Holupture update

Since I'm the only place on Google that has information about Holupture also spelled holupse (that spelling has more places to look for info), I decided to do an update since my last post about how to make it.



This year's holupture.  Wish I could share it with you!

I've learned a few things since I made it that Thanksgiving and it really made a difference in the taste.

One thing I learned is that consistency in size is quite important.  We have foreign workers from Moldova and we were invited to their house for an evening meal.  It was awesome.  So much food we couldn't even taste it all.  BUT.  They served holupture.  Yup.  It didn't really surprise me but they were very surprised that we knew what it was.  Anyway each piece of holupture was the same size.

Then I went to my own source of information on the subject.  DH.  He is the one whose family has this as a tradition and so he is the closest thing to a pro as I can get these days.

He told me that to cook it early and let it marinate in the sauerkraut for as long as possible is the best thing to do.

And so here is what was done.

2nd DDIL and I made the holupture on Saturday evening.  The recipe was the same as before but if the cabbage leaves were too big we cut them in halves or quarters to make the rolls more even in size.

We arranged them in my bigger crock pot and dumped 2 large jars of sauerkraut on top.  I started it out on high for a couple hours and before bed I turned it down to low. 

It cooked overnight until about 9 in the morning.  I tested the rice to make sure it was cooked through.

Since we live in ND and it's cold here, I put the crock pot in the garage to keep cold and not have to use up refrigerator space on the big crock.  I left the sauerkraut on top and didn't drain any liquid off.

The holupture stayed in the garage for 2 days and on Tuesday I removed the sauerkraut and put the crock pot back in the heating unit to warm it up for dinner.  

It was delicious.  DH said we could have even put another jar of sauerkraut on top.  He remembered his gramma's being stronger tasting but he said this was a very close second. 

And now I know how to make the holupture as tasty as possible.  Start early.  Let it sit and marinate for a couple days after cooking it and use lots of sauerkraut.

It was so good tasting and also heartwarming to have hit on the right combination to get the end result as close as possible to Gramma Lora Stein's recipe.

Sewing, sewing, sewing

The sewing machine has been humming...

A party dress has been made for 1st DGD's American Girl doll, McKenna.

And what party dress is complete without pretty party shoes too!

And everyone needs to relax in their jeans once in awhile.

And even jeans outfits need a change of pace...so here's a t shirt.

And a pair of sneaks to go with.

It's cold here now, but summer will come again and then you need a sun dress.

2nd DGD has a Bitty Baby American Girl doll and she has lots of clothes already but no party dress and so Gramma had to fix that!

And Bitty Baby also needed some warm clothes for this winter.

Amoungst all this sewing has been a little knitting.  This pair of mittens might get done for 2nd DDIL.

But there isn't a prayer that these for 2nd DS will be done by Christmas Eve.  He's had to wait for gifts before and this probably won't be the last time either...poor guy!

My opinion...

On Thursday evening, DH and I attended our precious grandchildren's school Christmas program.  Our grandson is in Kindergarten and our granddaughter is in 2nd grade.  It was so much fun to see them perform.  They were exuberant and joyful and full of promise.  Little people so full of life and excited for every experience. 

Just the same, I'm sure, as the children in Newtown, Connecticut that attended Sandy Hook Elementary School.  What a heartbreaking loss to those families.  And to our country.  What does it say about us?

But more importantly, what can we do about it?  Personally, I don't think gun control is the answer.  There are so many guns out there that there is no way to get them all.  And the people that would surrender their guns are the law abiding people that wouldn't have used them in such a way in the first place.

What we need is acceptance of and no stigma attached to mental illness.  Mental illness needs to be treated and thought of the same way as cancer or any other debilitating disease.  It needs to be more thoroughly studied and researched and find ways to treat the people who suffer from it.  Because clearly, someone who can go into a school and murder little children must have had a mental illness.

This probably sounds like an overly simplistic approach but we need to start somewhere.  Obviously, our children's lives are at stake.

Daniel James

Thirty six years ago today a baby was born 3 months prematurely.  He was 1 lb. 9 oz and had a headful of dark hair.  At that time there was nothing to be done and he only lived for about an hour.  But he has my heart and he always will.  I'll see you again someday my sweet Daniel.

Winter on the Prairie

I've shown you views of the country in the summer.

 

 

But...



                                                                  

I thought maybe you'd like to see the same field in the winter.

There has been knitting going on...

After approximately a year I finally finished this honking big hat for 1st DS. It was in hibernation for a big chunk of that time tho...  All the details are here on Ravelry.

It's going to be a Christmas gift but before I started this project I asked him if he would like/use it.  Cuz I sure wasn't going to do all this planning and knitting to have it sit on a shelf!

He suggested the 2 different sides so that it could have many different looks.

And I was very happy to have the plain side to knit after the other one was so busy.

But it made for an interesting hat and kept the knitting interesting too. 

I kinda love stranded knitting almost as much as knitting lace.

This got finished too.  Or maybe I've already posted about this.  My memory is "this long" these days.  Anyway, bear with me if you've already heard about it.  It's a Christmas gift for 1st DGD who is 7.

 



 

And here is how far I am on the stranded mittens.  Almost done with the 1st lining.  And that flies along pretty quickly.  Will be starting another pair ASAP!  The grey, tan and blue yarn is washed and waiting. 

 

Just a word of advice...if you do stranded knitting with Blue Sky Alpaca Melange be sure to wash it first.  It bleeds like crazy.  Both colors I've used has LOTS of extra dye.  

 

 

1st mitten of many...

Well...

it's a start at least...