A Busy Tuesday

It wasn’t as foggy for a change on Tuesday morning, but it was damp. Somehow, that made my morning walk better as I drew in deep breaths of the damp, cool air.

I had rechecked my recipes last night and reviewed my ingredients. I found I was still missing an orange and some ground coriander. So, I made the mistake of going to Kroger’s at lunch. It was hard to find a parking place and it was jammed with last minute shoppers, all of whom had huge carts and long lists. But, I got through the 15 items or less aisle easy enough and took my few items home.

I took the turkey breast out of the freezer and put it on a plate in the fridge to thaw. I ate a couple of brats on bread for lunch and headed back to work.

It had been cloudy all day and when I left work at 5:00 PM, it was already dark And, it was sprinkling! They failed to mention that in the morning weather!

When I got home, I treated the cats and changed my clothes. Then I got right to work. I taped off the plywood and plaster portions of the bathroom and, after stirring the paint, applied it.

In spite of what my two sons would tell me, it looks like the computer was wrong! If you remember, I took in a piece of the tile, hoping to match it. But the color I put on (unless it darkens as it dries), looks way too light. Damn! Oh, well, I’ll let it dry while I get onto the night’s real work, prepping for Thanksgiving.

But, first, I have to make my friend Michelle’s Cabbage Casserole. Why now? I had noticed that the huge half of cabbage she had given me was looking pretty bad. So, I took the 1 1/2 pounds of browned ground chuck out of the freezer this morning.

Now, speaking of yucky-looking cabbage, I must share a story. Back in the day, when I was trying to be a homesteader on my Mom’s farm, the truck farmer that had rented the land that formerly belonged to my Dad told me I could have all the cabbage that he left in the field, after judging it wasn’t “perfect” enough for market. (Where was Forgotten Harvest back then?) I fed the worst stuff to the pigs and wanted to save the rest.

So, I did some research in the pages of the Mother Earth News (there were no computers back then) and found a suggested way to keep cabbage over the winter. I dug a trench in the sandy soil by the barn (the rest of the farm was loam, but it was sandy there) and put each head of cabbage, pulled out roots and all, upside down in it. Then I buried them with sand and topped that off with a layer of about two-feet thick of straw.

I went out in, like, January to get the first one and was totally p*ssed! It looked completely rotten. But, when I peeled back the outer leaves, there was the whitest, sweetest cabbage I ever tasted!

So, I was not afraid of the looks of Michelle’s half-cabbage head. I cut off the bad stuff and then chopped it into about five ups of cabbage squares. Then went into a big roasting pan (I didn’t think I had a large enough casserole dish for this).

Next, I diced up two medium onions. Now the recipe calls for cooking the ground beef (or turkey) with the onions, but I already browned the ground chuck. So, I put in the thawed meat when the onions were translucent and stirred it all until the meat warmed up.

Then I added one can of tomato soup and one can of water. Here’s where I had to veer from her recipe: It called for a can of stewed tomatoes (which I never have on hand) so I added a can of diced tomatoes (juice and all) instead. It also called for a can of rinsed sauerkraut, but as you know, I never buy canned sauerkraut (I hate the tinny taste) so I rinsed off the sauerkraut I had left from the bag I bought and added that. The recipe also called for seasoning with an undisclosed amount of salt, pepper and garlic powder.

I skipped the salt (figuring the sauerkraut would be enough) and added pepper and minced whole garlic gloves instead. I let that simmer for about 15 minutes. Then I added about eight teaspoons of uncooked rice and poured the mixture over the cabbage (NOT stirring). I covered that with foil (or you could use your casserole lid if you have a casserole dish that big). I stuck it in the preheated 350 degree F. oven and set the timer for 1 1/2 hours.

Note: the handwritten recipe says it freezes and reheats well.

Now, “What,” you may be asking, “does this have to do with Thanksgiving?” You are correct: nothing! I just need to use this stuff up before I had to throw it away and feel bad about myself.

But, then I did get onto Thanksgiving. I took my old cast iron pan and put half a stick of butter (or four tablespoons) in it and stuck it in the oven. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, I put in my dry ingredients: two cups of stone-ground yellow cornmeal, one tablespoon of sugar, one teaspoon of baking soda and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, then whisked it all together.

I was making a southern-style skillet cornbread (Martha Stewart) for my Thanksgiving dressing and I know that Carla would kill me if I made it “sweet.”

Then I whisked my wet ingredients together: Two large eggs and two cups of buttermilk. I added the wet to the dry and whisked it together.

I took my cast iron pan out of the oven and was stalled at that point. The oven temperature was too low to bake the corn bread. I left the pan on the warm stovetop.

So, I started making my cranberry relish from last year (It’s a take off of the supposedly famous Boston Market one that I have never tasted). I finely grated the zest half an orange into a medium saucepan and then squeezed in all of the juice. I added two cups of fresh cranberries, 1/4 cup of black walnuts (regular walnuts is what the recipe calls for but I like to honor my trees) and 3/4 cup of sugar. I cooked that over medium heat, stirring occasional until the mixture thickened and the cranberries started to pop. I pulled it of the heat and let it cool.

Finally, the casserole came out and I raised the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. When the oven beeper went of, I brushed the melted butter all around the cast iron pan. I poured in my batter and stuck the pan in the oven. I set the timer for 25 minutes.

I fixed a bowl of the cabbage casserole and ate that while watching a little of a taped show. It was even better than before (it wasn’t me, but the extra meat that did it). The timer went off, so I took the corn bread out of the oven and let it cool.

I got back to work and painted the second coat in the bathroom. I am really disappointed in how light the color is, but not enough to go get more, lol! I want this done. I am tired of walking downstairs to brush my teeth!

I filled up the dishwasher and ran a load.

I checked out a magazine and a couple of catalogs that came in the mail today. When the corn bread was cold, I cut it in four wedges and put them in a big zip-lock bag. I put the casserole (pan and all) in the fridge (I’ll portion it out to freeze tomorrow). Then I went to bed.