A Jeanne in the Kitchen

The other day when Larry and I last visited the Wild Animal Sanctuary, the grizzly bears were the stars of the day. Not long ago, we didn’t see many bears because they were still hibernating. But this time, they were out and having fun. They were just bears being bears. 🙂

The black bears were out too, but they weren’t nearly as funny or entertaining as the grizzly bears were.

Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

The other vegetable I served for our Portuguese feast was Portuguese sweet & sour carrots, also known as conserva de cenoura or cenouras temperadas. They are the Portuguese version of pickled carrots. They were very popular in the Southern Algarve region of Portugal. We enjoyed them there too.

Portuguese Sweet & Sour Carrots

These are carrots marinated in olive oil garlic, white wine vinegar and paprika. They are best when marinated overnight and served later, at room temperature.

1 TBSP kosher salt

6 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 TBSP white wine vinegar

1 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp fresh thyme and/or oregano

1-2 tsp paprika

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Blanche the carrots in boiling hot water for about 3-5 minutes, then immediately dip into ice cold water and let set for a bit to stop the cooking process.

Whisk together all the other ingredients and add the carrots. Toss everything together once again. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove them from the refrigerator at least an hour before serving to get them to room temperature.

They are exactly what you would expect; sweet from the carrots and sour or tangy from the vinegar and garlic. They are great as an appetizer or as a side dish for a main meal.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Live life to the fullest. It’s not the destination that matters, but the journey. Enjoy the ride. ‘Til next time.

It is hawk season, or at least I am seeing more hawks than usual right now, though I usually see quite a few at all times. That is perfectly OK by me too. I love the hawks. They just speak to me. A hawk represents, in a spiritual context, sharp focus, higher perspective, and clear vision, acting as a messenger encouraging you to observe your surroundings and act with intent. Seeing a hawk suggests it is time to gain a broader view of a situation, take control of your life, and trust your intuition to soar above challenges. Seeing a hawk reminds you to look at the “big picture” of your life rather than getting lost in minor details, helping you rise above problems and gain clarity. Hawks are often seen as messengers, signaling that you should pay attention to signs, synchronicities, and messages from the spiritual world or your ancestors. They can represent your higher self and the need to release old, limiting energies to advance on your spiritual path. The presence of a hawk is often viewed as a sign of spiritual protection and a prompt to trust your inner voice.

I believe in the spirit animals, and they represent us and speak to us for many reasons. Listen to the animals. Listen to what they have to tell you.

Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

Even though the Portuguese diet is very heavily meat oriented, they do eat their vegetables too. I like balancing my meals, so when I made my Portuguese feast for Bob’s birthday, I wanted vegetables to go with my meat dishes as well. One of the vegetable dishes I made was seared broccoli rabe with garlic, or gretos salteados.

In Portugal, they actually use turnip greens instead of broccoli rabe, but the two are closely related, and here in the United States, David Leite, the author of The New Portuguese Table recommends using broccoli rabe instead of turnip greens.

Broccoli rabe (also known as rapini, raab, or turnip broccoli) is actually a member of the turnip family, not a type of broccoli. While regular broccoli has thick stalks and large, dense heads, broccoli rabe has thin, leafy stalks with small buds, featuring a pungent, bitter taste rather than broccoli’s mild, sweet, and nutty flavor. Broccoli rabe is best sautéed or blanched to reduce bitterness and pairs well with strong flavors like garlic and sausage.

Seared Broccoli Rabe with Garlic

This is an easy-peasy recipe to make and will go well with anything.

2 lbs broccoli rabe

1/4 cup olive oil

6 garlic cloves, sliced thinly

dash red pepper flakes

kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of of water to a rapid boil then add the broccoli rabe and cook for about 2 minutes. Once the broccoli rabe is cooked, take it out of the water and gently roll it into a tea towel to keep it moist until you are ready to saute it.

Heat the olive oil and red pepper flakes in a large skillet until it is sizzling. Cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the garlic starts to brown.

Add the broccoli rabe and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Serve immediately alongside your favorite main dishes and enjoy.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Live life to the fullest. It’s not the destination that matters, but the journey. Enjoy the ride. ‘Til next time.

Yesterday, Larry got off work early and we headed back to our favorite local wild animal preserve, The Wild Animal Sanctuary. As usual, we saw all kinds of wildlife, and also as usual, there were different stars of the day. Some of the day’s stars were the Bald Eagles. We saw some juvenile ones, who hadn’t fully developed into their majestic selves yet, but were well on their way.

And we saw quite a few in flight. I got some good shots of them in flight, which is quite the capture, since that is a pretty hard feat (for me at least) to accomplish. Here are some of the juveniles in flight.

And here they are in their full majestic glory, flying to the Heavens.

One also flew right by our windshield as we were on the way home too, but I didn’t get a shot of that one. Beautiful and majestic are the two best words I can think of to describe these magnificent birds.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Live life to the fullest and take it all in. ‘Til next time.

Before our trip to Portugal, I never knew here were two completely different styles of chicken piri piri. One is the Peruvian style (chicken peri peri) Happy Birthday To Me – Part 3 – Peri Peri Chicken, which has a green sauce, and the other is Mozambique style with a spicy red sauce. Both are very good, just very different styles. The Mozambique style is the original style I believe. Mozambique was once a Portuguese colony, so there are a lot of Mozambique influences in Portuguese cooking, among other cultural influences as well.

One of the dishes I made for our Portuguese feast was chicken piri piri, Moazambique style. This Mozambique style of piri piri is jokingly called Portuguese viagra.

Mozambique Style Chicken Piri Piri

The sauce is what makes the dish, as is most often the case.

3-4 lbs chicken pieces – I used breasts

1 TBSP minced garlic

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

6-8 red chilies, diced very fine

1 cup olive oil

1-2 tsp paprika

dash of Kosher salt

Mix the garlic and vinegar together and let steep for 20 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together well. Pour over the chicken and let marinate for at least 2-3 hours before grilling.

When ready to grill, grill it over a hot grill until the chicken is cooked completely. Reserve the sauce, and heat in a small pan for about 5-7 minutes, at a medium-low flame, then pour over the chicken right before serving. This chicken will have a kick, and that’s exactly what you are looking for. DELICIOUS or DELICIOSA!

Have a great day and make everyday great. Live life to the fullest. It’s not the destination that matters, but the journey. Enjoy the ride. ‘Til next time.

Nuthatches are not birds I see on a regular basis around our lakes. But the other day, when I saw my new baby ducklings, or duck-a-lings as I like to call them, there was a curious White-breasted Nuthatch in the tree right beside me. He kept inching his way closer and closer as if to say, “Hey, I’m right here. Take my picture, not those silly babies”. But he was also playing with me. He definitely wanted the attention, but he was also being coy and as soon as he saw I was looking at him, he would go around the tree trunk. When I took my eyes and camera off of him, he would come back even closer to me, to make sure I hadn’t forgotten about him. He did this a few times before finally posing for his photos.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Enjoy all the little things that come your way. The little things are the things that matter most. 🙂 ‘Til next time.

I think Larry’s favorite dish he tried in Portugal was the francesinha. He was really looking forward to it the whole trip, but waited until we got to Porto to try it.

Francesinha is a a hearty Portuguese sandwich from Porto, featuring layers of meat (like steak, ham, and sausage) on thick bread, covered in melted cheese and a rich, spicy tomato and beer sauce, often topped with a fried egg and served with french fries. The name means “little French woman,” or “little Frenchie”. It was inspired by the French croque monsieur, but adapted with more ingredients and a unique sauce. The francesinha originated in Porto, Portugal, during the 1950s or 1960s, created by Daniel David de Silva, a returned emigrant who sought to adapt the French croque-monsieur to the Portuguese palate. It is said to be a tribute to French women, who Silva reportedly found to be “spicy” (referencing the sauce).

When we had our Portuguese birthday dinner for Bob and Janet, francesinha was the main dish on my menu. It looks complicated to make, but it really wasn’t too hard.

Francesinha

The sauce is the key to this traditional dish from Porto.

The Sauce

4-5 large tomatoes, diced – I used large heirloom tomatoes

1 onion, sliced very thin

1 TBSP garlic

1-2 TBSP butter

2-3 TBSP olive oil

1-2 bay leaves

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1 can light beer

2 cups beef or ham stock – I used ham stock

1/2 cup port

1/4 cup brandy

salt & pepper to taste

1 red chili, diced fine

1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

In a large pot, cook the onions, garlic and chili pepper in the butter and olive oil for about 8 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook for about 40-45 minutes.

With a large liquid mixer, pulse everything until you have a smooth sauce, then pour through a strainer and reboil.

Making The Sandwich

2 slices thick bread

4-5 slices of cheese – your choice of cheese

2 slices thinly sliced ham, or more if you are not using cheese

1 sausage, cooked and cut in half lengthwise

4-6 oz thin steak, cooked to your liking

1 egg

While the sauce is cooking, cook the sausage and steak to your liking. For me, a nice medium rare (the more rare the better for me) is perfect. Once the meat is cooked spray a deep dish with cooking spray and start layering the sandwich. Start with one slice of bread, then the ham, steak, sausage, more ham, and the other slice of bread on top.

If you are not a cheese eater, instead of adding a layer of cheese all around the sandwich, make it even more carnivorous, and add another layer of ham all around it. Since I am not a cheese eater, I made both kinds of francesinha.

Once the sandwich is layered completely, poor the boiling hot sauce over the sandwich. The hotter the sauce, the more quickly and completely it will melt the cheese.

Top with a fried egg and serve immediately.

Don’t even think about how many calories are in this dish. Just enjoy it and savor every bite. I suppose you could make this a vegetarian dish if you wanted to, just use thinly sliced hearty vegetables, such as zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, butternut squash, eggplant, mushrooms and peppers.

This is one of Larry’s favorites, and if you are a meat eater, it will be one of your favorites too.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Live life to the fullest. It’s not the destination that matters, but the journey. Enjoy the ride. ‘Til next time.

We have our first set of Duck-a-lings, or ducklings, on our lakes for the season. Mama had eight babies. She was so proud as she was teaching them swimming lessons. Even though they are just tiny babies right now, I had to get them to you quickly, since they grow up so fast. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Appreciate all the little things in life. Those are what turn the ordinary into spectacular. ‘Til next time.

As you all know by now, we are home from our fabulous trip to Portugal. I hope you enjoyed our Portuguese adventures. I enjoyed revisiting our trip along with you. But in a way, I am still in Portugal, in the comfort of my own kitchen. 🙂

Bob and Janet wanted to see our Portugal pictures, so I made a Portuguese feast and we celebrated Bob’s birthday a little early. After dinner, desserts, some Portuguese port and Ginja, and our slide presentation, we played a few rounds of games as well. It was yet another deliciously fun evening. 🙂

I will give you all the recipes in due time, as you know. Our menu consisted of Mozambique Chicken Piri Piri, Francesinha, broccoli with garlic sauce, pan fried potatoes, Portuguese carrots, mixed olives, and some olive bread.

For dessert, I made the famous pasteis de natas.

As always, we enjoyed good foods and wines with good friends, with lost of good fun and laughter too. Happy Birthday Bob, and many more. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Life is always better with good friends and good food. Live life to the fullest. Live, love, eat. ‘Til next time.