Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

I am new to this whole world of blogging, and am learning more and more everyday.   I am also having a lot of fun with my blog, A Jeanne in The Kitchen.   Apparently you are all enjoying it as well.  Today, I found out I was nominated for the Liebster Award by fellow blogger Mark Anthony from markanthonysblog.  WOW!!  Thank you so much.  This came as a complete shock and surprise, but it is definitely an honor.  I appreciate all the support I am receiving from all of you.

Why am I passionate about blogging ?

I had never thought about blogging at all before a friend of mine suggested it to me because she likes how I know so much about food, kitchens and cooking.  As I mentioned earlier, I am brand new to the world of blogging, and am learning as I go.  I love to write and I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Cal State Los Angeles.  I am also a certified trained chef.  I went to two different culinary schools in Southern California and was in the 2nd graduating class from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts.  So with my blog, I am combining two of my many passions, writing and cooking, and hopefully reaching out to as many people as I can.

My 10 random facts :

1.  I am an avid scuba diver.  We dive all over the world, but mostly in the warm tropical waters of the Caribbean.
2.   I am a swim coach and a masters swimmer.
3.   The older I get, the more extreme my adventures become.
4.   My fur babies are my children.  I have 2 Saint Bernards and 2 cats.
5.  No matter who else goes along with us, my husband is always my number one choice to travel with.
6.  I love to learn new things, and am always challenging myself.  Part of this love to learn is what inspires me to travel as much as we do.
7.  If I had a spare $1,000,000 I would donate it to the animals and animal charities.
8.   I love diving with the sharks.  In Belize, I became known as the “shark whisperer” because the sharks all came up to me and just wanted my attention.
9. Diving with the black tip sharks in Roatan was definitely scary but also very exhillerating at the same time.

10. I’m excited about this post!   I am also excited about how I am hopefully getting other people excited about cooking while taking the fear of cooking away.

I am Nominating:

1.  2020cookingadventures
2.  buyingseafood
3. janowrite
4. Rêveuse
5. Vero and Canito in the kitchen

My 11 Questions to all of you:

1.  If you could do anything, what would it be?
2. Who is the most influential person to you?
3. If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
4. How did you become passionate about what you do?
5. How did you get started doing what you do?
6. What is your most favorite thing about yourself?
7. What is your least favorite thing about yourself?
8. What is your favorite hobby?
9. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
10. What would you do once you got there?
11. What is the craziest thing you have ever done?

The warm weather is here and summer is quickly upon us.  With this, it means eating foods that a lot lighter.  We tend to eat a lot of salads in the summer, as I am sure quite a few people do.  Here is one of our favorite summer salads that is fun and different.  It is guaranteed  to help cool things down when the temperature starts to rise.

I was first introduced to this salad when I went to lunch with a friend of mine a couple of years ago in South East Denver.  They had it on the menu and we both ordered it and raved about it after wards.  So I came home and made it myself.  We have been enjoying it ever since.   It is a Brussels sprout salad with an herbed honey-mustard dressing.  It is refreshingly different and very healthy too, filled with all kinds of flavors and textures.  You can serve it as a main salad by adding chicken or steak, or your protein of choice, or you can serve it as a side salad, and just eat it as is.  You can also make it vegetarian, just skip the bacon.

All the fixin’s for the salad.

Making the dressing.

Brussel Sprout Salad with Herbed Honey-Mustard Dressing

Raw Brussel sprouts, sliced, cut off the ends

red onions, sliced very thin

green onions, sliced thin

apples, small dice.  I used Gala apples, but you can use whatever type you like

Toasted almonds slivers

cooked bacon, crumbled

Bleu cheese crumbles (optional)

Craisins (optional)

Toss everything together and then toss in the herbed honey-mustard dressing and chill.  My husband likes the bleu cheese crumbles and I don’t; I like the craisins and he doesn’t. So we just add those separately and we both have a salad we love.

Herbed Honey-Mustard Dressing

1 heaping TBSP Dijon Mustard

1 Heaping TBSP whole grain mustard

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

1/3-1/2 cup olive oil

2 heaping TBSP honey

black pepper to taste

tarragon to taste

1 tsp each of fresh parsley, thyme, marjoram and oregano.

Whisk all the ingredients together and pour as much as you need over the salad.  Toss everything together well and chill.

We eat everything and are very experimental when it comes to trying new things.  But we do have our favorites too.  We can only try new things for so long before we start craving some of our old favorites, and then we just have to have them.  It is almost like we are recharging our batteries.  Once we have been satisfied, and have had our favorites, then we can go back to trying new things again.  And the cycle starts all over.  It is a pattern and rhythm we have got that seems to work well for us.  One of these favorites and a staple of ours is good old fashioned sausage & peppers.  We use a variety of sausages and a lot of fresh vegetables.

I like a lot of color and textures in most the things I cook, and I love using fresh herbs.  I use all colors of bell peppers, red onions, Roma tomatoes and mushrooms.   Then added the finishing touches of fresh basil, thyme, marjoram and oregano.

Cook the sausages separately until they are browned on all sides.  These were chicken Parmagiano sausages, but you can used whatever kind you like.   Our local Sprouts offers a wide variety of homemade sausages, and we have tried them all for a lot of different dishes.  They are all delicious.

After the sausages are cooked, remove them and set aside.  Using the left over grease, some additional olive oil and about 1 cup of dry white wine, saute the peppers, onions, mushrooms, garlic and red pepper flakes (if using) for about 7-10 minutes or until the peppers are slightly softened and the onions are translucent.  Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan to get all of the sausage drippings.

Once your onions and peppers are softened, add the tomatoes, fresh herbs, seasonings and sausages.  Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook for about another 10-15 minutes. You want the tomatoes to break down to make a light tomato sauce.

Serve over pasta and top with either Mozzarella or Parmagiano if you like.  We served it with garlic and herb cheese bread.  I served a nice bold red blend to complete the meal.  Manga.

Sausage & Peppers

1 1/2 lbs sausage of your choice

red, green, yellow and orange bell peppers sliced thin

red onions, sliced thin

mushrooms, sliced

Roma tomatoes, medium dice

garlic

red pepper flakes to taste (optional)

1 cup dry white wine

olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

fresh basil, oregano, marjoram and thyme

We all eat well in our house, and this includes our four-legged children as well.  I have not started cooking food for the cats yet, nor do I ever think I will, however, I do cook the wet food for our two Saint Bernards, Lucie and Vinnie.  Lucie and Vinnie eat just about as well as we do.   They get a wide variety of foods that include lots of proteins and fruits and vegetables that are dog friendly.  Sometimes they get rice, sometimes sweet potatoes, and sometimes regular potatoes.  I started making their wet food about 2 years ago.  It is much healthier for them and I know exactly what goes into their foods.  I don’t have to worry about them eating things that are bad for them because I am the one making their food; at least the foods I have control over.  Just like regular children, though, they are always going to try to push the limits and go for the taboo items.  Cooking their dog food is actually less expensive than buying their foods, because I know when I cook for them I am cooking them good quality, fresh foods.   Anyone who has pets knows that to purchase good quality foods is a bit pricey.  This week, Lucie and Vinnie are dining on some catfish, chicken, sweet potatoes rice and peas.  They’re not complaining, so I am assuming they like it.  They are such picky eaters, after all.  NOT!  Sometimes I make their dog treats too.  I will keep you posted the next time I make their treats.

Lucie and Vinnie are always ready to help out in the kitchen.  They make a very good clean-up crew too.  Whenever some crumbs or tidbits fall on the floor, they are more than willing to help clean things up in a split second or less.  But for some reason, they ALWAYS seem to know when I am cooking food for them.  They are even more eager and ready to help when it is for them.  I don’t know how they know when I am cooking for them vs. when I am cooking for us, but they do.  I have a little stuffed Saint I have named Fritzie, and she always comes in the kitchen to help out when I am making food for Lucie and Vinnie.  Maybe they have learned that when Fritzie comes into the kitchen Mommy is cooking for them.  Or maybe, they just have a sixth sense about these things.  I don’t know.  What I do know though, is that they are geniuses when it comes to food.

Fritzie is helping and Lucie is standing by very closely, just in case Mommy drops something.  She is being quite the lady.

Vinnie, on the other hand, has decided it is much faster to just help himself.  Lucie is about to do the same, but I caught her before she could join in on the counter surfing action.

Cooking everything up.  Catfish, chicken and sweet potatoes, with a little parsley and cinnamon, boiled in fish stock.  I mixed this in with rice and peas that I had cooked separately.  I also added a little milk and flour to thicken up the sauce, make it more like a gravy.

Lucie is giving me that look, saying “Mom, I’m hungry.  Hurry up with my dinner”.

Vinnie looks guilty.  Who knows what mischief he has been up to.   He is by the wine.  He is definitely his mother’s child.

We love seafood, and even though we live inland, and are surrounded by mountains and plains, we still get to eat a fair amount.  Only what we get to eat is fresh/frozen, which is still very good, but it is not the same as fresh.  The best seafood is always fresh seafood.   Sometimes we get lucky and have the fresh catch directly brought in from the fishermen themselves, but this doesn’t happen too often, especially in the cities or urban areas.  This lucky catch usually only happens when we are on a diving trip on a small island.  The next best thing though, is being in a coastal region, where the food is coming directly from the ocean and it is just a short distance away to the restaurants or markets.  On our recent visit to the D.C. area, we had a couple of days where we were able to go out and dine on the gifts from the sea.  Our last seafood meal for the trip was on our way to Dulles airport, before coming home.  We went to Ford’s Fish Shack in Leesburg, VA.  The food was delicious and cooked to perfection.

We started the meal by sharing a Caesar salad and mini corn muffins.  For our main meal, my husband ordered the blackened sea scallops and I ordered the Atlantic cod topped with crab and a cream sauce, served over mashed cauliflower and green beans on the side.   I made the meal complete with a crisp, refreshing Proseco which paired very well with my dish.

***Ford’s Fish Shack is located at 19308 Promenade Drive, Leesburg, VA 20176 and can be reached at fordsfishshack.com

If you read my post yesterday, I left you with a little teaser about more things to come.  As I mentioned, I was in the kitchen all morning making some delicioso delights from our Southern neighbors.   You all know I made the dulce de leche brownies con pistachios, which were a big hit, by the way.   I also made some Puerto Rican pork empanadas, with salsa de ajili mojili, and of course, some guacamole.  When we arrived at our friends’ house, everyone thought I made too much food.  However, when it was time to leave, all the food had disappeared and everyone was happy and full.  So maybe I didn’t make too much after all.

My husband and I “inherited” a smoker from one of his brothers not too long ago, when his brother replaced his old smoker for a new one.  The first thing we made was some smoked pork.   I planned the meal based around the smoked pork, but knew I wanted to stick with a Latin theme, which wasn’t that difficult since pork is very popular in lot of Latin American cooking.   So I hit the books from my culinary library and looked for something just right for the occasion.  I found the recipe for Ajili Mojili Extravagante, which is a traditional Puerto Rican dip using their local chilies known as aji dulce, garlic (a lot of garlic, which is fine with me), vinegar and lemon juice.  The salsa is named after a famous restaurant in San Juan, and was dubbed by the the restaurant after which it was named, and the residents of San Juan, as the mother of all salsas.  Before using it for my empanadas, we also used it on our eggs for breakfast as well.  It is a very versatile salsa, often used on meats, fish, rice or beans.  It is almost a meal by itself.  It is bold and full of flavor, just the way we like it.

Empanadas de Puerca y Ajili Mojili Extravagante.

Larry, on one of the rare occasions I actually let him in the kitchen, cutting his smoked pork.  He smoked it for about 7 hours.  It was very tender and flavorful.

Making the ajili mojili salsa.

Shredded pork with ajili mojili salsa and cooked sweet potatoes for the empanada filling.

Making the empanadas.

The guacamole.

Jeanne’s Ajili Mojili Extravagante 

3 Roma tomatoes, diced small

1/3 cup white onion, small dice

3 TBSP green pepper, small dice

2 jalapenos, diced fine

3 TBSP garlic, minced

2 TBSP capers, drained

2 1/2 TBSP toasted almond slivers

3 TBSP cilantro, chopped

3 TBSP lemon verbena, chiffonade (optional)

2 TBSP parsley, chopped

3 TBSP red wine vinegar

3 TBSP lemon juice

salt & pepper to taste

ground aji amarillo chiles to taste

1-1 1/2 tsp each oregano, marjoram and thyme

Mix all the the ingredients together and chill for at least one hour before using.  Esta muy delicioso!  Desfrutas!

My empanada dough was just my basic go-to standard dough that I use for so many things.

3 1/2 cups flour

12 TBSP COLD butter, cubed small

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

This made about 2 dozen empanadas that were about 3″ each.

Mix the flour, cold butter and salt in a food processor until everything is well incorporated.  Then add your eggs and cream and mix together until it forms a ball.  Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and chill for at least a half hour before using.  Then roll out onto a lightly floured surface and cut or shape as desired.

My secret for a light and flaky dough is to use cold butter.  I also like using heavy whipping cream because it gives it a real rich flavor.  Some people use water and some people use milk.  Both of these are fine as well.  It is all just a personal choice.  Whether you use water, milk or cream though, you want them to be cold.   I have even known some people that use vodka in their dough, but my favorite is the heavy whipping cream.

I rolled my dough very thin, about 1/4-1/2″ thick and cut them them in 3″ round circles.  After I cut my dough, I flattened them even more before filling them.  Use about 1-1 1/2 heaping TBSP of filling per circle.   If you over fill them, particularly if your filling has any liquid in it, the dough will get really soggy and mushy and it will become very difficult to work with.  Once the circles are filled, bring the ends together and pinch them tight.  Some people even roll them together as part of the pinching.   Use a fork to push down the edges to ensure the pockets are sealed.  Sometimes I fry my empanadas and sometimes I bake them.  Today, I baked them, so brushed an egg wash over the top to help them brown.  I baked them at 350*F for about 1/2 hour, or until they were golden brown.

My egg wash was one egg and just a dash of heavy whipping cream whisked together, and then I brushed it over my empanadas.  Again, some people use water, or milk, and it is just a personal choice.  Because of the different sugar content in all of these, the browning will be a little different.  I like using the heavy whipping cream because it has a slightly higher sugar content, which gives it a little bit more of a browning effect.

*** Ground Aji Amarillo Chilies is from Savory Spice, based out of Denver, CO.  This has become one of my favorite spices.  I use it for a lot of dishes.

We are visiting with friends later on today, and today’s theme is Mexican/Latin American.  When my friend Janet and I cook, we cook.  Both of us kind of feed off each other (pardon the pun, albeit true).   We bounce ideas off each other, and mix and match and just create whatever comes to mind for that day.  We both take themes and love to just run with them, seeing where our ideas will take us and what comes out.  When all is said and done, we always come up with some very delicious, very creative meals.  It is almost like a friendly competition between us, but we put everything together, and pull out some wine and enjoy the fruits of our labors.

I have been in the kitchen since 7:30 AM and just stopped about twenty minutes ago (Denver time, it is about 1:10 PM), making all kinds of things to take with us.  Be patient my friends; you will see all the goods that I cooked, just not all today.  I do have to pace myself, you know.  One of the things I made today was some very rich and decadent Dulce de Leche brownies with pistachios.   As always, I take recipes and change things around just enough to make them my own.  The recipe did not call for pistachios, but I had some chopped pistachios I was looking to use, and the idea just popped into my head to top the brownies with them.  The end result – delicioso!  And I wonder why I can’t seem to lose any weight.  HMMMMM.  Do you think there may be a connection between all the foods I cook and the scale not going down at all?  Especially when I make all of these decadently delicious desserts?  I don’t know;  I’ll have to think about that some.

Layering the brownies with the brownie mix and the dulce de leche filling (dulce de leche means sweetened milk), which is very similar to caramel.

My dulce de leche sauce got a little too thick and hard, so I reheated it and added enough milk to melt it all down again, so I could spread it over my brownie mixture.  I made the dulce de leche sauce ahead of time, which I won’t do again.  Next time, I will make it right before I am ready to spread it so it doesn’t harden too fast or too much.  See, I too make mistakes, and learn from them all the time.

Once I added the last layer of the brownie mixture, I topped it with chopped pistachios and put it it in the oven to bake.

Dulce de Leche Brownies

1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed tightly

4 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

3/4 cup cocoa poowder

1/4 tsp salt

dulce de leche filling

1/2 cup chopped pistachios

Preheat the oven to 325* F

Spray cooking spray in a 9×13 baking dish

Mix all your dry ingredients together and set aside.  Cream the butter and sugars together, then add the eggs and vanilla and mix together.  Add the dry ingredients 1/2 at a time and mix until just blended.  Spoon 1/2 the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.  Top with the dulce de leche filling and spread evenly over the chocolate mixture.  Spoon the rest of the brownie mixture and spread evenly.  Top with chopped pistachios (or your nut of choice.  Pecans would be very good too).  Bake for about 45-50 minutes and let cool completely before cutting.  They are going to be very moist and rich and gooey, so the toothpick test will not work.

Dulce de Leche Filling

1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1 TBSP corn syrup

2 TBSP butter

Combine everything together and microwave at 1/2 power for about 12 minutes.  Stop the microwave and stir thoroughly every two minutes though.  You want the sauce to firm up and become thick with a nice caramel color.   You can also cook it all on top of the stove as well, stirring constantly.  It takes a little longer on the stove, but I think it comes out a little more evenly cooked.  Either way is fine though.  As I said, if it is too thick or hard, just add a little milk, as much as needed, and cook it down again until it is soft and spreadable.

Though the State of Virginia would not be one of the first places you would think of when thinking of wineries, growing grapes for wine has actually been a part of the state’s history since it’s beginnings.  Thomas Jefferson was the first person to introduce wine grapes to the state way back in the late 1700’s when he brought some vines over from France.  Now Virginia is the 5th largest grape producing state in the country.  Wineries are popping up all over the state of Virginia, just as they are everywhere else. And a lot of these wineries are surprisingly very good.  Currently, there are about 230 wineries located throughout the state, though mostly in the northern regions.  We stumbled across one of these fantastic wineries as we were headed back to Dulles Airport, in Washington D.C.  Our delicious find was the Willowcroft Farm Vineyards, located in Leesburg.  It is new to me because I have never really been through this area before, however Willowcroft has been around, “making award winning wines since 1984”.  Willowcroft is the oldest winery in Loudon valley, and is the 8th oldest winery in the State of Virginia.

Willowcroft wines sits atop Mount Gilead with stunning views of Loudoun Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains.   Home to the winery and the tasting room is a charming,  old rustic barn that was built around 1875.  Willowcroft is Loudoun Valley’s original winery.  Willowcroft grows twelve types of grape varietals on approximately 13 acres of beautiful, rich, lush and fertile grounds.  They use mostly their own grapes but do use some of the varietals from some of the neighboring vineyards as well.  French hybrids varieties account for nearly 20% of total wine grape production in Virginia, while American varietals make up only about 5% of the total.   As of 2012, the top 5 varietals produced are Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Vidal blanc and Viognier.   One of the other varietals I was introduced to while at Willowcroft was their Albarino, which was a deliciously new experience for me.  Willowcroft offers flights that are pleasing to the dryer palette, like mine, as well as for those who prefer their wines a little on the sweeter side.  They have something for everyone.

The Winery and Tasting Room.

The Grounds.

The Medals.

Making mew friends with the Staff and fellow wine enthusiasts.  Our wine expert Aaron.

Mary and my new friend Dorthy Memelas.

*** Willowcroft Farm Vineyards is located at 38906 Mt. Gilead Road, Leesburg, VA 20175  and can be found at http://www.willowcroftwine.com

*** Dorothy Memlas is a Remax realtor for the region.  So if you are looking for a place by the winery, or maybe even a winery to purchase as your own, Dorothy is the one to call or contact at http://www.MyMontgomeryHomeFinder.com

I love cooking with fresh herbs, and try to do so as much as I can.  I use dried herbs too, especially when making heavier, heartier soups or sauces.  But when making salads, light dressings or marinades, breads, or even a lot of meats, I use fresh herbs whenever possible.  They just have a fresher flavor and using them really makes your dishes come to life.  If using fresh herbs when cooking, you want to put them in towards the end of the cooking process, so they don’t wilt and lose their flavors, whereas if you are using dried herbs, you want to put them in early into the cooking process so the flavors can reawaken and blend into the the flavors of the dish you are making.   However, when baking, you want to mix the herbs in with your dry ingredients and then incorporate them in when mixing everything together.  I love cooking with all kinds of herbs and I am always up for experimenting with something new.  I figure if I don’t like something, I’ve tried and and I don’t have to do it again.  But if I do like it, then I have been treated to a new culinary experience, that I will repeat again and again.   As I always say, don’t be afraid to try new things.  Think outside the box.  And yes, I give you permission to “play with your food”.

Herbed Popovers with fresh rosemary, oregano, marjoram, thyme and chives.  I love these popovers and make them quite often, as you can tell, if you could see this old, worn and well used cook book.  They are best when served hot, straight out of the oven, with or without additional butter.

You only want to fill the pan about 1/2 way.  These light, airy popovers are supposed to pop up and rise.  If you fill the pan too full, they will spill over and will not turn out.

Herbed Popovers

3 eggs

1 cup milk

2 TBSP melted buter

3/4 cup flour

1/8 tsp salt

about 1 tsp each of your choice of herbs.  I used chives, thyme, rosemary, oregano and marjoram, but you can use whatever herbs you like.  Mixing things up a bit will give you new flavor varieties.

Preheat the oven to 425* F

I used a muffin pan, but you can also use ramekins if you prefer.  Spray the inside with cooking spray.

Mix the eggs, milk and melted butter together and set aside.  Mix all your dry ingredients and herbs together, then add the egg mixture and mix thoroughly.  Fill the pan only half full and bake for 25-30 minutes or until light and golden brown.  DO NOT open the door to the oven while baking or your popovers may fall.  These are real light and airy, with a lot of air pockets inside.  If you like cheese, you can also use your choice of cheese as well, either with or without the herbs.

When cutting fresh herbs like basil or spinach or greens, roll a bunch of the bigger leafed herbs and greens tight, like rolling a cigar, starting with your larger leaves outside and small leaves inside. With your French knife (your big, main knife), slowly rock or slide your knife along the edges of the rolled herbs or greens.  This is called a chiffonade.  The result will be thin strips of your herbs or greens.

Normally, I do not do more than one post a day, but I was having too much fun with this one not to share it with all of you.  As most of you know, I love my wines.  And these pictures will show that it is kind of a running theme in my house, my art, and my life in general.  I am doing my part to help save the planet one wine bottle at a time, as well as recycling as many corks as I can into something fun and useful at the same time.  Life is way to short to take things too seriously.  Have fun.  Enjoy.  And while enjoying life, take time to enjoy the wines as well.

I painted both the pictures, the wine bottle and the wine glasses.  The bottle of Pinot Blanc is my own label of wine that we bottled, and if you look closely, it is the same photo as one of the pictures.  It is one of my Saint Bernards, Vinnie, with “his own glass of wine”.  I also made the serving tray and the trivet.  Most of the other items were made from other friends of mine.  There is a plant holder filled with succulents, a place card holder, a Christmas reindeer, and two serving dishes, and some other fun festive decorating ideas to boot.  One of the flattened wine bottles I use as a  butter dish, and the other I just put some jellie bellies in so you could see the versatility.  I like things that are fun and functional at the same time.  I hope you have as much with this post as I did putting it all together.

Check out the shoes.  Two of my favorite things, dogs and wine.  Who knew?

A partial sampling of my “wine cellar” downstairs.  We have more upstairs in the kitchen too.  My house always has wine.

Just one glass of wine a day, right?!