Cabbage Steak Night

Cabbage steaks are a trend too big to ignore.They are everywhere, from Martina McBride"s new cookbook to Pinterest.Of course I had to give them a try.

It starts with a large cabbage head.

Too large.

It was then sliced into  1/4 inch slices.

Placed on my largest cookie sheet.They are then brushed on both sides with olive oil, and seasoned with a good sprinkling of sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

It was a large cabbage so I had overage.

This too was oiled, seasoned and roasted.Here are the results.

The crispy parts were delicious but on the whole the steaks were kind of bland.

Sooooooo

I turned it into a deconstructed pescoi - Piedmontese pickled cabbage sans polenta.

The leftovers, crispy bits and all are marinating in a garlic infused apple cider vinegar marinade.

Will I make cabbage steaks again?The recipe does have to be tweaked, so maybe.

Martina McBride's Harmonious Cooking

Can one person be super talented in two diverse fields?Yes, if you`re Martina McBride.This country music star is also a super nova in the kitchen.Her new cookbook is proof that she has created award worthy recipes any home chef can make and bake.

Martina 's Kitchen Mix (Oxmoor House Publishing 2018) is a fun, buzzy melange of recipes, how it's and host advice.Me.McBride,an award winning singer ,loves to cook.She garners recipes as she does songs.Music runs through this cookbook.Each chapter is introduced on a  picture of a classic vinyl lp.Since she also comes from the heartland - Kansas andNashville,her family figures large in this,She even has a page explaining who's who along with using her and her husband's family recipes.Like many of us she also copies recipes from her favorite restaurants too. The advice comes at the end of the cookbook.There is a playlist of her favorite songs, from Amy Winehouse's Rehab to John Mellancamp's Small Town with other great hits from everyone from Aretha to Mick.There are the typical chapters ranging from Breakfasts and Brunch to Desserts.Ms  McBride has an excellent chapter at the back of the book about basic recipes, ranging from garlic bread to gremolata.There are also recipes for cranberry orange relish and homemade caramel sauce.

Do the recipes hit the high notes?YES!!!! There are so many that I want to try.They all seem delicious and unique.On my to make list is her Springtime (or Anytime) Quiche rich with asparagus and ham along with a variety of different cheeses.Ms. McBride is a cheese freak so it figures prominently in many of her recipes. Her soup recipes are amazing. Ms. McBride's Very Green Broccoli Soup  is the perfect chill chased that not only has broccoli but onions and celery added and a topping of gremolata.One I'm excited about is the lasagna soup, with all the ingredients  of a homemade lasagna save the wide noodles.Smaller pasta is subbed in.There are classics reflecting such as her mom's Pot Roast with Gravy and Chicken and Potatoes with Roasted Lemon and Rosemary Sauce.These both would make for perfect Sunday dinners.For vegans there are cabbage "steaks" with eggplant tomato sauce .This is a healthy take on steak Pizziola. Sides include sauteed spinach long with sauteed kale with Parmesan and toasted walnuts. I love the dessert recipes, especially the cookies.One recipe on my radar is the no Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies along with the Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies which would rival any bakery crisp cookie.

Ms. McBride's cookbook is Grammy golden.It is chock full of all sorts of tasty and easy to make recipes. It is a harmonious book, with an orchestra of great tastes and flavors.