Just in time for the mid-winter blahs, I've pulled out some of my tried and true recipes for all of us.

Cabbage? How many times have you looked at a head of cabbage at the grocery stores and walked right by it. I know I have myself and then remembered how good some fresh, homemade coleslaw tastes. I'll pick up a nice green head of cabbage and a few carrots and take them home to make a great home-made coleslaw.

Cabbage is available all year long and is an excellent source of vitamin C. Make sure your cabbage heads are firm and heavy with unblemished leaves. You can store cabbage, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator for about a week. Wash the cabbage before using it.

Cabbages come in many different colors from pale green to purple-red. Savoy cabbage has leaves that are a brighter green and crinkled. In one cup of raw, shredded cabbage, there are less than 20 calories and less than 4 grams of carbohydrates.

During this time of year, I tend to make comfort foods like stews and meatloaf and a coleslaw goes great with them. With Lent, fish will be on a lot of dinner menus and coleslaw goes great with fish. I'll also make some barbecue pork in my crock pot and shred it for sandwiches. By putting a little coleslaw on top of the barbecue on a nice fresh sandwich roll, you've got a great dinner that everyone will like. Make your favorite stir fry and try serving it with my Oriental Slaw; it's a great go-together. For a change of pace, steam some shredded cabbage and drain well. Add some heavy cream and heat through. Serve with salt and pepper and a little butter, and you've got a nice change of pace vegetable for dinner. Whatever you make, try adding some cabbage to your dinners this week.

Experiment. Have fun, and remember, the heart of the home is the kitchen.

Karen Luziani, who lives in Union Springs, is a self-taught pastry chef who specializes in cookies and

decorating cakes. She can be reached at underwood50@hotmail.com

Oriental Slaw

4 cups shredded cabbage

2 chopped green onions

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1/3 cup sugar (add more if desired)

Combine cabbage, green onions and sesame seeds in a medium-size bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the oil, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Pour the dressing over the slaw and mix to coat. Refrigerate covered to blend flavors.

Winter Cabbage Salad

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 cup vinegar

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 cup water

Boil together for 5 minutes.

Pour over:

1 head shredded cabbage

2 small chopped green peppers

1 small diced sweet onion (if desired)

Mix together well and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

My Favorite Coleslaw

5 cups shredded cabbage

1 cup shredded carrot

Mix cabbage and carrot together. Then mix together in a small bowl:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon celery seeds

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2-3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

Pour over the cabbage and carrots and stir well. Taste. You may need to adjust the lemon juice and sugar. This is a sweet coleslaw and goes great with my quick recipe for barbecue pork.

Karen's Barbecue Pork

1 package boneless pork ribs, 2-3 pounds (or use your favorite cut of boneless pork)

1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce

Place the meat and 1/2 bottle of the barbecue sauce in a crock-pot. Mix well. Cover; and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, drain the pork from the sauce and shred the pork with a fork. Add some more barbecue sauce until it's the thickness you desire. Serve over a fresh roll and top with some coleslaw.