Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

No matter where you live, 2025 is now a thing of the past, and it is 2026. It’s a brand new year filled with brand new possibilities.

Larry and I celebrated with our friends Mike, Lauren, Wendy, Marc, Zoe and Zoe’s boyfriend Jared last night. We were also celebrating our December birthdays. Larry’s birthday was on 12/10 and Jared’s birthday was 12/27. We had a deliciously fun dinner at Perdita, a local Mexican taco restaurant, based on the casual lifestyle from Cabo San Lucas. We started the table off with some chips, guacamole, Perdita’s special red sauce, and queso and a pitcher of prickly pear margaritas.

We all had either a combination of different tacos or fajitas for dinner. I had one chicken al pastor taco and one shrimp or camarones taco with mango salsa.

Larry ordered steak and chicken fajitas.

Everything was very good and fresh.

After dinner, with very full and satisfied tummies, we all headed back to our house for some fun games and a lot of laughs. Everyone except Larry, Wendy and I all had to work both last night and today, so it was an early night for everyone. Larry and I stayed up ’til midnight though and rang in the new year.

Happy New Year Everyone! Happy 2026! May it be happy, healthy and prosperous for all. ‘Til next time.

Seeing the leopards is pretty rare when we got to the Wild Animal Sanctuary. The leopards are normally pretty shy and reclusive. But this time, they were out and showing off their spots to all who were there. We we honored to be there to see them, and to see them active too.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Happy New Year. ‘Til next time. See ya next year. 🙂

Larry bought a pineapple the other day, and it needed to be cut. So I made a pineapple cucumber salsa with some of it, and then served that over crab cakes. The pineapple was so sweet and juicy. I could have easily eaten the whole thing as I was cutting it up. 🙂

Both the pineapple cucumber salsa and the crab cakes were very easy to make. I made them ahead of time and put them in the refrigerator until it was time to cook the crab cakes.

Pineapple Cucumber Salsa

2-2 1/2 cups diced pineapple

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced fine

1/4-1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup green onions, sliced very thin

1/4 fresh cilantro, chopped

1-2 TBSP lime juice

salt or infused lime salt to taste – I used my new infused lime salt

Mix everything together well and refrigerate until ready to use. It goes best with light seafood or chicken dishes, though it would go well with pork too.

The crab cakes were easy to make as well. This particular version is more like Maryland crab cakes, with very little breading. http://Maryland crab cakes

1- 1 1/2 lbs crab meat

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup green onions, sliced thin

1/4 cup red onions, diced fine

1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 egg

1 TBSP Dijon mustard

1/4 cup mayonnaise

salt or lime infused salt to taste

canola or vegetable oil for cooking

Mix all the ingredients together well, and form into balls. Gently press the balls to flatten them out a bit. Place the crab balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cooking.

When ready to cook, get a large skillet very hot and add about 2-3 TBSP of oil. Get the oil to about 350*F or 180*C and add the crab balls. Do not over crowd the pan. Cook for about 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown, then gently flip over and continue cooking for another 4 minutes.

Serve immediately, while still hot and top with the pineapple cucumber salsa. I added some avocado slices as well and served it over rice to make it more of a light meal than an appetizer.

!Desfruitas! Happy New Year. May 2026 be filled with good health, prosperity and happiness for all. ‘Til next time.

The lions were active and alert the last time we went to the Wild Animal Sanctuary, as were a lot of the other big cats. Some were still napping, others were on watch, and one royal couple were having a royal row. The queen was definitely giving the king a piece of her mind.

We brought a picnic lunch and decided to eat by these lions. All of a sudden they started roaring loudly at each other. The queen was definitely mad about something and the king was trying to defend himself.

Click onto the photo to hear the lions arguing back and forth with each other.

When we first passed by these two, the other one was up while the white one was napping. On our second pass, going back to the exit, they switched. It was the changing of the guards.

These two are quite comfortable taking a quite break from the girls.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Happy New Year.

We finally got some snow. It’s about time! We did not have a white Christmas, but we did get a good snow a couple of days after. For a little while, everything was blanketed in fresh snow. But per our wacky weather, it melted as soon as the sun started shining. At least we had some for a little while though. We need it, and we need the moisture. I still have some snow in my backyard too. My backyard is north facing, which means the snow lasts longer than in the south facing areas.

The cold weather means it is also time for some hot soup to warm us up from the inside out. I made a big pot of chicken soup. Chicken Soup Weather I told Larry to pick whatever pasta he wanted and he chose penne. Penne pasta would not have been my first choice, but it worked out fine. The soup just hit the spot too.

Chicken Soup

This soup was just a basic chicken soup. Nothing fancy, just pure, simple goodness.

I cooked my carrots, celery and onions for about 5 minutes in hot oil and butter.

Then I added my cubed chicken, peas, seasonings, and chicken stock.

Once the soup was boiling, I added the pasta, and let it cook until the pasta was cooked, about 8 minutes.

When everything was done, it was time to serve it up and enjoy. Eat it while the soup is still hot. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. Happy New Year. May 2026 be filled with health, happiness and prosperity for all.

Larry had a long weekend for the Christmas holidays, and we have been taking advantage of his time off. We decided to do a little mountain drive, and went to Georgetown. It was a beautiful day, with bright blue skies, but NOT much snow, even at Christmas, though we did see patches of snow. This is a rarity. We walked around and enjoyed the scenery all the same.

Georgetown is a little town nestled into our local mountains. It was once known as the Silver Queen of the Rockies. It was founded during the days of Colorado’s silver boom and is one of the state’s four original mining towns. It has a lot of Victorian styled homes and old buildings that were built in the late 1800’s too.

These are the Flatirons. We live at the base of the Flatirons, on the way to Boulder. We were taking the backroads up to Georgetown.

Quite a few movies have been filmed in Georgetown, using this scene as their backdrop.

Here are some of the old historical homes. This one was built in 1885.

The old schoolhouse building, also built around 1885.

The original St. James Hotel, built in 1875. It proudly states it was built before Colorado became a state, in 1876.

Looking back into town from above. We were hoping to find snow, and more than just patches here and there, but no snow this time. We still had a nice drive though.

Coming back down the mountain, we drove through Evergreen. We saw a big herd of elk, with about 30 in the group and a couple of big bulls. They were pretty far away from us, so my pictures are pretty blurry, but at least we got to see them. These were the only critters we saw the whole trip, but it made our day.

Once we came back down the hill, and were back in civilization, we decided to run some errands as well, then stopped for a late lunch/early dinner along the way. We stopped at a Chinese Restaurant called Empress.

Neither one of us ordered lobster or crab, but if we did, we could have chosen our own.

We didn’t order duck either, but it was there if we wanted it.

Instead Larry ordered the mixed seafood platter and I ordered the happy family.

Both were very good. We had a nice little day drive and adventure; something we enjoying doing on a regular basis.

Enjoy the rest of the holiday season. Happy New Year. May 2026 bring you good health, prosperity and happiness. Stay well and stay safe. ‘Til next time.

The day after Christmas, Larry and I made another trek to our new favorite local place, the Wild Animal Sanctuary. Every time we go we always experience something different, and different animals put on different shows. The weather was perfect, or should I say Purrfect. We couldn’t ask for a better, more beautiful day. The tigers were the stars this time, although all the animals were talking to us and many were quite active as well. I love the big cats. I always have. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

2025 had one more Christmas dinner in store for us before calling it for the season. I cooked Christmas dinner for 10 of us “orphans” on Christmas Day. It was just a simple meal this time, with ham, and lamb, mashed maple sweet potatoes and vegetables, and flan for dessert. Lauren and Wendy both brought some goodies to share, as did our neighbors Les and Sher. So even though I did not prepare a feast, a feast was indeed what we all shared. We all had a great time, filled with lots of food and lots of laughs, and making new friends and/or strengthening the bonds of family and friendship we already had. 🙂

The table is set, just waiting for the guests to arrive.

Our Christmas 2025 feast.

Yet another successful Christmas Holiday season is now winding down. It was a busy season, filled with all kinds of seasonal festivities and fun. Soon, a new year will be here. It will be a new beginning with new adventures just waiting for us to start.

Have a very Happy, Healthy New Year. May 2026 be a good year for all. Stay healthy and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Larry and I decided to have something fairly simple for our Christmas Eve dinner since it was just for the two of us. But I still wanted something nice and special too. I prepared a mussel and shrimp ragout in a white sauce, inspired by the cookbook I purchased on our Canadian trip, French Taste in Atlantic Canada 1604-1758, or Le gout francais au Canada atlantique 1604-1758, by Anne Marie Lane Jonah and Chantal Vechambre. (I say inspired by, because you all know I made it my own). This cookbook is great. It’s filled with all kinds of traditional meals from the French Canadian beginnings, and it is written in both French and English. So not only can I cook some delicious traditional meals from the early French Canadian settlers, but I can work on my French too. C’est si bon! 🙂

Because the French Canadian regions, like most of Quebec and the surrounding islands, are on the water, seafood plays an integral role in the menu planning, both from the early days up to the present.

Mussels & Shrimp Ragout in White Sauce

A ragout (or ragoût) is a rich, slow-cooked French stew featuring meat, fish, or vegetables braised in broth until tender, often served alone or over starches, differing from Italian ragù which is typically a meat-based pasta sauce. Key ingredients often include aromatic vegetables (mirepoix like onion, carrot, celery), herbs (thyme, bay leaf), wine, stock.

The original recipe only called for mussels. I added mussels, but I also added shrimp and vegetables, and then I served it all over rice to make it a heartier meal. I also got to use up some of my leftovers, which always makes me a happy camper. I used some of my new salt too. I added garlic blend infused salt for this dish. Infused Salt Box 🙂 The vegetables I added were my leftover asparagus topped with garlic, red and yellow bell peppers and onions. Adding vegetables is optional, but I like adding vegetables to my dishes, especially to my soups and stews. It always makes it more of a complete meal.

1 1/2 lbs mussels

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

cool water

1/2 cup white wine

1 large shallot, diced

2 egg yolks

1 TBSP lemon juice

1-2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP parsley, chopped fine

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup green onions or chives

I used a combination of both frozen mussels and some of Cole’s Tinned Mussles. Boil the frozen mussels and onions in water and wine until they open, then remove them from the shells. Strain the mussel water and set aside.

Get a large skillet very hot, then add the butter and the shrimp. Cook the shrimp until they are completely cooked and pink. When the shrimp are cooked, add the mussels. I added the tinned mussels at this point too. Cook until the mussels are lightly browned.

Mix the egg yolks and the lemon juice together. Add the strained water and mix in the seasonings, bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and egg yolk mixture. Mix everything together thoroughly.

Put the mixture back on the heat for about 2 minutes to heat, but do NOT bring to a boil. Allowing the mixture to boil will cause the egg yolks to separate. Add the green onions or chives.

I served mine in a bowl over rice, then topped with with the vegetable medley. I added some of the mussel shells on top for decoration and added some warm bread on the side. Serve with the same white wine used for the sauce. This is a simple, yet elegant meal good for anytime.

Have a great day and make everyday great. May 2026 treat you well and keep you healthy and happy. Happy New Year. ‘Til next time.

I have lots to share about all kinds of things, but today, the day after Christmas, Larry had the day off, and we decided to got to one of our favorite places, the Wild Animal Sanctuary again. It was a beautiful day, and the animals were thoroughly enjoying themselves too. I just finished editing all my pictures. We played all day, now I have to do a little work for dinner. I just wanted to say hi though. I’ll start my regular schedules again tomorrow.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. Happy New Year!