A Jeanne in the Kitchen

Is it a tortilla or a frittata? The simple answer is yes. Depending on where you are, this simple egg and potato mixture goes by both names. In Mexico, a tortilla is something completely different. It is a flat bread made by using either corn or flour and can be filled with anything you like. It is usually served warm. But is Spain, and most parts of Europe, they have a different name. What we call frittatas, they call tortillas or tortillas espanola. I just call them delicious. they arelike a quiche made with potaotes.

These deliciously easy egg and potato dishes date back to the days of the early Romans. The word frittata comes from the Italian word friggere, meaning to be fried. It also has Persian and Neapolitan influences as well. The Persians made egg based dishes with herbs that spread all throughout the Mediterranean regions. In Naples, Italy these simple egg dishes were rustic and made by the simple folks who loved off the land.

The tortilla española (or tortilla de patatas) is a traditional Spanish potato and egg omelette that first emerged in Spain during the late 18th century. Potatoes were brought from South America to Europe by Spanish explorers in the 1530s. The word tortilla is a diminutive of torta (meaning “little cake”). When Spanish explorers saw corn flatbreads in Mexico, they called them tortillas because they looked like traditional Spanish potato cakes. In Spain, a tortilla is a thick, egg-and-potato omelette (known as a tortilla de patatas or tortilla española), whereas in Latin America and North America, a tortilla is a thin, corn or wheat flatbread. Originally, they were made with only eggs, potatoes olive oil and salt. Those are still the primary ingredients, but today you can fill them with anything you like, and onions are now a staple too. They are often ordered either con o sin ceballas, or with or without onions.

Tortilla Espanola

I made my tortilla espanola with onions, peppers and bacon. As long as you use the staples of eggs, potatoes, olive oil and salt, the rest is up to you and your imagination.

2 large potatoes, sliced into thin rounds

4-5 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled

1 onion, sliced very thin

1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 jalapeno and 1 spicy red pepper, diced fine

4-5 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

salt & pepper to taste

olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375* F or 191* C.

Spray a cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Cook the bacon to your liking, then remove and let cool before crumbling it.

Add a little olive oil to the bacon grease and cook the onions and peppers until they have softened and the onions are just starting to brown.

Combine the cooked onions and pepper mixture with the bacon.

Par boil the potatoes for about 10-12 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.

Mix the eggs, cream and seasonings together.

Arrange the potato slices around the bottom of the cake pan. Add a layer of the onion mixture on top and repeat.

Pour the egg mixture on top and bake for about 40-50 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked and the frittata/tortilla is browned on top.

Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Esta mui rico! You can serve this for any meal, anytime of the day, from breakfast to dinner. No matter when you serve it, I guarantee you’re going to love it.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Live life to the fullest and enjoy the ride, no matter what you do. ‘Til next time.

I love finding all kinds of fun food facts and trivia. Some of the things I learn just seem so outlandish, but they are true and always FUN! 🙂

1. The first meal eaten in space isn’t what you would think it would be. It was beef and liver paste with chocolate sauce for dessert. It was eaten by the Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April, 12,1961 on the Vostok 1 Mission. He chose his meal, not for its taste, but because it was space friendly. It all came from tubes that looked like toothpaste tubes. Doesn’t this sound tasty? UM……. NO, NOT really, NO !!!!!!

2. There is a tree called a fruit salad tree in Australia. A fruit salad tree is a single tree that grows multiple compatible fruit varieties on the same rootstock through grafting. One tree can produce up to 6 different kinds of fruits all at once. Each branch or limb is grafted with a different variety from the same botanical family (such as stone fruits, citrus, or apples). Individual fruits keep their own unique flavor, color, size, and ripening schedule, extending the overall harvest window. So if space is an issue, but you still want an orchard, you can plant one of these fruit salad trees and get all kinds of stone fruits all from just one tree.

3. Accidental tea bags. Tea bags were accidentally created by Thomas Sullivan, a New Yorker who sent out his tea samples in silk bags. His merchants—who didn’t know Sullivan intended the bags’ content to be emptied—threw the whole bag into a pot. So in 1908, the tea bag was accidentally born!

4. German Chocolate cake was first made in Dallas, Texas in the 1950’s, not Germany. The name itself is derived from Samuel German, an English-American who created the baking chocolate bar for Baker’s Chocolate Company (also known as “Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate”) almost a century eartlier.

5. Did you know there is actually a disorder that is a fear of cooking? WHAT???? It’s called mageirocophobia.  Mageirocophobia is an official term that describes those who have a genuine fear of cooking (which can also stem from the fear of making mistakes). Many people feel anxious about preparing food, trying a new recipe or cooking for other people. With mageirocophobia, cooking or watching someone else cook can bring severe anxiety. Some people experience overwhelming symptoms that lead to panic attacks. It most probably comes from OCD, known for its repetitive thoughts and urges and perfectionism, or an expectation of flawlessness that, when not met, causes severe self-criticism. Fortunately, I DO NOT have mageirocophobia.

So there you have it. A new batch of fun food facts. You are now once again ready for your next round of trivial pursuit.

Have fun no matter what you do, and learn new things along the way. That keeps us on our toes and makes life interesting. Live life to the fullest and have as much fun as you can along the way. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

Cassata alla Siciliana is an elaborate Italian sponge cake with a mascarpone, chocolate and pistachio filling. It is the unofficial dessert of Sicily, especially for special occasions. Cassata alla Siciliana is a historic Sicilian dessert that evolved over a thousand years through Arab, Norman, Spanish, and Baroque influences. The Arab influences brought the citrus flavorings, nuts, and ricotta cheese, though I use mascarpone cheese instead. The name cassata comes from the Arabic word qas’at, meaning the round bowl or basin used to shape the dessert too. The Spanish introduced chocolate into the mix. The fondant icing was a gift from the Baroque period. This is a very popular cake, and has many different variations.

Here is my own variation that has become a signature cake of my own. Everyone who has tried it loves it, and now they request it too. You have seen it here multiple times too. I make the cake the same, but every now and then I make subtle changes to the presentation. Because of the mascarpone cheese, which is an Italian sweet cream cheese, sometimes I refer to this cake as an Italian cheesecake too.

Cassata Alla Siciliana

This delicious cake isn’t hard to make, but it is definitely a labor of love. It is labor intensive and requires ample time to make.

The Cake

Preheat the oven to 350*F or 180*C.

Spray two 8 1/2 or 9 inch cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

2 cups sifted cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

8 eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup melted butter

Mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Whip the egg whites with a dash of salt together until they form stiff peaks.

Mix the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together. Then add the melted butter and mix again.

Gently fold all the ingredients together and mix well. Pour equally into the prepared cake pans and bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool completely. Keep them in their cake pans, then wrap in aluminum foil and place in the freezer for at least 3-4 hours, or overnight.

Step 2- The Rum Simple Syrup and The Filling

Remove the cakes from the freezer about 30-60 minutes before slicing. Slice each cake in 1/2 horizontally, so you get 4 rounds.

Make the simple syrup and the mascarpone filling.

Simple Rum Syrup

2 cups suar

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup rum or spiced rum

Place in a sauce and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly. Brush each slice of the cake generously with the rum simple syrup.

Mascarpone Filling

3-4 oz mini chocolate chips

3/4 cups coarsely ground pistachios

3 cups mascarpone cheese

1 cup powdered or confectioner’s sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1-2 tsp grated orange peel

Beat the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and together and mix well.

I added the orange peel to the pistachios and chopped them together in the food processor.

Fold the chocolate chips and pistachios into the cheese and sugar mixture.

Once the mixture is made, generously spread on top of 3 of the 4 cake slices and layer them on top of each other. The top layer will be plain, though brushed with the simple syrup.

Carefully put back into the cakepan, cover with aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator. Allow it to set for at least another 3-4 hours hours before finishing the cake with the fondant and the toasted almonds.

The Fondant

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 egg white

2 TBSP water

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 cups toasted almond slivers

Mix the powdered sugar, water, egg white and almond extract together well, then pour over the top of the cake and spread over the top and the sides of the cake, making sure to cover the whole cake. Firmly press the toasted almonds around the sides of the cake and/or the top of the cake.

I added a little whipped cream and more chocolate chips and ground pistachios on top for decorations. Carefully wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

This cake is definitely a labor of love, but love it you will once it is done. And so will everyone else. You will have people begging you to make it again and again. 🙂

Love is always the special ingredient to any recipe. People will feel and taste the love you put into every dish. Make the most out of everyday and live life to the fullest. Enjoy the ride, no matter what you do. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

Lauren chose to celebrate her birthday with an adventure, and chose the Erie railbikes. There were 11 of us, including the 4 of us, Lauren’s 2 kids and their partners and Wendy, Marc and Zoe. We all got there about a half hour or so early and were playing games and having fun before our departure time. Everything was spookily decorated for Halloween, including the rail line.

Just before it was time to depart, the crew called everyone together to explain the history of the train rails and the railbikes and to go over the safety rules. It looks like the conductor forgot about some of the rules himself. 🙂

Then it was time for our railbike adventures to begin. We were in the first 3 cars. The rail lines are the second oldest rail lines in Colorado.

We pedaled down the tracks for about 1.5 miles before stopping and turning the cars around.

We were welcomed by the former riders and residents all along the rails.

We were also welcomed with beautiful bright blue skies and the beautiful fall colors. We couldn’t have asked for a prettier day to do this.

When we hit the end of the line, everyone had to get off the railbikes and the crew turned the bikes around so we could return.

We returned back to our starting point safe and sound. Then we all headed over to Mike and Lauren’s for some chili, cornbread and cake. I will give you the cake details in a bit. It was a fun adventurous way to celebrate, not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 birthdays.

Life is short. Make the most out of everyday while you can. Enjoy the ride along the way, no matter what you do and live life to the fullest. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

We have been jampacked every since we got home from Bonaire. This weekend is particularly full.

We spend yesterday morning at our favorite local happy place, The Wild Animal Sanctuary, (WAS), where we saw lions and tigers and bears and then some, oh my!

After leaving the WAS we headed to Costco for some lunch and shopping. When we got home, I had to finish making/decorating Lauren’s birthday cake, which is a very labor intensive Italian sponge cake with a mascarpone, pistachio and chocolate filling (more on that later). We are celebrating Lauren, Marc and Zoe’s birthdays today.

We had a little down time before we headed out once again. We had tickets to see the Hard Rock Orchestra at the Buell Theatre, downtown.

The Rock Orchestra was GREAT! High energy, great musicians and phenomenal singers with extraordinary voices. It was a 15 piece band/orchestra, complete with percussionists, drummers, violins, cellos, horn section and 4 singers, 2 female and 2 male, all of whom had phenomenal voices. They played and sang hard rock songs set to an orchestra. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn the singers were trained in opera. Their musical selections ranged from Led Zeppelin to AC/DC to Metallica to Evanescence and way beyond.

It was a very fun, very full and very busy day. Today is going to be another busy day, but not as busy. As I mentioned, we are celebrating 3 birthdays today. Marc and Lauren are both late September birthdays, and Zoe is late October. Lauren chose for all of us to ride the Erie bike rails today, then we are going back to their house for a chili dinner and of course the cake, or the Cassata Alla Siciliana.

Life is short. Do as much as you can when you can and live life to the fullest. Enjoy the ride no matter what you do. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

Whenever we travel, we always bring something back for Zoe, our “baby sitter”. When we went to Bonaire, we asked her what she wanted, and she said she was really getting into bracelets. So I asked her, if instead of bringing one back for her, would she like me to make her one. She said “absolutely yes!” So I did. I just finished it yesterday. I will give it to her tomorrow. It will be an early birthday present. She is another October birthday, but her birthday isn’t until closer to the end of the month.

I made this with a combination of silver and copper. Surprisingly, there were NO hiccups with this piece, and it didn’t take me too long to make it either. I think I just may be getting the hang of this jewelry making stuff. AND, it got high praise from my instructors too. That is always a bonus. 🙂

Once I measured out the size, I started cutting both the copper and the silver. This I could do at home.

Next, I added my stamps, soldered it together, and then started the process of sanding and polishing, sanding and polishing, and repeating it once again. These I had to do at school because I needed the tools and machines.

When it was bright and shiny, and didn’t need any more sanding or polishing, it was ready to bend and shape, and then a final polishing after it was all cleaned up. Zoe’s wrists are smaller than mine, so I used all the ladies in class as models.

And now, it is ready to be given away to its new owner. I hope she likes it and wears it proudly. AND, I am almost done with another pair of earrings as well. I am just cranking out new pieces all the time now. 🙂

It’s never too late to learn and master new skills. You just have to start them. Starting new things is often the hardest part. But like the Nike commercials say. “Just do it”.

Life is short. Make the most out of everyday. Challenge yourself. Learn new things. Travel to new places. Live life to the fullest and make everyday a great day, no matter what you do. ‘Til next time.

I love pasta, and could easily eat it everyday. And no, surprisingly, I’m not even Italian. 🙂 Pasta is always my go-to when I am not sure what I want to make. Party because it is so versatile and goes with anything and everything, and partly because it is so so easy to make.

Last night, when it came to making dinner, I had no idea what to make, other than I had swai fish down from the freezer. I literally had no idea what I was going to make until about 10 minutes before I started preparing dinner. Then it hit me. I still have a bunch of yellow tomatoes left from Bob’s garden, so why not make a yellow tomato sauce for the fish. Once I had that idea in mind, the rest was easy and it all came together nicely. 🙂

Pasta with Swai and Creamy Yellow Tomato Sauce

1 fillet of swai or tilapia fish, cut into slices

1 cup flour

salt& pepper to taste

1 box cooked angel hair pasta

olive oil

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1 cup of peas

4-5 mushrooms, sliced

4-5 yellow tomatoes, diced

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp each dried oregano, basil and thyme

1 TBSP garlic

1-2 TBSP lemon olive oil, optional

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

Get a large skillet very hot and add the oil(s) and all the vegetables and the seasonings except the tomatoes. Sautee for about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and the cream. Mix together thoroughly and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Mix the flour and salt & pepper together well. Pat the swai dry with a paper towel and cut into thin strips. Coat with the flour mixture.

Get a separate pan or skillet hot, and add oil and a little bit of butter. Then pan fry the coated fish for about 3-4 minutes per side, flip and continue to cook until it is golden brown.

Once everything is cooked, plate up the pasta, add as much sauce as you like to the pasta, top with the fish, then add a little more sauce over the fish. I served it with garlic bread and a chilled sauvignon blanc. It is a perfect meal for summer or, in our case, an Indian summer. 🙂

Life is short. Make the most out of everyday and make everyday great. Enjoy the ride along the way, no matter what you do. ‘Til next time.

Finally, my lakes have a little life once again. My squirrels are coming out to play and they are busy having fun.

Have a squirrely day and make the most out of everyday. ‘Til next time.

Sometimes, in cooking at least, it’s OK to cheat a little. As you know, I much prefer making my own things from scratch, and I do most of the time too, but every now and then I get pressed for time and have a backup plan. But on those rare occasions that I do cheat and use something premade, I always enhance it and doctor it up. I always make it my own. ALWAYS!

We had some frozen Indian butter chicken from Costco in the freezer. Larry pulled it down and wanted it for dinner. It’s not bad on its own. But I made it much better. The original package had way more sauce than chicken, and no vegetables. I added more chicken and a bunch of vegetables, a dash of yogurt, more curry and turned it into something completely different.

My additions included more chicken, a few colorful tomatoes and peppers, still from Janet & Bob’s garden, green beans and red onion, as well as about 2 TBSP of yogurt, 1 TBSP of curry and 1 tsp of red pepper flakes. Much better! 🙂

I sauteed the peppers and onions in olive oil and butter for about 5 minutes.

I boiled the green beans, then cut them into pieces about 1 inch long and added them and the chicken to the vegetable mix. Then I added the Costco version, the tomatoes, yogurt, red pepper flakes and curry and mixed everything together well.

I brought it all to a boil, then reduced the heat to a simmer and continued to cook until everything was completely heated, for about 5-7 minutes. My final addition was about 2 TBSP of my Bella La Crema Bella La Crema wildflower butter right at the end of the cooking process to finish the sauce.

And Voila! Isn’t this version much better than the plain, boring original version? I certainly think so. 🙂

I served it over rice and added some pita bread on the side. I didn’t have naan bread, but in a pinch, pita bread is a good substitute for naan bread. And to make the meal complete, some good, chilled white wine. Delicious! 🙂

So like I said earlier, sometimes, it’s OK to cheat a little. But if you do cheat, add enough of your own style and personality so no one will know, and make it your own. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Life is short. Live life to the fullest and make the most out of everyday no matter what you do. Enjoy the ride. ‘Til next time.

Lately, as I walk around my lakes, they have been extremely quiet, with nothing really to capture with my camera. I mean NOTHING! So I have been answering to different muses who call out to me.

Of course I am still creating my jewelry. I am now taking the lapidary class, and am learning how to cut rocks and stones. This will make my creations even more personal and more of my own. I am still making my own pieces as well too. I am currently working on another pair of earrings and another bracelet, both of which are almost done. You know I will share them with you once they are finished.

And I am also working on other creative projects too. Yesterday, I felt like painting, so that’s what I worked on.

I am doing my best to answer the muses however they call. Some are challenging; some are fun; but they are almost always a mixture of both.

And as you know, I am ALWAYS cooking something up, and NOT always in the kitchen either, though that’s where most of my creations take place. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Life is short. Make the most out of everyday and live life to the fullest. Enjoy the ride, no matter where it takes you. ‘Til next time.