Coach Kirstin

To say I am a daddy's girl is putting it mildly. I am just like my dad in so many ways. I often describe myself as the female version of him. I adore him and he is my sounding board. He taught me to think through things logically and how to make the best choice for me. Though I still call him to confirm that I am making the right choice. Unfortunately we have the same sense of humor, which means we can entertain each other with our jokes on our Sunday night phone call. His opinion of everything I do matters. So tonight at dinner when we were discussing my fighting, my parents said they wish i didn't do it but am happy to see me doing something I love. Later my dad pulled me aside to tell me that he doesn't like it but will always support me. It was the best and worst thing he could have said all in one sentence.

I try not to watch my fights. Watching them, even the wins, makes me mad at all the things I did wrong. It's all I can see. I hate everything I see. I watch them with my coach the week after, I get his feedback and try and let it go. But yesterday I was written up in an article and they had the video of my second fight in it. So I watched it. And for the first time, I was proud of some of the things I did. And then I watched my third fight. And I watched my takedowns and was happy with what I saw. I still saw everything that was wrong but for the first time I saw something's that I was proud of.

Yes I already compete in plenty of things.  There really is no need to take on another thing to compete in.  But there is.  My competitions seem to be feast or famine.  Almost everything over the last 2 years has been within a 4-6 week grouping.  And then I don't compete again for another 6 months.  And I have tons of anxiety wondering if I have ring rust and put extra pressure on myself since I don't get to compete that often.  Then this summer Nate Diaz came for a seminar and talked about doing the triathlons and that they were just another way to be actively competing.  That we, as athletes, should compete as often as possible to avoid the things I mentioned above.  Shortly after the seminar one of my mma teammates asked me to do a crossfit competition as his partner.  I initially objected but decided that I needed to do it anyhow.  I have to admit, I really wasn't excited about it.  Actually I still don't understand the exc...

The last couple months have been some time away from the gym for me.   I was physically limited by the injury to my finger and about the same time I started having stomach trouble.   I am unfortunately no stranger to stomach trouble and had an ulcer about 5 years ago.   It felt like that all over again.   So on top of not being able to train as much as I want, I was eating everything I shouldn’t to settle my stomach, lots of bread and rice.   Needless to say my weight got the highest its ever been in my life.     But with all of this going on, all I was worried about was my weight.   Not getting healthy but being crazy obsessed with my weight.   Because I hear it constantly “ your getting fat, I can see it right there ,” “ your butts getting big ” or just the general “ don’t get fat ”.   It all makes me feel a bit crazy.   And it was pushing me away from the thing I loved. Taking away that love and making it something I hat...

This weekend was our girls trip. Every year we try and get together with our sorority sisters. My sisters are some of my funnest, craziest and most treasured memories from college. I actually didn't pledge until the spring of my sophomore year. I was well on my way of my own path but what they added was even more valuable. My favorite memories are of living in the house, all of us getting ready together, swapping clothes, getting our make up or hair done and of course outfit checks. This weekend was filled with laughs and craziness. But the parts I enjoyed the most were getting ready together just like we always had. And a lazy Saturday morning as we re-hydrated and waited for the Advil to kick in, laughing at our antics and telling stories. The conversations are a little more grown up but they are also still the crazy girls I love. It was a great weekend and I can't wait until next time. But I'm exhausted and will be taking a nap for the rest of my flight home and enjoying...

I used to hate my stepmom. And she felt the same about me. We had some knockdown drag out fights and my poor dad was caught in the middle. And for all the time we as a family spent in counseling and my individual time. It wasn't what made a difference in our relationship. It was life. Growing up and learning to deal with stuff. And realizing we are far from perfect. And being able to say your sorry. My parents have been together for over 20 years and it's only in the latter half have we come together as a family. And now my stepmom is in my life in so many ways and I feel luck to have her there. But the reason is because she doesn't have to be there, she wants to be there. We choose to keep in touch and talk. And that relationship is probably one of my favorites. It's like a friend. You get to choose that they are in your life. But I am extra lucky because she is my stepmom.

We have all said it before. And we all have a type. I was out with my friend a few weeks ago on a Saturday night, he knows my type before I ever say anything and I his.   So when I mentioned someone I saw later, he already knew who I was talking about. But your "type" is actually a true thing. There have been studies where blindly we are attracted to the smell of our genetic opposite, it's evolution at its simplest. But that Sunday I was at brunch with my girlfriend and we were talking about a guy she had gone out with who wasn't really her type but then she commented "my type doesn't exist or he does but he's going to cheat on me." Both of which are true because we have a similar type. Since then I have been thinking a lot about my type and maybe I don’t know what it is.   Or that my "type" is something I'm not paying attention to.   I began thinking "what are my basic must have's of someone I date?" The problem is I...

So I thought I would die but eventually that would pass. And things started coming into focus. And then Saturday I felt great. I was wide awake. At 1 am. The thing was, without my caffeine crutch, I had to take care of myself and get sleep. I had no way to survive otherwise because I would shut down like you hit my power button. Which actually happened while my friend and I were at a coffee shop. I laid down on the bench and went to sleep. But 7 days in and I'm full of energy. Though I'd drink coffee again in a heart beat.

Caffeine is actually one of the most addictive chemicals. It naturally occurs in your brain, so when you increase the consumption, you increase the level your brain needs. Hence the headaches when you are going through withdrawals. Morphine also naturally occurs in your brain, random facts. My headaches were the worst onTuesday. And nothing would make it go away. Yesterday they were annoying and today I'm down to a dull annoyance.

About 5 years ago I found out I had an ulcer. It sucked leading up to the discovery but I found a medicine that worked, fixed my diet and by the time I went in for my endoscopy the ulcer and damage to my esophagus was already healing. But for the better part of this year I have been having stomach trouble, which I largely attributed to the grinder I put my stomach through to cut weight. Which I did 4 times last year and 3 or 4 times this year (some never made it all the way to fights and one got scaled back when I went up a class). Ever since the last one, I've struggled but I was somewhere in the realm of depressed at not fighting for a while and "treating" myself to the things I deprived my self of. Namely Coke, Dr Pepper and Sour Patch Watermellons. All things I shouldn't eat and shouldn't eat a lot of. So 4.5 weeks ago after some prodding from one of my best friends about the Cokes I stopped. Also I knew my stomach wasn't happy. So I cleaned up my diet...

I have been doubting my ability to read people lately. It's fundamental to pretty much anything. But if you're dating, its like the first hurdle a person must get over. This past week I spent time with someone who I had almost a completely different opinion of after we hung out, in a good way, than I did before we hung out. But that, along with a few other things going on, caused me to doubt how I see people. So most of my friends know but I have been seeing a counselor since a break up, just over two years ago. She has been an invaluable asset as I have waded through shit and tried to figure me out. I want to be a better version of myself. Not in the "do better things" realm but have healthy relationships and undo the damage my mother has caused way. She's helping me get there. And she makes logic of the things I do, which I will admit I don't often understand my actions. Her analysis of my perceived inability to read people, is that I'm knowing them...

When I started my career 10 years ago, at 23, I wanted people to take me seriously. I wanted them to take me for my brain, not my face. I wore pants and dress shirts so I didn't stand out in the office.  So I was less feminine. 10 years, 7 jobs later I am much more comfortable in who I am. I know I'm pretty good at what I do. I know what I'm good at and what I'm terrible at. And I know that I can still get your respect even if I wear a skirt and heels. Oh and I probably have your attention even faster.

So for what ever reason I doubt myself and my ability to do things. Example: I went over to my friends house to use his gravity boots. Well getting on the bar was a perilous activity. Not because I was unable to do it but I doubted that I could. So he got a chair and without any effort I swung myself up. He laughed, I shrugged my shoulders. But this incident is not an uncommon event. And the biggest example is riding my motorcycle. It scares the shit out of me. Especially at anything over ~35. So that same friend doesn't understand this. I can step into a cage or ring, but can't ride my motorcycle. And admittedly part of it is time. I need more of it to practice. But most of my time goes to the gym. So I'm not making any progress at it. So I met this guy and talked him out of us riding together and into me being his passenger. On more than one occasion I almost backed out. But the moment of truth arrived and off we went. I thought my heart was going explode from pure pani...

To say I am not a morning person, is an understatement.  Most of my college roommates thought I hated them because I was so grumpy in the am.  For the last 10 days I had a dear friend from college in town.  In my attempts to spend as much time with him (since I couldn't take off of work) I was working out in the am so my evenings were free.  I used to be an avid morning runner.  And then my activity started transitioning to the evenings, which really is more in line with my body's natural rhythm.  I have tried to do morning workouts at different points in my training cycles, it fails miserably.  Or I am a hazard to my own safety (i.e. running into traffic without looking).  So 3 out of 4 days last week I went in to the gym in the morning before work...at 6 am.  It's still not for me.  Every day I struggled to get up.  I forgot something at home or at the gym every day.  The poor cat was so confused why I was eating at 5:30 but ...

Do you make rules for your life?  I do. Most of them...well all of them come from learning from my mistakes.  And my list reads like a Microsoft update list.  But I wouldn't take any of them back.  I can honestly say that.  They make me whom I am today, good and bad.  Though often they suck at the time. One of my rules I had been steadfast about was not dating in the gym.  I am all too familiar with the drama it can bring.  But more than anything, the gym is my happy place.  The place I go to get away from all the other stuff in my life.  Which is why I don't date there.  It can influence my emotions when I'm really just there to train. But I broke that rule.  And I'm having a painful reminder why I had that rule.  My finger is doing much better, the day I have waited 6.5 weeks for.  And now I'm having to force myself to go to the gym.  Not because there is drama but because its not my happy place right now. ...

I do S&C 3-4 times a week normally.  And I love to measure progress.  Things can feel easier but I like knowing.  Which is why I appreciate the maxes in S&C.  In reality they have no surface value other than being markers to make my workouts harder from.  But it frustrates me that they don't grow by the leaps and bounds they initially did.  My dead lift jumped by 50 lbs initially.  But I go on these cycles where I have to loose weight, some times a lot.  And it impacts my ability to build any muscle.  Im pretty much maintaining, if not loosing some muscle. Im also constrained by the fact that my weight has to stay in a certain range.  Thus my back squat has been stale for most of this year.  I just looked through my log and I can only find my initial back squat of 150 from May 7, 20012. (I change how I record maxes now for this reason).  I had 175 on March 22. On July 15, I tried 185 and failed.  So today I cautiou...

I'm not going to lie, every workout hurts right now. If its not pure pain in my hand, it's the nerves flaring up or it's throbbing. It's frustrating. It frustrated me enough to get in my head and make me give up last week and skip training. But I miss it terribly. Oh and I feel guilty for not training. So I'm back this week. Slower. Frustrated. Hurting. But sucking it up.

This weeks Green Grocer  delivery had a few things I wasn't sure what to do with.  Namely eggplant and butter lettuce.  Off to the interwebs I went and found a recipe for Eggplant Bolognese .  I added a few extras like the bell peppers and onions to my delivery so I didnt have to pick them up and then got the meats from the grocery store.  My boyfriend also had the great idea to add bacon, which gave us some bacon grease and extra goodness in the Bolognese.  Below is my ingredients and steps modified from the above recipe. Left over bacon fat 2 tablespoons butter 1 large eggplant peeled and cubed (approximately 2-3 cups) 1 red bell pepper cut into bite size pieces 1 small red onion, sliced (should have cut smaller) 1 pound ground beef 1 pound ground pork 1 pacakge bacon 1 teaspoon sea salt + more to taste 2 tablespoons  balsamic vinegar  5 garlic cloves minced 1 ½ cups tomato sauce  1 tablespoon dried oregano ...

I realized something today. And it may be why I do most of my training at night. Its how I reward myself.  I'm an introvert by nature.  But my job and life, force me to step out of my box and be an extroverted "type" for most of the day.  So when I get to the gym, I'm not there to talk, I'm there to recharge my batteries.   I do the thing I like least first.  Just like when I was a little kid and ate the things I didn't like first.  Like eating all of the cheerios out of the Lucky Charms first so then I had all marshmallows at the end.  So I do my strength and conditioning first.  Its not that I dislike it but its not why I'm there.  Though I enjoy seeing my improvements, I will never see leaps and bounds improvements while maintaining a my weight bracket. But with 3 pins sticking out of my pinky, my training has been limited.  So I do my S&C, maybe some pad work or bag work, but that's about it.  I don't get to do...

Some times I think I might be going crazy. That or I'm just becoming someone I hate. Right now my weight is 152.2. Exactly where I agreed with my coach to keep it. Makes going to 135 a whole lot easier. But I feel fat. Last week was my rest week. I also try and give my mind a rest. I eat without thinking and I don't weigh myself. So honestly when I step on the scale the Monday after that week, I'm always terrified what it's going to say. And this was no exception. Because in my mind, I was fat. I had seen my body evolve as it always does during a fight cycle, and I wasn't there. But I stepped on the scale and 152.2. Two days in a row. But I'm not happy where I'm at. I feel like one of those crazy chic's who is always dieting and still says she's fat. Because in reality, this is the best shape I have ever been in my whole life. But I'm still not satisfied with where I'm at. Or maybe it's my mind saying "These cuts aren...

So I have a pretty amazing Dr.  If there is a way to fix me, without cutting me open he knows it.  And really well.  And he has great "bed side manner," which is a lost art with Dr's these days.  Please check out Dr. Victor Ibrahim so he can put you back together.  He has fixed tendons in my shoulder and feet, nerve spasms in my leg, torn meniscus, general pain in my knee due to previous surgeries (and a lack of cartilage) and all without cutting me open.  So when my finger looked like this post fight he was the first one I turned to.  Well I'm an eternal optimist.  My finger looking like that means the tendons are ruptured.  Upon not being able to locate my tendons on ultra sound, Dr Ibrahim called his colleague Dr Hashemi.  Dr Hashemi squeezed me in that afternoon at 2:30 in his Arlington office.  After seeing my finger and discussing my options, he was on the phone within 20 minutes of first meeting me to get me into a sur...

That is me and my coaches El and Roland after winning my most recent fight at Barbarian FC.  That smile is relief not just happiness of winning.  When I train, I like a schedule and things the way I am used to.  I know what works for me and I will repeat it.  I learn what doesn't work and I tweak it.  I've in essence had 3 cancelled fights this year and was going on 8 months of no fights.  I was starting to worry about ring rust.  So when our head coach Jeremy called with a fight, I took it.  On 19 days notice.  I also only 5 days with my coaches before I got on a plane to spend 10 days in Montana.  Prepping for my grandmothers memorial and burial. Surrounded by family and good food.  With no for sure training lined up.  The training I could find was about an hours drive from my grandpa.  And my grandpa doesn't believe in cooking at home.  And what he does do at home is anything but helpful towards cutting weight. ...

The final week of the weight cut is the toughest.  I can't afford any slips in the diet.  Everything has to be at the right time and in the right amounts.  Mentally I'm not as strong as when I started.  I over hydrated so I peed about every 3 hours at night for 4 nights, so I dint sleep well.  I usually cut out most dairy during a cycle.  I switch to green tea for most of it, because I prefer my coffee with milk.  In the last few days though, I have to watch my liquid intake, so I switch to a dopio espresso with 2 Splenda.  Normally a dopio espresso is a bit strong for me.  Though now it has become a welcome shock to my system.  It has also  become a checkpoint.   Drinking straight espresso, down to the very end.   In my mind, its almost over at that point.  And those shocks to my system are the most welcome part of my day.

For the last week, well really the last 5 months, I have tried to hold it together to be strong for my Papa. The death of my Nanny was imminent but it doesn't mean it was any easier on him.  She also took care of everything, for the better part of their 60 years.  We planned on the memorial of June so all the family could make it, which was amazingly wonderful, but it took a toll on him.  He had 5 months to worry about all of the details.  I took care of us much as possible but we still had our snafu's.  Though as strong as I like to think I was, it was all the people I had helping me be strong.  That I would call and vent to, that would be logical, that would tell me its ok and bring me back into reality.  As strong as we think we are, its really those that support us that makes us stronger.      

I know I get cranky and short during a water cut. Or downright bitchy. What I did not count on was how that would effect my ability to assist my grandfather. I should preface this that my papa is 84 and has numerous medical problems most notably diabetes. Which he has never managed. Or not through food. He eats what he likes and controls it though injections. We are long passed the idea of managing diet. We manage via candy bars. But he is also dealing with grief and loneliness of almost 60 years of marriage being gone. I feel like a terrible person. I normally put up with his behavior quite well. I tend to have a lot of patience with him. But I'm out of it. I left early on Saturday to my aunties and had a veg day on Sunday. I cooked my food for the next few days, we moved irrigation pipe and I finally showered at 8pm. I regret not running but needed the day. So when I returned tonight, he was basically in the process of taking out every personal artifact. I'm still not ...

Today was probably my most challenging on many levels. My Papa and I had to go to the funeral home to make the last of the arrangements and go to the cemetery to make the arrangements there.  I know he's been very stressed about this but he seemed to be doing as well as I could expect.  He made it through one decision at the funeral home and then started to struggle, so I did what I do best and took over making decisions without hesitation.  Despite the upset it caused him earlier this year, he seemed to be relieved to not have to make any decisions.  This continued for the rest of the day.  There were times when I thought I was just going to crawl under the chair and cry, but then I would look at my grandfather struggling.  And realized one of us had to be strong.  And it wasn't him.  So I was strong for the both of us. But my biggest challenge has been eating.  I knew it would be tough to stick to my diet while I was here.  I didn't...

The thing about teammates is they go through the same thing. Maybe not exactly but they know your struggles. So last night I was telling a teammate about my fight and he asked who was riding down with me to keep me company. I didn't have anyone but didn't think I needed anyone. And then I realized I had always had it but never thought of it. This could be the exception, I could be the only one. And without hesitation he said he would go. He knew the thing I needed even if I didn't.

So I had two fights get cancelled in a week. Add that to doing a tournament that never resulted in a fight. And I'm more than frustrated. Questioning if I want to keep doing this. Why I like doing this. And then I got a call last night about a fight on the 29th, 20 days away. I'm basically on a constant fight cycle at this point so it's doable. Except I will be in Montana for 10 days of that. It's not impossible but definitely makes me a little anxious. There are a few other variables that make me apprehensive. This will be a challenge, as is any fight. But logistically this will be my toughest. I trust my coaches inherently. That's how I came to the gym I'm at, I couldn't trust my previous coach. So when this opportunity came up, I checked with my coaches. And they believe it can be done. So I have no doubt that I can do this.

So I accepted a fight at 130.  And I got a prescription from my coach on what to incorporate.  It included 100 russian twists a day with a Medicine ball.  The first day sucked.  I had to stop 2 or 3 times to rest.  And then a miracle happened on Tuesday...all 100 without stopping.  I wanted to make sure it wasn't a fluke and it happened again today.  I love seeing progress

I like to think Im responsible. And probably compared to most people I am.  But in reality, Im not the person I think I should be.  The person I think I should be saves more, doesn’t have credit card debt, clears her to do list, does the maintenance on her house, volunteers at the animal shelter, is a foster dog mom, calls her grandfather more often, has a will and a living will.  The list could probably go on and on.  But at the top of the list is generally be more financially responsible.  I thought I was doing the smart thing 8 years ago and let my now ex-husband talk me into buying a house.  It was so easy.  The market was so good and within 3 weeks of looking we had an accepted offer on a house.  2 years later we were getting divorced.  The majority of the things we had planned to do to the house were still undone and I wasn’t able to pay the bills by myself.  I got a roommate, got a few promotions and I have it covered....

I used to hate sandwich's as a kid.  Grossed me out the way the bread got over the course of the day.  I rarely ever ate them.  And I still dont like soggy bread in my sandwich.  But I have learned their is an art to a great sandwich.  It starts with the bread.  Its make or break.  This also applies to burgers, which I would add in the sandwich category with its own parameters. Im not sure when it started, probably sometime after I had my first sandwich at The Italian Store , I began to understand the value of a great sandwich.  And thus my quest to find great sandwich's.  Lets be honest, DC is pretty slim on the sandwich shops.  The Italian Store will always have a special place in my heart but up their is Taylor Gourmet .  Though my new favorite is Sundevich .  To date I have had the Beirut, Seoul and Havana. My only complaint is that I finished the sandwich and had to stop eating.  Though probably a good thing since I h...

Why do we have friends? Is it what they provide us? Or what we provide them? Or both. Thinking about it, friends are kind of a selfish thing we do for ourselves. We like them for what they add to our lives. For the support they provide us. For the things they do for us. It's not what I get to do for them that is why I like them, though after the friendship has developed that part does become important, but what I get from our friendship. I was thinking about this because I have a longtime friend (probably 4 or 5 years) who was an exceptionally good friend after my breakup but despite my repeatedly setting boundaries, they are ignored. So it makes me evaluate this friendship. Is it even something I want to keep if this person doesn't respect and believe what I have told them. The behavior of this person is causing me to cancel and limit our interactions, so I have almost ended it but I was wondering if it was really a friendship. Or was it always just that self serving thing we ...

Sometimes I wonder if being single is just where I am more comfortable.  Or maybe I’m just selfish.  Or maybe I've spent too much of my life trying to please others and I just want to do what pleases me.  It pleases me to sleep in my own bed and be on my own schedule.  If I'm running late, the only person impacted is me.  If I want to waste away an hour laying on the floor petting the cat, no one gets irritated.  I love spending time with my friends, but I’m also a notorious canceler.  The gym makes me happy.  And I arrange my life around that.  My friends know that I will give them as much of me as I can spare, but sometimes that means putting up with a smelly me that just got done at the gym.  Sometimes I think I'm just not ready to date.  That I'm in a selfish phase.  That it wouldn't be such a big deal to me to share my time and be considerate of someone if I was ready.  That t...

There isn't a day that I don't walk out of the gym without a new bruise on me. Unless I just do S&C but I think that's happened twice. And I have been known to bruise doing that too. So when you bruise often, you watch them. A lot. Especially if you wear a skirt. Ever. And you know how fast they tend to disappear. But when they don't follow the normal schedule, I get paranoid. I had a mild vitamin K poisoning about two years ago, only noticeable by the bruise that never disappeared and my inability to choke down a spinach salad (the culprit) since. So I have had a bruise on my bicep that I have had for 6 days. Uncharacteristically long. I know it's not Vit K so it has to be a combination of my diet (or lack thereof) in the past week and lack of sleep. In other words, my inability to take care of myself. I'll probably never know which it is because both of these factors go hand in hand with me. But next week I'll be back to my routine, I'm actually o...

So I did a jiu jitsu tournament this past weekend. I did it purely for the experience of competing, not because I like bjj. I haven't competed in 5 months and figured I needed to shake the jitters a little. The only matches I cared about were my no-gi matches. Lets be honest, I just don't know what I'm doing in a gi. And thus I don't like it. It's not like sex, where the first time you didn't know what you were doing but it felt good so you kept doing it. Nope. I didn't know what I was doing and it made it even worse. So this weekend, I won my no-gi match and then had my gi match. I was facing the girl I just beat in no-gi, knew she trained extensively in the gi and had a moment of panic that I don't know what I'm doing in the gi. I was walking to my match and thought "it's ok if she beats me, I don't really care". And then we slapped hands. It's like the little green monster takes over and I must win. There's nothing on the...

Do you ever find it weird the things that gross you? Or that don't. Today someone was brushing their teeth in the sink at my office. And I was so grossed out by it. But I clench with every person in the gym and they rub their sweat all over me. I get pinned to the mat and rubbed all in it. I get traingled or arm barred and don't even think twice about where my head is. ...but I find it gross when someone washes their teeth in the sink. I guess it's all how you view the world through your lens.

So my regular group of friends is pretty tight.  We have brunch together at the same place and generally the same time every sunday.  Its the same jokes and fun.  We get along really well and we get each other.  I made the fateful mistake of bring a guy I was dating to this event.  Disaster doesn't quite describe it.  But it was painful.  The jokes and humor wasn't shared.  Which put a damper on the festivities.  We disbanded for the day.  Repeat again today, a guy was being introduced to the group.  He was at least part of the conversation at times.  But our usual antics and humor, didn't work with him.   So I was wondering: are we just a tight knit group and we don't let others in?  or are we judgmental of those our friends date? Meeting the person you are dating's friends can be a really big deal.  Thats like make or break.  They were there before you.  They hear about you when your not around...

So I will whole heartedly admit when I come off a training cycle, I go all off.  Like an alcoholic falling off the wagon going on a bender.  Eventually I get disgusted with myself and get my act together.  It took 3 weeks of this nonsense.  But today I "turned over a new rock" as my friend says it.  So today I spent cooking.  Which I think is also part of my slothful phase post training cycle.  I have spent 6-8 weeks cooking every meal, very few are cooked for me, so all I want to do is eat and not have to prepare it.  Or think about it.  Enough of my complaining.  So in last weeks veggie box I had green cabbage, stupid Irish holiday.  I didn't know what to do with it, so was googling away.  Came up with Kimchi...only to find out after I had searched 4 stores with no luck for my ingredients, I had the wrong cabbage.  So back to the drawing board and found Martha Stewarts recipe for roasted green cabbage .  It turned o...