Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

I just love my American Kestrels. They are so pretty and colorful. But don’t be fooled by their good looks. They are strong, powerful little hunters. Lately, I am seeing so many, perched up high in trees, always on lookout, watching for their prey.

I am currently working on yet another collaboration with Arlington Wine. It will be yet another fun and informative piece on wine. You just have to wait a little longer though. I still have yet to research and write it, but then I have to wait to publish it. Arlington Wine Make It A Wine Cocktail gets first viewing rights, and then I can publish it for all of you to see and enjoy. I just wanted to let you know something fun is in the works and on its way. Anticipation my friends. 🙂

My two resident white-tailed mule deer were back “at the farm” again, hanging out in their usual and favorite spot. I was looking for them, and they showed up for me, right on cue. One was a lot more curious and engaging, while the other one was hiding and just wanted to rest in the shade of the tree branches. Once again, they made my day. 🙂

Always be prepared for the unexpected. Those are often the best things in life. 🙂

I love how creative I am when using up little bits of this and little bits of that. I look at what I have that needs to be used up and create from there. As you all know, I do this on a regular basis too. It’s kind of a fun game I have created for myself. 🙂

This creative and colorful vegetable medley paired well with my Moroccan chicken. Moroccan Chicken

Isn’t this a pretty and colorful array of vegetables. No real recipe, just using up the little bits and pieces. It was a combination of mixed olives cut in half, baby tomatoes, a little bit of spinach, garlic, onions, one yellow crookneck squash, a few mushrooms, salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil and a little lemon olive oil, and … VOILA! For best results, try to cut everything close to the same size so they will cook more evenly. And cook in stages. Add the heartier vegetables first since they will need more cooking time, then add the softer vegetables later.

I added both oils to a hot skillet and cooked the onions, garlic, squash, and mushrooms first, for about 3 minutes.

Then I added the softer vegetables and seasonings, and cooked just until the spinach was wilted.

It was simple, easy-peasy, healthy and delicious. AND I got to use up all my little bits and pieces. It was a win/win. I got to check off all my boxes with this one. It was also very Mediterranean, using a lot of vegetables found in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. I’ve always said the more colorful your vegetables are, the healthier they are too. Make cooking fun. Be creative.

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

I see male Ringnecks swimming on the lakes by themselves quite often. I rarely see the females out on the lakes by themselves. But this time, I saw a lone female Ringneck swimming without a care in the world. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself too. I guess even the ducks need their own personal space and time too.

Once again, I was inspired by one of our very own. The Ohio Cook, at My Meals are On Wheels https://beatcancer2010.wordpress.com/, posted a recipe for Moroccan chicken that sounded too good to resist. And it was too. Thank you once again for an exotically delicious menu idea. 🙂

Of course my whole meal was Moroccan themed. It all has to go together after all, right?! 🙂 I served it with some lentil stew Lentil Stew with a Moroccan/Mediterranean vegetable medley, of my own creative imagination, and warmed pitas. It was a delicious combination that worked together perfectly.

Moroccan Chicken

Believe it or nor, I actually followed the recipe, for the most part, too. Something I rarely do, as you all know. 🙂 When cooking, I never really measure anything. I just go by guessing and estimating. Other than that, I forgot to add sugar, but added a squirt of hot honey on top before serving it. I think those are the only real differences between the original recipe and mine. But who knows. I cook by instinct, not by actually following recipes. 🙂

One of the many lessons we were taught in culinary school was to use our abilities to measure by sight rather than actually measuring everything out. After a while you’d be amazed at how accurate you really are. So I may not be exact, but I am usually pretty darn close.

1 1/2-2 lbs chicken breast

1 tsp ginger

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp corriander

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp turmeric

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp sugar or honey

1-2 TBSP lemon juice

Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.

Mix all the spices together. Pour the lemon juice over the chicken and generously coat the chicken on both sides with the spice mixture.

I let my chicken marinate in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours before grilling it, then placed it on a hot grill and cooked it until it was done.

Once the chicken was cooked, I sliced it into thin slices and served it with the rest of my Moroccan/Mediterranean side dishes. I turned mine into a pita. My wine of choice was a cool, crisp Pinto Grigio (another one of ours that we just recently made and bottled) which accompanied the meal very nicely.

Recipes (for cooking) are never written in stone. Have fun and play around with them. Be creative and see what you come up with. But most importantly, have fun and enjoy yourself.

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

All of my spring birds are beginning to come back for the season. They sing to me everyday while they are showing off their beautiful colors. My Says Phoebes are back too, happy to enjoy the start of spring. They like to perch themselves on the signs so they can see everything around them.

Spring has arrived. Enjoy the season. 🙂

It was a fishy kind of day – flounder that is. I crusted it with macadamia nuts then pan-fried it. I had some of my bearnaise sauce leftover Chateaubriand With Bearnaise Sauce so I used it to dress up my flounder. Then I served it over a bed of wild rice and used more of my leftover asparagus as well. Once again, it was a perfect combination.

I like food with character. Part of that character comes from adding a crust to certain foods. You can make a crust out of breadcrumbs or nuts or even cheese and/or herbs and spices. I do them all on a regular basis. But this time, I ground up some macadamia nuts to make my crust.

Crusting food has been around since the ancient times. It was a way of preserving foods for longer periods of time, as well as adding extra flavor and crunch to foods. Breading or adding a crust of some kind can also act as a thickener to soups and stews too. There is some form of crusting meats, fish or vegetables found in almost every culture – like Tempura foods, which are Japanese; chicken Parmigiano, which is Italian; or Schnitzel, which is German.

Macadamia Crusted Flounder

You can use any kind of nuts you like. I almost always have a variety of different nuts on hand at all times. I just chose macadamia nuts this time. You can also bread any kind of fish you like too. The method is the same regardless of the type of nut or fish you choose to use. You can also play around a little with the seasonings. This time, I just made it very simple. Sometimes, simple is best.

3/4-1 cup macadamia nuts

1/3 cup flour

salt & pepper to taste

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 egg

dash of milk

flounder filets, patted dry

Place the nuts, flour and seasonings in the food processor and blend until the nuts are ground fine.

Whisk the egg and the milk together and set aside.

Place the ground nut mixture in a separate bowl.

Pat the fish dry with a paper towel.

Dip the fish into the egg mixture to coat thoroughly, then press firmly into the nut mixture. Generously coat both sides of the fish.

Get a large skillet very hot, then add some olive oil and butter. Carefully place the fish into the skillet without crowding. Cook at a medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and a nice crust has formed.

Serve with whatever side dishes and sauce you like. It is delicious and easy-peasy; my kind of meal. 🙂

The bearnaise sauce went very well with the fish. I served it with white wine on the side. One of our own again, that we just bottled not too long ago. This time it was a nice, cool, crisp Pinot Grigio.

Even fishy days can be great days. It all depends on the kind of fish. Have a great day and make everyday a great day. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Larry and I like our foods with a kick. Sometimes we like a lot of heat, while other times, a little is just fine. When I made my Chateaubriand Chateaubriand With Bearnaise Sauce I made some spicy roasted potatoes to go with it. They were a nice a compliment to the steak. 🙂

Spicy Roasted Potatoes

1 lb new red potatoes, cut in 1/2 or quarters, depending on their size

1/2 cup onion, diced

1-2 jalapenos, diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

salt & pepper to taste

2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP hot honey

green onions, sliced

Preheat the oven to 425*F or 218*C.

Spray a deep baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine the potatoes, onions, red bell peppers, jalapenos, garlic, salt & pepper and toss together with the melted butter and olive oil. Roast for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are browned around the edges.

When they are browned and crispy, add the hot honey, mix together well, and place back in the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Top with the green onions right before serving. These are not super spicy, but they have just enough of a kick to wake up your taste buds a bit. 🙂

I love potatoes any which way I can get them. I am always trying something new with them too. Versatility is on of the many charms potatoes have. You can fix them in so many different ways, and they go with everything. I think potatoes are perfect food. 🙂

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

As you all know, I am a true foodie, and I love all kinds of foods. I tend to go towards more of the modern fusions, particularly if they have a spicy kick to them, but every now and then, I go back to the classics. Just like with artists of all kinds, and I do believe chefs fall into the artist category too, you have to know the basics before you can re-create something into a different style. I went back into classic mode when I made my Chateaubriand, complete with a delicious bearnaise sauce.

“Chateaubriand, also known as filet mignon, most often refers to the center-most indulgent portion of the beef tenderloin. The meat from this region is almost silky meat”. (p. 80 All About Roasting – A New Approach to a Classic Art, by Molly Stevens)

The Chateaubriand, a dish named after the French writer and statesman François-René de Chateaubriand, is a thick cut of beef tenderloin, traditionally cooked and served with a sauce, usually a bearnaise sauce, and is believed to have been created by Chateaubriand’s personal chef, Montmireil, in the early 19th century. The chateaubriand is a fillet mignon roast and a truly magnificent cut of meat renowned for its decadent and tender bite. This highly-prized cut of beef is cut from the tenderloin and has often been referred to by several names: the fillet mignon roast, a tenderloin roast, or a beef tenderloin.

I must have been channeling the traditionalists when I prepared my chateaubriand, because I even served it with the traditional side dishes too. 🙂 It is typically served for two and is often grilled or broiled, cooked rare or medium-rare, and accompanied by roasted potatoes, asparagus, and red wine. This is exactly what I did too. Imagine that?! Stranger things have happened. 🙂

Chateaubriand with Bearnaise Sauce

Start off with a tender roast about 2 1/2-3 lbs in size. Season generously with coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper on both sides and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 4-5 hours, or more if you can.

When ready to cook the meat, preheat the oven to about 400* F or 218*C, then get a large skillet VERY hot, and add olive oil and butter. Cook the meat for about 3-4 minutes per side to get a nice crust all around.

When the meat is nicely crusted all over, place it in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, to cook to a delicious medium rare, or an internal temperature of about 125-130*F or 52-57* C.

While the steak is in the oven, prepare the bearnaise sauce. A bearnaise sauce is in the same family as a Hollandaise Sauce, only it has minced shallots, white vinegar, white wine and tarragon added as well.

Bearnaise Sauce

Timing and proper whisking technique is key to making a good Hollandaise or bearnaise sauce. You have to add everything at the right temperature, while whisking the whole time to make sure your egg yolks don’t scramble in the process.

1/4 cup minced shallots

1/4 dry white wine

1/4 cup champagne or white wine vinegar

fresh ground black pepper

2-3 tsp dried tarragon and 3-4 fresh tarragon sprigs

1 1/2 sticks melted butter

2 egg yolks

salt to taste

Combine the shallots, white wine, white wine vinegar and the dried tarragon in a small pan. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and there is only about 2 TBSP of liquid left. Add the fresh tarragon right at the very end of the cooking process.

Whisk the egg yolks. There are various methods of combining everything together, and all work just fine. I mixed my shallot mixture with the melted butter, then tempered it all into my eggs, while whisking it all together at the same time. I prefer my sauce in the rustic style, so I actually like to keep my shallots in the mix. The classic way though is to strain them so you have a smooth sauce. Both are fine. It is just a matter of personal preference. I also added a bit more pepper to the mix as well.

If you are confident enough in your skills, you can whisk everything together directly on the stove, over the heat. This is what I do. If not, you can use a double boiler and place the egg mixture over the boiling water while whisking in the butter mixture. You want a delicate, smooth, creamy, buttery sauce WITHOUT scrambling the eggs.

When the meat and the sauce are done, spoon the sauce over the meat and serve. The meat will be so tender and will just melt in your mouth. It will be like pure velvet to the mouth and to the senses. Serve with a red wine and enjoy. I served it with our very own Pinot Noir that we just made and bottled. Bon Appetite!

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