Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Cabbage Soup and Life with my Niece



Its been 16 years since you invaded my life and three years since I  moved into yours.

Three years of you sharing your bedroom with your younger cousin. I can't thank you enough for being such a trouper about our cramped living accommodation.

Three years of you babysitting on demand for me.

Its because of you I am still sane

... and broke.

Three years of shared eye rolls when the burden of living with someone with bipolar disorder becomes overbearing or hilarious. It can swing either way and sometimes laughter is our only defense for not crying and becoming insane ourselves.

Three years of yelling behind you to wipe up the bathroom counter and not leave it wet.

Three years of you yelling back that its not you but a leaky pipe.

It IS so you ;-p

Three years of seeing you go from a gangly girl transformed to young lady. You are beautiful inside and out.

Three years of lolling about on my bed talking about secret crushes.

Three years of asking me to check your French homework. Hey, I keep telling you I suck at French!!!

Three years of making me laugh, cheering me up when I am down, bringing me cups of coffee.

And more importantly, three years of you being brave enough to taste test EVERYTHING from seaweed accra to this which you loved, this which you didn't and now this soup.

FYI I loved that you 'squeeeeeeed' over the fact that there were turnips in this and that you were über excited to try it because of 'The Enourmous Turnip' children's story.

You are too funny;-)



Cabbage Soup 

4 turnips
1 1/2 cup cooked corned beef, ham or bacon, chopped
1 cup onion, sliced thinly

2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup celery, chopped

4 cups shredded cabbage
1 ( 10 1/2 oz ) can white beans, drained
6 cups beef broth
4 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper or multi-coloured pepper corns


Directions

Boil turnips in a small saucepan until almost cooked through. Throw away the water. Peel and cut turnips into cubes.

In a large pot, sauté chopped corned beef  ( bacon or ham ) for a minute or two.

Add onions, garlic, celery  and cook to soften.

Add the remaining ingredients. Bring soup to a boil. Lower to medium heat and cook for 10 mins - 15 mins. Taste and adjust salt and black pepper. Remove from heat and serve with thick slices of crusty bread


16 comments:

  1. what a satisfying soup and what a sweet post. :)

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  2. Such a lovely way to express your feelings for your niece! And great soup too!

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  3. There is so much love, humor, and grace in your words, I wish I could give you a big hugh right now. Dysfunctional and/or crazy, it sounds like you have a wonderful family. :)

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  4. What a beautiful post! So sweet and charming :D I smiled all the way while reading it :)

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  5. I have a niece I love who is 7 and I can totally relate to your wonderful post about your niece. May God keep her close to you as people say here. Love that soup too, sounds so wholesome and tasty. Will try one with the cabbage we are getting with a regular frequency from the orchard.

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  6. I'm so glad I came here today---not only do you have an amazing dish to share, your humor is so wonderful---thank you so much for allowing us a peek into your life!!

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  7. LOVELY POST!!! I have two nephews, I'd love to have a niece one day!
    Chari T (deep fried stilettos)xoxo

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  8. Lovely post, so glad I read this :)

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  9. I love your words to your niece and this soup looks amazing

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  10. I'm thinking.. this soup is so flavorful and healthy :) you know that famous cabbage soup diet..when you have to eat nothing else just soup..I think with this soup I could diet for months :D

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  11. I never knew anyone who squeeed over turnips in the soup. Wonderful post. :)

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  12. Maureen, turnips aren't grown here and none of us have ever tasted them before, hence the excitement.

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  13. What a great tribute and expression of love. Doesnt food intersect most of our boundaries and moments? Your niece sounds wonderful and your niece sounds adorable - I love the 'leaky pipe' bit!

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  14. Hi Wizzy thanks for visiting my space Kitchen Karma. Sorry for the long delay in visiting you. I am currently visiting family in India and have been really busy. Loved your write-up about your niece. Seems like you guys have a rocking time together :-) Looking forward to connecting with you more through our blogs. Cheers, Suchi

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