The recipes you find here are not normally found in your basic cookbooks, but are a collection of recipes from around the world that I love to prepare and that my friends have raved about. They may seem difficult at first sight, but they are really quite simple. They do, for a large part, take a little time to prepare. They are not, what in today's "faddish" society you would call "lo-fat", but are nutritious. These recipes are not intended for daily faire, but are for those special occasions when you want to look and feel like the best damn cook that ever was. They are for impressing your friends and family with your culinary mastery. The recipes are free for your use and The Gutsy Gourmet does not receive any monies for their use. Many of these recipes have been sent to me from around the World. I have tried to give credit for those recipes of others that may be listed here. If I have included your recipe without acknowledgement, please contact me and I will either delete it or give you credit for it's source.

I also want you to know that recipes are made to be altered. Use your imagination when you cook. If one fruit or vegetable is not in season, use something that is. Keep things as fresh as you can buy at the time. Experiment with recipes. Change a spice or two. Use different meats, like substituting pork for chicken. Fry some sweet potatoes instead of white ones. Throw a handful of raisins into your gravy. Pick some nasturtiums out of your garden and toss them in your salad. Put some cranberry juice in your salad dressing. Use lots of olive oil! Raise a little hell in your kitchen! Everyone will think you know what you are doing and will go home and try it themselves.

Season your food while you are cooking. Season before, and during cooking. If you add a new ingredient that needs seasoning, season again. Food seasoned after it is cooked does not taste as good as when seasoned before and during the cooking process. Experiment with different seasonings. Sure, you are going to mess up now and then, but go lightly at first and you will find that your experimentation with seasonings will give your recipes a signature that no one else has.

Last but not least, I hope that you and your family make an effort to have meals together at home...and often. Not having time to cook for your family is like not having time to love them. Take the time to do it. Families are made at the dinner table. Make a time for your family to spend quality time together, to converse, to laugh and to build a foundation on which to grow and love one another. Do it when your children are at an early age, and those will be the moments they will remember all of their lives. Make the time! Make mealtime..happy time!

I hope I have encouraged just one more person to cook in the "Gutsy" style. Go get yourself a cup of tea or coffee, relax and just have fun surfin' this site! Hey! It's FREE, only food related advertisements, and no pop-ups!

Cooking has been a passion of mine for over 65 years. I have traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East and I enjoy preparing the recipes from all ethnic cuisines and cultures. I love to combine them to come up with new and more exciting results. Most of the recipes you will find here have been tried by me and suit my tastes. Some have been developed by me personally and I hope you will enjoy preparing them as much as I have. Most important of all, enjoy yourself, come back often and above all......

"Raise A Little Hell In Your kitchen!"

"May your seas be always calm and your meals always memorable".