4 WAYS TO ADD YEARS TO YOUR LIFE AND LIFE TO YOUR YEARS

Just last month I read an article in a MAJOR NEWS ORGANIZATION that stated 4 ways to add years to your life: 1. DON'T SMOKE 2. DRINK ALCOHOL IN MODERATION. 3. EAT FIVE TO SIX PORTIONS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES DAILY. 4. EXERCISE.I am not sure how you took this news but personally, I WAS SHOCKED. Shocked that it had to be reported. Shocked that everyone does not already know these age old axioms. Maybe we just need to be reminded.
I am not one to commit to a regular workout regimen or pumping weights in the gym, and I do not even like running unless I am chasing one of my children or a tennis ball, BUT I find it very easy to HOP ON A BIKE and go for a nice ride with my family. In fact, I liked it so much, I started riding in the trails at JONATHEN DICKENSON STATE PARK, and now I even compete in cross country bike races. That might be more than you want to do, but HOP ON BIKE, and REKINDLE YOUR LOVE FOR THE TWO WHEELED MACHINE THAT GAVE YOU FREEDOM AND MOBILITY WHEN YOU WERE A KID. I like riding on the bike trails at J.D. State Park, or the NEW RIVERBEND PARK because there is little traffic or noise and you can often see beautiful wildlife, INCLUDING DEER AND BEAUTIFUL BIRDS.
Go talk to our friends Bryan and Julie Liles at VILLAGE BIKE SHOP in Hobe Sound, just off bridge road. Mention Chef Christopher sent you and I know they will treat you right. They rent bikes and sell bikes that will fit in any budget. In fact, those tax rebates to hard working families are coming in the spring. Our government is encouraging us to spend them to stimulate the economy. Be a PATRIOT AND BUY A BIKE. You will FEEL GREAT, INCREASE YOUR HEALTH, and HELP THE ECONOMY. You will probably HAVE A LOT OF FUN TOO.
NOW a word about eating 5 to 6 servings daily of Fruits and Vegetables. DUH. It's a NO-BRAINER. Eat FRESH FRUITS FOR SNACKS instead of processed foods with sugar and preservatives. When eating vegetables, GET FRESH WHENEVER POSSIBLE AND COOK THEM LESS. I like to marinate vegetables in balsamic vinaigrette and GRILL THEM. Since your grill is on, why not grill a piece of chicken or your favorite seafood and top with some HEALTHY TROPICAL FRUIT SALSA. Don't forget to Join us for lunch this month and enjoy a COMPLIMENTARY FRESH FRUIT CUP FOR DESSERT.

TROPICAL FRUIT SALSA
Servings: 6

2 cups of diced mango
2 cups of diced pineapple
2 cups of diced kiwi
2 Tbsp minced cilantro
½cup of finely diced red pepper
½ Tbsp rice wine vinegar

For your health...

- Village Bike Shop is located at 8771 SE Bridge Rd. Hobe Sound in the Winn Dixie Plaza (772)546-7751

- Always wear a helmet and be sure to check your tire pressure before you embark

- Eating Fresh Fruit as snacks between meals is most beneficial because it digests very quickly when eaten without other foods.

NEW WORLD CUISINE

LIGHT, HEALTHY, TROPICAL, AND FULL OF FLAVOR

 Norman Van Aken is given credit for coining the name NEW WORLD CUISINE back in 1986. Other names are Florida Fusion or Floribbean, and simply stated it is A CUISINE THAT MARRIES CLASSIC COOKING WITH "NEW WORLD" INGREDIENTS, referring to Christopher Columbus's NEW WORLD discovery in 1492. Some of these New World Ingredients are: BANANAS, PLANTAINS, VANILLA BEAN and TROPICAL FRUITS SUCH AS MANGO, CARAMBOLA, KIWI and PASSIONFRUIT. Additionally, the foods of the NEW WORLD included spices such as CINNAMON, CUMIN, CAYENNE, and CORIANDER.

Here at THE COBBLESTONE CAFÉ, we are committed to injecting some NEW WORLD CUISINE into our menu. We offer a VANILLA VINAIGRETTE as our house dressing, a MOROCCAN BARBECUE sauce that blends ASIAN AND ISLAND flavors, and SAUTEED BANANAS on FRESH YELLOWTAIL SNAPPER, with a BANANA BEURRE BLANC.

Some other Local Restaurants that feature NEW WORLD CUISINE are Captain Charlie's (Reef Grill), The Food Shack, Lazy Loggerheads, Grassy Flats, Tabica Grill, and of course Norman Van Akens namesake NORMAN'S in Coral Gables.

Enjoy a free glass of Wine when you come to The Cobblestone Café

     There is one thing we can all be sure of and that is the fact that where there is a celebration, there will be food. Be it a wedding, birthday party or the celebration of 10 years in business, we celebrate our special times in life with good cooking and eating. The holidays are a great example of this as we all plan our family and social gatherings around feasting.

     In this monthly journal, we are going to explore some of the history and lore of eating and drinking. As we learn about foods, ingredients and cultural traditions, it is my hope that you will find an even greater appreciation for everything culinary. I will be giving you tips and suggestions on how to better appreciate the food and dining experience, including some of my favorite recipes.

     Christmas season brings thoughts of large family gatherings and dinners with your loved ones. It also brings about thoughts of CHOCOLATE. Today I will unveil our favorite chocolate dessert recipe that we teach in all of our cooking classes. If you have a child that has participated in our summer Culinary Academy for Kids, than you surely have had this dessert. If not, here is a very simple recipe for the molten chocolate filled soufflé cake that we call...THE CHOCOLATE VOLCANO EXPERIENCE.

Chocolate Volcano

COME TO THE COBBLESTONE CAFÉ FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER AND ENJOY

 FREE GLASS OF WINE & WARM BELGIAN

CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN

HALLOWEEN IS OVER and autumn has turned to fall..THAT MEANS FOOTBALL AND THANKSGIVING TIME. In 1621, the first Puritan Pilgrims gave thanks for their successful harvest and that they were still alive after losing half of their population to hardships. They celebrated with the Wampanoag Indians, who were largely the reason they survived, as the Wampanoag taught our early settlers how to cultivate the land. Native Americans used pumpkin as a staple in their diets, and the Pilgrims picked up on this using pumpkin for soups, stews and desserts. An early version of the Pumpkin Pie was a hollowed out pumpkin with milk, honey and spices then baked. No doubt the seeds that were pulled out were then roasted and used for a snack. AT THE COBBLESTONE CAFÉ WE ALSO USE PUMPKINSEEDS. During our CULINARY CAMP in the summer, MY JUNIOR STAR CHEFS and I came up with a great PUMPKINSEED PESTO that we used for OUR IRON CHEF COMPETITION. We are going to share that recipe with you. THIS PESTO MAKES A GREAT SPREAD FOR A PANINI SANDWICH, and A GREAT SAUCE MIXED WITH CREAM FOR PASTA.    

I have A LOT TO BE THANKFUL FOR, in particular my sweet bride Elizabeth and our two great kids. God is blessing our lives immeasurably.  I HOPE THAT YOU WILL TAKE TIME OUT TO COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, and do not forget to COME VISIT US AT THE COBBLESTONE CAFÉ. We are YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CAFÉ for SUNDAY BREAKFAST OR BRUNCH, LUNCH Monday through Friday AND DINNER seven nights a week.

RELAX AND ENJOY YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY THIS THANKSGIVING AND LET US DO THE COOKING FOR YOU. OUR FABULOUS THANKSGIVING BUFFET FEAST INCLUDES CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN AND COMPLIMENTRAY GLASS OF WINE WHEN YOU MENTION THAT YOU READ THIS NEWSLETTER.

PUMPKINSEED PESTO

Brunch..just the word conjures up thoughts of leisure and decadence. After doing some research I found out why.(from Guy Beringer in his 1895 article: "Brunch: A Plea")."WHY NOT A NEW MEAL served  around noon, that starts with tea or coffee, marmalade and OTHER BREAKFAST FIXTURES before moving along to heavier fare? By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, BRUNCH would make life brighter for Saturday night Carousers. It would PROMOTE HUMAN HAPPINESS in other ways as well." Beringer followed up by saying: "BRUNCH IS CHEERFUL, SOCIABLE AND INCITING. It's talk compelling. IT PUTS YOU IN A GOOD TEMPER, It makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, IT SWEEPS A WAY THE WORRIES AND COBWEBS OF THE WEEK."

Well, I don't know about Cobwebs and Saturday Night Carousers, but I do know that Brunch is something that I always look forward to AFTER CHURCH ON SUNDAY. The longer the sermon, the bigger my appetite. I usually have a big appetite for Eggs Benedict, another 1890's creation. (Note the coinciding of the creation of brunch with Eggs Benedict.)..The story credits a Mr. Lemuel Benedict who requested toast, bacon, poached eggs, and a small pitcher of Hollandaise to help treat a hangover. If true, Mr. Benedict appears to have been the first to recognize the therapeutic effects of eggs benedict. 

DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, come into THE COBBLESTONE CAFÉ for SUNDAY BREAKFAST OR BRUNCH AND ENJOY A FREE MIMOSA and several trips to the CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN just for mentioning that you read this article.

• Substitute tomato slices and wilted spinach for the bacon for a healthier yet still very tasty Eggs Benedict Florentine.
• Try smoked Salmon instead of bacon for a tasty Eggs Benedict Norwegian style with a sprig of fresh dill.
• Our most popular Benedict is our Maryland style with crab cakes, poached egg and a Creole hollandaise,  which is enhanced with our famous remoulade sauce.

COME TO THE COBBLESTONE CAFÉ DURING

 THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER FOR

FREE CUP OF LOBSTER BISQUE

JUST FOR MENTIONING THAT YOU READ THIS ARTICLE

If you live in South Florida, you surely look forward to the opening of the FLORIDA LOBSTER SEASON.  You either get your scuba tanks filled and head out yourself to one of many known local reefs that hold these DELECTABLE CRUSTACEANS, or you have a neighbor who does, and is generous enough to throw you a few of these "BUGS" every year because YOU ARE A WONDERFUL NEIGHBOR.  You probably have your favorite way of preparing your SPINY LOBSTER, including cutting them down the middle and brushing a little olive oil and seasonings on the tail before it hits your HOT AND CLEAN GRILL.  It is hard to top that, but if you are ready to venture off on a new culinary path, I have some additional ideas for featuring the FLORIDA SPINY LOBSTER, ONE OF MY FAVORITE INGREDIENTS. The first is a take on an ICONIC FOOD of my homeland, the Great State of Maine: THE LOBSTER ROLL.  In our South Florida version, we grill the lobster tail and chop it up and toss it with a lemony mayonnaise and wrap it up in a WARM GRILLED PITA with a light summer slaw of cabbage, jicama, and citrus vinaigrette.  Or how about taking your GRILLED LOBSTER and cutting up chunks to place on top of a Caesar salad or for that matter any favorite salad.  Another great way to use lobster is to toss it into your favorite soup or chowder.  My favorite:  LOBSTER AND CORN CHOWDER.

DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, come into THE COBBLESTONE CAFÉ for lunch or dinner, and enjoy a cup of our FAMOUS LOBSTER BISQUE, FREE, just for mentioning that you read this article.

COME TO THE COBBLESTONE CAFÉ DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST FOR

 FREE BANANAS FOSTER OR BANANA TIRA MI SU

 JUST FOR MENTIONING THAT YOU READ THIS ARTICLE

WATERMELON BRINGS THE FIREWORKS TO YOUR JULY 4^th PICNIC

PICNIC comes from the French term PIQUE NIQUE which basically means POT LUCK.  Now that we are in the heart of PICNIC SEASON, we are going to feature some great side dishes FEATURING WATERMELON.   We run a great Kids Cooking Camp every summer here at The Cobblestone Café and this year we added an IRON CHEF COMPETITION. My Sous Chef and I, along with our JUNIOR IRON CHEFS, create a menu for our guest judges built around a theme ingredient. Last weeks ingredient was WATERMELON. It turns out that watermelon is more versatile than we imagined. PROSCIUTTO AND MELON has long been considered a great pairing. Keeping with that theme we wrapped prosciutto around boneless, skinless chicken breast, seared it and served it with a simple WATERMELON SALSA. Well it was a great combination and a big hit with the judges. I hope you will try it at your next picnic.

Additionally, we made a WATERMELON VINAIGRETTE that was the perfect accompaniment for a light garden salad, a terrific addition to any FOURTH OF JULY PICNIC. Just rough chop your seedless watermelon and with the remaining ingredients, puree in food processor.

Sometimes we use hot sauce when our favorite chili peppers are not readily available. Happy July 4^th to all our readers and a special shout out to all the FAMILIES OF SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN  PROTECTING OUR FREEDOM.

Recipe for Watermelon Salsa

Recipe for Watermelon Vinaigrette