unstuffed cabbage rolls

As promised on Facebook, I am posting this recipe I got from my aunt Pam. :) I made a request for different kinds of soup to get me out of a rut since I've pretty much been making chili and chicken noodle soup, and occasionally beef stew. I've been trying to freeze soup to keep on hand for quick dinners and, thanks to my FB friends, I have some new options!

Pam sent me this recipe for Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls which, without rice, is soupy -- and with rice is not. I found the recipe she sent online here... and pretty much followed it. The  only major change was that, instead of using 2 regular cans of diced tomatoes, I used Pam's suggestion and substituted one can of Rotel tomatoes for a bit of spice. I'm glad I did!

So, here is how I did it:
2 lbs. ground beef
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic (original recipe calls for 1)
1 small cabbage
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, regular
1 (14 oz.) can Rotel tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/2 c. water
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. sea salt

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Saute onions until tender, and then add ground beef to brown. Add garlic. Then add remaining ingredients. The recipe notes this is the time to add rice if you want - if you do, do it before you add the cabbage -- otherwise you have to wait until the cabbage cooks down. Trust me.

I used only 1/4 c. rice, which is optional. Mine still had a soupy texture, but you could easily add 1/2 c. and make it a bit thicker. I would imagine more rice would make it kind of like a hot dish or a stew.

In any case, it was yummy - I'll be making this again! Now I just need to figure out which other soup I'll try next!

garden soup

So, it's been far too long since I've written... again... and again, I'm going to try to be better! Turns out it's not always easy cooking for one, but if I embrace the joys of freezing foods (and remembering to eat them again later) maybe I can try some fun things again.

Lately, though, I'd been craving Grandma D's garden soup. Like it sounds, it's soup with fresh garden vegetables -- or in my case, fresh farmer's market veggies. I was telling mom that I have a distinct memory sitting helping Grandma make garden soup and sitting at her table eating it on the farm. I remember what it tasted like exactly, and I wanted that.

She told me her version, but suggested I contact my aunts to see what they think because everyone probably does it slightly differently. But, my aunt and my mom told me the same thing pretty much, so I thought that was pretty safe to try.

Here's what I did:

• Choose my veggies: kohlrabi, carrots, onion, green/yellow/and purple beans
• First, I sauted the onions in a little butter in a pot
• Then, put the veggies in a pot and cover with water (barely)
• Cook veggies until they are almost done to my liking
• (add salt and pepper periodically, for taste)
• Add half-and-half until it's the amount of soup I wanted to make. I'm guessing I used 1 1/2 pints? 
• Cook until veggies are done (I like them a little crispy, yet cooked)
• Eat soup

And the result? I had a flashback to Grandma's table - the taste matched exactly the memory I had and I was happy. Does it get any better than that? Great food and sweet memories, packaged in a little bowl. Delightful.

Big thanks to Mom and Belva for the help!

as we approach Thanksgiving...

After having a couple of colleagues and friends pass away in the past couple of months, it's been tough. The service I attended today has made me particularly reflective... he was a great man. Kind, thoughtful, polite, genuine, and wonderful (and a vet - thus the photo). About a month ago, I had stopped by his office at work to just to say 'hello' or as a quick question... I don't really remember. What I do remember is that he took the time then to tell me how much he appreciates me and a conversation we had when he first started working with us a few years ago. And it wasn't the first time he did that - he never hesitated to share a kind word.

The people who gave eulogies today talked about how he had love in his life. Love for his family. Love for his friends. Love for God. Love for everyone. He just loved.

At the service, there was a display of pictures and stories - and I think my personal favorite, a list of things you would commonly hear him say. The last one on the list was "I sure do love you."

So, with Thanksgiving approaching, most of us are already a little reflective - or we will be on Thursday. We're all thankful for the usual suspects - family, friends, jobs, etc...  but beyond Thanksgiving, how often do we tell them? Do we even actually tell them on Thanksgiving? These experiences, though, have made me think about the type of person I really want to be. I'm going to try to be better about making sure people know I appreciate them, care about them, am there for them, and love them. And not just one day a year for holidays, or at a funeral.

So, let's get started: to my family and friends: I sure do love you. (as Willie would say)