Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

I am still sharing my Spanish adventures, though this one is a Spanish adventure from my own kitchen yet again. I will get back to sharing the adventures of our trip shortly. But first, It is time for some gambas al ajillo.

Gambas al ajillo, or garlic shrimp, is one of my favorites. It’s loaded with shrimp and garlic. Could it be any better? Gambas al ajillo is a traditional Spanish tapas plate that is enjoyed just about everywhere. Both the Basque areas of Spain and the Canary and Balearic Islands are known for their seafood, so it could have originated in either one of those areas. All I know is that it is mui delicioso! It is also one of the dishes I made for our own tapas party last week. Visiting With Andrea As expected, this was yet another big hit.

I didn’t take a lot of pictures because I thought I had already shared this recipe with you. But alas, I was wrong. So I will recreate it and share it with you now. 🙂 As I was busy cooking and getting everything ready for our party, I put Elizabeth in charge of the camera.

Garlic Shrimp

Of course I did what I always do, and made this dish my own. That’s just what I do. I am like the classically trained artists who then break the mold to create their own art. My art is my food. I am like Picasso or Dali and my medium is food. I also doubled my recipe.

1 lb large shrimp, peel and deveined

6 TBSP olive oil

2-3 TBSP lemon olive oil, optional

1-2 tsp red pepper flakes

1-2 tsp fried garlic in chili oil, optional

1 heaping TBSP garlic

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Get a large skillet very hot, then add the oil(s), garlic and peppers. Saute for about 1-2 minutes, or until they become nice and fragrant. Add the shrimp, wine and salt and pepper and cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until the shrimp is completely pink and thoroughly cooked. Stir frequently.

Add the parsley right at the end and mix in, then top again with a bit more parsley. Traditionally this dish is served with a hard crusted bread too so you can dip the bread in the sauce. Trust me, you don’t want to let any of this delicious sauce go to waste. 🙂

We had a vast array of delicious foods at our tapas party, so needless to say I had some leftovers. You all know how much I love to recreate from my leftovers, so that I did too, but I didn’t have enough of any one thing to make a meal for three people. I invited the “Queen” over, and she and I did what we do best, and recreated something by combining what was left to make it into a Spanish pasta.

I had some of my vegetable salad left, as well as a few shrimp and some of the smoked pork loin. With a wave or two of my magic wooden spoon, I tossed them all together, added some more salt & pepper and heavy whipping cream and served it all over fettuccine. !Delicioso! Andrea raved about it, and was so impressed with how I recreated from my leftovers. She had no idea I could recreate like this from leftovers. As I always say, play with your food. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Mother Nature must know that Fall is my absolute favorite season. Before we left for Spain, the fall colors were beginning to come out, but they weren’t particularly spectacular. We’ve been home 2 weeks now, and everyday since we’ve been home, the colors just pop out more and more, and have become more and more vibrant everyday. They are absolutely gorgeous! These are the fall colors I saw today. We have bright, vibrant greens, yellows, gold, orange and reds and everything in between.

This big tree is in our front yard.

That’s the back of my house peeping through the trees.

It seems even our other “local” residents are enjoying the fall colors too.

Thank you Mother Nature, for yet another spectacular Fall season. 🙂

I promise I am coming back to my Spanish adventures series, but first I am going to share my “Spanish adventures” from my own kitchen. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post Visiting With Andrea, one of the things we did while my dear friend Andrea was here was host a tapas and wine tasting party.

We eat tapas on a fairly regular basis anyway, but having just come back from Spain, tapas were a definite must. One of the tapas dishes I made were some Spanish meat pies. I had seen them in one of my cookbooks I just brought back from our trip, but I really made up my own recipe. That’s one of the main reasons I like cookbooks with pictures. The pictures inspire me, but I can figure out the rest out on my own.

My meat pies are featured on the two-tiered stand in the center. I was not the one taking pictures, and I thought I had a better picture of just the meat pies, but I do not, so you will just have to savor all the dishes a bit more. These were delicious and were also a huge hit. Surprisingly, they all disappeared very quickly too. 🙂

Spanish Meat Pies

I started off with my basic go-to dough. The Empanada Party – Part 1 – Beef Empanadas These meat pockets are basically empanadas, just in a different shape. I also used my mixed olive tapenade in the filling as well, but chopped mixed olives with a little lemon juice will work just fine too. Olive Tapenade I mixed the tapenade together with about 2 lbs of ground beef and about 1 lb of beef chorizo, along with 1-2 TBSP garlic, 1-2 tsp red pepper flakes, and 1 onion, diced fine. I also threw in about 3 TBSP of flour towards the end to help thicken the filling up a bit.

Cook everything together until everything is thoroughly cooked. Drain the excess grease and let cool until you are ready to fill the dough cups.

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

Spray muffin tins with cooking spray.

After letting the dough set in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or so, roll it out very thin and cut it into rounds, then press them into the prepared muffin tins.

Add about 2 TBSP of filling to each cup then top with another dough round. Press firmly into place and crimp with the edge of a fork. Slice a couple of slits on the top of each pie to allow the gases to escape while cooking.

After the pies were prepared, I wasn’t ready to bake them, so I let them set in the refrigerator overnight, and baked them right before our party, so they were hot and they were fresh. Whether you bake them right away or let them set for awhile, brush them with an egg wash before placing them in the oven to help them brown. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Let them set for about 5 minutes or so before eating and enjoying them, and enjoy them you will too. 🙂

Recipes are just guidelines, or suggestions. If you are comfortable creating your own versions, by all means, I highly recommend it. As I always say, play with your food and be creative.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

OK. As far as I know, I am back. There is nothing on the books for any more trips at the moment, and to the best of my knowledge, I am able to write about our fun adventures, both in and out of the kitchen, once again. 🙂

My friend Andrea was out visiting for a few days, and she just left this morning. We have known each other and been best friends since our junior high days. We had a great visit and we did all kinds of fun things. I already miss my best bestie. Our friend Priscilla joined us for our party as well. All three of us have known each other since we were kids.

As soon as I picked Andrea up from the airport, I put her to work. We were hosting a wine tasting and tapas party. This was not designed to be a big party, but rather a smaller, more intimate gathering.

I made the Spanish meat pies, which I will share with you all later, smoked pork loin with a roasted red pepper and herb coulis, a roasted vegetable salad The Empanada Party – Part 3 – Una Gran Ensalada Latina and Gambones d’ajo (or Spanish Garlic Shrimp, which I thought I had already shared with you, but I just learned I haven’t yet, so more on that later too. Janet, Bob and their new exchange student Luke, brought patatas bravas Patatas Bravas. Lauren brought some mini lamb gyros, and her friend Mo came as well and she brought some Caprese skewers and Greek skewers, and K-Lee brought some brie, pecan and cranberry cups. !Everything was mui delicioso!

Aside from a lot of delicious food, we also sampled some very good wines. Last year, when Larry and I renewed our membership to InVINtions A Toast to InVINtions! they gave us a blind wine tasting kit. Larry, a non-wine drinker, was the only one who knew what wines were were sampling until we did our big reveals later. It was a fun afternoon. We all had a real good time with lots of laughs and lots of good foods and good wine.

We took Andrea up to the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), to the Bear Lake area, the next day. We had never been there before either, and again we had a great time, and saw a lot. The lake was gorgeous.

We saw beautiful birds, like The American Dipper and the gorgeous Steller’s Jay.

I have been trying to get a good shot of this elusive Steller’s Jay for quite some time, and finally got lucky.

We saw white tailed mule deer.

We saw lots of elk. The big bull was down below his haram, in the ravine. He was watching closely, but we couldn’t get any pictures of him.

We even saw a moose, but we couldn’t get a picture of him either. I tried, but it just didn’t happen.

And we passed my favorite little mountain church on the way home.

On Andrea’s last full day, she and I toured around the Denver area, stopping first at the Hammond Candy Factory, Touring Denver – Part 1 – Hammond’s Candy Factory, then Balistreri Vineyards, Touring Denver – Part 2 – Balistreri Vineyards, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (where Larry and I used to work for 8 years, as well as where we met 23 years ago) and then back home once again. It was a very full, very fun, jam-packed 3 days.

Good friends make life so much better, especially friends who are really more family than friends. Te amo mucho Chica.

Have a great day and make everyday great, especially when you are with good friends. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

I know, I just got home, and have been busy sharing my trip to Spain with you. And I will continue with that series, and so much more in a few days. I am off to the airport to pick up my friend who is flying in from California. She will be out visiting for a few days, and we have a full itinerary planned. Tonight we are continuing with our own tapas party too, which of course, you will hear all about too. We came home last week and literally hit the ground running, but things should calm down again by the end of this week. I just wanted to let you know, I have so much good stuff left to share. So, don’t touch that dial. I’ll be back again sooner than you know. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

This is my last post from Mallorca. We had a great time, and thoroughly fell in love with Mallorca. We saw and did so much. But now it is time for more Spanish adventures. Next stops, Barcelona and Andorra.

We did one last drive through the mountains of Mallorca. We ended up in Cala Rajada, which I believe is northeast of Palma. It is another very beautiful old mountain town that is full of charm. Again, it is another beautiful blending of old traditions and new ideas.

I have no idea what these decorations are for, but I am assuming it was for some kind of festive celebration. While we we waiting for our dinner to arrive, I strolled about briefly. I couldn’t spend too much time here, because again, Larry didn’t feel comfortable driving the narrow, dark, mountain roads at night.

I am so enamored with all the beautiful old buildings. I love them so much more than all the new, modern buildings. I just love all the attention to detail and I appreciate all the labors of love that went into to buildings these gorgeous buildings. I have been told many times that I have an old soul. I truly believe that too.

We enjoyed a delicious paella and tapas dinner at Sa Granja.

Once again, we began with a cool crisp, delicious white wine, artisan bread, olives and aioli. My favorite Spanish white is Albarino, but surprisingly, I didn’t have too much this time, though we did bring a bottle home to enjoy later.

We ordered and shared paella, garlic mushrooms, stuffed mussels, albondigas and a paprika chicken dish.

We can officially say we have seen most of the beautiful Balearian island of Mallorca. I can certainly see why it is called the pearl of the Mediterranean. It is just breathtaking. I might have just left my heart in Mallorca. I’ll have to go back again to know for sure. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

It is only fitting to have seafood for dinner when we had a full day traveling around the coast. We stopped in at this cozy little restaurant with a gorgeous view of the marina.

Once again, we started off with some delicious fresh baked bread served with fresh olives and aioli. I could have easily made this my meal too.

But instead, we had some delicious pasta del mar that was loaded with lobster, mussels and clams and some grilled fish for our main meals.

It was yet another perfectly delicious way to end the day. We had fun eating our way through Spain. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Soller is a little town where the mountains meet the sea, like so many other little towns and villages in Mallorca. Imagine a small destination nestled in the mountains that’s features rustic stone homes, a vintage tram that rolls through the center of town, stunning churches that soar into the sky, and quaint cafes where you can sit back, sip on a refreshing drink, and admire the endless views. Soller is that place. It’s a beautiful little town that has actually been recognized by the World Heritage and UNESCO Foundations. Soller offers a perfect combination of seaside beauty and historical heritage. Rumor has it that Soller is one of the prettiest little villages in Mallorca. I don’t know about that though, since we enjoyed every place we went and every place was beautiful.

This little town had not one, not two, but three lighthouses. Two of them are very old, and they are not functioning, but they are still interesting to see. You have to look very, very closely, but I do have all three lighthouses in this picture. They are all off in the distance though.

I like the fun sculpture of the fisherman too.

Soller is a cute, quaint little town that keeps close to its traditional roots and simple way of life.

Local artisans still make a lot of their everyday wares by hand, the old fashioned way. We actually purchased a couple of olive oil jars for gifts.

Colorful art is everywhere, just waiting to be seen and discovered. All you have to do is look for it.

We had to walk. There was no way Larry could fit into this tiny little car.

All the walking around and exploring in the heat of the day called for a little siesta break and a glass of delicious sangria. We sat in one of the local places that let us watch the world go by while we took a little break.

I love this creative menu display.

It was a gorgeous day and we saw and did so much. Have I mentioned that I just absolutely LOVE Spain? I love the colors, the food, the art, the music, and in a word, their passion for life. I think I must have been Spanish in another life. 🙂

We are still eating our way through Mallorca. I have a few more good eats from the island before we move on to Barcelona and Andorra. Our trip was a little shy of two weeks, but we sure did do a lot and try a lot of very good food. Somehow, I got myself all thrown off, but I am hoping to catch up. Maybe it’s just because we were so busy it’s easy to get confused. Believe it or not, I am still going through and editing our pictures. I think I am ALMOST done. 🙂 I still have a lot of great, fun things to share with you. I hope you are enjoying my series on Spain.

This place, La Baranda, is back in Palma. We went there after one of our mountains adventures, and going back into Palma was on the way back to Santa Ponsa, where we were staying.

It looks empty now, but remember the Spanish eat much later than Americans do, so after a bit, it really started filling up.

We enjoyed another delicious tapas dinner that included bruschetta, salted and roasted peppers, some Iberian ham, garlic shrimp and more potatas bravas. We love patatas bravas, and eat them (and ate them) a lot. Everyone has a slightly different way of making them, and I love it. 🙂

We liked the peppers and the ham on their own, but we really liked combining the two together. It was definitely a taste sensation that took it to a different level.

At first Larry didn’t want to eat here, but he was glad we did after. The food was even better than it looked if you can imagine that. 🙂 I love just randomly picking places. You never know what you are going to get, and you are often very pleasantly surprised. 🙂

Good food, good times, and good friends. That’s what life is all about. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

I have so much good information and fun things to share from Spain, and I have been getting a little ahead of myself. I have been remiss on sharing our good eats. Of course we had to eat, and we had delicious food all over the place. Mostly we enjoyed a lot of tapas, but we had some other good meals that weren’t tapas too.

The roads in Mallorca are very narrow, and the more remote roads are also very dark. Larry didn’t feel too comfortable driving around in the dark on these narrow, winding roads, so on our mountain excursion days, we either ate in Santa Ponsa or in Palma.

Santa Ponsa is a hot spot of Irish travelers, so there are a lot of Irish pubs and restaurants there too. We tried one of them while there. We ate at Mrs. Murphy’s Kitchen one night for some traditional Irish fare. The food was delicious and the place was hoppin’.

It is a quaint and cute little place decorated like an Irish country house.

Larry ordered beef stroganoff and I ordered pork wellington in a Dijon mustard sauce. Both were very good and hit the spot.

As I have said many times, sometimes the best things are the unexpected things. Who knew we would get good Irish food in Spain? But we did. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.