Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

My Cormorants are coming back to my lakes once again. There was one who was so happy to back home, on “his” lake. You could tell how happy he was. It was in his eyes, but also as he spread his wings out, as if to say “I’m home again. There’s no place like home”.

He didn’t even mind sharing the lake with his friend, the Common Goldeneye.

Doesn’t he look happy?

He even looks like he’s smiling.

As I mentioned yesterday, we had game night at Mike & Lauren’s on Saturday night. Colorful Cilantro Rice Since they had made green chili, I decided to make my contributions for the evening with a Southwestern flair. I brought the cilantro rice, and I also made a Southwestern chocolate banana cake for dessert.

Southwestern Chocolate Banana Cake

Chocolate and bananas are two great flavors that go great together. It’s like they were just meant to be. I made a chocolate banana cake for dessert, but I gave it a little Southwestern kick. I added a dash of cayenne pepper to the batter. Not a lot, but just enough to wake up the taste buds a bit. This was a last minute decision I made while mixing everything together. I also mixed both my black onyx coca powder and my lighter cocoa powders together, to give the best of both worlds, since both have their own unique personalities.

Preheat the oven to 350* f or 180*C.

Spray a 9″ cake pan with cooking spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper.

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste, optional

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas – about 4 medium bananas

1 cup milk

1 stick melted butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp banana extract, optional

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts – I used pecans

powdered sugar for dusting

Mash the bananas thoroughly, adding some milk if needed.

In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.

Mix the eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla and banana extract and melted butter together. Add the mashed bananas and mix well.

Mix the liquids into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Fold in about 1/2 the chopped nuts, and just mix until all blended together. DO NOT over mix. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pan.

Add the remaining nuts on the top of the batter and place in the oven. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the cake is done and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Let the cake cool completely before removing from the pan and dusting the top with powdered sugar. I also added some whipped cream, topped with a sprinkling of cocoa sugar, and banana chips.

This cake came out just perfect. It was so moist on the inside, and just loaded with flavor, with hints of cayenne to kick it up.

If you have never considered adding a little spice to your chocolate, watch the movie “Chocolate“, with Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp and Judi Dench. This is not a new idea, just one most people don’t often think of. 🙂

Think outside the box and use your imagination. Let your inhibitions run wild. Cook and have fun while you’re doing it. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Poor Woody the Wood Duck still has not found his soul mate for the season. He is still swimming solo for the most part, even though he still seems to have a big crush on Mrs. Mallard. Hopefully Woody will find love soon.

It was Saturday night, which means game night. We get together almost every weekend with Mike & Lauren for fun & games. Sometimes we host and sometimes they host. Last night game night was at Mike & Lauren’s house.

We all contribute to the menu. Green chili was on the menu this time, so sticking with the Southwestern theme of the night, I brought along some some colorful cilantro rice.

Colorful Cilantro Rice

Rice is very prominently served in Mexican and Southwestern meals and has been since the 1500’s.

2 cups rice

4 cups water

olive oil

lime olive oil, optional

salt

Rice is pretty easy to cook. It is usually a 2:1 ratio, with 2 cups liquid for every cup of rice. I usually add olive oil instead of butter to my water, as well as a dash of salt. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for an additional 12-15 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stirring occasionally to make sure the rice doesn’t stick or burn. Once it is cooked, fork it and let it rest for at least about 5 minutes before serving. If I am making a flavored rice, I often add either lemon or lime oil to my water as well.

1/2 of each, red, orange, yellow and green bell pepper diced

1-2 jalapenos, diced fine

3/4 cup olive oil

2-3 TBSP lime olive oil, optional

2/3 cup white wine or Prosecco vinegar

2-3 TBSP lime balsamic vinegar, optional

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together the oil(s), vinegar(s), cilantro and pepper and set aside until ready to use.

I sauteed my vegetables first, for about 5 minutes or so, to soften them up.

When the rice is cooked and the vegetables are ready, mix them together thoroughly.

Toss in enough of the dressing to coat the rice and vegetables without drowning them in dressing and serve. This can be served either hot or warm.

It was a big hit, but as usual, I made quite a bit, which means I have a lot leftover (and that is after leaving some with Mike & Lauren). Don’t worry though. I already have something delicious in mind on how to use it up. 🙂

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

Sweet peppers, also known as bell peppers, are part of the same family as their hot, fiery cousins, the hot peppers or chili peppers (not to be confused with the band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers). They all belong to the same family, the Solanaceae family. Eggplants are also part of this same plant family. The main difference between sweet or bell peppers and their hot cousins is that sweet peppers are genetically deficient of the “heat” chemical, capsaicin. Not only are they very mild in heat, but they also have a slightly sweet flavor to them, especially the red or purple peppers. They become sweeter as they ripen and their colors change. They are harvested at either green, mature or colored stages. All peppers start out green, then change colors as they mature. Sweet, or bell, peppers mature into a variety of colors including red, yellow, orange, lavender, purple, and chocolate. The bell peppers have a crisp, thick flesh and are suitable for eating fresh or for stuffing and baking.

Believe it or not, sweet peppers actually come in white too. The white bell pepper is a translucent white to pale yellow colored bell pepper with a crisp, sweet flavor. This pepper variety produces an abundance of white bell fruits. These peppers turn from translucent to pale yellow when mature. The white bell is a great addition to any salad or meal. White bell pepper cultivars are heirloom varieties, meaning they have been around since before World War II and are open-pollinated while others are hybrids. Unlike the more uniform, greenhouse-grown, white Holland bell peppers, white bell peppers are grown outdoors in a variety of conditions. While this variety is difficult to find in the commercial marketplace, white bell peppers are favored by home gardeners and local farms for their ease of growth, high yields, unusual coloring, and sweet flavor.

Sweet peppers, also known as mild bell peppers, originated from Mexico where they have been used by humans since around 7000 BC. They were introduced into Europe toward the end of the 15th century by Spanish and Portuguese explorers, and their cultivation later spread to Africa.

The vegetables we call peppers include chilli, chile, azi, cayenne, hot peppers and sweet or bell peppers. Among the five cultivated species of Capsicum, C. annuum is the most commonly cultivated for pungent, hot peppers and non-pungent, or sweet bell peppers. They get their name “bell” peppers because of their bell shape. Today, these popular peppers are grown in most regions of the world, but predominantly in these countries: India, China, Korea, Hungary, Spain, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Japan, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Mexico and the United States.

Paprika is a sweet pepper that is grown mainly for its color that makes various foods more attractive. The fruits are long, banana shaped peppers and when they mature they develop into a dark-red color. When dried and ground, this thin-walled pepper becomes the flavorful condiment paprika, a favorite spice used in Hungarian cooking, as well as many other parts of the world.

Sweet cherry peppers, also known as pimento or pimiento peppers, are harvested when mature as green to deep-red pepper and are generally used in processing as pickled.

Hot peppers refer to those that taste hot, and can range from the relatively mild Anaheim to the blazingly hot Habaneros or even hotter, ghost peppers. Among the known hot peppers, the following are the most important:

Red chili

These small cone-shaped peppers are often 1–4 mm long and have medium-thick flesh. They are usually used dried and ground in chili powder.

Green chili

These are the long, green two-celled mildly pungent Anaheim-type peppers that are so flavorful in chili spicing. They turn red at maturity but are nearly always harvested when they are still green for roasting.

Red hot peppers

These peppers vary in plant and fruit size and shape. These scorchers, such as chiltepin, chili pequin, Tabasco, and Thai, mature red and zest up foods.

Peppers of all kinds are actually fruit, and not vegetables, as we often refer to them. Fruits have their seeds on the inside, and pepper seeds are all inside the peppers, thus making them fruit. Vegetables come from roots, leaves or stems and do not contain seeds. Vegetable seeds are all external, and on the plant itself.

Here is a fun fact about peppers I bet no one knew, myself included. We know sweet peppers as large, hollow, thick-fleshed vegetables, but the original strain was named “bell” for a very good reason. They had a rather hard, thin wall, and contained an elongated vestigial stigma inside. The stigma is part of the female complement of the flower, the outermost part which often produces nectar and/or sweet aromas to entice pollinators.

This leftover stigma acted as a natural clapper, striking the walls of the bell pepper as it swayed in the wind. As a result, sweet peppers were a very noisy crop. So much so, in fact, that during high winds, maturing bell peppers would startle livestock, causing them to bolt, and would keep villagers awake at night. So for over 400 years, bell peppers were relegated to a curiosity, and not widely cultivated.

Now, we all know a lot more about peppers; sweet bell peppers and hot peppers, than we did before. So pepper it up. Use these peppers in a wide variety of different ways. Spice up your foods and/or make them pretty and festive. Play with your colors and be creative.

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

All of our little prairie dogs are running around having fun. They are everywhere. We have them by the millions, all around us. And spring has sprung, so soon, we will have even more of these cute little critters. Like the squirrels, they are full of personality. They also love to have their picture taken.

It is only the 4th of April, but so far, April has brought in a blast of cold, wet, snowy weather. Once more, this is the type of weather where it is good to eat something warm and hearty, to warm the cockles of our heart. It was a good night for goulash. A Time for Bavarian Goulash, Bavarian Goulash, Spicy, Peppery Beef Goulash As you can see, goulash is pretty popular in our house, especially on cold, blustery nights.

I was also cooking with wine again too, which I also do quite often. 🙂 Cooking With Wine

Sometimes I serve my goulash over noodles and sometimes I serve it over mashed potatoes. This time, I served it over the rest of my Duchess potatoes that hadn’t been baked. Duchess Potatoes

I don’t seem to know how to cook for just two people. I always make enough to feed a small army, and sometimes, enough to make a large army. I always have leftovers. Larry is always taking leftovers for lunch. And sometimes we freeze them to use again at a later time. Fortunately, I love to recreate with my leftovers and they all get used up. Nothing ever goes to waste. My friend the Queen (of leftovers) and I are real tight. We are always coming up with something yummy. 🙂

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

I love my little Chickadees, but for some reason, they are hard for me to get good shots of. Maybe it’s because they are so fast and flit around constantly. But I will never stop trying. Every now and then I get some good shots of them. This was not one of those times, however, but at least they are decent. 🙂

It was a very cloudy, overcast day, so the bright colors of the Chickadee kind of faded into the gray background. He also was moving all around and did not want to sit still long enough for a good photo shoot. He was just teasing me. 🙂

This one is a stock photo to show you how beautiful these little birds really are when their colors are allowed to shine brightly.

Have a great day and make everyday a great day. Make the most out of what you are given. 🙂

April is one of our wackiest months of the year, weather wise. We are all over the place. One minute it is warm and sunny, the next it is snowing. Today, is just the 3rd day of April, and already, we are getting all kinds of weather. We are supposed to have more snow again tonight. Not a lot, but it is still supposed to snow.

I cook according to what our weather is like. If it is warm, I will prepare something lighter to eat. If it is cold, I want something that will stick to our ribs a bit more. We are still getting more snow, and snow means I want something heartier for dinner. So I made a quiche with ham and vegetables. It was warm and straight from the oven. I served it with some hearty corn and chicken chowder. Both of these delicious options are great for colder weather.

I make quiches Another Quiche and soups all the time, and every time I make them they are a little different. It really kind of depends on what I have on hand at the time I am making them. My favorite soups are creamy soups with lots of stuff in them. Besides, in both cases, I am often using up my leftovers too. In fact, I used my leftover Moroccan chicken Moroccan Chicken for my soup. Back in my restaurant days, a lot of our soups were made from our leftovers from the day before.

Corn & Chicken Chowder

There are many different variations of chowders, and everyone has their own way of making them, but usually chowders are made with potatoes and bacon, and the rest is up to your imagination. I made a big pot of corn & chicken chowder.

I made my chicken broth first, and while that was cooking, I cut up all my other ingredients.

1 1/2-2 pounds cooked chicken, cubed

6-7 slices of bacon, diced and cooked

2 large potatoes, diced

2 large celery ribs, diced

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1-2 jalapenos, diced fine

2-2 1/2 cup corn

1 TBSP garlic

salt & pepper to taste

1 TBSP dried oregano

6-8 cups chicken broth or stock

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1-1 1/2 cups flour

Get a large soup pot very hot and add some olive oil, butter and the bacon. Cook the bacon to your liking, then add the celery, onions, bell pepper, jalapeno, corn and garlic. You can add the flour now if you like, to make it like a roux, or you can add it later. Just make sure the flour is completely mixed in and cooked before serving the soup. I added my flour to my vegetables to make it like a roux.

Cook until the vegetables have softened and the onions are translucent. Add the chicken, stock and seasonings and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the cream. Cook for an additional 30-40 minutes, stirring often.

When it’s ready, serve it up nice and hot. Enjoy. To me, nothing says comfort food better than a nice hot soup filled with all kinds of vegetables and meats, and most importantly, lots of LOVE.

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

My lakes have been popular with all kinds of birds these days. There was a crow on the rocks, at the water’s edge. He looked like he was enjoying himself too. I don’t usually see crows on the water. But I am used to seeing the unusual these days. 🙂