Serves: 4–6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

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🌿 Ingredients

• ½ medium head red cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 large apple (crisp and tart, like Honeycrisp or Cortland), julienne or grated
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds (toasted, optional)
• ¼ cup dried cranberries or raisins
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

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🍯 Maple Dijon Dressing

• 3 tbsp olive oil or cold-pressed canola oil (local if available)
• 1½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: A pinch of garlic powder or a squeeze of lemon for brightness

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🥣 Instructions

1. Prep the vegetables.
   Finely shred the red cabbage using a sharp knife or grater. Grate or julienne the apple and carrot. Place all in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix the dressing.
   In a small jar or bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, (I used regular prepared mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk the ingredients until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
3. Combine.
   Pour dressing over the salad ingredients. Toss gently until the cabbage is evenly coated.
4. Add toppings.
   Stir in green onions, nuts, dried fruit, and parsley. Adjust seasoning to taste.
5. Chill before serving.
   Let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld and the cabbage to soften slightly.

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🌸 Serving Ideas

• Serve alongside roast pork, chicken, or bacon-potato frittata for a complete local meal.
• For a heartier option, add crumbled cheese (like local feta or aged cheddar) before serving. I left out the dairy since it’s not a favourite of mine.
• Keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days — perfect for make-ahead lunches.

By DollCanCreate – Living Local, Cooking Slow

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Excerpt

Soaking the liver in milk, caramelizing onions low and slow, and mashing sweet potatoes with a touch of maple — this simple meal brings together old-fashioned comfort and local living in the GrannieCore kitchen.

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🌿 Ingredients

For the Liver and Onions

• 1 lb beef or calf liver, sliced ½ inch thick
• 1 cup milk (for soaking)
• 2 tbsp flour
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp balsamic or apple-cider vinegar
• ½ cup beef broth (optional for deglazing)

Sides

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• ½ head cabbage
• 2 green onions
• Butter, milk, salt, pepper, and a touch of nutmeg

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🕯 Directions

1️⃣ Soak with Intention

Place the liver slices in a bowl and pour milk to cover. Let it rest 30–60 minutes. This simple step softens the flavor — and gives the cook a few moments of quiet reflection.

2️⃣ Caramelize the Onions

Melt 1 tbsp butter with olive oil. Add onions and brown sugar. Cook gently until golden and sweet, about 10 minutes. Add vinegar to brighten. Set aside.

3️⃣ Sear the Liver

Pat dry, dredge in flour, salt, and pepper. Add remaining butter and sear 2–3 minutes per side. Deglaze with broth if you like a little gravy. Return onions; simmer 2 minutes.

4️⃣ Make the Sweet Potatoes

Boil or steam until tender. Mash with butter, milk, salt, and nutmeg. Add a drizzle of maple syrup for cozy farmhouse sweetness.

5️⃣ Sauté the Cabbage

Melt butter, add shredded cabbage and green onions. Cook until lightly browned; season with salt, pepper, and a splash of vinegar.

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🌾 Serving Suggestion

Plate the liver and onions at the center, with mashed sweet potatoes and buttery cabbage on the side. Sprinkle parsley or an edible flower for a GrannieCore touch.

This meal tastes like comfort, memory, and gratitude — a reminder that living local is more than distance; it’s rhythm. The rhythm of soaking, stirring, tasting, and giving thanks for simple abundance.

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✨ A Final Reflection

As I cook, I remember that slow, humble meals like this are a form of prayer. They connect us to those who cooked not for perfection, but for love.

“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” — 1 Corinthians 10:31

Tonight, that glory smells like onions caramelizing and butter sizzling in a cast-iron pan.

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🧺 Shop Local Notes: Cooking Within 100 Miles

Part of the joy of this meal is knowing where everything comes from. When we choose local ingredients, we’re not just cooking — we’re building community, supporting farmers, and tasting our own region’s story.

🐄 Liver & Dairy

Beef liver from a nearby grass-fed farm; milk from a small local dairy. That same milk softens the liver and adds warmth to the mashed sweet potatoes.

🧅 Onions & Cabbage

All from the farmers’ market. Sweet onions and firm cabbages carry the flavor of the season and the hands that grew them.

🍠 Sweet Potatoes

Locally grown and stored through winter — sweet, dense, and perfect for mashing.

🍁 Butter, Maple Syrup & Vinegar

Look for local creameries, small-batch syrup producers, and apple cider vinegar from nearby orchards. They’re quiet heroes of the pantry.

🌿 Why It Matters

Each ingredient connects us to a face, a place, and a purpose. That’s the beauty of the 100 Mile Life — dinner becomes a celebration of belonging.

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🕊 A Blessing for the Table

“The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due season.” — Psalm 145:15

As you serve your meal tonight, give thanks for the hands that grew, harvested, and prepared it — and for the grace that makes simple food holy.

#100MileLife #GrannieCoreCooking #LocalLiving #FaithAndFlavor

Scripture:
1 Samuel 3:1–21
John 10:1–18

Theme Verse: “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” — John 10:27

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It’s not always easy to know which voice to listen to.
We live in a world filled with noise — notifications, opinions, breaking news, advertisements, and sometimes, our own anxious thoughts.
Each one clamors for our attention. Each one claims importance.

But the truth is: not every voice is the Shepherd’s.

Learning to listen — truly listen — is one of the most sacred tasks of faith. It takes practice, patience, and a heart willing to be quiet long enough to discern who is speaking.

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📖 Part 1: Samuel’s Night of Listening

In 1 Samuel 3, we meet a boy who hasn’t yet learned what God’s voice sounds like.

Samuel sleeps near the Ark of God, under Eli’s care. The scripture tells us,

“The word of the Lord was rare in those days.”

In the stillness of the night, Samuel hears his name. He assumes it’s Eli calling.
Three times he runs to the old priest, saying,

“Here I am, for you called me.”

And three times Eli says, “I did not call.”

It’s only on the third time that Eli perceives something deeper is happening.
He tells Samuel,

“Go, lie down; and if He calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’”

Samuel obeys — and that obedience, that willingness to listen, changes everything.
The next time the voice calls, Samuel doesn’t run to Eli. He stays still and answers God directly.

That is the beginning of Samuel’s prophetic ministry — not with a miracle, not with a sermon, but with listening.

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✝️ Part 2: The Shepherd’s Voice

Now move with me to John 10.
Jesus says,

“The sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

The Good Shepherd doesn’t shout. He doesn’t compete with the noise.
His voice is known through relationship — through time spent together, through trust.

The sheep learn the Shepherd’s voice by walking with Him daily — by being fed, led, and cared for.

Jesus also warns,

“The sheep will not follow a stranger. They will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

In other words: there are other voices out there.
Voices that deceive, distract, or discourage. Voices that promise ease but lead to emptiness.
Voices that sound comforting, but are not life-giving.

And so the question becomes —
How do we, as followers of Christ, learn to tell the difference?

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🌿 Part 3: Learning to Listen Today

Discerning the Shepherd’s voice isn’t about perfect hearing — it’s about faithful listening.

Let’s look at what that means for us:

1. Be Still

Samuel was lying down when God spoke — still, quiet, open.
We can’t always hear God in the rush and noise of life.
Listening begins with stillness.
Whether it’s in morning prayer, knitting in peace, or walking outside. It’s in silence that our spiritual ears tune in.

2. Be Willing to Respond

Samuel said, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
He didn’t know what God would say, but he was ready.
The Shepherd’s voice often calls us out of comfort — toward forgiveness, generosity, or courage.
Listening means being willing to act when we hear.

3. Be Rooted in Scripture and Spirit

Jesus’ voice always aligns with truth, compassion, and love.
When we hear a voice that leads to fear, greed, or resentment — it’s not the Shepherd.
When we hear a voice that calls us to mercy, humility, and service — that’s where Christ is speaking.

4. Be in Community

Samuel had Eli.
We need each other — wise voices who can say, “That sounds like God’s voice” or “Wait — that doesn’t.”
Community helps us discern together what God is saying to the church and the world.

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💗 Part 4: Recognizing the Shepherd’s Voice in Our Lives

Think about how Jesus calls each of us by name — not just once, but again and again.
He calls in the dark nights of confusion.
He calls when the world feels loud and uncertain.
He calls us back when we’ve wandered far away.

His voice brings peace, not panic.
Hope, not fear.
Conviction, not condemnation.

And just like Samuel, we can grow in that listening — slowly, quietly, faithfully.
Each time we respond, we learn the sound of grace a little more clearly.

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🕯 Conclusion

Learning to listen is the lifelong work of faith.
Not every voice deserves your energy or trust — but the Shepherd’s voice always leads to life.

So, this week, take a few moments of holy quiet.
Let your prayer be simple:

“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Listen for the voice that calls you by name —
and when you hear it, follow.

For that is the voice of the Good Shepherd.

Amen.