I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
Today, September 11, 2023 marks the 22nd anniversary of one of the scariest, most horrendous terrorist attacks in America. Twenty-two years ago today the horrors of 9/11 occurred, killing almost 3000 Americans on our own soil. May we always honor those who fought bravely and honor those we lost. May we never forget. I wish we could all come together once again like we did that day, and especially on 9/12, where every American and many others from around the world came together as one to fight the evils that brought the world to its knees.
It was time to go a-wining once more, though it is always that time for me, and I needed to make some nibblies to go with us. I did a variation of my usual tray of mixed cheeses, crostini, different spreads, bread, smoked turkey, roast beef, nuts and antipasto. I also made some olive tapenade with 3 different kinds of olives.
I almost always bring a variety of olives, but I decided to turn them into a tapenade this time instead. A tapenade is a Provençal name for a spread, condiment and culinary ingredient consisting of puréed or finely chopped olives, capers, and sometimes anchovies. Tapenade comes from Southern France, from the region of Provence. Anyone who is familiar with a tapenade knows it is an olive spread, but the name actually comes from the Provencal word for capers or tapenas. Tapenades have been around since the late 1880’s.
A traditional tapenade is made with black olives and anchovies. Well NO WAY am I going to ruin a perfectly delicious dish with anchovies, and I prefer green olives to black olives, though I love a variety of olives. You already know where I am going with this. It goes without saying, but you all know I “Jeannified” the recipe to make it my own. 🙂 I used Kalamata olives, castrelvato (sp) Spanish olives, and whatever else I had on hand. I usually keep a variety of olives on hand at all times. Each type of olive has a different flavor, so do what I do, and play around with different kinds of olives for different results and flavors.
Mixed Olive Tapenade
2 cups mixed olives or olives of your choice
1 TBSP garlic
1 shallot
6-8 capers in brine
5-6 sundried tomatoes in oil
1-2 TBSP lemon juice
1-2 TBSP lemon olive oil, optional
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 red pepper
1/4 cup parsley
Mix everything together in the food processor until it is blended together. You want it with little bits of chunks in it for added texture, or at least I do. 🙂 Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use as a spread for bread, Arabic flatbreads, crostini, or whatever you like.
I made some crostini to go with it this time. The easiest and most simple way to make crostini is to cut a French baguette into thin slices, at an angle, and brush both sides with olive oil. Then bake at 400*F or 205* C for about 15-20 minutes, then flip each piece over and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until it becomes lightly golden and crunchy.
And there you go. Simple, easy-peasy, delicious and always ready to go wherever you go.
Sometimes the best things in life are the simple things. Remember the K.I.S.S. rule – keep it simple (stupid). Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
Rosh Hashana is coming up for all of our Jewish friends. It is the Jewish New Year, and it is celebrated with traditional foods of the season. It is one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar or a High Holiday. Rosh Hashanah is packed with mitzvahs, special foods and traditions but the central observance of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar, the ram’s horn, on both days of the holiday. The shofar itself recalls the Binding of Isaac, an event that occurred on Rosh Hashanah in which a ram took Isaac’s place as an offering to God.
The festivities begin with prayer and readings from the Torah about Abraham and Sarah. These stories are told on Rosh Hashanah — the anniversary of the creation of human beings — because they remind us that all people, including those we look up to as our founding patriarchs and matriarchs, are filled with character flaws. Human beings are imperfect, and despite that eternal truth, they never lose hope in the potential to achieve great things. The reading is followed by a Haftarah about Hannah’s prayer for children that teaches that God fulfills even the most improbable of requests. Her song of gratitude is a shining example of how we need to thank God for our life every day. Her life takes on greater dimensions in the birth of Samuel the Prophet. From her sorrow to her joy, Hannah’s story is really the story of the Jewish people.
After prayers and readings from the Torah, the day is filled with feasts and festivities. It is customary to eat sweet foods, symbolizing the desire to have a sweet year, blessings and abundance. Throughout the meal, it is customary to also eat foods whose names allude to blessing and prosperity. Pieces of sweet apple are dipped into honey. The prayer said before eating it is: May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year. A head of a fish, ram, or other kosher animal, is served. This symbolizes the desire to be at the “head of the class” this year. A pomegranate is eaten, symbolizing the wish to have a year full of mitzvot and good deeds as a pomegranate is filled with luscious seeds.
I am definitely NOT a Jewish expert or scholar. I’m not even Jewish. But I do like to learn new things about all cultures, and especially their foods. What I am learning about the foods of this major Jewish holiday is that people like to eat various sweet foods in hopes of a happy, prosperous new year. Honey cakes, apple cakes, apples, challah are some of the delicious foods eaten and enjoyed during these festive times.
I made a Jewish apple cake for no other reason other an I liked the recipe, though I love learning about all the traditions that surround the cake and and the celebrations too. A friend of mine asked if it was called a Jewish apple cake because the apples came from Israel. No. That was just the name on the recipe and it is the time of the Jewish year to celebrate new beginnings. As you know, I celebrate almost everything with food, as do so many other people and cultures That is one of the beautiful characteristics of food. It has such a special meaning to all of us, for so many reasons. Food is life and life should be celebrated.
Jewish Apple Cake
Preheat the oven to 350* F or 180* C.
Spray a bundt cake pan with cooking spray.
2 1/3 cups sugar, divided
2 tsp cinnamon
4 1/2 cups Gala apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 3/4 cups flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
Combine 1/3 cup of sugar, the cinnamon and apples together and gently fold in so all the apples are coated with the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
Combine all the dry ingredients together and set aside.
Mix the remaining sugar and oil together. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing in between each addition. Add the vanilla. Add 1/2 the flour and mix, 1/2 the orange juice, and repeat until everything is blended together.
Gently fold the apples into the batter, then spoon into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the center is set.
Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the pan and serving. I dusted mine with a sprinkling of powdered sugar too.
Enjoy the festivities and the new year’s celebrations and Shana tova or Happy New Year. Jewish, Gentile, or something else, have a great day, and a great year. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
The Cobb salad is a popular composed salad found in restaurants all over the United States.
The Cobb salad was born in the wee hours of a Hollywood, California morning in 1937 at the Brown Derby restaurant. The owner, Bob Cobb, was ruffling through the kitchen’s refrigerator, pulling out various remnants including lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, tomatoes, chives and avocado. Smelling bacon being cooked nearby, he grabbed a few slices to add to his dish. It sounds like Bob Cobb liked to cook the same way I do. What do I have? How can I use it? Bob tossed the ingredients together and shared the outcome with his friend Sid Grauman (of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre fame). Mr. Grauman was so impressed that he asked for a “Cobb salad” at the restaurant the very next day, and a classic was born. The Brown Derby was a landmark restaurant that had been a part of Hollywood for decades, but sadly, it is no longer there. A part of the Hollywood tradition died the day they demolished the Derby.
Larry had the smoker going again, and when he smokes, he smokes. He smoked some ribs, a turkey and a pork loin. I used some of the smoked turkey to make Cobb Salads for dinner. The temperatures are still soaring, so it is still summer salad weather. This Cobb Salad just hit the spot.
I cooked up some bacon and made some croutons with some crusty bread that I cooked in the bacon grease and just started layering up the salads from there. Mine had avocados, Larry’s did not. His had cheese, mine did not. I also didn’t put the turkey on his yet, since he likes his warmed, whereas I prefer mine cold for something like this, but I think you get the general idea. 🙂
Simple can be elegant too. It’s all in the presentation. Presentation, presentation, presentation. 🙂 I only got he one picture of this salad, as it was kind of an after thought. But I guess sometimes less is more, right?!
Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
This year I have seen so many bees, butterflies, dragonflies, their winged cousins, beetles and bugs around. I don’t remember seeing so many in years past. But this year, it’s a banner year for them. Some even let me get close enough to get some good shots of them too.
If you allow yourself to see it, there is beauty in everything. All you have to do is open your eyes and look, and you will see beauty in everything. 🙂
Cookies are my absolute all time favorite snack to munch on. Well OK, cookies and popcorn. But today I am talking about cookies. Big, ooey-gooey chocolate drop cookies that just melt in your mouth.
The recipe I followed calls them “Grammy’s Chocolate Cookies”, but they are NOTHING like my grammy’s cookies. My grandmother was a horrible cook, and burned EVERYTHING. My mother learned how “to cook”, or should I say how not to cook, from her and did the same. She burned everything too, especially her last batch of cookies; every time. These cookies are soft and chewy and DELICIOUS!!!!!!
Old Fashioned Chocolate Cookies
I was following a Martha Stewart recipe, and for whatever reason, her recipes don’t produce the yield they say they do, or at least not for me, so I doubled my recipe. Surprise, surprise, her recipe DID actually make what it said it would this time, so I had 7 dozen cookies. Good, maybe that means I will actually be able to enjoy a few before they all disappear. 🙂
You can use any kind of cocoa powder you like, but if you can use Dutch process or black cocoa you will have a darker, richer cookie.
Preheat the oven to 350* F or 180* C.
Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
2 cups +2 TBSP flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups softened butter or 2 1/2 sticks
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp chocolate extract
sanding or turbinado sugar
Combine all the dry ingredients together and set aside.
Mix the butter and sugar together until creamy, then add the eggs, mixing in between each addition. Add the vanilla and chocolate extract. If you are not using chocolate extract, add 2 tsp of vanilla. Add the flour and chocolate mixture 1/2 at a time, mixing in between.
Drop about 1 TBSP of dough onto the prepared baking sheets and roll into balls. Then roll each ball into the turbinado or sanding sugar and place them about 2 inches apart. These cookies spread, so you can lightly press them or not, and they will still look exactly the same once you remove them from the oven. I tried it both ways and they all came out the same; delicious. 🙂
Bake for about 15 minutes or until the cookies are set, then allow to cool on a cooling rack.
These cookies are so rich and decadent and taste oh so good! Bet ya can’t stop at just one. 🙂
It’s Ok to be the cookie monster every now and then. Let your inner kid come out and play. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
Summer is coming to an end and fall is in the air. The flowers know this too. They are beginning to thin out, and are getting ready to go to sleep until spring. But there are still plenty of plenty pretty, colorful flowers still around. I am enjoying them for as long as I can too. Today I going to share some pretty orange and yellows with you.
Beans of any kind are a healthy addition to any diet. They are full of protein and high in fiber. They taste great without adding a lot of extra calories too. Beans are an integral part of many diets in many different cultures. I too love beans. I like adding them into a lot of different recipes and dishes. I like them in salads, I like them as side dishes. I like them cold and I like them hot. Let’s just say I like beans a lot. 🙂
When I made my citrus lamb A Whole Lotta Lamb I served it with a Mediterranean white bean dish. I think it was a perfect choice. It wasn’t too heavy, which is what I look for on the hot summer days, and it really went well with the lamb. Plus it was super easy to make, with hardly any time in the kitchen at all.
Mediterranean White Beans
This is a very simple recipe to make, using just basic ingredients. You can cook your own beans, or just keep it simple and use canned beans. I used canned beans this time. This is also a great way to add some more vegetables, fiber and protein to the meal and you can use whatever you like. Use what you have on hand. This would also be good with spinach too. I would have added spinach if I had it too. Change it up. There are no rules. 🙂
2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1-1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms – I like the baby portabellas
Heat the oil(s) up then add the onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic to the oil and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the onions and peppers start to soften.
Then add the beans, tomatoes, and seasonings and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until everything is heated.
Add the basil and lemon verbena if using, mix in thoroughly, then add a dash more lemon juice and lemon olive oil right before serving.
Now it is ready to go. Serve it alongside anything you like. It’s quick, easy-peasy and delicious, and not to mention healthy too. This is both vegan and vegetarian, with added protein to boot. So everyone is happy.
Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
My friend Lauren has a friend who raises a lot of her own livestock. Lauren got a whole bunch of fresh lamb, and she shared some with me too. She shared about 20 lbs of lamb meat, ranging from ground lamb to lamb steaks. Most of it I have put in the freezer for another time, but I did cook up some of the lamb steaks. Boy were they good.
I marinated the lamb in a citrus vinaigrette for about 4-5 hours before grilling it up. It was full of flavor and so tender.
I made my marinade with orange juice, garlic, pepper, my new citrus rub Pickling Class , orange olive oil, basil and lemon verbena, from my backyard’s lemon verbena forest. I didn’t measure anything. But then, I never do when I cook. I just added and poured until it looked and “felt” right”. Most of us “old school” cooks cook by “feel” and sight much more so than we do by measurements.
The best way to cook lamb is rare to medium rare at the most, but of course this is a both a personal preference (rare and medium rare are the most popular choices) and cultural preferences. For instance, The French prefer their lamb rare and the Greeks prefer their lamb well done. The Australians like it well done too, but then again, Australia has the largest Greek population outside of Greece, so that might have something to do with their preference. I am in the rare to medium rare category myself.
No matter how you like your lamb cooked, the best way to gauge when it has reached your desired doneness is with a meat thermometer.
Rare: 115-120°F.
Medium-Rare: 125°F.
Medium: 130°F.
Medium-Well: 145°F.
Well Done: 150°F.
Once my lamb was cooked, I concocted a Mediterranean white bean and vegetable dish that I served with my lamb, as well as some grilled pita bread and one of my new favorite red blends. Lamb is a red meat, so red wines go best with it.
Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
Oh how I love my wine. But as much as I love my wines, I also love finding new wineries too. If I could turn back the hands of time, and do it all over again, I think I would have gone into the world of viticulture.
We have introduced our friends Mike and Lauren into the world of wine,and they found a new winery for us to enjoy. It’s called Blue Mountain Vineyards, in Berthoud, about 45 minutes north of us. Blue Mountain Vineyard was so gorgeous, nestled in the middle of beautiful farmland. It was a very pleasant surprise. The grounds were gorgeous, the people were very friendly, and the wines were delicious. The owners Bill and Christie live on the property, just adjacent the actual winery. They invited us to tour around and see the vineyards and the flowers, which of course we did after enjoying our wine flights.
I was told Bill found this gorgeous stained glass window at a yard sale. it was one of a few gorgeous windows around the property.
This is the owner Bill and his official tour guide Bear. Bear is a Great Pyrenees like our new baby girl Dorrie (Andorra).
We packed a picnic and enjoyed them with our wine flights. All of us customized our flights with4 different wines.
As we were enjoying the wines and the day, Trent, the Head Vinter, came over to share some grapes and the a little background about Blue Mountain Wine
Blue Mountain Vineyards is located west of beautiful Berthoud, Colorado. Berthoud is a small town surrounded largely by farmland, nicknamed the “Garden Spot of Colorado.” It is a town that embodies the small town charm and local feel that we love so much. We are a small operation and remain focused on being a positive part of the local communities that support us.
Both our winery and vineyard are nestled up against the foothills of the Indian Peaks Wilderness and Rocky Mountain National Park. The winery itself was constructed on a plot of farmland that was once a pasture but now hosts many trees and gardens as well as the vineyard. Our lake is home to various species of water birds, frequented by both golden and bald eagles and a summer visitor, the large osprey that likes to display its fishing expertise! The old cottonwoods on the shores of the lake make a perfect place for the Great Horned owls to roost at night. We love sharing our passion for wine making, our wonderful community and Colorado.
A Jeanne in the Kitchen 