A Jeanne in the Kitchen

Here in Colorado, it is grape harvesting season. For wine lovers everywhere, this is a very good time of year. Grape harvesting is one of the most important procedures for grapevine producers. In many countries, the day of harvesting is so great that producers organize fiestas to celebrate the great event.

Harvesting period for grapes, generally starts 30-70 days after fruit set, by the time berries change color from green to yellow (for white varieties), or red-purple (for red varieties). During this stage, there is normally have an increase in sugars and a decrease in acids inside the fruits. In general, in the northern hemisphere, most varieties mature from August through November, while in the southern hemisphere from March to August.

When Mike, Lauren, Larry and I discovered the Blue Mountain Vineyard A New Winery a couple of weeks ago, we learned about their harvest party and we all decided we wanted to help with the event. We got up early and dressed for the occasion, in comfortable working clothes and shoes that it didn’t matter if they got muddied. And muddied they got too. The lands were caked with fresh, thick, slippery, sludgy mud. And to the harvest party we went.

In most cases, grapes are hand-harvested. Hand-harvesting is performed using knives and/or shears, either manual or electric. After whole bunches are cut, workers place them in collection baskets and transfer them to the winery (wine varieties) or to special warehouses (table grapes varieties). Table grape varieties can only be harvested by hand. They cannot be harvested mechanically, because they will be bruised. After harvested, table grapes are cooled and transferred to packaging warehouses. 

There were about 50 people from all over who joined the festivities. We all arrived at the winery around 8:00 AM and were picking Marquette grapes. Before we went picking, the Blue Mountain Vineyard gave us a little pep talk and provided a delicious array of muffins, Danishes, and croissants to help energize us. There were plenty of other varietals of grapes on the vines, but the Marquettes were the only ones were picking this time.

We even had a little help from friends.

Mike worked up an appetite and had to sample some of the grapes.

I don’t know how much each big bin holds, but between all of us, we picked enough grapes to completely fill 3 of them.

The staff was already hard at work stomping the grapes as soon as the bins were filled and brought back to the production area.

After the grapes were picked, we were all invited to enjoy a glass of wine to celebrate all our hard work. I chose to have a glass of the Marquette Blush, since those were the grapes we picked. This glass was from the harvest from a couple of years ago.

Tucker (the dog) was one of our supervisors, making sure we did everything correctly. I think he was happy with how we did everything. He gave us his stamp of approval.

Bear was one of the other supervisors. Bear said you have to mix in just the right amount of drool to perfect the wines. It’s their secret fermenting ingredient. 🙂

We all had a lot of fun and decided this is something we would definitely like to partake in again next year. I have now picked the grapes, put them through the presser, stomped them, and of course, enjoyed the nectars of the gods many times, all from different locations and wineries, at different times. I guess I am now an honorary vintner. 🙂

Put some fun into everything you do. Life is short. Enjoy it to the best of your abilities everyday. Make everyday fun and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

I love Nutella. It’s a creamy chocolate hazelnut spread that I think is super delicious. I love when I can cook with it. I am always on the lookout for new and creative ways to use it. And for the most part, you can substitute Nutella for peanut butter too. That’s exactly what I did for this cookies recipe. The Nutella took the cookies to a whole new level. YUMMY!

I could have very easily munched this whole bunch, but fortunately I didn’t. I did after all make them for others.

Nutty Chocolate Nutella Cookies

I used pecans for this recipe. Pecans are some of my favorite nuts. But you can use any kind of nuts you like.

Preheat oven to 350* F or 180* C.

1 cup Nutella

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar + more for rolling the cookies in

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup chopped nuts of your choice – I used pecans

1 cup chocolate chips

Combine all the dry ingredeints together and set aside.

Mix the Nutella, shortening, sugar and eggs together. Mix in the flour, 1/2 at a time, and mix until everything is well incorporated.

Fold in the nuts and the chocolate chips. Then drop about 1 TBSP of dough onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

Roll the dough into a ball then roll into sugar and press with the bottom of a glass to flatten out and make even.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. After a few minutes, place the cookies on a baking rack and allow to cool completely.

These deliciously scrumptious cookies are very hard to resist. Once you start, it’s hard to stop. They just melt in your mouth. Oh so yummy!

Allow your cookie monster to come out every now and then. It’s OK. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Our flower season is coming to an end. Soon we will be switching over from summer to fall. The leaves are already beginning to turn and the flowers are dying off for the season. But every season has its charm and beauty. As much as I love summer and all the beautiful flowers, I am looking forward to the changing of the seasons. Fall really is my absolute favorite season too. But for now, I will give you some more of our colorful flowers of summer.

And here come the colors of fall.

Every season in life has its own beauty and charm. Embrace all your seasons.

As you all know, one of my favorite things to do is to find fun and creative ways of reusing things I already have. It has become a fun, challenging culinary game to me. I had quite a few grapes left that need to be used, especially since I will be leaving to go on vacation to Spain next week. A good way of using a lot of these grapes was to turn them into a moist and delicious cake.

I know Europeans use grapes for cakes and desserts, as well as many other things, much more than we Americans do, but I am doing my best to change that. A friend of mine told me years and years ago that “I was more European than American”, and I take that as a very nice compliment indeed, especially when it comes to food and wine. 🙂

Grapes have been cultivated in the Middle East for at least about 8000 years. Today, many different variety of grapes are grown all over the world. The three primary uses for grapes are for wine, dried fruit (raisins) and fresh table grapes. The varieties of ways in which grapes can be used coupled with the number of countries in grapes can be grown accounts for the fact the world produces about 72 million tons of grapes annually. That’s a whole lot of grapes.

Grape Crumble Cake

You can use any kind of grapes you like for this moist and delicious cake, but I had both red and green grapes, so that is what I used this time.

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

Spray a 9″ cakepan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

The Filling

2 cups grapes, cut in half

2/3 cup sugar

6 TBSP water, divided

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

3 TBSP cornstarch

1 tsp lemon extract, optional

Mix the grapes, 2 TBSP of water, the sugar and the lemon juice together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Mix the cornstarch with the remaining water and add to the grape mixture, along with the lemon extract if using. Bring to a boil once again, and let boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool.

The Streusel

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup butter cubed

Mix everything together until it resembles sand and set aside.

The Cake

3/4 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon extract

3 eggs

1 1/3 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Combine all the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Mix the butter and eggs together, adding the eggs one at a time and mixing in between each addition. Add the vanilla then add the flour mixture 1/2 at a time, mixing in between. Mix until everything is well incorporated together.

Fold in the grape mixture.

Evenly spread the batter into the prepared cake pan. Add the streusel topping on top and bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the cake is set in the middle and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing it up. I have only tested and tasted the little crumbs that have fallen away, but I can already tell you this cake is a definite winner. It was so moist and flavorful. if I can get this much out of just little crumbs, imagine what you will get when you can enjoy a whole slice, or two. 🙂

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

My squirrels are out and about and are very playful indeed. They are curious and active. They are also busy gathering nuts to store up for later. They know fall is in the air and it won’t be much longer before cooler/colder weather and snow come our way.

This guy is having fun spying on something below.

Oh no. She caught me. What do I do now? I know. I’ll look innocent and she’ll never know.

Where can I hide these so no one else will find them?

Here’s lookin’ at you kid.

It is still salad season, which is a good thing. We will enjoy our salads out on the deck for as long the weather allows. We know the end of salads on the deck are coming soon.

Awhile ago, I had come across this interesting Asian cucumber salad that I’ve been wanting to try but had never gotten around to until yesterday. It was delicious, but not enough for a meal. So I made that salad first and then added it to our main salad with chicken to make it a meal. It was perfect.

I made the Asian cucumber salad first, which is a great side dish, but not enough for a meal. I used macadamia nuts, but you can use peanuts or almond slices, or chopped walnuts or pecans if you prefer.

Asian Cucumber Salad

1 1/2 lbs English cucumber, sliced thin

2-3 green onions, sliced

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1/2 cup fresh basil, chiffonade

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup nuts of your choice- I used sliced macadamia nuts

3 TBSP lime juice

2 TBSP olive oil

1-2 TBSP lime olive oil, optional

1 TBSP soy sauce

1 TBSP garlic

2 TBSP honey

1-2 tsp red chili flakes in oil, optional

Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.

Slice the cucumbers thin. I like to score mine with a fork first, but this is optional.

Combine all the rest of the dry ingredients and add just enough of the dressing to coat everything without making it all swim in sauce. Reserve the extra dressing for later, especially if you are going to make this into a main salad.

You can leave it just like this and serve it as a side dish to something else, or you can add this to a bigger salad and make it more of a meal like I did. I added shredded Romaine lettuce, shredded carrots and tomato wedges along with some cooked chicken breast. Then I added more of the dressing on top.

It’s a simple salad that’s simply delicious. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

I like to shake things up, as you all very well know. So I like throwing in food quotes and food funnies too.

We are always celebrating when good food is around, no matter the occasion.

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

When we were up in Lyons, Nature Walks – Hummingbirds of Lyons not only did we see the Rufous Hummingbirds, but we saw an American Dipper as well. American Dippers are birds that like to swim, or more they like to dip into the icy cold and turbulent waters, like streams or rivers in the mountainous areas that comes from snow runoff.

They are camouflaged, so they really blend in with the rocks. They are easy to miss unless you know what to look for. This guy was having so much fun just playing around and dipping in the water.

It’s perfectly OK to take some dips into the waters of life. Who knows, you just might like it too. 🙂

The other day when Larry was smoking his meats, one of things he added to the smoker was a pork loin. He did a great job with it too. He has definitely come a long way with his smoking skills. He is almost a smoke master now. 🙂

I am a saucy kind of girl, in more ways than one too. But for food purposes, I will leave it as I like sauces on my foods. I think sauces make the meal and they really bring meats to life. I wanted a good sauce that would enhance the smoky flavors of the pork loin. I decided upon a roasted pepper and herb coulis. I served it all over some tri-colored couscous with some sauteed vegetables and warmed ciabatta with an olive oil dipping sauce on the side. My sauce was red, so I chose a red blend wine to go with the meal. Delicious!

The term coulis has French origins and is used to indicate all of those sauces used to enrich dishes, but for the most part desserts.  The real definition of coulis is a strained liquid. Coulis (pronounced koo-LEE) is French for a thick sauce that’s made from puréed and strained vegetables or fruits. The original, classical use of the term was a meat sauce that was reduced three times.

Of course I don’t make a “proper coulis”, though I certainly know how. I prefer mine with texture rather than smooth. Every time I “break the culinary rules” I think of my favorite Chef Instructor, Chef Andre Averseng. He would always say ” no, no, no Jeanne, dis is not da way to do it”. Then he would taste what I made and rephrase his wording to “did is good, Jeanne. Dis is good”. So, breaking the rules can be a very good thing indeed. At least in the kitchen. 🙂

The main difference between my coulis and the traditional coulis is that I don’t strain it. I prefer it chunky. Everything else though, I keep the same; more or less. Though I am always going to add my own style and personality, and my own personality for that particular day too. 🙂

I started off by roasting some red peppers on an open flame, and charring them. Then I let them sweat for about 30 minutes before removing the charred skins. I rinsed and removed the seeds, then into the food processor they went, along with all the rest of my ingredients.

Roasted Pepper and Herb Coulis

2 red peppers, or any color, roasted, charred, seeds removed and rinsed

1 TBSP garlic

salt & pepper to taste

1-2 TBSP fresh rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil, lemon verbena, or other fresh herbs of your choice

1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 TBSP lemon olive oil

1-2 TBSP lemon balsamic vinegar

Process everything together in a food processor until it is the consistency you like. Like I said, I prefer mine more chunky. If you want to make yours more like a traditional coulis, then puree everything longer, and strain everything through a fine meshed strainer.

This sauce is best when served warm. You can use it for just about anything you like. It goes well with all kinds of meats and you can add some more vinegar to it to make it as a dressing for a salad too. Use your imagination and see you what you get. 🙂

Make the world a little bit more saucy and live it up. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Lyons is a pretty little mountain town about 1 hour north west of us. We go through it all the time when we go up to Estes Park, but this time, we actually stayed there for a bit. Larry’s boss retired and he recently moved up to Lyons full time. Before it had only been his get-away cabin. He hosted his retirement party and we all got to see his little bit of paradise, right on the river. I would move there in a heartbeat.

It was a little slice of Heaven. Not only did we enjoy this gorgeous idyllic bit of paradise, but we got to enjoy the hummingbirds as well. It is late in the season, so we only saw a few. Usually there are 100’s all around in the summer months. I was still very happy, and I finally got some great hummingbird shots, up close too.

These little gems are Rufous Hummingbirds. They like Colorado High Country and migrate there after the summer solstice. Usually by late August though, most of them are gone. There are just here long enough to make a brief appearance before they’re off again.

Persistence and patience have paid off. I am so happy these little guys were so cooperative this t time. Usually they are very difficult to capture with my lens. But not this time. 🙂