April Fool's Day Hay

This isn't necessarily supposed to be an April Fool's Day dinner, but it happened to be April Fool's Day and "day" rhymes with "hay," so there you go--April Fool's Day Hay. And you can tell your kids you're have "Cabbage and Hay" for dinner and they'll think you are joking, but you're not. ha, ha. This recipe is from Rachael Ray's magazine and since I've been on a cabbage-kick since St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to give it a try. She calls it Pizzoccheri or "cabbage and hay." It sounded a little starch/carb-heavy with the potatoes, so I left them out. We all liked it--even the slow-eaters. Camden particularly was eating slow and when asked why, she said, "I'm just enjoying it, Mom." Well-said, Camden. Then when the kids asked what was for dessert, I went along with the "hay" theme and served them "mini-haystacks" (chewy oatmeal-coconut cookies). I love a good theme :)
"Cabbage and Hay" Spaghetti
1 lb whole wheat spaghetti (I used about 10 oz.)
2 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes (I didn't use)
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1/2 cup vegetable broth
12 large sage leaves (I didn't have, so I added 1/4 tsp dried oregano and 1/4 tsp dried thyme)
4 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces (Since I wasn't frying sage leaves, I only added 1 Tbsp to the cooked cabbage)
salt and pepper
Parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it and add the spaghetti and the potatoes. Cook until the spaghetti is al dente and the potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes; drain.
2. While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Stir in the cabbage, onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper (and oregano and thyme if not using sage leaves). Cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the vegetable broth and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sage leaves and cook until crisp. (I didn't do this step)
4. Toss the pasta with the cabbage mixture (I added 1 Tbsp butter). Then add the sage leaves (if using) and cheese and toss.