Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

Today is Cinco de Mayo, or the 5th of May. Here in the United States, this a a big day of celebrations for Latinos, and people who are Latinos even if only just for the day. It celebrates everything Mexican. I am not quite sure what I will be preparing for dinner tonight, but I guarantee it will have a Latin flair. I did however make some jalapeno cheese rolls, that are very tasty. We have eaten then as rolls with dinner as well as using them for sandwiches.

Jalapeno Cheese Rolls

These rolls are perfect for any occasion, fancy or simple. They taste great on their own or when used as sandwiches.

4 1/2 tsp dry active yeast or 2 packages

2 TBSP sugar

2 cups warm milk

2 eggs at room temperature

2 tsp salt

6 1/2-7 cups flour, divided

2 cups shredded cheese

1/2 cup jalapenos, chopped fine

egg wash

Combine all the dry ingredients together and mix well.

Mix the yeast, warm milk and sugar together, and let stand for about 10 minutes. Then add the eggs and mix for about 3 minutes at a medium speed.

Add the jalapenos and cheese to the milk & egg mixture and blend again, then add 4 cups of the dry flour and salt, 1/2 at a time, mixing in between each addition. Just mix until it is blended. It will be a very soft dough.

Use the rest of the flour on a hard, flat surface, and knead into the soft dough mixture, kneading in as much flour as the dough will hold. Form into a ball, grease a large bowl with olive oil, cover and let rise for 1 hour.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and cut into 12-14 equal sized portions and roll into balls. Place the dough balls onto a greased baking sheet, about 2-3 inches apart, and let rise again for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375* F or 191*C.

Make an egg wash and generously coat the rolls. Then bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot or warm, with a generous spread of butter or honey butter. !Disfruitar!

Celebrate everyday and make everyday a celebration. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Lately, I am seeing so many American Kestrels. I love it too. These little falcons are so beautiful and I am just fascinated with them. I get so excited when I see them. I never tire of seeing them. They always brighten my day.

In keeping with my Caribbean themed dinner, I made some Caribbean rice to go with my Bajan chicken stew Bajan Chicken Stew and my shrimp cornbread Cajun Shrimp Cornbread.

Our friend Jonathan asked me what make foods Caribbean. That’s a challenging question. As I mentioned in other posts, Caribbean foods are influenced by many different cultures from around the world. So there are little bits of each culture in every dish. But I would say some of the most defining characteristics may be a spicy dish with fruited accents. But most importantly, Caribbean foods are simple foods that nourish the mind, body and soul of the people. They are also simple foods. One of the most enduring concepts of Caribbean cooking, however, is that the food is meant to be shared and enjoyed with others.

Caribbean Rice

As with anything, there is always more than one way to make any recipe. I started off with a basic recipe and then expanded upon it from there. It’s just what I do. 🙂 Here is my latest take on a Caribbean favorite, celery and rice.

1 1/2 cups uncooked rice

3 cups water

dash of salt

olive oil

1/2 cup diced pineapple

2-3 large celery stalks, diced fine

1 can red beans, rinsed and drained

1-2 jalapenos, diced fine

1/3 onion, diced fine

1 TBSP ginger

1/4-1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Cook the rice. While the rice is cooking, saute the peppers, onions, pineapple, celery and ginger together in a hot skillet for about 3-5 minutes.

When the vegetables are softened and the onions are translucent, add the beans and cilantro and mix well.

When the rice is cooked completely, toss together with the vegetable mixture and serve hot.

Of course I had leftovers, so for round two, I served it with some pecan crusted tilapia topped with a lemon verbena (My backyard is once again exploding with lemon verbena.) cream sauce and bay shrimp. No pictures. Sorry. I forgot to take pictures while I was preparing this one.

Of course, this delicious rice dish is very good simply eaten on its own too. It is simple goodness, enjoyed the Caribbean way. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

We now have at least two families with baby goslings, with more hopefully coming soon. The second batch is only a couple of days old and mom and dad already had them in the water for swim lessons. There are five goslings in the second family. They are so darn cute.

This is the first family, with three babies. They are already growing like a weed.

And now the second family, with five babies.

There is always one who does his/her own thing, marching to the beat of its own drummer. 🙂

Time for swim lessons with mom. Mom is a very good, patient teacher.

I just love this time of year and all my spring babies. 🙂

Bajan sauce is similar to Cajun-style hot sauce and is traditionally applied in local Barbadian cuisine including meat, poultry, and fish. It’s made with Scotch aged bonnet peppers (or jalapenos), mustard, vinegar, and other ingredients. Hot sauces of all kinds are found as a staple everywhere you go in Caribbean restaurants. It is potent, and a little bit goes a long way.

We purchased some Bajan sauce while in Barbados last year and I just finished it off by making a Bajan chicken stew. I made this recipe up by using up some of my leftovers, something also very Caribbean thing to do. Nothing goes to waste. Use up everything however you can. Be creative. 🙂

Bajan Chicken Stew

We had some leftover chicken and 1 short rib that needed to be used, so with some Bajan sauce, creativity and imagination, my Bajan chicken stew was created.

I cut the chicken and pork into thin strips. I sauteed some corn and red bell peppers with olive oil, salt & pepper to soften them up and added my cooked chicken and pork.

I combined the rest of my Bajan sauce with about 1-2 cups of chicken broth and added it to my chicken and vegetable mixture. After bringing it to a boil, I reduced the heat to a simmer and let it continue to cook for about 10-15 more minutes before serving it with some Caribbean rice and my shrimp cornbread. Cajun Shrimp Cornbread

We had a delightful island meal. I am getting us ready for yet another upcoming Caribbean adventure, back to Belize. Here at home, that means eating more Island foods. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

There is something about hawks that just completely mesmerizes me. I just love them. The other day, I thought I saw one in a far off tree, so I zoomed in as much as I could with my camera. I was wrong. I didn’t see one hawk in the tree. I saw two hawks in the tree. One flew off soon after, but I was able to get one shot with both of them.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

I am getting us ready for yet another Caribbean adventure. We will be off to Belize once again in just a couple of weeks, for more DIVING of course, so it’s time to start making some Caribbean foods to help transition us into the Caribbean frame of mind, though I never really need an excuse to cook Caribbean style. 🙂

The Caribbean Islands have a very rich and diverse history and their cultures are a blending of many different influences from English, Spanish, French, Dutch, African, Portuguese and the native and indigenous peoples. All of these influences are found everywhere in the Caribbean, but especially in their foods.

Cornbread is a staple from Southeast Texas, where my mother was from. There are so many different ways to make cornbread too. When I decided on making dinner Caribbean style, I knew cornbread was going to be a part of the meal, but I wasn’t sure which kind I was going to make. I decided on making it with a new twist, and made one that included bay shrimp in the batter. I served it with honey butter, which really brought it all together.

Cajun Shrimp Cornbread

I have added all kinds of vegetables and peppers to my cornbreads, but I would have never thought of adding shrimp, until now. The shrimp in the cornbread worked very well.

Preheat oven to 400* F or 200*C.

Spray a 9″ springform cake pan with cooking spray.

The Shrimp

1 cup bay shrimp

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp garlic

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

olive oil

1/4 tsp tomato paste

1 tsp Cajun/Creole spice

Mix everything together and let the shrimp marinate while making the batter.

The Cornbread Batter

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 egg

1 cup yogurt

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup olive oil or lime olive oil – I used lime

1 TBSP honey

1/4 cup chives or green onions, chopped

Mix all the dry ingredients and the green onions or chives together and set aside.

Whisk the egg, milk, honey, yogurt and olive oil together.

Get a skillet very hot, add some olive oil and then add the shrimp mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp is completely cooked and bright pink.

Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture and blend well. Then add the shrimp and seasonings and mix together thoroughly.

Pour the shrimp batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until the cornbread is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Let the cornbread cool slightly before removing it from the pan and slicing. I served it with honey butter, which really brought everything together. Oh it was so good. 🙂 There is no real recipe for my honey butter. I just blend almost equal parts of softened butter and honey together until it is sweet, soft and creamy.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

There are long stretches of time when I don’t hear or see Meadowlarks at all, and now I am hearing their songs a lot. They just sing and sing and sing to their hearts’ content. It is such a peaceful song to hear too. And they are such pretty little birds, with their bright yellow chest and grayish-brown striped backs.

Here he is, just singing away.

Sing to the top of your lungs and sing for love. Have a great day and make everyday great.

When I made my B’Stilla Chicken B’Stilla I needed some side dishes to go with it. I made some tri-colored couscous and then roasted up some vegetables with Middle Eastern spices.

Middle Eastern Roasted Vegetables

At first I had something else in mind, but as is often the case, plans changed. I kind of made up my recipe as I went along. I love creating as I go. 🙂

I had multi-colored carrots that I sliced at an angle. I mixed them with some delicata squash and Middle Eastern spices, then roasted them to perfection. The vegetables were so nice and colorful, and perfect for a cooler day.

4-5 carrots, sliced

1 delicata squash, sliced into rings, seeds removed

1/4 cup olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp sumac

1-2 tsp Z’Atar

2 TBSP honey

1-2 TBSP honey-ginger balsamic vinegar, optional

Preheat the oven to 400* F or 200 *C.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine all the spices and seasonings together and toss with the vegetables.

Spread the vegetables onto the prepared sheet pan in a single layer and place in the oven. Roast for about 30-40 minutes or until tender, turning them after about 15-20 minutes.

Not only are these vegetables colorful and fun, but they are very tasty too. They will go perfectly along side anything with a Middle Eastern flair, or anything else you decide to pair them with as well.

It was a cool, rainy day, so it was a good time to have something warm from the oven to help warm us up.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

I love Blue Jays. I always have. When I was little girl, my “2nd mom” had a Blue Jay trained to come into her kitchen for peanuts. My “sister” Kathy and I used to feed Bluey peanuts from the tree too. He would gently take them out of our hands. So Blue Jays have always had a special place in my heart. But that being said, they are so difficult for me to get good shots of them. They can be so elusive. But yesterday, there was one Jay that was posing for me, letting me take as many pictures of him as I could. I am very grateful for his patience and his photo shoot.

Thank you Bluey. These turned out great. 🙂