Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

This week has been a crazy, busy week.  There has been so much going on, with no time to stop and catch my breath, let alone really cook something fun or fabulous.  I actually called my husband yesterday to tell him just to bring something home for dinner, because I had neither the time or the energy to cook.  Safeway’s fried chicken it was, and it hit the spot too.  So you see, we all have those days, even me, even Jeanne from “A Jeanne in the Kitchen” has those days too.  The moral of the story …. life happens and sometimes we all need a bit of a break.  🙂

Once again, our dinner plans changed in the blink of an eye.  This is twice in a week that my husband has changed our plans for dinner just as I am making the dinner.  He HAD to go play golf, meaning there was no way we could cook what we were originally planning on cooking, which by the way, was what he suggested and wanted in the first place.  ARRRRRGGGHHH!!!!!  Oh well, I had a back up plan that I could easily put into place.  I had made a Brussels sprouts salad to have as a side dish with our meal, but luckily I made enough that I could easily turn it into the meal itself.  All I needed to do was to marinate a chicken breast and grill it up, and add it to the salad.  So it wasn’t that big of deal, nor was it that much of an inconvenience, but it was a bit frustrating.

I discovered this Brussels sprouts salad a few years ago and have been making it ever since.  It is tart and tangy, with just a hint of sweetness.  It is a refreshing way to eat Brussels sprouts, especially on warmer days.

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Chicken

1 lb Brussels  sprouts, ends removed and sliced very thin

1 apple, diced small

1 shallot, sliced very thin or  1/4 red onion, diced small or sliced very thin

6 green onions, sliced thin

4-5 pieces of cooked bacon, diced small

2 chicken breasts, cooked, sliced thin

Toss everything together, with the honey mustard dressing, except the chicken breast.  Place the sliced chicken on top.

Honey Mustard Dressing

1 TBSP Dijon mustard

1 tsp black pepper

dash of salt

1-2 TBSP honey

3-4 TBSP white balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar

5-6 TBSP olive oil

Whisk everything together and toss with the salad.

This salad is ready to eat as is, or you can add a grilled chicken breast to make it more of a meal, like I did.  I added dried cranberries to mine.  My husband likes cheese in his salads, so I added some feta cheese to his.  This paired just perfectly with a crisp, golden chardonnay and a bit of warmed bread dipped in olive oil mixed with garlic, pepper and balsamic vinegar.  Delicious!

With the warmer weather finally beginning to come about, it is putting us in the summer food mood too.  When I think of summer foods, I think of grilled foods, a lot of different salsas, fruits, salads and things that are easy to make and don’t heat up the kitchen to much.  Like most of us, when the weather gets warmer and the days grow longer, I too would rather be outside enjoying all that the world outdoors has to offer, rather than being inside over a hot stove.

I had some leftover jalapeno dressing from when we had our latest steak salad, which was a perfect marinade for my pork chops. Finally, It’s Time for Salad  I also had some leftover pineapple from my carrot pineapple bread  Carrot Pineapple Bread that was just the right amount to make a pineapple salsa.  So I combined these ideas and made a Caribbean meal with the jalapeno grilled pork chops and pineapple salsa that I served with sweet potato latkes and green beans.  Even though we were land-locked here at home, it felt like we were back in the Caribbean, even if for only a short little bit.  It was a nice little mini vacation right out on our back deck.

I actually marinated the pork chops for a couple of days since on Saturday, at the last minute, we changed our plans.  Once we did grill it up, the pork was very flavorful and tender.

We also threw some rolls on the grill to heat up as well.

The pineapple salsa was very easy to make.  I let that set for a couple of days as well, which allowed all the flavors to stand out and really pop.

Quick and Easy Pineapple Salsa

1 cups pineapple, cut into small chunks – canned pineapple, with its juice is fine too

1/2 red bell pepper, diced small,

1/2 red onion, diced small

1 TBSP garlic

1 large jalapeno, diced fine

dash of salt

3 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped fine

Mix everything together and let chill for at least 30 minutes before using.  You can eat with anything you would use a regular tomato salsa for.  It is particularly good with pork or chicken.

Sweet potatoes are a staple food item found all throughout the Caribbean.  We eat them a lot too.  This is a Caribbean twist to an old classic, its cousin the potato latke.

Sweet Potato Latkes

This is yet another very simple recipe, with just a few basic ingredients.

1 large sweet potato, peeled and shredded – I use my food processor to shred mine

2-3 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped fine

1/4 cup green onions, sliced thin

1 egg

1 tsp salt

cayenne pepper to taste

3/4 cup flour, more if needed

2 TBSP honey

A dash of cooking oil

Mix everything together well.  I find the best way to really mix all these ingredients is to do it by hand.

Once everything is all mixed, take about 2 TBSP or so and form into a patty and slightly flatten them out.  Continue until all the mixture has been used.  Let set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before cooking, then pan fry in a hot skillet with just a little bit of cooking oil so the patties won’t stick.  Cook on a medium-high heat.  Cook until the patties are golden brown on both sides and crispy.

These quick and easy recipes show you don’t have to go to the Caribbean Islands to enjoy a little of the fresh Caribbean flavors at home.

The City of Denver is known for many things, one of which is all of its many little sub districts located all throughout the city.  They each have their own personality and identity.  Just to name a few, there is Wash Park (Washington Park), Bonnie Brae, and Park Hill, all known for their nice homes and friendly, family environments.  Then there is Downtown, which is also subdivided into areas such as LoDo or Lower Downtown, where a lot of the night life lives, and the Rino District, which stands for River North.  It is the area north of the Platte River.  The Rino District is an older area that is being transformed into a new, hip place to go to sample some of the local brew pubs.  We went to dinner with our friends Sue and Jim and ended up in one of these local pubs in the Rino District called The Walnut Room.

I love this outside fire pit.  I wish I had one like this at my house.  I’ll have to go back at night sometime to see it in all its glory, with the flames dancing in the cool of the night.

Inside, The Walnut Room is a comfortable and cozy pub where everyone is welcomed as a friend as soon as you walk into the room.

Some of the local brews being featured on the board.

The food is pub food with flair; pizza, sandwiches and salads, all made in house, with fresh, delicious ingredients.  I had the Southwestern Slope sandwich with turkey, candied bacon and avocado.  The boys both enjoyed a sandwich called “The Fat Bastard”, which was loaded with all kinds of meats and cheese. YUM!

Sue had a Greek salad.

A good time with good friends.  Life is very good indeed!

The Walnut Room is located at 3131 Walnut Street, Denver, CO 80205.  To see what’s brewing at the pub, go to their website at http://www.thewalnutroom.com.

This weekend has flown by in a blur.  We have been so busy and we aren’t done yet.  Needless to say, I have not had any time in the kitchen this weekend.  I was in the middle of starting to prepare something yummy for dinner and at the last minute we changed our plans.  So you will all hear about it later.  For now though, I thought I would share some more thoughts on food.

He lay back in his bed thinking about the smells of food … of the intoxicating breath of bakeries and the dullness of the buns … He planned dinners, or enchanting aromatic foods … endless dinners, in which one could alternate flavour with flavour from sunset to dawn without satiety, while one breathed great draughts from the bouquet of old brandy.

~ Evelyn Waugh, English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books, and he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. ~

I can definitely identify with this one.  When I am cooking something special for a special event, I am always dreaming and thinking of all the foods I am going to make, and how I am going to make them.

Everything ends this way in France ~ everything.  Weddings, christenings, duels, funerals, swindlings, diplomatic affairs ~ everything is pretext for a good dinner.

~ Jean Anhouilh, French dramatist noted for his reinterpretations of Greek myths ~

Sharing food and drink is one of the oldest rituals in the world.  Whether a guest is offered a drink by the host or a special beverage in a special cup initiates an occasion, the moment is of significance.

~ Pamela Vandyke Price, One of the first women to write about wine who was known for her prickly put-downs and forthright views about food and drink. ~

Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.

~ William Shakespeare ~

…even those for whom cooking is an oppressive chore of self-doubting anxiety, acknowledge that a meal shared by friends and family is one of the bonding rituals without which the family, society even, can fall apart.

~ Antonia Till, Food Writer, taken from Loaves & Wishes

It was a nice warm and sunny day, which made it just the perfect day to grill up something yummy.   As I have mentioned many times, our weather this year has been really wacky. We have not had any real hot days yet, which I am definitely not complaining about, though we have had a lot of cooler than normal days for this time of year.  Again, I am definitely not complaining about the cooler days.  Don’t get me wrong, I am most definitely a sun worshipper and I love to be outside, but I also love the cooler, more comfortable temperatures as well.

As you know, we eat a lot of chicken, and I am always looking for new ways to prepare it.  I found this recipe for ginger chicken kebabs that just hit the spot.   I was also looking for something that was quick and easy and that did not require turning on the oven.  I made vegetable kebabs and orzo to complete the meal, as well as a cool glass of chardonnay.  It was a perfect meal to enjoy outside on our deck.

Ginger Chicken Kebabs

The ginger marinade was very simple and easy to make.  The chicken came out so delicious and tasty and very tender.

1 lb chicken breast, cut into large cubes

3-4 green onions, sliced very thin

1 TBSP lemon verbena, optional – I use it as much as possible when it’s in season, since it literally takes over my whole backyard.

2 TBSP soy sauce

1 TBSP sugar

1 TBSP Wochestershire Sauce

1 tsp salt

3 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP rice vinegar

1 TBSP ginger

3/4 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste

red pepper flakes to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and marinade the chicken pieces for about 2 hours before placing on kebab skewers.

Once the chicken has been marinating for at least 2 hours, skewer the pieces onto your skewers and grill for about 7-10 minutes per side, or until the chicken is done.  If you are making vegetable kebabs as well, use fairly large pieces of your favorite hearty vegetables.  I marinated mine in Italian dressing for about 30 minutes before placing the pieces onto the skewers.  The vegetables will need a little longer to cook than the chicken pieces, so put them on the grill a bit earlier than the chicken.

You can serve these delicious kebabs with cous cous, rice or pasta.  I chose to serve it with orzo this time, which is actually a type of pasta that looks like rice.  I heated up the left over marinade and cooked it down to make a sauce for the chicken after it was grilled.  YUMMY!!!!

Who out there has been cooking up some fun recipes and dishes they would like to share with me and all my followers here at “A Jeanne in the Kitchen”?    I know there are a lot of you professional and home chefs out there that are busy cooking up some wonderful dishes.  If you are interested in being my next guest chef, please send me step-by-step photos of your recipe, along with you name and e-mail address.  You can send it to my personal e-mail address @ ljbjej@q.com or to my facebook page as a private message titled “Guest Chef”.  The more the merrier.  I will select one lucky winner to feature as my next gust chef.

The Rules:

1.  send me step-by-step photos of you preparing your special recipes
2. I need at least one picture of you, preferably more
3. your full name and an email address and/or contact information
4. prepare whatever you like
5. have fun

Come on.  Have fun.  Show me what’s been cookin’ in your kitchen.

First off, I would like to apologize for a mistake I made.  Yesterday when I made my post about the scallop and mushroom crepes, Scallop and Mushroom Crepes I added a mystery photo in there that did not belong at all.  Once again, I was trying to do to many things at a time and got distracted.  Fortunately, my friend Goldie at floatinggold saw the problem and I was able to correct it right away.  Good thing I have Goldie around.  She keeps me honest.  🙂

I had 6 crepes leftover from when I made my crepes, and you all know how much I love being creative with leftovers, so I decided to turn them into dessert this time.  A lot of you said sweet crepes were your favorites.  Hopefully you will like this rich and decadent Caribbean crepe cake.  I only used a few simple ingredients and made a fun and simple dessert.  My inspiration came from one of our timeshares we own in the Mexican Riviera.  They have a creperie station and one of our favorite crepes is the banana and nutella crepe.

The only ingredients for this simple crepe cake were my leftover crepes, a couple of bananas, toasted coconuts, hazelnut spread, and some whipped cream with a dash of guava rum.  Whip it all together, and voila, you have a simple, fun Caribbean dessert in no time.  It is very rich though, so a little will go a long way.

I toasted the coconut in a small skillet.  No oil is needed because of all the oil in the coconut, and it only takes about 3 minutes.  Watch it carefully though, because it can burn real easily.  Once the coconut is toasted, start layering everything together and repeat.  Take one of the crepes and spread the hazelnut spread all around, add a sprinkling of toasted coconut, then some banana sliced very thin.  When the cake is done, make the whipped cream and add to the top.

Making whipped cream is easy-peasy.  I added about 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and just a dash, maybe 1-2 tsp of guava rum and whipped everything together until it formed firm peaks.  Then I added it to my piping bag and piped a bit on the top, with a bit more banana and toasted coconut to bring everything together.

A simple, easy to make Caribbean dessert is ready to enjoy.

Crepes are loved all around the world.  They go by many names, and are found in most parts of the world.  The word crepe derives from the Latin word crispus, which means crisp.  Crepes are very thin pancakes that are eaten in many different ways.  They can be sweet or savory.  Savory crepes are traditionally made from buckwheat and sweet crepes are usually made from wheat flour.  The filling choices are limited only by one’s imagination.

Rumor has it that the first crepe was created by accident, in the 13th century, in the Northern part of France, in the Brittany, or Bretonne or Bretagne region of France, by a young kitchen helper.  She ladled a bit of thin porridge onto a hot flattop iron cooktop in the fireplace, and a thin, crisp pancake, that would later come to be loved all over the world, was born.  Today, crepes are known as the National dish of France.  Originally, crepes were made from buckwheat, since wheat did not grow well in the Northern regions of France, due to the very wet climate.  Crepes were eaten as part of the celebration feast for le jour de crepes, or the day of crepes, which was celebrated on February 2, in honor of La Chandeleur or Candelmas, marking the return of light and announcing winter’s end and the coming of spring.  Crepes became part of the meal because it is said they resembled the sun, and were a reminder that the cold winter would soon be over and the sun would soon be shining again.  Today, crepes are eaten and loved for no other reason other than they are just plain delicious.

I made savory crepes, though not from buckwheat, and I served them with wild rice, green beans with mushrooms and peppers, and a cool glass of Sauvignon Blanc.  C’est ce bon!

Scallop and Mushroom Crepes

The Crepes

1 cup cold water

1 cup cold milk

4 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups flour, sifted

4 TBSP melted butter + more to cook each crepe

Mix everything together well, either by using a whisk or a mixer.  Then cover and refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes before using.  When the batter is ready, in a small 7″ hot skillet, melt a small amount of butter, then ladle about 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet.  Quickly tilt the pan in all directions to move the batter all around the skillet.  On a medium-high heat, cook the crepe for about 1 minute, then gently flip it over, using a spoon to loosen the edges and to help flip it over, and continue to cook for about 1 more minute.  Repeat this process until all the crepes are cooked.  If you do not want to use the crepes at that time, you can freeze them as well, and use them later.

While the batter is setting in the refrigerator, make your scallop and mushroom filling.

Scallop and Mushroom Filling and Sauce for the Crepes

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

3 green onions, sliced thin

3 celery stalks, cut into a small dice

1 bay leaf

1 tsp black pepper

2 lbs scallops, either bay scallops or sea scallops cut into smaller pieces

3/4 lb mushrooms, sliced

4 TBSP butter, melted

5 TBSP flour

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp salt

1 cup shredded light or white cheese of your choice

1-2 tomatoes, diced small

Mix the chicken broth, wine, green onions, celery, bay leaf and pepper together in a 3-qt sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and continue to boil for 10 minutes.

As I have said many times, I “like stuff in my stuff”, so I did not discard the cooked vegetables.  I chose to keep them and add them to the filling.  But if you do not want to use them, that’s fine too.  You can thrown them away at this point.  Remove the bay leaf and throw away.  Add the scallops and mushrooms and continue to cook for another 5 minutes at a simmer.  Remove the scallop mixture and set aside.

Mix the egg yolks, milk and heavy cream together and set aside.  Mix the tomatoes and 1/2 the cheese with the scallop mixture and set aside.

Add the butter, stir in the flour and bring the stock back up to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and slowly add the egg and cream mixture, making sure to whisk constantly so the eggs do not scramble.  Replace the saucepan back onto the heat and continue to cook until the sauce thickens, stirring constantly.  When the sauce has thickened, add the salt and lemon juice and mix thoroughly.

Once the sauce is done, pour about 2/3 over the scallop and vegetable mixture and mix together well.

Now it is time to fill the crepes.

Preheat the oven to 425* F.

Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.

Spoon the filling into  the center of a crepe and roll tightly and place in the cooking pan.  Continue until the pan is full.

When the crepes are filled and rolled, top with the remaining sauce, then top with the rest of the cheese.  Bake uncovered for about 10 minutes.  If you are not ready to bake the crepes at this point, cover them and refrigerate until you are ready to use them.

Now it is all ready to enjoy.  Bon Appetit!

It is early June, and we still have not had much Spring-like weather.  We’ve been all over the place weather wise, and have had much colder, winter-like weather than Spring-like weather, despite what the calendar says.  I think though, maybe it is finally safe to say that Spring has arrived and will stay for more than just a couple of days at a time.  I think.  My backyard is over flowing with lemon verbena, which is definitely a good sign that Spring is here.  Already I have so much that I will not be able to get through it all, and more is on the way.  We took advantage of this Spring day and feasted on a healthy steak salad loaded with vegetables and topped with a soy-jalapeno dressing.  A big giant salad is a typical meal for us in the summer and warmer weather.  Usually we enjoy this big salad on our deck, but there were still threats of thunder and lightening, with black clouds circling above us, so we decided not to chance it, and ate inside instead.

This is only one patch of my lemon verbena.  It is a a member of the mint family and literally takes over everything.  But it smells and tastes so good.  I use it as much as possible in the Spring and Summer.

We counted up the vegetables in this salad, and came up with 9 different vegetables.  Believe me when I say we eat a lot of vegetables.  I start off with just little bits of this and that, and before you know it, I have a huge salad.  One time one of my brothers-in-law came over for lunch and thought because we were having salads that it would be a light lunch.  Boy, was he in for a big surprise.

Soy-Jalapeno Dressing

1/4 cup soy sauce

4 TBSP lemon juice

1 large jalapeno, diced fine

2 TBSP sesame or peanut oil

4 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP honey

1 tsp black sesame seeds

1 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped fine

1 TBSP lemon verbena, chopped fine, optional

Mix all the ingredients together, chill and let rest for at least 30 minutes before using .  this allows for the flavors to really burst and come to life.  Top your favorite salad with this delicious dressing and enjoy.