Kielbasa-Cabbage Stir- Fry

Admittedly, this Keilbasa-Cabbage Stir-Fry is an "oddball" combination of ingredients. I guess that is why it caught my eye! The key is to have your "mise-en-place" (the French phrase mise-en-place means to gather and arrange the ingredients and tools needed before you start cooking). It was very flavorful and had a great texture. You could easily adapt this recipe to suit your taste.

By Leslie Blythe

Green Chili Egg Casserole

There are so many things to like about this Green Chili Egg Casserole. You can prepare it the day before ready to bake the next day or you can also bake it and freeze it into individual portions. Oh, and did I mention that it's absolutely delicious?!

By Leslie Blythe

Baked Salmon with Creamy Leeks

This Baked Salmon with Creamy Leeks is very easy and just divine. The leeks are sautéed and baked with the addition of sour cream, lemon juice, capers and fresh dill. It was so good and simple to make

By Leslie Blythe

Scottish Rumbledethumps

This Scottish Rumbledethumps is game-changing. Rumbledethumps is a traditional dish from the Scottish Borders. The main ingredients are leftover mashed potatoes and cabbage. Similar to Irish colcannon, and English bubble and squeak, it is either served as an accompaniment to a main dish or as a main dish itself.

The beauty of the dish is it can be made the day before and heated up. It can be a side dish alongside a hearty stew, or, if you prefer to eat it on its own, with a fried egg on top.

By Leslie Blythe

Picadillo

I made this last night for dinner and it was AWESOME. It looked like it was going to be awful, but I was wrong. You can use any kind of pepper. Put it in a flour tortilla. The next day you can use the leftovers, if there are any, for breakfast burritos or quesadillas. It's so good and easy! Picadillo is a popular dish in most South American countries. This Mexican Picadillo uses ground beef, tomatoes, potatoes, and some peppers.

By Leslie Blythe

Chicken with Apricot-Chipotle Glaze

This Chicken with Apricot-Chipotle Glaze is smoky, sticky, sweet and spicy. What more could you ask for?! And, it's it all done in one pan. Serve this on a bed of rice and BAM, you're done!

By Leslie Blythe

Cauliflower Fried Rice

Cauliflower rice is full of antioxidants like vitamin A and vitamin C, which can help lower your risk of cancer. Having had cancer, I am all for that. This Cauliflower Fried Rice is a great rice substitute being low in calories and carbs and is ideal for people with diabetes. The beauty of this dish is that you can use any vegetables you have on hand and make it your own.

By Leslie Blythe

Moscow Mule

Years ago, my late friend Brady gave us 25 original Moscow Mule mugs from the legendary late Cock n' Bull restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.  The Cock n' Bull invented the Moscow Mule Cocktail. It's unclear why he thought we needed 25 and I guess I will never know.  They are very rare and hard to find, I think he collected them from eBay. Legend has it that in 1941, Jack Morgan, the owner of the Cock ‘n’ Bull,  developed a ginger beer that he was trying to sell to patrons of the pub. He apparently teamed up with the head of the vodka division of Smirnoff. They both complained of poor sales of their products and developed the Moscow Mule to try and boost the sales of both the ginger beer and vodka. Another version of the story is that the bartender made up the drink to “clean out the basement to get rid of a lot of dead stock.” Somehow, they must have found a copper manufacturer to make these glorious mugs. The mugs are key to this drink, which keeps it arctic cold!

The only time I actually used all 25 mugs, was when I catered a party and the Moscow Mule was the featured drink. At the end of the night, I had to go around and pry them out of the hands of the guests before leaving!

By Leslie Blythe

Beans with Leeks, White Beans and Cheddar on Toast

So, this Beans with Leeks, White Beans and Cheddar on Toast is a recipe that I adapted from a recipe from Nigel Slater. It was posted in The Guardian and it's basically "posh beans on toast". Beans on Toast is a British institution. The reason I made it is because I had the ingredients on hand and because I love leeks. Leeks are massively underappreciated and really add so much so many dishes. It was delicious and I initially thought I would have to serve soup with it, but that was not the case. You can adapt this recipe to ingredients you have.

By Leslie Blythe

Pickled Beet Juice Vinaigrette

I love Pickled Beets and Eggs. It's something I grew up eating. You either love them or hate them! I made a batch and was staring at them thinking that I could make a vinaigrette out of the juice. Why not?! Pickled Beet Juice Vinaigrette is definitely going to stay in my repertoire. It worked really well in the salad I made with the pickled eggs, hearts of palm (I love those too!), cherry tomatoes, cheese, and arugula. Oh, and I also have a recipe for Pickled Deviled Eggs with Crispy Prosciutto!

By Leslie Blythe