Cabbage Rolls on Sweet Yam and Carrot Bed

Those who know me, know that I love cabbage and the many ways it can make meals so visually appealing. You can stuff a whole head, make individual rolls, or, enjoy a heart-warming soup -- it's always good, and good for you. I don't know what happened but, when my sister brought home some garden-fresh sweet fingerling yams and I saw that cabbage in the fridge, it was Katie-bar-the door time in my kitchen. Never expected this to become one of those jaw-dropping delicious meals that stay in your mind for days. The flavors danced on the tongue -- sweet, tart, piquant, vibrant -- pop! pop! pop! -- each one taking its own moment. Each item retained its own texture. Hands down; a keeper! When you pop over to this week's It's a Keeper Project, don't forget to check out all the other great linkys.

Layered Pasta Ricotta Pie - Solar Baked

Happy Easter, Everyone! Here's a great take-along dish for parties and get-togethers that will serve 8-12 people, depending on who's doing the cutting! If you plan on making your own pasta sauce, make it the day before to let the ingredients 'marry' and it will cool down enough to make folding in the egg whites less harrowing. If it's too hot, the whites could disappear and we don't want that to happen. It really is a beautiful dish for presentation and the trio of tastes make it sparkle. What you don't eat, refrigerates well, and makes a great lunch.

I had some nice onions, greens, and herbs to choose fresh from the garden and that makes everything taste so good. Sweet basil, German thyme, lemon thyme, rosemary, parsley, and oregano, ready for chopping.

Lentil-Rice Medley with Garden Salad

The garden was too much temptation. Only a fresh garden salad and a lighter protein-filled meal would do, so I grabbed this and I grabbed that and I added this and I added that and came up with a really delicious light warm-weather meal. I think you'll like it, too. The salad is on the left and the Lentil-Rice Medley on the right.

The best thing about a spring garden is that there's always something to put in a salad. As you can see, though young, there's already a variety of

Solar Lacquered Turkey Wings

Lacquered Turkey Wings

Turkey wings were on sale and I just couldn't resist. Having worked with chicken most of the year, I'd forgotten that turkey wings are BIG! I had to cut these up and just use the 'drumstick' portion, saving the rest for another scrumptuous meal.  (Hey! I'm just quoting my sister... ) Add a garden-fresh salad, garden fresh sweet potatoes and beets for the sides and this turned out almost too good for company! So good, it's been entered in Prairie Story Recipe Swap Thursday #33. Check out some other great recipes there, too!
Fresh salad took nothing more than a trip to my garden and combining three lettuce varieties, some young chard, spinach, green onions, garnished with store-bought carrot. If you've never had a fresh from the garden

Ultimate Blog Party April 1-8 An Introduction to Solar Cooking

When invited by my blogging friend Tammy of Life is Not Just Paper and Glue to join the Ultimate Blog Party 2011 hosted by the twins, Susan and Janice, I couldn't resist. It doesn't hurt to bring new followers up-to-date and so I'm taking advantage of this great opportunity. I do want to thank you.  So, you'll get to see postings you might have missed and I'll get to meet new friends -- DUH, Winning! (Oh, Lordy, I can't believe I did that!)

I've been solar cooking for the last five years, using the commercially-made Global Sun Oven(R) and using mainstream recipes. While you may have thought cooking with the sun was just for campers and the Girl/Boy Scouts, I'm here to tell you that you've been losing a lot of money not taking advantage of this great energy source. FREE is always good -- and, the meals are delicious. Here are some of my favorite posts.

In celebration of Portugal Day 2010, I made this delicious Portugese Paella. It's beautiful and fills anybody's appetite.

Are Mainstream Chefs Different?  No, not at all. To see that there is little difference between the way you're cooking, now, and adding a solar oven to your arsenal of cooking appliances, I think you'll enjoy the savings and the delicious meals.

We look just like the rest of you!

When it's cold outside and you want a nice hot soup to take the chill off, why not try making Pumpkin Soup in Its Own Bowl? It saves on plates and make a wonderful presentation; don't you think?

Do you ever feel bad because unkind things have been said about your cooking? I think reading An Honest Opinion is a Matter of Taste will help you put everything in perspective.

Oooh, I can't leave without just a little more on solar cooking -- My recipes are a mixture of original, gourmet, quick fix, slow cooking, anything that you would want to prepare for your own family, to show that there are very few limitations in using a solar oven. I wrote my cookbook, "A Month of SUNdays - Solar Cooking at Home," to specifically show how easy it is to adapt your own cooking habits to solar cooking.


I hope I've piqued your interest enough that you'll take a peek at my other posts to discover all the great meals you can make with a solar oven while saving money. And, of course, I hope you'll come back, often. Thank you, for your visit. Now, I'm off to visit you!