Mr. Food: Truth or Dare?

Somehow when Mr. Food says ummm, ummmm, good… I believe him. There are very few things I would turn my nose up at, make terrible faces when tasting, or spit back into my napkin. My family, however, does not have anywhere near the same belief system. It is a rare occasion when the entire table agrees on a meal. I love tofu, bean sprouts and hummus. They love breaded, fried, dripping oil pork chops and green beans with fatback. We have reached a compromise; I bake pork chops and cook the color out of some of our vegetables and they eat peanut butter crackers after choking on half a dinner plate of a new dish. The only things we all love to eat in our house are brownies, and ice cream.

Easy prep!

Waiting for it to boil...

Last week, Mr. Food caught me on a healthy, no roll, stuffed cabbage recipe. I instantly thought, “If they don’t see it wrapped in cabbage, maybe they’ll eat it.” It was easy to make and smelled fantastic. YUM. My nephew was over for dinner tonight and knew there would be trouble as I read the recipe online. As we all sat down the faces began. “Aunt Jen, what IS this square stuff? Are the round things meatballs?” Stefan, just eat it.

My son, who used to love smoothies made from everything green, complained about the cabbage and told me he couldn’t possibly eat it. As the moaning continued, I indulged in my fantastic new recipe and finished my bowl. Everyone else had to make a deal to leave the table; two more spoonfuls Joe, eat the meatballs and 1 square thing Stefan, two spoonfuls... if you weren’t so smart... Caleb, now eat three. Really? Could it really be that bad? Dinner table torture as they all imagined loud gas and explosive diarrhea on the basketball court tonight.

YUM! Smells fantastic!

As I enjoy the silence and blog alone... I wonder if the basketball court remains safe or has tragically become toxic because of my cooking. Sighs and smiles...

Here’s the recipe; try it for yourself. I’d be interested to hear if you get ummm, ummmm, good or bargains and moans to leave a full bowl at the table.

Not-Rolled "Rolled" Cabbage updates a traditional European recipe for stuffed cabbage. It takes all the work out of this classic, but none of the delicious taste.
Serves: 8          Preparation Time: 5 min          Cooking Time: 1 hr

Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 head green cabbage, shredded (12 to 14 cups)
1 (14-ounce) can jellied or whole-berry cranberry sauce
5 gingersnap cookies, crumbled (about 1/4 cup crumbs)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 (26-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

Instructions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt, and pepper. Form mixture into 1-inch meatballs (about 1 tablespoon each).
2. Place half the shredded cabbage in a soup pot then add meatballs. Spread cranberry sauce over meatballs, sprinkle with gingersnap crumbs and lemon juice then add remaining cabbage. Pour spaghetti sauce over mixture. Do not stir!
3. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir gently, being careful not to break up meatballs. Simmer an additional 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.