Unstuffed Cabbage

© "So Easy, So Delicious"
 
1 lb ground beef, turkey or chicken
1 medium onion, chopped
1 C raw rice
26 to 28 oz spaghetti sauce
1¼ C water
9 C (1 to 1½ lbs) green or Savoy cabbage, shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)

Cook the ground meat and onion in a large pot, stirring occasionally until no longer pink. Add the rice, spaghetti sauce, water and cabbage. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until rice and cabbage are tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Hint: This 1-dish meal can easily be prepared in advance and reheated. However, if you prefer to cook it immediately you can save time by chopping and shredding the cabbage a day in advance and refrigerating until needed.

Irish Bread

© "From Ellie's Kitchen to Yours"
 
2½ C flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 C butter or margarine
1/2 C sugar
1 egg
1½ C buttermilk or plain yogurt
1/3 C raisins
1/3 C currants
1 to 2 T caraway seeds, or to taste
2 tsp mixture of cinnamon and sugar

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside. Cream butter or margarine and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and buttermilk or yogurt. By hand, mix in dry ingredients until moistened. Add raisins, currants and caraway seeds. Pour into a greased 1½ quart round casserole dish or an 8-inch round cake pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325° and bake for 20 to 25 more minutes or until a toothpick, inserted in the center, comes out clean. Remove from the pan immediately and cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 1 loaf

Hint: This bread was one of the most requested recipes from my television show. It seemed as if everyone, Irish or not, wrote in for it! It's a delicious bread that goes well with any meal, any time of the year. It freezes well. If you don't have currants, which look like tiny raisins, use all raisins.