Rouladen and Rotkohl

So I was sooo excited for dinner tonight, and I thought everyone was going to love this.  Turns out, I'm the only one that loved this.  This just brings back memories of Germany, and I really began to love food and cooking while I was there.  My host mother was an awesome cook, and rouladen, or beef rolls, were some of my favorite things, and rotkohl, or red cabbage, was definitely one of my favorite things.I followed the basic rotkohl recipe I found on the internet, and tweaked it a little bit.  I thought it needed more sugar and vinegar, and it could've definitely used more bacon, bacon grease, and flavorings.  I added more vinegar and sugar, and more salt and seasonings, but I didn't add any more bacon or grease.  The calories are about 150 per serving with the changes I made, if you eat a really big serving, but I think the calories for 1/16 of the total rather than 1/8 are only about 75, so fairly healthy.  This wasn't perfect, but it was Rotkohl and I'm happy to have it.  I'll be freezing it to stuff my holiday birds with, yummy!!!  Noah gave this a 2, he really didn't like it, Aaron gave it a 3, he also didn't like it, Owen gave it a 6, he thought it was okay, and I gave it an 8, because it wasn't perfect like it is in Germany, but it was still really good.
Next comes the rouladen, which fared better for us.  Noah and I gave them a 9, Aaron gave them a 7, and Owen gave them an 8.  I was worried the pickles would make the boys not like them, but they didn't mind them at all.  The calories for 1 rouladen are 426, and man they taste great ;).  Here's the recipe I used, it's just a variation of other recipes you can find all over the internet.

Rouladen
4 steaks, pounded thin
4 t dijon mustard
salt and pepper
2 onions, sliced
4 pickle spears, chopped
4 slices bacon, cut in half
2 c beef broth
1 bay leaf
2 dashes magi
2 T sour cream
1 t corn starch

Take steaks and season with salt and pepper.  Put 1 teaspoon of mustard on each steak, then lay 2 halves of bacon side by side on the steak.  Put in onions and pickles, then roll up the meat and secure with a toothpick (Aaron accidentally threw out my toothpicks so I couldn't secure my rolls, stinker!).  Brown the steaks in a little bacon grease with the rest of the onions, and then add in the 2 c of beef broth, bay leaf, magi, and any other seasonings.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for at least 1 hour.  When ready to serve, remove the rouladen from the sauce and bring the sauce to a boil.  Add in cornstarch mixed in cold water, thicken the gravy, then strain out the onions.  Add in the sour cream to the gravy, and season to taste.  Serve with the rouladen.

At least I was happy with dinner, even if no one else was.  We probably won't have this again, even though I was happy to have this.

Tomorrow we're having a chicken dish.