1/4 cup olive oil, in all
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsps chopped garlic
2 cups potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 quarts water
6 ounces chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
salt and black pepper to taste
1 lb kale, washed, trimmed of the thick stems and thinly sliced

In a medium soup pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil, add onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until they turn glassy, dont let them get brown. Add potatoes and water. Cover and boil gently over medium heat for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a skillet cook sausage until most of the fat is rendered out. Drain and reserve.

When the potatoes are tender mash them with a potato masher right in pot. Add sausage to the soup, and then add the kale. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining olive oil and season. Ladle into bowls and serve!

1 medium sized butternut squash
1/2 cup olive
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup sour cream
2 T. Butter
2 cloves roasted garlic
2 bunches cilantro, washed
4 smoked ancho chilies
8 8-10" wheat tortillas
8 slices or 3/4 lbs. shredded jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Split butternut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and save. Oil or spray cookie sheet, rub side with a bit of olive oil and place squash cut side down on sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a fork easily pierces the squash. Remove from oven, cool slightly. Scoop out flesh and place in a bowl. Mash, adding butter, salt, and pepper.
Next, place smoked chilies in a bowl with 1 cup of boiling water. Allow to steep for 15 minutes. Remove from water, cut open, and scrape out seeds. Then place chilies, roasted garlic, and 2 T. of cream into a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add salt if needed. Add a bit more cream if the mixture is too stiff.
To assemble, heat a 10 inch saute pan over medium heat. Add 2 T. of olive oil and place 1 tortilla in pan. Fry for 2 minutes, turn over and spread 1/4 cup of mashed squash over top. Place 2 slices, or 1/4 cup of shredded jack cheese on top of the squash. Place another on top and press down to fill out to sides. Carefully turn quesadilla over and fry 2-3 minutes to crisp it up. Remove from pan and keep warm while you make 3 more following the assembly instructions above. Place quesadillas on a cutting board, cut into quarters and place on a serving tray or individual plate covered with cilantro. Place a large dollop of ancho cream of each serving.

1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup ground medium chilies
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup toasted almonds, pistachios, or pine nuts, ground fine
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup diced tomatoes (optional)
1 T. olive oil
1 T. peanut butter
2 T. flour
1 t. cumin
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. salt
2 garlic cloves
1 oz. piece of dark chocolate
pinch of cinnamon

Place onion, garlic, and olive oil in a small pan and roast in oven for 30 minutues. You can add the nuts to this mixture if they are not already roasted.
Pour contents from pan into a blender and add chilies, salt, oregano, cumin, flour, peanut butter, nuts (if they've been roasted separately), and cinnamon and blend until smooth. Pour chicken broth into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add the mixture from blender and whisk until slightly thickened. Add chocolate and melt. Add cream and tomatoes if desired and blend. Turn down heat, and keep warm until ready to be served over stuffed peppers or other family favorite dishes.
To lighten up a too hot or intense mole, put one part mole to one part sour cream and blend smooth. This makes more of a cream sauce than a mole, and it works!

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
3/4 cup to 1 cup pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts
(or a combination of these)
3/4 cup to 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine basil, garlic and nuts in the bowl of a food processor. (If using a blender, divide the ingredients and make in two batches.) Pulse on and off until basil is chopped. With food processor running, add olive oil in a steady stream until a paste is formed. Scrape down container. Add cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Process briefly to combine. Pesto can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to three weeks.
To freeze, omit cheese, salt and pepper. Pack the pesto base in freezer containers and cover with a thin film of olive oil. When ready to use, defrost and blend in cheese, salt and pepper.
Serving suggestions: Toss with hot pasta and 1 to 2 tablespoons of the hot pasta cooking water. Toss with roasted potatoes, steamed green beans or use on grilled veggies. Add a little prepared Italian or oil & vinegar dressing and use as a dressing for a fresh tomato salad. Use as a spread for French bread.

4 Orange Cuties squash
4 small chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup crumbled gorgonzola
1 cup good parmesan cheese, shredded
3 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
4 sprigs rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
splash of Madeira

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove tops of squash with a sharp knife and set aside. Rub cavity with olive oil and place squash cut side down on cookie sheet. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, until fork pierces flesh easily. Remove from oven and turn squash right side up on cookie sheet and keep warm.
Meanwhile, bake or saute chicken breasts with a bit of salt and pepper, about 20 minutes, until tender and done. Remove from pan and dice.
Place butter in a large saute pan and melt. Whenmelted, add cream and Madeira. Reduce until sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Add gorgonzola, parmesan and blend. Add chicken and heat up. Spoon mixture into squash cavity. Rewarm in oven for a few minutes if the squash has cooled down. Place on serving plates and add rosemary garnish.

6 fresh Tiburon peppers, stems attached
3 cups of mashed squash, mashed potatoes, or polenta
or a combination of all three
fresh basil, thyme, or combination thereof
mole sauce

Wash peppers and place on a cookie sheet. Place in 500 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove and turn over, parts of the skin will be turning black. Place in oven for another 10 minutes. Take out and place damp paper towels over peppers for 10 minutes. Remove towels and begin to peel off skin, as much as you can. Then make a slit down the side of the pepper and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Then stuff the peppers with the mashed squash, potatoes, or polenta and sit them stem side up in a casserole dish. Spoon some mole sauce (see recipe) over each pepper and bake in a 350 degree oven 30 minutes to an hour until reheated.

Fresh asparagus

Marinade:
3 lemons, juiced and cut into eighths
Freshly squeezed lemon juice from the three lemons
1 cup white wine vinegar
0.5 cup olive oil
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Fresh ground sea salt to taste

Wash asparagus and trim ends if necessary. Combine all marinade ingredients. Place asparagus in a flat container and cover with the marinade. Refridgerate for 4 to 6 hours. Remove asparagus from marinade, wrap in aluminum foil and grill on warm barbeque for 6 to 10 minutes or until cooked but still firm.