Feta dip...on a pita...

I'd been eyeing How Sweet Eats' Creamy Feta Dip for quite some time, and one day I finally got it together to make it.

It was delicious, but I wanted it to be even more amazing.  I decided parsley was the missing element (and would probably be good chopped up small and added to the feta!).  Instead I did the following: spread thin layer of olive oil on a pita, add crazy feta, toss in oven for 5-10 min at 350 degress, sprinkle with parsley.  It would be great for a snack or as a party appetizer, cut into pieces!

Golabki

It's interesting to think about how many cultures have some sort of beef (often ground) in some shape or wrapping.  Italian spaghetti and meatballs, Greek grape leaves (dolmathes), Mexican tamales, stuffed peppers, and of course the Polish stuffed cabbage- golabki.

These reheat well, and will feed 2 people for days!

Ingredients:
1 head of green cabbage
1 onion, diced
3-4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 T butter
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 cup cooked white rice (room temp/cooled)
2-3 T chopped parsley
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry thyme (leaves or ground)
freshly ground pepper
28 oz tomato sauce
28 oz peeled whole tomatoes, broken up with your hand or a knife

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Prepare the cabbage- remove the core with a knife.  Then in a pot, add about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil.  Steam the cabbage for 5 minutes or so, until outer leaves are starting to wilt.  Remove to a colander and rinse with cold water so they stop cooking.  Then remove the leaves; you'll use about 10.  You can also remove some of the tough, large vein of the leaf by cutting it parallel to the leaf.  (you don't cut the whole thing out, just strip off part of it so the leaf is more uniform thickness.
2. Next, melt the butter over medium-high heat and add the onions and garlic.  Cook until onions are translucent.  Set aside and let cool.
3. Prepare the filling- mix together the 2 meats, rice, parsley, eggs, thyme, and plenty of pepper.  Add the cooled onions and garlic, and stir to combine.
4. Add about half a cup (just eyeball it) of the meat mixture onto the base of a cabbage leaf, then fold over the sides and roll it up.  If the leaf has cracks, that's ok- the meat will hold its shape.  Continue until the meat mixture is gone.
5. Place a couple of the leftover cabbage leaves in the bottom of a dutch oven, then stack all the cabbage rolls.  Add the tomato sauce and the peeled tomatoes to cover the rolls.  Then cover the dutch oven and cook in the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  At that point remove and check if the centers are fully cooked.
6. Serve with mashed potatoes!