WOW!!!!!! These are such kinds words of praise from both Mel and Bernadette, two of our very own much loved and appreciated bloggers in our blogger family. thank you Ladies. I am deeply honored. I love our blogging family.

Mel, https://crushedcaramel.wordpress.com/author/crushedcaramel/of course, is our very own creator of the Great Bloggers Bake-Off and Bernadette is from http://newclassicrecipes.wordpress.com/

THE JOY THAT JEANNE HAS SHARED WITH US

OCT 15, 2022 CARAMEL 3 COMMENTS

We love that THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF is a joyful and fun event on WordPress and that it promotes the international talent and creativity as well as the warm spirit that has developed amongst WordPress. But this year feels a little different somehow. We want to go a stop further than fun and creativity and talk about facts and reality.

That is why the JOY OF BAKING this year is weaved into two other areas – HOW TO MAINTAIN JOY IN LIFE DESPITE RISING COSTS and HOW WE CAN TAKE BETTER CARE OF OUR BEAUTIFUL PLANET.

We know that many of you will share the same concerns that we to over rising costs and the damage being done to this beautiful planet. Two WordPress users were invited to share their thoughts ad feelings on these subjects. First of all, we have none other than our very special BAKE OFF JUDGE JEANNE, the Creator of A JEANNE IN THE KITCHEN!!!

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE RISING COST OF FOOD AND OTHER NECESSITIES AND HAVE YOU MADE ANY CHANGES TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN JOY?

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.
• For more great tips, visit Jeanne’s post sharing superb practical advice:
• BUDGETING IN THE KITCHEN

• HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NATURE AND OUR BEAUTIFUL PLANET? WHAT BRINGS YOU THE MOST JOY FROM CREATION?
• We have a beautiful planet.  I am a believer in God, and God is a magnificent artist.  He has given us the most beautiful and fabulous art that we call nature.  There is so much beauty all around us.  All we have to do is open our eyes and look around.  The beauty is there, just waiting to be seen.  There is beauty in everything. 

I love photography, and I love capturing all the beauty we have, whether it be in my own backyard, or when I am underwater scuba diving, or out and about on my travels. There is so much to see and I appreciate every bit of it.

We need to be respectful of all the gifts that both Mother Nature and God have given to us. We need to work together as a team. Humans and animals need oxygen (O2) to survive. Plants need carbon dioxide (CO2) to survive. Humans and animals expel CO2 when we breathe and plants give off O2. Plants use photosynthesis to capture carbon dioxide and then release half of it into the atmosphere through respiration. Plants also release oxygen into the atmosphere through photosynthesis. So we have a symbiotic relationship. 

It is a win/win for everyone and for the planet when we work together. We all need each other, so we all need to take care of each other.

Jeanne shares her love for creation regularly in her beautiful posts:

NATURE WALKS

FLOWERS FROM BELIZE

FLAMINGOS FROM BONAIRE

MARINE LIFE FROM COZUMEL

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO SHARE THE JOY OF BAKING WITH OTHERS?

I love to bake and cook, and I also love to teach others and to share my joys in the kitchen with anyone who is willing to learn.  I have taught kids and adults. Sometimes all we need is just someone who is willing to share their time and knowledge with others, and that will ignite a passion, or at least joy, they may not have known was there.

I believe food is a gift of love.  When we share our food with others, we are also opening up our hearts and sharing our love with them.  I have recently opened up my kitchen to teach adult cooking classes, and I am always hearing about more and more people who want to participate in them.  If they keep growing the way that they have been, I might need a bigger kitchen. Food is one of the best ways to break the ice and to learn about other cultures.  Food = love. 

Jeanne’s cooking and baking posts frequently show how she shares the joy of baking:

HER FRIENDS

HER STUDENTS

HER NEIGHBOURS

HER CONGREGATION

Thank you once again Mel and Bernadette. You are both greatly appreciated for all that you do. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Whenever we travel to places known for fresh seafood, we always eat as much fish as we can. We love seafood, especially fresh seafood. We don’t get fresh seafood here in Denver. This time, we went to Ford’s Fish Shack.

I don’t know if this is a chain or if the same owners have a couple restaurants in different locations, but this is the second location of Ford’s Fish Shack we have enjoyed while in Virginia. Fresh is Best

We had a very full first day in Virginia. After landing, we went straight to The Winery At Bull Run Some Virginia Wines – Part 1 – The Winery At Bull Run, then went to the the battlefields of Bull Run and the Civil War Museum there The Battle Of Bull Run/Manassas. We had worked up quite an appetite, especially since we left Denver early in the morning. So we asked the locals where to go for some fresh seafood, and it landed us back at Ford’s, though a different location. It was just as good as we remember too.

We were both very happy with what we ordered. We started off with some delicious New England clam chowder.

Scallops were the dish of the day for both of us. Oh they were so good too. Larry ordered the scallop platter

and I ordered the scallops over penne pasta. Scallops are some of my absolute favorite seafood. They were cooked to perfection too. They just melted in our mouths.

Larry is much more of a dessert person than I am, so he ordered a slice of the pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. He savored every bite of it. I am not a cheesecake fan, but then I am not a fan of cheese in general. I did take a bite though. I mean, how could I resist? It was so beautifully presented after all.

After a very full day, and full tummies, it was time to call it a day and head into the hotel. We knew we had a full day of more adventures coming up, so we needed to catch a few zzzz’s to get us ready.

Stay tuned. Don’t touch that dial. There is so much more good stuff coming your way. 🙂 Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

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 at Bull 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!!!

OCT 13, 2022 CARAMEL LEAVE A COMMENT

Send your baking photos to….

crushedcaramel@gmail.com

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. 🙂

Stay safe and say well Everyone. ‘Til next time.