Cabbage / Rice / Turkey Stew

A great dish for Black Friday.

• 4 bouillon cubes, chicken or vegetable
• 1/2 t basil
• 1/2 t thyme
• 1 T parsley
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 2 lg cloves garlic, smashed then minced
• 1/2 head cabbage, chopped
• 3 lg carrots, chopped
• 1 lg onion, diced
• 1 C rice, well washed
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 8 C water

1. Bring water to boil in deep pot.
2. Add bouillon, spices, and garlic, mix well.
3. Add vegetables, mix well, bring to boil again.
4. Add turkey, break into small chunks, bring to boil again.
5. Add rice, mix well, bring to boil.
6. Make sure that water just covers top of mixture.
7. Reduce to slow boil, cook 1/2 - 1 hour, stir frequently. Add water as necessary.
8. Serve with sourdough bread, and lots of beverages.

Potato / Celery Soup

• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 3 large cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 medium / 1/2 large onion, chopped into 1/2" chunks
• 8 - 9 medium potatoes, chopped into 1/2" chunks (enough to fill a standard colander when washed)
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 1 t celery seed
• 1 t cilantro
• 1/2 t cumin
• 1/2 t mustard
• 2 t tarragon
• 1 t peppercorns
• 1/2 C oatmeal

1. Put 3 - 4 inches of water into cooking pot, bring to boil.
2. Add spices, garlic, celery, onion. Stir well.
3. Add potatoes, bring to boil again. Make sure that there's enough water so the potatoes stir easily.
4. Stir well.
5. Add oatmeal.
6. Reduce to slow simmer. Stir frequently.
7. Cook until thickened, and you're tired of waiting.
8. Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg or paprika. Serve with sourdough bread and nice dark beer (Newcastle Brown Ale is my fave).

Chocolate / Oatmeal / Strawberry Breakfast Bar

Sometimes, I need an excuse for eating a load of sugar - and I'm out of ice cream.

• 1/2 C oatmeal
• 1 t brown sugar
• 1/2 t butter (margarine, if you want to be healthy)
• 2 t strawberry jam (grape jelly, what have you fruit + sugar topping)
• Chocolate syrup (Hershey's is best)

1. Mix oatmeal and brown sugar.
2. Mash butter / margarine / jam / jelly into oatmeal.
3. Pour / squirt chocolate syrup to top.
4. Bake in an oven, until dry / hard - or just eat with a spoon.
5. Instant sugar rush.

Cabbage / Curry / Potato Soup

Cabbage and potatoes are a good combination. Curry works well, here. Peppercorns and mustard seed are like pop rocks, in a stew. They give the mixture a subtle flavour while it cooks - then you eat the soup, and bite down on a flavour capsule (which should be reasonably soft from cooking long enough). If anyone in the group has trouble with eating seeds, substitute ground mustard and pepper.

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T curry powder
• 1 t mustard seed - or 1/2 t ground mustard
• 1/2 t paprika
• 2 t peppercorns - or 1 t ground pepper
• 1/2 head of cabbage, chopped
• 2 med yellow onions, diced
• 2 lb potatoes (6 - 8 medium potatoes), well washed, scrubbed, and diced 1/2" cubes
• 1/2 can (3 oz) tomato paste
• 4 C chicken or vegetable broth (2 bouillon cubes + 4 C boiling water)
• ground pepper, chopped green onions for garnish

1. Put 4 C water in a stew pot, bring to boil, add bouillon cubes.
2. Add garlic, onions, spices and tomato paste, bring to boil again.
3. Add cabbage and potatoes, add enough water (if necessary) to almost cover the cabbage and potatoes, bring to boil again.
4. Turn down to slow simmer.
5. Cook 1 - 2 hours, until vegetables are tender. Make sure cabbage and potatoes are very soft. Longer is better.
6. Garnish with ground pepper, and chopped green onions.
7. Serve immediately, if you're hungry. Best flavour may be obtained from refrigerating overnight.

Potato Soup

Potato Soup is wonderful during cold weather, served hot, or during hot weather, served chilled. A bit of San Francisco sourdough bread is a perfect accompaniment. It's a simple variation on Potato Leek Soup, with way less time taken.

• 4 cloves garlic, diced
  
• 1/2 t basil
  
• 1/4 t cilantro
  
• 1/2 t dillweed
  
• 1/2 t marjoram
  
• 1/4 t mustard seed
  
• 1/4 t parsley
  
• 1/2 t rosemary
  
• 2 med yellow onions, diced
  
• 3 lb potatoes (9 - 12 medium potatoes), well washed, scrubbed, and diced 1/2" cubes
  
• 4 C chicken or vegetable broth (2 boullion cubes + 4 C boiling water)
  
• 3/4 C oatmeal
  
• ground pepper, nutmeg, diced green onions for garnish
  

1. Put 4 C water in a stew pot, bring to boil, add bouillon cubes.
   
2. Add garlic and onions, bring to boil again.
   
3. Add potatoes, bring to boil again.
   
4. Add spices, and mix well, bring up heat to simmer, turn down to slow simmer.
   
5. Cook 30 - 45 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Make sure potatoes are very soft. Longer is better. Add oatmeal, mix well, and let it sit until soup thickens, turn heat off.
   
6. Garnish with ground pepper, nutmeg, and reserved chopped green onions.
   
7. Serve immediately, if you're hungry. Best flavour may be obtained from refrigerating overnight, but take precautions, if you do this.
   

If Prepared The Previous Night With most soups and stews, and this recipe is no exception, the flavour is intensified from sitting overnight, in a well sealed refrigerator container, after cooking. But be prepared. The oatmeal in this recipe will continue to soak up fluids, even when refrigerated. So if you prepare potato soup, and plan to serve it the next day, have a couple extra bouillon cubes ready. Make a couple cups extra broth, before warming the soup for serving. If the soup has turned into stew, or aspic even, warm it slowly and add 1/2 cup of broth, or even more, until it becomes a soup again. The flavour will be perfect, and the consistency will make the extra effort worthwhile.

Black Eye Gravy (Easy Version)

As good as Red Eye Gravy is, and as essential as it is for Southern style Grits, some people can't eat it. Grease isn't tolerated by everybody, particularly in California. So, we have an alternative.

• A pot of Black Bean Soup.
• Coffee.

1. Take a pot of Black Bean Soup, drain it in a strainer, set the beans aside.
2. Pour the strained juice into a frying pan, heat it and let it simmer.
3. Add coffee, let it simmer some more.
4. Pour over yer grits.

Red Eye Gravy (Easy Version)

After an evening of St Patricks dinner, there's corned beef fat, to be had. And always leftover coffee.

• Corned beef fat.
• Coffee.

1. Heat a chunk of fat in a pan - maybe a minute or two in the microwave, until it turns to liquid (aka grease).
2. Add coffee to taste.
3. Some recipes call for added salt, pepper, and / or sugar, when you use bacon or ham. With corned beef, that's your choice. I didn't add anything.
4. Simmer a few seconds.
5. Pour over grits.
6. Yer done. Grits are healthy. Red eye gravy ain't healthy. If y'all want healthy, try black eye gravy.