A Jeanne in the Kitchen

Julia knows how much I love bread and how much I love to bake bread too. She brought me a sourdough starter that she showed me how to feed and care for. We have been feeding it everyday she has been here so far. And we have also been cooking with it too.

A good sourdough starter is key to making good sourdough bread. Make the starter about 2 weeks in advance before using it to cook with. Your starter is alive and needs to fed and maintained in order to be a good, healthy starter. A starter is very simple to make and is only water and flour, that when properly fed and maintained will turn into a natural yeast alive with healthy bacteria. Mix the flour and water together well then store it in a jar with a tight fitting lid. It will take anywhere from 5-12 days for the starter to start growing. You will know when your starter is ready when it starts to bubble furiously while in the jar after about an hour or so after feeding it. It should double in size after it is fed. It should smell slightly sour and sweet. It tends to work better if you have it a little more wet at the beginning, and then to feed it, once it starts growing, you will mix 1/2 cup of starter with 1/2 cup of water and 1 cup of flour. Mix everything together well and place it back in your jar, only now, you can’t use the lid, so just lightly cover with a little aluminum foil or plastic wrap. This will be the way you will continue to feed it, indefinitely. Do not refrigerate it until after it starts growing. Stir it often before it starts to grow, then once daily is fine. Once you refrigerate the starter, it makes it dormant until you take it out and let it get back to room temperature and start feeding it daily again. I have heard of starters lasting for over 200 years if they are properly fed and maintained.

Sometimes after refrigerating your starter, if it is in the fridge for too long, a yellowish liquid, called hootch, will form on top. And sometimes, a black sediment will also occur. Neither of these are anything to really worry about. Some people just mix them in to their starter, while others throw them away. Both are fine. You can leave the refrigerated starter in the fridge for up to 6 months without feeding it and it should still be fine, but it is best to feed it once a month if you are not using it right away.

No two two starters are alike and because of this, no two sourdough breads are alike either. How you take care of your starter will affect the flavor of your bread. If you feed your starter everyday, the flavor of your bread will be mild. If your starter has missed a couple of feedings and is on the “hungry side” it will have stronger, more sour taste. I love it both ways, but I do have a slight preference for the more sour taste in my sourdough bread.

Bruce and Julia arrived on Friday night. Saturday morning, we first used our starter to make some sourdough pancakes for breakfast. Julia and Larry were the pancake chefs.

We fed the starter again on Sunday morning. We took some of the starter to make some sourdough crackers. We made our dough first, for both our crackers and our bread. We made our crackers out of our scraps.

We used the same dough for both the crackers and the bread, however we cooked the crackers right away and let the bread rise slowly all day.

4 oz of sourdough starter

4 cups flour, divided – bread flour is suggested, though all purpose flour works fine too

1 1/4 cups water

1 tsp salt or kosher salt

For the crackers, preheat the oven to 400* F or 205* C.

Julia rolled the dough for the crackers on top of the parchment paper, and she rolled the dough very, very thin, then she cut it into both small squares and long strips. I brushed them with lemon olive oil and then sprinkled them with sea salt before we baked them to a light golden brown. They were so good. They we thin, light, crispy, slightly lemony and salty too. YUMMY! Or as Lauren said, “they were KICK ASS!” My oven is funky-do, and takes longer to bake things. I don’t know if it is the altitude or what. I am used to my oven, but Julia said she doesn’t like it. 🙂

For the bread, we lined a cast iron skillet with parchment paper, placed the dough in the center, then covered it with a deep, round mixing bowl and let it rise slowly all day, after kneading it for about 7-10 minutes and forming it into a ball. You can do the same thing with a cake pan too.

When it was ready to bake, Julia scored the top of the dough and wrapped both the dough and the skillet with aluminum foil to make a tight seal. This was to trap the steam inside to let the bread rise more slowly and more naturally, and also to create a nice, crispy crust.

We heated the oven to 375* F or 191*C then put the skillet in the oven. We baked the bread covered for about 30-40 minutes, then we raised the oven temperature to about 425* F or 218*C, and continued baking the bread for an additional 30-40 minutes uncovered, until it was golden brown. We let it set for a couple of minutes before slicing it up and savoring every bite. Mike and Lauren joined us for dinner and the bread got rave reviews from everyone. Some of us enjoyed it with butter while the rest of us enjoyed dipping it into a lemon, herb garlic dipping sauce. And Julia and I thought it was fabulous both ways. 🙂

Life is short. Make the most out of everyday and enjoy it with good friends and good food. ‘Til next time.

Bruce and Julia were at their friend’s wedding. While they were gone, I made good use of a lot of the tomatoes they brought. I made a spicy ketchup with a good portion of them. The ketchup, which was more like a spicy BBQ sauce, will be used for something I am making for dinner tonight.

Ketchup originated in China around 300 B.C. as a fermented fish sauce called ge-thcup. Brought to Europe in the 17th century by traders, the recipe evolved into mushroom and walnut ketchups. The first tomato-based recipe was created in Philadelphia in 1812. The modern version was perfected in 1876 by H.J. Heinz in Pittsburgh.

Long before it became the sweet, red condiment we know today, ketchup began as a pungent, fermented fish sauce in southern China. Known in the Hokkien dialect as kôe-chiap or kê-chiap, this early sauce was made from fish entrails, meat byproducts, and soybeans. The salty, savory liquid was easy to store and transport on long ocean voyages, allowing it to spread along trade routes into modern-day Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

In the early 1700s, British and Dutch traders discovered the fish sauce in Southeast Asia and brought it back to Europe. Because the original Asian ingredients were scarce, European cooks began experimenting to replicate the salty, savory flavor profile. This sparked a culinary trend in the 18th century where cookbooks featured numerous “ketchup” variations, including mushroom, walnut, oyster, and lemon. Mushroom ketchup, in particular, became highly popular in England and was a favorite of author Jane Austen.

The first published recipe for tomato-based ketchup did not appear until 1812, introduced by a Philadelphia scientist and physician named James Mease. His early version was a thin, watery concoction made of tomato pulp, spices, and brandy. Ketchup as we know and love it today, has come a long way from it’s ancient Chinese origins, made with fish entrails.

Luckily, my spicy ketchup had NO FISH ENTRAILS. It was made from about 3-4 lbs of fresh tomatoes instead.

Spicy Ketchup

More so than not, I cook with what I have and I improvise and make changes and substitutions if and as I need to. By doing this I make my own recipes up all the time. This recipe was no different. That’s just how I cook. 🙂

3-4 lbs ripe tomatoes, diced – as usual I love to mix and match my tomatoes

1/2 tsp cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 large yellow onion, diced

3 cups peach juice

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine about 1/2 the tomatoes with the rest of the ingredients. Split the cinnamon stick in 1/2. Place in a medium-large pot. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Add the remaining tomatoes and mix together well.

Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. You can leave it chunky if you wish or you can blend it to make it more like a traditional ketchup like I did.

The house was smelling so good, and of course I had to sample the goods when they were done. 🙂

This recipe made about 4 cups of sauce.

You will soon find out how I am planning on using this delicious, spicy sauce, but for now, you’ll have to just enjoy the sauce. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Sauce it up and make it spicy. ‘Til next time.

Bruce and Julia came in a day earlier than we expected. It was a very pleasant surprise indeed. Of course we are happy we get to spend more time with them. Not only are they gifting us with more time together, but they also came bearing gifts, which they didn’t need to do at all, but we are very grateful for.

First, Julia knows I am really getting into my jewelry making and they brought me a whole bunch of beautiful stones of all different colors and sizes. So, there is LOTS more jewelry coming your way. Larry says my silver dealer is my “crack dealer” and Julia laughed at this saying she is now feeding my addiction. 🙂

Then they gifted us with a beautiful bounty from their garden. I will be putting them to very good use while they are here, starting on something in just a bit. You will soon see the results. 🙂

Julia also brought me a sourdough starter. She showed me how to “feed it” then we let it rest over night.

Don’t you just love Julia’s big beautiful smile?????

This morning, Julia was very pleased with the progress of the sourdough starter, and she and Larry made some sourdough pancakes for all of us for breakfast. What kind of hostess am I where I make my guests cook their own breakfast???? 🙂 🙂 🙂

I helped too though. I helped her measure and I cut up the fruit. 🙂

We always have so much fun with Bruce and Julia. We are happy they are here visiting with us as well as their many other friends and family here in Colorado. 🙂

Life is always better when shared with good friends, good food and good times. Life is short. Make the most out of every minute and live life to the fullest. Enjoy the ride. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

In case you hadn’t already noticed, I am a very creative person. I always have been. My mother and I used to do all kinds of creative, crafty things together all the time, so whenever I craft today, I am channeling my mom.

Priscilla asked me the other day how I find time to do all the things I do. Finding time isn’t the issue. In fact, it is quite the opposite. I have too much time on my hands, so I look for creative outlets to keep myself busy. If I don’t keep myself busy, I tend to get into a lot of trouble. Besides, I hate to clean. To me it is one of those necessary evils that has to be done, so I busy myself with other things until I just have to get down to it and do the cleaning and can’t put it off any longer. In all other areas, I was always taught to do what had to be done first, then I could do what I wanted to do after. That is still true today, for the most part, just not when it comes to cleaning the house. 🙂

Here is my latest creative project I just completed. (The glue was still drying).

And some more jewelry projects I am working on too. In fact, I will be leaving to go to my jewelry class in just a bit to work on it some more. I can only do so much at home, because I need the tools at the school. These are going to be another pair of earrings and another pendant. Obviously I still have a lot to do with them. I just started them the other day. The stones are tiger’s eye.

Let your inner artist come out to play. Be creative and have fun. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

For as long as I’ve been cooking, in my humble, honest, professional opinion, I can’t really tell much difference between jambalaya and paella. I love them both. Obviously I have been pondering this for quite some time and still haven’t figured it out. Paella vs Jambalaya I wrote this piece about 3 years ago and am still perplexed. I was even more surprised to see that when you google “jambalaya vs paella”, I am actually referenced on the google website for it. Surprise, surprise, surprise! I just found that out. 🙂

The two dishes have a lot in common because jambalaya was historically inspired by Louisiana’s Spanish settlers attempting to recreate paella using local Gulf Coast ingredients and West African rice techniques. The pros distinguish them this way: Jambalaya and paella are kissing cousins, but with distinct geographical and flavor differences. Paella is a Spanish dish flavored with saffron and cooked in a shallow pan for a crispy crust. Jambalaya is a Louisiana Creole/Cajun dish utilizing long-grain rice, spicy Andouille sausage, and cayenne pepper, cooked in a deep, covered pot. OK. That doesn’t really help much.

Both jambalaya and paella are considered to be poor man’s food. They are both made from little bits of this and little bits of that, and will be different every time you make them. The spices are generally different and usually the types of rice are different too. The cooking methods also vary slightly. Paella is cooked uncovered in a wide, flat pan (the paellera) to create a coveted crispy layer of rice at the bottom called the socarrat. Jambalaya is a one-pot dish cooked in a deep pot with a tight lid, resulting in a fluffier, more stew-like or casserole texture.

This is the paella we made in Barcelona a few years ago with Chef Andre.

We made Paella Marisco, with seafood.

If you are cooking traditional Spanish paella, there are three main types. The three traditional types of paella are: Paella Valenciana (the original meat-based dish), Paella de Marisco (seafood paella), and Paella Mixta (a combination of both meat and seafood). I tend to make the Paella Mixta, with a combination of meat, chicken and seafood most often. That was my latest version too.

This is the paella I just made. Obviously I don’t have a big paellera, but they are basically the same. Both are delicious or delicioso.

If you call it paella or if you call it jambalaya, either way, you’re going to love it. It’s like potato vs pototo or tomato vs tomoto. 🙂

Life is short. Don’t waste your time on the semantics of the little things. Just go out and live life and live it to the fullest. Enjoy the ride. Make the most out of everyday and have a great day. ‘Til next time.

Tilapia is widely debated but is not nutritionally a junk food. It is an inexpensive, low-calorie white fish packed with protein, Vitamin B12, and selenium. However, because it is farm-raised in high densities and has an omnivorous diet, it has earned the stigma of being “trash fish” or “junk fish” among critics. Despite these criticisms, experts emphasize that responsibly farmed tilapia is a highly nutritious, low-mercury protein source. Tilapia are mainly freshwater fish native to Africa and the Middle East, inhabiting shallow streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch recommends choosing tilapia farmed in the U.S. in recirculating systems, or imports from countries like Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, and Indonesia, while generally advising against tilapia imported from China. I personally love tilapia and eat it quite often. It is mild white fish that goes well with everything.

Believe it or not, I actually do buy some prepared foods every now and then. Then I “doctor” them up. We had some garlic breaded tilapia we bought from Costco. Costco does a good job with most of their foods. We’ve had it before and it is very tasty, but it needed a sauce to go with it. So I made it saucy. 🙂

Tilapia with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Cream sauces are my favorite sauces. They are not the healthiest choice, and I do try to limit them to some extent, but I just can’t resist a good cream sauce; over anything. I used the same sauce for my asparagus too, and because I used so many vegetables, it had to be a little healthier, right?! 🙂 This is a versatile sauce that you can use to dress up anything.

olive oil

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/3-1/2 cup diced tomato (I used a yellow tomato)

1 shallot, diced fine

2 tsp minced garlic

1-2 TBSP lemon juice

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

fresh basil and/or lemon verbena, chiffonade – I think you know which one I used this time

2 TBSP butter

Peruvian peppers, optional

Cook the mushrooms, shallots and garlic in the olive oil and lemon juice for about 2-3 minutes or until they have softened and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add the cream and mix together thoroughly. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add the seasonings and the butter to monter au buerre.

Add some of the fresh herbs after the sauce is cooked and mix together thoroughly.

Since I used a prepared fish, I cooked it according to the directions. (I know, a real stretch for me to actually follow directions. Sometimes it does happen though. 🙂 ).

When everything is cooked plate it up. Even when it is just the two of us, the Chef in me still likes to plate it pretty. I served it over couscous, with a dab of sauce on top, then the fish, topped with asparagus, more sauce and the tomatoes, Peruvian peppers and more lemon verbena. I served it with a chilled white wine on the side to complete the meal.

You can buy prepared foods and still give them your own style and personality. You just have to “doctor them up” a bit. No one will ever know you “cheated”. 🙂

Life is short. Make the most out of everyday and live life to the fullest. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

Prairie dogs are always so cute, and so curious. They want to be a part of everything. They also share what they see with their whole community through an intricate series of chirps and “barks”, so soon, the whole prairie dog community knows what’s going on around them.

Be ever watchful and curious. Be like the prairies dogs and be in the know about what’s going on around you. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done a deep dive, so I thought it was time to do another one. This time, I am going to talk about eggplants. I love eggplant, but I do not cook it very often because Larry is not a fan.

When we think of eggplants we think of Mediterranean foods, and we are correct in that belief. However, eggplants were actually a gift from Asia long before they found their way to the Mediterranean. Evidence supports they were first cultivated in China and India as early as 59 BCE. They made their way to the Mediterranean regions around the 8th century through the Arab traders, and spread to the rest of the world as the world grew. Their wilder cousins trace their roots back to Africa.

Today, there are many different varieties and names of eggplants, as they are called by the Americans, Canadians and Australians. They are also known as aubergines, which is derived from the original Arabic name, al-badhinjan. In India, they are often called brinjal, stemming from its Portuguese translation, beringela. In many parts of Europe they were and still are known as “mad apples”. The English name “eggplant” originated during the 18th century from the white or yellow varieties that looked exactly like goose or chicken eggs. In both Germany and Austria, they are known as egg fruit. The word aubergine, which is the French word for eggplant, ultimately stems from the Sanskrit vātiga-gama, which means “the plant that cures the wind.” This ancient name reflects its historical use in Ayurvedic medicine to alleviate flatulence and digestive issues. Their natural chelating properties can assist the liver in filtering toxins. Furthermore, its high fiber content is excellent for gut health, promoting smooth digestion. In Medieval times, eggplants were also thought of as aphrodisiacs.

Eggplants are very healthy for us in many different ways. As I just mentioned, they are good for many digestive issues and ailments, but they are also good for many other health issues as well. Eggplants are rich in dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamins that support normal blood pressure and improve overall blood flow. The antioxidants in the skin help reduce plaque buildup in the aorta and main arteries, meaning they are heart healthy vegetables. They are also considered to be good brain food because they contain Nasunin, an antioxidant found abundantly in the purple skin, which protects cell membranes in the brain from oxidative stress and helps prevent neurodegenerative disorders. They are good for the pancreas because they have a very low glycemic index. The fiber slows the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream, which takes the burden off the pancreas by preventing rapid blood sugar spikes, which in turn helps control diabetes. The majority of the antioxidants are concentrated in the skin, so don’t throw the skins away. Use them when cooking the eggplants.

There are many different varieties of eggplants found all over the world, but the there are three main types that we eat – Solanum melongena, Solanum integrifolium, and Solanum gilo. They come in all colors, shapes and sizes, each with their own unique personality and characteristics. Most of what we eat are the S. melongena varieties.

S. gilo is a cultivar of the Ethiopian eggplant, and S. integrifolium is commonly called “pumpkin on a stick.” It’s actually an eggplant and you really can eat it, but most people grow these as ornamentals due to how eye catching they are in flower arrangements and such. I never knew these were actual eggplants or that they were edible. I thought they were purely ornamental. I learn something new everyday. 🙂

Eggplants, by whatever name you call them, are members of the nightshade family, which also includes tomatoes, potatoes (but not sweet potatoes), eggplants, tomatillos, bell peppers, jalapeños, chili peppers, cayenne, habaneros, and many, many more. In fact, there are roughly 2000 members of the nightshade family found all over the world. Europe did not, as is generally the case with all nightshades, take too well to this initially. It’s not their fault, really. Almost all the nightshades indigenous to Europe are deadly.

Some eggplants will have spiny stems, some not. They have all 5 petals per flower, which can range in color from purple to white. They have that “classic” nightshade look to them with the vibrant yellow stamens and conical petal arrangement. The flowers are largely self-pollinating, but sometimes bees and birds do like to get into the mix on the cross-pollination front.

As of 2014, 50 million tons of eggplant were grown, providing net annual values of 10 billion dollars! The rise in popularity of ketogenic diets also helps eggplant get more traction, because it’s a fantastic low-carb veg that is diverse enough in what it can do to perform a wide array of culinary tasks. Additionally, as we learn more and more about what a nutritional powerhouse eggplant is, that also helps spread the word, as it were. There is an endless amount of ways to cook eggplant, as is usually the case with something that has been around for millennia and is popular all over the world. You are not limited at all in the possibilities, so let your imagination run wild.

I hope this was interesting and educational for you. I know I learned some new things. I hope you did too.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Learn something new everyday and share it with others. Life is short. Make the most out of everyday and live life to the fullest. Enjoy the ride. ‘Til next time.

It had been awhile since we were last at the Wild Animal Sanctuary(WAS). This time we took Neil with us, since he had never been. Neil was coming in from a business trip, and after picking him up from the airport, we all went to lunch. After lunch we were off to the WAS.

It was SUPER HOT, so as expected, most of the animals were lounging around in the shade, doing their best to keep cool. But there were two tigers who were playing around and cooling off by splashing around in their pond.

These two tigers have always been together. They are brother and sister. They were abandoned together in the parking lot but have been well loved and well cared for ever since.

Tigers love to swim and are excellent swimmers too.

It was time for a nap after their swim.

They had a good plan. Play around a little. Cool off with a dip in the pool. Then nap time.

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

It was game night, and our turn to host. We had steak down so I cooked that up with a delicious red wine mushrooms sauce. I served it with my grilled potato salad Grilled Potato Salad. Lauren brought over a salad and some bacon wrapped scallops. And we had some strawberry shortcake for dessert. For a casual impromptu dinner, we ended up with quite the feast. 🙂

Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

My marinade tuned into my sauce with just a few extra additions and cooking it up.

1 1/2 – 2 lbs thick cut steaks

1 cup dry red wine

1-2 TBSP balsamic vinegar

1-2 tsp Dijon mustard

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp dried thyme and/or dried marjoram

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup chicken or beef broth

olive oil

butter or specialty butter

Combine the red wine, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and seasonings together to use as your marinade for your steak. I marinated my steaks for about 5 hours we grilled them.

When ready to cook the steak, get a large skillet very hot, add the olive oil, mushrooms and shallot. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the liquid from the marinade along with the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for an additional 5 or so minutes, stirring frequently, or until it thickens.

Turn off the heat and add the butter. Gently blend the butter into the sauce. I used one of my Bella La Crema specialty butters, Bella La Crema to really enhance and bring out the flavors.

When the steaks and the sauce were done, I topped the steaks with the sauce and some fresh basil and we ate like kings and queens. 🙂

Lauren’s bacon wrapped scallops and salad.

It was yet another deliciously fun evening. Games followed our feast.

Life is short. Make the most out of everyday and live life to the fullest. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.