Gabriella's Cabbage Rolls—the best in the world

From Gabriella: "Here is the cabbage roll recipe. Please study. You do know that it needs to be served with sour cream on the top and fresh French bread--nothing else, only crepes if you want to do dessert."

 
 

  1. Place in freezer 1 big or 2 small green cabbages. Leave for several days before thawing.

     
     

  2. 3 lbs. Bob Evans Sausage Rolls

    1 lbs. ground beef

    1.5 c. rice

    3 eggs

    Salt, pepper, red paprika to taste

    1 chopped onion

    2 chopped garlic cloves

     
     

  3. Mix well all ingredients in large bowl and add 2-3 c. warm water and mix.

     
     

  4. 5-6 lbs sauerkraut, drain juice and mix with 1-2 tsp. caraway seeds and 10 bay leaves.

     
     

  5. 1-2 lbs smoked ribs or sausage.

     
     

  6. Carefully peel leaves off of cabbage and put in several T. of the meat mixture.  Large pan. Place 1/3 sauerkraut on bottom then 1/2 smoked meat and place cabbage rolls on top. Then 1/3 sauerkraut, then cabbage rolls, the rest of the smoked meat, then the last of the sauerkraut. Add water to cover almost to top. Place in 350 oven and cook 3 hours then lower heat to 250 and cook 3 more hours. Before serving add paprika to top of pan.

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What I'm reading?

I'm in the process of of reading 3 books right now. By "in the process" I mean I read one book every day and a little of the others either every day or less frequently. Somehow they all come together.

I decided to start my year after vacation. . . I was like an automaton prior to vacation--could not think, could not reason, just going through the motions of life, not participating.

After vacation I decided I needed to make some changes. My daily reading is The Message: Remix 2.0. This is a contemporary language reading of the Bible. I first liked this style when I read John and found it true to the feeling of the New International Version, but easy to read and insightful. So this is it for this new year starting in the fall. I am currently reading through and experiencing the freeing of the nation of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Something like the freeing we go through when we turn our lives over to Jesus or when we see a part of our life that is less than desireable and give it to him to take care of. It requires a whole change in the way of seeing and doing. New forms, new activities, new environment. . .


I am also sporadically reading the book Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace by Miroslav Volf. I am about 2/3 of the way through and the thing that really struck me was the statement I have known since college or before, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ lives in me. . ." When we become followers of Jesus, true followers, in some way it turns out that we have actually been crucified WITH Christ. He was killed in that extremely cruel way and we were too. I don't quite understand this. . . it still has to gel, but Volf explains that we are permeated with sin--its' like ink in water. You can't remove the ink without removing the water. We are the water, sin is the ink. We are not actually removed from the ink, but in some way we were crucified with Christ, so in a way, as Christ fills us, there is less and less sin, or (and this is all my reasoning), the more we are filled with Christ, sin is pushed to a smaller but more concentrated area, so instead of filling us, it's now just popping up in more subtle areas, like, for some of us, pride. But there it is: I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live. Yet, not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave his life for me.

The other book I am reading is Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John & the Praying Imagination by Eugene Peterson. This is a topical look at the last book of the Bible. It is both refreshing and compelling. Refreshing because it makes me excited to reread it (Revelation) and compelling because it compels me to read it after I've read a chapter of the book. The title comes from a poem by George Herbert from the book Major Poets of the Early 18th Century. In part, the poem reads:

Prayer [is] . .

Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing speare,

The six-dayes world transposing in an houre.

I really liked the beginning of chapter 3.

In the opening words of the Apocalypse, "the revelation of Jesus Christ," the preposition "of" carries a double meaning: the revelation is about Jesus Christ; the revelation comes "by means of" Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is both the content of the revelation and the agent of the revelation. Jesus Christ is the way in which God reveals himself to us; Jesus Christ is also God himself being revealed to us.

And I might add, Jesus Christ is also God himself being revealed through us, perhaps as he pushes away the ink. . . a somewhat scary thought!smile_sad

So I recommend all three of these books, but who knows when I will come to the end of any of them!smile_wink



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Windows Live and Windows Mail--somethings good from Microsoft

Just a note that I have started using Windows Live Writer to compose and publish my blog posts.  So easy!  I love posting offline and publishing later.  So easy to insert hyperlinks, pictures, maps, and probably videos and tables, too, although I haven't tried that.  Also plugins are available for all sorts of things.  I also love the spell checking and the very ease of use.

I am also very happy that Windows Mail is there to replace Outlook Express for my clients still using Outlook Express.  Windows Mail has only 1 downside that I've seen so far--the inability to increase font size for the email list.  This is in Outlook, but no way to do it in Outlook Expre--Oops--Windows Mail.  Please listen Microsoft.  Older clients need larger fonts!

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T.I.A.--This is Africa

I have been keeping up with the posts from an acquaintance of mine who has gone to Tanzania for 5 years.  If you want glimpses into daily life for an American in Africa, read.  Here is the link and a quote that just struck me as funny this morning- It is daily occurrence to witness men “watering the flowers” on the side of the road…what else is one to do when public restrooms don’t exist?

I am doing what I can to pray for her and not just be a hanger on for that trip I probably won't ever take!

Here is a map of where she is, has been and will be.  Dar Es Salaam is the yellow square with the black center on the right.  Ininga, where she is doing her language study, is the little square on the left.

Map image

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It's Been a Long, long time. . .

I know it's been about half a year since I blogged, but I was overwhelmed, burned out, and generally not communicative.  Now I'm working my way out of the "burned out" abyss and rejoining society.  One book, in addition to the Bible, that helped was The Crime of Living Cautiously:  Hearing God's Call to Adventure

I highly recommend this for anyone stressed or burned out.  It is easy to read.  No pressure to do anything; no guilt for not doing or not being or not having something.  It provokes thought, but not thoughts of lack but of hope.  Try it.  It's an inexpensive way to get back on the road to hope.

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