Beet Leaf Rolls Tutorial

I know this has nothing to do with painting or kid's crafts but this is a very old family recipe. It is Ukrainian in origin and I have only come across it in other old Ukrainian families who settled in Alberta.


It sounds a bit exotic using beet leaves but they are packed with lots of healthy stuff for you. ( high in Iron, Phosphorus, Zinc, Vitamins A, C, E, and fiber )

My kids and husband LOVE them and eat them like candy. They are a family tradition and I grow beets just for the leaves in my veggie garden. So before you throw away those beet leaves when you are making borscht or roasting them try this instead. Your family will thank you!!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: 30-35 beet leaves (about the size of your palm), choose newer
leaves not old leathery ones
2 cups of cooked rice (you want sticky short grain it holds
together better)
2 Tablespoons fresh Dill, chopped
1 Tablespoon butter
Sour Cream
Salt to taste




You want to wash your leaves first in cold water. Leave them in your sink and plug it for the next step.




Now you need to wilt your leaves.

Add enough boiling water from your kettle to cover them and let them sit a while until the water cools down.

My mom told me in the olden days they wilted their leaves in the sun but I think it would dry them out too much. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to make sure you get all the edges of the leaves under water.

















While waiting for your leaves to cool make your rice. I put mine on to boil and wait until I see the little vent holes and most of the moisture is gone. I then cover, turn off the heat and let it sit a while. (10-15 minutes)




(see the little vents)










While waiting for your rice and leaves chop up your dill. When the rice is ready, you want it to be sticky, add your dill and some salt to taste.









When the water has cooled, drain your leaves. Now we make the rolls. Take a leaf, shake off the excess water and place on a cutting board. I like to trim out a section of stem on the bottom of the leaf because I find it too tough. Cut out the bottom inch or so of stem.











Sorry these photos are in the wrong position but for some reason blogger won't set them up right no matter what changes I make to the original, go figure.




Put leaf into your palm


Add a Tablespoon of rice into the center of the leaf.









Roll up, kind of like you roll up a burrito or taco. Place into a buttered casserole dish.







Keep layering the rolls into your dish until all the leaves are done.












Dot with butter on the top and placed covered into a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.







Serve with sour cream and a sprinkle of salt if desired.

ENJOY, trust me you will look at beet leaves in a whole different way after this and they do become addictive.








As part of my MISTAKE MONDAY series I thought I would post a picture of my studio (really a room in the basement). I always get a kick out of seeing other artists and crafters post pictures of their extremely clean and organized work spaces. (like on Poppytalk)

They always look like nobody actually works there. My room is always a mess. The more projects I'm working on the messier. During the school year I'll have 2-3 projects I'm developing for art lessons on the go everyday. I don't have time to clean the room!!!
Every once and a while I will clean it up, usually when I'm looking for some special item to use for a project but most of the time it looks like this. Thankfully the rest of the house is usually clean and no I'm am not a hoarder. I just need a lot of supplies to come up with all the projects for school, Scouts, etc. So welcome to my MESS.

see you later,
gail

Painting Conundrums

Here is some painting I've been working on in the last two days.



This is a Mission we visited during Easter in San Antonio, Texas. The sky was a very deep blue and the sun was very bright. I was trying to capture it here. My sky didn't take exactly as I had hoped. I was working on the back side of 140lb wc paper in my sketchbook. I try to paint on both sides of the paper when I'm practicing. The back side tends to repel the paint so its harder to lay down a wash.









This is a picture of the road in front of the cabin where we are now. I took it last year in the fall. The sunlight was very intense thru the trees. I decided to make some changes when I started painting. I wanted a more afternoon light feel with some shadow play on the road.

I got frustrated with it so I still have work to do and changes to make. The road seems to climbing into the sky so I'll have to fix that and the shadow play doesn't look right. I will watch the road this afternoon to get it right. I also have to unmask the birch tree trunks and fill in the details there. I'll post it when its done.

I wasn't going to post these as I wasn't exactly thrilled with them, but then I got thinking. I started this blog to motivate myself to paint everyday......I also started it to chronicle learning to paint which means the good and the bad. I tend to learn more from the bad parts anyway. So I'll try to show it, all warts included. Who knows maybe I'll start a "Mistakes Monday" group to share the angst.
I do know that I have learned that watercolor is not an all or nothing medium. You can try to fix things. It just usually helps to spend some time away from your painting and then come back with "fresh eyes".


If I can tear the kids away from their embroidery I hope to have a new craft tutorial soon.

later
gail