Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

Little Juni Bug is trying her best to keep up with her big brother Vinnie. She follows his every move and chases him all around. At the moment, he still has the upper hand, or in this case, the upper stairs, but it won’t be too much longer and she will be able to do everything he does. Vinnie is so good with her too. She plays rough and often uses Vinnie as a chew toy and his tail as a tug. As big as he is, he doesn’t put up much of a fuss and just lets her bite and tug. But when he’s had enough, he tells her, and if she persists, she had just better watch out. Juni Bug is a little pistol, that’s for sure and Vinnie is turning out to be a real gentle giant.

Juni has mastered the stairs, both up and down in the house, but this is her first attempt at the deck stairs outside.

You can see she’s just not sure of these stairs. They are different from the ones inside.

I love this picture of Vinnie. He just looks so majestic, looking out over his domain.

It won’t be too much longer and Juni will be right there at the top of the stairs with Vinnie.

At first, I thought it was going to be another peaceful, quiet walk without much to see. But as I hit the 4th lake, all that changed. There were gaggles of geese and teams or flocks or rafts of ducks just swimming about, enjoying life out on the lakes.

There were tons of Canadian Gees and a few snow geese as well.

The Snow Geese really stand apart from the Canadians. There is no way they will ever truly blend in and not be seen.

There were also plenty of ducks out and about as well. There were Mallards,

Hooded Mergansers,

and a couple of new ducks on the lakes too. One was a Common Merganser. He was shy.

And the other one was a Common Goldeneye.

I have seen so many new birds, ducks and geese lately. I love it. We definitely have a wide variety of life here on our lakes. There is always something new to see and new friends to make. 🙂

Usually when it is February I am thinking of warm comfort foods, not salads. But the weather was nice enough for a salad, and making a salad was a good way to use up the rest of my leftovers from my fried noodles and vegetables Fried Noodles with Stir-Fry Vegetables. I also got to use up the rest of my mango dressing. Curried Rice and Chicken Salad with Mango Chutney Vinaigrette. Believe it or not, I am currently almost completely out of leftovers. I get so excited when I can find new ways to use up all my leftovers. 🙂

It was really just a very simple salad that used up the rest of my leftovers. I marinated a chicken breast in lime juice, curry and cayenne pepper, then grilled it up and laid it on top of my salad once it was cooked.

This simple salad was just some romaine lettuce, a little extra sweet baby corn and the leftovers of my fried noodles and vegetables. I tossed the noodles and vegetables in the mango vinaigrette then placed it all on top of the lettuce and added the cooked, sliced chicken on top. I finished it all off with a sprinkling of the remainder of my chopped basil, green onions and cilantro and … voila! My salad was done. The only thing it needed was a glass or two of my favorite barrel aged Chenin Blanc and our simple, easy-peasy dinner was complete. We enjoyed the “summer-like” weather and a nice tasty salad as well before the colder weather came back to us once again.

Enjoy the sunshine while you can, for tomorrow, it just may snow, particularly here in Colorado. 🙂

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

Steak and potatoes. This is a pretty basic meal enjoyed by millions everywhere. If you allow it to, even steak and potatoes can get kind of boring too, particularly if you fix it the same way all the time. But it doesn’t have to be. Larry is most definitely a meat and potatoes kind of guy. And there is nothing wrong with this, I love meat and potatoes too. But I like to shake things up and liven them up a bit. With just a few simple additions, your steak and potatoes gets a whole new life and a whole new personality. Changing things up brings a new dimension to just plain old steak and potatoes.

I simply started out with creamy mashed potatoes and a grilled marinated steak. Then I added some sauteed spinach, garlic, shallots, mushrooms and tomatoes to make it more of a Tuscan or Italian style steak.

Adding the spinach mixture was the only thing I did differently, but the whole meal was transformed. It went from simple and delicious to simply WOW! The meal went from being a typical American meal to an exotic Italian delicacy with just a few simple additions.

To make the meal complete, I served it with some warmed bread and a smooth red blend, that was like liquid velvet. Perfecto!

Sometimes the best rule of thumb is the K.I.S.S. rule, and to just keep it simple. I’ve heard the second “S” stands for stupid, but I don’t like using that, so you can change it for whatever you like. 🙂 !Buon Appetito!

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

Juni Bug went in for her puppy exam yesterday. This is just something recommended for all puppies once they turn 8 weeks old. We had absolutely no doubt in our minds that Juni Bug was in excellent health, but it was more to get our vet acquainted with her and to get her used to going to the vet than anything else. The breeder we bought Juni Bug from did an amazing job with all the puppies. They were very well loved and very well cared for and all were current on their puppy shots. The vet was very happy with Juni bug and said she was doing great. She is already 16.5 lbs, and will continue to keep growing for quite some time. The vet said he is guessing she will be 100+ lbs when she is a full grown adult. We thought she would be about 90 or so, based on both her mommy and daddy’s sizes. We LOVE the big dogs, no doubt about that. The bigger the better in our book. The vet said Juneau is a “perfect pup”. Little does he know how much of a pill she can be though. If you could only see my poor carpet. It looks like a war zone. I need to steam clean the carpeting AGAIN today. Oh well, the new carpeting will come after we get Juni Bug fully house trained. We knew that already. 🙂

Here are some new pictures of my baby girl. I know you are all “bored to tears” seeing all her baby pictures. 🙂

She loves her toys. We have toys all over the house.

Juneau loves her big brother Vinnie. Vinnie tolerates her. He likes her a lot more when she is not using his tail as a tug.

When I made my Panang style fried chicken, Panang Style Fried Chicken I had to have side dishes to go with it. One of the things I made was some fried noodles that I topped with stir-fry vegetables. The jury is still out on the fried noodles. Some of us liked them, the rest of us would have preferred just regular noodles, but, hey that’s the fun of trying new things, right?! You just never know what to expect. I also made some potstickers, but those were store bought, so I can’t take credit for those. 🙂

Fried Noodles with Stir-Fry Vegetables

You can use any hearty vegetables you like, but I do my best to keep things as authentic as possible when I am cooking ethnic foods. I used baby corn, red, yellow and green peppers, onions, garlic, ginger, spicy red chili peppers, mushrooms and carrots. Then I topped them all with chopped cilantro, green onions and basil.

1 can baby corn, drained and cut in half

1/2 each green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper, sliced thin

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced thin

2 carrots, sliced in thin Asian style or at an angle

1 1 /2 TBSP garlic

1 1 /2 TBSP ginger

1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

sesame oil and vegetable oil for cooking

fresh cilantro, green onions and basil chopped for topping

I cooked them all in a wok in a combination of hot sesame oil and vegetable oil. Cook them at a high heat for about 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but still have a little crisp left to them.

In another deep pan with hot oil, fry the noodles. I used thin rice noodles. Put them in the hot oil in small batches. The noodles only need to cook for a couple of minutes, then remove them. If you want them softer, place them in boiling water for a couple of minutes. That is what I am going to do next time. Larry and I both prefer the softer noodles rather than fried crunchy noodles, but Suzanne and Elizabeth both liked the crunchy noodles. So a little something for everyone. I had never cooked these noodles before and I followed the directions on the package. That’s what happens when I follow directions; things just don’t always work out as well as I plan them to. I am much better making up and following my own directions than I am at following the directions of others. (This is true with most things too though). 🙂

When the noodles and the vegetables were cooked, I plated them up, noodles first, the topped them with the vegetables. Right before serving them, I added the chopped green onions, basil and cilantro. The vegetables are very good on their own too.

Enjoy and a happy early Chinese New Year or Gung Hay Fat Choi.

Ever since we brought Juni Bug into the family, everyone wants to come over and see the baby. We have become very popular lately. 🙂 Last night, my friend Elizabeth and and my friend Suzanne both joined us for dinner. It was a fun evening with good food, good friends and good fun, and of course, having a new puppy made it even better.

Usually when Elizabeth comes over, she is the one who is doing the cooking, since she wants to learn how to cook. She has an ever-growing list of things she wants to learn how to make. But this time, she was pre-occupied with Baby Juneau, so I did all the cooking instead. Elizabeth said she wanted to do something Asian, so of course, I obliged. Originally, she said she wanted Panang style shrimp. But we have already made that, so I decided to make something different. We made some Panang style fried chicken with fried noodles and vegetables and potstickers on the side. My orange cake was dessert. An Orange Cake. My friend Suzanne also wanted to meet the baby, so I invited her over as well. After dinner, we played games and had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs.

What is Panang style cooking? Panang (there are many spellings of Panang) style cooking is Thai style cooking that is usually made with a thick red curry sauce with bold, spicy flavors. Often times, it is is made with crushed peanuts and lime juice mixed in with the chilies and the curries. Panang curry originates from Thailand’s central region, but its popularity quickly spread as people moved to find work elsewhere. The earliest records date back to 1890, and call it phanaeng. There are two main theories on how the dish got its name. One is that it takes its name from the Thai word for cross, as in sitting cross-legged on the floor. Originally, Thai cooks would grill chicken by crossing the chicken’s legs and hanging it upright. They’d baste it continuously with a fresh, spicy paste to impart flavor, then add coconut cream before serving it. Another theory of how Panang style food gets its name is that it came from the city of Penang, on the west coast of Malaysia.

Panang Style Fried Chicken

This is very crispy, very flavorful way of cooking chicken. Part of what makes it so crispy is the “drying out” of the chicken before frying it. When done properly, this can take up to a full day or two before actually frying it. I did not do that this time, but next time I will. it was still delicious and a big hit with everyone.

3 lbs chicken pieces

salt to taste

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 TBSP curry powder

2 tsp dry mustard

3-4 TBSP coconut milk, mixed together well

2 TBSP ginger paste

1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 1/2 TBSP brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

salt

1/2 cup cornstarch or rice flour

canola or peanut oil for cooking

Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel, then rub the chicken pieces with salt.

Combine all the ingredients together except the flour, cornstarch and additional salt. Dip the chicken pieces into the mixture and coat completely. You can marinate the chicken for up to 2 days before cooking.

Drain the chicken pieces, shaking off the excess sauce and place the chicken on a baking sheet to dry. Let it dry completely for about 3 hours, or if you would like to speed up the drying process, blow it with a blow dryer until the chicken pieces are dried.

Mix the flour, additional salt and cornstarch together and completely coat the chicken pieces in the flour mixture.

Fill a deep pan with about 2 inches of oil and get to 350* F or 180* C. Then carefully place the chicken pieces in the hot oil, cooking it in batches. Cook the chicken until it is crispy and completely cooked, for about 15 minutes.

I sprinkled fresh basil green onions and cilantro on top of my chicken right before serving it.

The chicken and the meal itself were a big hit with everyone. The chicken was crispy and tender and full of flavor. This is most definitely a “do-over” dish.

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

I haven’t been cooking for the past couple of days, but I will be later on today. I will have some more yummy recipes coming your way tomorrow. I have been out walking though. I try to get in my walks everyday, or at least on most days.

Today, we did two walks. We took Vinnie out for a longer walk, then came home and “traded” dogs. Little Juni Bug can’t keep up with her brother yet, try though she may, so we take her out on separate walks. We tried taking them out together yesterday, but that didn’t work out so well. It won’t be too long before Juni Bug will be able to keep up with her big brother though.

The lakes have been quiet lately. But I always have my camera just in case. Even on the days when you don’t think you will see anything, there is always something to see, and quite often, even something new.

On recent walks, there have been more hawks,

more American Kestrels,

more ducks and geese,

and more Belted Kingfishers.

And today, we had some new visitors on the lakes as well. We had some snow geese. We have lived here 14 years, and this is the first time we’ve seen the snow geese. They were trying to blend in with the Canadians, but they weren’t doing such a good job of it.

But as much as I LOVE seeing all these beautiful critters that call our area home, my favorite critters are the ones I call my own.

Juni Bug is getting used to the snow.

Big Brother Vinnie and Little Sister Juneau looking out the window.

Life is short. Take it all in and enjoy each and every moment.

Still in my orange mood, I made an orange cake for dessert to go with my orange pork chops. Cooking Orange The cake was very moist and full of flavor, which is always a win/win for me. It was also a big hit with my friend Kathy who came over and helped us enjoy it.

The older I get, the less I actually enjoy really super sweet things, so this cake was perfect. It was sweet, but not super sweet. It was just perfectly sweet enough.

Orange Cake

2 cups + 2 TBSP flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup butter at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 TBSP orange zest

3/4 cup yogurt

The Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

4 TBSP orange juice

1-2 TBSP milk

Preheat the oven to 350* F or 180* C.

Spray a bundt cake pan with cooking spray.

Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together. Then add the eggs 1 at a time, and mix in between in addition. Add the vanilla, orange zest and yogurt and once again mix well. Then add the flour mixture and mix until everything is thoroughly combined without over mixing. Pour the batter into the cake pan and spread it evenly in the pan.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.

Let the cake cool completely before adding the glaze and the decorations.

Find a friend and enjoy the cake and the good company together.

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

Larry is a big ice cream fan, and usually eats some every night after dinner. He has trained all the kids well, since now they like licking the bowl when he is done, and when he finishes the carton, he gives it to the kids as well. This was Juneau’s first time with the ice cream carton. I think she liked it!

She made sure she got every little last bit out of the box. She worked so hard at it that she exhausted herself in the process and finally fell asleep with her nose still inside the box.