Even though a no meat plate, (and by no meat I mean chicken or fish) is not a big deal to me, sometimes, the kids are not necessarily keen on it, more so my son. Say the words peas to him and his little eyes well up with tears. I must say however, that I can claim super mom status when it comes to getting him on board, because my peas are ficken' fabulous.

I season the peas dry with my favourite salted seasoning, then pour hot water on them, soaking them for a few hours. At least 2 1/2 hours to 4 hours. The longer they are soaked , the less time they spend on the stove. After I'm satisfied with the soak time, I pour it into a small pot and sometimes add a little more water to make sure it's covered. I then turn on the heat. My preference is huge chunks of tomatoes, green and yellow peppers, onion, garlic, celery, a little bit of tomato paste, and dallop of butter. Your dallop and my dallop are different, so its whatever you like, :-) but not too much. I had 2 or three tablespoons of Ragu or Prego traditional sauce, then taste the crap out of it until I like it.

For this meal, I did basic rice, carrots, broccoli and fried plantain. But I went all out with my presentation. Sometimes Julia Child feels like shaking her ass, so I let her shake her ass. God I love that woman.