I wrote this to a friend and wanted to share it with you

I try to always remember that my friends are special.

Margaret Meade, the American cultural anthropologist, said, "One of the most basic needs of a human being is to have someone waiting for them when they come home."

I think that holds true for correspondence...it lets one know that they are being thought about at that time, on that day, and at that moment.

White Chicken Chili

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium bell pepper chopped

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cans (16 ounces each) great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans (16 ounces each) butter or lima beans
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups chopped, cooked chicken meat; can use left baked skinned chicken

1/8 Slice of Jalapeno pepper (optional)

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese, optional
Sour cream, optional
Salsa, optional

This savory soup is the perfect way to spice up a meal or to serve as a main course on a chilly night. But, it is not in the Roux cookbook.

Preparation Time: Approximately 10 minutes

Cook Time: Approximately 15 minutes

Preparation: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and slice of jalapeno; saute until tender. Add flour and cumin; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the beans and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until lightly thickened. Add the chicken and heat through. Garnish with cheese, sour cream and salsa, if desired.

I just wanted to let you know that this little cookbook is “light” on the subject of Salads…unless, it is a French potato salad to go into a bowl of Gumbo, salads hardly exist to Cajuns!

Why yes I know, during tomato season, we have salads…fresh pork sausage with rice and gravy, white beans on the side and fresh sliced tomatoes salted and peppered all in the same plate. (Sometimes with sliced cucumbers…everything from our garden patch.) Bon Appetit!

Dragonflies

As my mother would hang out the laundry I would catch dragonflies as they bounced to the rhythm of the clothespins fastening onto the wire. I asked God to send me a sign after she died...I asked for three signs (I am such a skeptic)...He sent me three...in the form of dragonflies (which only mama and I could identify as signs)...I am so blessed.

Hopp'in John (Black Eyed Peas with Rice)

 

2 cans black - eyed peas, drain one can
1 c. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
2 tbsp. corn oil
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. cooked rice, mix in 2 TB softened butter to cooked rice

3 strips of cut bacon

 

Saute onion, bacon and Tabasco sauce in corn oil in a large saucepan over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are soft but not browned. Add peas and salt; stir and simmer 5 minutes.

 

Add rice (spoonful by spoonful) to peas. The mixture should be half peas and half rice. Heat through.  Garnish with fresh green onions. Yields 8 servings.

New Years Day Menu

The final menu simmering in the kitchen as I write to you:
Turkey Breast basted with an herb concoction, Garlic Roasted Asparagus, Black Eyed Peas, Smothered Cabbage and Dirty Rice.  Pumpkin pie for dessert. Bon Appetit!!!

Cabbage Rolls to bring in the New Year!

1 large loose leafef cabbage
1 cup of uncooked rice
1 lb ground chuck, raw
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Immerse whole cabbage in cold water with stem side up. Bring to a boil, turn off heat and cover letting the cabbage steam. The cabbage is ready when you can push a fork through the stem. Be sure to lift gently out of the hot water into a colander to drain.

Carefully pull the whole leaves apart and place on cutting board. Lay each leaf out on another cutting board and cut out a pie shaped wedge where it was attached to the stem. Position cut wedged side nearest you.

Mix uncooked rice, raw beef, salt, black pepper, cayenne and garlic powder. Place 1 tablespoon of mixture on the leaf and roll by folding left and right and then roll like a cigar away from you.

Place in a buttered Dutch Oven layering carefully with the rolled open seam down. Stack them on top of each other, packing them tightly in the pot.

Pour a small can of tomato sauce over the rolls; add 1 cup of water to pot; cover on a low heat and simmer on the stove for about an hour. Be sure rice is cooked by testing one of the cabbage rolls.