Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

This current heat wave we are experiencing has completely zapped my creative energies.  I want to cook and be creative, but it is so hot that it is almost impossible to be in the kitchen for very long.  So, we have been cooking up a lot of simple, easy-peasy meals that don’t require much time in the kitchen, and very little effort.  This Italian sausage sub, served with a cool pasta primavera seemed like the perfect solution for this super hot day.  We grilled some spicy Italian sausage and the bun, heated up some marinara sauce and topped it with mozzarella cheese.    I also made a pasta primavera, that I  served as a cold pasta salad along side the sub.  We dined on our cool and refreshing deck after the sun went down, while enjoying a cold glass of viognier.  This was a very good, tasty way to help us beat the heat.  I know this is not a fancy meal, but sometimes, simple is best.

All I need to make pasta primavera.  I love vegetables, and cook with them a lot.  When I make vegetable medleys, I tend to put in a wide variety of vegetables; usually it is a little bit of this and a little bit of that and before I know it, I have made a ton.  There is no right or wrong way to make this dish.  Use whatever vegetables you like.  I love lots of color and textures, so I use everything, plus there are hardly any vegetables I do not like.  There is no real recipe to this one.  This is up to you, your imagination, and your likes and dislikes.

No matter what vegetables you decide to use, cook your heartier veggies first.  Here, I am sauteing zucchini, red onions, asparagus, mushrooms and peas in olive oil.  Cook them for about 3-5 minutes, or until they are cooked, yet still have a bit of a crunch to them.  Then add your softer vegetables.

Before cooking my heartier vegetables, I marinated grape tomatoes with garlic, about 3 TBSP of  lemon juice,  about 1/2 cup olive oil, fresh basil, lemon verbena, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.  Once my other vegetables had cooked, I added this to my sauteed veggies and cooked it all down for about 2-3 more minutes.  Adjust the seasoning to how you like them if needed.

After all my vegetables were cooked, I added cooked pasta and tossed everything together.  You can serve this dish cold, hot or at room temperature, depending on your mood and what your are serving it with.  I used spaghetti here, but you can use any kind of larger pasta you want.  I think next time, to keep it even lighter, I will use angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti.

Stay cool and manga!

Even though it has been super hot lately, I still love to bake.  If I get up early enough and turn the oven on before it becomes scorchingly hot, then it’s not so bad in the kitchen, but if I bake too late in the day, when the temperature is soaring, it becomes unbearable.  So, I got up early and baked a chocolate raspberry cake.  The combination of chocolate and raspberries is one of my favorites, and I had a whole bunch of fresh raspberries from my bushes that needed to be used.  It was either use them all at once or let the birds get to them, and of course, I would rather eat them.  There are still plenty on the bushes that the birds can have.  I’ll share those with them.

I have raspberry bushes in both my backyard and in my side yard.  There are still quite a few berries left on the bushes.  Sometimes I get a ton of berries and other times, there are only a few.  This year is kind of an in between year.

This was my current yield, all of which went inside the cake.

The berries from my bushes are very small compared to the ones I bought, however they are super sweet and full of flavor.  Either way, I just love raspberries.  Golden raspberries are delicious too.

I put half the batter in my bundt pan (you can use any size baking dish you like.  Cake pans or a 9×13 baking dish are both just fine too.  Change things up a bit, and add some variety.)  then I added a layer of raspberries and topped with the remaining batter.

Chocolate Raspberry Cake

1 tsp cinnamon

3 3/4 cups flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter

1 3/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

16 ounces of either sour cream or yogurt (I used yogurt this time)

2 tsp vanilla

1- 1 1/2 cups raspberries

chocolate ganache (optional)

powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350*F.

Prepare your cake pan with cooking spray.

Mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside.  Mix the butter and sugar together until it is all well incorporated.  Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between.  Add the vanilla, and mix again.  Alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream, mixing until just mixed after each addition.  Repeat until all the flour and sour cream are mixed into the batter.    Add half the batter into your baking pan, making sure it is evenly spread out.  Add the berries, again, making sure they are evenly spread over the batter, then top with the remaining batter.  Bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a toothpick that is inserted comes out clean.  Let cool completely  before removing from the pan and decorating.  I had some leftover chocolate ganache that I drizzled over the cake.  I added some more raspberries for decoration and color then I dusted the cake with powdered sugar.  I used the smaller raspberries from my garden to put inside the cake, and the larger, prettier ones from the store on top of the cake as decoration.

Our temperatures have been in the high 90’s these past couple of weeks, and it does not look like it will be getting much cooler in the days to come.  When it gets this hot, I make simple meals of salads, using a lot of fruits and vegetables.  Also, when it is this hot I try to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible and I want to make meals that are quick and simple.  Today, the high was 98* F.  That is pretty darn hot, so  I made a spinach, strawberry and chicken salad with a cilantro lime vinaigrette to help cool us off and beat the heat.    This salad is about as cool as it gets.  It was full of color and textures, not to mention packed with flavors that were just bursting off the plate.  We had some left over smoked chicken and strawberries that needed to be used, so I decided to make this beautiful and colorful salad.  You can easily substitute shrimp for the chicken or tofu if you would prefer to make it vegetarian.  Either way, it is still a culinary piece of art meant to be enjoyed to the fullest.  I served it with toasted chibatta bread and a fruity chardonnay with hints of pineapple, green apple and vanilla, that paired perfectly with the salad.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

baby spinach leaves, with the stems removed

red onion, sliced very thin

cooked chicken breast, sliced

sliced strawberries, with stems removed

green onions, sliced thin

‘toasted almonds

avocado slices

I served it with a cilantro-lime dressing, but you can use whatever dressing you like.  I can easily make make this dressing, but this one I have to say, was store bought.  It was still very tasty and went very well with the salad.

I would be a lot thinner and probably a bit healthier if the weather was this hot all the time because I would be eating a lot more salads, fruits and vegetables. Although truth be told, we do eat a lot of vegetables all throughout the year as it is.  We are also very healthy over all.  Besides, I like a good mix, both in the weather and with the foods I like to cook and eat.    Variety after all, is the spice of life, and I love variety; and spices too, now that I think about it.  Hope you enjoy the salad and stay cool in these dog days of summer.

Apparently, my blog is working.  People are reading it, enjoying it, and are wanting to learn more about cooking and being in the kitchen.  WHOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!  My friend Elizabeth has been following me and saw my recipe for the Curried Panang-style shrimp (on a previous post) and wanted to learn how to make it.  We finally hooked up yesterday, and I taught her how to make it.   She was my first “student” who wanted to learn how to make something specific after seeing it on my blog.  She was an excellent student and a very quick study.  I think she is a natural in the kitchen.   Besides making the shrimp curry, I also taught her how to make a light, relatively healthy fruit dessert, also with an Asian flair.  We made banana-kiwi spring rolls.  It was yet another fun day in the kitchen.

These banana-kiwi spring rolls are very easy to make and don’t heat up the kitchen, which is exactly what we want when the mercury is on the rise.

My student and Sous Chef for the Day, Elizabeth.  Our banana-kiwi spring rolls only have a few simple ingredients – bananas, kiwi, toasted coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and wonton wrappers, with a little bit of egg white to “glue” them together.  Then add some hot oil, and you are all set.

Once the bananas are cut in half, peel them and then cut them in half again vertically.  Add some of the toasted coconut mixture, then add the sliced kiwi.  Put your banana lid on top, then wrap the stuffed banana in a wonton wrapper.  Wrap them tight, making sure to fold in the corners, then seal with a little egg wash around the edges.

Once the spring rolls are all rolled up, place them in a pan with HOT oil and let them brown on all sides.  They do not take very long to brown up.  I used a combination of canola oil and coconut oil.  If you place the spring rolls in before the oil is hot enough, they will absorb the oil and become greasy and soggy.  You want them to be light and crispy.  They are best when they are eaten immediately, while they are still hot.  I served them with a rum-cinnamon whipped cream and topped them with more of the toasted coconut mixture and more of the kiwi slices.

Banana-Kiwi Spring Rolls

4 bananas

3-4 kiwis

1/2 cup coconut, toasted

3 TBSP brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

8 wonton wrappers

1 egg white

oil for cooking

whipped cream, optional

Toast your coconut in a hot skillet on the stove, just until it is a light golden brown.  Once it has cooled a bit, add it together with the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and toss it well.  Slice and peel your kiwi into thin slices, then half each slice again.  Cut the bananas in half horizontally, then peel them and cut them in half vertically.   On one half of each banana slice, top with the coconut and sugar mixture, then add the kiwi and place the other half of the banana slice on top.  Repeat until done.  Before placing  the stuffed bananas on top of a wonton wrapper add a little of the coconut mixture then roll it tightly.  Take your finger and just go around the edges of the wonton wrapper and seal.  Carefully place the spring rolls into the hot oil and let brown, about 1-2 minutes per side, or until the whole roll is a light golden brown.  I used a combination of both canola oil and coconut oil.  Once the spring rolls are done, and have cooled slightly, add your whipped cream and top with more of the toasted coconut mixture and kiwi.  Serve immediately.  They were a big hit.  They are easy and delicious.  We actually decided to eat our dessert first, then had our curried shrimp after.  Life is short.  Sometimes you just have to eat dessert first.

Whipped Cream with Rum and Cinnamon

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2-3 TBSP powdered sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1-2 TBSP rum – I used a guava rum, but any kind of rum is fine, and you don’t have to use it all if you do not wish to.

Whip it all together in a mixer until it forms stiff peaks.   Chill any remaining whipped cream for a later use.

What do you make for dinner when it is scorching hot; you have been busy all day with not much time to cook; and you have leftovers that need to be used?   Well, there are really a lot of things that you can make, but I chose to make fish tacos this time.   They were super easy, hardly took any time to prepare, and I got to use up my leftovers as well.  Plus they were really delicious.   Served with a tasty margarita especial, they made a perfect summer meal to enjoy out on our deck.

I fried some catfish in the deep fryer, and as that was cooking I heated up some small-medium tortillas and melted some cheese onto them.  I like flour, but corn tortillas work just fine too.  We had some leftover beans and a corn-tomato salad (both of these recipes can be found on earlier posts of mine) that we added to the tortillas, then added the fish that I cut into strips.  We topped the tacos with salsa, sour cream and avocado slices.  I also made some garlic French fries that we served along with the tacos, and enjoyed our quick, simple meal with a nice cool, refreshing margarita especial.

Jeanne’s Margarita Especial

tequila

sweet and sour mix

grand marnier

a splash of lime juice

a splash of sprite or sparkling water

I prefer my margaritas on the rocks with no salt, but of course if you prefer them blended and served in a salted glass, that’s fine too.  Enjoy them however you like.

Two of my dad’s favorite foods were custard and strawberries.  If he were still around today, this strawberry custard cake would have been his favorite dessert.  I guess I am truly my father’s daughter, since love this cake too.  It is so cool and delicious, and is a perfect summer dessert.   The Swiss name for this delicious treat is Erdbeetorte.  I found it on another cooking blog, A little Swiss, a little Canadian.   Thank you for sharing and introducing me to this fabulous dessert.

I am really learning how to make my metric/standard conversions with some of these recipes.  Pretty soon, I just might have it down pat.  Again, I will be nice to you, and give you both measurement forms.

Strawberry Cake/Erdbeetorte

80 g or 1/2 cup sugar or honey – I used sugar.  I find it has a better consistency for baking

4 eggs, separated

1 TBSP lemon zest

pinch of salt

1 tsp salt

2 TBSP sugar or honey

100 g or 3/4 cup flour

40 g or 3 TBSP melted butter

custard

1 1/2-2 cups toasted almond slivers

honey

strawberries cored and halved

Custard (my custard recipe and the directions can be found on the post Jeanne Dear, Can You Make Me Some Custard)

2 sticks butter

6 cups milk

3 cups sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

1 cup corn starch

Preheat the oven to 350*F or 180*C

Line a cake pan with parchment paper

Mix the sugar, egg yolks and lemon zest together until creamy.  Then add the melted butter.  Mix all the dry ingredients together and slowly add to the egg yolk mixture.  In a separate, clean mixing bowl, whip the egg whites with the salt and the additional 2 TBSP of sugar until they form stiff peaks.   Gently fold the egg whites into the creamy mixture.  then pour into the prepared cake pan.  Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Every oven is different and the baking times may be different.

The batter and the egg whites.

Gently fold the stiff egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.

Once the cake is done, allow it to cool completely before slicing it in half.  Use a clean serrated knife and slowly slice the cake in half horizontally.  Add the custard to one half of the cake.  Put in as much custard as the cake will allow without over filling it.  Then gentle place the other half of the cake on top.  Brush some honey on top of the cake and all around the sides.  Gently pat the toasted almonds around the sides of the cake and press into the cake so they stick.  Add the berries to the top of the cake.  Melt some strawberry jam and additional honey if you like, then gently brush the melted jam onto the top of the strawberries to really make it shine and pop.  Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving, to make sure it sets.

While out in California, we ate a variety of good meals throughout our travels and our stay there.  We also enjoyed quite a few of the fantastic California wines as well.  Aside from the sad reason for the trip, we enjoyed good foods and wines with good friends and family, which is really what life is all about.

This was the breakfast spread my dear friend Andrea had waiting for us as soon as we arrived.  We had delicious breakfast burritos, donuts and sliced pineapple that was so sweet and so tasty it just melted in our mouths.  She also made us mimosas to help us jump start our day.  Even though you cannot really see it too well, the wine in the blue bottle is a wine we brought out to her.  It is one of our wines that we bottled from our favorite winery here in Colorado, InVINTIONs, A Creative Winery.

After this tasty breakfast, we headed up to some of the wineries in Los Olivos, which is about an hour outside of Santa Barbara.  We tried the wines at bout 4-5 different local wineries, and enjoyed them all.  We were splitting the wine flights, so we only had a taste or two of each wine, which was just enough to let us try them without having too much.  There are about 40-50 local wineries just in Los Olivos alone, so there is no way you can visit them all in one day.  Oh darn, I guess that means multiple trips out to the area to make sure no good wine is left untasted.  It would be wrong to not try them all, right?!    The Sarloos winery was one of our stops.  They offer a mini cupcake flight to accompany the wine flight, which is a fun, creative way to enjoy the wines and the company your are with.

After a long day and a few wineries later, we decided it was time for dinner.  We ate at the Los Olivos Cafe.  The food was so fresh and delicious, with a true California flair.  The bread they brought us before our meal was divine.  I could have easily made this my entire meal.  It was so light and airy and baked to perfection.  The rest of our meal was just as delicious as well.  I would definitely recommend stopping at the Los Olivos Cafe to anyone visiting that area.

Day two of our trip, we met with some more friends and again, enjoyed more tasty and delectable foods of Southern California.  This was at a little restaurant in Pasadena, where I am originally from, called Colette’s.  This was our brunch.   I had the fried chicken Benedict.  My friend Scott had a fried chicken sandwich.  His sandwich was so big, he was wondering how he was going to eat it, but somehow he managed and he ate it all with glee.  Again, the food was very good.  Collete’s is a fun place to eat and gather with friends, especially outside on their patio.

For my husband, no trip to California would be complete without stopping at In N Out, so of course, we had to oblige.

As you can see by the smile on his face, my husband is a happy camper now that he has had his In N Out fix.

I was not able to cook much while we were out in California.  We were there for a funeral, but we were also able to visit with quite a few friends while we were out there.  I was able to play in my friend’s kitchen for a bit.  My dear friend Leslie, whom I have known since I was in the 7th grade,  had said she wanted her own personal “Jeanne in the Kitchen”, so I granted her that wish.  I raided her kitchen and used what she had to create a delicious curried chicken salad that we took with us for a fun picnic at the beach.   Our curried chicken salad was served on a fabulous baguette, with fresh snap peas and a light and crisp Sauvignon Blanc that complimented the green apples and grapes in the salad very well.  Things don’t have to be fancy to be delicious.  The most important ingredient in any recipe is love.  Anytime I am either cooking for or with friends, the love is always there, and magical moments just happen.  Don’t be afraid to use your imagination and be creative, and you’ll be amazed at the results.   Who cares if you have exactly what you need.  Change things up a bit and add what you have.  Just let the good times flow and let the magic happen.

Leslie’s Curried Chicken Salad

We did not purchase anything.  We simply used ingredients that Leslie had in her kitchen.  I mixed and matched until we came up with a delicious combination for the salad.  She did not have enough mayonnaise, so we mixed what she had with Greek yogurt, which gave the salad a nice little tangy, zippy flavor.  Our creation passed her family’s taste test, and it was enjoyed by all.

cooked chicken

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

yogurt or mayonnaise

grapes, cut in half

chopped walnuts

ginger

fresh ground black pepper

curry powder

fresh basil, chiffonade

Cutting the apples and chopping the basil.

Adding the grapes and walnuts.

Scooter was my personal assistant for the day.  He was my special Sous Chef, just hoping we would drop something he could try.

I have been out of the kitchen and out of town for a funeral.  Jeanne will be back in the kitchen in a couple of days. I apologize for the sudden break.  Thank you all for your patience and continued support.

Yesterday, Denver tied a record for our area, with a temperature of 105*F.  WOW!!!!  That is hot, hot, hot.  There have only been three other times since 1898 that we have reached temperatures this hot in the Denver area.  If the temperature had been only one degree hotter, we would have broken that record and set a new one.  When it is this hot, I am not going to lie, I do not want to be cooking over a hot stove.  I want something cool and refreshing and easy-peasy.

When the mercury is rising and the temperatures soar, this is the best place to be.  Besides cooking and writing for my blog, I am also an aqua aerobics instructor and a swim coach.  So this is my office.   I also swim with the Masters.  I am trying my best to get back into the competitive mode after my injuries, but so far, I am still very much a work in progress.  I am also an avid scuba diver/rescue diver, and I dive anywhere and anytime I can.  When I am not in the kitchen, I am in the water.   This is my M-W-F Mermaid Club.  These beautiful ladies are all so much fun to work with.  I get paid to play.  I love it.  I am the one directly in front of the lady with the yellow hat.  But I am distracted …… Back to food.

When the thermometer outside reads this ….

This is what you eat ….

This cool, refreshing Tex-Mex salad was perfect for the sizzling temperatures outside.

Tex-Mex Salad

lettuce – I used red leaf, but you can use whatever lettuce you like

red onions, sliced very thin

cowboy beans (you have seen this recipe before on an earlier blog post)

corn

cucumbers, sliced thin

tomatoes – whatever kind you like, or you can mix and match, using different kinds of tomatoes

chicken, cooked – I used some of our left over smoked chicken

cheese – you choice (optional)

avocado

green onions, sliced thin

choice of dressing – my husband used A Catalina dressing and I had my salad with a chili lime dressing

I layered my salad and I tied to list the ingredients in the order I layered them, but it really does not matter at all.  What matters is the taste.  This salad is full of color and different textures and is very, very tasty.  Enjoy and try to stay cool in these dog days of summer.