Tradition

My Great-Grandparents came to Canada from the Ukraine, met and had many children, one of them my favourite grandmother. I admit it, she's my absolute favourite! I feel closest and most like her and think she's hilarious, though she doesn't know she's being funny. Like the way she never says goodbye when you talk to her on the phone. It's just an "ok" and *click*.

Holiday dinners at grandma's always had cabbage rolls (holubtsi) and perogi (pyrohy). Cooking and craft sort of skipped a generation in my family and I've started to take over the role official Cabbage Roll Maker and Knitter (she taught me when I was wee).

So this is about my fourth go at making cabbage rolls and it's getting easier. I give myself a day or two and do it in steps. If I did it all in one run I'd be worn out at the end. I also try not to snack on them as I make them so I'm not sick of eating them come Easter dinner. They're very simple in construction but take a lot of work and the house stinks like a giant cabbage at the end, but boy is it worth it!

The ingredients.
- cabbage
- rice
- bacon
- onion
- tomato soup

Step 1: Put a whole cabbage in a pot and boil, peeling leaves off, one by one.

Step 2: Make rice. Dice bacon and onions. Fry till soft. Stir into rice and add 1/2 can tomato soup.



Step 3: Take cabbage leaves, slice out hard core. Place a tablespoon of rice mixture in and roll. This is the hardest part because cabbage leaves don't always cooperate.










Step 4: Place in roasting pan, lined with tinfoil for easy clean up, pour the rest of the can of tomato soup (diluted with water) and bake.

Step 5: Eat!

Important Note:
Sour cream must be served with cabbage rolls.





I just called Grandma to see if I should bake them tonight or tomorrow morning (she says tomorrow).

She didn't say goodbye. haha!