For a Friday, today has been very low key.  I suppose that the fact that it is Good Friday/ First day of Passover may have something to do with it; still, it feels as if the world is moving in slow motion and it kinda freaks me out.

It really has been a strange day.

Anyway, to bring things back to normalcy Hugh and I are going to be having dinner with the neighbors.  We call this “family dinner”. Essentially it consists of an agreed upon concept and then it is done potluck style. Usually in attendance are the neighbors, their significant others or BFFs and then us. It’s really lots of fun.  There is usually plenty of wine, plenty of laughs, and plenty of good conversation. Who could ask for more?

Tonight I am going to be making 2 dishes based on the fruits and vegetables I got from veggie coop this week:

Braised Cabbage with Apples
Roasted Parsnips with Pears

I know…I do like to cook a lot with fruits but I blame my BFF Yuri for that.  (Hi Pandahead! I love you!!!!)

Anyway..here are the recipes:

Braised Cabbage with Apples
Ingredients:
1 tbsp of unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion
1 lb of pink lady apples thinly sliced
1 tsp chopped thyme
1 bay leaf
1 head of green cabbage quartered, cored, and thinly sliced crosswise
4 oz of vegetable broth

Preparation:
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, apples, thyme, and bay leaf.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden (I’d say about 5 minutes).

Add the cabbage and the broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cover. Cook, stirring often, for about 15 minutes until the cabbage is tender. If necessary, add more broth.

Roasted Parsnips with Pears
Ingredients:
1 lb of parsnips peeled and quartered lengthwise
3 Anjou pears
3 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp of toasted hazelnuts chopped

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400F.

Remove the cores from the parsnips and cut into 3 inch lengths. Halve the pears lengthwise and remove the cores leaving the stems attached. Cut the halves into quarters. Put the parsnips and pears on a baking sheet, drizzle with EVOO and toss to coat evenly. Spread out in an even layer and roast for 35 minutes until tender and brown.

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Swirl the pan frequently until the butter browns. Add the hazelnuts and immediately drizzle the butter over the parsnips and pears.

***You can add salt to these dishes for taste. I didn’t add any  to keep them low sodium. Season at your discretion.

I’ll post pictures on my Facebook page later.  Go visit me there 🙂

Until then, happy Friday!