Ahhhh, yes! Good ol' home made split pea soup, One of my all-time favorite 'comfort foods'. I've tried it in restaurants, soup & salad places, etc, But for some reason, It is just never very good. But I do love the home made! My 'recipe' is very simple, kind of like my mother made it. Just the split peas, the ham bone, some onion, a bit of white pepper, (I don't like 'fly-specks' in light colored foods) And a little carrot, grated on the largest grate of my grater, for some color. Oh, and water or chicken broth, of course. We do like it to be sort of thick. So glad you & your family tried it and liked it, Isn't it fun to try new things? And get a positive reaction from the family? Rusty

The Southwest Seasoning is a blend I get from Penzey's but you can also get blends from your regular grocery store. Penzey's is: salt, sweet ancho pepper, onion, garlic, Tellicherry black pepper,Mexican oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, chipotle and cilantro. The seasoning is good but you could substitute black pepper and a kick like cayenne. Or, you could just leave it out and the soup is still very good. I like the tumeric mostly for the color...and it's good for you:) Sharon, thank you! We had the fresh salmon cakes last week for the first time since Spring. They are one of our Fall and Winter dishes. During warmer months we usually grill all our fish. (BTW, I've missed your pictures too...always beautiful!!!) Marilyn

I like this one better than any I've tried. It's purloined from the homesick texan blog. I do use fewer tortillas. Just a matter of preference. Slightly Fancy-Pants King Ranch Chicken Casserole Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds of chicken, without skin and bones 4 teaspoons of lime juice 1/4 cup of olive oil 3 cloves of garlic, minced 4 tablespoons of butter 1/2 an onion, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 poblano pepper, diced 1 10oz. can of Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained (or you can use a can of regular diced tomatoes and a 4 oz. can of diced green chiles, or if tomatoes are in season, can use two cups of diced fresh tomatoes with 1/4 cup of diced green chiles, such as a jalapeno) 4 teaspoons ancho chile powder (or chili powder) 1 teaspoon of cumin 1 cup of chicken broth 2 tablespoons of flour 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper 1/2 cup of half and half 1/3 cup of sour cream 1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped 3 cups of grated pepper jack and cheddar 10 corn tortillas Salt and pepper to taste. Method: 1. Season the chicken with the lime juice, 2 teaspoons of ancho chile powder and a dash of salt. In a skillet heated on medium, cook the chicken in the olive oil on each side for about 10 minutes. 2. When chicken is done (after about 20 minutes), shred it with two forks and set aside. Taste and see if it needs more salt and pepper. Should yield about 3 cups. 3. Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium, and add the onions, red bell pepper and poblano pepper. Cook for 10 minutes. 4. Add the garlic, flour, cumin, cayenne pepper and 2 teaspoons of ancho chile powder, and cook for 1 minute. 5. Add the chicken broth and cook on low until mixture is thickened, a few minutes. Stir in the half-and-half and Ro-Tel cover the pot, and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 6. Uncover the pot, and add the sour cream, 2 teaspoons of lime juice and 1/4 cup of cilantro, and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat. 7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 8. Heat up the tortillas (you can do this by adding a bit of oil on an iron skillet and then cooking the tortillas for about 30 seconds on each side). 9. Ladle 1/2 cup of the sauce onto the bottom of an 11 x 7 inch baking pan. Layer half the tortillas along the bottom of the pan (on top of the sauce). To make sure entire pan is evenly covered, you can rip some of the tortillas into strips to fill any gaps. Add half the chicken, half the remaining sauce, half the remaining cilantro and 1 1/2 cups of grated cheese. Repeat the layering, leaving the cheese layer on top. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbling. Serves 6-12, depending on how big a portion you distribute. Goes great with sour cream and cilantro on top.

I've posted this one many times before but it sticks in my memory because it was offered at a dinner party by a very busy lady, head of a university department, who came home after work to prepare this dish for her guests. We were all so impressed that she managed to make something tasting so good without working at it all day. She had made mimeographed copies of the recipe beforehand as she said everyone asked for it when she served this dish. This was before the days of photocopiers ! LOL. This was a simple but prize winning recipe in a cross country cooking contest sponsored by a Canadian womens' magazine in the 1960s. Tastes better if made one day ahead. 1 kilo of veal shoulder steak, cut into small bite-size pieces 2 medium onions, sliced 1 cup water 1/2 cup ketchup or tomato sauce 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 teasp salt 1/2 teasp pepper 1 1/2 cups cashews (rinse if they are salted) 2 TBS butter Worcestershire sauce 1). Grind garlic, salt and pepper together in mortar and pestle. 2). Roll veal pieces in this mixture in the mortar and then on a clean plate, being sure pieces are well coated. 3). Brown veal in butter in a saucepan. When brown, add onions, water, tomato sauce and cashews. 4). Simmer slowly until meat and nuts are both tender. About 40 minutes. It may need a bit of water added. 5). Thicken with a bit of flour and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce. 6). Best served the next day. Goes well with rice and a crisp green salad. SharonCb