Simple (?) Cooked Cabbage

[Charlie B53]

I tend to think myself fortunate to be on PD as my diet isn't limited near as much as some others.   I half miss not roasting/baking a bird this year,  I absolutely LOVE leftover Turkey sandwiches.  This year Daughter was given a Ham.  One of her ? clients parents gave her a ham.  This must have been from a Grandfather Hog or maybe his cousin, cause it was well over 30 lbs.  I never saw the wrapper or label, but after carving on this thing to put away at least 3/4's of it left-over from dinner.  I boned it out and found the hip socket bone where it was cut off the pelvis, and about 3 inches of the tibia/fibula below the knee.  I HAD TO bag them bones so I could make me some BEANS.

Got the BIG oval crock pot out this a.m. and started them bones.  Chopped a huge SWEET onion and put that in for good measure.  Added a palm full of lemon pepper, filled it up with water and turned it on 'High' and left it.

You know how those 'Best laid plans' thing 'often goes awry'?  Well,  Wife decides 'She' doesn't want me to make 'beans' today.  That's O.K..  I have another big zip lock bag of fat trimmings and meat chunks in the freezer just waiting.  School starts again next week and she'll be gone most all day.  As they say, While the Cat's away.........'

'She' would rather have cooked cabbage.  I don't get a choice.  So off to the market to buy the biggest roundest, firmest cabbage that Kroger's has/had, cause I bought it and took it home.     By then most all the fat on the bone had melted, the meat was falling apart.  So I pulled out the bones forking off anything that failed to fall off.  After they cooled I gave the first one (of 4) to the dog.  He thinks he's in Heaven.  I'll chill the others so I can give them to him, sort of ration them out.

I was about to start cutting the cabbage into wedges when I remembered "The Carrots",  grabbed the zip-lock bag of baby carrots from the refrigerator and added them to the pot.  Told the wife we would have to give the carrots time to half cook before we added the cabbage otherwise we would have very firm carrots.  Who likes that?  So we climbed in my truck and ran a few errands.

Buy the time we got home the carrots were perfectly done.  Oops.  Strain out everything and set aside then remember, 'Oh Yeah', the little red potatoes!  Hurriedly whacked 7 of them into quarters and dropped them in.  Waited at least an hour for them to get half tender THEN FINALLY got to put in the whole cabbage.  Wedged, of course.

Hurry up and wait a lot more.

Like set up my Cycler, take a break, weight, take BP's, take a few more breaks.  Connect to my Cycler and finishe the first drain/fill.  Take another break.

Good thing I don't do alcohol, I'd be thoroughly potted by now.  Oh, good, cabbages is done.  Time to put all that strained out stuff back in.  Minor miracle that it all fit back into that crock pot.  I told you it was a big'un.   Give it another half hour for everything to re-heat and flavors to finish 'merging'.

About the time I get some in a bowl I can hear my Cycler alarming, telling me I should have been back in there already.

So a shortened version.

1 BIG Crock Pot, about 6 or 8 quart (?)
1 set of ham bones (BIG)
1 huge SWEET Onion Diced bite size
about a palm full of lemon pepper
1 Zip-Lock sandwich bag full of baby carrots
6 or 7 small little red potatoes, quartered
1 BIG had of cabbage, wedged, center removed

Total time, about 12 hours.  But it's worth the wait.

If I were a REAL cook I might know when to add the different things so all would be done together, rather than have to screen out and hold aside things so they wouldn't over cook.  But I think the end justifies the means in this case.

Now, to cool the left over gallon til Son comes over.  I can nuke it to reheat it and it will all disappear before he goes home.

[iolaire]

1 huge SWEET Onion Diced bite size

Recently we bought a ham butt because it was extremely discounted so I looked up a recipe to cook it.  The one I settled on was something like Country Ham, which was basically steaming or boiling it with three onions chopped in the pot.  When done cooking I was instructed to blend the onion with the juices so it turns into an apple sauce like substance.  The end result of the onions was VERY tasty.  So I recommend giving blended boiled onions a try sometime (maybe include some meat juice).

[Deanne]

That sounds great! I think I'll try it.

On a side-note, be careful about cooking beans in a crock-pot. Beans release a toxin and if they don't cook at a high enough temperature, you can actually poison yourself with them. Kidney beans are the worst, but the toxin is in other dried beans, too. Crock-pots don't always get hot enough to cook out the toxin, so it's a good idea to soak them overnight, and then use fresh water to bring them to a hard boil for 10 minutes before putting them into a crock-pot. Here's a link that talks about the toxin: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/CausesOfIllnessBadBugBook/ucm071092.htm

[Charlie B53]

I use onions in most everything.  Very well done the onions add a certain flavor that cannot be found, or I haven't found, in any other vegetable.

I didn't know about any possible side effect of beans.  Other than gas.  Both of our crock pots very very hot, boiling all around the sides when on 'High' which I use for most everything until well done.  Only then do  I turn them down to 'Low' to let simmer until we are ready to eat.

I will read that link, already have a new tab with it so  I can't forget.  I like all beans, each in their own, as well as the ready bagged blend of about 17 kinds.  That one makes a pretty good soup without adding anything but the little flavor packet that comes with them.  And of course, a couple of onions.

[kickingandscreaming]

Got the BIG oval crock pot out this a.m. and started them bones.  Chopped a huge SWEET onion and put that in for good measure.  Added a palm full of lemon pepper, filled it up with water and turned it on 'High' and left it.

Sounds tasty.  But I hope the lemon pepper was either Mrs. Dash's or homemade, because otherwise it has a hefty payload of salt--in spite of its name.

[PrimeTimer]

This makes my mouth water, CharlieB53! I can taste some cornbread with it. I think you can throw just about anything into a crock pot. When I make things "for two" in our medium-sized pot, I always use the high setting for 7-8 hours. Haven't burned anything -yet. And I agree, onions, onions, onions!   

[Charlie B53]

I would have to look on the box to see where I ordered my lemon-pepper.  It is ONLY Lemon zest and fine ground black pepper, and not a lot of pepper.  5 lb bag.

I also have a 3 lb bag of lemon zest only.  It's great for anything, from soup to cakes and icings.  Or add a pinch to a hot cup of tea!

All comes from an on-line spice supplier.  They have EVERYTHING, including nuts and dried fruits.  Got to watch prices, they can add up very quickly.

I often save orange peels, summer time with the A/C on I can just leave them in a plate or tray and they dry beautifully.  Break off a piece and drop it into the tea pot or cup.  Ground course, not too fine, and it adds another flavor to whatever you add it to.

I don't use enough lemons or limes to make it worthwhile to even begin to save any peels.

I've got to remember to look for bay leaves, whole.  I haven't noticed them in a while, all I've been running across are ground.  I like to drop a leaf or two into a pot of tomato sauce.

Brown sugar, very course ground mustard, and balsamic vinegar, in equal amounts, there, you have half my tomato stewing secrets. The combination wipes out each individual flavor ending with a well balanced tastiness.  And of course, almost a palm full of lemon pepper, depending on the size of the batch.  And almost the same amount of very course ground garlic.

I better stop right here, otherwise I may have to get in the kitchen and make some.  I'll put it off a day or two until son and G'son come over.  2 lbs burger and 2 lbs spaghetti, there usually isn't any left overs when those two are around.

[Jean]

Oddly enough, bay leaves set out on your windowsills and inside kitchen cabinets will keep your kitchen free of ants. Have done it for 2 years now and it works very well, also is inexpensive.

[Charlie B53]

Thanks for the tip Jean!

Every year about the time the serious 'wet' season arrives, it brings in those itty-bitty ants.  The ones that are quite 'aromatic' when you squish them.  I have tried most every type of ant poisons, baits.  Seems like those liguids are candy.  They line up around it like pigs to the feed trough.  And it never ends.  They don't die, they continue to eat, reproduce by the thousands, and come back for more until Spring and it dries up enough outside that they can go back to their tunnels in the yard.

I often wondered if I could get me a couple of ant-eaters for house pets.  Sort of like cats, but I wouldn't have to feed them because of all the ants!

Now I have GOT TO find a box of those Bay Leaves!