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.
The weekend is just around the corner – phew!!! Will you have time this weekend to bake something for THE 2022 GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF? We love the team effort baking that is going on. Special mention to the Nyamake family – Jacob you make me smile!
Perhaps you don’t have time to bake something new for the BAKE OFF. As always, we are very happy to include photographs of bakes you made in the past.
THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF is a celebration of WordPress bloggers and readers – we don’t give you a list of complicated rules. All we ask is that you have fun and enjoy getting to know other bloggers.
We are just in the early days of fall, and it is already pumpkin season. That means there will be a lot of pumpkin recipes in the making. I love pumpkin, and I actually cook with it quite a bit, making many different fabulous creations. Everything nice with pumpkin spice, and even better when chocolate chips are added to the mix. I just made some pumpkin coffee cake, which would have been very good on its own, but I added chocolate chips and it was transformed from being good to being fantastic. I personally think pumpkin and chocolate are a great combination.
Pumpkin Spice and Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
The Cake
Preheat the oven to 350* F or about 180* C.
Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray,
1/2 cup or 1 stick softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1-15 oz can pureed pumpkin
1 heaping cup chocolate chips
Mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside.
Mix the butter and sugar together until creamy, then add the eggs, mixing in between each addition. Add the vanilla. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and 1/2 of the pumpkin puree, mix, then repeat until everything is added and mixed together well. Do not over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Evenly spread 1/2 the batter into the prepared pan, then layer the top with the filling. Add the rest of the batter on top of the filling and carefully spread the remaining batter to cover the filling and to fill the pan.
The Filling
3 TBSP softened butter
1.2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
Mix everything together either with your hands or with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse sand. Set aside.
The Streusel
5 TBSP softened butter
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice
Mix everything together either with your hands or with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse sand. Set aside.
Sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter, covering it completely, then bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Allow the cake to col completely before cutting into slices. Then share with friends and enjoy.
You can enjoy pumpkin and all it has to offer at anytime of the year, but it just seems to really hit the spot during fall, when the there is a slight crispness to the air. Fall is my favorite time of year. I just love everything about it, including all the pumpkin spice dishes.
Make the most out of every season. Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.
As you all should know by now, our 2022 Great Blogger’s Bake-Off is almost here. Not all of us are perfect bakers. In fact, even those of us “who should know better” still make plenty of mistake. We want to see those efforts too, and heart their stories.
IT HAPPENS TO US ALL
For the past three years, THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF has been made even more lively by the photographs sent in of bakes that did not quite go according to plan.
Although the 2022 GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF is focusing on three special themes:
BUDGET BAKING
SUSTANIBLE BAKING
SHARING THE JOY OF BAKING
….yes, we love seeing those pictures of bakes that nearly sent Yorkshire (or Texas) up in smoke.
The BAKE OFF is a weekend of fun, colour, music and lots and lots of bakes!!! The international flavour is fantastic this year and we love the low cost recipes that many of you are sending in.
There is still time. Please send a picture of a bake you would like to be featured in THE 2022 GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF to:
The lakes are pretty quiet these days, but I always have my camera with me, at the ready, just in case. The only thing of interest to me today was the Magpie. I was following him from tree to tree and across the ponds. I think he loved the attention. We were playing a little game of hide ‘n seek.
Yesterday Larry and I celebrated out 19th wedding anniversary. We celebrated at Texas de Brazil for dinner. Texas de Brazil It has been quite an adventure so far. Let’s see what the next 19 brings. I am looking forward to all the new adventures that await us. Bring them on!
Then
and now. We’re a little grayer (Larry. I still have no gray hair or just a minimal amount) and a lot heavier (me, not Larry), but we are still having fun and still as adventurous as ever, if not even more.
Life is definitely good. I love you Sweetie. I am looking forward to the next set of adventures that come our way.
When we were in Bonaire, we ate mostly seafood. Larry is most definitely a meat and potatoes kind-of guy, but he also likes a wide variety of foods, including fresh seafood whenever we are by the sea. But now that we are home, Larry wants a lot of steak. I guess he was feeling a bit deprived, although he loves good seafood too. So steak was definitely on the menu once again.
I found a new recipe I wanted to try, that was quick, easy and delicious; my favorite kinds of recipes. I love quick and easy recipes, especially when they are full of flavor. It was steak and roasted vegetables cooked all together in one pan, roasted in the oven.
Of course I enhanced the original recipe and “Jeannefied it”, though I followed the directions for the cooking time, and the steak was a little over-cooked for my tastes, but it was still very good and full of flavor.
Strip Steak and Roasted Vegetables
1-1 1/2 cups mushrooms, quartered or sliced
2 bunches or broccolini or broccoli rabe, trimmed
1-2 TBSP garlic
1/2 onion, diced medium
1 tsp red pepper flakes or to taste
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 TBSP lemon olive oil, optional
2-3 TBSP lemon balsamic vinegar, optional
1 cup grape tomatoes or other small tomatoes
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed – I used northern beans
1 1/2-2 lbs strip steak
Preheat the oven to 450* F or about 225* C.
Combine the oils and vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and pepper flakes, then toss all the vegetables except the tomatoes and the beans. You know when I add the optional part that I have used that and recommend it. 🙂 Spread the vegetables out onto a rimmed baking pan in an single layer. I used my Sweet 100 tomatoes from Janet & Bob’s garden. Gift From The Garden I am creatively using up all my delicious tomatoes. 🙂
Roast the vegetables for about 15 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, coat the steak with the same olive oil mixture, then place in the center of the pan, pushing the vegetables to the sides, and continue to cook for an additional 5-7 minutes per side. I LOVE a good medium rare steak, but unfortunately, I cooked it for about 6 minutes per side, and it was over done. So if you like it more rare like I do, NO MORE than 5 minutes per side.
Still using the olive oil mixture, coat the tomatoes and the beans and gently toss. Remove the steaks and let set for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and beans to the vegetables and continue to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
By the time you remove the vegetables from the oven, it will be time to slice the steak into thin strips. And everything will be ready to eat and ready to enjoy.
I served it with some warmed ciabiatta and a glass or two of deliciously smooth Malbec, from of course InVINtions, to make a perfect meal. This was so good and so simple.
The GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF has been an event to bring together some amazing WordPress users – both writers, poets, bakers, bloggers, readers and others who want to engage with other very lovely WordPress users. It has been an incredibly colourful, yummy and joyful event for the past three years, and Jeanne, Gary and I are delighted to be preparing for the 2022 BAKE OFF.
This year, we are inviting writers to respond to a special GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF Writing Prompt. However, your writing does not have to be strictly about baking (although we would be thrilled if there was a baking aspect).
Many of you will have seen that this year’s BAKE OFF has the theme:
The Joy Of Baking
But we are focusing on three areas of baking that can bring joy despite the anxious worries many of us have due to tumultuous world events and personal concerns.
BUDGET BAKING
SUSTAINABLE BAKING
SHARING THE JOY OF BAKING WITH OTHERS
This year we are asking you to write in response to one of the following three themes (you can respond to as many as you like):
THE COST OF LIVING
OUR BEAUTIFUL HOME – PLANET EARTH
HOW TO FIND JOY IN LIFE AND SHARE JOY WITH OTHERS IN TROUBLESOME TIMES
Your piece can take any format you prefer. It can be short, it can be long. It can be comedy, mystery, or real-life drama. It can be a work of fiction, a story, or it can be your thoughts on any of these subjects. But we would love your work to be a reflection of you as a writer. Every year THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF introduces us to more and more fabulous bloggers so we would love you to put some of your personality and style into your writing so that new readers can get to know you.
Please publish your writing in response to the special bake off writing prompt ON YOUR SITE. During BAKE OFF weekend (15th & 16th October 2022) we will have a special post featuring links to your posts. But our writing prompt is open now, so please either pingback to this post or copy a link to your post in the comments below, so that we can find your post.
You are very welcome to advertise our SPECIAL BAKE OFF WRITING PROMPT. You are very welcome to use the Pixabay image used for our writing prompt logo. You are very welcome to send in any questions about the BAKE OFF (or indeed baking photographs) to:
Estes Park is a good place to just stroll around town and take it all in. It is a very creative place that is matched by its gorgeous scenery, making it a top tourist destination. Plus it is home to the Famous Stanley Hotel too. We went with no agenda other than to just take it all in and see what we saw. We strolled up one side of the street and down the other, stopping at whatever place tickled our fancy at the time. And of course, taking pictures all along the way. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we all had a great time just having fun being together.
Once we parked, we started with a picnic lunch by the creek, where we saw some fly fishermen in action. I wonder if they caught anything.
Estes Park is definitely a walking town, but there is a free trolley to take you all around too, if you prefer.
Along the river walk, there are all kinds of large percussion instruments for people to play with, as well as various sculptures and colorful murals to see.
This is Buddy, the dog immortalized in the mural. He was such a sweet greeter to everyone walking by. Or maybe he was just hoping they would give him a hot dog.
Buddy belongs to the owner of the Chicago Hot Dog Place, and Mike being from Chicago just had to give it a try. I think he enjoyed his “dog’.
Mike enjoyed his Chicago dog, and stopped in for some homemade taffy, but Larry, Lauren and I had to try some moonshine.
There were lots of pretty, colorful flowers in bloom, and of course I took a bazillion pictures of them too. As you know, I love flowers.
These flowers are beautiful, but I was really focused on the Hummingbird Moth. Believe it or not, I had never seen one before, nor had I ever heard of one either. It is a moth, but looks just like a hummingbird. I actually thought it was a hummingbird at first. He was hard to get because he never slowed down or stopped. I was lucky to get these pictures.
It was a beautiful and relaxing day, and we all had a great time just hanging out and taking it all in. Sometimes, you just have to slow things down and just enjoy.
We are back home and life is back to normal. That means I am once again back in the kitchen, cooking up all kinds of good things. The temperatures are beginning to cool down a bit, so it is time to once again use the oven more too. One of my latest creations was a seared pork loin with a mushroom-brandy cream sauce.
I started off by making a crushed peppercorn crust for my pork loin, then seared it for 3 minutes per side until it had a nice, golden crust all around.
For the perfect sear, you want the skillet to be VERY, VERY hot first, then add olive oil and butter to the skillet, then carefully add the meat. If you have a cast iron or oven proof skillet, you can out it in the oven to heat up for about 30 minutes too.
As the pork was forming its nice crust, the oven heating up at 425* F or about 230*C. When all the sides of the pork loin were crusted over, transferr the pork into a baking dish and drizzle a little olive oil and black fig balsamic vinegar over the top. Then in to the oven it goes to cook until the internal temperature is at least 160* F.
For the sauce, add about 1/4 cup of brandy and a dash more of the balsamic vinegar to the skillet, to deglaze it. Reduce the liquid to about half, then then add about 1-1/2 cups sliced mushrooms, 1 shallot, sliced very thin and about 1 TBSP of garlic and salt & pepper to taste, though you will still have some pepper from left from searing the pork loin, and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until the onions and mushrooms are cooked.
Add about 3/4-1 cup of heavy whipping cream to the mix and combine thoroughly. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 7-10 minutes, stirring often.
When the pork loin has reached the internal temperature of about 160-165* F, remove it from the oven and let it sit for about 5-7 minutes before slicing. Then slice into thin strips.
Top with the sauce and serve with your favorite side dishes. I served it with some cooked pasta and green beans topped with tomatoes, and a glass or two of a deliciously smooth red blend to complete the meal. Delicious!
Make everyday special. Live it up and enjoy life. Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.
I am fascinated by glass arts. I just love them. I like to make things with glass too, although I haven’t done that in quite some time. When we were up in Estes park last week, One Moose, Two Moose one of the things we did was watch one of the local glass blowers do his art. He made it look so easy and effortless, but we all know he has put in a lot of time to master his art.
This vase took less than 20 minutes for him to get it made, though it will have to cool in the cooling oven for about 12 hours before it is done.
He is making the bottom for the vase and attaching it.
One last firing before he waved it around a few times.
After he shaped it and got it all pieced together he put it in a cooling oven, where it will stand for about 12 hours to cool down. The heating oven is at about 1800* F and the cooling oven is set at about 900* F.
This vase with the wavy top is what the glass blower was making, and about this same color too. Each piece is an original and no two pieces are exactly the same, but this is the general idea of what the finished piece will look like. Isn’t it gorgeous?!
Have a great day Everyone. Take it all in and make the most our f everyday. 🙂
A Jeanne in the Kitchen 