just in time for st. pat's day

this is one of those recipe's you either love or hate. it reminds me of my grandma's house. we would pile around her kitchen table and fill up on these little bites of heaven.

Grandma Katie's Cabbage Rolls

1 large head cabbage - core removed
2 lbs ground beef
2 c. white rice
1 large onion, chopped finely
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 T salt
pepper to taste
2 meduim cans (app. 12 oz) tomato paste
1 large can (28 oz) ground or pureed tomatoes

Fill a big pot with water and place your cabbage head in. Bring the water to a boil and, as the leaves turn green, remove them from the head of cabbage layer by layer. Return the cabbage for the next layer or two and so forth. Save the broken leaves for lining the cooking pot. You can remove the thick veins to make rolling easier.
Brown your beef and drain - saving a little for flavor. Add your onion to the beef and cook a little more.
Combine the beef, rice, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Line a stockpot with the outermost leaves. Take the leaves and leaves fill with a scoop or so of mixture. Starting from one long end, roll the leaf, tucking in the sides as you go. Layer the rolls on top of one another in the stockpot. With a whisk, combine the tomato paste and puree with one large can full of water. Pour the tomatoes over the rolls and add enough water to just cover the rolls. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and let simmer for about an hour.

blungs

maggie "mommy does the baby get hiccups inside your tummy?"
yes, it gets hiccups.
maggie "what are hiccups? will the baby throw up if it hiccups? throw up in your tummy?"
no, it wont throw up, hiccups are just when your lungs get a little tickle.
maggie "are your blungs under your punchies?"
yes, they are called lungs maggie.
maggie "when i was in your tummy did you tickle my blungs?"
she was clearly getting jealous.
yes, maggie i tickled your lungs all the time.
maggie now crying, "mommy - why you make me throw up so much?"

arrgggghhhh.