Here is what I wore to bike to work today:
socks and understuff
close fitting biking pants
pants on top of the biking pants
turtle neck
jacket
scarf
mittens
helmet

Yup.  It was -2 degrees C when I left today.  Mmmmm cold.  So cold that when you're biking and the wind blows that your eyes tear up and the tears run down your face.   Emotional.  I'm determined to keep going though.  I'm not going to stop until there is snow and ice on the roads.  I'm not alone out there either which is heartening, especially in November at -2 degrees!
I always have to work to find things to keep me stoked about winter.  It's hard for me 'cause honestly... well, it's hard.  There are some things though, I'll think of them eventually.
I do like winter foods though.  And not just 'cause I like how they taste.  Truth be told, I don't like how they taste sometimes.  It's really about the challenge.  Knowing I need to find ways of preparing these veggies that will be interesting enough and palatable enough for the kids to eat.  All the while feeling good that I'm using local and seasonal produce as much as possible.  One of this weeks challenges:  Cabbage.


It gets a bad rap sometimes.  Kinda boring, kinda gas inducing, kinda squeaky... you know.  I can't just keep making cabbage rolls either, tasty though they may be.  So I got to thinking about this mock cabbage roll thing that my Mom used to make.  All the ingredients of cabbage rolls but just plunked into a pot and cooked together.  I'm not describing it very appetizingly but it was good.  That made me wonder if I could just come up with a really tasty cabbage stew.
So here's what I did:

1.  Slice 1/2 a large cabbage (about 4 - 5 cups) into 1 inch wide slices.   Slice 2 medium sized red or orange peppers.  Dice 2 medium sized carrots.  Slice 1 large onion.


2.  Heat a large pot and begin to saute the veggies in some oil or pork fat (sounds gross but just save anything that you might have from cooking bacon) over med/low heat.  Keep this going for about 10 min.  Stir when needed but turn the heat down if anything starts to stick.

3.  Take the wrappers off about 1 1/2 lbs of hot italian sausage and chop them into little meatball sizes.  Throw them into the pot and let them slowly heat through.  Add in a couple of diced garlic cloves.  Cook for another 10 minutes or so.

4.  Add in about 400 ml of diced tomato and about 2 - 3 tbsp of tomato paste.  If you have some bouillion hanging around then throw that in too.  Add a couple of tbsp of sugar or honey, dash of salt and maybe some basil as well.


5.  Check tastes and continue to simmer at low heat for another 30 - 40 minutes.  The longer you simmer, the softer and sweeter the veggies become.


6.  Serve with rice or all by it's little lonesome.