So, catching up on my life…

Last Friday was Halloween, didn’t do much haunting though. Richard and I weren’t feeling super great and we didn’t end up going to the Mountain Goats concert as we had planned. I made us dinner of Cabbage Stuff with spaghetti (a favorite food!). It was delectable! Richard’s wonderful mom Jill takes it and then makes bread dough, stuffs the cabbage stuff in the bread dough, and then bakes it into Cabbage Burgers. They are very good, but I love it with just noodles.

So, in the spirit of sharing...

Amazingly Great Cabbage Stuff

Recipe:
1 pound of ground meat (I use beef, but turkey, sausage, or others should work…)
1 small/medium yellow onion (thinly sliced or chopped)
1 small/medium purple onion (thinly sliced or chopped)
½ head of green cabbage (thinly sliced into long ribbons)
½ head of purple cabbage (thinly sliced into long ribbons)
3 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce (any kind)
¾ of a cup of BBQ sauce (any kind will work)
1 tsp of garlic powder (or if you want to mince garlic, 1 clove)
1 tbsp of butter (preferably not margarine)

Take the pound of ground meat, brown it in a very large skillet, and then drain well. Set the meat aside in a bowl and add the onions to the warm skillet on med heat with the 1 tbsp of butter. When the onions are about ½ cooked, add the meat back to the skillet. Add the Worcestershire sauce, the garlic, and the BBQ sauce (these measurements are what I use, if you think it'd be better with more of anything, go for it). Stir together and let sit on medium heat. While that warms through, slice the cabbage. Add the cabbage to the skillet and mix well. Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes. Stir and then cover again. Repeat until all cabbage is tender, but not mushy. Then you are ready to eat! Goes great with rice, noodles, bread, or alone! I’ve even added some ground sausage to the mix before and it is great too…

I bet it would even be good as a soup… (I think I’m going to try adding the leftovers to a pot of chicken or beef broth and maybe add a few slices of tomato… maybe some potatoes… *Sigh* I love that soup weather is almost here...)

The time has arrived for my venture out into the business world.

“Why,” you may very well be asking yourself, “would Courtney be leaving her job and diving into what is considered to be a dangerous financial venture when the economy is so uncertain?” (was it scary how I just read your mind?) I know this question because many people have asked me, and I will attempt to answer…

I have been thinking a lot lately about what it is that I need to do with my life. I have been dealing with an abundance of inner turmoil and self-doubt for over a year (regarding my career options). I have a wonderful husband. I have a good marriage and a tolerable job, and yet I still feel as if I am not living up to my potential, as if something is greatly lacking in what I am doing with my life.

I have been mulling over all of my options and talents and I have arrived at a conclusion: God created me for several purposes but one of them is to be creative. He has given me certain abilities and a creative process that allow me to design, make, construct, and paint. Creating things brings me fulfillment and joy beyond any other thing that I have tried as a job. Why work in a job that is miserable and unrewarding, difficult and stressful, when I can work for myself, doing things that make me happy and bring me peace?

Therefore, worldly concepts of an 8 to 5 job and the possibility of promotion and pay increases meaning success are out! The Christian concept of community and using talents to better the world and yourself alongside are IN!

That said… Please visit the new home of The Dapple Apple! I hope you’ll visit often and be back soon!

           

PS- I do hope to get a shop setup on Etsy, as well as sell at local events. I am also working on catalogue to distribute to local schools and teachers’ lounges and the like. If you have any other suggestions (other than selling to people in the Wal-Mart parking lot… thanks anyway, Matt) I would truly love to hear them!