I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
Author: ajeanneinthekitchen
I have worked in the restaurant and catering industry for over 35 years. I attended 2 culinary schools in Southern California, and have a degree in culinary arts from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, as well as a few other degrees in other areas. I love to cook and I love to feed people.
Since we were at Bull Run/Manassas, it was only fitting to see the battlegrounds too. We learned a lot about the Civil War this trip. I am well versed about WWII, but am still very much a novice when it comes to the history of the Civil War.
Our first history lesson was at Bull Run, or Manassas. One of the things I learned was that most of the battles have two names, one from the Confederates (The Southern States) and one from the Union Army (The Northern States). Most often, in unfamiliar territory, the Confederates named their battles after the closest town, whereas the Union soldiers tended to name the battles after streams of running water that ran through the battlefield. Bull Run/Manassas got its name Bull Run because of the stream that ran through the battlefield by the Union Army, and Manassas by the Confederates because the town of Manassas was only about 30 miles outside of Washington D.C. This battle was significant because it was the first actual full-scale battle of the Civil War. This battle was the start of a very long, four-year bloody battle. This round was a Confederate victory. Sadly 22,000 men lost their lives in this bloody battle. The grounds of Bull Run/Manassas are very hallowed grounds, as are so many of their grounds in the Eastern states.
We are in Virginia, which was one of the major battleground states for the Confederates. We are in the South at the moment. Later on into the trip, we were in the northern territory of the Union soldiers. We got the history and perspectives of the war from both sides.
This is a memorial to the fallen Confederate soldiers.
The Civil War Museum of Manassas.
The price of freedom is NEVER free. Freedom is something we have to fight for and defend at all times, at all costs. Throughout history, far too many people have made the ultimate sacrifice so others can live free.
Of course the main reason we went to Virginia was for our niece’s wedding, but the weeding was only one day. We made yet another vacation out of the trip and did oh so much more than the wedding.
Becky was a beautiful bride and the wedding was gorgeous. I will not be posting any pictures of the wedding, however. Becky and Clayton need a chance to see their wedding pictures before everyone else does and also, weddings are personal, not public. I will post a couple of wedding pictures though, just so you see we can actually clean up well when we need to. 🙂
The Bride and Groom with all of Larry’s siblings and spouses, whom we all lovingly call the “outlaws”. Yes, I am most definitely an outlaw. The rebel in me loves this name too.
Aside from the wedding, we also visited a few wineries. The first one we visited was the first thing we did after leaving the airport. It was called The Winery atBull Run, in Manassas, VA. I LOVED their chardonnay, and we bought a bottle to enjoy during the week. Virginia actually ranks as the 5th highest wine producer in the United States. We have now been to four, with many more to go see.
No only did Bull Run offer some delicious wines, but it is loaded with Civil War history as well. Our wine guides were a lot of fun too. This is Sebastian.
The Winery at Bull Run, actually sits on the Bull Run historic site, which I thought was very interesting. The winery and grounds were beautiful.
Making the wines on sight.
Bull Run is ready to party!
And now some Civil War history to go with our wines.
This old structure was one of the hospitals for wounded soldiers.
Guns and memorabilia actually used in the Civil War.
One of the original Confederate flags.
All wineries have their own unique style and personality, but I can honestly say, this is the first one I have ever been to with a history of the Civil War. Virginia was one of the major Confederate states and a lot of Civil War history can be found all over he state. We actually went to quite a few Civil War sights and learned a lot about it, from both points of view and perspectives. It was very interesting. We learned a lot.
Stay tuned. I have so much more fun and interesting things to share.
This is your last chance to send in your baking photos and stories to Mel for the 2022 Great Blogger’s Bake-Off. If you miss this chance, you will have to wait until next year. We want to see what’s been baking in your kitchens.
THIS WEEKEND….THE 2022 GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF!!!
I’m back and will be posting again real soon. Our flight coming home was delayed over three hours, and I have a ton of things to do before life will get back into its normal routine. Right now, I am editing ALL the bazillion pictures and doing a ton of laundry and cleaning. But soon, I promise. I have so much great stuff to share with all of you. So stay tuned.
There was nothing to see today when I went out walking, with the exception of one lone egret. He was completely at peace and all was serene. He looked like he was thoroughly enjoying having the lake all to himself.
Have a great day Everyone. Be at peace with your surroundings and with yourself.
As you know, it is once again time for our Great Blogger’s Bake-Off. This year is going to be a bit different than it has been in years past. One of the themes this year will be about baking on a budget. Mel from “crushedcaramel” crushedcaramel@gmail.com had asked me to offer some advice about budget baking and cooking. Here is my response:
We all know the price of food is rising beyond belief. I just heard that in the United States, where I live, the price of food has risen over 13.5% in the past year. WOW!!! That is a HUGE increase! But we all have to eat. There is no getting around that basic fact, so what do we do. There are all kinds of things we can do to help get around the rising food costs.
Make a list and buy only what you need.
Buy the store brands rather than name brands if you can. More so than not they are exactly the same items as the name brands, and the same quality, just at a lower price.
Buy in bulk if you can, portion off what you need and freeze or store the rest.
Use up those leftovers. Waste not want not. If you are like me, I am not a big fan of eating leftovers in the same recipe or way as the “firstovers” so I recreate and repurpose them all the time.
Instead of going out to eat, especially for lunch, bring in your leftovers for lunch.
So this is a perfect tie-in for yet another creative way to use up my leftovers. This time I used my leftover bison I served at our big birthday bash The Birthday Party. The original way I cooked the roast was mouth watering, and we could have very easily eaten it just the way it was and been very happy with it. But where’s the fun or creativity in that? Of course I wanted to transform it into something different. So I made it into a stew and served it over wide noodles. We also finished up the rest of the jalapeno cheese bread I made for the party as well.
I also finished off most of my tomatoes from Janet and Bob’s 2nd gift of a big box of tomatoes. Gift From The Garden This time I used all of the Sunny Boy golden tomatoes and the rest of the Sweet 100’s. You can use any kind of tomatoes you like, but I wanted to use these up. They were so good! Included in my leftovers was also 1/2 a zucchini and a delicata squash, and a little red onion that I threw into the stew mixture as well.
Bison-Vegetable Stew Over Noodles
1-1 1/2 lbs of bison, cubed
1/4 onion, diced
1-1 1/4 lbs of tomatoes, diced
1-1 1/2 cups mushrooms, quartered
1 TBSP garlic
salt & pepper to taste
2 TBSP tomato paste
1/2-3/4 cup beef broth
olive oil for cooking
1-2 TBSP either lemon juice or lemon balsamic vinegar
Get a skillet very hot and add the olive oil. Then add the vegetables, except for the tomatoes, and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until they are tender, stirring often.
If you are using raw meat, cook it first, then add to the vegetables. But my meat was already cooked, so I did not need to cook it again. Then add the seasonings, tomatoes and beef broth. Instead of pepper this time, I used some Montreal Steak seasoning. I actually ran out of ground black pepper and didn’t feel like crushing my peppercorns. The Montreal steak seasoning was a great substitute and gave the stew a big bold flavor, which is what you are looking for with game meat.
Mix everything together well, then add the tomato paste and stir in with the mix. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about about 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add a dash of either lemon juice or lemon balsamic vinegar at the end of the cooking process, just before serving. It really brings out the flavor of the tomatoes.
This is a big and bold dish and needs something hearty to go with it. This time, I served it over wide noodles, like the kind you would use for a stroganoff, but you can also serve it over mashed potatoes too and that would be very tasty as well.
As I always say, play with your food and be creative. Who knows what you’ll get, but at least you will fun in the process. 🙂
We are leaving once again early tomorrow morning, and will be gone for a week. We will be domestic this time. Our niece is getting married in Virginia, and we will be there for the wedding of course, as well as taking in a lot of the local sights and attractions. We both love history, so we are going to explore a lot of the historical sights of the area. I will not be posting anything while I am gone, but you know you will hear all about it when we get back. So in my absence, stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.
It is such a beautiful fall day today. We have a very pleasant temperature, the skies are so, so blue and the sun is shining brightly. We also have a lot of the beautifully colored Alpine Poppies in full bloom and on display right now too. They brighten up the day just perfectly don’t you think.
Have a bright and beautiful day no mater what you do. 🙂
We had a bison roast in our freezer, just waiting to be used for a special occasion. Our big birthday party for Janet and Lauren The Birthday Party was just such an occasion. It was a big roast, so we had to have enough people over to really appreciate it, since it was way to big to cook for just Larry and I.
We like bison a lot. It’s delicious, healthy and very lean, but I have to confess, we don’t eat it all that often. I had never cooked a bison roast before either. But now I have and it came out fantastic. 🙂
I do have a little bison/buffalo cookbook, which gave me some great advice and cooking tips on how to cook the roast, but you know me, and you know I “Jeannified” it too.
Bison Roast
3-4 lb bison roast
2 pieces of bacon, cut into pieces
1-1 1/2 TBSP garlic
big game spice rub
2-3 bay leaves
1 cup orange juice
salt & pepper to taste
1/2-3/4 cup port
Pat the bison roast dry with a paper towel, then coat both sides with all the seasonings. Slice slits into both sides of the roast, and insert both the garlic and the bacon pieces into the slits. Add the orange juice and port and let marinate for at least 4 hours before cooking, though overnight is better. Because bison is a very lean meat, the bacon adds some needed fat to the meat so the bison does not dry out and get to tough when cooking. And because it is big game, it often has a gamey taste. Using something acidic, like the orange juice, will help draw out some of the gamey taste.
When you are ready to cook the roast, preheat the oven to 275* F or abut 140*C.
Take the roast out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes or so prior to cooking and let set at room temperature.
Place the roast in the oven and let it cook nice and slow, about 25 minutes per pound. I cooked it in the same sauce I marinated it too. I cooked it for about an hour in the oven, but then I needed the oven for other things, and Larry already had the smoker going for all the other meats, so we finished cooking the roast in the smoker too. It was so juicy and tender and definitely full of flavor.
Again, because bison is very lean, it is best served rare to medium rare. For rare, you want the internal temperature to be about 130-135* F and for medium rare, you ant it about 135-140*F. If you overcook it, it will be tough and dry.
When the roast is cooked, let it set for about 5-10 minutes before slicing it, then slice it into thin strips. Serve it with your favorite side dishes and enjoy. Make sure you have a lot of people around to help you eat it too. This is definitely best when served for a gathering of friends and family.
Let your wild side out every now and then. You will definitely be glad you did. 🙂
Thank you to all those who have sent in photographs of bakes past and present that they would like to be featured in the BAKE OFF. There is still time to send in your photos.
Today, we are going to re-cap this year’s special themes and give you some clues about what you can expect in two week’s time. This year’s BAKE OFF has the theme:
The Joy Of Baking
For many 2022 has been a year of multiplying anxieties and concerns. So we are featuring three areas this year that can help us to embrace the joy of baking in a way that works for our budget and is kind to our beautiful planet. These three baking features are:
During the BAKE OFF weekend, we will be sharing some heartwarming examples and experiences from WordPress users who have some wonderful insights to share.
The BAKE OFF weekend is taking shape – and so far it is packed with everything that WordPress delights us with on a daily basis – we have poetry, we have flash fiction, we have real life experiences, we have music, and we have lots and lots and lots of baking!!!
We would love you to be a part of THE 2022 GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments below or send an email. And of course…please do send in photos of any bake you would like to be included in the BAKE OFF to…
Yesterday we celebrated not one, but two birthdays. We were celebrating both Lauren, whose birthday was on Friday, and Janet, whose birthday is next week. Larry and I prepared a feast for these two very special birthday girls.
We had a wide variety of different meats, including a big bison roast, bacon wrapped chicken, corned beef burnt ends and ribs. Larry prepared most of the meats, except for the roast. I did that, and he only finished smoking it after it was mostly cooked. Then I made all the fixin’s and fun stuff to go along with the meats and I made an Italian cake as the birthday cake, for all of us to enjoy after.
Of course we had enough food for a small army, but there were only 10 of us. We have plenty of leftovers. Anyone want to come and help us out? 🙂
One of the things I just had to make were these fun little shark bites. Lauren bought me these fun shark molds when she was vacationing in Florida. They didn’t turn out quite the way we wanted them to, but we all had fun with them and they are now all gone.
Larry is preparing the chicken.
Larry was trying out his new smoker. When he “smokes” he “smokes”. He likes to use up every square inch of his smoker.
Once everything was prepared, it was time to sit down and let the feasting begin.
There was lots of food, lots of fun and lots of laughter all around the table. We all had so much fun. In between dinner and some of the fun, it was time to squeeze in the cake too.
Our new friend Rhonda had a great idea and passed around her phone. Everyone had to take a picture with the person sitting next to them. We had fun making new memories. I LOVE this idea. Rhonda, I hope you don’t mind, but I think this is going to be my new tradition too. 🙂
Zoe and Vinnie having fun.
Rhonda and Lauren
Janet and Mike
Larry (the Daddy Dog) and Vinnie
Bob and Wendy
Wendy and me
Zoe, Vinnie and Alan
It was a very fun evening. We had lots of food, lots of fun, and lots of good times. Life is definitely very good indeed. This is what life is all about. Celebrating with friends, both old and new, and enjoying the fun times making lots and lots of happy memories.
A Jeanne in the Kitchen 