A Grand Opening!

Shenanagans my second shop is up and running! Well it's jogging anyway. haha I am trying to spread out my listings instead of throwing them all in there and then having to spend more money renewing the listings. So bookmark this shop and visit often! Come see what crafty things I get into. It's impossible to share it all with you on this blog. My sister called me the other day. I had just sat down for a minute with the hubby & the tv. She asked what I was doing and I said "nothing"! We all had a good laugh about that! I am always doing something. You would think I'd be a stick figure but alas I am not. haha

I like to cook too much to be a stick figure. I happened to see cabbage rolls on tv a few weeks ago. Wish I could tell you which show it was on but sorry I've forgotten. I had also forgotten how long it's been since I made cabbage rolls. It had to be at least 15 years, a ridiculous amount of time anyway, and I love them. I guess if ever I thought of them I would think of the process, then forget it as fast as the thought came to me. Boiling the cabbage, then stuffing, etc... Well who knew?! You don't have to boil the cabbage first! The minute the show was over I was determined to try them and I headed to the store for a fresh pretty head of cabbage. (I always have cabbage in the frig but it's not always pretty) Their secret? They cored the cabbage and then put the entire head in the freezer! Once frozen and then thawed, the full leaves just drop off, without tearing and they roll up fantastically. In my excitement over this I pulled the kitchen aid out and ground my own pork to go inside. Seasoned it up perfectly. Trying a tiny bit cooked in the microwave before I stuffed them. They were beautiful. So impressive looking that they, the humble cabbage roll, might be fit for company. The smell throughout the house was intoxicating. I couldn't wait to try them. I made garlic potatoes to go with them. I stuck my fork into one for my first bite. Bummer. There were no eyes rolling to the back of the heads. Apparently I didn't stew them long enough, the cabbage was not soft & tender, it was a little tough & chewy. We grabbed our knives and all ate them anyway, we all love cabbage no matter what, and the filling was yummy. I will try cooking them again like this soon, using the freezer method and taking care to stew them longer, after all the cabbage is raw not slightly cooked at the start. However, if the cabbage is still chewy next time I'll know the freezer thing really isn't a helpful hint, and it will be another 15 yrs or so before we have them again. hahaha