Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

It was a golf night for Larry, and I didn’t really feel like making something that required a lot of time in the kitchen. Larry brought home some fried chicken after golf, that went very well with my antipasto pasta salad. We have been having record breaking heat, with temperatures in the 100’s. We get hot like this a lot, but usually not in June. It is usually more in August and early September. Not this year though. The heat came early and came strong. Also, our air conditioner picked a great time to go out, so our house is very hot right now. If I don’t have to heat up the house any more than I have to at the moment, I am very happy. I am NOT one who likes the heat. I wanted something cool and refreshing for dinner. I decided on using a lot of my antipasto items and turned them into a cool pasta salad. Simply Nibbly

Antipasto Pasta Salad

1 lb box cooked pasta, like farfelle or elbow, or shells or rotelle

1/2 lb sliced salami, quartered

1 can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and quartered

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 red onion, diced fine

1/2 green bell pepper, diced fine

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in 1/2

1 cup mixed, pitted olives, cut in 1/2

1/3 cup either Parmigiano or mozzarella cheese cubes, optional

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup vinaigrette – I used the remainder of my garlic-jalapeno dressing

Combine the mayonnaise and vinaigrette together well. A Summer Chicken Salad with Garlic-Jalapeno Vinaigrette Once the pasta is cooked, toss everything together and add the mayonnaise mixture and coat thoroughly.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours before eating. I served it alongside some fried chicken with a cool, crisp chardonnay, and it made a perfectly cool summer supper that helped beat the heat.

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

Whenever we make a trip to Hays, KS, we always know there will be literally, a ton of food. When Larry was just back there for his mom’s 92nd birthday, once again, as expected, there was a ton of food. That is just a given for any Billinger event. Larry brought home a big bag of smoked pork that our brother-in-law made, most probably from one of his own pigs too . James always makes such good smoked meats.

With the temperature being so scorchingly hot and my little unexpected visit to the ER A Little Trip to The ER, needless to say, I wasn’t really feeling like cooking anything. I was grateful we had the bag of smoked, pulled pork. We just made up some some pork sandwiches and served them with French fries. We topped them with some of my North Carolina Smoky BBQ Sauce, and they were just perfect for a no frills, summer dinner on the deck. Saucing It Up.

Sometimes, simple is just best.

Thank you all for the well wishes and kind thoughts. I am doing much, much better. Pain, I can easily handle. I wasn’t worried about that. But I have kind of become accustomed to breathing, and when I couldn’t breathe very well, that was the deciding factor on whether or not I should go to the ER. Fortunately, nothing broken and my lungs are just fine. It was just a nasty bruise on my ribs, that only time can heal. Hopefully it just won’t take that much time. 🙂

A couple of days ago, Juneau had an accident in the house and I thought I had cleaned it all up. But apparently, I didn’t clean it up as well as I thought, and I slipped and fell, hitting my ribs on the bottom of the stairs. It was very painful indeed and it has been very difficult to move around a lot. I did not go to the doctor that day, in hopes that it would get better. It did a little bit, but then last night it was excruciating. Today it got even worse, and I was having difficulty breathing, so I thought I had better go to the doctor, just to make sure I didn’t puncture a lung. The good news is there are no broken or cracked ribs, only badly bruised. So they still hurt, but at lest now I have peace of mind. They gave me some medicine for the pain and life is much better once again. But I don’t feel like cooking anything. I think taking it easy is the plan for today.

Believe me, Juneau is NOT as sweet and innocent as she looks.

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

A charcuterie tray, or a cheese and platter tray, or an antipasto tray are always popular no matter what the occasion, or time of year or where you are. No matter the occasion, they are always a big hit, and especially if you are pressed for time.

I think I told you I have a women’s group I have been meeting with every Monday for a few months now. We changed the time to accommodate my new schedule, and lately it has been at my house. Well, it’s too hot to cook anything, so I made an antipasto tray. However, due to some last minute changes, it did not happen today. That’s OK. I had already made my antipasto platter. I will just put everything away or maybe recreate it into something for dinner.

Aside from these being so easy to make, they are also very versatile. I made mine with a couple of types of cheese, some crackers, dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), 3 different kinds of olives and some sliced hard salami. But as always, you can make them as simple or elaborate as you like, and can use a whole host of ingredients. Just use your imagination and let your taste buds guide you.

I like to make them nice and colorful. Usually, the more colorful your food is, the healthier it is too.

I will just break it down and find other, creative ways of re-using everything. No problem! I am pretty sure I can do this. 🙂

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

Here in Colorado, we live life the “Rocky Mountain Way”. We like things that are different. We like to live life to the extremes and we follow our own rules. We like big, bold flavors. We are a tough, hardy group. We are still very much a part of the Wild, Wild West in many ways, and part of that spirit includes eating a lot of big game meats. Bison, also known as buffalo, is very popular here, as are a lot of other game meats. Bison and elk are probably the two most popular game meats, other than “Rocky Mountain Oysters”, which are something completely different and I will not get into.

We had some bison filets in the freezer that we took down and I turned into bison pitas. I also got to use up some of my odds and ends leftovers. So not only did we have a delicious meal (before Left for Hays), but I also got to invite the “Queen” over and have some fun cleaning out my fridge as well. BONUS!

I sliced some bell peppers, onions and mushrooms, and sauteed them with some with seasonings. I cooked the meat separately and added my wild game seasoning that I bought from Wally’s Quality Meats. Wally’s Quality Meats

For my sauce, I mixed a little salsa and the remainder of my roasted red pepper vinaigrette together, and then spread it out onto a warmed pita. Once everything was all cooked to perfection, it was time to piece it all together and enjoy. As usual, I put to much stuff on my stuff, so it was very messy. But messy ALWAYS tastes oh so good. We added some French fries on the side, and had a delicious summer dinner out on the deck. I served it with a big red blend on the side too.

Juneau, aka Juni Bug, was trying to convince Daddy that she needed to help him with his dinner. Can you believe this is my baby? She is 6 months old now and is already over 70 lbs. She is going to be a big girl!

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

Larry and I are two ships passing in the night once again. He is in Hays, KS for his mother Ollie’s 92nd birthday. I wish I could be there to help celebrate but I could not go because today was our first swim meet. So I am not going to cook up something big and fancy for just me. Besides, I am too pooped to cook anything right now. It was a very long and full day.

We had our first duel in the pool for the season, and it was a smashing success. Yes, there were a few hiccups, and a few DQ slips, but my swimmers did a fantastic job, and we won the meet. We are still waiting for the official results, but we already know we won. I have the numbers. The kids all swam their hearts out today. It was so much fun, even though all of of us are a little more colored from the sun today and are sporting red noses and faces as proof. I cannot post pictures of the swimmers. But I can say our Lafayette Seals did an AWESOME job!!!!!! Myself and my other coaches are very proud of all them.

I was not swimming today; just on deck as head coach for our amazing team.

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

I am still having fun creating new things from my goodie box from Beyond The Olive. More Goodies To Try This time I made a garlic-jalapeno vinaigrette that I used to top my summer chicken salad. It was yet another very cool and refreshing summer salad. When the temperatures are soaring outside, I want something as refreshing as possible for my meals. In the summer, we eat a lot of salads. They are light and do not weigh us down and they help cool us down when the mercury starts to soar to high.

My inspiration for my garlic-jalapeno vinaigrette came not only from wanting to create a new recipe with my garlic-jalapeno olive oil, but also from one of our very own blogger family members, Gail from https://snapshotsincursive.com/. Gail is one of those “friends” whom I have not yet met in person, but we already know we would be best of friends if we lived close by. There are actually quite a few of you who fall into this category. You all know who you are. One day, we will all get to meet face-to-face. 🙂

This garlic-jalapeno vinaigrette was super simple to make and only requires a few basic ingredients, that are found in just about everyone’s kitchen, or are easy to find in your local grocery store.

Garlic-Jalapeno Vinaigrette

1-2 oz garlic-jalapeno olive oil

1/3 cup regular olive oil

2 tsp garlic

1 jalapeno, diced fine

1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar

Mix everything together well and let set until ready to use.

This dressing will go over chicken or shrimp very well, or you can use it for just about anything you like. I made a chicken salad using, of course, you guessed it … leftovers. I used my leftover rotisserie chicken from Costco, and the rest of my corn, tomato and basil salad.

Once my salad was “built” it was ready to enjoy, and that we did too. Delicious!

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

Back in the day when I was running restaurants and professional kitchens, I always used to tell my staff, that NO MATTER what is going on in their personal life, when they are out in the front of the house with customers, they had better be wearing a smile. But I also told them once they were behind closed doors, the could kick, scream, cuss and do whatever was needed to vent and to blow off steam, AS LONG AS NO CUSTOMERS EVER heard or saw anything and no one got hurt. People pay good money for a break from reality, and when they go out to be wined and dined, they are expecting to be treated like celebrities and royalty. It was always our job to do the best we could do with what we had. If something is in house, it is there for the customers if they should ask for it. But now, in the back of the house, well ….. That is a completely different story. If you have never worked in a restaurant, you would be very shocked by what really goes on and what is really said. Working in a professional kitchen IS NOT a place for the faint or weak-hearted, and if you don’t like the use of profanity, you had better wear ear plugs. In the back of the house, there is one favorite word that is universal. I won’t say it here, but it won’t take to much to figure it out. It starts with an “F”.

Here are a few looks behind the scenes that most people don’t see or really know about unless they have lived this life. Each and every one of these sayings is so true. The restaurant life is definitely NOT for everyone. Only the tough survive. I guess that means I am very tough indeed, since I survived the restaurant life for almost 40 years. ( I started when I was very young).

So now you know. It is a tough life. You either have it or you don’t and you either love it or your don’t.

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

I am having so much fun creating new dishes and recipes with all the new products I received in my recent goodie box. More Goodies To Try This time I used some of the Garlic-Jalapeno Olive Oil, and I used it to cook my scallops in.

As usual, when I am creating something brand new, I forget things, and add them in later. I play it with it until it comes out just like I want it to.

Garlic-Jalapeno Scallops

1 oz Garlic-Jalapeno Olive Oil

1/4 cup garlic butter

1 1/2 lbs sea scallops, drained, rinsed and patted dry

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced fine

1/4 bell pepper, diced fine – I used a yellow bell pepper

1 cup dry white wine

1/4 red onion, diced fine

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 TBSP garlic

salt to taste

1/2-3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

more butter to finish off the sauce

I sauteed my scallops in some garlic butter and my Garlic-Jalapeno Olive oil for about 3 minutes per side, or until they were completely cooked and lightly browned on all sides. I browned the butter, which gave the sauce a rich, rusty color and and a robust flavor.

Once the scallops are completely cooked, remove them from the heat, and set aside. Add the garlic, jalapeno and onions, along with the wine. Stand back and be careful, because once you add the wine, there is going to be a little flambe action going on.

The flame will die down in about a minute, just be careful and be safe.

Once the flame dies down, mix everything together well and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the cream and incorporate well.

Mix everything together again, then add about 2 TBSP of butter into the sauce and incorporate well to make a nice, smooth and creamy finish.

Add the scallops and continue to cook just long enough for the scallops to reheat all the way through. I served mine over couscous, and added some green beans and pita bread to balance out the meal. Add some of the sauce over the scallops and enjoy. I served it with a cool, crisp chardonnay.

This dish is a definite do-over. It was so good. It had just enough kick that was balanced out with a light creamy sauce. It just melted in our mouths. Scrumptious!

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

We do not go out to eat too much while we are home. When at home, I cook most of our meals. However, there are times when we do go out to eat, and when we do, we like to try places than are fun and different. Very rarely do we go to chains. We much prefer small, independent, family owned businesses. We like all the personality that goes into a family business.

On Sunday, after church, we decided to go out to brunch with Jonathan and Priscilla. We chose The Early Bird, in Westminster. The Early Bird is a local restaurant that specializes in “serving up made-from -scratch breakfast and brunch using only the freshest, highest- quality ingredients” and has been doing so since 2012. “Early Bird is a pioneer in the hospitality industry bringing a world-class chef run and operated food establishment to Colorado, offering big city amenities in the comfort of the suburbs.   Early Bird provides fresh, creative, and quality food and beverage executed flawlessly; delivered in an exceptional yet welcoming environment.  Much of the artwork is created by a long time family friend and artist in 30A (Watersound, FL), Allison Wickey. A priority of Early Bird is serving original, healthful breakfast and brunch fare with the emphasis being placed on the freshest ingredients to create modest yet flavorful breakfast and lunch dishes”.

Chefs Daniel and Kristen Cofrades started the Early Bird Restaurant concept with the goal of filling a void in the North West Denver Area—a locally owned and operated food outlet catering to business leaders, singles, retirees, couples, and families alike—to bring a unique and approachable dining experience to the local community. The name, Early Bird was inspired by the Chefs’ daughter, Isabel, who was born prematurely at 33 weeks. “Izzy” is the beautiful, pint-sized muse behind the restaurant’s concept and philosophy of providing the best ingredients, preparation and presentation.

The Early Bird Restaurant brand is the result of the dream of a husband and wife chef team, who envisioned a world-class chef-owned and operated food establishment that offers a big city vibe, amenities and sophistication, yet offering small-town comfort, familiarity and friendly service.  Chef owners Daniel and Kristen have extensive experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry including hotels, restaurants, consulting and teaching.   Chef owner Daniel Cofrades studied at L’Ecole Lenore in Paris, and brings over 20 years of experience at world-class hotel and restaurant destinations such as Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts in Spain and Venezuela, the Omni Interlocken Resort, the Michelin starred NOMI Restaurant in Chicago, and most recently, at the St. Julien Hotel and Spa in Boulder, CO. He also serves on the culinary council for Sterling-Rice Group based in Boulder, CO.   Chef owner Kristen Cofrades obtained her culinary degree at The Art Institute of Colorado, School of Culinary Arts, and brings over 15 years of culinary expertise. She worked for Omni Hotels, starting as a pastry cook while in culinary school and worked her way up to task force chef out of the corporate office in 8 years time. Most recently, Chef Kristen was an instructor in the Culinary Department at Johnson & Wales University in Denver, CO where she also obtained her MBA in Hospitality in 2015. Chef Kristen also serves on the culinary council for Sterling-Rice Group based in Boulder, CO.

The Early Bird is decorated with fun and family in mind and delicious, and offers nothing but the best, most mouth-watering foods. It is a very comfortable family dining place, no matter if you are dining solo or with a bunch of family and friends. It is very welcoming and inviting to all. It is very much a family friendly restaurant, to both all its customers as well as its staff. Many of the employees have been at the restaurant for years and everyone has become part of the family.

The place was packed and we waited for about 40-45 minutes before getting seated. But believe me, it was well worth the wait.

Once we were seated, it was time to peruse the menu and make our selections. We all chose something different.

Larry ordered a standard breakfast platter, with eggs, bacon, and a huge pancake, and thinking that wasn’t going to be enough, he also ordered a side of potatoes. Surprisingly, he ate it all too.

Priscilla and I both ordered their specialty omelettes with one of their giant homemade, delicious biscuits. The omelettes were open, and more like fritattas, and were very, very good. Mine had prosciutto and tomatoes. Everything came with a little arugula salad as well. I forgot what kind of omelette Priscilla ordered, but she was very pleased with it too.

Jonathan decided on the biscuit and gravy with eggs.

Everything from the food on the plates to the ketchups, sauces and gravies are made from scratch, in-house everyday. And the portions are HUGE. When you go, you definitely need to bring your appetite. We had quite a delectable feast for the day. I am ready to go back again, very soon. Thank you Kristen and staff, for a fabulous dining experience.

The Early Bird is located at 11940 Bradburn Blvd., #400, Westminster, CO 80031. They are open at 7:00 AM. It is probably a good idea to make reservations, because the place is always hopping. You can call them at (303) 568-9297 of find them on Facebook or Instagram. too. You will be taken care of very well and will be fed deliciously.