Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

It was a tater tots and salad kind of day for all three of “my boys” though they made different recipes of each. Micah and Asher made loaded tater tots and an avocado, black bean and corn salad, Avocado, Black Bean and Corn Salad while big brother Noah used tater tots in a different recipe and made yet another salad.

We started off by making a cowboy casserole with tater tots, since that had to cook for about 30 minutes. Noah LOVED this recipe. It was a HUGE hit with him. I think he is proud of the end results. 🙂

Cowboy Casserole

1-1 /2 lbs lean ground beef

1/2 onion, diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

4-5 tomatoes, diced or 1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes

1/3 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar chesse, divided

salt & pepper to taste

2 cups tater tots

olive oil for cooking

Preheat oven to to 375* F or 190* C

Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine all the ingredients together, with the exceptions of the tater tots, cheese and sour cream. Cook until the meat is completely cooked and the onions are translucent and tender.

Mix in the sour cream and half the cheese and combine well. Continue to cook until the cheese is melted. Once everything is cooked and the cheese is melted, spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking pan.

Layer the top with the tater tots, covering the whole pan. Add another layer of cheese on top of the tater tots if you like it nice and cheesy. Noah is not a big cheese fan, just like I am not, so he did not add another layer of cheese on top.

Bake uncovered for about 30-35 minutes, or until the tater tots are golden brown.

While the cowboy casserole was baking, Noah and I made a salad to go with it. I like to help him with simple and complete meals. Our salad du jour was a simple green and orange salad.

Green & Orange Salad

3-4 Mandarin oranges or 2 large oranges, cut into sections – save the juice for the dressing

2/3 cup olive oil

3 TBSP white balsamic vinegar

1 tsp dry mustard

salt to taste

4 tsp sugar

dash white pepper

1 head butter lettuce, rough chop

1 small head Romaine lettuce, rough chop

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1 avocado, chopped

1 cucumber, sliced thin

green onions, chopped fine

Whisk the oil, vinegar, orange juice and seasonings together and set aside.

Combine all the remaining ingredients and carefully toss together. Add as much dressing as needed without drowning the salad and toss again. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to eat. I used Mandarin oranges for this salad as they are sweeter than navel oranges, and the sections are smaller, which I prefer for salads. But this is just a personal preference. You can use whatever type of oranges you like. Cara-Cara or blood oranges would be very good too.

You can see Noah is having a good time tossing his salad.

Another fun and successful day of cooking, with more delicious recipes. Smiles were abundant. As the teacher, this is always the most rewarding part of the day. 🙂

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

Fridays are my days to work with the boys, Asher, Micah, and Noah. It was a tater tot and salad day for all three boys. , though they did different things. Micah and Asher ‘s lesson was first. They made their loaded tater tots first, Loaded Tater Tots and while the tater tots were in the oven, we made an avocado, black bean and corn salad to go with the tater tots. I usually have the boys make a couple of things each time so while one thing is cooking we are in the process of making something else to go with it.

The boys are proudly displaying their latest culinary achievements. I think their expressions speak for themselves. The boys were very happy with the end results.

Avocado, Black Bean and Corn Salad

This recipe is a cool, simple salad that is very much like a loaded guacamole except the avocados are not mashed, and are cubed and left in chunks instead. It can be eaten with all the same things you would eat with guacamole. It’s just something slightly different.

2 avocados, diced

1 TBSP lime juice

1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 tomato, diced, though I made it even more fun and we used the small, teeny tiny tomatoes, both yellow and red

1/2 green bell pepper and 1/2 red bell pepper diced

1 TBSP garlic

2 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tsp cumin

salt & pepper to taste

jalapeno, diced optional

Once everything is prepared, carefully mix it all together, making sure NOT to mash the avocados. This is supposed to be a chunky salad, and NOT guacamole. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

The boys are both busy doing their parts. Micah is busy cutting the peppers while Asher is measuring out the corn and the spices.

Asher is taking his tossing seriously to make sure everything turns out just right.

Micah is just adding the finishing touches.

Asher and Micha showing off their Loaded Tater Tots.

I love working with these two. Cooking is supposed to be fun, and Micha and Asher definitely have fun in the kitchen. They both get so excited abut everything they cook and they are leaning so much each time. I make them read out the recipes for us, and then they have to “do the math” and figure out what measurements we need of each ingredient. Who knows what we will make next, although I heard some ideas about making some kebabs. I guess we all just have to wait and see what’s in store. 🙂

As of yesterday, Friday, 1/14, there was a mediation meeting between the King Soopers Corporate officers and The Union Representatives, but it did not end well for either side. Nothing was accomplished. The meeting only lasted for about 68 minutes, with the President of King Soopers storming out of the meeting. The union rejected the latest offer of $148 million, which is the largest amount ever offered by King Soopers, from King Soopers President, Joe Kelley.

This is an excerpt from the meeting minutes:

“Joe Kelley [Kings Soopers’ president] did show up which I was surprised but glad that he came to the table today. We’ve had some back and forth this morning. It’s been very unproductive, the company came in and they have acted very unprofessional and in fact have been screaming almost across the table,” said Cordova.

King Soopers responded by issuing a statement to KDVR:

This is a misrepresentation of the truth. Joe is in fact passionate about advocating on behalf of our associates. The rhetoric and mistruths do nothing to benefit our associates and they deserve better.

Our position remains the same, we’ve put all the money on the table and our associates should have a right to choose what’s best for them and their families – let them vote.

The two groups decided they would meet around 11 a.m. Friday morning to work on a compromise. The groups have been going back and forth all week with the grocer accusing the union of using stall tactics but the union said they are coming to the table in good faith. Picket lines will stay up as they work on a solution. Negotiations are set to continue Saturday.

In the meantime, with strikers refusing to work and shelves getting emptier and emptier by the day, the public are the ones who are paying the prices, both the literal and the figurative prices, and nothing is getting accomplished. Regardless of your take on unions, the longer this persists, the uglier things are going to get, and it will affect everyone, especially if Safeway employees follow suit. There will be NO winners, only losers, and sadly, EVERYONE will lose in the end. There are many things we can do without, and many of those things I already have voluntarily chosen to go without, and quite frankly, I do not miss them one bit. But food is a necessity, and we all have to eat. We will not survive without food. No one can, regardless of your believes or your opinions or your principals.

Fortunately, my kitchen is always well stocked, but I will have NO PROBLEM whatsoever crossing any picket line when I need food.

This is NOT just a Denver problem. This is a problem the whole nation is facing, as well as many other countries abroad. Let’s all pray for a quick resolution before we end up in a bloody revolution.

I have another round of cooking classes with the boys, Asher, Micah and Noah today. I am always getting ideas from all over the place. I never know what is going to inspire me. However, I do have a few kids cookbooks that help out a lot when I am making things for the kids. These are great resources in general, however, if you have kids with special dietary restrictions, they are not so helpful. Fortunately, I have a wide array of other cookbooks that I can refer to for that. 🙂

Micah and Asher will be making some loaded tater tots. Tater tots are not usually something I cook at our house, but they are a favorite with kids, so I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before having the boys make them. They are just like loaded potato skins, only they use the tater tots instead. I usually try my best to make quick, fun things for the kids that they will actually eat. So I am having to re-learn how to cook simple things all over again. But we all have a good time, and that’s all that really matters.

These are easy to make and are pretty tasty too.

Loaded Tater Tots

Preheat the oven to 350* F or 175* C.

Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray.

2 cups of tater tots

1 cup cooked bacon, crumbled

1-2 cups shredded cheese – I used a combination of jack and cheddar

green onions, sliced thin

tomatoes, diced fine

either ranch dressing, bleu cheese dressing or sour cream for topping

Place 3 tater tots in each muffin slot of the muffin pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until soft and golden.

Have your bacon, green onions and tomatoes ready to load up so when the tots come out of the oven you can gobble them up as quickly as you can. These are best when served hot, straight out of the oven.

Remove the tater tots from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then make a well in the center of each tot nest. I used a juicer, but you can use whatever you want to make the nest in the center.

Fill each nest with the cheese and the bacon crumbles and place them back in the oven until the cheese is completely melted, for about 5 minutes or so.

When the cheese is melted, you can dob each nest with a dollop of sour cream if you like, then add the tomatoes and green onions. I did not add the sour cream for us, but instead topped them with ranch dressing, just like I would for loaded potato skins.

We had a very oddly paired meal this time around. I was making these as a trial to see how easy they would be for the kids, plus I was using up some leftovers. Larry and I had both bought a bunch of Brussels sprouts, so I had those to use as well. It all worked, but not a combination I would normally do or do on a regular basis. We had prime rib with a hot mustard cream sauce which was delicious, Brussels sprouts with apples, bacon, shallots and apples, which was also very good, and then the loaded tater tots. Sometimes you just have to roll with what you’ve got. You just never know what is going to happen when you play with your food. That’s why it is called playing. 🙂

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

This post is different from my normal posts, but I think these are troubling signs of the times ahead and they need to be shared. I am not trying to make this a political post by any means of the imagination. I am merely the messenger, showing you what I saw. This is happening everywhere, not just here in the Denver Metro area.

King Soopers, is one of our major grocery chains here. Their parent company is Kroger’s. Many of our King Soopers Grocery stores went on strike yesterday at 5:00 AM. Many stores are franchises and they did not go on strike. However the ones closest to my house are on strike and the picketers are marching in front of the stores. So far, there are at least 77 stores that are striking. They are planning to be on strike for at least 3 weeks.

I have mixed feelings about the strike in general, but I think the strikers are playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette at the moment, with so many people being out of work. Regardless of your feelings about the strike, there are many people all around who are out of work and need to pay their bills. I think many of those out of work would be happy to cross the picket lines in order to earn a pay check to help their families out. And King Soopers will hire them in an instant. They have to. People need to eat and grocery stores need to provide food and people to run those stores. This isn’t about feelings or principals. Food is a necessity for everyone. It is survival.

I found out about the strike on Tuesday, so I did most of my shopping then, but of course I forgot some things and needed to go back to the store. I was also very curious to see what was going on. King Soopers is where I do the bulk of my grocery shopping, along with Sprouts and Costco.

I did not cross the picket line this time, though I will when I need to. I need groceries and food, and we may not have other options if this persists. Our other main grocery chain is Safeway. I am not a big fan of Safeway, but I will go if need be. I went to Safeway yesterday. I asked the checker if she thought they would follow suit, and she said “Yes, if the strike goes on longer than Feb. 3”. She also said “these strikes will continue until they (the management) meet their demands (the strikers)”. HMMMMMM! Scary stuff, especially when this is what the stores all around are looking like. These bare shelves were in Safeway, but the shelves of King Soopers are looking the same way.

Unfortunately, these are a common sight seen in many grocery stores across the nation, and it doesn’t look like things are going to get any better any time soon. This is very sad and very scary. Like most everyone else, I really don’t know what to make of these troubling times ahead. What I do know is that the longer this is allowed to go on, the worse things are gong to be for everyone. We have to find a way to work things out, regardless of our differences.

Our lakes have been pretty quiet lately. Our lakes are partially frozen over at the moment and that may have something to do with our limited amount of “visitors”. There are a few ducks and gees around though. Some have ventured out into the colder waters while others have decided to host their duck party on the thin ice patches.

Who knows? Maybe they are telling us we all just need to chill out.

A fricassee is a stew with fried pieces of meat that has been browned in butter and is cooked in a white sauce. A fricassee is a rustic meal that is enjoyed all over Europe and beyond. This particular version is a Hungarian version, made popular from the Hungarian Magyars.

The Magyars were historically nomadic travelers, who watched over their herds on the plains. Meats were their primary food sources. Beef, particularly dried beef, was a staple for the Magyars. It was cooked in a large cast-iron kettle known as a bogracs and that is how they made their goulashes and tarhonya or egg barley. Beef is the number one meat in traditional Hungarian dishes, closely followed by pork. Chicken, lamb and veal are eaten too, though lamb and veal are considered more of a delicacy and are usually only eaten around Easter. Chicken is usually served for Sunday dinners.

Pork was what was first in line in our latest meat rotation, and you all know how much I love to try new things and experiment with new, fun recipes. So I rummaged through my culinary library and found a Hungarian recipe for a pork fricassee, or a recipe for Becsinalt Borju. That is a mouth full. This is one instance where English is much better than when in it is spoken in its native tongue. 🙂

Of course, I changed things around a bit and personalized the dish. Would you really expect anything less? The original recipe calls for veal, but we never eat veal, so pork it was. That was one change. I also marinated my pork with lemon juice, olive oil, lemon balsamic vinegar and black pepper first, which made it very tender and flavorful. I marinated the pork for about 4 hours before cooking it.

Hungarian Pork Fricassee

4 cups of broth – I used my ham broth Rustic Ham and Bean Soup

salt & pepper to taste

2 lbs boneless pork or veal or chicken

2-3 large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 celery stalks, diced

3 TBSP chopped fresh parsley

1-2 TBSP green onions, sliced thin

1 shallot, sliced very thin

2-3 TBSP butter

olive oil

2-3 TBSP flour

1 cup mushrooms, either sliced thick or quartered

1 1/2 cups asparagus cut into pieces

1 TBSP garlic

2 TBSP lemon juice

As I mentioned, I marinated my pork first, then sliced into thick slices before cooking it.

Get a large skillet very hot and add the butter, then add the pork with the marinade and cook until it is thoroughly cooked, and just lightly browned around the edges.

Once the pork is cooked remove it from the skillet and set aside, then add olive oil to the mix and cook all the vegetables except for the green onions and parsley, for about 5-7 minutes.

Add the broth, flour and seasonings and re-add the pork and combine together well. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue to cook for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add about half the green onions and parsley and the lemon juice right before serving and mix together thoroughly. Add the remainder of the green onions and parsley right before serving. You can serve this over either rice, mashed or boiled potatoes or even pasta. I served it over rice this time, with some warmed ciabiatta bread and a crisp, citrusy chardonnay on the side. Finom, or delicious.

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

We took Juneau to the vet this morning and she is now CONE FREE! Her stitches were all removed and the vet says she is looking great. She is free to be her wild self again. Poor Vinnie.

This is the Juni Bug as a very lady-like conehead.

And now, she is cone free and stitch free. She is once again ready to terrorize her brothers and sister, as well as the rest of the world.

Why mom? Why did you have to set her free? Poor Vinnie.

I love Mexican food. I grew up with great Mexican food in Southern California. I love to eat it and I love to make it too. One day, quite a few years ago, I was talking to someone and they asked me what my favorite local Mexican restaurant was. My response was “my kitchen”. They quickly asked where that was, thinking it was an actual restaurant, and we all laughed when I said, “No, I mean my actual kitchen at home”. I thought they were going to invite themselves over for dinner that night.

Many moons ago, back in my restaurant and catering days, I prided myself and my staff for doing our best to make different ethnic foods as authentic as we could. I still do that today. I love all kinds of ethnic foods, and when I make them myself, which I do often, I want to recreate them either as I originally enjoyed them, or make them even better if I can. My latest authentic Mexican recreation was some loaded chicken enchiladas with a creamy tomatillo sauce. Originally, they were just going to be simple enchiladas that were going to use up my leftovers, but then they turned into oh so much more. I did still get to use up a lot of my leftovers though. That always makes me happy. 🙂

It really depends on my mood when I make my enchiladas. Sometimes I roll my enchiladas and sometimes I layer them. This time I decided to layer them. I served them with a spinach side salad topped with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette.

I thought I had everything I needed for my enchiladas, and for the most part, I did. But when it came time for the sauce, I realized, I did not have tomatillo sauce. No worries. I improvised, something I have become quite a pro at. I did have a small bottle of a tomatillo topping, but it was not nearly enough for what I needed, so I “doctored it up” and expanded on it.

Larry had made some tequila lime chicken the other day (though he NEVER uses enough flavorings when he cooks) and that was the basis for my enchiladas. I also has some Cubano black beans with corn and jalapenos that I added to the mix as well, along with some additional peppers, garlic, cilantro and red and green onions.

Makeshift Creamy Tomatillo Sauce

1 bottle of tomatillo marinade

1-2 TBPS spinach pesto or regular pesto

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Combine everything together well.

Preheat the oven to 350* F or 175* C.

Spray cooking spray into a 9×13 baking dish.

Add a layer of the creamy tomatillo sauce (or regular tomatilla suace) on the bottom of the pan, followed by a layer of tortillas. I used the large flour tortillas, but you can also use corn if your prefer. Any size will do as long as you cover the whole bottom of the pan. Then start the layering process – cheese, chicken, bean mixture, tortillas, sauce and repeat until the pan is full.

When the pan is full, add another layer of sauce or salsa on top as well as another layer of cheese. I used Mozzarella because that is what I had, but you can use whatever cheese you like. I would recommend a white cheese though because I think it goes better with the chicken and tomatillo sauce.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches about 165* F. Then uncover and continue to cook until the cheese starts to form a light crust, or about 10-15 minutes. Before serving, top it with some tomatoes, green onions, and/or olives, or any combination thereof as you like.

This is a very rich dish, so I served it with a light spinach salad on the side. I topped it with a lime-cilantro vinaigrette. Normally I would serve this with a margarita on the side, but since it was cold, and margaritas seem more of a summer or warm weather drink for me, I chose a light, crispy, citrusy chardonnay instead.

Who says you can’t dress up leftovers? Play with your food. Make it fun. I always do. 🙂

Stay warm, stay safe and stay healthy. ‘Til next time.