the friday feed: skillet cabbage and white bean pancake

This recipe for Skillet Cabbage and White Bean Pancake recently popped up on a Food Network page, and it immediately caught my eye. I love all the ingredients - cabbage, cannellini beans, and green onion. I took the liberty of adding some red bell pepper and half a jalapeño. And since I didn't have a green onion, I used red onion instead. Todd wasn't home for dinner on Wednesday, so this recipe became my dinner.

Recently, people on social media have been complaining about restaurants using AI-generated photos to showcase their food. You can be assured that this one came straight from my kitchen, photographed with my own camera. The finished product isn't exactly pretty. The pancake didn't slide out of the skillet nearly as easily as it did for the chef demonstrating the technique. But it was very tasty, especially with some of my homemade basil-garlic butter melting over the top.

The next time I make this, I'm going to make smaller pancakes. They'll be a lot prettier than the big one, and easier to get out of the skillet.

And in case you're dying to make this, here's the recipe.

Skillet Cabbage and White Bean Pancake

1 cup shredded green cabbage (sliced very thin)

½ cup canned white beans (cannellini or Great Northern), drained and mashed with a fork

1 large egg (to bind the mixture)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or chickpea flour

1 green onion (scallion), thinly sliced

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter (for the skillet)

Mix the batter: In a medium bowl, combine the mashed white beans and the shredded cabbage. Add the sliced green onion, egg, flour, salt, and pepper. Stir well with a fork until a thick, cohesive batter forms. Let it rest for 3 minutes so the flour absorbs any extra moisture.

Heat the skillet: Place a 10-inch cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil or butter and let it melt and coat the bottom of the pan.

Form the pancake: Pour the cabbage and bean mixture into the center of the hot skillet. Use a spatula to press and shape it into a flat, even round pancake.

Cook until crisp: Cook undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes until the bottom is deeply golden brown and crisp.

Flip and finish: Carefully flip the pancake using a large spatula. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until the other side is browned and the center is fully set. Transfer to a plate and serve warm.

october 1

 "Oh my gourd! It's October already." 

Please enjoy this poem by Dayton, Ohio native, Paul Laurence Dunbar. In this poem PLD rejects the traditional view that autumn is a sad or dying season and instead celebrates it as a joyful, vibrant high point of the year. He also views autumn not as an ending, but as the "highest time of living” - a time so full of joy and cheer that it naturally flows into a feeling of gratitude and thanksgiving.

🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁

Merry Autumn

by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1893)

It’s all a farce,—these tales they tell

     About the breezes sighing,

And moans astir o’er field and dell,

     Because the year is dying.

 

Such principles are most absurd,—

     I care not who first taught ’em;

There’s nothing known to beast or bird

     To make a solemn autumn.

 

In solemn times, when grief holds sway

     With countenance distressing,

You’ll note the more of black and gray

     Will then be used in dressing.

 

Now purple tints are all around;

     The sky is blue and mellow;

And e’en the grasses turn the ground

     From modest green to yellow.

 

The seed burrs all with laughter crack

     On featherweed and jimson;

And leaves that should be dressed in black

     Are all decked out in crimson.

 

A butterfly goes winging by;

     A singing bird comes after;

And Nature, all from earth to sky,

     Is bubbling o’er with laughter.

 

The ripples wimple on the rills,

     Like sparkling little lasses;

The sunlight runs along the hills,

     And laughs among the grasses.

 

The earth is just so full of fun

     It really can’t contain it;

And streams of mirth so freely run

     The heavens seem to rain it.

 

Don’t talk to me of solemn days

     In autumn’s time of splendor,

Because the sun shows fewer rays,

     And these grow slant and slender.

 

Why, it’s the climax of the year,—

     The highest time of living!—

Till naturally its bursting cheer

     Just melts into thanksgiving.

 

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

This past week was a bit of an off week. After the storms that wreaked havoc in the area, I came down with a bug last Tuesday and was completely knocked out on Wednesday. I slept pretty much the entire day and night, then woke up Thursday feeling a little more back to the land of the living.

We left for Cleveland Friday afternoon to see Andrew, Jen, and the littles. By Saturday, my energy was back, and I sure needed it to keep up with those sweet grandbabies!

We went to a pumpkin farm with lots of open space and plenty of activities for the kids. Owen and Hallie loved running around and exploring. Owen is pictured here eating his second hot dog…because a dog came up and grabbed the first one right out of his hand!

Sunday was the first Cleveland Browns home football game of the season. For quite a few years now, Andrew and a group of his friends have put together tailgates for all the home games in one of the downtown parking lots. It’s been so much fun watching the tailgate grow as the next generation of young Browns fans joins in.

I’m not a huge football fan, but I did go to the game with Todd and Andrew. Knowing that Ohio State’s Marching Band was playing at halftime was enough to get me there. The band performed “Script Ohio,” with the musicians starting out in the Block O and then forming the word “Ohio” in cursive. TBDBITL—the Best Damn Band in the Land! Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and throughout the game rock music filled the timeouts. The weather was gorgeous, the music was good, I sat  with two of my favorite guys, and the Browns scraped and scrapped their way to a 21–18 win. It was a good day and my football game attendance is now good for another few years.

did you see the harvest moon?

It's those little things...

 

monday's mulling: vangogo

Over Labor Day weekend, my fun, free-spirited friend told me she was going to hippify her van. She’s starting to drive her grandchildren around town and wanted a fun vehicle for her littles. This is so her. Her grandma name is “Gogo,” hence the VANGOGO license plate. A Van Gogh theme would be a little too heavy for her lighthearted style, but she did give a nod to the artist with the sunflowers on her van.

v

 

interrobang

The interrobang is perfect for questions that demand a little extra drama. Have you heard of it‽ I have not.

It's a punctuation mark combining a question mark and an exclamation point. An advertising executive invented it in 1962 to add a little punch to rhetorical questions.

An example: People who talk with food in their mouth drive me nuts. “Would it kill you to stop chewing your food with your mouth open‽” Interro-BANG!

finding joy

For me, finding joy in life means paying attention to the small, everyday moments instead of waiting for big achievements to make me happy. Sometimes joy appears in the most unexpected places, like this vintage red municipal call box, covered in layers of stickers, posters, and street art on a busy Manhattan corner. As people hurry past, absorbed in their daily lives, this piece of New York quietly stands there, and reminds me that joy is often hiding in plain sight, waiting to be noticed.

And that's one of the reasons I love to travel...so many joyful moments, big and small, are waiting to be found.

the friday feed: san pasqual

Meet my new kitchen muse, San Pasqual. I have had my eye on him for a little while now and on my birthday I decided it was time for him to come home with me.

Paschal Baylón was born on May 16, 1540 (Pentecost), in Torrehermosa, Spain. Because he was born on Pentecost, he was given the name Paschal. As a young child, he worked as a shepherd and taught himself to read with the help of some of the townspeople.

Around 1564, Paschal joined the Reformed Franciscan Order. He was deeply devoted to the poor. Although a bowl of broth was the customary offering given to those who came to the monastery seeking food, Paschal believed the poor deserved more than leftovers. He would prepare a pot of cabbage, adding bread and meat, to  share a more substantial meal with those in need.

Paschal was deeply devoted to the Holy Eucharist. He was assigned to work in the monastery kitchen, where he became known for preparing wonderful meals from the simple ingredients available to him. As he cooked, his fellow friars would often see him praying or meditating. They believed that angels assisted him in his daily work.

Because of his love for cooking and his humble service to others, Saint Paschal is honored as the patron saint of cooks and kitchens.

San Pasqual died on May 17, 1592. His feast day is celebrated each year on May 17.

I try to follow San Pasqual’s philosophy of cooking: taking simple ingredients and transforming them into meals that are both delicious and nourishing. For me, cooking is also a way of showing love and caring for others. I enjoy sharing food with family and neighbors, making a comforting pot of chicken soup when someone is sick, and preparing food for special occasions. One of my latest projects is baking 10 dozen cookies to share at the cookie table for my nephew’s upcoming wedding.

In these simple acts of cooking and sharing, I hope to carry on San Pasqual’s spirit of generosity and service. As he is remembered for saying:

“I joyfully celebrate the food I am given. May it deeply nourish everyone that I feed.” ~San Pasqual

the river fountains

Back in August, when heavy rain fell for several days, the Great Miami watershed received 10 to 15 inches of rain over a 30-day period. Four of the dry dams in the area collectively stored 5.8 billion gallons of water—the largest volume recorded during a high-water event this year. Because of the continued rainfall and the resulting volume of water, the 2026 season was extended through September 20 due to prolonged maintenance over the summer.

On September 20, Todd and I headed down to the river for one last look at the fountains for the season. We arrived at 4:45 and waited for the 4:55 whoosh as the fountains streamed into the river.

Then 4:46 came and went. Then 4:47, 4:48, and 4:49.

At 5:00, there were still no fountains.

With all the rain we've had since August, I'm thinking Five Rivers MetroParks decided it was time to shut them down for the season. C'est la vie...

Until next Memorial Day.

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

We spent last weekend in Cincinnati. Todd’s former boss and good friend got married, so the weekend was filled with celebration, laughter, and time with good friends. At this stage of life, we are beginning to say our last goodbyes to friends and family, which makes a new beginning like marriage feel especially meaningful. Celebrating the start of a new life together was such a joyful occasion.

Before the wedding, we visited the Cincinnati Art Museum to see Yayoi Kusama’s All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins. The timing felt poignant because Kusama recently died on August 14, 2026, at the age of 97. 

Pumpkins were a deeply personal and important symbol throughout Kusama’s life. She grew up in a troubled family life with a strict, abusive mother and found a sense of warmth and comfort in pumpkins. Beginning around the age of ten, she experienced frightening hallucinations in which patterns and dots seemed to engulf her. Against that darkness, pumpkins became an emotional anchor. Kusama often described pumpkins as speaking to her about the “joy of living” - a source of comfort and, in her words and art, a triumph over the darkness she experienced.

The Cincinnati installation places dozens of vibrant yellow pumpkins, covered in black polka dots, inside an infinity mirror room. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors transform the small chamber into an endless field of glowing pumpkins. The effect is whimsical but profound. Because of the intimate size of the room, only two visitors are allowed inside at a time for 90 seconds.

90 seconds doesn't sound like much, but that's part of what made the experience memorable. Standing among those infinite pumpkins, knowing that the moment would end almost as soon as it began, was a fitting metaphor for life. We step into moments of beauty, love, friendship, and celebration, knowing that none of them can last forever.

This weekend was so special. We were celebrating a beginning while also being reminded of how quickly time passes. A marriage begins, friendships evolve, people we love leave us, and even an artist like Kusama, who created worlds without limits, eventually reaches the end of her own.

Her pumpkins remain bright, playful, and infinite, offering their simple message of the joy of living.

It's a reminder to hold these seasons of life: celebrate the beginnings, cherish the people who are still beside us, and step into the beautiful moments we are given, even when we know they will last only 90 seconds.

strong wind, buckets of rain, and damage

Last night around 8:30 p.m., a doozy of a storm came through the area and it was very scary. I almost went to the tornado "safe spot" to ride it out. Luckily it was a fast moving storm but a frightening 30 minutes. At the time of writing this (September 21, 6:30 p.m.), we have been without power for 21 hours.

We drove around a little today to see the storm damage. Lots of big limbs down and uprooted trees. This is one time I'm glad we don't have large trees in our yard.

My son does have large trees...

To be continued...

autumnal equinox

 

monday's mulling: you know what day it is!

Released in November 1978, this song became a lasting global anthem of pure joy, nostalgia, and celebration. 

Do you remember the 21st night of September?

Love was changing the minds of pretenders

While chasing the clouds away

Our hearts were ringing

In the key that our souls were singing

As we danced in the night

Remember how the stars stole the night away

Hey hey hey

Ba de ya, say do you remember?

Ba de ya, dancing in September...

Get up and dance...or at least boogie a little in your chair!