In a large pot, sauté on medium in 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil:

• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms baby belle
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice

Cook for 3 minutes

Add the following:

• 1 cup diced potatoes
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp of salt (sea salt)
• 1 tsp of freshly ground pepper

Blend well.  Add 8 cups of chicken stock organic either from carton or made from fresh organic chicken.  Vegetarians can substitute Vegetable broth.  Then add 2 1/2 cups rinsed red lentils.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Garnish with in this order, drizzle of olive oil, dollop of plain greek yogurt, and chopped scallions

Variation:

You can use Red Lentils and add 1 can of coconut milk and 1 tsp of diced ginger to make Coconut Red Curry Lentil Soup. Use everything else the same, add coconut milk last and diced ginger at the beginning with yellow onion etc.. in the olive oil.

 In summer of 2009  prior to our trip to Kenya, we had a summer party that the dishes had to feature Kenya.  My mom was visiting. Dave and Karen Cadbury were there.  Julie Slade came and two other couples whose names escape me at the moment.  Anyway we had a lovely evening outside at our Bay View Street home. 

Kenya Watermelon salad

• 1 small to medium size watermelon
• 1/2 cup of cashews
• 4 cups of mixed greens

Dressing:

• 1 c of whipping cream
• 1 pkg. of cream cheese
• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• Whip all ingredients together

Take a nice medium size watermelon and either cut it into bite size pieces or use a melon baller and make nice balls for your salad. Put watermelon in a bowel and cover with dressing.  When ready to serve the salad, distribute the mixed greens on serving plates; add water melon with dressing on top and cashews.

I then had these tiny meatballs in Maine as an adult with my son Brandon at Primos.  It was his birthday and although he was struggling at the time with his addiction, we still managed to have a really nice evening and I replicated these tasty meatballs and served those different ways. 

Lamb Meatballs:

• 1 lb of organically raised ground lamb
• 1/2 c gluten free bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp of freshly chopped tarragon(I freeze tarragon and use it as fresh from the freezer during the off season) or 1tbsp of dried
• 2 tbsp of freshly chopped sage (again, I freeze sage (common type or any will do and use it as fresh from the freezer during the off seasons) or 1 tsp of dried
• 1 egg organic with a bright orange center
• 1/4 tsp of white pepper
• 1/2 c grated pecorino cheese
• 1/4 c of grated parmesan
• 1/2 c milk or cream – organic

Mix all the ingredients together except for the cream or milk.  Add last and slowly getting the right texture and amount of moistness needed to roll into small balls.  If the mixture seems too wet, add more bread crumbs.  Note: I do not add salt since the pecorino is very salty.  If you taste the raw mixture and you think needs salt, wait and add it to whatever you serve the meatballs in or with.

Roll mixture into tiny balls the size of a quarter or slightly smaller.  Place on a cookie sheet and brown in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F.

First way to serve:

Serve them is as a fine appetizer on a plate with a good marinara sauce made with a bold red wine, some tender baby peas and shavings of Pecorino cheese.

Add them to a marinara sauce to be served over pasta and put shaved pecorino cheese.

I will add my marinara sauce recipe later but a quick and easy marinara.  Buy a good jar of marinara, don’t pay less than $3.00 a jar or it will be terrible.  Cut up a nice ripe tomato.  Heat olive oil in the bottom of a pan; add the tomato and two chopped garlic cloves.  Cook for about 5 minutes stirring on medium to high heat.  Add the jar of marinara and 1 cup of dry good red wine.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until the color of the sauce deepens or until it tastes good.

Otherwise add to a lovely prepared wedding soup.  This leads us to wedding soup recipe.

Soup:

• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth or make your own by boiling a chicken (organic)
• 1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole or spinach (baby or adult)would be a good substitution)
• 1 large egg (organic)
• 2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the egg and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin strands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

I also cook Ditalini (little pasta) separately and I add the bowel of soup when I serve them.  I never keep the pasta in the soup and reheat because it becomes mushy.

This recipe is so easy to make in the oven or on the grill.  The flavors mix well together and you can serve this with red meat, chicken, fish or any vegetarian dish.

I usually serve a Rosemary, Tarragon, Sage, white wine, roasted whole chicken with these.

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs baby, gold, white, red potatoes

1-2 Tbsp. arrowroot (you can use cornstarch or tapioca flower; both arrowroot and tapioca flower are gluten free)

1-2 Tbsps chopped fresh rosemary, 1/2 the amount if you used dried

1 tsp of Turmeric

1 tsp of Coriander

1 tsp of Cumin

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Extra Virgin Olive oil

1. Rinse potatoes and cut into quarters

2. Place the dry ingredient above in a large plastic bag of bowel

3. Add potatoes and completely cover with mixture

4. Either spread in a large baking dish and drizzle with olive oil, or put in a tin foil pouch to roast on the grill

5. Cook for 30 minutes in the oven or on the grill at about 375 degrees F.

This should make about 6 servings.

I have made this salad several times and people really think that it has a very special rich flavor. 

 Bob won’t eat beets so I don’t ever make it when he is around.  I had Kristen and her husband Chris over and they loved it.  I must admit you can make a roasted beet salad several different ways but the flavors below work so well together with the tanginess of the goat cheese and the lemon pepper flavor of arugula.  You can try any type of roasted nuts but for some reason pistachios, toasted make me happy.  Maybe because when growing up, pistachios were so expensive and my mother rarely if ever purchased them and when we finally had them and eagerly turned our fingers and our lips red, we enjoyed every last one of them.  So I guess this salad makes me feel rich because I can afford pistachios.

Ingredients:

4-5 beets red or yellow (cut off the greens and save them to cook the next day)

2-3 Tbps of extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp of sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

2-3 ounces of baby arugula

1-2 ounces of goat cheese crumbled or cut in small cubes (use a good French Chèvre, it really makes the difference)

2-3 Tbsps of chopped salted or unsalted toasted pistachios

Dressing:

1/3 c of balsamic white vinegar- or use apple cider vinegar

4 Tbsps of Sherry vinegar

1 Tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1Tbsp of sugar or more to taste

Wrap the beets in tin foil and roast in oven at 400 degrees F for 45-60 minutes.  Take them out and slightly cool, using wet paper towels to keep your hands from getting wet wipe the skin of the beets off.  Cut the beets into bite size pieces while warm and add the top half of the recipe, olive oil and sherry vinegar and a little salt and pepper.  You can store in refrigerator if you make ahead, but bring them to room temperature to serve on the salad.

Whisk the dressing ingredient together.  Add arugula, pistachios, then beets on top, Chèvre and dressing. Let each individual add their own dressing.  Variations, I have used store bought pickled beets in place of roasting and I have also used roasted walnuts in place of pistachios. 

2 cans of black beans (you are welcome to use dried, but for me that is too much time)

2 tsps of roasted or toastes cumin seeds- put in a pan with oil until they are toasted and you can immediately taste and smell the difference.

1 tsp of cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp of Ancho Chili powder

1 tsp of dried basil or 4 -5 large shreded leaves of fresh basil

1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp of salt

2 lbs of cubed pork stw meat (from the shoulder – remove all silver skin)

4 ounces of pancetta chopped ( must use pancetta- bacon does not do it justice in layering the flavors)

1 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil

3 garlic cloves chopped

1 medium onion chopped

2 stalkes of celery diced

1 large red bell peppe, cored, seeded and chopped

1 jalapeno seeded and minced (please cover hand holding the jalopeno with a plastic bag or gloves or finger nails and hands will burn for two days- talking from experience)

2 Tbsp of chooped fresh oregano or 1 Tbsp of dried

1 cup of red wine (hearty red like Zinfandel)

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

1 bay leaf

10 whole cloves- very important ingredient you can not leave out or substitute

In a large mixing bowl, mix together chili powder, cumin, cayenne, anco chili, basil, black pepper and salt.  Add pork and thoroughly coat the meat.

In a large, heavy bottomed stockpot, cook pancetta over medium heat until very light browned, remove pancetta and add oil, pork garlic, onion, celery, read pepper, jalapenos, and oregano, and suate until pork is lightly browned, add back in pancetta, red wine, chicken stock, beans, cilantro, bay leaf and cloves.  Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 1 and 1/2 hours.

Serve with Salsa, Avacodo and tomato mixture, and Cucumber , tarragon and yogurt mixture (recipes below)

Salsa:

1 Tbsp olive oil

10 cherry tomatoes cut in small pieces

1 medium onion minced

1 shallot chopped

1 jalapeno chopped (again protect your hands)

1/2 tsp of toasted cumin seeks

1/2 c of chopped cilantro

salt to taste- mix and refrigerate

Avocados

1 large fresh avocados peeled seeded and chopped

1/2 chopped onion

6 cherry tomatoes cut

1 garlic clove minced

mix and salt to taste

Cucumber tarragon

2 – cucumbers peeled and sliced and halfed if large

1/2 onion chopped

2 Tsp of fresh Tarragon

1/2 cup of non fat greek yogurt

2 Tbps of apple vinegar

mix and salt to taste

Serve all three in bowls on the table to top the stew, depending on which ones your guest try, it will heat it up or cool down the stew.  Serve with Corn totillas if you like

4 cod filets with skin, each 6-7 ounces but 4-6 is more reasonable if you are watching your weight

Chermoula – A Moroccan spice and herb mix is as follows

2 Tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp of chopped fresh mint

1 Tbsp of chopped parsley, large flat leaf better

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 of a red chile, seeded and chopped (could add more if you want more heat)

1 tsp of paprikaa

1 1/2 tsp of roasted cumin seeds- heat in a pan with oil until roasted (roasting tremendously brings out the floavor)

1 tsp of saffron strands

1/4 cup of olice oil

1/2 cup of lemon juice (let lemon come to room temperature before squeezing for juice)

Salt to taste 1- 1 1/2 tsp

Place the fish fellet in a shallow baking dish with skin side down.

Put all the ingedients above in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Spoon mixtures over fish and cover, marindate in refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours and maximum overnight.  Turn the fish occassionally.

Cook fish under broiler, in fry pan or on grill- 5-7 minutes on each size and baste.  Can be cooked in oven and then marinade can be used served over rice if left in to cook in marinade otherwise throw out uncooked marinade that raw fish was soaking in.  Serve warm with yogurt and rice.

Ingredients:

3 large baking potatoes

1 stick of butter

salt

1/2 c heavy cream

Either 1lb cooked lobster meat, 1 lb cooked crab meat or 1 lb shredded Gruyere cheese

Bake the potatoes, cut in half when warm to touch, scoop out potato into a bowel and leave a rigid skin

Add butter, salt, heavy cream and whip it togethe than add either lobster meat, crab meat or Gruyere cheese and hand mix

Put mixture back into eahc skin, top each with a fresh sprig of thyme and bake 20 minutes.

Put mixt

2 lbs lobster meat- either frozen or fresh

1/2 c vinegar

3 julienned carrots

3 stalks of celery chopped

1/2 onion chopped yellow

1/2 c cognac

1/4 c port wine

1/4 c heavy cream

1lb of macoroni/ wheat or gluten free

1lb of mimolette yellow sharp cheese (important to use mimolette)

1 container of whip cream

2 egg yolks

8 Tablespoons of butter

Fresh Rosemary and Thyme tie together

1. Cook lobster in boiling water with 1/2 cup of vinegar (white)

2. remove from water drain

3. In a large sauce pan melt the 4 Tbs of butter and add lobster and saute

4. take lobster out of pan

5. to the pan add chopped celery, julienned carrots, and chopped onions

6. add 4 Tbs of butter and cook

7. once vegetables are tender, add 1/2 c cognac and 1/4 c port let reduce for 5-7 minutes

8. Add Rosemary and Thyme together tied so you can take it out at the end

9. Boil water with salt and 1 Tbs of olive oil to prepare pasta.  For gluten free pasta cook only 6 minutes and normal pasta until aldente

9.  Add cream to sauce pan

10. Add grated mimolette and then add lobster

11. add macaroni- cook 3-4 more minutes until either gluten free or gluten pasta is cooked to your liking

12. Divide into six seperate small soufle cups bowel size

13. Whip whipping cream and egg yolks together and spoon cream over top

14. Put under broiler and cook topping

Serve- Lobster mac and cheese can be cook ahead and reheated slowly and topping added before serving

Louise’s Mt. Gay Rum Cake

1 yellow cake mix (I prefer Ducan Heinz)

1 small pkg of vanilla instant pudding

4 eggs

½ c olive oil

½ c water

½ c  rum (I prefer Mt. Gay)

Mix and bake at 350F for 55mins in a Bundt Cake sprayed and put ½ c of chopped pecans in the bottom of the pan.

Optional to add the blueberries frozen in the batter stir in after the other ingredients are mix

Separate and prepare 5 minutes before removing cake from oven.

Boil:

1 c sugar

1 stick butter

¼ c water

Remove from heat and add

½ c rum bring to boil again

Remove cake from oven and while in bundt pan hot, pour (or turkey baste) above mixture over hot cake evenly.

Let stand for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan.

Enjoy

Leslie