Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

I LOVE breads of all kinds.  It doesn’t matter what kind of bread either.  As long as there is enough butter to go with all the bread, I could easily live on bread and butter alone and be quite happy and content.  I try to make our meals as complete as possible with protein, vegetables, carbs, and starches, and there is almost always some kind of bread to go with the meal as well.  I know, there are many that think bread, gluten and carbs are the roots of all evil, but I assure you, I am not one of them.

When I made my Cuban shrimp stew Cuban Shrimp Stew  I needed something else to go with it.  I looked through all my Latin cookbooks until I found just what I was looking for.  The recipe I found actually called for nopales or cactus strips, which I thought I had, but did not.  I did have jalapenos though, so I substituted the nopales for the jalapenos, and the biscuits still came out great.  I always have jalapenos on hand.  We eat them quite often.  I looked for the nopales after, because I would still like to make those as well, but I have been having a hard time finding them lately.  Usually you can find them at any place where they sell Latin foods.  I will just have to keep searching for them, and I will make the nopales biscuits again when I do find them.

Jalapeno Biscuits

This recipe is simple and only calls for a few basic ingredients, other than the nopales, which I did not use this time.

1 cup light or white cheese – jack, pepper, jack, or mozzarella are all fine.  If using something other than pepper jack cheese, add some red pepper flakes as well.  If you like it spicy, you can still add red pepper flakes even if you are using pepper jack cheese.

2 tsp red pepper flakes or to taste

3 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped fine

1 large jalapeno, diced fine

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter at room temperature, cubed in small cubes

Preheat the oven to 400* F or 200* C

Mix all the dry ingredients and the cheese together.  Then add the jalapeno and the butter and mix with a fork or a pastry cutter until the dough forms into a sticky ball.

You can either use a spoon and drop the dough in about 1 TBSP portions, or you can roll out the dough to about 1-1 1/2 ” high and cut with a cookie cutter.  This time I used the cookie cutter to make them more uniform.  Place them on an ungreased baking sheet about 2″ apart and bake for about 40 minutes, or until they are lightly browned and slightly crisp on the bottom.  Mine came out with a slight greenish tint before baking because, silly me, I put everything in the food processor instead of mixing everything together with either a fork or a pastry cutter.  Once they baked up, however, the greenish tint faded.  They still came out tasting really good, regardless of their greenish tint though.

Ancho-Cinnamon Butter

1 tsp minced ancho peppers

2 TBSP orange juice

1 1/2 cups butter at room temperature

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cumin

2 1/2 tsp honey

Mix everything together in a food processor until well blended.

You can use this sweet and spicy butter for anything to add a little more zest and pizzazz to the dish.

Serve the biscuits hot or warm so the ancho-cinnamon butter melts into the biscuits.   Believe me, with every bite, your taste buds will be begging for more.

Cuban food, like many other foods from the Caribbean Islands, has a rich and colorful history with many different cultural influences.  Cuba’s foods and culture has influences from many far off places, and each is as different as could be.  Cuba has cultural ties to the indigenous Ta’ino Indians, Spain, Africa, China and Russia.  Cuba and most of the Caribbean Islands were originally inhabited by the Ta’ino Indians before the Spanish came to the Islands.

As with most indigenous cultures, the people ate the foods that were readily available to them.  The traditional foods of Cuba were seafood, bananas, plantains, root vegetables, rice and a lot of tropical fruits.  Once Havana was established as a major port for Spain, Cuba started to grow, and more and more different cultures were being introduced, which was also influencing and changing the way the Cubans ate.  When the Spanish colonials came to Cuba, they brought a lot of the traditional Spanish foods.  A lot of the Spanish immigrants came from the Southern region of Andalucia, where pork is a dietary staple, so pigs were brought over from Spain.  The Spanish also brought slaves from Africa, and the Africans also brought their own traditional foods, customs and culture as well.  After slavery was outlawed, in the mid 1800’s, numerous people from China were brought over to Cuba as laborers, to do the work that was once done by the slaves.  The Chinese introduced many of their traditional foods and cooking methods.  The Chinese box or the caja china, was one such traditional cooking method that the Chinese introduced to the Cuban people.  It is a slow cooker where the fire and heat is at the top of the box forcing the heat to travel down to slow cook the food.  One recipe this is particularly known for is the lechon asado, or slow cooked pork, which is a must for any Cuban festival.  In 1961, when the Cuban revolution took place, and the United States placed an embargo on Cuba, allowing/forcing Cuba to strengthen its bonds with Russia,  more new foods from Russia were introduced to Cuba.  The Russians brought wheat, pasta, pizza and yogurt to the island.  Not surprising, there are NO American influences on Cuban foods.  However, with many Cubans now living here in the United States, particularly in Florida, there are many Cuban style restaurants and foods making their way into the American diet.  One of these recipes is Cuban shrimp stew.

Cuban Shrimp Stew

Cuban food is as colorful as the culture and the people from the Island.

Shrimp Marinade

3 TBSP lime juice

2 TBSP garlic

1 tsp fresh oregano, or 1/4 tsp of dried oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

2 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped fine

1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and add the shrimp.  Let the shrimp marinade for at least 30 minutes before cooking.

While the shrimp is marinading, cut all the vegetables and prepare the stew.

The Vegetable Stew

3 TBSP olive oil

1 onion, either chopped fine or sliced very thin

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

2 TBSP garlic

1 jalapeno, chopped fine

2 tomatoes, diced small

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste

1/2 tsp fresh oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

1 bay leaf

2/3 cup tomato paste or ketchup

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

3/4 cup water

1/4 tsp Worchestershire sauce

2 TBSP butter, optional

2 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped fine for garnish

Saute all the peppers, onion, the bay leaf and garlic in the olive oil until the peppers are soft and the onions are translucent, or for about 5-7 minutes.  Then add the tomato paste or ketchup and the tomatoes and continue to cook for another minute or two.

Once the tomatoes and the sauce has been mixed into the peppers and vegetables, add the wine and water to the mixture and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Find the bay leaf and discard it.  Add the shrimp with the marinade into the tomato-vegetable mixture. Add the worcestershire sauce and the seasonings.   Cook for about 6 minutes, then right at the end, add the butter, if using.  I added butter because I found the sauce to be to acidic for me.  the butter helped reduce the acidity of the stew.

Once the shrimp has cooked and the stew is done, serve it over white rice and top with the chopped parsley.  This goes nicely with a mojito or either a sweeter white wine or a lighter red wine.  The sweeter wines will help balance the dish and help reduce the acidity.

It’s funny how things work sometimes.  We rarely go out to eat since I make most of our meals here at home, and it is even more rare for us to head into Boulder, CO, even though it is only 15 minutes away from us.  However, we have ventured into Boulder twice now in the past two weeks, and we have tried two different restaurants while there.  Last weekend, we went to Bookcliff Vineyards to pick up our latest wine club wines, with our friends Janet and Bob.  From Bookcliff, we went to dinner at Rincon Argentino.  Empanadas de Rincon Argentino  This week we ventured into Boulder to hear our friends’ Priscilla and Jonathon’s daughter perform in her “Battle of the Bands” concert.  Cynthia’s band, Pink Slip, did an awesome job and sounded great, as always.  After the concert, the four of us went to the Zolo Grill.  Once again, this was a first for Larry and I.  The food and service both were fantastic.

The decor was very warm and inviting.

JT was our server for the evening.  He was very, friendly, professional, and helpful.  We chose to go with a variety of tapas as our meal.  JT made recommendations to help us really enjoy our meal, and his recommendations were just perfect.  Tapas are famous all over Spain.  They are small savory dishes that are usually served with drinks.  The boys both had margaritas and the girls both had sangrias.  Tapas may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or warm (such as chopitos, which are battered, fried baby squid). In select bars in Spain, tapas have evolved into an entire, and sometimes sophisticated, cuisine.   Though similar in concept, tapas and appetizers are not the same.   Tapas are tiny plates of food served in bars all over Spain, and various other parts of the world, to accompany drinks, and often times, the tapas are the meal themselves.  The best way to make a meal out of tapas is to order a variety of tapas from the menu and to order two or three types per person.  Priscilla being from Argentina, is very familiar with tapas and was more than happy to share her expertise and knowledge on these delicious treats.  In the United States, we call the foods we eat before the meal an appetizer.  Appetizers are a compliment to the meal and most of the time are not eaten as the meal.

Zolo buys and serves local foods as much as possible.  Below is their motto and motus operendi.  It says ” We seasonally source our ingredients from local farms, pour Colorado brews, feature local art, and give back to the community through local charities – because the Zolo love is not just within our walls, but extends into Boulder and beyond”.  This is a pretty darn good business plan.  I wish more restaurants had this philosophy of buying and supporting local farmers, businesses and artists.

Our tapas dinner consisted of green chili and sausage albondigas (meatballs) sliders, smoked trout and white bean dip with homemade wafers and an olive tapenade, fried oysters with a spicy wasabi sauce and slaw, macaroni and cheese with chorizo and some BBQ ribs.  All were delicious, including the oysters.   I eat and enjoy most everything, but I have to admit, I have never been a fan of oysters at all, although, I have to say, these were very good.  They just may have made a convert out of me.

Zolo Grill is located at 2525 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder CO.  Their facebook address is facebook.com/zologrill or you can also find them at zologrill.com or @zolobouder.   Next time you are visiting Boulder, CO and want something delicious and unique, check out the Zolo Grill.  You, your taste buds and tummies will be very happy you did.

Today is Memorial Day here in the United States.  Originally it was to honor those who were lost in our Civil War.  Today, and every year since 1971, it honors all those from all wars who paid the ultimate price and made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedom.  Thank you to all those we lost, to all who have served and to those who continue to serve today.

Because it was such a gorgeous day we decided to take a nice drive and just explore wherever we ended up, which means I was out of the kitchen.  As much as I love to be in the kitchen, even I appreciate a little break every now and then.  We love to just go for long drives and just see what we see, often times with no agenda and no expectations.  We had never been to Laramie, WY before and it is only about 1 1/2 hours north of us, so that’s where we headed.  The drive was absolutely gorgeous.  The colors from the greens all around, to the blue skies, to the red rocks were so bright and vivid.  We saw a lot of pronghorns out and about as well, but we were not close enough to get any good pictures.  Northern Colorado and Laramie, Wyoming are still very much the wild, wild west just as they were back in the late 1800’s.  Not much has changed.  This was a very refreshing change of pace.

The drive up to Laramie.  We are still in Northern Colorado.  We both agreed Northern Colorado was much prettier and more colorful than Southern Wyoming.

Laramie, WY is still a very small town that makes you feel like you stepped back in time.  We did not spend to much time here before turning around to head back home.  Wyoming is still home to the cowboys.

This beautiful, old Episcopal Church was the main focal point of Laramie.  If walls could talk, I’m sure this old church has lots of tales to tell.

Look at these beautiful doors to the church.  Aren’t they just stunning?

This mural is on one of the old historic buildings in Laramie.  We saw a lot of these pronghorn, but this is the best picture we have from this trip.

We took a different route coming home, and came down along the Poudre River or Cache le Poudre.  This weekend, being Memorial Day weekend, was also the beginning of the outdoor sports weekend.  We saw a lot of people rafting down the river.  The river was flowing and the current was ripping.  We will be rafting later this season.

We drove through the rock to get to the other side.

Our last stop of the day was through a tiny town called Masonville, CO, est. in 1896.  This town is definitely still part of the wild, wild west.

I hope you all enjoyed my little detour from the kitchen and into the wild, wild west.  As you know, there are still many, many more adventures, both in and out of the kitchen, yet to come.  So stay tuned.  🙂

The other day when Chef Larry smoked all of his meats, he made enough to feed a small army (usually my job.  I guess I have trained him well).  The Smoker of Meats  We all enjoyed as much as our tummies could hold on the day he smoked everything, but what were we going to do with all the rest.  We sent a large care package home with Janet and Bob, we froze the beef brisket, and we still had the pork leftover to do something interesting with.  Once again, it is a small world, and through my blogger’s connections, I was inspired to make a BBQ pork pizza by fellow blogger and blogging friend, Gail at Gail’s Snapshotsincursive@gaildorna.  I was contemplating what I wanted to make, and I read Gail’s blog on her version of BBQ pork pizza, and everything just clicked and came together for me.  That was it!  That was what we were going to have for dinner too.  You will have to check out Gail’s blog as well, for both of us have added our own personalities to the same basic pizza, making them both completely different.

The Pizza Dough

5 tsp dry active yeast or 2 packages

3 tsp sugar

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

3 TBSP olive oil

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp salt

In a small bowl mix the yeast, 1/2 tsp sugar and 1/4 cup of the water together and let stand for about 10 minutes or until it becomes frothy.

In another bowl, mix together the egg, milk and 1 TBSP olive oil and whisk everything together.

In a larger bowl, mix 3 cups of the flour, salt and the remaining sugar together, then add the yeast mixture, the egg mixture and the remaining water.  If you are using a mixer, beat everything until all the ingredients come together and everything is well incorporated and forms into a ball.  Scrape down the sides as needed.   You can do this by hand too, it just takes a bit longer.  I usually do it by hand because I do not want my dough to become over worked and tough.   When the dough forms into a ball, sprinkle the remaining flour onto your work surface and knead the dough with the heels of your hands for about 3-5 minutes.   Oil down the bowl and oil the surface of the dough.  Cover and let the dough rise for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

You can also make the dough ahead of time and freeze it for up to six months.

After the dough has risen, punch it down and start flattening out to fit your pizza stone.  You may need to let it rest a bit and then continue to press it to your stone.  Once the dough covers the pizza stone, crimp the edges together to make a little top crust.  Add whatever sauce you like, and then top to your hearts content.

I made a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce for a change of pace this time.  This sauce is good for other things as well, not just for pizza.

Spicy BBQ Pizza Sauce

2 TBSP olive oil

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 TBSP garlic

red pepper flakes to taste

1 28-oz can of tomato sauce or ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

3 TBSP tomato paste

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 TBSP molasses

2 tsp yellow mustard

2 tsp Worchestershire sauce

1/2 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the onions in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens.  Stir occasionally.

While the sauce is cooking, prepare your toppings.  I shredded the smoked pork and I also used a combination of red, yellow, orange peppers, cut into thin strips, onion, sliced very thin and, of course, more garlic.  A friend of mine recently asked me if I had a good recipe for pizza.  The dough is really all you need a recipe for.  Then top your pizza however you like, with whatever you like.  There is no right or wrong way to to a pizza, as is evident with all the different varieties that are available.

I sauteed my onions and peppers to make them softer.

Once everything is prepared, it is time to layer your pizza.  Start with the sauce, then add some cheese of your choice.  I used mozzarella this time.   Add your toppings next, and follow it by adding more cheese on top.

I also added a bit more sauce on top of my pork before adding more cheese.

Now your masterpiece pizza is ready for the oven.  Preheat the oven to 400* F or 200* C and bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and all the cheese is melted.

Mangia!  It’s time to eat!

One of the best things about blogging for me is the connections I have made and continue to make.  Life, after all, is all about our connections.  You never know who you are going to meet, or how those chance meetings and moments will inspire or motivate you or others around you.  We live in a great big world, with a population of almost 7.5 billion people.  It sounds huge, but it’s funny how one little spark or conversation, or in this case, blog, brings us all so much closer together and lessens the gap between us, only to make us realize that the world around us really isn’t so big after all.

Recently, I posted about our fettuccine Alfredo dinner.  Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken, Broccoli and Mushrooms  When you send a blog post out it goes into the infamous world beyond, and no one knows who will see it or where it will go.  Once it is released from your finger tips and into the cosmos, it is out of your control, and lands where it lands.  Well, this particular blog post of mine landed with  Ines Di Lelio, whose grandfather just happened to be the famous Alfredo Di Lelio, who is the creator of “Fettuccine all’Alfredo” .  Ines contacted me and told me Alfredo’s story and I would like to share it with all of you.  I was totally blown away and honored by this new connection.  My head is still a bit in the clouds, and it all still seems more than a bit surreal to me.

~ Alfredo di Lelio ~

I am sending you Ines’ e-mail to me, both in English and Italian.

HISTORY OF ALFREDO DI LELIO CREATOR IN 1908 OF “FETTUCCINE ALL’ALFREDO” (“FETTUCCINE ALFREDO”), NOW SERVED BY HIS NEPHEW INES DI LELIO, AT THE RESTAURANT “IL VERO ALFREDO” – “ALFREDO DI ROMA” IN ROME, PIAZZA AUGUSTO IMPERATORE 30

With reference to your article I have the pleasure to tell you the history of my grandfather Alfredo Di Lelio, who is the creator of “Fettuccine all’Alfredo” (“Fettuccine Alfredo”) in 1908 in the “trattoria” run by his mother Angelina in Rome, Piazza Rosa (Piazza disappeared in 1910 following the construction of the Galleria Colonna / Sordi). This “trattoria” of Piazza Rosa has become the “birthplace of fettuccine all’Alfredo”.

More specifically, as is well known to many people who love the “fettuccine all’Alfredo”, this famous dish in the world was invented by Alfredo Di Lelio concerned about the lack of appetite of his wife Ines, who was pregnant with my father Armando (born February 26, 1908).
Alfredo di Lelio opened his restaurant “Alfredo” in 1914 in Rome and in 1943, during the war, he sold the restaurant to others outside his family.
In 1950 Alfredo Di Lelio decided to reopen with his son Armando his restaurant in Piazza Augusto Imperatore n.30 “Il Vero Alfredo” (“Alfredo di Roma”), whose fame in the world has been strengthened by his nephew Alfredo and that now managed by me, with the famous “gold cutlery” (fork and spoon gold) donated in 1927 by two well-known American actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks (in gratitude for the hospitality).
See the website of “Il Vero Alfredo”.

I must clarify that other restaurants “Alfredo” in Rome do not belong and are out of my brand “Il Vero Alfredo – Alfredo di Roma”.
I inform you that the restaurant “Il Vero Alfredo –Alfredo di Roma” is in the registry of “Historic Shops of Excellence” of the City of Rome Capitale.

Best regards Ines Di Lelio

IN ITALIANO

STORIA DI ALFREDO DI LELIO, CREATORE DELLE “FETTUCCINE ALL’ALFREDO” (“FETTUCCINE ALFREDO”), E DELLA SUA TRADIZIONE FAMILIARE PRESSO IL RISTORANTE “IL VERO ALFREDO” (“ALFREDO DI ROMA”) IN PIAZZA AUGUSTO IMPERATORE A ROMA

Con riferimento al Vostro articolo ho il piacere di raccontarVi la storia di mio nonno Alfredo Di Lelio, inventore delle note “fettuccine all’Alfredo” (“Fettuccine Alfredo”).
Alfredo Di Lelio, nato nel settembre del 1883 a Roma in Vicolo di Santa Maria in Trastevere, cominciò a lavorare fin da ragazzo nella piccola trattoria aperta da sua madre Angelina in Piazza Rosa, un piccolo slargo (scomparso intorno al 1910) che esisteva prima della costruzione della Galleria Colonna (ora Galleria Sordi).
Il 1908 fu un anno indimenticabile per Alfredo Di Lelio: nacque, infatti, suo figlio Armando e videro contemporaneamente la luce in tale trattoria di Piazza Rosa le sue “fettuccine”, divenute poi famose in tutto il mondo. Questa trattoria è “the birthplace of fettuccine all’Alfredo”.
Alfredo Di Lelio inventò le sue “fettuccine” per dare un ricostituente naturale, a base di burro e parmigiano, a sua moglie (e mia nonna) Ines, prostrata in seguito al parto del suo primogenito (mio padre Armando). Il piatto delle “fettuccine” fu un successo familiare prima ancora di diventare il piatto che rese noto e popolare Alfredo Di Lelio, personaggio con “i baffi all’Umberto” ed i calli alle mani a forza di mischiare le sue “fettuccine” davanti ai clienti sempre più numerosi.
Nel 1914, a seguito della chiusura di detta trattoria per la scomparsa di Piazza Rosa dovuta alla costruzione della Galleria Colonna, Alfredo Di Lelio decise di aprire a Roma il suo ristorante “Alfredo” che gestì fino al 1943, per poi cedere l’attività a terzi estranei alla sua famiglia.
Ma l’assenza dalla scena gastronomica di Alfredo Di Lelio fu del tutto transitoria. Infatti nel 1950 riprese il controllo della sua tradizione familiare ed aprì, insieme al figlio Armando, il ristorante “Il Vero Alfredo” (noto all’estero anche come “Alfredo di Roma”) in Piazza Augusto Imperatore n.30 (cfr. il sito web di Il Vero Alfredo).
Con l’avvio del nuovo ristorante Alfredo Di Lelio ottenne un forte successo di pubblico e di clienti negli anni della “dolce vita”. Successo, che, tuttora, richiama nel ristorante un flusso continuo di turisti da ogni parte del mondo per assaggiare le famose “fettuccine all’Alfredo” al doppio burro da me servite, con l’impegno di continuare nel tempo la tradizione familiare dei miei cari maestri, nonno Alfredo, mio padre Armando e mio fratello Alfredo. In particolare le fettuccine sono servite ai clienti con 2 “posate d’oro”: una forchetta ed un cucchiaio d’oro regalati nel 1927 ad Alfredo dai due noti attori americani M. Pickford e D. Fairbanks (in segno di gratitudine per l’ospitalità).
Desidero precisare che altri ristoranti “Alfredo” a Roma non appartengono e sono fuori dal mio brand di famiglia.
Vi informo che il Ristorante “Il Vero Alfredo” è presente nell’Albo dei “Negozi Storici di Eccellenza – sezione Attività Storiche di Eccellenza” del Comune di Roma Capitale.
Grata per la Vostra attenzione ed ospitalità nel Vostro interessante blog, cordiali saluti
Ines Di Lelio

Ines, grazzi, grazzi, grazzi.  You have completely made my day.  Thank you for this wonderful story of your family and sharing the real history of Alfredo’s living legacy, his famous fettuccine Alfredo, with the rest of the world.  And to add even more intrigue to this story, I was mentioning this story to my class this morning, and one of friends/participants said he has actually eaten here.  He said he thoroughly enjoyed his dining experience at “Il Vero Alfredo” (“Alfredo di Roma”).  It just goes to show, we really do live in a small world after all.

My husband Larry was a little jealous that he was not “my first guest chef” featured on “A Jeanne in the Kitchen”, so he decided he needed to do something about that.  Before this last snow hit us, he decided to smoke some meats on the smoker.  He wanted to be the chef du jour, so I let him do the whole thing.  All I did was make the side dishes.

Larry is making the rub for the beef brisket.

As you can see, he is busy concentrating.  Maybe now he can fully appreciate the art of cooking.  🙂

Larry was a busy bee in the kitchen.  He figured while the smoker is on, it’s best to smoke a bunch of things together.  So he did the beef brisket, a rack of ribs and some pork all at the same time.

The finished products.  Larry thought the brisket was a little to crusty, and yes, it is definitely charred, but the inside came out so moist and tender and full of flavor.  Yes, he did change shirts.  He put all the meats on the smoker before going out to play golf, and let everything smoke for about 6 hours.  Once he came home, he made the change.  We had our friends Janet and Bob come over to help us enjoy this carnivorous feast.

Once everything was cooked, it was time to enjoy the feast.  I made corn on the cob, a Southwestern sweet potato and black bean salad and a green bean caesar salad Jeanne is Back in the Kitchen and the Kitchen has Opened Again and Janet made a delicious rum cake for dessert.  It was time to let the feasting begin.  Janet and Bob also brought some port to enjoy with the rum cake.  We were all very full and very satisfied after the meal.

We picked a good day to do this, because just a couple of days later, we had more snow, and the grill and the smoker bother were completely buried in snow.  Fortunately, here in Colorado, snow does not last very long, and in just a few short hours, the snow was gone again.  These pictures were taken yesterday.  The first one was taken in the morning, and the second one was taken around 2:00 PM.  By 4:00 PM, all the snow was completely gone and everything went from being covered in a blanket of white back to green.

WOW!!! What can I say?  I have been nominated for the Sunshine Blogger award not once, but twice on the same day from Ihagh G. T. from Motivation & Environment and by loveurownlife@loveurownlife as well.  WOW!!!!   I am doubly honored and thank you both so much.  I believe this is my third/fourth nomination.  My blog “A Jeanne in the Kitchen” has only been around for a little more than a year, but it is really taking off.  People are really reading and liking my blog.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  None of this could be possible without all of you.

What is “The Sunshine Blogger Award”

“The Sunshine Blogger Award” is an award given to bloggers by bloggers who inspire positivity and creativity in the blogging community.

Sunshine Blogger Award rules

1. Embellish your blog with the shiny logo above

2. Give a bunch of thanks to the blogger who nominated you

3. Answer the 10 questions you have been asked

4. Give the shiny honor to other bloggers

5. Ask 11 questions

Your Questions to Me

1. What is your real name? 

My real name is Jeanne Jones.

2.  What is your country of birth?

I was born and raised in Pasadena, CA, in the United States.  My mother was an American, from Texas, however my dad emigrated to the United States from Melbourne, Australia, shortly after WWII.  They lived in Texas for about 5 years before moving to California, and they stayed there for the rest of their lives.

3. In which country are you residing presently?

I live in the North Denver Metro area of Colorado, in the United States.

4. Which race do you belong to? (Please, I’m no racist.)

I am an American through and through, though I like to call myself a “Heinz 57”.  Basically I am a mutt.  But truth be told, I am a mixture of both dolphin and mermaid, with some dog thrown in as well.

5. Do you believe in GOD?

ABSOLUTELY!

6. What religion do you follow?

I am more of a spiritual person than a religious person.  My mother was a devout Catholic.  My father was agnostic at best, and I was baptized an Episcopalian.  I have been to many different churches, but none of their philosophies really resonated with me.    I like your answer best, and I believe it really applies to me as well.  “My favorite teacher has always been my conscience, even when I have made mistakes—probably, my conscience is guided by a guardian angel”.

7. Which person do you think has impacted humanity or mankind the most?

WOW!!!  I don’t have an answer for this.  Who knows.  It will be someone different, for many different reasons, for everyone.

8. What do you think about the rate at which awards being dished out every day on wordpress.com?

I think it is an honor to be recognized by the blogging community.  To me it says we are making an impact on others.

9. If you were to rate wordpress.com platform between 1 star to 10 star, how many stars would you give?

I have never known any other platforms, so to me, it gets a 10.

10. Would you advise people to remain on wordpress.com, or move to a self-hosted platform?

I am very happy with wordpress.com, but people have to make the decisions that are best for them.  I cannot make that decision for anyone else.

11. Based on your own belief and criteria, what type of people do you think will be admitted into the kingdom of heaven?

WOW!  Loaded question.  I am not God.  I cannot say who God would allow in to Heaven or what the criteria would be.  That is not for me to answer.

My Nominees Are:

1. joypassiondesire
   @joypassiondesire
2. Valerie Cullers
   @valeriecullers
3. crushedcaramel
   @crushedcaramel
4. Huguette
   @huguetta
5. badfinger20
   @badfinger20
6. D.T. Osborn
   @pastordo
7. Gail’s Snapshotsincursive
   @gaildorna
8. dray0308
   @dray0308
9. ChecheWinnie
   @thisischechewinnie
10. bottomlesscoffee007
    @bottomlesscoffee007

Although, I have nominated only 10 bloggers, there are so, so many great bloggers all around, and many, many more whom I enjoy and follow.  This is always the hardest part of for me.  We are all here to help and support one another.  Best of luck to all!  If anyone who was not nominated, please feel free to “nominate” yourself, for you deserve this too.

My Question to You:

1.  What do you like most about yourself?
2. What do you like least about yourself?
3. Who was your biggest influence on who you are today and why?
4. What motivates you?
5. What hobbies and/or interests do you have?
6. Do you believe in reincarnation?
7. Is there life other than life here on Earth?
8. Are you the life of the party or do you prefer to keep more to yourself?
9. If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, who would it be and why?
10. What is your spirit animal and why?
11. If you could change something about yourself, what would it be and why?

Ihagh G. T. from Motivation & Environment and loveurownlife@loveurownlife, thank you both once again for this honor and these nominations.

Best of luck to you all.

Jeanne

“A Jeanne in the Kitchen”

ajeanneinthekitchen.com

Chicken is a favorite in our house.  We eat a lot of chicken and one of the many reasons is because of its versatility.  It lends itself to so many different styles of cooking and recipes, from around the world.  The possibilities are endless.  This recipe for chicken with peppers and olives has a very Mediterranean flair to it.  It is something you could find in any country from The Mediterranean or Middle Eastern part of the world.  It is also quick and easy to make, as well as very tasty.  Basically, you just can’t go wrong with this dish.

Chicken with Peppers and Olives

1 1/2-2 lbs chicken breasts, cut into strips

salt and pepper to taste – go easy on the salt because of the brine from the olives and the lemon juice

1/2 each red, yellow and orange peppers, sliced thin

1/3 cup sweet peppers

2 TBSP garlic

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

1 onion, sliced thin

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1-2 tsp each of fresh basil and oregano, chopped fine

olive oil

2-3 TBSP butter

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 TBSP paprika

1 tsp lemon juice

Saute the peppers, garlic, onion, and mushrooms in the olive oil and butter until the peppers and onions are soft and translucent, then remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan add the chicken and cook until it is thoroughly cooked.  Then add the wine.  Let it cook for about 1 minute and make sure to scrape all the drippings off the bottom of the skillet to give the dish extra flavor and texture.

Add the pepper and onion mixture to the chicken, along with the olives, the herbs and seasonings.  Mix everything together well.  Let cook for about 5-10 minutes.  Right before serving, add the lemon juice to really bring all the flavors together and make the recipe come to life.

Once the chicken and peppers are done, you can serve them over either rice, pasta or cous cous.  I chose the cous cous to make it even more Mediterranean and served it with some warmed pita bread and hummus.  Of course there was wine as well.  You can go with either a rich, buttery chardonnay or a light fruity red.  Either one would be a perfect accompaniment to the meal.