Category: Romania

Cabbage Rolls with Tomato Sauce

On By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes, Romania3 Comments

One of the classic meals that we had while we were in Romania were cabbage rolls. We knew that we wouldn’t be able to recreate them exactly as we had them, so we decided to go with a little different take on our attempt. We found the cabbage rolls in Romania to be a little dry and not particularly flavorful, so we wanted ours to be moist. This recipe is closer to the cabbage rolls that we had as children and we found them to be very tasty. Cabbage rolls may not be the most photogenic of meals to prepare, but it doesn’t always have to look good to taste good.

Stuffed Cabbage and Grape Leaves with Polenta in Romania
Cooked Cabbage Rolls

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 lb Lean Ground Beef
  • 1 Small Cabbage Head
  • 1/2 cup Cooked White Rice
  • 1 tbsp Onion – finely chopped
  • 1 Egg – lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
  • 1 can Tomato Sauce – 8 Oz
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 2 tsp Brown Sugar
  • 2 tsp White Vinegar
  • 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese – shredded (Optional)
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

INSTRUCTIONS

Remove the core of the cabbage and place the cabbage in a large saucepan filled with water. Bring the water to a boil and begin removing the cabbage leaves as they become soft and translucent, approximately 10 – 15 minutes. Separate the leaves and set aside to cool. Add the oil to a medium saucepan and heat to medium-high. Add the onion and sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes until soft and then add the ground beef, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Cook until the ground beef is browned and then add the rice and set aside to cool. In a medium sauce pan, combine the tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, remaining salt and pepper, and heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir the beaten egg into the cooled meat mixture and then spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the mixture into each cabbage leaf. Roll the cabbage leaf like a burrito, tucking in the sides as you roll. Place the cabbage rolls into a baking dish and the spoon the tomato sauce over top of the cabbage rolls. If using cheese, sprinkle over top of sauce and cabbage rolls. Place the baking dish, uncovered, into an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees. Bake for an hour or until the sauce is bubbly and hot.

Boil Cabbage
Stuff Cabbage Leaves
Cover with Sauce
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Nature’s Little Surprises

On By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Iceland, India, Photo Challenge, Romania1 Comment

Whenever we get out into nature, we are often surprised by something unexpected. Sometimes it can be as simple as sighting an unexpected animal, but other times it is something more dramatic. This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Surprise, so we chose a few photos that remind us of how fascinating nature can be.

We were touring an old church fortress in Romania on an extremely cold day and took several photos of the hallways as we walked through the labyrinth of corridors. After we returned home and went through our pictures, we had several photos with ghostly images. We did not see any of the fog-like images while we were actually touring the church, but obviously our camera captured the frozen air even though it wasn’t visible to the naked eye. If you use your imagination, you can potentially even imagine it to be a ghost instead of a natural phenomena.

Frozen Air or a Ghost?

One of the things that we visited when we were in Chennai, India, was a location called Tiger Cave. It was unearthed after the horrible tsunami of 2004. To think that something so amazing can be uncovered from a violent act of nature is truly an interesting contradiction.

Tiger Cave

When we were in Iceland last February, we drove out along the coast, which was frozen and beautiful. Then, suddenly, the ground thawed and we were surrounded by lava rocks and there was not a flake of snow to be found.

Lava Cliffs

 

What a Long Strange Trip it Has Been

On By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Romania8 Comments

Now that our European adventure is over (for now), we thought that we would take the time to trace our steps and truly acknowledge how many wonderful places we were able to visit. In chronological order, here was our trip in a snapshot, it certainly makes our heads spin.

    1. Frankfurt, Germany – It may have been our home, but it was still a wonderful city and we have a lot of incredible memories of our time there.

      Old Town Frankfurt
    2. Kassel, Germany – It was the first place that we visited once we found an apartment and is the home of the Brother’s Grimm Museum and is part of the Fairy Tale Road.

      Lowenbrau Castle
    3. Heidelberg, Germany – Truly one of the idyllic cities that we visited while in Germany.

      Heidelberg Castle
    4. Koblenz, Germany – One of the most amazing train rides that we have ever taken and an amazing city on the Rhine.

      Suburbs of Koblenz
    5. Hochheim, Germany – A truly small hamlet experience.
    6. Vienna, Austria – Our first trip outside of Germany and truly a center for the arts.
    7. Cologne, Germany – Amazing Dom and a wonderful old-world city. We had been told that it was a place that we had to visit while we were in Germany and we would definitely agree.
    8. Wurzburg, Germany – Another small town experience that we had been hoping for and one of the best of Christmas Markets that we had visited.

      Statue in Wurzburg
    9. Strasbourg, France – Wine, medieval villages, and some of the friendliest people that we had the opportunity to meet, and that is saying a lot.
    10. Prague, Czech Republic – One of the places in Europe that everyone should visit at some point in time. We were there over Christmas and it was spectacular.

      View of Prague Castle
    11. Athens, Greece – There are few places in the world as historically important as Athens.

      Amazing History
    12. Bucharest/Brasov, Romania – Definitely one of those special places where the experience far surpasses anything that you might read.

      Dracula’s Castle
    13. Nuremberg, Germany – An unexpected surprise, so much history, both new and old that it became one of our favorite memories of our time in Europe.

      Medieval City with Current History
    14. Paris, France – Not our first visit there, but it is still one of our favorite cities that we have ever visited, even if it was rainy the weekend that we were there.

      Eiffel Tower
    15. Dublin, Ireland – A special trip for personal reasons as we flew our mother over to see us and it will hold a special place in our hearts.

      The Irish Countryside
    16. Amsterdam, Netherlands – One of our last adventures while we were in Europe and definitely an interesting city full of history and art.

      Canal Upon Canal
    17. Florence, Italy – Part of our farewell tour, this is an incredible city that will fulfill any romantic visions of Europe that you could ever dream of.

      What an Amazing City
    18. Rome, Italy – So much to see, the history, the arts, the Vatican City, and for us a very special meeting with a fellow blogger.

      The Roman Forum is Amazing
    19. Lucca/Pisa, Italy – A quick day trip from Florence, but it rounded out our trip to Italy perfectly.

      Pisa is All About the Leaning Tower

So, as you can see, we had about twenty-five weeks in Europe, part of that time finding an apartment as well as working every week, but we definitely made the most of our time. It will be the trip of a lifetime, perhaps several lifetimes, and we are extremely thankful for every moment. Expect details of these wondrous adventures in the coming days and weeks as we plan our next crazy experience.