Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

I was outside with Juneau and Vinnie when I saw a few pelicans out swimming on the first lake. So I ran inside and got the camera and took these shots from my deck. There were six pelicans, all swimming together, doing their synchronized swimming for the day. They all turned in the same direction and would follow the leader. If one would dip down for a drink, they all would. If one switched directions, they all did. They did that for quite awhile until one pelican decided he had had enough and was ready to do his own thing instead. There is always one of those individualists in the crowd. Usually it’s me. 🙂

I am forever the rebel, and I always do my own thing. I hate following everyone else. I am nothing if I am not an individual. Be the individual in the crowd. Be unique. Be yourself.

One of the things I love most about both spring and summer is the availability of all the fresh fruits. They are in abundance. So I buy them in abundance too. Unfortunately, Larry is not a big fruit fan, and I can’t eat them all by myself. You would think I would learn to NOT buy so many, but that is a lesson I have committed to memory yet. Anyway, because I buy a ton of fruit, I have to come up with creative ways of using it. This time, it was in a blueberry-lemon pound cake. I served it along side some cream puffs cover with both a chocolate and strawberry ganache.

Once again, it was a big hit, with not much leftover. YAY!!!! I can’t tell you how much that makes my day. 🙂

Pound cake has become such a popular cake that we all love, but we rarely think about how it actually got its name. Originally a pound cake got its name because it was made with a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of flour and a pound of eggs. That’s a lot of everything. They were made in large batches to feed the masses because at the time, it didn’t make much sense to make individual cakes, since most people did not have access to ovens in their homes. Fortunately, we do not bake them in large quantities like that any more, and we bake them one “pound cake” at a time instead.

Blueberry-Lemon Pound Cake

1 container of blueberries

2 cups flour, + more for coating the blueberries

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup or 2 sticks softened butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp lemon extract

Preheat he oven to 325* F or 160* C.

Spray either a loaf or bundt pan with cooking spray and lightly flour it all around.

Add about 1/4 cup of flour to the blueberries and gently coat them. Set aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy, then add the eggs one at a time and beat in between each addition. Add the vanilla and lemon extract and beat again.

Once everything is mixed together, add the flour mixture half at a time, mixing in between each addition. When the batter is completely mixed, gently fold in the berries. Then evenly spoon into either a bundt pan or a loaf pan.

Bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle and the cake is set and lightly golden brown.

Allow the cake to cool slightly, then remove from the pan and cool completely before adding the glaze or dusting with powdered sugar, both of which are optional though.

I added a lemon glaze and then finished it off with some spring colored sprinkles.

Lemon Glaze

1-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 TBSP lemon juice

Mix everything together until smooth and creamy. Pour over the top of of the cake.

Slice, serve and enjoy.

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

I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby ducklings and goslings for quite some time now, but hadn’t seen any. I had seen some broken egg shells, so I knew they had to be around. But today, I saw the first of the ducklings, or as a friend’s daughter used to say when she was a baby, “duck-a-lings”. There was Momma Mallard with about 8 little ones following closely behind. Of course there were a couple who were busy doing their own thing too. Momma already looks tired. But she is also very proud of her little babies too.

Mommy, wait for us.

Seeing the little “duckalings” just made my day.

Linger is a fun and funky restaurant in Denver. It is one of 6 restaurants owned by the group, Edible Beats. The Edible Beats Restaurant Group are known as the “renegades of flavor and masters of of remix. [They are also] known for responsibly-grown and innovatively simply sourcing veggie-forward fare.” The restaurants are all creatively named and grouped to spell out L.O.V.E.R.R.

L – Linger

O – Ophelia’s

V – Vital Root

E – El Five or El 5

R – Root Down

R – Root Down DIA

These are special occasion restaurants and we have now shared three special occasions at three out of the six restaurants with our dear friends Janet and Bob. We made a pact that we now have to visit the other three as well so we can complete the set. This time we were celebrating Bob’s birthday.

Linger has been creatively “remixed” from the old Olinger Mortuary into a fun a hip restaurant that is filled with personality. There are lots of fun remnants of the mortuary all around. They even named the restaurant with a macabre spin on the Olinger name. They turned Olinger Mortuaries into Linger Eatuaries. “Housed in a former mortuary, the decor layers macabre remnants with posh details in a window-flanked space overlooking the charming Lower Highland neighborhood. The drink menu features sips and seasonings as savory as the dishes with which they’re paired. While the rooftop patio—outfitted with 1975 GMC RV as bar and repurposed food truck as kitchen— beckons patrons towards adventure.”

Linger is truly a unique and one-of-a-kind place. The motor home behind us is up their rooftop and has converted into the bar, where they serve up the “Daily Pain Killer”.

The inside was just as fun and funky as the roof was. There are pictures all around that poke a little fun at the Grim Reaper. The front desk was actually something they used at the original mortuary.

The elevator door was a large photo of the old movie “Harold and Maude”.

These two are having some fun around the coffin.

My name for the painting of “Dead Man’s Party“, song from Oingo Boingo.

Not everything revolves around the old mortuary though. The bar upstairs is filled with a bunch of items that are definitely a blast to our pasts.

The lights above and on the bar are old Bright Lites that many of us remember from our childhood.

The ambiance and decor are fun and funky, but when it comes to the food, it is serious business. The food was AMAZING. It is locally and humanely grown. “Over 50% of our ingredients are sourced locally (within Colorado) and our network of responsible food sourcing supports over 55 local ranchers, farmers, growers & food artisans. We’re 100% wind-powered and have responsibly-sourced, vegetable-forward menus. All animal proteins are certified humane, pasture-raised and utilize non-GMO, vegetarian feed. All seafood is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council and is a “Best Choice Green” by the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch. We also maintain a 6,000 sf organic garden that supplies 20% of the seasonal herbs and vegetables for our restaurants. That’s what we bring to the table.”

The Birthday Boy started us off with his choice of a bottle of Malbec that we deliciously enjoyed with our dinner.

Very rarely do we eat like this, but when we do, we do. We started off with appetizers to share. We all shared the loaded curried vegetable and potato Dosa and the Bao Bun Trio, with duck, chicken and pork belly.

We could have easily called these two appetizers a meal, but oh no. We were only just getting started. Bob and Janet shared the Wagyu Sliders,

Larry enjoyed the chicken padthai,

while I devoured the tempura chili-ginger shrimp.

Of course we all had to taste and test a little bit of everything, and we all agreed the food was not only colorfully presented, but was deliciously phenomenal as well. But wait. There is still more to come. You can’t have a birthday celebration without dessert right? Once again, we let the Birthday Boy choose, and we all shared a little bit of everything. Bob chose the peanut butter bar topped with pomegranate seeds and the maduros y crema or fried plantains in a cream sauce with pistachios.

Not only were we celebrating Bob’s birthday, but we were also happy that Janet was once again healthy and well and my new upcoming job. Our server, Heather, was fabulous and never missed a bit. She took great care of of us, and just as we thought we were finished, she brought us all a glass of the bubbly to make the celebrations complete.

Needless to say, we left with very full, very satisfied tummies. We had a fantastic meal, the ambiance was so much fun, and we shared a lot of laughs. Thank you for a deliciously fun evening. As I have said many times, life is all about sharing it with the people we love. We have a very good life indeed. Thank you Janet and Bob for including us in so many fun times throughout the many years of friendship and family. We love you lots. Happy Birthday Bob.

Linger is located at 2030 West 30th, Denver, CO. I would definitely call or register online for reservations. Their phone number is (303) 993-3120 or you can reach them online at lingerdenver.com. People are just dying to get in. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful mothers. It doesn’t matter if your kids all have fur or no fur at all. It doesn’t matter if they have two legs or four. To us, they are all our children and we love them all.

I don’t know if I just seeing more birds, of all varieties out and about or if there really are more birds, but either way, I am loving seeing all the beautiful birds all around. This time, I have another Cassin’s Finch, perched up high in the trees. I think he was posing for the camera. He sure looked like he was having fun. He really made me work for these pictures though. He was so high up in the trees, and I really had to fight steady my camera and focus to get these shots. But they turned out well and were worth my efforts.

Have a great day and a great weekend Everyone. ‘Til next time.

As you all know, we are definitely carnivores, and we love all kinds of meat. Larry is from Kansas, and he is a meat and potatoes kind of guy at heart, steak being his favorite. So, we eat a lot of meat and a lot of steak. I love streak too, don’t get me wrong, but I like a wide variety of foods. That being said, because we eat a lot of steak, I am always looking for new ways of preparing it and/or topping it. This time I found a delicious recipe for an onion marmalade to to use as a steak topper. It would also be good on pork as well.

The steak itself, was leftover from a a previous meal. I know, surprise, surprise, right?! Me, eating and using leftovers. Who would have “thunk it” right? But this onion marmalade just really made the steak pop out. It was sweet and tart and tangy all at once, and very, very good too.

Onion Marmalade

2 TBSP olive oil

3 medium red onions, sliced thin

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 TBSP garlic

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 TBSP fresh thyme leaves

1/4 cup water

salt or Kosher salt to taste

Over a medium-high flame, heat a skillet with the olive oil and add the onions and sugar. Cook for about 35-45 minutes, or until the onions are very brown and caramelized. Stir frequently to make sure the onions do not burn.

Once the onions are completely browned and tender, add the red wine vinegar, garlic, thyme, salt and water.

Continue to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the remaining liquid starts to thicken. Once the mixture has thickened, it is ready to serve on top of your favorite meats and enjoy. I served it all with some roasted potatoes and green beans, along with my cheesy-pepper bread. Cheese and Pepper Wreath and a smooth, but bold red blend. Delicious!

Stay happy, healthy and well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

My pelicans are back for the season, and they are having so much fun. Lately they have really been preforming and putting on a show every time they are around. Sometimes there is just one or two, and other times, there are quite a few.

And as with any good show, they invited some of their friends to join them as well. Here Mr. Mallard is swimming with the big birds.

An egret is making his cameo as well.

The show was spectacular right up to the finish. It ended in style, with the pelicans performing some of the aerial acrobatics.

The grand finale.

Have a great day everyone.

I grew up in Southern California where there is a very large Hispanic population and my mother was from South East Texas, where there is also a very large Hispanic population. So I am very familiar with a lot of the customs and traditions of Mexico and as well as the Mexican culture. And I LOVE good Mexican food.

As with the United States, Mexico is a large country with a lot of regions and regional cooking. In Southern California, the most popular type of Mexican food is Sonoran, or the Northern styles. In Texas, the traditional Mexican styles are mostly from the Gulf region. There are actually seven regions in Mexico that are known for their great cuisines. We go to Mexico a lot, mainly for diving, and we have been fortunate enough to try many of these different styles of cooking. We are very familiar with the foods from The South and especially Quintana Roo, since that is where we spend the bulk of our time when we visit Mexico. We are also very familiar with a lot of the Mayan and Yucatan foods, which are completely different again. I love all the different styles of cooking in Mexico.

• The North, which includes Baja, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas
• The North Pacific Coast, which includes Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima
• The Bajio or Michoacán, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi and Queretaro
• The South Pacific Coast, which includes Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas
• The South or Campeche, Yucatan & Quintana Roo
• The Gulf or Tabasco & Veracruz
• Central Mexico or Mexico, Puebla, Morelos, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo and Distrito Federal (Federal District / Mexico City)

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo, or the 5th of May. Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. While it is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations. Just like on St. Patrick’s Day when everyone is Irish for the day, everyone becomes Mexican on Cinco de Mayo, even if only for the day. I honored the day by cooking Mexican food too, although I prepared something more from the Central part of Mexico, in the Oaxacan style. I made a mole sauce from apples, peanuts, chilies, onions and tomatoes to go over my chicken. I served it with arroz verde, or green rice, and maize or corn and topped it with avocates, or avocados. !Este mui delicioso!

Moles are traditional Mexican sauces that are found all over the country. There are many different kinds and many different flavors, as well as many different colors. The name mole comes from the Ancient Nahuat’l word molli, which means “a bunch of ingredients ground up”. Moles are most typically made from a combination of chilies, spices, herbs, tomatoes or tomatillos, chocolate and seeds. The combinations are usually determined by the region where they originate. They can be thick or soupy, and can range in color from yellow, to vibrant green, to deep red and midnight black. Moles when made at home came use up to about 22 different ingredients and can take hours to fully cook and blend together. The task of making moles can seem a bit daunting at first, but really it is just roasting and grilling the vegetables and herbs and spices first, and then once that is done, it is just blending them all together to make the sauce. And like so many foods, they are often better the day after they are made, so all the flavors can fully mix together. The magic about mole sauces is that all of the ingredients used combine together in such a way that they surrender their individual identities and mesh together to create a whole new flavor that is unique to the sauce.

The mole I made this time was made from apples, chilies, peppers, tomatoes, onions and Mexican chocolate. In English, the name is Pasilla and apple mole. In Spanish, it is Mole de Manzana con Pasilla. It sounds so much more exotic in Spanish. This was a simple mole, and only needed a few ingredients, rather than 22 that many other styles require, and I even added a few of my own ingredients as well.

Mole de Manzana con Pasilla

3 1/2 oz pasilla chilies, seeded – if you cannot find pasilla chilies, try something different

1 white onion, quartered

3 tomatoes, split at the top

2 TBSP olive oil

1 lb sweet apples, sliced thin – I used Galas

1/2 cup peanuts, preferably raw

1 1/2 -2 TBSP garlic

1 tsp cumin

4-6 whole cloves

1 tsp cinnamon or Mexican canela (cinnamon sticks)

salt to taste

6-7 cups chicken stock

2 TBSP apple cider or apple cider vinegar

2 TBSP sugar

1/3 cup Mexican cocoa powder, or regular cocoa powder

red pepper flakes to taste

1 TBSP oregano

1-2 tsp chili powder or your choice – I used Ancho chili powder

1/4 cup cilantro

Roast the peppers and tomatoes until charred and grill the onion quarters until charred. Then sweat for a bit and remove the skins and the seeds from the peppers and rinse.

Preheat the oven to 500* F or 270* C.

To roast the tomatoes, remove the core and score the top of the tomatoes. Place them on a piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and roast for about 20-30 minutes or until charred.

While the tomatoes are roasting, saute the apples in the olive oil, along with the herbs and spices until soft, or for about 6-10 minutes.

You can either add the peanuts at the same time or you can do them separately. This time, I did them separately, in the remaining juice from the apples, along with the apple cider. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Once everything is cooked and charred, the hard parts and time consuming parts are finished. Now all that is left to do is to blend it all together and add the remaining ingredients in either a blender or a food processor to turn it all into a sauce. You might have to make it in batches, depending on the size of your blender or food processor.

This sauce is smoky, sweet and spicy all at the same time. The flavors were so smooth, and literally like nothing else you’ve ever tasted. It is Mexican velvet. I used this sauce over chicken. I still had some of our latest Costco rotisserie chicken left that needed to be used. This sauce will also go very well with pork or shrimp too though. !Desfruitas! !Esta mui delicioso!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo a todos. Stay happy, stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

Our Blue-Winged Teals are back. This time, I got lucky and saw both Mr. and Mrs. Teal swimming side by side. A family that swims together stays together. I keep looking for babies, for all my water birds, but so I haven’t seen any. I know they are around, yesterday, I saw some broken egg shells, but I haven’t seen the babies yet. Soon, though.

Mr. Teal.

Mrs. Teal.

Have a great day Everyone.