Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

Yesterday I gave you all a teaser and told you a party was being planned. All I told you was that it was going to be a South American Fiesta. Another Adult Cooking Class It was most definitely a fun fiesta indeed. It was an empanada party, complete with two different kinds of empanadas, and two different types of doughs for the empanadas, with an array of other South American to dishes to accompany the empanadas as well.

The Empanada Girls – Me with my sous chefs, from left to right – Su Yeun, Priscilla, Linda, Elizabeth, Peggy, Amy, and Lauren and I in the back. My Sous Chefs and I made everything beforehand and the boys all joined us later to help us eat the fruits of our labors.

Empanadas are staples all over the Spanish speaking parts of the world. They are hand held pockets of bread filled with meats, vegetables or sweets. They are traditionally fried or baked. It just depends on how you like to eat them. I have had them both ways, many times, and I prefer them fried over baked.

The name empanada comes from the Latin in panis which means in bread. In Spanish empanar means to encase in bread. The early ancestors of the empanada seem to have originated in Persia around 250 BC. The early Persians made foods in a bread dough as a form of helping to preserve them as well as making them more easily transportable for the nomadic cultures that lived in those times. Empanadas started appearing wherever the Ottoman Empire left its mark. Once The Spanish laid their claim to these hand held pies, they went wherever the Spanish Conquistadors went and simply became known as empanadas. Every Spanish speaking country has their own particular version of empanadas, and they all have their own unique personalities.

Today, I am presenting you with the beef empanadas we made. For these empanadas, I made a basic flour dough. There are so many different varieties of empanadas. This is only one of endless possibilities. I made the doughs and the fillings earlier in the day before everyone arrived so all we had to do was assemble them. We had a lot on our plates, both literally and figuratively. This was a big time saver.

Beef Empanadas with a Master Dough

The Dough

This dough is very similar to my own master dough that I call my go-to dough that I use for many different recipes.

3 cups flour

1 TBSP baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup or 1 stick of cold butter, cubed

1 TBSP orange juice

2/3 cup seltzer water – I did not have any regularly seltzer water, so I used one of my flavored “fizzy waters” as I call them. It worked just fine. Since I was using orange juice, I chose a blood orange fizzy water.

Pulse all the dry ingredients and butter together in a food processor until they resemble a coarse sand, then add the orange juice and seltzer water and pulse again for about 1-2 minutes, or until it all forms into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before using.

The Beef Filling

Beef is very popular in the Spanish world, so there are many, many different beef recipes. Most of them are regional, using what is readily available. It wasn’t planned, but both varieties of empanadas we made were from Venezuela. These empanadas are known as empanadas de carne mechada. Part of what makes them so distinctive is the cumin used in the mix. These empanadas de mechada are very popular in Caracas.

1 1/2-2 lbs steak, cubed very small

1 cup yellow onion, diced fine

1-1/2 cups tomatoes, diced fine – this time I used Compari tomatoes

1 red bell pepper, diced fine

1 1/2 TBSP garlic

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp cumin

1 cup beef broth

1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped fine

olive oil for cooking

Get the skillet very hot, then add the olive oil and pepper, onions and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the beef, tomatoes, beef broth and parsley.

Continue to cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until everything is completely cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed. Cover and chill for at least an hour or two before cooking. Overnight is fine too. Mine rested overnight before using it.

When you are ready to fill the empanadas, lightly flour your work area and start rolling out the dough. Roll the dough nice and thin, to about 1/4 inch in thickness. You can make your empanadas any size and any shape you like. We made two different shapes for the two different types of empanadas. We made them about 3 inches in diameter. Add about 1-1/2 heaping TBSP of filling to each round, then fold over and shape how you like. Do not over fill the meat pockets or they will over flow and will be hard to seal. Press the edges tightly and crimp together to form your seal.

We made a whole bunch of empanadas; two very full batches, with plenty of fillings left over for more yet to come, or something completely different. 🙂

We fried our empanadas in HOT, HOT, HOT canola oil. Make sure the temperature is about 350* F or 190* C. Then carefully place the empanadas in the hot oil and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until they turn a nice golden brown.

We served them with some fresh chimichurri sauce, Argentine style. Priscilla, my resident Argentine, made the chimichurri with lots of fresh parsley, lots of garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper and red pepper flakes. Linda is supervising and toasting her efforts for a job well done.

Proiscilla is adding the final touches.

I am going to leave this here for today. I have so much more fun times and delicious food to share. This was definitely a very fun cooking class. We It was made really fun because it was good friends gathering together to celebrate good times with good food.

Stay cool, stay safe and stay well Everyone. Make everyday a fiesta. ‘Til next time.

This is going to be very short today. It’s going to be a teaser for things to come. I will be busy in the kitchen prepping for yet another fun cooking class with friends. The girls are coming over around 4:00 PM and the boys are going to join us all around 6:00 PM. You can probably guess by the colors and the cookbooks that it is going to be a South American fiesta. So stay tuned. There will definitely be more good things coming your way very shortly. Now …. back to the kitchen for more prepping for today’s lesson. I’ve got a lot left to do. 🙂

Stay cool, say safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

I thought I would take a break from giving you my recipes and throw in some more fun food facts for everyone to enjoy today. I don’t know about all of you, but when I do these “fun food facts” pieces, I always learn a lot. There is so much to learn about food. Who knew? After today’s post hopefully we will all know a little bit more than we did before.

1. The MacDonald’s franchises around the world make about 9 million lbs of fries a day. Most of all us have grown up with MacDonald’s and their French fries. I used to LOVE their fries. They were the best. Part of what made them so good and so unique is that originally they were cooked in beef tallow. Ray Croc, the founder of MacDonald’s, was inspired by his favorite hot dog stand in Chicago, Sam’s. The MacDonald fries were cooked this way until about 1990. In 1990 they switched from frying them in beef tallow to frying them in vegetable oil, thinking it would make them healthier. WRONG. Not only were the fries even worse for our health than they were originally, but they didn’t taste as good either. MacDonald’s stocks starting falling too. There were two more changes made to the frying oil in recent years, in 2002 and again in 2008, and each time, the taste of the fries paid the price. Today, MacDonald’s cooks their fries in a trans-fat free oil. I don’t even eat them any more. They are not worth the calories to me. And for all you vegans out there who think that MacDonald’s fries are vegan friendly, WRONG again. Their natural flavor is made of “wheat and milk derivatives.” So there isn’t any actual beef product in the fries—although they aren’t vegan-friendly, thanks to the hydrolyzed milk that’s used.

2. The Otis Spunkmeyer brand of cookies and treats is a combination of the names of football player Otis Sistrunk and Orville Redenbacker, the famous popcorn maker. The name came from a 12 year-old little girl whose dad just happened to be Ken Rawlings, the founder of the company.

3. SPAM. We’ve all heard of it, and probably most of us have eaten it and used it at some point too. In fact, Spam has been around for a very long time and has entered its third quarter-century on the rise. More than eight billion cans have been sold since the Hormel Corporation unleashed the product in 1937; it’s currently available in 44 countries throughout the world. But did you know where the name “SPAM comes from? SPAM is a combination of the words “spice” and “ham”.

4. Who doesn’t love pineapple? It is one of Hawai’i’s most treasured items. But it doesn’t just grow on trees. No, no. It actually grows from the ground, and each pineapple takes about 2-3 years to reach maturity. The pineapple plant doesn’t reproduce from seeds, but instead new plants form from the roots of the main plant or from the crown of the fruit.  Each pineapple plant can only flower and fruit once, but the main plant usually produces offsets once it begins to flower.

5. The Butterfinger candy bar, a beloved chocolate concoction here in the United States, has gone through some transformations since it’s American debut. While the original Butterfinger made its debut in 1923, it’s had a few different corporate “homes” over the years, from its originator — Curtiss Candy Company — to Nestle, to, as of April 2018, Ferrara, an American candy company owned by (as of December 2017) Luxembourg-based Ferrero, which then added Nestle’s U.S. product line (including Nerds and Baby Ruth) to its portfolio earlier this year. Butterfingers were started with the key ingredients — peanuts, cocoa, and milk — behind this bar that people are obsessed with and love, and looked at how we could make it even better,” Ferrara Marketing Senior Director Kristen Mandel told me. “The Ferraro philosophy is that quality always wins.” Those higher quality ingredients include U.S.-grown jumbo peanuts which, according to Mandel, allow for a more “uniform and well-rounded roast.” The cocoa in the chocolate-y (not technically full-on “chocolate”) coating has been upgraded as has the amount of milk in the mix, with the goal of a smoother, less gritty mouthfeel and stronger chocolate flavor. At the moment, there are no artificial flavorings or coloring used to produce these delicious treats either. The chocolate-flavored coating is less waxy, less cloyingly sweet, and more cocoa forward. The famous “crispety, crunchety” interior is still flaky but boasts a more natural-tasting roasted peanut flavor. There’s also a richer aftertaste that lingers on the roof of the mouth, which, unlike the old recipe, feels as though it’s a side effect of eating peanut butter rather than candy.

I hope you all enjoyed your food lessons for the day. I hope you all learned something new about some of our favorite foods that many of us have enjoyed for years, if not a lifetime.

Stay cool, stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

It was time for something shrimpy again. We love shrimp, no matter how it is cooked. Even though we love all kinds of seafood, shrimp is one of our favorites. We don’t eat nearly as much seafood as you would think unless we are off diving though. The main reason we don’t eat as much seafood as we would like is because we prefer fresh seafood, and Colorado, being landlocked, in pretty much the middle of the country, isn’t really known for its “fresh seafood” unless it is trout. We do however make exceptions to frozen when it comes to shrimp or shellfish. Colorado is more of a rancher’s state, known mostly for its cattle, although we also have a lot of pork, lamb, bison, and wild game. All of which are fantastic.

When I cooked our shrimp this time, I was shooting for yet another Mediterranean styled dish. I think it came out more Moroccan though, and that’s OK. Morocco is still considered to be part of the Mediterranean. There are 21 countries that surround the Mediterranean Sea, and Morocco is certainly one of them. The Mediterranean identifies countries that have a coastline or cultural similarity.  It doesn’t really matter to me what it’s specific origins were, since it is was really my own creation anyway. It was still just simply shrimp that was simply delicious.

I marinated the shrimp in a Mediterranean/Moroccan styled marinade for only about 45 minutes before skewering them and then putting them on the grill. If you are using kind of a marinade with any kind of acidic juices for shrimp, or seafood in general, the acids will “cook” (think ceviche) the seafood and if in for too long as well as being really cooked on top of that, the seafood and or shrimp will be tough and chewy. This is also a very Spanish styled shrimp dish, but Spain and Morocco border each other and their cuisines are very similar. You could easily use this same marinade for chicken too.

Mediterranean/Moroccan Shrimp

1 1/2-2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup lime juice

1 TBSP garlic

2 TBSP lime olive oil

2 TBSP olive oil

2 tsp chili lime seasoning

1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

Combine all the ingredients together and completely cover the shrimp. Cover and chill until ready to use. As I mentioned above, do not let the shrimp stay in the marinade for too long.

I served my shrimp over couscous with a mixture of garlic, onions, spinach, roasted peppers, tomatoes and basil to give it a little more flavor and personality. I also served some warmed pitas and, of course, a cooled crisp chardonnay on the side.

Follow the directions on the package for the couscous. In a separate pan, saute the onions, garlic, peppers and spinach together in olive oil for about 3-5 minutes, or until the onions are soft.

Then add the tomatoes and basil and cook just long enough to heat thoroughly.

When the couscous is cooked, just add the spinach mixture to the couscous and combine mix together well.

I skewered the shrimp and put them on a hot grill along with the pita bread, which was at a lower heat. Cook the shrimp for about 2-3 minutes per side.

Heat the marinade in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then add about 1 TBSP of cornstarch mixed with some water. Bring to a rapid boil once again then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly.

When everything is ready, plate it up and spoon the sauce over the shrimp and enjoy.

This was a light dinner for us, but when the mercury rises, we tend to eat much lighter than we do when the weather is cooler and the mercury drops again. Besides, a light dinner allowed us to save room for popcorn later. 🙂

Stay cool, stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

We had a brief break in the heat and it felt SO nice. It was almost cool. ALMOST. So with the weather being a bit cooler, I made something a bit richer and heavier for dinner. We had pork chops down so I made them with a creamy apple rosemary mushroom sauce. Oh they were so good too.

I had some leftover apple rosemary syrup Pork Chops With Apple Rosemary Syrup I thought would be a good base for these delicious pork chops, and YES, it was. Apparently the German in us comes out (yes, I have a lot of German in me too, but I am not full German like Larry is) when I make pork chops. I like the apple/pork combination. It is both sweet and savory at the same time, and it’s like perfection. This sauce would also be very good with chicken too though. In fact, I have some chicken and more sauce leftover, that I will be using over the chicken too. I hate for food to go to waste. So I try to re-use and recycle it as deliciously as I can, as often as I can.

Pork Chops with Apple Rosemary Mushroom Sauce

1 1/2-2 lbs pork chops or loin

1 TBSP cracked peppercorns – this time I used green peppercorns

1 cup apple-rosemary syrup

salt & black pepper to taste

2 large apples or more smaller apples, sliced thin and cored

1/4 red onion sliced thin

2 TBSP honey ginger balsamic vinegar

1 TBSP garlic

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1-2 TBSP fresh rosemary, chopped fine

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Combine the apple rosemary syrup, honey ginger balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, black pepper and crushed peppercorns and pour over the meat. Let marinate for at least 1-2 hours before cooking.

Get a large skillet VERY hot and add some olive oil and butter to the pan. Carefully add the pork chops and sear for about 3 minutes per side, or until a nice crust forms all around the meat. Once the pork is completely browned, remove it from the heat and seat aside.

In the same pan, add the apples, mushrooms and onions, along with the remaining marinate and cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Make sure to scrape all the brownings off the bottom of the skillet.

Add the cream and the fresh rosemary and incorporate well. Then re-add the pork to the sauce. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 7-10 minutes or until the pork is completely cooked in the center, or at about 165* F for an internal temperature. Stir often.

Because this is a rich, creamy sauce, I think it goes best with either mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes or yams. This times, I served it over some mashed white yams. I made these with some of the apple rosemary syrup as well, and of course, lots of butter. I also added some green beans, some warmed bread and a cool, crisp chardonnay to complete the meal.

It was delicious, or in German, Es hat sehr gut geschmeckt!

Stay cool, stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

Our favorite local winery, InVINtions, was hosting a fundraiser that was definitely right up our alley. A Toast to InVINtions! It was supporting rescue dogs and animals. Of course we were going to be there. All the proceeds earned were donated to a local rescue called Soul Dog. Soul Dog does a number of great things with their dogs and other animals as well. They help the dogs on Native American reservations. They help re-home dogs in need. They rescue them from off the streets, and they also helped reconnect a community with their beloved pets after it was devastated by the horrendous fires last year. Of course Larry and I were in. We even had our matching malamute shirts on (for our wild child Juneau, aka Juni Bug), and I had the right shoes to match as well; my paw prints and wine shoes. We were set to let it all go to the dogs.

We went with our friends Mike and Lauren and we all had yet another great time together.

The day’s festivities included a burger BBQ with all the fixin’s and root beer floats. All the burgers were donated from a rancher in Wyoming, who is also an InVINtions member. They were delicious. Of course there was plenty of wine too. I passed on the root beer float, giving my ticket to Larry, so I could have another glass of wine instead. I know! You are all shocked.

Part of the admission price went towards the BINGO cards. We played three rounds of BINGO, but none of us at our table won anything. That’s OK. The real winners were all the animals being helped by Soul Dog.

There was also a whole bunch of silent auction items that had been donated for the cause as well. There was a mixture of dog and cat related items and wine items too.

Since Mike was wearing a pink flamingo shirt, he and Lauren are posing by the pink flamingo gift basket.

The big ticket item was a handmade wine rack with a case of your favorite wine included. Larry wouldn’t even let me bid on that one, so NO, I didn’t bring this home with me.

Larry did let me purchase a T-shirt though. The hard part was deciding which one. Both fit my personality. But I asked Larry, Mike, Lauren and Marcus and Cory, the owners of InVINtions, which shirt was a better “fit” for me, and they all unanimously decided on the one that said “It’s not drinking alone if the dog is home”, so that’s the one I chose.

I don’t know how much was raised at the event, but we all know we had yet another great time together, doing what we love doing; drinking wine, visiting with each other and helping out the animals. 🙂

We have been members of InVINtions for a long time, and now not only are the crew friends of ours, but so are some of the other members. Carrie, Kathy and I have known each other for awhile now, thanks to INVINtions, and all their fun events. Kathy and I officially met at the SNL party when we both came dressed as “The Church Lady”.

Thank you Marcus, Cory and Crew for yet another great event. We always have so much fun with all of you.

Stay cool, stay safe, and stay well Everyone. And if animals are your thing, as they are mine, help as many as you can in the process. God spelled backwards is DOG! ‘Til next time.

I love anything with oranges, or fruits of most kinds to be honest. I also love macadamia nuts. So when I saw this recipe, I knew I just had to try it. Of course I personalized it and made it my own. You’d expect nothing less of me at this point though, right?! Ironically, it came from one of my cookbooks that I was thinking I might recycle and give to someone else. I was sitting on the fence with it for awhile, but then the more I looked through it, the more I decided I needed to keep it around. There are more recipes in it that I like than I don’t; always a good sign that it’s a keeper. 🙂

Orange Macadamia Bread

Preheat the oven to 350* F.

Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and dust with flour.

1 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

1 TBSP orange zest

1 tsp orange extract

2 TBSP orange juice

4 eggs at room tempertaure

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

As with any cake batter, mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside. Then cream the sugar and butter first, then add the eggs, beating in between each addition. Add the orange juice, orange extract and the orange zest and mix together thoroughly. Then add the dry mixture 1/2 at a time, and mix in between at a medium speed.

Once everything is thoroughly incorporated together, pour into in the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the macadamia nuts on top of the batter and place in the oven to bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Orange Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 TBSP orange juice

1 tsp orange extract

Mix everything together and drizzle over the top of the completely cooled loaf. Slice and enjoy.

This cake is a winner. It’s slightly sweet, but not overly sweet. It’s crunchy, moist and delicious all at the same time. I just know you’re going to like this one. It was a big hit today.

Stay cool, stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

Once again, I was in a Creole frame of mind. I was also craving some pasta. And I love anything with some spice and some heat to it, so some Creole pasta with a spicy cream sauce was on the menu.

Creole Pasta with Ham, Chicken and Vegetables

1-1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 1/2 cups cooked ham, sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 red onion, sliced very thin

2-3 roasted Hatch peppers, diced fine

1 tomato, diced medium – This time I used a yellow heirloom, but any kind of tomatoes will do.

1 TBSP garlic

1 tsp red pepper flakes or to taste

olive oil for cooking

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin matchsticks

1 tsp cumin

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 TBSP fresh thyme and fresh oregano, chopped fine

In a hot skillet, add the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute, or until they are nice and fragrant. Then add the onions, peppers and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are tender but still have a little crisp left to them. Stir frequently.

Add the chicken and ham and mix everything together. Then add the cream. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 5-7 minutes, once again, stirring frequently.

Once everything is incorporated well, add the tomatoes and fresh herbs and seasonings. I wanted the tomatoes to keep the shape, rather than break down and be a part of the sauce for this one, so i added them at the end of the cooking process.

Once everything is ready, serve it over some cooked pasta. I used spaghetti, but any kind of pasta will work just fine. Add some warmed bread and a glass or two of a cool, crisp white wine, and enjoy. If you don’t like ham, just use chicken. Or vice versa. You could also add shrimp and or crab too. This is a very versatile sauce that will lend itself to just about any kind of protein, although, I don’t think beef would be the best choice. Play with it and make it yours. Use what you like best.

Sit back and relax and let the good times roll with this spicy Creole dish. it is loaded with goodness, but it’s not to heavy, so it is a perfect meal for summer, though it is perfect anytime too.

Stay cool, stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

We are still in the midst of sweltering heat, so I am doing my best to keep dinners as cool and as simple as I can. Dinner last night was a cool California version of the classic gyro, served side by side with some deliciously crisp French fries. I love gyros. I made this dish at home for next to nothing, however, this same meal in a restaurant would have cost us about $9+ each, plus the cost of something to drink. So not only is this cool and easy-peasy to make, but by making them at home vs. going out to a restaurant saves $$$ as well, which in these tough economic times, I think we can all appreciate.

The differences between these gyros and regular gyros are subtle. Instead of using shaved lamb or a combination of lamb and beef I just used some skirt steak that I marinated in some dried garlic and tomato herbs, a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Then my sauce was a little different as well. I used my leftover creamy lemon and garlic herb dressing instead of a regular Tsatsiki sauce Cool California Steak Salad Both gyro versions are very good and are perfect for these dog days of summer. Because I changed things ever so slightly, I still have to “technically” change the name, even though that is far less applicable because I am cooking them in my own kitchen. However if I were serving these in a restaurant, I would be legally bound to make these disclosures to the general public, so I might as well fess up to them here as well.

My gyros were still loaded with fresh diced cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions and lettuce, all wrapped in a warmed pita sandwich, just like the traditional gyros are. Larry’s had feta cheese as well. Mine did not.

Don’t these look colorfully delicious and fresh? They were too. They were also very messy, which in my books, is always a good indicator of how good they are going to taste. I have always said messy tastes better.

In these dog days of summer, do your best to avoid the heat and stay cool, stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

Yesterday I went to go visit my friend Amy. We were going to do some baking but we decided it was just way to hot, even early in the morning. So rather than turning on the oven, Amy decided to make a quick and easy no-bake key lime pie instead.

This easy-peasy pie only requires a few simple ingredients and just a few minutes of your time to make.

1 small box of lime jello

1 cup of boiling wat water

2 9-inch graham cracker pie crusts

1 tub of Cool Whip or whipped cream topping

2 -8 oz containers of lime Greek yogurt

Boil the water to a full rapid boil, then mix in the Jell-O mix. Add the yogurt and whisk it in completely.

Once the yogurt is mixed in thoroughly, add the Cool Whip and gently fold in to the mixture.

Once everything is combined, carefully pour the mixture into the graham cracker crusts.

Then cover with plastic wrap and set it in the refrigerator to set and chill for at least 4 hours before eating. You can also add some more whipped cream to the top as well for a little more pizzazz if you like. Once it is set, all that is left to do is to slice it up and enjoy.

We had some special helpers as we were making this cool and refreshing summer dessert too. Amy’s kids and puppies were helping us in the kitchen, making sure we did everything just right.

Stay cool, stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.