Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

I love mole sauce. And there are so many different varieties of mole too. But the traditional mole, or at least one of the most popular versions, is a rich sauce made of many spices, herbs, Mexican chocolate, garlic and chilies. There are many different types of mole though. In fact, there are over 300 different types of mole sauce. Mole is more than just a type of sauce. It is a culinary story teller, where each version tells its own story of its traditions. Mole is a symbol of celebration. It graces the tables at festivals, weddings, and other momentous occasions in Mexican culture.

Mole had its origin in pre-hispanic Mexico, when it was called mulli, or chilmolli in nahuatland and was made with turkey and served in Aztec rituals and other festive occasions. One of the most treasured ingredients used in the mole is xocolatl – the Aztec word for chocolate. The ancient civilizations of Mexico, including the Aztecs and Maya, valued bold flavors and combined ingredients like chili peppers, chocolate, and spices to create intricate sauces. The arrival of Europeans brought even more new spices and ingredients that have been incorporated into the dish, modifying its flavors even more. Mole today has endless possibilities. Mole is considered to be one of Mexico’s national dishes. One of the most popular versions known today was created in the 17th century, by a group of nuns in the State of Puebla when they heard of the impending visit of Juan de Palafox, Viceroy of New Spain and Archbishop of Puebla. This is the Puebla Mole. The other very popular version is the Oaxaca, or mole negro, made from dark bittersweet Mexican chocolate.

Larry had smoked some short ribs, but they still needed more cooking, and they definitely needed a sauce. I hadn’t mole in quite a while and I came across a recipe for mole short ribs, so that was what I made. I just threw everything together in the slow cooker, and let it cook. I served it with some of my leftover black-eyed pea salad Double Good Luck – Part 1, with some of my pickled onions, Pickled Onions, Mexican style carrots with cinnamon and butter and some of our New Year’s pretzels. Double Good Luck – Part 2

Mole Short Ribs

2-3 lbs short ribs, par-cooked

1 TBSP coriander

1 TBSP cumin

1 TBSP dried mustard

1 1/2 tsp cloves

2 tsp cinnamon

1-2 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1-2 jalapeno, seeded and diced fine

3 TBSP toasted sesame seeds

2 tsp sumac

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup orange juice

1 TBSP orange zest

Place the short ribs in the slow cooker. Mix all the ingredients together,using only part of the sesame seeds and leaving out the pickled onions, and pour over the ribs, evenly coating them.

You can either cook them for a shorter period of time on a medium,-high setting for 3-5 hours, or you can turn the setting down to a low setting and cook for about8 hours. Either way, these will be so flavorful and tender, where the meat will just come right off the bones. When everything is cooked, just before serving, top with additional toasted sesame seeds, pickled onions and cilantro.

I am definitely more of a wine drinker than anything else, so I served it with a rich, full-bodied red wine. The sauce is full of bold flavors, so whatever you serve it with needs to be bold, strong and full of bold flavors as well, otherwise it will be overwhelmed by the rich mole sauce.

Happy New Year everyone. May it be a happy, healthy and prosperous year for all. ‘Til next time.

We are at the very edge of the states with severe winter weather warnings. We were supposed to get between 4-6 inches of snow in our area overnight, but we really didn’t get too much. It was and is still bitter cold, nonetheless. We did get frosted though. All the trees and shrubs look so pretty with a light blanket of fresh snow. Everything looks surreal and kind of mystical.

Every season has its own unique beauty and charm. There is beauty everywhere, in all things. We just need to open our eyes to see it.

It was a cold, frosty morning, but that didn’t stop people from coming into Yonutz! Donuts and Ice Cream Yonutz! vs. Donuts to help them celebrate their official grand opening in the city of Westminster, CO.

The Westminster Chamber of Commerce was there to officiate the ceremony, and gave Brian a pair of extra, extra large scissors to cut the ribbon. Brian and team are beaming with pride, as they should be.

And it’s official! Yonutz! Donuts & Ice Cream is officially open for business to serve the City of Westminster and more. The lady in the blue coat, Council Member Chavez, is one of the City Council members for Westminster Chamber of Commerce. She gave a short speech right before the ribbon cutting ceremony.

After a brief introduction, Ms. Chavez turned it over to Brian and crew, and Brian welcomed and thanked everyone for coming.

Yonutz! was packed, with a line going out the door. People were excited to help Brian Domann, the owner, and his family, donut team and friends celebrate their big day.

Brian and his family, with the help from the City of Westminster and the Chamber of Commerce, made this all happen,

but the real stars of the day are the delicious donut creations, handmade with love from Brian and his team.

Lots of boxes were prepared for people to take donuts home too.

Brian and Yonutz! are giving away prizes throughout the day to lucky winners.

There was even a cake for the celebrations. After all, you can’t have a party without a cake, right?!

And there were plenty of very happy customers, enjoying these delectable treats.

Ms. Chavez and her kids look like they are thoroughly enjoying their Yonutz! donuts. There were many happy people to help celebrate Brian’s big and happy day. 🙂

Congratulations Brian Domann and Yonutz! Donuts & Ice Cream! Welcome to the City of Westminster. We wish you a long, happy and successful relationship with the City of Westminster.

We hade some more Gadwalls on the lakes. They seem to like the colder weather we’ve been having lately, so who knows, maybe they will stick around a little longer than usual. They are in town visiting their cousins, the Mallards for a family reunion.

I don’t see any family resemblance, but then again, I don’t look like a lot of my cousins either. 🙂

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

I have a few Northern Shovelers who stopped by to pay a visit for the holidays. These are the girls. They are out on a girls’ retreat and left the boys at home. The females have muted colors where the males are very colorful, with bright green heads.

Yesterday, I shared the Southern tradition for good luck, by eating black-eyed peas for New Year’s Day. Double Good Luck – Part 1 Today, I am sharing the German tradition of eating soft pretzels. Larry is almost 100% German, and he had no idea about this German tradition until a few years ago, when I started making pretzels for New year’s Day.

Pretzels were often distributed to the poor as symbols of good luck for both physical and spiritual sustenance. By the seventeenth century, loops became symbols of undying love too. German children would wear pretzel necklaces on New Year’s to symbolize good luck and prosperity in the next year as well. The breaking of a “Good-Luck” New Year’s Pretzel (Grosse Neujahrsbrezel) is a long time German tradition, thought to bring good luck and prosperity in the New Year when eaten at midnight or by breakfast on New Year’s Day. https://ajeanneinthekitchen.com/2024/01/01/some-german-holiday-traditions/

I have played around with many different recipes for soft pretzels, but the one I made this year is my current new favorite recipe. They were golden and chewy on the outside and soft on the inside. A perfect way to help ring in the new year. 🙂

Soft Pretzels

1 1/2 cups warm water

4 tsp dry active yeast

1 tsp sugar

Combine together and let set for about 10 minutes, or until it becomes frothy.

5 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 TBSP canola or vegetable oil, + more to coat the bowl

1/2 cup baking soda

4 cups hot water

kosher salt

While the yeast mixture is setting, mix the flour, sugar and salt together and make a well in the center. Add the oil to the yeast mixture and whisk together. Then pour into the center of the well, and mix from the inside out until everything is mixed together.

Knead the dough for about 7 minutes, or until it forms into a soft dough ball. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour or until it doubles in size. You will have a very soft dough.

When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 450* F or 230*C.

Cut the dough into 12 equal portions and roll into long, thin ropes, about 16 inches in size. Bring the ends together and twist twice, sticking the ends underneath.

Combine the water and the baking soda and bring to a full rapid boil. Place one pretzel at a time into the boiling mixture for about 15-30 seconds. When the pretzels rise to the top of the water, remove and drain off the excess liquid and repeat until all the pretzels are done.

Sprinkle a little kosher salt on the top of each pretzel and bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Brush the pretzels with melted butter immediately after removing from the oven. You can enjoy them as is, or with a dash of mustard or cheese or cheese sauce. I like a little Dijon mustard spread on the top of mine.

Happy New Year everyone. May it be filled with good health, happiness and prosperity to all. ‘Til next time.

Many cultures from around the world have special traditions they honor for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. We have a couple here at our house too.

My mother was from Southeast Texas. The Southern culture, no matter what state, has a time-honored tradition of eating black-eyed peas for New Year’s Day. It doesn’t matter how they are served or prepared, as long as you are eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. Eating black-eyed peas for the holiday is said to bring good luck, health and abundance. If you don’t eat your black-eyed peas you could be tempting fate for the rest of the year.

There are a few theories as to how eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day came about. One variation of the superstition says that black-eyed peas were all the enslaved people in the South had to celebrate with on the first day of January. Others say it started during the Civil War in Vicksburg, Mississippi, when the town ran out of food while under siege and the inhabitants were lucky enough to discover cow peas (a.k.a., black-eyed peas). Another legend holds that slaves ate black-eyed peas on January 1, 1863, the day the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect because they were all they had. These are only some of the reasons why black-eyed peas have been eaten in the South on every New Year’s Day since. 

I fix my black-eyed peas in different ways every year. This year, I made a black-eyed pea salad with peppers and an apricot vinaigrette. I made a lot, so we should have a lot of good luck. 🙂 I also shared some with Mike & Lauren and with our neighbors and Hanaa and Aziz, so hopefully they will have good luck too.

I soaked the black-eyed peas overnight, then simmered them for about 2 1/2 hours on New Year’s Day.

While the black-eyed peas were cooking, I cut up my peppers and onions then sauteed them a bit just to soften them up.

Then I made my vinaigrette.

Once the black-eyed peas were cooked, I rinsed and drained them, then mixed everything together. You can eat this salad cold or warm.

This particular version is vegetarian, but sometimes I add chicken or ham. There are no rules to this salad, or to the black-eyed pea traditions, just as long as you eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. 🙂

Happy New Year. May it be a good, happy, healthy prosperous year for everyone. ‘Til next time.

We celebrated New Year’s Eve with dinner at the Mt. Fuji Japanese Hibachi Grill with our friends Wendy and her daughter Zoe, and Mike & Lauren. It was dinner and a show celebrated with good friends. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the coming of the new year. We were all home before 9:30 PM, which was a very good thing for us too. Going out to dinner, before all the crazies and drunks come out is just perfect for us “old people”. Besides, by the time we were ready to leave the restaurant it was snowing hard and the roads were already slick and covered with ice and snow. So it was good we called it an early night.

Mt. Fuji Japanese Hibachi Grill was PACKED to the rims. We waited for over an hour to get seated, and that was with reservations, but it was well worth the wait. It was dinner and a show.

Once we got seated, we had front row seats to the culinary show before us. Our table was also the stove where we got to watch the chef perform his magic with lightening speed and agility.

Before the chef started working his magic, when we all ordered, we started off with a very clear miso soup and salad.

Then the chef came out and cooked everything for the whole table right in front of us. But to get things started, he set the table on fire. The flames were so high and danced all around for a minute or two.

I have made plenty of flambe flames before, but NOTHING to this scale.

Once the flames died down, the chef got to work. But first, he gave everyone who wanted one a shot of tequila, but I think it was really sake. I wore more than I consumed, but it was all part of the fun and part of the show. Larry got more in his mouth than I did, but he was sitting closer to the chef too. He brought out a cart with all the ingredients for everyone’s dinner, then got down to the business of making everyone’s dinner right before us.

There were 6 of us in our party and about 6 more from another party all at the same table. Here is our group – Wendy, Zoe, Mike, Lauren, me and Larry.

The chef started with the vegetables, chicken and rice first.

Next he made an “egg roll” and did some fancy handiwork with his egg and spatula.

He did everything so fast, it was hard for me to keep up with my camera. I could have taken a video, but I much prefer still shots to video.

Once the rice and noodles were made and served, he made an onion volcano.

After he put out the flames on the volcano and cut the onion up and mixed it in with the vegetables, he started making the meats and seafood.

The chef was FANTASTIC. He said everyone trains for about 3 months before they get to go out and show off their skills to everyone. He also said he’s been doing this now for about 3 years. He was full of personality. You could tell he takes a lot of pride in his skills and his work, as he should too.

Lauren ordered a sushi roll for our 1/2 of the table that came out as all the meats and seafood were cooking. That too was very good.

Most people were eating everything in stages, as they were served. I waited until the very end of the show, and everything was on my plate before I started eating, with the exceptions of the soup and salad. Needless to say, there was A LOT of food on the plate, and probably 80% of it came home for us to enjoy at another time.

I ordered the scallops. They were cooked to perfection.

Larry ordered the Ahi tuna and calamari. Everything was DELICIOUS.

It was a fun evening and a fun, entertaining way to spend New Year’s Eve- good friends, good food and good fun. Life is definitely good! 🙂

After returning home, Larry I celebrated with a glass of champagne while watching the ball drop in New York City, at the Big Apple. We did stay up ’til midnight, but just barely.

There are a couple of Mt. Fuji Japanese Hibachi’s in the Denver Metro area. We enjoyed the one in Westminster, at The Orchard Town Center, located at 14643 Orchard Pkwy, Westminster, CO 80023. I would DEFINTELY call in advance for reservations,  (720) 887-1188, especially if you a coming with a group and want to sit at one of the show tables. And even with reservations, we still had to wait for quite awhile before getting seated. You can also reach them online at  mtfujihibachiwestminster.com. Mt. Fuji Japanese Hibachi opens daily at 11:30 AM.

Happy New Year everyone. May it be filled with happiness, good health and prosperity for all. Good-bye 2024 and hello 2025. ‘Til next time.

My Common Goldeneyes are coming back to stay with us for awhile. They are not here en masse yet, but soon. They are just starting to arrive for the season.

We have two types of Goldeneyes that like to winter in Colorado. We have the Barrow’s Goldeneyes and the Common Goldeneyes. I haven’t seen my Barrows yet, but my Common Goldeneyes are starting to arrive. Sometimes both species are also called whistlers because of the trilling sound they make with their wings. They are usually winter latercomers. They like to make their appearance known, by arriving fashionably late.

Happy New Year. May 2025 be filled with happiness, good health and prosperity for all.

Today is the last day of 2024. Tomorrow starts a brand new year, with new opportunities and fresh beginnings. Tomorrow, it will be 2025. Last year, I shared some fun New Year’s traditions from around the world. The World Celebrates A New Year – 2024 Today, I am going to share even more fun New Year’s traditions with you.

I have two from Ireland for you. One, from last year. 1) Setting an extra plate at the table for any loved ones lost in the prior year. 2) and the new one for this year is to make sure the mistletoe is placed (or holly or ivy) under your pillow on December 31, so you can dream of your future partner. 

Onions on the front door? In Greece, that is exactly what they do for New Year’s celebrations. It’s customary to hang bundles of onions above their doors as a way of inviting in good luck. Why onions? To the Greeks, onions are symbols of prosperity because they sprout even when no one is paying attention to them. On New Year’s Day, parents also wake up their children by gently bonking their kids on the head with the onions that were outside. It’s a tradition with a lot of layers.

In Denmark, they jump into the new year. They stand on a chair and “leap” into January at midnight. The effort is rewarded, since it’s supposed to be bad luck if you forget.

Making New Year’s resolutions is something most of us do, yet the vast majority of us do not follow through with them. Most of the time they are abandoned before we really give them a chance. But did you know people have been making New Year’s resolutions for over 4,000 years, starting with the Babylonians? Babylonians, were one of the first cultures to actually celebrate the changing of the year, and they made promises to pay debts or return borrowed objects. Other than my old standards, which I can always work on and always need improvement, like loosing weight, getting into better shape again (other than round) and trying to be a better person, I haven’t made any new resolutions for the upcoming year yet. I guess I still have a little more time to think about it though. I have until midnight tonight. 🙂

In Russia, (or so I’ve read, so forgive me if I am wrong) gift giving actually takes place on New Year’s Day rather than Christmas because Christmas was forbidden in Soviet Russia. Presents were delivered not by Santa but by Ded Moroz, or Father Frost, often aided by his granddaughter, Snegourochka.

I will conclude this year’s New Year’s celebratory traditions with something I think we all do, regardless of our background; kissing our loved ones at the stroke of midnight. The tradition comes from both English and German folklore, which believed that it’s “the first person with whom a person came in contact that dictated the year’s destiny.” Their advice – choose to kiss wisely.

Happy New Year everyone. May 2025 be a good year for all, filled with good health, prosperity and happiness. Out with the old and in with the new. ‘Til next time.