Sesame Cabbage Salad with Mandarin Oranges

Once upon a time there was a girl who got a little overwhelmed, threw a hissy fit, created culinary excellence, forgot how, and found it again. Please allow me to tell you her story.

It all started less than a month after she got married. She had just moved, with her husband, to a new apartment. Boxes were strewn everywhere. The kitchen was in shambles. Her hair was turning grey from the stress of it all.

But wait, there’s more. It was erev Simchas Torah. That particular year the holiday was to last for 3 days. Simchas Torah is a holiday of great joy celebrated with dancing, drinking, and (like every Jewish holiday) eating. Her husband arrived home from work excited about the festival that was to begin in an hour. He expected to find his young bride eagerly awaiting him with a delicious feast prepared.

Once upon a time there was a girl whose husband found her sitting on the floor looking a bit confused. He gently asked her what was wrong. It was at this moment that the girl decided she was going to go on strike (it’s not as if she has a cooking blog and actually enjoys it). After much gentle prodding, the boy managed to get his wife off the floor and back into the kitchen where she belonged (it’s a bit like herding cattle… or chattel).

Once upon a time, a girl, with only a few minutes before she was supposed to be finished, finally started cooking dinner. In her rush, she dumped a bunch of ingredients into a pot and started stirring. After her first taste of Sesame Cabbage Salad with Mandarin Oranges she declared to her husband that it was so good she was going to cook it every night for the rest of her life. (And this girl has never been known to exxagerate.)

Once upon a time, a girl wasn’t smart enough to pay attention to the ingredients in the delicious cabbage salad. She spent nearly 3 months trying to recreate the recipe. She often thought back to that fateful day and was thankful that her parents sold her to her husband with a no-returns policy. (Like chattel people, just go with it.)

Once upon a time she decided to share the recipe for Sesame Cabbage Salad with Mandarin Oranges with you. I hear a rumor that she’ll be making fresh pita bread in the next 24 hours. Stay tuned.