Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

I hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving had a a good one. We sure did. I have been busy cooking and cleaning for the past two days, pretty much non-stop, making sure the house was clean and all our guests had a delicious food and a great time. As usual, it was a major success. After our big meal, we all played a couple of rounds of Apples to Apples before our guests left. Then it was time for Larry and I to clean everything up.

The tables are set and ready for our guests to arrive.

Before the main dishes came out, we munched on some appetizers and starters. I prepared some spiced nuts and a relish tray. I knew my friend Marianne was bringing appetizers, so I kept it light. What I didn’t realize though, was that she was going to bring so many appetizers. But everything was very good. Needless to say, we hardly made a dent on the appetizers before starting on the main meal.

I cooked all the traditional Thanksgiving dishes. Larry smoked a turkey, as well as some ribs and a pork shoulder. His turkey was good, but maybe I am just a traditionalist. I prefer it roasted in the oven. The smoked turkey just wasn’t as juicy as it is when in I roast it in the oven.

I made an artichoke and sundried tomato stuffing or dressing. The main difference between a dressing and a stuffing is that the dressing is cooked separately and the stuffing is cooked inside the bird. It is usually healthier to cook them separately; less likely for cross contaminating the foods and it ensures everything cooks properly and completely.

Of course, there were mashed potatoes, a steamed medley of winter vegetables, rolls and cranberry relish too. My friend Suzanne brought some roasted sweet potatoes. I didn’t get any pictures of any of these dishes, but trust me, our table was full. I guarantee, none of us left the table hungry. Our tummies were very full and very satisfied.

Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be complete without desserts. Instead of a traditional pumpkin pie I made a pumpkin chiffon pie this year. It was a big hit.

I also made a rustic apple and almond tart that was just perfect with ice cream. This too was very popular.

I don’t have to cook anything for pretty much most of the week now. The recipes for my dishes will be coming later.

We continued the tradition of visiting InVINtions for Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. This year though, instead of going in our pajamas, they had a wine monopoly game or wineopoly, which was a lot of fun. Because of the restrictions in place, not as many people could enjoy the indoor festivities at the same time. So they had separate tables of wineopoly games set up around and tables set up outside where we could enjoy our favorite libations and nibblies after the game. We took some of our leftover nibblies from last night to munch on. They went perfectly with a glass of wine.

I hope you all had an enjoyable and safe holiday. Thanksgiving is always my favorite holiday because it is all about family, spending time with loved ones and being thankful for what we have. I know I most definitely have a lot to be thankful for too.

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

When we went to bed last night, there was no snow. When we woke up this morning, we were blanketed in about 5-6 inches of thick white snow. It’s so beautiful. It truly is a winter wonderland. I was going to be adventurous and do my normal walk, trudging through the snow the whole way. But after walking around just one lake, I had had enough adventure for the day. I did get some great shots though, which made it all worth while.

Look at all the birds high up in the tree. I think they are common sparrows.

This is my house and my view.

All the shovelers and snow plows are out, trying to clear the roads and walkways. It was much more fun to trudge through the snow without them being cleared though.

I am definitely enjoying it while I can for tomorrow, it could all be gone. That’s usually how it works here in Colorado; here today, gone tomorrow.

Happy early Thanksgiving. Stay safe and stay well Everyone.

I know I am a very strange person, some would argue in many ways too. Right now though, I am only talking about my love of peas. There is not nearly enough time to discuss all my other strange ways. 🙂

I have always LOVED peas. I could easily eat a pound of cooked peas with butter and salt and be a very happy camper. I remember one time my parents and I had gone out to a fancy restaurant when I was just a little thing, and all I wanted was a big bowl of buttered peas. The waiter looked at me in total surprise and shock. I just can’t understand why so many people have such an aversion to them and hate them so much.

The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and develop from the ovary of a flower. Peas are members of the legume family and are very healthy and nutritious. One cup of boiled green peas has 46% of your RDA of vitamin K-1, known for maintaining bone health and helping blood to clot to prevent bleeding. Peas are high in fiber and low in fat and contain no cholesterol. Plus, they’re a good source of vegetable protein. A type of legume, peas grow inside long, plump pods. As is the case with all types of legume, their sugars start to turn to starch as shortly after they’re picked, so they are best eaten just-picked. Frozen peas are put on ice very soon after being picked (within three hours) and the flavor can be superior to that of fresh peas harvested a couple of days previously. Peas are best when they are fresh, but most of us pea lovers who live in urban areas eat frozen peas, which we can get year round. But if buying them fresh, pea season is from May-November.

There are three common types of peas, the English peas, also known as shelling peas, where the edible peas are found on the inside of the pods and the pods are inedible; snow peas, which are flat pods with smaller peas inside and you eat the whole thing, pod and all; and snap peas that are a combination of both the English peas and snap peas. Their pods are tender and edible and the peas inside the pod are larger, full sized peas. My favorites are the English peas, (maybe that is just the Aussie in me) although I love them all.

We hadn’t had any fish for awhile, and I took some cod out of the freezer. Larry said he wanted fish & chips, which I am always up for. Well peas and fish & chips just go together beautifully, and we haven’t had any peas in quite awhile either. So I knew peas were going to be served up alongside the fish & chips, though I wanted something a little different than just plain peas. As I was looking through my library collection of cookbooks, I was really surprised to see that in all my vegetarian/vegan cookbooks, there were NO recipes for peas. WHAT????? Do vegetarians and vegans NOT eat peas? I was shocked at this, considering how healthy they are. Finally though, I did find a really good recipe that actually was already paired up with cod. It was just meant to be.

I made an herbed pea relish. The recipe called for fresh oregano, but maybe because it is Thanksgiving, I could not find fresh oregano anywhere. That’s OK. That is exactly why I always have a wide array of dried herbs in my pantry. Dried herbs work just as well as fresh herbs.

Herbed Pea Relish

2 cups frozen green peas

1 1/2 TBSP fresh oregano, chopped or about 1 TBSP of dried oregano

1 large shallot, minced

2 TBPS capers

2 TBSP lime juice

2 TBSP olive oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together, except the peas. The cook it all in a hot skillet for about 7-10 minutes, or until the peas are completely cooked.

As the peas are cooking, in a separate skillet, in hot oil, cook your battered fish and cook your chips. We cook our chips in a deep fryer.

When everything is cooked, it is time to serve it up. Spoon the pea relish over the fried cod and sit down to a proper British meal. I served it with a dry viognier on the side to complete the meal. Cheers and Bon Appetit!

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

It was yet another gorgeous, sunny day, and it was also a good day to take Vinnie for a nice long walk around the lakes and through the fields. At first, we didn’t see too much. It was very quiet around the lakes, although I was able to get a couple of good shots of a lone female mallard. She was posing so prettily for the camera too.

But once we got out into the open space and the fielded areas, it was a different story. The prairie dogs were out by the droves, just running all around enjoying themselves. Many of them were also in their holes, on the lookout for the big scary brown and white wolf on the loose. We even saw a coyote way off in the distance, but he was too far away and I could not get a good shot of him.

As we were out walking about, we came across this pretty picture of the fields. It was just out there in the open, for everyone to see and enjoy.

I was also able to catch a few good shots of some new feathered friends too. This is a Northern Flicker.

This Cassin’s Finch was perched on my roof, right outside my office window. At first there were four of them, all lined up in a row, but I was only lucky enough to capture this one.

No matter what we see on our walk-abouts though, two of my favorite wild things are always Vinnie and the Daddy Dog, Larry.

Enjoy the sunshine and enjoy your days. Life is short. Take it all in and appreciate all the beauty around you.