grace grits and gardening - ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

MONSTER in our house!

March 19, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

A monster lives in our house!

Thank goodness we have two ferocious schnauzers for protection…

Lucy, Annabelle and the Monster!

Grace Grits and Gardening

“I am called a dog because I fawn on those who give me anything, I yelp at those who refuse, and I set my teeth in rascals.” – Diogenes

Musical Pairing:

If I Didn’t Have You, -Monster’s Inc.

If My Blog Were An Outfit…

March 18, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Just so we are clear—I am NOT a fashion blogger. Lord no. And if you saw my hot mess closet you’d be shocked.

Okay, here’s my closet…

Oink oink. Pigsty.

When I heard about the linkup “If My Blog Were An Outfit” (hosted by Hairspray and High Heels), I decided it would be fun and something different for me to do. A sort of paper doll / vision board to showcase my (extreme) casual (simple/boring) style.

Let me introduce you to Grace Grits and Gardening sporting her favorite outfit (and accessories)…

All that’s missing is my face right below the hat, but you get the gist, right?

Some may say, how can a KitchenAid Mixer be part of an outfit?

And to those I say, a KitchenAid Mixer goes with everything. As do gardening gloves. And pearls…

Grace Grits and Gardening

“Even on the most solemn occasions I got away without wearing socks and hid that lack of civilization in high boots.”
― Albert Einstein

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.