Southern Smothered Cabbage

 

Southern Smothered Cabbage 

• 6 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 small (2-pound) head green cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped

• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

1. Cook the bacon:

   Add the bacon to a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until browned and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside, leaving the drippings in the Dutch oven.

2. Cook the onion, garlic, and seasonings:

   Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion to the bacon drippings and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the Cajun seasoning and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Braise the cabbage:

   Stir in the cabbage, reserved cooked bacon, and broth. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is nearly evaporated, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed, then serve.

   Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium until warmed through, or microwave individual servings in 30-second increments until hot.

Fall Garden : Cabbage

 

In Louisiana its time to put in Fall gardens. Im not planting one but my neighbors have already started to get theirs garden started. 

Growing Garbage 

A perfect crop of choice for your fall garden is cabbage.  That is, if you like cabbage. There are a wide variety of culinary uses for cabbage, coleslaw being my favorite, that you are bound to find a great recipe.

Cabbage is a great crop to consider planting this time of the year because the temperatures right now in most areas of the country are perfect for seed germination. As the season moves along and the temperatures begin to drop, your cabbage plants will be a perfect size, and will thrive in the cooler temperatures.  Add in a cold frame, or some row covers, and you can grow cabbage well into the colder months.

Depending on which variety of cabbage you are growing will determine how far apart you should plant.  A good rule of thumb is at least one foot apart.   Plant them further apart if you have the room.  Many varieties of cabbage such as, Late Flat Dutch, Red Acre, Golden Acre and Brunswick require plenty of room, where Chinese varieties such as Pak Choy or Michihli can get away with less.

Cabbage grows best when the soil is moist, so a light watering each day should suffice.  Be sure to feed your cabbage plants weekly with a good organic fertilizer.  I like to use manure and compost tea for this application.

Cabbage is susceptible to insect damage as it is one of those crops that appeals to a wide range of destructive pests.  Use a good homemade garlic & pepper spray on your cabbage plants to deter pests naturally while at the same time not harming your plants.  You can make a spray yourself very easily or buy one at a garden center.

When firm, your cabbage is ready to be harvested.  To harvest your head of cabbage, make sure you cut the head off from the plant just below the plant’s lowest leaves.

Cabbage is an excellent source of many vitamins as well as good source for fiber, containing as much as 20% of the recommended daily value of each.

So are you planting a Fall garden? 

For StarGARDENfeature 10/5l/26

 

WELCOME to the first week of the October 2026 "You're the Star" Blog Hop!

Before we continue onto the Linky party I wanted to share from my blog:

Growing a Fall Garden : Cabbage 

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WELCOME to GARDEN feature week of the October 2026 "You're the STAR" blog hop!

Meet all of your Hosts

This week is GARDEN feature week
Swing by the Hosts blogs:

Angie @ God's Growing Garden
Colleen @ Butterfly in the Attic

Michelle @ Moms Are Frugal

Lisa @ At Home With Lisa

Kris @ Kris and Larry . com

This is a month long Linky party featuring YOU!

There will be 4 different features each week and 4 different feature categories.  Just to be clear - this is NOT a themed party - you may link up ANY family-friendly blog posts any day of each month. 
The "theme" occurs in our weekly features:
WEEK#1 GARDEN - gardening, homesteading, recycling, outdoor activities &/or preserving (this can include any type of green living,  repurposed ideas, outdoor concerns, posts relating to farm animals etc all while remaining family friendly)

(These features were chosen from the September 2026 "You're the Star" blog hop)

My End of Summer Vegetable Garden by Amy's Creative Pursuits

Midwest Gardening: A Summer of Records & None Good by Old New Green Redo

Arugula & Fig Salad by Carol on the Lake

Onion Gratin (onion slices, parmesan crust) by Scratch Made Food

If you've been featured then please grab a STAR button below:

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All Hosts/CoHosts will post this blog hop on every Monday of each week.
Please link up your family friendly blog posts below!
It wouldn't be a linky party with YOU!
(IMPORTANT NOTE: by linking up you understand that you might be featured next month and if so, we will use some of your photos from your post - rest assured - we will always link back to your lovely blog.  We might also share your fantastic posts on social media.  Also, you may link up as many family-friendly posts as you like & YES - other blog hops &/or giveaways are welcome {giveaways and blog hops will NOT be featured though}  Thank You & ENJOY! )

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Sunday fellowship time

Sunday fellowship is Genesis 8:24 Harvest time     

Sun

Kids crafts 

World Cardmaking Day

World Cardmaking day 

My Book: 

YOU DON’T NEED TO BE AN ARTIST TO MAKE BEAUTIFUL HANDMADE CARDS.

Have you ever seen a handmade greeting card and thought, “I wish I could make something like that”—only to feel overwhelmed by all the tools, papers, techniques, and complicated-looking designs?

Card Making For Beginners 2026–2027 gives you a clear place to start.

Instead of throwing you straight into complicated projects, this practical guide teaches the fundamental skills that make handmade cards look clean, intentional, and polished. You’ll learn how to choose cardstock, use essential tools, measure accurately, score crisp folds, cut straight edges, position layers evenly, and choose the right adhesive for different materials.

Then you’ll put those skills to work with guided projects that gradually build your confidence.

Inside, you’ll discover how to:

• Build a practical beginner card-making toolkit without buying everything in the craft store

• Choose cardstock by weight, finish, and paper grain

• Measure, score, fold, and cut with greater accuracy

• Create your first layered handmade card

• Make a simple pop-up card using an easy internal tab

• Improve color combinations and card-front composition

• Add simple hand-lettering and stamping

• Work with patterned paper without making your designs look cluttered

• Create shaped card fronts and interactive folds

• Explore heat embossing and dimensional elements

• Personalize projects for different occasions and recipients

• Diagnose common problems such as crooked folds, uneven cuts, lifting layers, adhesive mistakes, and misaligned designs

• Move from following instructions to creating your own original cards

• Finish, present, store, and prepare handmade cards with greater confidence

The real goal isn’t simply to complete a few projects.

It’s to develop the skills that allow you to look at a blank sheet of cardstock and know what to do next.

With deliberate practice, you’ll progress from basic construction to more ambitious projects and eventually create original handmade cards without relying completely on a template.

Whether you want to make thoughtful birthday cards, thank-you cards, celebration cards, personal greetings, or simply enjoy a rewarding paper craft, this book gives you a structured path from “I’ve never made a card before” to “I made this myself.”

Start with the basics. Practice the right skills. Build your confidence. Then create cards that feel genuinely your own.

 My Thank You card : 

Welcome to my Home : 

  My Mom was famous for her note writings : she wrote notes to family and friends and of course Thank you notes all the time. Since her passing I have tried to keep up the practice in her honor.

 But yes sometime : a simple text or email is so easy and No stamp needed. But then I couldn't make a card... 

Today card features a simple yellow rose ( Mom favorite) on a Navy swiss dotted  background. With  yellow trim . And a simple message of Thanks. And inside empty to write my  note. Lisa 

Fall at the Library

 

It's Pumpkin time at the library ! 

As we get reading for another busy Fall day at the Library ... 

Its Circle time : 

Fall on the Farm. Pumpkins. Crisp Leaves

Take a brisk fall journey around the Little Farm from dawn until dusk.
A delightful fall story with nostalgic small farm life and all your favorite fall activities.
It truly is pumpkin time on the Little Farm!

Order your copy today!

Pick up It's Pumpkin Time Little Farm if you are looking for:

• A classic read for children ages 2 to 8 years old.
• Back to school books, ideal for your classroom, homeschool curriculum, and more!
• Seasonal and educational books about the changing seasons, fall on the farm, autumn activities, etc.
• Fall Calendar Units or Farm Units and so much more!

Book Review : 

This is a sweet little book for young readers. It combines what we all love about fall in such a cute way. This book does a good job conveying the "feeling" of fall with all of the sights, smells, tastes and sounds of this wonderful time of year. It made me want to go pick some apples off of my tree, make some pumpkin pancakes and gaze out at the harvest moon! I would recommend this book to add to your fall book collection and to get your child excited about the season with all the fun things to come!

My Pumpkin Craft 

Paper plate, orange tissue paper torn, green construction paper for stem and glue 

 What teens are checking out? 

Halloween arrives in Brookville. The fall festival is in full swing and this year’s corn maze promises to be one no one will ever forget, especially for CLANCY DENTON and his friends as they will battle an evil force that has called Brookville home for over 400 years.

Book Review : 

 The author  provides a sharp, quick read set during Brookville's Fall Festival. Despite being only 75 pages, we get a good development of the lead characters as well as the mysterious entity pulling Clancy Denton to the eponymous maze. Without giving away too many spoilers, there are several stand out scenes including a dream sequence and the climatic journey into the Maze. Field excels when he's writing cinematic-like scenes balancing character development and strong visuals.

While The Corn Maze is a great read during all parts of the year, its perfectly appropriately for the Fall spooky season. I've been a fan of Field's work and I look forward the next release, Katie Kennedy, previewed in this novella.

October Happy Planner

October Happy Planner 

With all the special and not so special days marked with stickers and fonts. 

Today is World Teacher Day! And tomorrow Walk to school Day. 

Traditional planner 

Here's a fun large planner ( 12x12) I made with pictures and stickers....

This one with hand drawn images.