The Old testament interpreted properly, leads one to understand the central role of Jesus Christ in God’s overall plan for His Creation.

2 Timothy 3:16,17;  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

(breathed out by God) This is one of the most important expressions in the New Testament of the doctrine of the divine inspiration of Scripture. The Bible has been breathed out by the Spirit of God (2 Pet. 1:21). God is the source and ultimate Author of Scripture. Though written by human authors, Scripture nevertheless has the full weight of His authority.

The following is an excerpt from a theological note “The Authority of Scripture” and from the introduction to The Reformation Study Bible:

The Authority of Scripture … “Historic Protestantism accepts the Scripture as the only written revelation of God. It is inspired, or “breathed out by God” (2 Tim. 3:16), distinguishing it from all other words. As a result, the Scriptures are infallible and true in all that they affirm. They are sufficient, containing everything that is necessary to know for salvation and eternal life. They are clear, so that a person without special preparation can understand what God requires without the intervention of an official interpreter.”

And from the Introduction written by R.C. Sproul ~

“The Bible is an inspired book, that is, “breathed out” by God. Inspiration reaches far beyond the scope of the inspiration of human artist as commonly understood. The Bible offers more than brilliant insight, more than human sagacity. It is called “inspired” not because of its supernatural mode of transmission via human authors, but because of its origin. It is not merely a book about God; it is a book from God. Therefore the church confesses its trust and confidence that the Bible is the vox Dei, the veritable “voice of God.”

…God calls every Christian to pursue righteousness. Our trust is to be childlike, but our understanding must be mature. such trust and understanding require study of God’s word. The authentic disciple meditates on it day and night, continuing and remaining in it. Our goal is more than knowledge; it is wisdom and the fruit of inward and outward obedience.”

From my trusty dictionary I’ll share this definition.  Sagacity – the quality of being sagacious. Sagacious – 1. having or showing acute mental discernment and keen practical sense; shrewd.

So what have we learned, grasshopper? We the regular folk (those who need dictionaries to understand really bright people) can study and understand the Scriptures, with the help of the Holy Spirit.  We can be trusted with diligence on our parts to impart these truths to our children and our grandchildren. We can hear from the very voice of God because this book is from God.  We have all we need to be competent and equipped for every good work. This is amazing stuff.  Let’s study to show ourselves approved, dear Christ followers!

http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/

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