I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
Author: ajeanneinthekitchen
I have worked in the restaurant and catering industry for over 35 years. I attended 2 culinary schools in Southern California, and have a degree in culinary arts from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, as well as a few other degrees in other areas. I love to cook and I love to feed people.
I am seeing so many birds, of all kinds, right now. They are everywhere, singing their pretty little songs of love. The Red Robins are all over the place too, saying “look at me, look at me”. I had to share some Robin love, since whenever I see them, if I don’t take their picture, they look like they are mad at me. They want me to notice them, AND NOT focus on the other birds around. So here are my latest Robin photos.
This guy made sure I noticed him. He was perched right on my roof, just waiting for me to come home.
I notice all my birds, and try to give them all equal attention. So Mr. Robin, you have been noticed and recognized as well. 🙂
People have been eating seeds and nuts since the beginning of time. They are very healthy sources of protein and other nutrients as well. Sunflower seeds in particular, are ranked as one of the world’s healthiest foods.
Sunflowers originated in North America and the Native North Americans have been eating sunflower seeds for between 3500-4500 years, though no one knows for sure when sunflowers were first harvested for their seeds. Some archeologists believe sunflowers were cultivated and domesticated before corn.
Native Americans ate the seeds raw or roasted and they cooked with the oil from the seeds. They also mashed them and made meal, cakes and bread from the mashed or whole seeds that the Native warriors/hunters would take with them while hunting or fighting. The seeds were often mixed with vegetables for cooking too. I know I like adding them to salads as well.
The Native Americans also used the seeds for non-food reasons as well, such as making dyes and paints or to use as decorations. They were often used for ceremonial purposes and the stalks were dried and used for building materials. Sunflowers were very important to the Native Americans for many reasons.
The Native Americans first cultivated sunflowers. When the Spanish came to the Americas in the 1500’s, they took sunflowers and their seeds back to Europe with them. They were used for ornamental purposes mainly, as well as medicinal uses for such things an anti-inflammatories. They were also used as animal feed. But they never really caught on until the Russians started cultivating them in the 18th century. By the 1830’s Russia had mastered the cultivation process for sunflowers on a commercial scale, mainly for the oil that was produced by the seeds. By the late 1890’s “in Russia, everybody, everywhere [nibbled] sunflower seeds” (p. 36 – The Story of Food, An Illustrated History of Everything We Eat). The Russian Orthodox Church increased its popularity by forbidding most oil foods from being consumed during Lent. However, sunflower oil was not on the prohibited list and therefore gained in immediate popularity as a food. By the 1900’s, Russia was growing up to 2 million acres of sunflowers.
It is believed that the Russian immigrants to the United States and Canada, in the late 19th century, were largely responsible for the reintroduction of sunflowers and the usage of their seeds to North America. With the high demand for sunflower oil, especially in Europe, Russia couldn’t keep up with production, so North American farmers started cultivating sunflowers in large quantities, and now produce over 5 million acres annually, though Russia and Ukraine are still the largest producers of sunflowers in the world.
Sunflower seeds are not only popular because of the oil they produce. The seeds themselves, both raw or roasted, or roasted and salted, have become popular snacks all over the world. They are healthy snacks and are a good source of vitamin E and minerals like copper, manganese, and selenium, and are full of healthy fats and fibers. There are many different varieties and all the seeds, from all the varieties are edible. Take your pick.
And here we thought sunflowers were just pretty flowers. It turns out, there is a lot more to sunflowers than we thought. They are good for so many things and are beautiful to look at too.
Enjoy the sunflowers in your life and have a great day. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
Whether you are a real father or just someone who is inspirational and loved like a dad, today is your day to be loved and honored in return.
Father’s Day didn’t begin as the joyful celebration it is known for today. It actually emerged from grief and gratitude. Many believe that the first known Father’s Day was held in 1908 in West Virginia, USA, after a tragic coal mine explosion killed 361 men, most of whom were fathers. President Lyndon B. Johnson did proclaim it as a day of recognizing fathers in 1966, though it wasn’t officially recognized as a national holiday until 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation to make it permanent.
Sonora Smart Dodd, initiated the idea of Father’s Day to honor her widowed dad who raised six sons. Since the month was her father’s birth month, and the third Sunday of June was his birth date, it was decided as the day to celebrate Father’s Day.
My own personal tribute to my daddy. My daddy was my hero.
Daddy in his Australian Army uniform, headed off to fight in WWII. He was only about 14 here.
Daddy not long after coming to the United States. My mother was from Texas, and they lived there for about 5 years before moving out to California in 1955.
Daddy, me, and the menagerie in our backyard.
Daddy with his girls in my first home in Colorado.
Daddy walking me down the aisle on my wedding day.
Our father/daughter dance at my wedding.
My favorite picture of my daddy. I took him on a cruise on an old fashioned cutter ship that cruised up the California coast for Father’s Day one year. He was in the Merchant Marines his whole life and was so happy he got to do one more cruise on a ship.
My daddy was my hero. He was always there for me, even when we fought like cats and dogs. We were two peas in a pod. I learned so much from my dad. I am who I am because of my dad. He passed away 18 years ago, but there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t still think of him and miss him. I love you daddy, always and forever. Thank you for being my daddy.
As you know, I love my little American Kestrels, as well as all the birds of prey. But then again, I could have just left it with I love all my birds, and that too would be a very true statement. 🙂 There is something magical about my little Kestrels though. These are the smallest and most abundant falcons in North America. Here we call them American Kestrels, but in some areas, they are also called Sparrowhawks or Northern Kestrels. They are one of the most colorful of all the raptors: the male’s slate-blue head and wings contrast elegantly with his rusty-red back and tail; the female has the same warm reddish on her wings, back, and tail.
She is looking for her prey in all directions.
Another day, another female, in the same location. They like this spot a lot. I tend to see Kestrels perched here quite often.
Larry is out of town all weekend. He is helping his mom celebrate her 96th birthday. Since it is just me, I am just eating up the leftovers and am not cooking. I thought this would be a good time to share some fun food quotes from famous people.
Anyone who tells a lie has not a pure heart and cannot make a good soup.
~Ludwig von Beethoven~
I LOVE this one!
This should read your diet is a bank account.
As always, I am in full agreement with Julia Child.
I thought this one from James Beard was a good finish for this round of famous food quotes. I could not agree more. 🙂
Happy Father’s Day to all who are fathers and dads. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
Kingfishers get their name because they are known as the kings of fishing and are fish eaters. There are many different varieties all over the place, wherever there is water. Here in Colorado, we have Belted Kingfishers. Sometimes, they even pay a visit to our lakes or ponds too.
This is a male Kingfisher, looking over the lakes for some good fish. In catching fish it sits on a limb of a tree that hangs over a stream, looking into the water beneath. Then, as it sights a fish, it drops like a stone into the water, Seconds later it pops up with the fish in its bill. The females have a ruby red collar around their necks.
Peanuts, goobers, monkey nuts and ground nuts. What do they all have in common? They are all different names for the same thing – “nuts” that are actually part of the pea and legume family, that grow in the ground rather than on trees.
Peanuts are very old “nuts”, having been around for at least 7,000 years. They originated in South America, and it is believed Bolivia was where they first originated. The peanuts we know today are an ancient hybrid from two different wild varieties that grew naturally in Bolivia. From Bolivia, the peanuts spread to Peru, and then to the rest of the world with the help of the Spanish Conquistadors and the early Dutch explorers. Peanuts were first brought to the United States in the 18th century, through the slave traders. They were stored on the ships because they were cheap food sources and traveled well.
Virginia was the first place peanuts were grown in North America. Today, China, India and the United States are the largest peanut producers in the world. It’s kind of strange since the peanut was not native to any of these countries, and now they are the largest peanut producers in the world.
When peanuts were first introduced to the United States, they were only used as animal food. But during the Civil War, that quickly changed, when the soldiers started eating both the “nuts” themselves and the “butter” they produced, that we call peanut butter, because other food sources were scarce and hard to come by. They instantly took a liking to peanuts and discovered that peanuts are a great source of protein as well as many other nutrients and are also very healthy and satisfying. Today, peanut butter is an American staple, eaten and loved by all.
There are four main types of peanuts produced and eaten in the united States. They are the Virginia peanut, runner peanuts, Spanish peanuts and Valencia peanuts. The Virginia Peanuts stands out from the other peanut varieties in both size and taste; they are the largest peanut, are more flavorful than the three other varieties, and have a characteristic crunch when eaten. Virginia Peanuts are commonly called the “Ballpark Peanut” because they are the peanut variety sold at baseball games across the country. Out of the total peanut production in the United States, Virginia Peanuts make up about 15% annually, and while the majority of the 26,000 acres of peanuts grown in the Commonwealth are Virginia Peanuts, about 1,000 acres of the state’s peanut farmland grow Runner Peanuts. Virginia peanuts are also grown in Texas, and both North and South Carolina.
George Washington Carver, a renowned biologist and former slave, is responsible for most of the growth and popularity of peanuts in the United States. Carver was known by his neighbors as “the plant doctor” because he developed a lot pesticides that enabled plants of all kinds to grow bigger and healthier plants that produced more food. Carver was also known as the grandfather of the peanut industry because of all his contributions to not only the farming industry in general, but specifically to the peanut farming industry. George Washington Carver contributed much to the study of agriculture, including introducing the now-widespread practice of crop rotation, but his biggest contributions would be to the farming and culinary uses of peanuts. During his lifetime, he came up with over 300 food, commercial, and industrial uses for peanuts, including cooking oils, paper, soaps, and cosmetics. He even experimented with using peanuts in medicinal treatments, creating ointments, antiseptics, and other peanut-infused medicines that would have varying results in their effectiveness. His published works detailing the wide array of uses for peanuts lead to their rise as a valuable crop planted in Southeast Virginia and throughout the country, transforming the agricultural economy in the United States.
Another reason peanuts became so popular in the United States is because P.T. Barnum, famous for his traveling circuses, used to sell peanuts at a cheap price to all the visitors that would go to his shows.
Here are some other fun facts about peanuts and peanut butter I bet you didn’t know.
It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.
It takes 3.2 gallons of water to produce 1 ounce of peanuts. (Bonus fact: 1 ounce of almonds takes 28.7 gallons)
The average American will eat almost 3,000 PB&Js in their lifetime, according to a 2016 survey by Peter Pan Simply Ground Peanut Butter.
Two peanut farmers have been elected president of the USA – Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson and Georgia’s Jimmy Carter.
People living on the East Coast prefer creamy peanut butter, while those on the West Coast prefer the crunchy style.
There are six cities in the U.S. named Peanut: Peanut, California; Lower Peanut, Pennsylvania; Upper Peanut, Pennsylvania; Peanut, Pennsylvania, Peanut, Tennessee; and Peanut West Virginia.
The average European eats less than 1 tbsp of peanut butter a year.
There are enough peanuts in one acre to make 35,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. (Source: USDA NASS data)
In a high-pressure environment, peanut butter can be turned into diamonds.
I have one more “garden of glory” to share with you. This one was at the City of Westminster’s City Center. It was honoring our everyday heroes, from the farmers who first settled the area to the brave firefighters and police officers who protect us all everyday.
This gorgeous cactus is what really caught my eye and inspired this “garden of glory” tour. It is so healthy and vibrant.
The rest of the gardens, from the succulents to the flower gardens, were just as beautiful and just as vibrant.
This is ONE HUGE and tall cactus! Look closely. There are little bud pockets all up and down the length of it.
I was there when the tower bells were chiming too. They sounded so pretty. There are 24 bells in this tower, and this is 2nd largest bell tower in Colorado. This bell tower is called the Big Ben of the West, standing at 136 feet tall.
Life is full of surprises. Just open your eyes and look around you. You will be amazed at what’s available and all around. Have a great day and make everyday great.
Once again, I am honored to have been selected to test and evaluate a new product line. This time it was for Cole’s Seafood and their tinned fish. I bought a variety six-pack that included smoked mussels, smoked rainbow trout and smoked salmon.
Cole’s Mission Statement: Cole’s Seafood is committed to bringing [it’s] customers unique, delicious fish and seafood from around the world, with a sensitivity to sustainability initiatives that will preserve our oceans, the surrounding environment and support the continued viability of global fishing communities.Cole’s Seafood is sensitive to both our planet and its human inhabitants by supporting the sustainability of our oceans and environment, as well supporting the sustainability of the economies of our coastal fishing communities. [They] accomplish this by minimizing the adverse impacts of our harvesting and processing footprint, through [their] participation in local and global stewardship programs. This responsible coexistence supports us today and supports future generations who will thrive because of our actions. Cole’s buys fish and seafood certified “sustainable” and/or “good choice” by either Monterey Bay Seafood Watch®, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC®) or Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC®).
[Cole’s] Support of Local Fishing Communities
Fishing and processing provide the bulk of local jobs in the world’s coastal communities, but overfishing, pollution and climate change continuously threaten the sustainability of these natural resources and thus the economies of these communities.
Cole’s Seafood works with local sustainability initiatives, such as Coastal Fisheries Initiative (CFI), which, in turn, partner with global sustainability initiatives, like Marine Stewardship Council (MSC®), to keep coastal fisheries sustainable, to protect the oceans and the environment thus maintaining strong economic and social benefits for the fishermen and their families.
I haven’t tried the mussels or trout yet, but I already have some ideas for them. I also ordered a cookbook specifically for cooking with tinned fish. That hasn’t arrived yet, but as I said, I do already have a few ideas in mind on how to use them. So stay tuned for more delicious recipes coming your way.
I used the smoked salmon last night and created a smoked salmon salad with a lemon basil vinaigrette. Each tin contains one serving portion and since I was making two salads, I used two tins.
I combined both the Patagonian smoked salmon and the lemon dill Patagonian smoked salmon. They are both packed in extra virgin olive oil to help preserve them.
Smoked Salmon Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
The flavors all came together beautifully with the addition of the lemon basil vinaigrette.
Whisk everything together and set aside until ready to use.
The Salad
Romaine lettuce, chopped
2 hard boiled eggs
2 tins smoked salmon, drained
1/4 red onion, sliced very thin
1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded and sliced
1 tomato sliced very thin – I used heirloom tomatoes, 1/2 red and 1/2 yellow
feta cheese crumbles
Plate everything together and top with the salmon, more feta cheese crumbles (If using. Larry had cheese I did not) and the chopped hard boiled eggs.
Add the dressing right before serving. Enjoy!
The salads were delicious. The salmon has a very mild taste and will go well with anything you would use salmon for. Because they are tinned and sized in individual portions, they are also perfect to take with you when you are on the go too. They would be perfect for picnics or quick snacks. You can also put them on bread or bruschetta for a quick, healthy, delicious snack. These are gourmet fish tins, made with conscience, quality and care.
Cole’s Tinned Fish products are available at Walmart, Amazon, TikTok, and online, and are coming to more stores near you soon. The prices range from roughly $4- $10 per can, depending on the type of seafood you purchase. Cole’s offers a nice selection and variety of tinned fish. You can also buy them packs and variety packs as well.
Thank you Cynthia Fisher and Cole’s Seafood for reaching out to me and allowing me to test and create something delicious with your products. I am more than happy to do so again if the opportunity should arise.
Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
Continuing on with my “Gardens of Glory” tour Nature Walks – Gardens of Glory – Part 1 – The Brunner House, I ventured to the Broomfield Justice Center, where I found yet another “garden of glory”. This beautiful garden was in honor of the fallen first responders. I never knew this was here before. I was just following the flowers. My philosophy has always been to look at life through the eyes of a tourist and a visitor, even in your own backyard. There is always so much just waiting to be discovered.
Thank you to all who took the oath to protect and serve. And a special heartfelt thank you to all who paid the ultimate price for their service. You will always be remembered. You will always be in our hearts.
Follow the flowers and color your world beautiful.
A Jeanne in the Kitchen 