Cabbage Soup Comfort

What?? Another 'cooking' post from the one who absolutely HATES to have to cook???

Yep!! 'Cause it's easy, it's healthy-ish, it's bod-warming on a chilly day, it's simple clean-up and it can easily get me through an entire week of quick warmup lunches without having to actually cook again for awhile. My severe dislike of cooking has forced me to plan for not having to do it often; a big pot of stew, a huge casserole, a big ol' pot roast, a massive batch of perogies, this pot of cabbage soup are just a few of the  one-time cooking work plans that can stretch out nicely... perfect for a Lazy-Ass Cooking/Dish-Washing HATER like ME!

I know there are lots of cabbage soup diets that go through rages of greatness... I don't diet so this is not meant to be among those even though it is a pretty healthy and filling soup. I just like it because it's filled with ingredients I like and is easily adaptable for whatever you may or may not like in your soup. If you don't like onions... leave them out, maybe try a couple handfuls of frozen corn kernels instead. Celery not your thing? Try adding in some frozen peas. Not keen on the beans?? Try some crumbled ground beef, or even some shredded chicken. The posibilities are endless, just go with whatever! Since I'm sharing my recipe, I'll show you how I like it but feel free to experiment and make it perfect in its quest to satisfy you!


Cabbage Soup Comfort

Ingredients:

                     Olive Oil
3     stalks     Celery (chopped)
3     med       Carrots (chopped)
1     med/lg   Yellow Onion (chopped)
2     cups       Cabbage (chopped)
1     Tbsp      Garlic (minced)
1-2  tsp         Salt
1/2   tsp        Pepper (fresh ground)
1      tsp        Bayleaf Flakes
1      tsp        Basil Flakes
2      tsp        Oregano Flakes
1      tsp        Sugar
1     pinch     Red Pepper Flakes
1     cube      Beef Boullion (if needed... see ** at liquid stage below)
1     qt          Tomatoes (crushed, diced, whole... whatever you prefer)
1     carton   Beef Broth (900ml)
1     can       White Kidney Beans (540ml)

Directions:

Step 1:

Pour in enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of a large pot then toss in celery and carrots. Cook over med-high heat for about 3 minutes.



Stir-frying the fresh vegetables before adding in the liquids
helps them keep just a touch of firmness rather than having them
turn mushy in the finished soup.

Step 2:

Toss the onion into the mix and stir-fry another 1-2 minutes.



 

















Step 3:

Add in the cabbage and garlic, stir-frying another 1 minute.


 


















Step 4:

Add in salt, pepper, bayleaf, basil and oregano and continue stir-frying another 30 seconds or so.




Step 5:

Add the tomatoes, broth and sugar into the mix, stirring gently. Here's where you'll want to give it a quick taste test as it warms to simmer temperature... the herbs will be enhanced during simmer time but you may want to add in a little extra salt and/or sugar if the tomatoes need either.

** Once I have added the tomatoes and broth I fill the broth box just less than halfway with water to rince the last bits of broth out before pouring it into the tomato jar and swishing it to get the bits of juice left inside before pouring it into the pot, as well. This is why (and the point where) I add in a boullion cube to the mix.

Just as an extra by-the-way... you could totally use chicken broth and boullion instead of beef; I like it with whatever I have on hand.

 Step 6:

Sprinkle in that pinch of red pepper flakes (or more, if you like a little more heat) then just sit back and let'er'simmer'down for 30 minutes!!

I like to simmer at just a touch above medium heat... however, since all stove burners
heat differently just keep it hot enough to move all bubbly-like but not hot enough
that it's a hot-mess on an all-night dance binge bustin' to get out of its pot!

Step 7:

After that relaxing 30 minute simmerfest, go ahead and pour into the pot that lonlified-still-waiting can of kidney beans and give that soup a good lil' stir before letting it simmer another 25 minutes.



"I'm just so looooonelyyyy... why can't I be in the pot, toooooo???"



"Come on in, K-Beans... you're missin' All the FUN!!!"

"Thanks, Gang!!! I thought you'd never ask!!!!!"

Step 8:

After that 25 minute K-Bean simmer... let sit (off the heat) for 5 minutes before ladling some of that comfort into a bowl. Enjoy! The soup is delicious just as it is... or, try it topped with a little Parmesan like I love it. I hope this soup warms both your tummy and your soul as it always does mine!

Talk about adventures at camp!

Thankfully, no one was hurt in this past weekends crashing 'fun'... well, except for Day, he says his tummy still hurts from being forced to wait for dinner for a whole two hours past dinner time!

Some people *cough-Enzo-coughcough* think the fact that I somehow manage to find the laughable in annoying situations makes the annoying situations even more ANNOYING... but I mean really... what's the sense of being upset??? No one was hurt and it really was pretty hysterical, well, from my perspective anyhow.

Our day went a little somethin' like this...



Day helped Play get his overcoat on so we could get going already!
Enz and his dad had brought the snowblower and stayed behind
to clear out the cabins while the boys and I walked.

For the first time, it was just the three of us walking... yaayyyy; it's been a goal of mine to be strong enough to walk my boys on my own! Neither were as excited as I was to stop for a comemerative picture...

"Whooaaa... That's a loooooong way down Day, you better put your concentration
ears on, too, so we don't take a spill like Dad did yesterday!"

"Good idea, Play... Okay, ears are ON.... let's do this!"

After our walk, the boys settled into the warmed-up guest cabin for a well-earned cozy nap.

Before long we were all back in the car and on our way back home..

When suddely.....

Only after I could climb up enough to make sure my boys were both fine, I realized
my view was pretty much the same as always..... Enz was busy talking on the phone!!!

Enz had ditched us...

...ditched us but goooood!



The boys and I were stuck... wedged in tight.



Nonno having a good look...
Trust me, Nonno, your truck is beautiful but there is no way you're going to pull us out of this one!

"I think the problem's right there, Pa....."

Really, Enz...? Really.......??

"I'll take a couple shovels of snow out... it'll be fine."

What?? Are you INSANE, Nonno??? Another couple shovelfulls and we're gonna tip right over!!!!!

Yeah... like the one who just DITCHED us is qualified to be directing someone else on how to drive!

"We're still holdin' on, Mama... Day's using the side of the car and I'm using this middle thing
to hold me here so I don't fall into him."

"Play forgot to mention that we're not having fun, Mama....."

This is noooooot the face of a happy camper... I got the giggles SO bad at how mad he was and he just didn't see the funniness, at all! I tried to share the up-side... from my vantage point he finally looked super-amazingly tall!!!

Three hours later, Darkness came and along with it, help in the form of CAA!




The CAA man was worried his truck wouldn't be able to lift us out but he was going to give it a try before calling out a second truck. We were that stuck. The first few tries were scary with the boys and I still skewed in the car... the truck would try and hoist us but started jumping and shaking like it was going to topple right over on top of us.



But after a few repositionings of our saving CAA truck and a few more lifts and pulls... we were safely out of the ditch and back up on the road BETWEEN the ditches right where we needed to be. Whew! Good times... Good times.....

How do you deal with minor setback situations? Do you immediately go to to worst case way of thinking? Or, are you like me in going straight for the giggle-worthy side? I'd love to know how you've overcome unexpected situations so go on and tell all in the comments section below!

Alaska called... I gratefully answered!

Sometimes life really does just work out, not only perfectly but also in the most wonderfully perfect imaginable. That's kind of how my visit to Alaska came about nine years ago. From as far back as I can remember, I have dreamed about exploring Alaska, living there even! My whole life has been spent living for long winters filled with cold and snow and camping out the rest of the year while waiting for wintertime to find me again. Alaska just sounded like my perfect match. But I married someone who doesn't like cold and snow, who doesn't like camping and who didn't have the slightest desire to even glance upon a poster of Alaska. I was pretty sure my dreams of Alaska were to remain just so... dreams.

Then there came a day when friends of ours asked if we would go on a Mediterranean cruise with them, leaving out of Rome... Now, since I had tried for years to get my husband to take a vacation together and had given up after failing at least 57 times, I almost fell over when he had instantly agreed. He wouldn't travel with me before and he hasn't been willing to travel with me since, clearly I'm the one he want's to avoid vacationing with but who cares....... we were going to Rome! For me, it was a pretty big deal and I was worried, straight off, about having to fly overseas; flight travel doesn't agree so well with me and I feared a flight that long might not be able to handle all the puke bags I was sure to fill beyond full. Still, I was game. I was super STOKED about a real, true vacation and I'd never been to Europe but it was old hat to our friends and even to my husband since their lives had all been spent travelling back and forth to Italy visiting their relatives still living there. I couldn't wait to see it all, especially the Palermo Catacombs!!

It was only a few days later when we were booking our trip that our friends realized they couldn't make the dates work for the Rome cruise but they wondered if we would consider the Alaskan cruise that they could make work. ALASKA??!!! Yes, yes, YES!!!!! And my husband had already said yes to a cruise so he couldn't back out even with this welcomed change in plans!!

Alaska had found it's way into my plans, when I wasn't even planning it, at all. I was meant to go to Alaska and the universe was making it happen.

I took a lot of pictures but didn't take a TON of pictures. I wanted to feel being there, to experience it with all my senses. It was different than I had imagined it would be. Being on a ship makes it a little harder to get to know the land because on the port stops, time passes like lightning and there just isn't enough time to settle into all the beautiful that's waiting. But we were going and I was going to revel in every single second of ever single day in Alaska!

The ship was beautiful but like flight travel... it just didn't agree with my tummy. Most of our ship days I spent in bed desperately tring to make it all stop!!!

This is the ship we were on...
I was violently-pukey sick almost every moment spent on board but it was a very beautiful ship!

Juneau was stunning!

Juneau was the first port we docked at and it sure was gorgeous!

As we hiked up for our first view of a 'real life' glacier, I found myself
completely entranced with the massive salmon fighting to get upstream; half
in the water and half out... he was going to make it!



And then there was a GLACIER!!! my heart was already feeling at home.
Next time... I'm totally kayaking these waters!

 

I totally fell in love with this little Posse of Perfect!
I, so badly, wanted to swim over and give them all pillows
for soft, squooshy sleepies in the sunshine... 

 

I... was... FASCINATED by the massive noses on the the backs of the humpback whales! Who knew they had NOSES
on their BACKS??? Okay, probably everyone else knew... but I didn't know until I took this picture. So cool BEYOND coolness, I can't even tell you!

And the power of those massive nostrils... let me just say..... I wish for that power now, every single time
I find myself with an annoying sinus cold. Whales really do have it all!

And then we were back on the ship again... more puking, more upchucking, more hurling..... until we arrived in Ketchikan!

Ketchikan was a really quick little stopover and I was a little bummed that we didn't have much time to explore. But we did find a great little Lumberjack Show that was lots of fun to experience. I also fell in love with the houses in the hills all sided in different perfect sea-side colours... I loved it so much I brought a little of it home by siding all our camp buildings in different colours so I can kind of feel like part of me is still there.

 

My absolute FAVOURITE part of Ketchikan were totally the water taxis!!! I could have just sat and watched them
all day long. Loved them! And I mean SERIOUSLY... LOVED them!!!
I just SOOOOOO want to call a water taxi to go and get some groceries!

 

Glacier Bay was as sad as it was fascinating. As we entered the bay there was a silence like none other I had ever known. The deck was full of people but the quiet overtook every soul on board, it seemed. We all stood on the deck, stories above the water line, yet miniaturized next to the glacial walls that had almost suddenly appeared before us.

It was really interesting to watch how the
hush fell... from talking to whispering in a heartbeat!

Suddenly from the silence, came a loud clap that sounded like a rifle shot... followed by a loud crashing. The gunshot sound was the cracking of ice. Pieces of the glacier were being forced to let go as they crashed into the waiting sea. I felt sad as the gentle current caried the lost pieces away and the waves from the crashing settled in wait for the next claps to bear another offering. Most seemed to think it was 'neat' but the glacier was changing right before me and it was hard to have to watch.

Skagway was our next stop and there we had a full day of adventure planned!

Everyone we knew who had been to Alaska told us we HAD to take the train excursion
in Skagway... so we did. It was nice and relaxing but it was so much like home that I wished
I had chosen another tour instead.

 

We did get to visit an old gold mining camp along the train route
that was fun so, it wasn't at all disappointing! I even found some flakes of gold
while trying the age-old art of 'panning'... I ended up doing panning for almost everyone there
because it got old for most pretty quickly and they would all bring me their pans because
I was having such a blast!!!

 

My absolute FAVOURITE part of Skagway day was the helicopter glacier excursion!!! I have no words that can describe
it... but I will never be without those moments in my heart. I just felt so at home.

 

Tracey Arm went far and above any hope I had ever held for Alaska. It sucked me in and I wanted to stay there forever.

It was cold, it was windy and it was exactly where I needed to be... it's where I still need to be.....

Coming into Tracey Arm was like a gift of too much beautiful...

I was cold, I was a windblown mess...
and I was filled with nothing but incredible, immeasurable joy!

Can you tell which one of us was maybe not so
incredibly, immeasurably filled with joy???
 

The floating icebergs were nothing short of stunningly mesmerizing...

I wanted so badly to just jump ship, swim on over and spend the rest of my entire life livng on this sailboat with whoever
was on it... all that mattered was staying there and the details could be worked out later...



Instead... I stayed where I was. Grateful that I had been blessed with those
Alaskan moments that will live in my soul forever.

 

I'd love to know of the places that feed your soul... Where is it that you feel you're supposed to be??

A to Z... Happy is Me!

Happiness is something I see people searching for, day after day, as though it can magically be found. It's not hiding, happiness is here for us all. Here are just a few things that bring me joy, an A to Z list... but more than this list, happiness is how I live. I choose to find the positive in everything so my heart just doesn't have room to be unhappy, even in the toughest of times.


Appetizers

• I am sooooo not a 'foodie' and am never impressed with food or cooking skills but I absolutely LOVE going out for appetizers! Four Cheese Spinach Dip and Fireside Antojitos from Montana's... Bloomin' Onions from Outback Steakhouse... Wings from Kelsey's... Tempura Snap Peas and Asparagus that The Keg TOTALLY needs to bring back..... all of these beautiful appetizers mean nothing but pure happiness for mah bellehhhhh!!!

Books

• Books have always brought me happiness. The gift of being able to disappear into new worlds, to make new friends and learn new ways is one I never underestimate.

Cowgirl Boots

Oh, how I lubbs me mah boots!

Dominoes

• Mexican Train Dominoes... serious F-U-N! Happiness is being wrapped in a blanket with a steaming mug of coffee on a cool evening in the outdoor screened room playing dominoes.

Embers

• Weenie roasts and s'mores just wouldn't be the same without the power of embers. Weenie roast happiness is pretty hard to beat!

Family

• My always-see-only-the-best-in-everyone MOM, my brave-openhearted-go-getter SISTER, my always-looking-forward BROTHER, my beautifully-confident-curious-hilarious NIECE, my thoughtful-sportsnut-nature-loving NEPHEW, my fill-my-heart-and-my-soul-beyond-brimming BOYS and even though he can no longer be here on Earth with us, my ever-watching-from-Heaven-protectively-guiding-us-all DAD.

Guitars

• On the extremely rare occasions I do find myself feeling upset, all it takes is a few minutes with my guitar cradled in my arms to bring the song of happiness back into my soul. Even just running my fingertips across my case of musical heroes brings me joy in the memories they've given me through the soundtracks of my life.

Headphones

• I seriously BEYOND love my Skullcandy Aviator Headphones!!! The beautifulness of look mixed with the fullness of sound brings my beloved tunage to life for only me... happy galore!

Immaturity

• My ridiculous, immature and oft described annoying sense-of-humour brings me unparalleled amounts of everlasting joy. All-out belly laugh happiness, hurts the tummy but sings the soul!

Jean Jackets

• Happiness is the security of my old, worn-in, faded and frayed blue-jean jacket.

Kayaking

• Being on the water, from the quiet and gentle roll of calmness to the invigorating rush of an angry current... the happy can always be found within the waves if I just look hard enough.

Leisurewear

• Comfyfied is happyfiiiied!

Morning

• Yep, I admit it, I am one of those annoyingly cheerful, giggly and chatty ones of whom most people try to avoid, right from the instant I open my eyes in the morning... The earlier the laughter starts, the happier I am!!!

Neatness

• I am happiest when the space that surrounds me is open and tidy... no surrounding clutter leaves my soul uncluttered and happy.

Optimism

• Why look to the worst when there's always the opportunity look forward with hope instead?!! I feel happiest in knowing good things are on the horizon.

Picnics

• I live for picnics! Sandwiches, snacks and thermos iced tea served atop a big ol' picnic quilt with nothing but the comforting sounds of nature... happiness and a basket.

Quilts

• Designing and making quilts... now that's a happiness to snuggle on up in! I love being in my workshop, bringing my visions to life with bits of fabric and thread.

Records

• Happy-is as happy-bops-along-to-old-records. Sometimes, when my heart needs just a little extra filling, I love to hide away in the loft and play my favourite old records... I let the rich, full sounds take me back to when life was nothing but dreams of what I thought my future would hold.

Sundresses

• Soft, pretty, flowing, comfy sundresses make unbearably hot summer days the happiest they can be!

Tapioca

• A comforting bowl of homemade tapioca puddin' puts a puddin' happy smile on this ol' face of mine!!

Upsides

• Even when it seems there isn't an upside... there really always is. I'm happily thankful that I have been fortunate enough to always be able to find it.

Visiting

• With family, old friends, new friends... I'm always nervous, awkward and tripping over my words but being with the people I care about makes me one ridiculously happy camper.

Writing

• Writing has brought me happiness right from the time I learned how to. Stories are gifts my parents gave me by teaching me to both read and dream, and writing my way into newness with only a blank page and some green ink as a start point, well it somehow knows how to settle me without my even having to ask.

Xeric-ness

• Because this curly-haired mess finds the XERIC state to be a very HAPPY state!

Yankee-Doodle

• The dirty-poem version... inappropriate sense-of-humour happiness strikes again!

Zealousness

• Happy means never being shy in showing true zeal for even the tiniest of joys!

This is just a tiny sampling of what keeps me smiling... What makes you smile? What keeps your heart truly happy and filled with joy?? Share in the comments, you never know when your happies might just become catchin' for someone else in need of a happy!