Food & Recipes - grace grits and gardening

Cabbage and Potato Soup

March 16, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Did you ever try to lose weight on the Cabbage Soup Diet? I did. In fact when I worked at State Bank, the entire staff from drive-through teller to bank president succumbed to the nastiness. By God(!) in only seven days we would be the skinniest bankers in Dallas!

Or comatose.

Within four days we morphed into brainless zombies. Glazed eyes. Pale. Weak. The office space smelled foul as each person re-heated individual containers of soup throughout the day. Mushy cabbage soup.

For seven days, zero business transpired. Reasoning skills halted. Any idiot could have strolled into the branch and walked out with the cash vault balance.

THIS is not that soup.

This soup is delicious. This soup includes butter and potato and other real ingredients not allowed on the soul-sucking cabbage soup diet.

Since it rained all day yesterday (which always makes me want soup) and since I received a huge head of cabbage in my Greenling box, I whipped this up just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. It’s Irish and green, you know…

Cabbage and Potato Soup

Print Recipe

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 head green cabbage shredded
1/2 cup green onions chopped (mostly the white parts)
3 garlic cloves peeled and halved
1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt
32 oz 4 cups chicken broth
1 large Idaho baking potato peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 Tablespoon flat-leaf parsley chopped
1/2 Tablespoon fresh thyme
freshly ground pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons sour cream

Method

Heat oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add cabbage, green onion, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until the cabbage is slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the broth, potatoes, parsley, thyme and 1/2 t salt. Simmer, covered, until the potatoes and cabbage are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Let cool approximately 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Once smooth, stir in sour cream. Add additional salt if needed. Serve immediately. Top with a dab of extra sour cream and a sprinkle freshly ground pepper.

This soup is a great stand-alone meal, but for a little something different at your next dinner party, serve cabbage and potato soup shots as an appetizer before the main course. Soup shots are always festive.

Happy St. Patty’s Day!

Grace Grits and Gardening

“Peter lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe amongst the potatoes.”
― Beatrix Potter

Musicial Pairing:

There’s No One as Irish as Barack Obama, Corrigan Brothers

Grits Soufflé (perfect southern side)

March 13, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

(This post is sponsored by Bourbon & Boots. All opinions are my own.)

If you know anything about me, you know I love grits. Heck, I even named my blog after one of my favorite southern foods.

Today at Bourbon & Boots, I’m writing about why I love grits and why you should too. I’ve also doctored up one of my favorite recipes and turned it into a full blown grits soufflé that rises and everything.

My recipe is over at Bourbon & Boots so click HERE and I’ll meet you there.

Grace Grits and Gardening

P.S. Be sure to spend some time looking around at all the unique, handmade items available. Bourbon & Boots truly is a breath of fresh Americana air in the on-line shopping world. There’s still time to save 5% on any Bourbon & Boots purchase with my coupon code bloggracegg14…

Bourbon & Boots: Eat Like a Local in Dallas

March 7, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

(This post is sponsored by Bourbon & Boots. All opinions are my own.)

When Bourbon & Boots asked me to write a story on How to Eat Like a Local in Dallas, I gotta say I was thrilled to bring attention to my neck of the woods. But with soooo many great places serving every food type and price range, how could I whittle down my list of favorites?

Here’s what I did. I included those places my husband and I return to time and time again, the spots I take my out of town friends, and the restaurants my kids drive straight to when returning home from college. I didn’t include chains. I didn’t include that certain place (ahem) that wouldn’t allow me to take pictures… (another story)

If you occasionally travel through Dallas or plan to visit soon, pack your fat jeans and add a few of these stops to your itinerary. If you already live here, let’s talk about how lucky we are to be surrounded by such amazing food. (Feel free to add your favorites to the comment section.) Click HERE to check out my list and local tips at Bourbon & Boots…