St. Patrick's Day - grace grits and gardening

Sunday Letter: 03.17.19

March 17, 2019 By Talya Tate Boerner 8 Comments

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all my Sunday Letter friends!

Don’t forget to wear green. In case you’ve forgotten, the reason for green is because mischievous leprechauns can’t see that particular color. If you aren’t wearing green, they’ll pinch you. There’s probably a more historical reason, but that’s the story we heard in elementary school back when kids could pinch each other and no one complained with more than a giggle or a whine and maybe a shove on the playground.Continue Reading

St. Paddy’s Day Cake Balls

March 16, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner 5 Comments

I failed to make a pie for Pi Day (boo), but I made cake balls for St. Paddy’s Day (yay). And since St. Paddy’s Day isn’t until tomorrow, I’m ahead of the game. This morning I enjoyed one with my coffee. The great thing about cake balls is you really can have your cake and eat it too. Satisfy your sweet craving in two little bites.

Yum.

If you’ve never made cake balls, I’ll tell you this—it’s a process that takes a little patience, but it isn’t difficult. And if you’ve ever bought cake balls for a party, you know they can be pricey. But there’s no reason to spend your hard earned money. Make your own instead.

I thought about my Daddy when I made these because he REFUSED to eat green desserts. No green Jell-o, green ice cream, green popsicle or candy. Haha, it’s funny what we remember.Continue Reading

Cabbage and Potato Soup

March 16, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner 11 Comments

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

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

Instructions

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.