I remember the second time I visited my husband’s home country of Czech Republic, it was over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. New Year’s Eve we stayed up almost all night. It was early in the morning the next day, and we were hungry, and only certain “hospodas” (places to order Czech beer and maybe a snack or typical meal) and other joints were still open. Hubby told me that the selection of foods would be quite limited that morning, but they were sure to have one traditional New Year’s food — lentils. Lentils have long been known to symbolize good luck in the New Year, and especially prosperity. I guess I can understand the “prosperity” part because lentils sort of look like coins, in a way. Before that day, the only time I ever ate lentils was in lentil soup. At the restaurant we found, the lentils were cooked with some vegetables and chunks of ham, and then topped with a sunny-side up egg. Pure comfort food! The opposite of an extravagant meal. When I got home, I recreated the simple dish, and even found that it could be made quite diet friendly.
Lentils, Herbs & Ham (optional) with an Egg “Hat” (about 4-6 servings) Continue reading
Do you often make recipes that are posted on the internet, at sites like www.allrecipes.com, www.foodandwine.com, or https://cooking.nytimes.com/? I love cooking new things, and when I have a few special ingredients on hand I get curious about the possibilities for new dishes. Other times, I like to look at different approaches to old recipes I’ve made, to maybe improve on them, or make them with a new twist. Many of these recipes are rated by home cooks everywhere. Obviously some of us have different tastes and expectations for food than others, but generally don’t you look for the recipes with the highest ratings? 
