Dinner Group

I live in an apartment complex full of married college students. We get to be pretty good friends with our neighbors, so when my upstairs neighbors proposed the following idea, I was very excited.

The premise: cooking once for eight is easier than cooking four times for a couple.

Execution: Monday through Thursday nights, we have dinner together. Four couples, four homes, four fun dinner parties. I cook once, and do dishes once, but eat four times. This is the part I love the most. How much harder is it to make more? Not very. How much fun is it to eat with my friends? A whole lot.

Tonight it's my turn to host, so we're having one of my favorites--crock-pot stuffed cabbage. Simple, but delicious.

I brown some ground beef with onion (in the crockpot, of course) then blot off as much of the fat as I can get. Throw in a can of diced tomatoes, two small cans of tomato sauce, a bay leaf, and a tablespoon of parsley (or dill if you prefer). Roughly chop some cabbage. Half a head should be enough. Maybe a bit more. Toss it all together, and cook on low for four more hours. Serve with sour cream and cheddar cheese if you're a dairy fiend.

Tonight, we'll also be having rolls, corn, and a butternut squash dish (my first attempt--the butternut squash came from a friend's garden). Hopefully, it will be a hit. Knowing my friends, though, it will be a whole lot of fun!