Once upon a time...well it was waaaay back when I was still in high school so it must be a fairy tale, right? One of my friends gave me a jar of Cabbage Relish her mom had made. I didn't even know what to do with it. She told me to eat it on hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. I had my doubts, but it was good! It keeps in the refrigerator, no canning involved. Since cabbage, onions and green peppers are available year round you can make it anytime so you don't have to make a bunch and have it take up your refrigerator space. I just finished making a batch. I haven't made it for quite a while so I'm feeling impatient for it to be ready...it has to set in the refrigerator for a couple days for the flavor to permeate it. Saturday I'll be having hot dogs with Cabbage Relish on them!

Here's the recipe:

Cabbage Relish

2 quarts shredded cabbage (I used 2 pounds)
2 green peppers, chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped

Boil the following ingredients one minute:
2 cups vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons tumeric
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon salt

Pour boiling ingredients over cabbage, green peppers and onion; let cool. Store in refrigerator for at least 30 hours before using to set ingredients. May be kept in refrigerator in a jar for one year.

NOTE: I use enough cabbage so that after the hot vinegar mixture has wilted it down I still have enough to fill two quart jars.

My Twitter question was: "Question for the weather enthusiasts. Is a powerful hurricane just as exciting to you if it does NOT threaten land?"

Tornado chasing, you actually see the physical happenings. With a hurricane at sea, you watch the the stats and maps but if it stays far from land you don't physically see much of it. I was curious how that affected the interests of the people who follow those kinds of things.

Here are the replies:

twnstar2: Even more so for me. A chance to admire the beauty & power with minimal threat to safety, life and property.

csweather: Oh yeah, for sure! In fact makes me just as excited if it never hits land

Zucchini Squares

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
2 teaspoons maple flavoring
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup nuts
2 cups diced zucchini squash, raw, peeled

Combine the ingredients, fold in the zucchini last. Spread on greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done. Drizzle with powdered sugar frosting.

Runzas are a type of "sandwich" that seems to be pretty much limited to Nebraska. Runza casserole uses basically the same ingredients in casserole form. Much easier than making Runzas.

Runza Casserole

1 pound hamburger
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
salt & pepper to taste
6 slices swiss cheese (may use sliced or shredded mozzarella or cheddar)
1 tube refrigerated crescent roll dough

Brown hamburger and onion with salt and pepper, (drain if using greasy hamburger), stir in cabbage and more salt and pepper, cover and allow to steam until cabbage is wilted down and crisp tender.

Line bottom of greased 8x8-inch pan or baking dish with 1/2 of crescent roll dough, pinching edges together to seal. Cover with hamburger/cabbage mixture. Cover with cheese. Top with remaining crescent roll dough.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until dough is golden brown.

Friday, July 31st, some of the Bluffton area Twitter users gathered at Bummie's for a Tweet-up. Bummie's famous Spanish Dogs and Onion Rings were enjoyed by most. The big question, is one of these people the REAL @mswiftpi, world famous private investigator? Present, L to R, 1st photo: @pamela984 (aka @UnitedWayWells), @libraritarian59, @coffeepink. 2nd photo: @ScLoHo, @jerrybattiste (from @newsbanner), @dylanmcintosh. Not pictured @Mar_sha (that's me).

"You're a free woman." That's what my surgeon told me yesterday. I said, "Finally!" It was a much longer road than I expected. Surgery on November 21st was supposed to mean 5 days hospitalized, unless there were complications. I had my surgery, plus two additional surgeries, and spent over a month hospitalized. Must have been complications! After I was out of the hospital a place in the incision line decided to open up, 10cm deep, and an artery decided to bleed resulting in stitches to the artery and an overnight stay in the hospital. Then two more places decided to open, minor compared to the first one. A change in surgeons came about because I could never believe what the original surgeon would tell me. Packings twice a day. The deep opening got switched to a vacuum dressing which only had to be changed three times a week. Rashes resulted in finding ways to do packings without tape and occasionally temporarily discontinuing the vaccum dressing. Insurance mandated I be homebound as long as I had home health care. Finally I was healed enough the vacuum dressing had to be discontinued. At that point home health care could be discontinued because I could do regular packings myself. I went to Alabama for my grandson's birth still doing a packing twice a day. Finally it is healed and I got released from the surgeon, after eight months. Now on with life. I wonder what God has in mind for me next? I'm still here so he still has something for me to do.