Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

In case you hadn’t noticed, I love writing my blog. I love it for many reasons, but one reason is that I learn so much about so many things I never knew of before. For instance, today, April 4th, is National Carrot Day. Who knew? I had never heard of that before, but yes, it really is a thing. It was established in 2003, with many countries around the world observing this fun and healthy day.

The purpose of National Carrot Day is to make people aware of how important it is to include carrots into your diet. Carrots are high in fiber, so they help regulate bowel movements and prevent constipation. They also help keep weight in check since they are low-calorie food loaded with fiber. Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A, which is essential for eye health and good vision. Eating carrots in moderation is good for you.

Carrots come in many different colors, but in the United States, the orange carrot is the most popular color and variety. I just had carrots last night that I added to a spring vegetable medley, and I used orange, purple and white carrots in the mix.

Carrot (Daucus carota) is native from Europe and west and central Asia and was probably domesticated in Afghanistan. Cultivated carrots were introduced in the MA and in Europe around the eighth century CE.

Carrots are very healthy for both humans and animals alike. I know I feed carrots to “the kids” all the time and they love them. When I cook their food, they almost always get carrots added to the mix.

Carrots have long been used as a reward for animal trainers too, especially horse, donkey and mule trainers. A carrot was a reward for them if they performed well in training or action. They like them so carrots were given as treats and as an incentive to continue.

Carrots can be eaten either raw or cooked. Both are healthy options, for both us and our animal friends. However, cooked carrots, at least for humans, are slightly healthier because cooking carrots allows beta carotene, an antioxidant compound that gets converted to vitamin A in the intestine, to absorb more easily in the body. And lucky for us, carrots are very versatile and can be cooked and prepared in many different, delicious ways.

Carrots are the foundation of so many meals, from rich and savory stews to sweet cakes and candies. They can serve as almost any part of a meal as well, including a sweet candied carrot or as the color to a tray of richly roasted vegetables.

International Carrot Day celebrates this root in all its uses, forms and flavors! And if you want to learn more about carrots, there is even a website with a virtual carrot museum to help you out. The World Carrot Museum is a website about the collection, preservation, interpretation and exhibition of objects relating to the carrot. It is a virtual museum which has no brick and mortar existence. The website is maintained by John Stolarczyk of Skipton, England, and is run as a not-for-profit organization. You can find it at http://www.world carrot musuem.com

Learning all about carrots is just one of the many fun and interesting things we can learn about through blogging. Who knew about all of this? I know I didn’t, but we do now. 🙂 We are never too old to learn new things. In fact, learning new things helps keep us young and vibrant. Learning is living. So learn something new everyday. You just might surprise yourself. 🙂 Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well, especially if you eat your carrots. ‘Til next time.

It’s Heron season again, and they are beginning to show up around the lakes once more. Slowly, one at a time, but they are beginning to come back none-the-less. I was so excited to see this handsome big guy. He completely caught me by surprise, but what a pleasant surprise it was too. He just made my day.

At first, I spotted him in the reeds.

Then he flew off thinking he would lose me. Wrong! He allowed me to follow him from lake to lake to lake and I was able to get some more good shots of him again, before he completely flew the coop. I did get some good action shots of him too.

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

I know you are all probably asking “What is a boureka”. I didn’t know either until I made them. They are delicious pockets in puff pastry that are deep fried to perfection. Bourekas, are handheld pockets made of crisp pastry dough filled with a variety of savory ingredients and are the snack food of choice for many Israelis.

They are like Jewish empanadas and can be filled with anything you like. I filled mine with pork, so mine were not Jewish, but then neither am I. 🙂

Traditional bourekas were originally created by Turkish Jews. The Sephardi Jews who were expelled from Spain who sought refuge in the Ottoman Empire. The Sephardic Jews created a new dish which adapted börek to their kosher dietary laws, and combined it with their traditional empanadas to create bourekas. Bourekas are said to have originated in Turkey with the immigration of Sephardic Jews from Spain in the late 1400s (via Taste of Jew). It’s believed that the term is a combination of the Spanish word ’empanada’ and the Turkish word ‘borek’ meaning hand-held pie.

Pork and Eggplant Bourekas

The recipe I was inspired by called for chorizo, but I was looking for a fun, creative way to re-use my smoked pork, so that is what I added to mine instead. I also added a little brisket because I didn’t think I had enough pork for my filling. Silly me! What was I thinking? And of course I added a few other personal tweaks to make it my own dish as well. What else would you expect form me? 🙂

1 lb either cooked pork, cubed or cooked beef, cubed, or a combination thereof

1/2 eggplant, cubed

1/2 onion, diced

1 1/2 TBSP garlic

2 tomatoes, diced

salt & pepper to taste

1 TBSP orange zest

1/3 cup fresh cilantro and/or parsley, chopped

1 package puff pastry sheets, fully thawed according to package directions

olive oil and/or orange olive olive for cooking

season seeds

canola or avocado oil for frying

Cube all the cooked meat and set aside. If you are using chorizo, make sure it is thoroughly cooked.

Dice the tomatoes and set aside.

Dice the eggplant and onions.

Get a large pan very hot and add the oil(s). I liked the addition of a little orange olive oil as well. It made it very flavorful. Add the eggplant and salt & pepper first and cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Then add the onions and garlic and continue to cook until the onions are translucent and soft.

When the eggplant and onion mixture is cooked, add the meat and mix together well. Cook for an additional 3 minutes or so.

Add the tomatoes, orange zest and cilantro and cook just long enough to heat everything up. Adjust the seasonings as needed. Drain off the excess oil and liquid.

Cut the puff pastry into squares that are about 5 inches in size. Add about 2 TBSP of filling to 1/2 the squares, leaving a little space around the edges free. Add another square on top and firmly press together. Crimp with the edge of a fork. Moisten you finger tip with a little water and seal the edges.

I let mine set for about 30 or so minutes at room temperature to proof a bit before frying them. Then get your oil to about 350*F or 180*C. You want an oil like either avocado or canola oil, that has a higher smoke point and won’t burn. Place the bourekas in the fry basket without crowding them. You might have to do them in batches. Place them in the hot oil and let them cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and the dough is completely cooked.

As soon as the bourekas come out of the hot oil, sprinkle a few toasted sesame seeds on top, and enjoy. These are best eaten immediately, while they are still hot. As with any dish that has been around for such a long time, there are endless possibilities for fillings. Make them with whatever you have on hand and with whatever you like. However you decide to make them, I promise you are going to like them a lot. 🙂

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

Chickadees are pretty little birds. I see them quite often, but they are so fast and quick, that is often very difficult for me to get good shots of them. Usually they fly off before I can even get my camera focused. This time though, I was lucky. There was one little guy who was posing for the camera. This is almost unheard of, at least for me. Of course, I was going to take as many pictures of him as I could, while he was there posing for me.

We have two kinds of Chickadees here in our area, the Black-Capped, which is the one I saw yesterday, and the Mountain Chickadee.

It was my lucky day in a couple of ways. First, I had a window of sunshine that allowed me to go walk-about before the rain and hail came down. And second, I was lucky enough to be able to get some good, clear shots of my little Chickadee. I’ll take both opportunities and think of them as gifts from above. Thank you, thank you. 🙂

I had made another batch of ceviche to take with us to Mike and Lauren’s for Easter dinner, but …. That didn’t happen. I forgot it in the fridge. We didn’t miss it though, since we had plenty of food without it. 🙂

This time I made a crab (really it was krab) and shrimp ceviche. It was just as tasty as my last batch of ceviche, Shrimp Ceviche and just as cool and refreshing too. There are so many different options and varieties of ceviche. Use your imagination and let it run wild. 🙂

Crab and Shrimp Ceviche

You can use either the real crab or the artificial krab for this cool and refreshing dish. I had the artificial krab so I used that this time. Krab is still fish, it is just not crab. It is usually made with pollock or another white fish. You can find it in most stores. It is a delicious, and much cheaper alternative to real crab. Don’t get me wrong, I love real crab too, but I usually only buy it for special occasions.

1/2 lb crab meat or krab meat, cut into small pieces

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, cut into small pieces

1/2 cucumber, diced fine

1/4 red onion, diced fine

1/4-1/3 cup pickled red onions, optional

1-2 jalapenos, diced fine

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine

salt & pepper to taste

3/4 cup lime juice

I had some pickled red onion Pickled Onions that I threw into the mix as well. It really brought the ceviche to life and added some extra pizzazz.

Combine everything together and mix well. Let it all “cook” together in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours before serving.

Top with some thinly sliced cucumber slices and a sprig or two of fresh cilantro to make it pop before serving. !Desfruitas! Enjoy!

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 out to play. I have heard them a lot more than I’ve seen them for the most part, but they are beginning to come out now. Today, I was lucky enough to see a very handsome Rosy Capped Finch posing in the tree. I even caught him singing.

I am so glad my birds are coming back out to play. I love my birds. 🙂

I actually did NOT host Easter this year. Instead, we went to Mike and Lauren’s for our Easter celebration. However, just because I did not host does not mean I did not cook. Lauren asked me to bring some asparagus and mashed potatoes, which of course, I did. But I also made a chocolate orange cake for dessert. I was inspired by another recipe I saw for something else, but thought that an orange and chocolate combination would be just perfect for Easter.

My frosting did not come out exactly as I was hoping, but it still tasted good and was enjoyed by all, and that’s really all that matters. Once again, that’s what happens when I follow directions. I am much better doing my own thing, at least in the kitchen, than following directions (though there are a lot of things I don’t follow the directions for outside of the kitchen too). 🙂

Chocolate Orange Cake

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

Spray two 8 1/2 inch cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

1 3/4 cup flour

1 3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder – I used my black onyx cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup oil – I did 1/2 canola oil and 1/2 blood orange oil

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp orange extract

1 tsp orange zest

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup hot water

Combine all the dry ingredients together and mix well. I have different kinds of cocoa powder and use them for different recipes. Since I like the combination of dark chocolate and orange, I used my black onyx cocoa powder. If you do not have this, no worries. Any kind of cocoa powder will be just fine.

Mix the sugar, oil(s), orange extract, orange juice and eggs together until smooth and creamy. I had some blood orange oil that I mixed with the canola oil to really give an good orange flavor. Don’t sweat it if you don’t have orange oil though. I am very lucky, and we have a specialty oil shop close by, but I realize these specialty oils can be challenging to find. Canola oil is just fine on its own.

Add 1/2 the flour mixture and 1/2 the buttermilk, mix and repeat until it is all mixed in together. This is supposed to be a very liquidy mix. The more liquidy the mix, the moister the cake will be.

Once the batter is done, pour equal amounts of the batter into the prepared cake pans and evenly distribute. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool completely, then place in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours to set before icing it .

The Frosting

1 1/2 cups or 3 sticks softened butter

1 cup cocoa powder

5-5 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tsp orange extract

Mix everything together well until smooth and creamy. Then add a thick layer in between the cakes, and frost the whole cake and decorate.

I added orange slices all around the top for decoration. Chill until ready to serve. Then slice and enjoy with family and/or friends. If you like chocolate and you like oranges, you are going to love this cake, even if the frosting doesn’t quite come out like you were hoping for. 🙂

We all have little hick-ups in life, but my philosophy is you can either have sour lemons or you can make lemonade. Personally, I like lemonade, so I don’t let these little hick-ups bother me too much. I just move on. My mentor, the one and only Ms. Julia Child, said “never apologize in the kitchen”. So, I don’t, and neither should you. 🙂

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

Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. It is a very Holy day for millions around the world who are believers. People celebrate in many different ways. Most people celebrate by attending church services, exchanging gifts, enjoying festive meals with family and friends, and participating in Easter egg hunts. Many people eat either ham or lamb on Easter. Some people prefer to go vegan on Easter Sunday, though in most cases, most people eat meat, since a lot of devout Christians have given up meat for the six weeks of Lent. Many eat candy and sweets, and of course chocolate too.

Here are some of the world’s other Easter traditions.

In both Australia and New Zealand, because they are both located in the Southern Hemisphere, and it is fall there, hot cross buns are made and enjoyed on this day.

In many parts of Africa, Easter is celebrated from the Thursday before, which they call Maudy Thursday or the Last Supper, through Sunday. Thursday’s celebrations are a somber vigil, but when Easter Sunday arrives, it is celebrated with music and dance. Churches are often decorated with cloths that have butterflies, flowers and more.

In the Philippines, they have two Easter processions. One for the men and one for the women. The men are in one procession and follow an image of Jesus risen from the dead and the women make up another procession and follow Jesus’ mother, Mary, who’s wearing a black veil. The two groups meet at the church as a symbol of Jesus comforting Mary after He was raised from the dead. 

All throughout Europe, eggs are painted and colored with many elaborate designs. The oldest tradition, which continues to be used in Central and Eastern Europe, is to use dye and paint chicken eggs. Although eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility and rebirth, in Christianity, for the celebration of Eastertide, Easter eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus, from which Jesus was resurrected. The egg has become synonymous with Spring’s arrival. From a Christian perspective, the egg represents the resurrection of Jesus. The first book to mention Easter eggs by name was written 500 years ago. Yet, a North African tribe that had become Christian much earlier had a custom of coloring eggs at Easter.

In Bermuda, and other parts of the Caribbean, people fly colorful kites for Easter. According to legend, a local Sunday school teacher inspired this fun tradition after they launched a kite that looked like Jesus to help the students understand the story of Christ.

Ahead of Holy Week in southern Guatemala’s Antigua, the town covers the streets in in colorful carpets in preparation for its Good Friday procession, according to Condé Nast Traveler.

The long carpets are made from flowers, colored sawdust, fruits, vegetables, and sand. Each carpet is often covered in scenes that are important to the artists who make them, ranging from religion to Mayan traditions to Guatemalan history. Some of these pieces can stretch as long as half a mile, and artists use stencils to assemble them quickly since they have just 24 hours to create their works of art the day before the Good Friday procession.

Italy likes to shoot of fireworks for their Easter celebrations. In Florence, Italy, locals celebrate a 350-year-old Easter tradition known as Scoppio del Carro, or “explosion of the cart” that dates all the way back to the First Crusade, according to Visit Florence.

An ornate cart is loaded with fireworks and then led through the streets by people in colorful 15th-century costumes. Once the cart reaches the Duomo, the Archbishop of Florence lights a fuse from inside the church during Easter mass, sparking a lively fireworks display.

Some places, like Greece, Corfu, Hungary and Poland, for instance, like to throw pots of water over a balcony for Easter. On the morning of Holy Saturday, the traditional “pot throwing” takes place on the Greek island of Corfu. People throw pots, pans, and other earthenware often filled with water out of their windows where they crash down to the street below. Some say the custom derives from the Venetians, who on New Year’s Day used to throw out all of their old items. Others believe the throwing of the pots welcomes spring, symbolizing the new crops that will be gathered in the new pots.

In Poland, pouring water on one another is an Easter tradition called Śmigus-dyngus, a.k.a. Wet Monday. People gather on Easter Monday to try and drench each other with buckets of water, squirt guns, or anything they can get their hands on. Legend says girls who get soaked on Wet Monday will marry within the year.

“Sprinkling,” a popular Easter tradition in Hungary, is observed on Easter Monday, also known as “Ducking Monday.” Boys playfully sprinkle perfume or perfumed water on girls after getting their permission to do so and sometimes even ask for a kiss. People used to believe that water had a cleaning, healing, and fertility-inducing effect.

I learned a lot of new things about Easter celebrations from around the world today. I hope you did too. Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates. And to all, have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

We decided to have some fish for Good Friday. I had something in mind, but when I started pulling out my ingredients, I realized I didn’t have everything I needed and I didn’t fell like going back to the store, so I changed things up a bit, and worked with what I had instead. I do this quite often, and things always turn out just fine. 🙂 What I ended up making was panko coated cod over roasted vegetables in a lemon-herb sauce. It was very tasty.

Panko Cod with Roasted Vegetables

I was going to make a wine sauce, but decided to just drink the wine instead. 🙂

3-4 5-6oz pieces of cod

5-6 mushrooms, sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thick strips

1/2 orange bell pepper, cut into thick strips

1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into thick strips

1/2 onion, sliced

6-7 small tomatoes, sliced

6-7 garlic cloves, sliced very thin

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme

3-4 sprigs fresh oregano

1/2 cup panko breading

oil for cooking

Preheat the oven to 425*F or 220* C.

Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.

Toss the peppers, onions and mushrooms together in salt, pepper and olive oil, then place them in the baking pan and roast for about 30 minutes. After about 20 minutes, add the tomatoes and the rest of the lemon-herb mixture used for the fish and continue to cook.

Combine the herbs, seasonings, olive oil and lemon juice together. Pat dry the fish with a paper towel. Coat the fish in the lemon-herb mixture on both sides, then coat with the panko breading.

Get a large skillet very hot, then add either olive mixed with butter or canola oil and pan-fry the fish for about 4-6 minutes per side. Cook until the fish is light and flaky and is thoroughly cooked and the crust is lightly golden.

I served everything over a bed of wild rice. Then added the fish and topped it with the vegetables and sauce. Delicious. It was perfectly paired with a rich, buttery, oaky chardonnay to make a perfect spring meal.

Happy Easter to all who celebrate. And to all, have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Normally when we hear the phrase “spring chicken” it usually reminds us that we are no longer as young as we used to be, and we don’t have the same get-up-and-go that we once did. However, this time, I mean it in a completely different way. This time, I literally mean a spring chicken salad. 🙂

The calendar says it is spring, but here, we’re still not so sure about that. The thermometer keeps telling us something different. Right now the mercury readings are all over the place. One day it’s warm, then the next day it snows, then the snow melts and it is warm again, and then back to snow. Who knows?! This also makes it challenging to know what to prepare for dinner as well. Yesterday, it was salad weather. This beautiful, colorful and healthy salad was made mostly from leftovers.

I used my leftover Greek lemon chicken, and the asparagus from that same meal. Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes I added some of my pickled onions Pickled Onions I had made earlier for my Old World/New World fiesta Old World/New World Fiesta as well as a shredded carrot, diced tomato, Manchega cheese for Larry and avocado slices for me.

Then I topped it all off with the remainder of my lemon vinaigrette Roasted Vegetable Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette and some toasted pepita seeds. To round it all off, I added some warmed pita bread and hummus with a glass or two of Chardonnay on the side. Delicious!

It was perfect, and it was actually a good salad day too. Today, the weather is changing on us once again, so today it will be time to turn the oven back on. This is our typical weather pattern for this time of year. No one knows what to expect, so it’s best to just be prepared for anything. 🙂

Life is unpredictable. Be prepared for all of life’s unexpected pleasures and challenges. Make the most of it no matter what life offers you. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.