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Basil, bell pepper, diced tomatoes, dry white wine, frozen orange juice concentrate, Garlic, Ham, kosher salt, olive oil, Oregano, parmesan cheese, Shrimp
An unknown, but clearly intelligent and resourceful person, once said, “necessity is the mother of invention”. I think this is particularly true when it comes to the culinary world. Many of what are now famous dishes, Spanish tortilla, Italian frittata, stir-fry’s, anything that’s a one-dish dinner, spring from necessity. And, this is just such a recipe. Continue reading
I love eggplant…my favorite ways are usually the way the Asian use them. Salty, sweet with a crispy exterior and a creamy interior…but, then there’s baba ganoush. And the Brazilians serve it simply grilled, with maybe a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar. Okay…so it really doesn’t matter in what cuisine the flavors lay, I’m there for eggplant! 
“The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye”, so the song goes. It’s the perfect time to make a little corn relish. The zucchini are still bearing, the peppers are starting to bear and the corn…oh God, the corn! It’s so delicious fresh, but it’s nice to have a few jars of corn relish tucked away for later. 
This is a throw-back to my childhood. On hot summer days (we didn’t have air-condition!), when my mother didn’t want to heat up the kitchen, she would make this in the morning, and put it in the fridge. At dinner time, she would add it to chopped iceberg lettuce, along with thawed frozen peas. It was so very good, at the end of a hot day. 
Sloppy Joe’s are one of those wonderful memories we have from childhood. I love them. I still do. I like mine on potato rolls, with slices of raw onion, dill pickle slices and potato chips on the side. MMM…what a wonderful memory! 
Lentils make a nice “bed” for some lovely roasted chicken. Or a piece of grilled fish or pork chop. Think lentils, instead of rice, pasta or potatoes. And lentils offer some terrific vitamins and minerals, too. Oh yes, did I mention they are also delicious? 
I was reading 
We ate a lot of Three Bean Salad when I was a kid. During the summer, my mother made it frequently. I think it was because we all liked it, it made a huge batch and it kept well. All that, and we had almost everything growing in the garden. I started with her recipe, then took a flying leap! 
I was thinking of Chinese food. Truth be told, I’m usually thinking about food, and many times it leans Chinese. I love egg rolls or spring rolls. I was thinking about egg rolls. Dreaming, really. So with the winter chill, I was thinking about tossing together a soup of some sort. And with the Asian New Year around the corner, light bulb moment!!! Why not combine the two? 
I hope you are familiar with the Asian chef, Ming Tsai. He did a series on PBS and he had a restaurant in the Boston area, Blue Ginger. Anyway, this is based on a recipe from one of his books. They are so good, sloppy and just plain delicious. I think they’re better the next day. 