Today, August 19, would have been Julia Child’s 108th birthday. Happy Birthday to the one and only true Queen of the Kitchen. She was a pioneer to women and to the culinary world in general. She will always reign supreme to all Culinarians around the world.
“Learn how to cook – try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all, have fun!” Bon Appetit, Julia!
In my latest video, when I “took us down to Argentina” with my chimichurri, I also made an Argentine humito con sofrito. Video #5 – Argentine Style Chimichurri Sauce This particular version is a combination of two different Argentine and South American traditional cooking styles that are combined to make a vegetable souffle. It was made with both humita and sofrito.
Humita is a Native South American dish that has been around since long before the Spanish came to the New World. It was a typical food from the Andean culture, which extended from Venezuela down to Argentina. These Native recipes have been passed down through the generations and have not changed much through the passages of time. Each region has their own particular version and style. The word humita comes from the Native quechua jumint’a. It is basically like a savory masa harina that is used for tamales or empanadas. In Argentina, humita is known as a creamy corn filling. Because Argentina has a very large Italian population, and Italians love cheese, the Argentine version of humita is almost always made with cheese.
Sofrito is a Spanish term that means lightly fried or sauteed. It is almost always a combination of peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes, and often times has other vegetables and seasonings included. Sofrito is used to enhance rice dishes and stews and other savory recipes all throughout the Spanish world.
Argentine Humita con Sofrito
5 cups corn
2 cups milk
4 TBSP butter
1 cup onion, chopped fine
1 TBSP garlic
1/2 green bell pepper, diced medium
1/2 red bell pepper, diced medium
3 tomatoes, diced medium
1/2 lb butternut squash or pumpkin, cubed
1 zucchini, sliced
1 tsp sugar
salt & pepper to taste
3 TBSP fresh basil, chiffonade
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Parmagiano cheese
Preheat the oven to 325* F.
Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
Blend the corn and the milk in a food processor until it becomes a thick mash.
Saute the rest of the vegetables, except the tomatoes, in butter and/or olive oil for about 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
Add the tomatoes and seasonings to the mixture and continue to cook for about 10 more minutes.
Incorporate the corn mixture and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 20 minutes.
When the vegetable mixture is cooked, carefully spoon it into the prepared casserole dish. Mix the eggs and basil together then mix it thoroughly into the vegetable mixture.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Then remove from the oven and turn the heat up to 425* F and top the dish with the Parmagiano cheese.
Put the dish back into the oven at the higher temperature, and continue to bake for another 12-15 minutes. When done, just spoon it up to go with your favorite South American or Argentine dishes. It will have a slight crust on the top and will be smooth and delicately creamy on the inside.
My best friend Priscilla, whom you have “met” many times through my blogs, and is actually the inspiration for my blog, is originally from Rosario, Argentina, which is a suburb of Buenos Aires. She gave her stamp of approval for my Argentine dinner. Her words were “Yay!!! Buenísimo!” Coming from someone who is from Argentina, and is herself a fantastic cook who comes from a long line of fantastic cooks, this is very high praise indeed. Priscilla and I have known each other since 7th grade. We grew up together in Pasadena, California, where we lived about 10 minutes away from each other, and now here in Colorado, where we both live, we are still only about 10 minutes away from each other. Funny how things work out. Te amo mucho mi Amiga!
!Mangia y Desfruitas!
Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.
While we were having our floors redone, cooking at home was not an option. Yes, it was an inconvenience in a lot of ways, but there were advantages as well. The most important advantage is that now we have brand new, beautiful hardwood floors. The Kitchen is Closed Again – Part 5 Another fun advantage was that we got to go out and try some new restaurants as well, such as The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill. Mediterranean food has always been one of my favorite types of food, both to eat and to cook. It’s always so fresh and full of flavor, and is one of the healthiest diets around too. You just can’t go wrong when you go Greek.
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is a fast-casual restaurant, that is a growing trend in the restaurant industry today. You order your food at the counter and then it is brought to you at your table once it is ready.
The restaurant was spotlessly clean with very helpful, friendly staff members and the food was fabulous. I loved the very creative decorations too, especially all these hanging plants.
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is a franchise and each restaurant is independently owned and operated. The one in Westminster, Colorado opened its doors in Feb. 2020 and is owned by Jack Jones. “We’re living proof that quality ingredients, authentic Mediterranean recipes, and friendly hospitality still matters in the restaurant industry,” said Jim Butler, Leader of United Franchise Group’s Food Division. “We’re excited to celebrate the brand’s first franchise location in Westminster and for what is to come with this brand.” There are 36 locations in various stages of development around the country. The Great Greek was started in 2016, in Henderson, Nevada by Nick Della Penna and Trent Jones, and has been rapidly growing ever since.
The menu at The Great Greek offers a wide variety of traditional favorites “such as savory skewers off the grill, refreshing salads or wraps, and mouth-watering appetizers, to palate-pleasing appetizers, tender gyros, and delicious desserts”. Almost everything is made fresh daily in house too. The baklava is made by Jack’s wife daily too. And it is delicious, just as everything else was.
Larry ordered a gyro and fries. We love gyros and eat them quite often. This one was loaded with fresh gyro meat, tomatoes and tsaziki sauce.
I decided to order a full meal of chicken kebabs that came with rice and a salad. Larry and I split the salad, so we both had some vegetables for the day. It was very good and once again, I could not eat everything, so the rest of it came home with me for another great meal later.
Even though we were completely full, we still had to try some dessert. Life is short, so you always have to make room for dessert. Most of the dessert came home with us too though. We had a dessert sampler platter that included some delicious rice pudding, baklava ice cream, baklava and some Greek cookies. Once again, our taste buds were thoroughly delighted.
I love discovering new restaurants that offer great food almost as much as I enjoy cooking things myself. You just never know what you gems are going to be uncovered. All you have to do is be adventurous and enjoy the delicious journey ahead.
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is located at 14315 Orchard Parkway, Suite 400, in Westminster, Colorado. You can contact them at http://www.thegreatgreek.com or by phone at (720) 608-4888.
Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.
It is video time again. I am trying to put out a video once a week, but as with anything, sometimes life happens. It was a little challenging this time, however, because of my kitchen being closed for a week, but a new one is now out and ready for everyone’s viewing pleasure. My new video shows how to make an Argentine style chimichurri sauce. Here is a link with the actual recipe if you need that too. You all by now see how I cook, and I don’t really measure anything. Steak Chimichurri I save the measuring for when I am baking. 🙂 Yes, I know, I put in a lot more than 1/2 cup of olive oil. Larry, aka my camera man, made sure to let me know that. I actually put in a little over a cup of olive oil.
If you like what you are seeing, please, subscribe to my YouTube page. And if you really like it, I would love it if you would share it with as many people as you can.
Stay safe and stay well everyone. ‘Til next time.
We wanted to give our new floors one more day before we started living life on them once again. So as the floors continued to dry unheeded, we took a drive up to Estes Park. Usually Estes is one of our favorite quick go-to spots, but this time it was rather uninspiring, to say the least. The air was smoky and hazy from all the current fires, the colors were not as vibrant as they usually are, and we did not see any critters at all, with the exception of a dead raccoon on the side of the road. However, there was one delicious bright spot that made our day a success.
Larry originally wanted to go to another restaurant in the heart of Estes, but because it was a very warm day, the streets were crowded and we decided to find something else instead. We chose well indeed. We chose a very cozy, comfortable little independently owned and operated adobe style Mexican restaurant called La Cocina de Mama.
La Cocina de Mama is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and they also have a food truck as well.
At first, we were seated inside the restaurant because there was nothing available outside, but we jumped at the chance to dine al fresco as soon as something opened up. The inside of the restaurant was decorated with brightly colored authentic Mexican decor. It was very cozy and inviting.
Despite the smoke, the skies were blue and it was a perfect day to enjoy the sunshine out on their patio.
Some mountain flowers to help brighten the day.
This sign just seems to sum it up perfectly, no matter what life throws at you.
The food was muy delicioso and fresh. Larry ordered a trio consisting of a beef chimichanga, a chicken burrito and crispy chili relleno.
I ordered a pork or al pastor dish with peppers and onions and flour tortillas.
Both plates were huge and there was no way we could finish them. But that’s OK. We ate what we could and took the rest home for another tasty meal to come. Our food was cooked to perfection and the staff were very friendly and helpful and everything was served con una sonrisa grande or with a big smile. We definitely chose very well and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal, which totally made our day.
La Cocina de Mama is owned by Miguel Santana Gonzalez. It is located at 361 South Saint Vrain Avenue in Estes Park, CO. You can contact them online at http://www.lacocinadmama.com or by phone at (970) 586-9001. When visiting Estes Park, it is definitely worth while venturing off the main street to enjoy a little taste of Mountain Mexican food.
Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.
The day we’ve all been waiting for has FINALLY arrived!! The Kitchen will be OPEN AGAIN starting tomorrow. WHOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! It seems like an eternity, but it was really only 5 days. The floors and the railings are all done and they look beautiful. We are just being cautious and giving them one more day before walking on the floors and using the railings. Before any cooking starts though, we have to put everything away, back into the closets, because those floors were done too.
Since the railings needed it too, and Eric already had everything out for the floors, we had him do the railings as well.
And the finished floors, as best as I could get them without walking on them.
And now, what we’ve all been waiting for …… THE KITCHEN.
Thank you all for your patience. We have all gone through this together. And tomorrow, the kitchen reopens and once again, many good things will be coming out of my kitchen to share with all of you.
Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.
WE ARE SAFE. Colorado is still on fire, but I am safe. The fires are in the mountains and are on the Western Slope. The North Denver Metro area, where we live is fine. However, the latest on the Pine Gulch fire is NOT good news. It has grown and has now burned over 73,381 acres, making it now the 5th largest fire in Colorado’s recorded history. And it is still only 7% contained.
I wish there was a way we could have this blood red sky without the devastation though.
The kitchen is still closed, but not for much longer. Eric is putting down the last coating of sealant and taking down the plastic bubbles today. WHOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!! Soon, life will be back to normal, whatever normal is. 🙂
Eric is putting the stain on.
The floor is stained. Now for the first coat of sealant.
Drying out.
An unexpected supervisor. Eric did not know he was being watched from above.
As I have been writing this, the bubbles have been coming down. WHOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!! Once the floors are dried, it will be time to move everything back into the closets again.
For those of you who live in the Denver Metro area, Eric is available. For those of you who live outside of the Denver Metro area, Eric said he is willing to travel if you pay for his travel expenses. Here is his contact information. Eric is a one man show. It is his business and he does all the work by himself. You can see for yourself, he does a fantastic job.
Supremer’s Hardwood Floors
Eric Premer
(303) 809-1777
supremeshardwroodfloors@gmail.com
Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.
It is fire season here in Colorado. With our dry, hot temperatures, everything is drying up quickly which makes perfect tinder. Currently, there are a few fires raging through the state. One of them is the Pine Gulch fire, which has already burned 50,000+ acres and is only 7% contained. It is currently the 7th largest fire in Colorado’s recorded history. Last night when we out for dinner, we saw 5 separate slurry bombers fly directly over us.
The air definitely has that hazy, smoky quality about it, and smells heavily of smoke. The only good thing was this gorgeous view of the sun as it was setting.
Stay safe and stay well Everyone!. ‘Til next time.
The kitchen is still closed and we are still living inside a plastic bubble. Eric says he will be removing the plastic bubble later today, which is good. I am getting very tired of living life solely upstairs and in a bubble, although is it a relatively minor inconvenience and the end result will be brand new, beautiful floors.
The first part of the day was scraping all the excess filler off the floors, followed by a clean-up sweep and vacuum. No detail is left unattended. Eric is even getting under the refrigerator and the stove.
Then a final round of sanding.
Once everything was sanded and smooth, and there were no more stray wood shavings floating around, it was time to apply the first coat of stain. Eric had only applied the stain to a small part of the kitchen by the time he had to leave yesterday, but today, he is finishing the first coating of the stain for the whole floor. We choose a light golden stain so it would not contrast too much with all the cabinets.
So far, so good. I really like the color we chose. It matches well with all the cabinets and it really highlights the natural characteristics of the wood.
It won’t be too much longer and I will have brand new floors AND I will have my kitchen back. 🙂
Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.
A Jeanne in the Kitchen 