I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
Author: ajeanneinthekitchen
I have worked in the restaurant and catering industry for over 35 years. I attended 2 culinary schools in Southern California, and have a degree in culinary arts from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, as well as a few other degrees in other areas. I love to cook and I love to feed people.
I have shown you a wide variety of flowers through this beautiful “Flower A Day Challenge”. Flowers of all kinds and colors. Some are wild, some are “domesticated”. Most are from the ground up, while others are found in the trees. What I have not shown you much of though, are potted flowers. All of the flowers are beautiful in their own ways. I was attracted to these beautiful, colorful mums and just had to share these with you too.
The Church coffee cart had a variety of mini banana muffins, mini cinnamon rolls and a chocolate tiffin cake today (more on this later). All were a big success once again.
The cinnamon buns came via the store, so I am not going into any detail about those. I cannot take credit for making those.
Knowing that banana muffins were going to be featured today, I purposely let my bananas ripen to a good, soft mushy brown. Those are the best for baking with. They are full of flavor and mash really well. So DON’T throw them away when they look like this. Make banana bread instead.
To make the bananas even more flavorful, I added some banana extract to the mashed bananas as well.
Banana Muffins
2 cups flour
2 cups or 4 medium bananas, very ripe and mashed
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp either vanilla or banana extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 325* F or 160* C.
Spray cooking spray in either muffin tins or a loaf pan.
Mix the salt, flour, and baking soda together.
In a mixer, blend the butter and sugars together. Then add the eggs one at a time and blend together again. Add the mashed bananas and mix. Add the flour mixture, 1/2 at a time, mixing in between each addition. When everything is all combined and mixed well, pour or spoon the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 1 hour for the bread and about 30-40 minutes for the muffins, or until they are lightly golden and a toothpick that is inserted in the center comes out clean,
The mini banana muffins were very popular. One girl just couldn’t get enough of them today. I told her just to put them in the plastic water cups so she could take them with her. She was more than grateful for that idea. I did not put any nuts in them this time, which might have been another reason why they went so fast. They all quickly disappeared, as did everything else, which tells me they were a success. I will keep on making things as long as people want them. 🙂 It feels so good to be needed and loved, even if only for my muffins.
These pretty flowers just look so peaceful and calming hanging over the lake. And look closely, there is little moth enjoying the tranquility too. I love our lakes. You just never know what you are going to see.
The word roti is derived from the Sanskrit word rotika, which means bread. Roti (also known as chapati)[5] is a round flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent made from stonegroundwhole wheat flour, traditionally known as gehu ka atta, and water that is combined into a dough.[6][7] Roti is consumed in many countries worldwide. Its defining characteristic is that it is unleavened. Naan from the Indian subcontinent, by contrast, is a yeast-leavened bread, as is kulcha. Like breads around the world, roti is a staple accompaniment to other foods. It is normally eaten with cooked vegetables or curries and is thought of as a carrier for them.
We first discovered Roti in St. Lucia, one of the many Caribbean Islands we have dived. Until actually seeing what it was though, I was always a bit reluctant to make it. But now that I know what it is, I am not intimidated at all. Roti is eaten widely across the Caribbean, especially in countries with large Indo-Caribbean populations such as Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, and Jamaica. Originally brought to the islands by indentured laborers from the Indian subcontinent, roti has become a popular staple in the culturally rich cuisines of these countries. In the Caribbean, roti is commonly eaten as an accompaniment to various curries and stews. The traditional way of eating roti is to break the roti by hand, using it to sop up sauce and pieces of meat from the curry. However, in the Caribbean, the term roti may refer to both the flatbread (roti) itself and the more popular street food item, in which the roti is folded around a savory filling in the form of a wrap. The roti wrap is the commercialization of roti and curry together as a fast-food or street-food item in the Caribbean.
Of course, I made my own version of roti, and made it more like a fusion food. I made my roti from crepes made with a combination of regular flour and garbanzo flour. By making crepes instead of actual roti, they were a little lighter and slightly less filling. My filling was my leftover Indian Chicken with Lentils and Vegetables and I served it all alongside my leftover ribs with lime and tomato glazed ribs. Lime and Tomato Glazed Ribs. It was a typical Caribbean meal right here in the comfort of my own kitchen. It tasted every bit as good as the roti we’ve eaten in various Caribbean Islands too.
Savory Crepes with Garbanzo Flour
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup water
2/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup garbanzo flour
2 TBSP melted butter + more for cooking the crepes
Mix the flours and the salt together. Whisk the eggs, milk, melted butter and water together then add to the flour mixture and combine well. Cover and refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours before using. Once you are ready to use it, let it set at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes before cooking it up into crepes.
To make the crepes, get a small skillet very hot, then add a little bit of butter to the skillet and swish it around before adding the batter. Completely fill the skillet with a very thin coating of the batter and let cook for about 1-2 minutes then carefully flip the crepe and continue to cook for an 1-2 minutes or until it is done. Repeat this process until all the batter has been used and all your crepes are made. Sundried Tomato Crepes with Chicken, Corn and Red Peppers
Once your crepes are made, it is time to fill them and roll them. Place the filled crepes into a baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. I added some rice and lentil mixture to the crepes first, then my chicken mixture and rolled them up.
Of course Larry wanted a little cheese on his, so I added some Swiss cheese on top before baking it.
Once the crepes, or in this case roti, are ready, cover them with aluminum foil and bake at 350* F or 180* C for about 30 minutes to make sure everything is completely heated through and gets to an internal temperature of about 165* F. I topped my roti with some more of my sauce and a little fresh cilantro, and served it alongside my ribs. I smooth buttery or crisp chardonnay is the perfect wine choice to go with these, but you could also use a slightly sweeter Reisling too. Both will help cut down the spices of the meal.
Sit back and enjoy. You will have the flavors of India and the Caribbean in the comfort of your own home.
I know lilac season has come to an end, but they were so beautiful and so fragrant while they were in bloom. I took pictures of my lilacs back when they were still in bloom, but never got around to sharing them with you; until today. My front yard was so colorful and smelled so good. Our lilac bush was so beautiful this year. It was just full of life and full of blooms. To bad the season is such a short one.
1.Feel free to post every day or whenever you you feel like it. You can either post new flower photos or dig back into your archives.
2. Depending on the time of year, you can post any of these types of things for your FOTD.
Single flowers
Buds
Multiple flowers
Bouquet
Flower fields
Wildflowers
Tree or bush blossoms
Autumn leaves
Spring leaves
Decorative Cabbage
Berries
Still life
Fake or Silk Flowers
They may be gone today, but they are never out of reach. They are always fresh on my mind, and I know it won’t be long and soon they will once again be back.
As you know, we love our steaks and steaks make it into our meal rotation quite often. But I also love recreating those steaks into other things too. Frequently, those leftover streaks are turned into delicious salads, especially on those hot dog days of summer. Just like I am always looking for new ways to prepare my steaks, I am also always looking for new salads to showcase the steaks as well. This time, I decided to make it Greek Style.
I started off with a bed of baby spinach, then just kept adding all kinds of other goodies on top. I finished it with the thin steak strips, a tomato vinaigrette, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with a Tomato-Herb Vinaigrette and bleu cheese crumbles for Larry and roasted pepitas for me.
When I make a salad, I make a SALAD. One of my brothers-in-law learned this one day when he thought he was coming over for a light lunch only to be presented with a huge salad instead, filled with all kinds of stuff. I guess that’s the problem when you like EVERYTHING and you like stuff on your stuff. 🙂
This salad consisted of fresh baby spinach, tomatoes, cucumber slices, a mixture of olives, red onions, artichoke hearts and garbanzo beans as the main ingredients, and then the star attraction, the steak, was spread on top of it all.
It was healthy, colorful and very delicious! My kind of salad. Nostimo! (Delicious in Greek).
I am still seeing a lot of beautifully colored flowers all over the place, although Fall is coming, so the flowers are beginning to get a little tired. They are getting ready for their big sleep coming upon them soon. While I still have flowers though, I will still keep sharing them with you. Today, we have some beautiful pinks on display.
I love seeing all the bees around with the flowers. We need the bees.
Pumpkin season at my house has officially arrived, albeit just a wee bit earlier this year than most. I love pumpkin and I love to be creative with it.
Here in the United States, most people think of pumpkin pie around Thanksgiving when they think of pumpkin, and that’s about it. But oh no! You can do so much more with pumpkin. Pumpkin is eaten in many different ways all over the world, and in my house too. It can be used from anything sweet to savory, and I cook it every which way I can. This time I used it as my sauce for pasta. YUMMY!
I had a general idea in mind, and as I was doing my research I found recipes using the same ingredients I wanted to use, just not all together. So of course I did what I do best. I made it MY WAY! 🙂
Mediterranean Shrimp and Chorizo Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce
I bought my pumpkin sauce. Like marinara sauce, can I make it? Of course I can, but why when there are so many good alternatives already made. Save yourself some time and effort. There is nothing wrong with adding to something that is store bought and already made, as long as it is a good brand.
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb chorizo sausage links
angel hair pasta
3 tomatoes, diced medium
2 cups baby spinach, stems removed
1 TBSP garlic
1 jar pumpkin pasta sauce
1/2 onion, sliced very thin
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt & pepper to taste
butter to finish the sauce
Caramelize the onions first. Once they start browning, remove them from the heat and seat aside.
Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook until they are completely pink, then remove. Then cook the chorizo.
Once the chorizo and shrimp are cooked, remove them as well. Add the spinach, garlic and mushrooms next and cook until the spinach is wilted and the mushrooms are cooked.
Add everything back into the skillet, including the sauce and tomatoes. Mix everything together well, then add the cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finish with a little butter at the end.
When everything is done, spoon it all up over some angel hair pasta, and voila! You could add chicken too, if you prefer. Simply delicious, especially with a cool, crisp chardonnay on the side. As you can see, pumpkin is NOT just for pie anymore.
As I have mentioned many times, throughout this flower a day challenge, and in general too I suppose, you just have to keep your eyes open and look all around you. You never know what you’re going to find, or where you’re going to find it.
This cute little flower is a little itty-bitty thing, standing all by itself in my backyard. I only have the one, and I just noticed it. I haven’t even seen others like it anywhere else either. If it is even 3 inches high I would be very surprised. Good things DO come in small packages. 🙂
Ribs. You are either a fan or you are not. I have to admit, I am not, but Larry is. So every now and than I do make ribs. He prefers the smaller baby back ribs, but I like the meatier short ribs. Some of the main reasons why I am NOT a rib fan are that 1) they are hard to eat; 2) they are way to messy; 3) they are very fattening and 4) for the amount of meat you get, they are just not worth all the effort that goes into eating them. Though, the short ribs are a lot more satisfying, and are definitely a lot meatier, so they are more worth it, at least to me. That being said, it was once again a rib night. They were the short ribs. I served them with my pasta salad and some corn on the cob, some biscuits and a bold and fruity red on the side to make a perfect summer meal. Pesto Pasta Salad
As with everything, particularly if it is something we eat on a fairly regular basis, I am always on the look out for new ways to prepare things. This time was no different. Sometimes, all you need is just a new sauce, and that will change everything. I came across a recipe for a lime and tomato sauce to top my ribs. It can be used for whatever type of ribs you like, or even chicken if you prefer.
Some rib recipes have you slow bake them. Some have you slow cook them on the grill. And other recipes tell you to boil the ribs for a period of time before putting them on the grill. The reason for the slow cooking is that ribs need quite a bit of cooking time in order to tenderize them. This new recipe called for boiling the ribs first.
Ribs with Lime-Tomato Sauce
2 lbs ribs of your choice
2/3 cup lime juice
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp salt
2-3 TBSP cornstarch
Place the ribs in cold water and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 30 minutes, or more depending the thickness and size of the ribs.
While the ribs are cooking on the stove, make your sauce by combining all the ingredients together. Place them in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for about 5-10 minutes, or until it reaches your desired thickness.
When both the ribs and the sauce are done, coat the ribs on both sides with the sauce and place them on a hot grill to continue cooking. Again, depending on the thickness of the ribs, cook for about 20 minutes, about 10 minutes per side.
When they are done, coat with some more sauce and enjoy.
A Jeanne in the Kitchen 