Eric pan-fried sweet potatoes, red potatoes, and new potatoes in oil, adding rosemary and coarsely chopped garlic when potatoes were nearly tender.

Fresh raspberry vinaigrette complemented his Arugula Salad with Sunflower Sprouts, Pear Slices, and Orange Cherry Tomatoes.

As an experiment he mounded grass-fed beef burgers before grilling.

Sliced tomatoes on mixed greens added color to the table.

Parmesan Pepper Bread from Gourmet Creations took the place of buns.

In individual serving bowls, have each diner layer the ingredients listed below.  Quantities will vary according to personal preference

Black beans, cooked or canned, drained & rinsed, gently heated

Rice, cooked & salted to taste

Corn, freshly cut from cob & raw is best

Chicken (optional), skinned, boned, cooked & diced

Salsa – see recipe under Huevos Rancheros or purchase

Guacamole – see recipe below or purchase

Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated

Plain Yogurt, Greek-style (full or low fat)

Eric’s Guacamole

Ingredients:

2 Avocadoes, chopped (save pits)

Juice of one lime

Salt, pinch or two

Onion, 1 T finely chopped

1 Tomato, small to medium, chopped

Preparation:

Add lime juice to medium bowl

Add salt

Add chopped avocado & mash with fork

Mix in onion & tomato

Bury saved pits in mixture to prevent discoloration

Hope and Rod’s friends Debbie and Joe visited us on Edisto Island and made us Beaufort Stew, a traditional local dish also called Low Country Boil and Frogmore Stew.  This recipe fed 20 with lots of leftovers.

Ingredients:

20 small, unskinned red potatoes, halved

5 lbs. Vidalia  onions, quartered

1 dozen ears of corn, shucked, 2 – 3 inch pieces

4 lbs. Polska Kielbasa sausage, 2 – 3 inch pieces

2  3-oz. boxes Zatariah’s Crawfish, Shrimp & Crab Boil

12 lbs. fresh shrimp, remove heads before cooking (about  8 lbs. without heads)

Preparation:

Boil water in 28 – 30 gallon pot

When boiling, add potatoes, cook 7 minutes

Add white onions & sausage, cook 7 minutes

Add corn & cook 7 minutes

Add shrimp & cook 7 minutes

Hope purchased raw peanuts in the shell at a roadside stand near Edisto Beach, South Carolina, and refrigerated them.  When we cooked them, the end result was something I’d never tasted.  Growing up in the South, Hope said she consumed lots of boiled peanuts but no peanut butter.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds of raw, unshelled peanuts

¼ cup sea salt

water

Preparation:

Place unshelled peanuts in large stewpot

Cover with water

Bring water to boil, then lower heat to medium

Simmer peanuts 45 minutes, then drain

Cover peanuts with ice, drain water when melted

Refrigerate overnight

Shell when ready to eat

Ingredients:

2-16 oz. cans garbanzo beans, rinsed

1-16 oz. can cannelloni beans, rinsed

2-16 oz. black beans, rinsed

1 whole container cherry tomatoes

6-8 sliced green onions

4 minced cloves elephant garlic (or 8 small)

juice of 3-4 lemons

sea salt to taste

¼ cup olive

big handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients in large bowl

Serve at room temperature, then refrigerate

Great left over!

With the whole family pitching in, this dish was quickly assembled and made a festive Labor Day weekend brunch.  Home-grown tomatoes added extra sparkle.  A small bowl of orange wedges sufficed for dessert.

This recipe yields four large servings with two eggs each.  Use small tortillas or halve large ones to make smaller servings.  One egg/tortilla (or tortilla half) would satisfy many people, especially if half the plate is filled with lightly dressed mixed greens and sunflower sprouts.

Consider making the salsa and guacamole a little in advance or purchasing them already prepared to save time and eliminate steps.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons butter

4 large multi-grain or 8 small corn tortillas

5 large tomatoes or ½ box Pomi Chopped Tomatoes

1 small purple onion, chopped

¼ chopped fresh cilantro, plus a few leaves for garnishing

1 large garlic clove, coarsely chopped

½ teaspoon salt

juice of 1 lime

8 eggs

2 cans whole black beans

¼ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

½ cup plain yogurt

1 cup guacamole (See recipe under Eric’s Burrito Bowl.)

Preparation:

Warm 1 tablespoon oil in heavy skillet.  Add a layer of tortillas and cook 1 minute.

Flip and cook other side.  Remove from skillet, set in pie pan, cover with aluminum foil, and place in warm oven or toaster oven.  Repeat until all tortillas are warmed.

Puree tomatoes, onion, lime juice, cilantro (reserving stems for garnish), garlic, and salt in blender.

Pour carefully into the same (now empty) heavy skillet and simmer, stirring until salsa thickens, about 10 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to separate pan.  Add drained beans.  Stir very gently only occasionally so beans retain their shape and glossy color.  (Don’t mash!)

In separate skillet, fry 2 eggs in 1/2 teaspoon butter.

Set aside to keep warm.  Continue until all eggs are fried.

Plate Huevos Rancheros:

Lay 1 large or 2 overlapping small tortillas on plate.  Spoon beans on each tortilla.

Gently lay eggs atop beans (2 on large tortilla or 1 on each small tortilla).

Drizzle salsa over everything.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Add dollops of yogurt and guacamole.  Garnish with reserved cilantro.

Combining farmers’ market tomatoes and goat cheese with our own garden tomatoes and basil, we assembled this salad in minutes.  Final touches included drizzling with olive oil and sprinkling with salt and coarsely ground pepper.