Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

There are nearly 7000 kilometers or about 4350 miles of coastline along India’s borders. Fishing and seafood are big industries all throughout India, and each region has its own regional specialties. I made an Indian dish called chingri malai curry or shrimp in a coconut cream sauce that hails from the Eastern coast of India. It is a combination of both Malaysian and Bengali influences and cultures.

Prawns in a Coconut Cream Sauce

The word malai usually refers to a cream being used in or as the sauce and chingri is usually translated to mean prawns. So …. prawns (chingri) and a cream sauce (malai). The cream in this recipe is coconut milk. The recipe I followed (sort of) did not call for the addition of vegetables, but I like vegetables in my curries, and in my foods in general, so I added some common vegetables used in a lot of Indian and Asian recipes. I added peas, mushrooms, carrots and red bell peppers. I also added a yellow heirloom tomato to give a little extra flavor and texture.

1 1/2 lbs large prawns or shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 onion, sliced very thin

1 TBSP garlic

1 TBSP ginger

2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced Asian style (at an angle)

3/4 cup of peas

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

4-5 mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp turmeric

red pepper flakes to taste

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

salt to taste

1 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp cardamom

1 cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

1 tsp chili powder

1 can coconut milk

1-2 TBSP honey

olive oil and coconut oil, optional for cooking

green onions, sliced

cilantro, chopped

Get a large skillet very hot and add the oil(s), the bay leaves, red pepper flakes and shrimp. Cook the shrimp for about 5-6 minutes or until cooked, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Add the onions, mushrooms, peppers and carrots to the oil and cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.

Combine the rest of the spices, honey and coconut milk together and mix well. Add to the vegetables, along with the peas, the tomato (if using) and the shrimp. Mix together well, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook, stirring often, for about 5-8 minutes.

Add the green onions towards the end of the cooking process.

Once everything is ready, serve over cooked rice and top with the chopped cilantro.

I added some pork potstickers as a side dish and some tangy, citrusy white wine on the side. The wine is one of my favorites; a Spanish Albarino. The citrus of the white wine helps balance out the spiciness of the dish.

You can make this same sauce and use any kind of a white fish or chicken too. I like the addition of vegetables because it helps make the meal more complete, at least in my humble opinion, and I like complete, well balanced meals.

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

All the flowers and trees are beginning to bloom, turning the winter browns into beautiful spring colors. Everything is beginning to look so bright and colorful. I just love it. Here are some more spring blooms that are beginning to show their colors of the season.

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

It was another pizza night last night, so nothing was cooking in my kitchen. But just because something isn’t happening in my kitchen doesn’t mean something isn’t going on in other kitchens. As you all know, I am very interested in all things food related, from all sources. So let’s give a listen to what others are saying about food and what’s going on in their kitchens.

~Heston Blumenthal, British Chef and TV Personality~

To me, food is as much about the moment, the occasion, the location and the company as it is about the taste.

~Jose Andres Puerta, Spanish American Chef and Author~

I realized very early the power of food to evoke memory, to bring people together, to transport you to other places, and I wanted to be a part of that.

~ Luciano Pavarotti, Opera Singer~

One of the very nicest things abut life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.

~Anthony Bourdain, American Chef, TV Personality~

Anyone who’s a chef, who loves food, ultimately knows that all that matters is: “Is it good? Does it give you pleasure?”

~Spanish Proverb~

I hope these helped to brighten your day a bit, and maybe bring a smile or two. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

All of my spring and summer birds are coming back for the season, and I love it. My egrets are among my returning birds. I had this one egret that was so beautiful and graceful. He was just begging for me to take pictures of him. I took as many as he would allow, then moved on. When I came back, he was still there, ready for a few more shots.

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

Roasting foods, and especially vegetables, has a way of “concentrating flavors [and] making [them] taste like better versions of themselves. (p. 442 All About Roasting A New Approach To A Classic Art by Molly Stevens). The dry heat of the oven helps to caramelize the sugars in the vegetables giving them a sweet, smoky flavor while crisping up the edges at the same time. In order to really bring out the best flavors when roasting vegetables, you need to coat them in some kind of fat, like butter or oil. This helps to prevent the vegetables from shriveling up as well as helping the seasonings to attach to the vegetables. In essence, it makes them irresistible.

Last night’s dinner was entirely roasted and seared. And in my humble opinion, they were roasted and seared to perfection. 🙂

Let’s start with the roasted vegetables. I had a colorful array of peppers that I cut into thin strips, and added some quartered mushrooms, sliced onion, whole garlic cloves, sliced very thin, and sliced tomatoes. I tossed it all in a little olive oil and lemon olive oil, along with some salt & pepper, then put them in the oven to roast at 400*F of about 205*C for about 30 minutes or so.

Don’t they look pretty and colorful? 🙂

While roasting the vegetables, I also roasted some new potatoes at the same time. I par-boiled them first with a dash of vinegar, then drained them and tossed them in olive oil, salt and pepper and some parsley and put them in a pan to roast next to the vegetables. Vinegar helps form a thin crust on the outer layer of potatoes. This crust is what’s necessary to help them keep their shape and not become mushy or fall apart when boiling.

While the potatoes and vegetables were cooking, it was time to sear the steak. I marinated it in some olive oil mixed with salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and garlic for about 2 hours before searing it in a very hot skillet mixed with a combination of olive oil and butter.

This is my absolute favorite way to enjoy a good steak. The skillet has to be VERY HOT, and then it needs the right amount of fat, that has a high smoke point and won’t burn, hence the combination of both butter and olive oil. I sear it for about three minutes per side first, then depending on the thickness of the steak, I usually sear it for another 2 minutes per side once again. USE a timer for this one. I always say cooking is not a science, where baking is, however when it comes to searing meats, it is an exact science indeed. This will give you a delicious crust on the outside while the inside remains juicy and tender. A perfect steak for me is rare to medium rare, with an internal temperature no higher than about 130*F or about 55*C. I even recommend removing the steak from the heat a little before it gets to this internal temperature, because it will continue to cook for a few minutes after you remove it from the heat and tent it.

Once everything was cooked to perfection, it was time to plate it all up. I served it all with a cheesy bread twist Cheesy Bread Twists and a glass or two of a big, bold red Tempranillo. Delicious!

Eat well whenever you can. Life is short and tomorrow is never guaranteed, so live it up and enjoy every moment. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

I knew I was making some pesto pasta with chicken and vegetables for dinner, but I needed some kind of bread to go with it. I know there are many gluten-free people who disagree, and that is perfectly OK. But I must have some Italian in me from a former life, because I like bread with EVERYTHING. 🙂 I didn’t have any bread, and I love making bread, so it was time to do some research to come up with something easy-peasy and not to time consuming to make. I found the perfect bread recipe to go with my pesto pasta. I made some cheesy bread twists.

There is something very therapeutic about making bread. I can’t explain it, but anyone who has ever baked bread from scratch would most likely agree. “Fresh baked bread smells and tastes like honest food. People are just irresistibly drawn to fresh, homemade bread”. (p.5 Fleischmann’s Yeast – Best-Ever Bread)

Cheesy Bread Twists

I followed the recipe for the most part, though you know I made a few of my own personal adjustments. 🙂 These bread twists do NOT require a lot of proof time, making them perfect for making bread in a short period of time.

3-3 1/2 cups flour

3 TBSP sugar

2 packages of Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise yeast or 4 1/2 tsp of dry active yeast – I used the dry active yeast

1 1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup water

1 5-oz can evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese of your choice – I used shredded Jack

egg wash

dried roasted garlic, poppy seeds, sesame seeds or Parmigiano cheese for topping

melted butter

Combine about 2 1/2-3 cups of flour with the salt and and 2 TBSP sugar. Mix well

Whisk the water, 1 TBSP of sugar and the yeast together and let sit for about 10 minutes or until it becomes frothy.

Heat the milk to about 130* F or about 55*C. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the warmed milk into the well. Add the yeast mixture. With a spatula or wooden spoon, mix everything together as best as you can.

Add the cheese to the mixture, and mix together once again. When you can no loner mix everything with the spatula or the spoon, pour the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead together for about 8 minutes, incorporating as much of the remaining flour as the dough will take. This is supposed to be a very soft dough, so DO NOT over mix it. Knead it until it forms into a ball. Cover and let set for about 10 minutes before shaping the dough.

Cut the dough into 12 equal portions, then roll gently with your hands until the dough stretches out to make ropes that are about 14 inches long.

Double the rope and twist about 3 times and pinch the ends together. Place on a greased cookie sheet, cover and let rise for about 40-45 minutes.

When you are ready to bake the twists, preheat the oven to 400* F or about 205*C.

Make an egg wash and brush the bread twists with the egg wash. Then sprinkle on your topping, if using. I used the roasted garlic.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately after removing from the oven, brush the bread twists with melted butter and serve. These are best when served hot, straight out of the oven. Good luck with eating just one of these though. I could easily make these a meal all by themselves. 🙂

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

Last night was yet another of our many fun game nights. Rather than doing dinner, we all chose to do nibblies instead. So it was both game night and nibbly night. I made a selection of mostly Keto and gluten-free treats for all of us to enjoy, and that we did too. There wasn’t too much left at the end of the evening. This is always a good sign when entertaining. 🙂

None of us wanted anything too heavy, so nibblies were a perfect option. And for the most part, they were fairly healthy.

I made a sausage and cheese tray with five different kinds of cheese and a couple of different kinds of crackers; a big bowl of mixed olives, with four different kinds of olives; a big fruit platter using some of my chocolate orange sauce again (I told you that you would be seeing it again, in another form soon); and my chocolate orange shortbread cookies as well.

For my fruit platter, I had some mixed berries, strawberries, dried mango slices and dried banana chips. I used some of my chocolate orange sauce as an option to dip the fruit into as well. The chocolate sauce went very well with all of the fruit varieties too.

Then I just assembled it all and made it pretty. We eat with our eyes long before the food reaches our taste buds, so making our dishes pretty is part of the fun.

Good friends, good food and good fun. Who could ask for anything more? I can’t complain. Life is very, very good indeed. We do our best to enjoy every moment. 🙂

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

You all know how much fun I have recreating from my leftovers. I got yet another chance to play with my food yet again too. When I made my chocolate orange cake Chocolate Orange Cake I had a lot of frosting left over. Well, I didn’t want to make another cake, so what could I do with the frosting? I made cookies. Cookies are always my favorite dessert anyway, so what better way to use up some of chocolate orange frosting, right?! 🙂

Shortbread cookies originated in Scotland around the 12th century, and were popular with Mary, Queen of Scots, during the 16th century. Mary Queen of Scots’ cravings for shortbread skyrocketed it to fame. She asked private chefs to create ‘petticoat shortbread’ shapes based on the petticoats she wore during the 16th century. And thanks to her, this shape remains a big favorite now. During her reign (1542 – 1567), a bite was reserved only for the elite. As shortbread was made with butter, sugar and flour, it would be both expensive and difficult to get hold of the ingredients, and so it became synonymous with wealth, luxury and celebrations. It was munched on by nobles and royals, and saved for special occasions like weddings, Christmas and New Year for the less rich. It was often made for weddings, showing off that the happy couple could afford to serve guests such a rare treat. Today, shortbread reigns supreme in Scotland and is affordable for all. So as you can see, these popular cookies have been around for a very long time. They are still a favorite all over the world today too, although today, there are many more varieties.

The story of shortbread begins with the medieval “biscuit bread”. Any leftover dough from bread making was dried out in a low oven until it hardened into a type of rusk: the word “biscuit” means “twice cooked”. Gradually the yeast in the bread was replaced by butter, and biscuit bread developed into shortbread. The name “shortbread” comes from the use of butter, which gives the cookies, or biscuits as they are called in the UK, their buttery taste and crumbly, soft to the bite texture. The name of shortbread cookies comes from the old meaning of the world “short”, which reflects the crumbliness of the dough and the name ‘shortbread’ stuck. That firm to the bite feel with a crumbly texture is the source of your shortbread addiction. Butter, and especially high quality butter, gives the dough its crumbly feel.

Are shortbreads a cookies, a biscuit or bread? This was a serious question to the British government, especially when it came to taxing these delicious treats. In the 1980’s, the Scottish Association of Master Bakers Scottish fought hard to fight off the European Union who wanted to classify shortbread a ‘common biscuit’ in order to charge the higher biscuit tax imposed by the government. Today, many consider it a ‘biscuit’, but the ‘shortbread’ name stays thanks to their perseverance.

Chocolate Orange Shortbread Cookies

The key to good shortbread cookies is to NOT overwork the dough. Mix it just until it starts to come together, then dump it onto a lightly floured surface until you have a smooth dough. The less you work the dough, the more crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth your shortbread cookies will be. You also want to make sure the butter to flour ratio is in correct proportion. If one of them is off, the dough will not have the desired soft and crumbly texture or rich, buttery taste.

12 TBSP or 1 1/2 sticks softened butter

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp orange extract

2 cups + 2 TBSP flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 TBSP orange zest

2 TBSP orange juice or orange balsamic vinegar

Combine all the dry ingredients together and mix well.

Mix the butter and sugar together until creamy, then add the egg, orange juice or orange vinegar and the extracts and mix together again. I did not have orange juice, so I added the orange vinegar instead. It worked just fine.

Add 1/2 the flour and mix in, then add the rest of the flour and mix just until everything is combined. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and work it with your hands until the dough forms.

Shape the dough into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before baking.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350* F or 180*C. Then slice the dough into pieces about 1/4″ thick and place on a non-greased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the edges start to lightly brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly on the pan, then move them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before dipping them in the frosting.

For my frosting, I used some of my leftover chocolate orange frosting and added a little heavy whipping cream to make it more like a ganache, then heated it all together on the stove for about 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly.

I dipped half of the cookie into the chocolate mixture and lightly sprinkled some orange zest on the chocolate portions.

When the cookies are all topped, place the tray into fridge to set for at least about 30 minutes or so before enjoying, and enjoy you will too.

These cookies are definitely addicting. I bet you can’t stop at just one. But go ahead. I dare you. 🙂

And believe it or not, I still have quite a bit of my chocolate orange frosting left. So, don;t be too ssurprised when you see yet another chocolate orange com

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

My squirrels are playful all year long, but they tend to get especially playful during spring. HMMMM. I wonder why????? 🙂 🙂 🙂 Here are some more fun pictures of my playful squirrels.

It’s OK to get squirrely every now and then. 🙂 Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

You all know how much fun I have recreating from my leftovers. It’s become a fun game for me. What can do with this? When I made my bourekas Mediterranean Pork and Eggplant Bourekas I only used about half of my filling. I was planning on making another batch of bourekas, but decided on turning it into pasta instead. So this

was born from this. Hard to imagine right?!

Not really when you think about it. I used only the filling for the pasta by adding about 3/4 cup of dry white wine, a little tomato paste and adjusted the seasonings a bit. Then I served it all over angel hair pasta. It was a quick, easy-peasy idea, which is what I needed since I had a busy day and got home a little later than expected and still needed to make dinner.

We also christened our deck for the season as well. We enjoyed our first of many evening dinners yet to come for the season out on our beloved deck, overlooking our lakes/ponds.

Life is good. We do our best to enjoy every minute of it too. The little things are the perfect things. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.