A good while back I found myself half way through a bottle of wine on a Saturday night, sitting alone on my patio watching cute cat videos on YouTube.

Wait… should I be embarrassed about revealing this to you?  Just wait… it gets better.

I was feeling pretty content with my Saturday night of wine and kittens, except, I didn’t really want to be alone.  Sometime after my last glass of wine, and before I started eating frozen yogurt straight from the container, I found myself filling out one of those online dating service profiles.  Yea… I was totally having that moment in my life.

Because there’s no shame in my game, I won’t even hesitate in telling you that filling out one of those profiles is a complex mixture of fun, excitement and nausea.  So many questions to answer.  So many clever quips to whip up.  So many ways to try and say that I’m weird and cool, and I spend a lot of time in my kitchen, and I kinda have a thing for kitten videos and wine and frozen yogurt…. without saying anything about kittens and wine and frozen yogurt.  That, after all, might come across as too weird.

What I really wanted to say was something like.. “Hey!  You’re cool.  I’m cool.  Let’s get to know each other.  I’ll make us pizza.  I’ll make us salad, but I won’t be mad if you don’t really want to eat it.  Cookies.  I can make those too.  Also… I like Star Wars, except I might call ‘Storm Troopers’ ‘Star Troopers’ on accident.  And… your Mom is going to love me, and I’m going to think she’s pretty rad too.  Let’s do this!”

It all worked out.  I think I may have had that profile up for about a month before I realized it wasn’t really my scene.  I have someone pretty awesome to make pizza for now.  He knows all about the wine and kitten videos and frozen yogurt.  He likes all those things too… plus Star Wars.  That feels pretty nice.

I suppose that was all just the long way of saying that I think you should make dinner this weekend.  Something down to earth and comforting like pizza and salad, with cookies for dessert.  If you also wanted to drink wine and watch kitten videos, you’d totally have the thumbs up from me!

Pepperoni and Black Olive Pizza

Homemade Caesar Salad

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

I used to keep a dream dictionary by my bed.  Fact.  I thought that I could wake up from a vivid dream all about pansies and weasels, broken clocks and cotton candy to thumb through a book and answer all off those deep subconscious questions.

It never worked.  I was lucky enough if I’d remember the dream, and luckier still if I had the wakefulness to actually reach for a dictionary first thing in the morning.

My dreams are trying to tell me something, I just leave it up to my sly and cunning brains to figure it out or leave it a mystery.

In the same way, my body was trying to send me a message early this morning.  I hadn’t been awake and in the world for more than an hour when I found myself standing at work in the restaurant saying exactly this, completely unsolicited:

I want potato salad.  I want potato salad exactly now.  Potato salad sound SO good.  I want pounds and pounds of potatoes in my belly right this second!

How’s that for a craving!?

I know what you’re thinking.  But Joooooy!  You didn’t make potato salad.  What’s all this cabbage business!?

Well,  my body and I have figured out that when I have a crazy potato attack, my body really just needs a comfy sweater, a cup of tea with loads of honey, and a good long hug.  It’s not about the potato, it’s about comfort and warmth.

See it’s just like that dream I had the other night about my teeth falling out.  It’s not about my poor teeth, maybe it’s just my brain telling me that I should talk to that girl at work who says mean things to me, I should tell her how I feel instead of simply ignoring her everyday.

um…..  does that make sense?

With that, I bring you Spicy Sweet Cabbage Salad.

It’s everything I wanted from the world, without the heavy potatoes.  I save the potatoes for a time when I know I won’t completely gorge myself.  This salad has got spice, sweetness, and a salty crunch.  Throw on some tuna and its like  healthy, expensive spa food.  Super pleasing!

Sweet and Spicy Cabbage Salad

adapted from Bon Appetit

Print this recipe!

2 lbs shredded cabbage

3 medium carrots, grated

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/3 cup chopped scallions

1 3/4 teaspoons fine grain salt

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger (I grated mine on the fine side of a bod grater)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Best canned tuna you can find

Toss together cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, scallions and salt in a large bowl .  Let stand until cabbage is slightly wilted, about 5 minutes.

Bring vinegar, sugar, grated ginger and red pepper flakes to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Pour over cabbage mixture.  Toss to coat.  Top with canned tuna and lightly sprinkle tuna with salt and pepper.  Enjoy!