Cabbage Becomes Casserole For Dinner

Beautiful cabbage

Large pan of cabbage and potatoes

Shopping at Giant recently I was captivated enough to buy an amazingly fresh-looking green cabbage. I brought it home and wondered for a whole day how I would cook it rather than staring at it in wonder. I even photo'd it as I was impressed with how it looked. So I tweeted about what I should do with it and a friend tweeted back with some ideas about combining the cabbage with potatoes and onions. So I steamed some of the chopped-up cabbage, boiled some sliced potatoes and cut onions in rings. I also fried some nitrite-free lowfat bacon and considered some suitable spices to add (sprinkles of cumin and a pinch of salt).  So I made three layers of cabbage, onions and potatoes, adding in the cut up cooked bacon and spices. I also sprinkled in some layers of mozzarella cheese. I cooked the whole thing for about 40 minutes in a hot oven and served it steaming hot. And photo'd the final dish even though you really can't see the cabbage pieces inside which were different shades of yellow and green when cooked.  This was a tasty and delicious meal.  Even cabbage-hating hubster ate some of it. If someone was vegetarian, I imagine they could substitute something else for the bacon, but that flavor seems essential to me when combined with the cabbage. Simply deelish!

Rustik Tavern in Bloomingdale

Well, it's just amazing to me that there is now a decent bar where we can go for a drink and snack and that is within walking distance of my house in this section of the city I have lived in for over 25 years. This is the Rustik Tavern which opens at 4 pm every day and serves drinks and pizza and a few other things up to 1 pm daily. We went there Saturday evening about 5 pm and hubster ordered a Ying Ling beer and I had my customary vodka martini while sitting at the bar watching Manchester United beat Manchester City on the large HD TV screen hanging over the bar. The smiling waitress also served us a pizza -- I think we got some sort of veggie thing -- that was about 12 inches diameter and enough of a snack for two people. They make the pizzas in a fiery gas oven over on one side of the tavern that you can watch while they cut and chop and bake 'em.  While we were there nearly all the tables filled with mostly all the young people who have moved into the neighborhood over the past four to five years. They even bring their kids in with them as one little girl was running up and down between the tables and the row of bar stools.  It's a very nice atmosphere and we stayed for a couple of hours and even noshed on some baked potatoes with bacon and cheese bits and a poached pear dessert during our second round of drinkies.Of course, I had to check and see if there was a wheelchair accessible doorway that my son could use when he comes home and wants to go out for a beer or whatever. And yes, they have such a doorway but it's a bit blocked by surplus chairs on the inside. That's a No-No!  I got the impression that this bar attracts more singles later in the evening but I'm really not sure about that.  It's clear that when the weather gets warmer they will have tables outside and that might be a fun activity too, watching the world go by on Rhode Island avenue in Bloomingdale.   I might try the kale salad then, which I'd seen being delivered to another table. Well, we'd prayed for the neighborhood to improve, and now, prayer answered! Thank God!

Rhubarb Crumble and Fish Cake Kind of Day in DC

Rhubarb cake

Cod fishcakes

Today was a Saturday where I puttered around and forgot about time altogether and that's a great space to be for cooking for me. So I made easy rhubarb crumble and fishcakes. I wish I could say it was rhubarb from my garden but we already ate all of that but I'd seen some fresh frozen organic rhubarb from Oregon on Peapod online groceries so I used a bag of that. I also used Bisquick for the cake or crumble part, adding sugar and milk and an egg and put a layer of that in the pan, added the rhubarb and then topped it with the remainder Bisquick mix. It only took 20 minutes to cook and was delicious.  The fish cakes were a solution to the leftover cod from yesterday. I ground them up into flakes in fat free milk in the blender and then added chopped tofu, parsley, some canola oil and breadcrumbs and then baked for about 35 minutes in a  medium oven (about 355F).  With mashed potatoes and lima beans the fishcakes were a delicious dinner. What food blessings we enjoy!

Related articles

• Rhubarb Cake (thehappyhousewife.com)