Bacon Saves the Day

Amazing fact #1: I dislike cabbage, the green kind that is typically boiled on St. Pat's.

Amazing fact #2: I love this noodle dish that is absolutely chucked full of the smelly, nasty tasting stuff.

It's a Polish creation that, in my opinion, gives the country a gold star in the menu of life. Imagine walking into the house after a tough day at work, battling traffic for the last hour and knowing that you will soon be running to your next meeting. You are at once embraced by the salty-smoky aroma of fried bacon that calms the mind and excites the taste buds. Couple this will thick, rich, real butter full of salt and everything else that makes dietitians cringe. Mix it all up with onions, noodles, cabbage and Parmesan then pop it into the oven until the flavors mingle together.

In the background roasting pork from our recently processed hog awaits. These are the pork pieces that we left intact rather than separate them into chops. It looks like a miniature version of Fred Flintstone's drive in ribs. They are tender and calling out for their noodles.

What do you need?

A deep, large pan with lid
Egg noodles, boiled-
1 lb bacon chopped and fried crispy (it will soften a bit later)
1 head cabbage chopped
1 stick of butter- real, salted
1 onion
1 Cup Parmesan cheese- the grated kind

Cook the desired amount of egg noodles-keeping in mind it makes a casserole dish 9 X 13
Fry the bacon in the deep pan and remove bacon pieces leaving the grease
Add the onions to the bacon grease and cook until onions are clear
Add the chopped cabbage to the grease with onions
Add the stick of butter
Cover until cabbage is tender but stir occasionally

Mix noodles and bacon into the cabbage mixture
Transfer it to a baking pan or casserole dish
Bake uncovered until heated through and noodles get ever so slightly crispy on top.

It's even better on day 2.

Enjoy.