Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

Bread is the food of life and has been a dietary staple for people around the world since the beginning of time.  It has the longest and the most interesting history of any food.  The Ancient Egyptians get credit for first developing leavened breads, flatbreads and hearth cakes, which have all been part of man’s diet for millennia.  Between 4000-5000 BC, the Nile Valley of Egypt refined the methods of farming wheat, which became known as the cereal crop of Western civilization.  Wheat was the most valuable crop of the ancient world.  This is in large part due to communities developing and growing around areas where a lot of wild grasses grew.  These wild grasses were eventually domesticated and developed into the grains we still use today, such as wheat, corn, rye, barley, oats, rice and millet, as well as many, many others.  The early grains were used to make the first breads or flatbreads.  These grains were harvested and were ground into flour, then were mixed with water and cooked over hot rocks.  Breads and grains were considered to be sacred gifts from the Gods and were often used as ceremonial offerings, as well as a way to determine one’s wealth.  Breads and grains were often used as “money” back in ancient times.  Bakers during these times were held in very high regard within the communities and held the same status as priests and holy men.  Bread was one of the first complex masterpieces recognized in the culinary world.  The color of bread also told your financial status within the community.  The darker the bread one ate indicated their lower level on the “class scale”.  And as you would expect, the lighter the color of the bread one ate indicated the level of their wealth.  This was because the more processed the bread was, the more expensive it was to produce and therefore to purchase.

The Ancient Egyptians are credited for being the first to cultivate grains, but it was the Greeks who first developed the millstones for grinding these grains and the ovens to bake the breads as we know them today.  The Romans, took it even further and refined the millstones and the ovens which allowed for the creation of more specialty and finely textured breads.  With the introduction of both wind and water powered mills in medieval Europe came yet another transformation in the world of bread making, refining it even more.

The color of the bread, and the use of multiple grains may have been used to determine one’s socioeconomic status in the past, and even up until fairly recently, but that is no longer the case.  In fact, it has almost gone full circle, and now those “specialty” or “ethnic” breads are now the ones that are most ardently sought after by bread lovers everywhere.  I love breads of all kinds and always have, but my favorite breads have always been the multi-grain, rustic or textured or flavored breads.    It is said that “man cannot live on bread alone”, but I truly believe I could, as long as there was enough butter to go with all that bread.

The other day, when it was cold and snowy, not only did I make a big pot of soup, Soup It Up but I also made some delicious whole wheat chili cheese bread to go with that soup.

Whole Wheat Chili Cheese Bread

The Sponge

1 1/4 cups warm water

2 TBSP olive oil

2 tsp honey

2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast

Mix all these ingredients together well and let set for 2 minutes or until it becomes frothy.

Dry Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup of either bread flour or cake flour

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp salt

4 tsp chili powder – I used a combination of regular chili powder and ground Aleppo chili

4 tsp of red pepper flakes

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup chilies, roasted, peeled and seeded – I used 2 Anaheim chilies

After the sponge is ready, combine all the dry ingredients except for the roasted peppers and the cheese and knead it on a slightly floured surface for about 8 -10 minutes.  Then add the green chilies and the cheese and incorporate it thoroughly into the dough.

Once everything is well incorporated, form the dough into a ball and place it in a large bowl that has been lightly oiled.  I oil my dough as well.

Cover and let rise for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.  Punch the dough down and cover it again to rise for another 30 minutes.  Cut the dough in half placing it into 2 loaf pans.  Shape the dough to fill the pans.  Cover once again and let the dough rise for another 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400* F

Once the dough has completely risen, make 2-3 slits with a sharp serrated knife on the top of the dough.  Then lightly sprinkle the top with flour.  Spritz the oven with water and place the loaves into the hot oven.  Spritz the oven again at least 2 more times within the first 10 minutes of baking.  Bake the bread for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is dark and firm and a hollow sound is heard when tapping the loaf.  Let the bread completely cool before cutting it and enjoying it.

Because of the chili powder, the bread will have a nice rustic red color.  Delicious!

Even though the calendar says today is the first day of May, and that technically it is supposed to be Spring, the thermometer has been saying something completely different these days.  We’ve had more snow again for these past couple of days, however with Colorado being what it is, all that snow has already melted.  One day we are in shorts and eating light, and the next day we are all bundled up and eating soup and baking bread.  It gets very confusing around here sometimes, but if nothing else, it certainly keeps us on our toes.  The moral of the story is DON’T put away all your winter stuff just yet.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring?  So with this wacky Colorado weather, it was a perfect day for making another big pot of soup.  I also baked some delicious bread to go with it.  The soup of the day this time was a green chili sausage soup with spinach, tomatoes, Great Northern beans (or any white beans) and orzo.  Hang on for the bread.  That will be coming tomorrow.  I have to keep you all in a little bit of suspense, right?!  🙂

This soup is one of my own recipes, based on what I had that needed to be cooked.  More so than not, this is one of my favorite ways to cook.  I love raiding the refrigerator and the cupboards to see what I have and to see how creative I can be with what I have.  (The bread is proofing on the stove in the background).

Green Chili Sausage Soup

2 lbs green chili sausage, cooked and sliced – You can use any kind of sausage you like

1 onion, diced small

2 heaping TBSP garlic

2 cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 lb orzo (1/2 box)

8-10 cups chicken broth

3-4 cups fresh spinach, stemmed and chopped

3-4 tomatoes, medium dice

1 TBSP red pepper flakes or to taste

2 tsp cinnamon

salt & pepper to taste

olive oil

Cook the sausage completely.  I cooked it in olive oil.  Let the sausage cool then cut in thin slices and set aside.

While the sausage is cooking, cut the vegetables.

Once the sausages are completely cooked, remove them from the pan and set them aside.  In the same pan, adding more oil if needed, saute the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes.  Cook until the onions are translucent.

Once the onions are done, add the sliced sausages back into the pot and add the chicken stock, beans, seasonings and orzo.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer for about 5-10 minutes.  Add the spinach and tomatoes right at the very end.  They will cook just by being in the hot liquid.  Also, the longer the soup sets, the more liquid the orzo will soak up and absorb too.  If you are going to make the soup ahead, keep this in mind, because you may need to add more liquid before serving.  Although if you like a thicker “soup” it’s fine to leave it as is too.

As usual, I make things ahead of time, and we eat them later on, after I get home from work.  This time, my husband and I were on two completely different schedules.  He ate first, then left to go to the Avalanche hockey game (it’s play-off season.  Go Av’s) and I ate after I returned home from work.  So a lot of the soup broth was absorbed by the orzo, making it more like a stew than a soup, which is perfectly fine with me.  I love both.

Every time I eat a simple meal like this, it always makes me think of this picture that hangs in my kitchen.  It has always been one of my favorite pictures.   I have had this picture in my kitchen my whole life.  It speaks volumes to me.  It keeps me humble.

Soup’s on.  Come and get it while it’s hot.

Chinese food is very popular all over the world.  Here in the united Sates, the most popular styles of Chinese cooking are Cantonese, Hunan and Szechuan, also known as Sichuan or Szechwan.  All of these styles are very tasty, and all are very different.  Cantonese food is the mildest of these three styles and focuses on the fresh flavors of the ingredients rather than adding a lot of additional flavors to the recipes.  Because the Province of Canton is also very close to the sea, Cantonese cooking features a lot of seafood in their dishes too.  Hunan food is very hot and spicy.  The Szechuan style of cooking is known for its bold, spicy flavors, coming from the use of a lot of garlic and a lot of peppers, especially the Sichuan peppers, from the Sichuan Province of China.  Where Hunan style cooking is very hot and spicy, the Szechuan is a combination of both spicy and sweet.   Szechuan is my favorite style.  I love spicy, but I really love the hint of sweetness as well.  The dish known as Szechuan orange beef is a very popular dish in the United States.  It is a fusion of both the Chinese and the American cultures, and is said to have originated in New York City.

Because I love using and eating fresh vegetables so much, I added a lot of vegetables to my recipe as well.  I also had some leftover crab and asparagus cheese puffs that made a nice addition to the meal.  Asparagus Cheese Puffs  The only difference between my original recipe for the asparagus cheese puffs and this one is that added about 1/2 lb of crab to the mixture as well.

Szechuan Crispy Beef with Vegetables

1 /2 lbs of sirloin steak, cut into thin strips

3 TBSP soy sauce, divided

6 TBSP cornstarch

1 orange, plus about 1/4 the peel, sliced very thin, with the pith removed

3 TBSP molasses

2 TBSP cooking sherry

1 TBSP rice vinegar

1 1/2 tsp sesame oil

2 TBSP ginger

2-3 TBSP garlic

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 carrot, sliced Asian style or at an angle

1 jalapeno, diced fine

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin

4-6 baby corn, cut into small pieces

1-1 1/2 cups fresh green beans, stemmed and cut into small pieces

1/4 cup green onions or scallions, sliced Asian style, for topping

3 cups vegetable oil for cooking the meat

olive or vegetable oil for the vegetables

Toss the meat, 1 TBSP of soy sauce and the cornstarch together well, making sure all the meat is well coated.  Spread it all on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze for at least 45 minutes before cooking.

Cut the peel off the orange and remove all the white pith.  Slice the peels very thin and add to the cut vegetables.  You will need about 1/4 of the peel.

Mix together the juice from the orange, the molasses, sherry, rice vinegar, sesame oil and the remaining soy sauce.

Saute the vegetables, the garlic, ginger, orange peels and pepper flakes in olive oil until the vegetables are done.  You want them to have a slight crisp still left to them, so do not over cook them.

In either a deep fryer, or a separate large pan, deep fry the beef in hot oil that has reached the temperature of 375* F for about 2 minutes.  You might have to fry it in batches.  Freezing and frying the beef really makes it crispy rather than mushy, making the beef really stand out and pop.

When the beef is cooked, add it to the vegetables, along with the sauce mixture.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes, or just until everything is combined and completely heated.

Serve over cooked rice and top with the sliced scallions or green onions.  Who needs Chines take out when you can make it better at home.

What is Mystery Blogger Award?

“Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion.
– Okoto Enigma

I have been nominated for this fabulous award by Mel from Decor Craft Design mel .  WOW!!!!   Thank you so much.  I am very honored.

The Rules of the Mystery Blogger Award

1. Put the award logo/image on your blog
2. List the rules
3. Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog
4. Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well
5. Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
6. You have to nominate 10 – 20 people
7. Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
8. Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
9. Share a link to your best post(s)

Three Things About Me:

• I LOVE life.  I am always excited to learn and/or try new things.  I never want to stop learning.
• The water is most definitely my element.  It is where I truly come alive.
• My fur babies are my children.  I currently have 2 Saint Bernards and 2 cats, and they are my children.  I would have more if I could, but I will have to settle for these 4 at the moment.  My husband says I am at my limit.

My questions that Mel asked me:

• Are you a morning or a night person?

I like to burn the candle at both ends, so both.

• Favorite flowers?

I love all flowers, but I have a real soft spot for Irises.  They were my mother’s favorite flower, and when she passed away, they became my favorite flowers too.  Every time I see Irises, I think of my mom, and I know she is close by.

• What color scheme do you prefer for your home?

Greens, blues and reds.

• What style for home do you love most?

I love older houses that are full of charm and personality, with big kitchens.

• Silly things you do on your daily ritual?

Most people would probably say most things I do are silly or crazy.

My nominees are:

1. janowrite
   @janowrite
2. commememucho
   @commememucho
3. floatinggold
   @floatinggold
4. lillyevechristie
   @lillyevechristie
5. thewackyspoon.com
   @thewackyspoon
6. koolkosherkitchen
   @koolkosherkitchen
7. the britchy one
   @thebritchyone
8. Laleh Chini
   @avoicefromiran
9. Marc-André

   @medran001
10. popsiclesociety
    @popsiclesociety
11. Sadje
    @saadiyanadeem51
12. The Eclectic Contrarian
    @thepalmettowoodsman
13. bottomlesscoffee007
    @bottomlesscoffee007
14. bereavedandbeingasingleparent
    @bereavedandbeingasingleparent
15. Gail’s Snapshotsincursive
    @gaildorna

My questions to you:

1.  What makes you “you”?

2.  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

3.  What is your favorite thing to do and why?

4.  If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be and why?

5.  What animal is your spirit animal and why?

Best of luck to all of you.  To all the great bloggers out there, keep up the good work.  Thank you again Mel, Decor Craft Design mel.

The Bloggers International Friendship Award is an award to be given to one person whom you have connected with from another country who has enriched your life and you truly consider this person a friend”.  Thank you Valerie Cullers, for this wonderful idea.  I think this is so cool!  I also think this is worthwhile for all of us to consider, after all we could all use a little more kindness and we all want to be appreciated.  And we can never have to many friends.  I know I have already “met” so many wonderful people from the world of blogging, many of whom I do consider friends, and am looking forward to meeting in the real world one day, where hopefully these friendships can bloom and blossom.  The hard part for me is choosing just one person to award this to.  For my first ever Bloggers International Friendship Award, I am giving it to lillyevechristie from Lilly Eves World.

Lilly and I have bonded and just clicked right from the start.  She and I have already said we would probably be best friends if we lived close by.  I think we would be those kind of friends that would be able to just pop by at any time, and we would have a great time just hanging out together.  So thank you for that Lilly.  You are very much appreciated, and one day, we will make it happen, and we will meet.

BBQ.  Smoked and grilled meats.  Dry Rubs.  All the fixin’s.  These are some good ole’ down home foods that are a part of Americana, and are what’s cookin’ at Georgia Boys BBQ.   Wherever people own grills and/or smokers, and prepare their meats in these fashions, these are all part of the traditions, particularly the Southern traditions.  Everyone has their favorite style or recipe, some of which have been passed along through the generations.  You don’t dare mess with someone’s BBQ recipe.  Oh no.  Them’s fightin’ words.  So, I would never in a million years try to change anyone’s ideas on their BBQ style, however, I do love a good, old fashioned Southern style BBQ.  After all, my momma was from South East Texas, so I have had many good BBQ’s in my day.  In my humble opinion though, Georgia Boys BBQ, is one of the best we have here in the North Denver Metro area, especially their burnt ends.  Their burnt ends are the BEST!  YUM-MY!

We started yesterday’s driving adventure Out for a Drive with lunch.  We were in the mood for BBQ, and my husband had never been to Georgia Boys before.  I had been to their old location, but had not visited their new location.  When we do our weekend adventures, we often like to try places we have never been before.  But we also go back to places we really like, so going to Georgia Boys fit both of those requirements.  This is NOT the place to go if you are vegan or vegetarian, or don’t like getting messy with your food.  Georgia Boys is all about the meat.  The mess just comes with the territory of eating BBQ.  This is also NOT the place to go if you are counting calories.  When visiting Georgia Boys, just throw that calorie counter out the window for the day.  Just sit back and enjoy.  It’s all finger lickin’ good.

The inside decor is very rustic, inviting and fun and is full of personality.

Sasha showing off all the libation choices offered at the full bar.

This is all that is left of the original Georgia Boys of Longmont.  But by popular demand, this little house could no longer take care of the ever growing base of satisfied customers, and a bigger “house” was needed.  I kind of miss this little house though.

As fun and inviting as it is inside, it was just way too nice of a day to be stuck inside.  We chose the patio option.

The sauces.  They range from sweet and mild to hot and wild.  Pick the one, or more, that best suits your personality.  Mix and match to your heart and taste buds’ content.

Let the feast begin!  Larry ordered the pulled pork AND the burnt ends, with a baked potato and homemade mac & cheese and the Texas toast on the side.  That’s a ton of food.  Believe it or not though, Larry at it all.  Every little last bite on his plate was GONE, GONE, GONE!

I had more of the “diet” plate, going for just the burnt ends, the seasoned home fries, the Texas toast and the baked beans.  As you can see, I like to mix and match my sauces.  I chose a combination of both the sweet heat and the Carolina mustard sauce.  I am after all, a “saucy” kind of girl.  I was good, and barely made it through 1/3 of my meal.  It was not because I did not want to eat it all though, I just had no room left to do so.

Georgia Boys BBQ is located at 250 3rd Avenue, Longmont, CO.  Next time you are in town and get a hankerin’ for some of the best BBQ around, you should definitely stop by and give them a try.  Go for a virtual taste test by checking out their website at http://www.georgiaboys.com.

This is a bonus post, just because it was too good not to share.  Because it is such a beautiful and gorgeous day, we just had to take advantage of it and go for a nice drive. We started off with lunch in Longmont (more on that later), and then took the back way into Lyons, coming out through Boulder Canyon and Boulder.  Spring is definitely in bloom, and everyone from hikers to fisherman to moose were out enjoying the day.  These are just some of the beautiful sights we have to offer, here in the North Denver/Boulder areas of Colorado.  We live right in the middle, between both Boulder and Denver.  We are only about 15-20 away from each of them.  So all these beautiful sights are just a hop, skip and a jump away.

The sights of Lyons.  Lyons is only about 45 minutes or so from where we live.  It is on the way up to Estes Park.

Making the loop back down through Boulder Canyon.

Beautiful, colorful trees on the CU Boulder Campus.  These trees are in bloom everywhere.  They are breathtaking.  I wish i knew what they were called.

But today’s highlight was ……  We found her just grazing peacefully right by he road.

These are just some of the many reasons why we live in and love Colorado.

Our menus depend a lot on what the weather is like.  When it is cooler or cold outside, I make heavier, heartier foods that will warm us up from the inside out.  When it is warmer, I make lighter foods that won’t weigh us down.  Well, with the weather Colorado has been having lately, we are all over the place.  The last time I made shrimp it was cool and crisp outside, but my husband really wanted something with shrimp.  No problem.  I made the paprika shrimp that came out great.  Paprika Shrimp  I had bought a 2-lb bag of the large 13-15 count shrimp and only used 1/2 of it for the paprika shrimp, meaning I still had 1/2 the bag left to use.  I could not refreeze it since it was already thawed, so we had shrimp twice this week.  Oh darn!  Fortunately we love shrimp.  It is one of our favorite seafoods.  This time, however, the weather had changed dramatically once again, and now it was in the mid 70’s.  I needed to make a dish that was lighter this time around.  Since I had a lot of tomatoes, I decided to make a tomato herb vinaigrette to use as a marinade for the shrimp and made kebabs.

Vinaigrettes are very easy to make.  Just mix everything together and in only a couple of minutes you have made a delicious vinaigrette.

Tomato Herb Vinaigrette

3-4 tomatoes, cut in large dice

1 TBSP garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tsp sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

5-7 fresh basil leaves

1 tsp each fresh thyme and oregano – dried is fine too

Mix everything together in a food processor until everything is blended and liquified, and voila!  Your vinaigrette is made.

You can use it as either a marinade for chicken, fish or vegetables, or as a a dressing for salads.  It’s very tasty, very healthy and very easy to make.  It’s a win/win all the way around.  I used it as a marinade for my shrimp kebabs, but I have plenty left over for a delicious salad too.  Because of the acidity in this vinaigrette, or most vinaigrettes for that matter, if using it as a marinade, particularly for shrimp or seafood, do not let it marinade for longer than about 30-60 minutes or it will break down the delicate proteins of the shrimp and seafood, and will “cook” them before you actually apply any heat.  If using it as a marinade for chicken, it can marinate for about 4 hours and it will still be fine.  You actually want those proteins to break down because it will also act as a tenderizer.

I grilled them shrimp and served it over lentils, topping it with more sauce.  I served it alongside some asparagus topped with more tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic and onions (one of mys favorite ways to eat my asparagus), warmed bread and a glass of chardonnay.  It was the perfect way to end the day.  Although the flavor of the shrimp and lentil combination was delicious, I probably should have chosen something different than red lentils, because everything on the plate was red.  It’s all about the presentation, you know.  🙂  But it all tasted great, and in the end, the taste is really what matters most.

Orzo is a very popular type of pasta that is used in all parts of the Mediterranean.  It is a short cut pasta, that looks like large grains of rice.  It is cooked in many different ways, and can be eaten alone, in a soup, as a salad, or in a casserole, as well as many other ways.  Orzo also goes by many names.  In Italy, it is known as orzo or risoni, but it is also known as kritharaki in Greece, which means little barley; arpa sehriye, or the barley noodle, in Turkey; pinones in Spain; Ptitim in Hebrew, which means flakes and the Arabic translation means songbird tongue.  Who knew?   All I know is that it is very tasty, delicious and is very versatile too.

The people of the Mediterranean not only like to cook with this versatile little pasta, but they also enjoy cooking and eating it with a lot of vegetables and fresh herbs and spices too.  The more vegetables the better.  This is exactly how I like to cook as well.  Mediterranean style cooking has always been one of my favorite ways to cook.  It is always full of fresh flavors and is a very healthy cooking style.  It has often been said the Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest diets out there.  I truly believe this.  We eat a lot of Mediterranean style foods and dishes.

It was a Mediterranean night last night.  It was a perfect Spring evening, not too cool and not to warm either.  There were no heavy sauces to weigh us down, but our meal was loaded with freshness and flavor.  I served lemon-herb chicken with sauteed vegetables over a bed of orzo mixed with spinach, tomatoes, garlic and toasted pine nuts.  I also added some crispy sourdough bread and some chilled chardonnay, making the meal a perfect light meal for a beautiful Spring evening.

First, I made a lemon-herb vinaigrette to marinate my chicken.  I let it marinate for about 4 hours before grilling it.  This is a simple, easy vinaigrette to make, as most are, and only requires a few simple ingredients.

1 TBSP garlic

1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/4 lemon juice

1/3-1/2 cup olive oil

black pepper to taste

1-2 tsp each of fresh herbs of your choice – I used basil, sage, lemon verbena and thyme this time.  I switch my herbs around depending on what I have on hand at the time.  Mix everything together well and serve.  You can use it as either a dressing for a salad or as a marinade for chicken or fish.

To make my orzo, I followed the directions on the package to cook it, then added spinach, garlic, shallots, tomatoes and toasted pine nuts.  Chiffonade the spinach, or cut it into thin strips, slice the shallot into very thin slices, and saute together along with the garlic and salt and pepper to taste, cooking for about 3-4 minutes.  Dice the tomatoes into a small dice.  When the orzo is cooked, add the cooked vegetables, tomatoes, and toasted pine nuts and mix everything together well.

I only used a portion of the spinach mixture and the tomatoes for the orzo.  I sauteed sliced mushrooms in olive oil and added them to the spinach, along with some artichoke hearts and the rest of the tomatoes.   Because I did not want either the tomatoes or the artichoke hearts to break down, I added them at the very end, when all the other vegetables were completely cooked, and just incorporated them into the mixture.  Add salt and pepper as needed or to taste.

I like to layer my foods.  It is an old restaurant style of presentation, that still looks beautiful.   I started with a layer of the orzo, then added my grilled chicken, topped with mozzarella cheese.  I topped it all off with a layer of the artichoke vegetables, then some more toasted pine nuts.  Enjoy with a glass of your favorite wine and … Delicious!

There is nothing wrong with eating good, basic food.  We all do it, all the time.  It tastes just fine on its own, and we are quite happy with it as is.  But …. there is also nothing wrong with walking on the wild side and turning that same good basic food into something BOLD and EXCITING either.  I love walking on the wild side, not just with my foods, but in life in general.  I love to walk that fine between the two sides, which allows me to enjoy the best of both worlds.  With food, it is easy to liven things up by adding a big, bold, zesty sauce to something, or to turn up the heat a bit by adding some peppers or hot sauce, or to even just shake things up by doing something different and adding a new twist.  I thrive on this.  I do it all the time.  To me, I’m just having fun and playing.   I did just that with my ham and some corn on the cob to add a new twist to two great foods.

Ham and corn on the cob are American staples and favorites all over the country.  I love both of them too.  But I also love to make and serve them in new ways as much as I can also.

I often serve ham with some kind of a mustard sauce.  To me, ham and mustard goes together like peanut butter and jelly.  They are two great tastes that go well together.  However, just because I serve ham and mustard sauces together quite often does not mean that I don’t also vary the sauces.  This time, I made a triple mustard sauce with garlic and jalapenos.  It gave the sauce just enough of a kick to wake up the taste buds, without turning up the heat sensors to much either.

Spicy Garlic and Triple Mustard Cream Sauce

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

2 TBSP whole grain mustard

2 TBSP cup spicy brown mustard

1 TBSP garlic

1 large jalapeno, diced fine

2 tsp dried Aleppo chilies, optional

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine.

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Mix everything together except the heavy whipping cream.

Heat the cream in a skillet until it just starts to boil, then add the mustard mixture and combine well.  Reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 3-5 minutes.  Then serve over ham, pork or chicken.  Although I love mustards, especially the three I chose to use, sometimes that much mustard flavor can be a bit overwhelming, even for me, so I like to cut that by adding cream to the sauce.  If you prefer the strong mustard flavors all on their own, add the cream, or not, to your liking.

I served my ham with the spicy garlic mustard sauce with the left over patatas bravas from Easter, Happy Easter/Passover and spicy corn on the cob flavored with chili lime butter, along with a glass of a cool chardonnay with hints of apples and melons.

Chili Lime Butter

1 stick of cold butter, cut into large chunks

1-2 TBSP fresh cilantro

1-2 TBSP lime juice

1 tsp dried Aleppo chilies

3-5 chipotle peppers with sauce

Mix everything together except the butter, either in a mixer or a food processor, until everything is combined well.  Then add the butter and mix again, making sure all the butter is incorporated into the mixture.  If you add the butter with all the other ingredients before blending them together first, the acidity of the lime juice will break down the butter.

Once you have made the compound butter, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.

Once the compound butter as set, use it to add some kick and pizzazz to your favorite foods.  I used it on corn on the cob.  I rubbed the spicy butter all over the corn and then wrapped the corn in aluminum foil and baked it in the oven for about 20 or so minutes, until the corn was done.  You could also do the same thing and cook the corn on the grill as well.  When the corn is cooked, carefully unwrap it from the foil and pour off all the melted butter back onto the corn, to make sure none of the flavor escapes.

Once the corn is ready, enjoy it as a side dish to your meal.