Borecole! (Dutch for Farmer's Cabbage)

Remember when you were a kid and everyone asked what your favorite food was?

This is mine.

These ten ideas have me drooling over this delightful cabbage. I've already tried some of them, and you should, too. Real Simple's recipes are always elegant and healthy and easy to squeeze into a busy day. Kale is John's favorite as well, so this works out. We talk about Kale Chips like they're illegal.

xo,

Lauren

Down Home Girl

In an effort to simultaneously charm John and quell my own general longing for Collard Greens, I returned to my Southern roots last night to make Crispy Chicken and Collards, with Biscuits on the side. This is comfort food at its finest, folks. It's crispy without the fried -- Biscuits without the Lard. Thank you, as usual, Real Simple.

Dijon Mustard and multigrain cereal coated Chicken is baked in the oven while Collards are boiled for ten minutes and sauteed for three. Easy! If you're feeling even a little bit Down Home Girl (or Southern Gentleman), you should try this for sure. Yum.

They actually looked just like this, and I don't even have a good oven!

Happy Fall

What says Happy Fall better than a fresh apple cake?

Your house smells like cinnamon; your dog tries to get apple cores out of the trash; you have something delicious to give your boyfriend and co-workers.

I have been recommending this recipe to everyone I know. It's amazing.

I did the baking Monday night after work and errands to decompress, and John and I and all my Cleveland friends have been obsessed since. It's reminiscent of coffee cake and undoubtedly sinful, but totally worth it. Courtesy of Real Simple.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the dish

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

3 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the dish

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into a 1/2-inch dice

1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans

2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Caramel Glaze (optional)

Directions

Heat oven to 325° F. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the butter and the granulated and brown sugars until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Using a wooden spoon, gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. The batter should be very thick. Stir in the apples, pecans, and vanilla. Scrape the batter into a buttered and floured 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for at least 10 minutes while you make the Caramel Glaze, if using. With a spatula, loosen the sides of the cake. If you want to remove it from the pan, invert it onto a baking sheet, then invert it again, right-side up, onto a platter. With a toothpick or fork, poke holes all over the surface. Pour on the warm sauce. BAM.

Enjoy. :)

Favorite Meal of the Week

Whole wheat potato gnocchi, fresh oregano, butter, garlic, parmesan, sweet potato, olive oil, arugula, red wine vinegar, s & p.

These were the ingredients featured in what turned out to be our favorite meal this week. And no shopping required! Everything was already in the cabinet, with the exception of the oregano. After deciding it would be Gnocchi Night, I perused a few ideas online, got basic guidance from Giada and Real Simple, and went to work.

I baked (usually I boil - yay for it being cool enough to use the oven) the sweet potato for an hour and set it aside. I then made a real butter sauce (rare for me but a sure way to John's heart) by letting a stick brown slightly and foam before adding a bunch of oregano and a handful of shaved parmesan and setting it aside. Next I put a bit of olive oil in a pan and added my chopped garlic. When it turned slightly golden, I added several oregano stems and let them sauté until they were crisp. When the gnocchi were boiling, I mashed the flesh of the sweet potato and added the garlic and olive oil sauce, mashing it all together with the crispy oregano and salt and pepper. Next, the gnocchi was tossed with its butter sauce and the arugula was given a simple oil and vinegar dressing and some s&p. (My favorite way to have arugula - preferably with Balsamic - because I love the flavor so much and enjoy letting it stand alone.) Voila!

This meal was somewhat heavy, but it worked really well during a busy day's brief dinner window. John was particularly happy, which in turn made me particularly happy. I'll definitely be making it again.