Cabbage Patch Stew

First off, I'd like to tell you why this recipe has a special place in my heart - why I love it so much and have made it often myself. 

My mom made this delicious stew often for her family (I was just a kid at the time) and all of us loved it. On one occasion, as our family sat at the dining table (something we did everyday, twice a day - for breakfast and supper) with this stew in our bowls, my mom related to us that the Lord had provided the star of this dish - the cabbage. She had come up short earlier that day, discovering that she had not neither the cabbage on hand nor the money to buy it at the grocery store. 

She continued her cabbage story, thanking the Lord that someone, unbeknownst to her, earlier that day, had visited our front porch, leaving a bag of groceries there. She discovered this gift while wondering what else she would make for supper since she had no cabbage. But inspecting the contents of the bag she wondered no longer for in that bag of groceries there was a nice large head of cabbage. And for this she gave thanks to the Lord, knowing it was actually His gift for our family, made real by someone He had burdened to provide it. 

We heard of other instances, at the table, when the Lord had provided in similar ways. For He not only knows what we need but He knows when we have those needs and provides in ways that cause us to remember that His children will never have to "beg for bread" (Psalm 37:25).

Here's my mom's recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes
3 cups cabbage, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
1 16-ounce can red kidney beans, drained
3 cups cooked, hot mashed potatoes

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef, onion, celery and garlic together in a large skillet.

2. Stir in tomatoes, cabbage, chili powder, oregano, salt & pepper. Thoroughly combine.

3. Place lid on skillet and let simmer till cabbage is wilted, about 10 minutes.

4. Stir in kidney beans and let simmer till beans are heated through.

5. Serve stew in bowls topped with a scoop of mashed potatoes (1/2 cup or more, if desired).

I hope you also enjoy Cabbage Patch Stew!