A Jeanne in the Kitchen

I love my herons, and I get so excited every time I see them, though this year I haven’t seen as many as we normally do. I did see one the other day though. He was playing hide ‘n seek in the reeds. He thought he was hiding from me, but I saw him and I got some got shots of him too. 🙂

I guess when he realized he was still seen and in plain site, he decided he had had enough and flew away.

Have a great day, stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time

Our squirrels are out again now that the oppressive heat seems to be fading a bit and the weather is getting a little cooler. They are always so much fun and so full of personality. Often times, they look like they are just posing for the camera. They seem to love being the center of attention … until something distracts them and they run off to be, well the squirrels that they are.

It’s OK to be squirrely sometimes. It makes life much more interesting and fun.

We had our friends Eric and Shannon over for a steak dinner last night. Even though everything was super simple, it was all delicious too. One of the elements of the dinner was a batch of zucchini cheddar muffins to compliment the steak. This recipe came to me, via our very own My Meals Are On Wheels, https://beatcancer2010.wordpress.com/ once again, and The Rockstar Mommy https://therockstarmommy.com/. I find many great recipes from our friend in Ohio.

Silly me though, I misread the recipe, and they were supposed to be made as biscuits rather than muffins, but there isn’t much difference between the two, muffins and biscuits, and I actually liked them as savory muffins. Sometimes my best creations come from my mistakes. 🙂

Zucchini Cheddar Muffins

These muffins came out so light and fluffy. Almost like clouds. They just melted in our mouths. We all loved them.

2/3 cup or 2 medium zucchini, shredded

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup or 1 stick cold butter, cubed

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup melted butter

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine

Preheat the oven to 400* F or 200* C.

Spray cooking oil into a muffin pan.

Combine the flour, cold butter, baking powder, baking soda and salt together, either with your hands or with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse sand. Then add the shredded zucchini, cheddar cheese and parsley and mix together again.

Combine the melted butter with the buttermilk and add to the mix, then gently fold together just until blended. You do not want to over mix to or your will have tough muffins.

You can use regular buttermilk, or you can do like I do and use the dried buttermilk. I HATE real buttermilk, and if I buy it, it will only go bad, because I do not use it enough to justify the purchase. When I was a little girl, my grandfather used to drink buttermilk all the time, and one day, I decided to try it since he enjoyed it so much. I almost threw it up right one the spot and have never liked it since. So I buy the dried buttermilk and mix it with regular milk. The directions on the package say to mix it with water, but I like the richness of mixing it with milk better.

Once everything is thoroughly combined, spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle and they are lightly golden brown.

No matter what you serve these with, they are going to be a big hit. They are so light and fluffy and will just melt in your mouth. They are even better with melted butter too.

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

We are doing our best to empty out the refrigerator since we are about to leave for vacation, so I won’t be cooking much this week. Since I won’t be in the kitchen much, I thought I would share some funny food quotes with you to start your week off off with some good laughs.

Ironically, this happens to me all the time. I am always cooking, as you all very well know, but often times, there is nothing to eat, just ingredients to do more cooking. 🙂

This is SO very true. This seems to be my favorite diet.

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

As you all know I love to bake. But unfortunately, I love to eat what I bake too, and that wreaks havoc when I am trying to lose weight, and believe me, I have a lot of weight to loose. But making things for others is a great way for me to still be able to bake, and to try a lot of new recipes, but without the guilt, especially when it comes to cookies. Cookies are ALWAYS my weakness.

I tried a new batch of cookies that I am calling Lemon Poppies. They are lemon poppy seed cookies that are very delicate lemon shortbread styled cookies, but I call them poppies because I made them in a floral shape. You can make them in any shape you like.

These cookies are delicate, but are also deceivingly decadent as well, because you can’t stop at just one. I am not going to lie, these were a pain in the neck to make because my petals kept breaking and I had to handle them very gingerly. But in the end, they were a big hit too, which makes it all worthwhile. They won’t be so much of a headache if cut in different shapes instead of a flora shape, but when do I ever take the easy route?! 🙂

Lemon Poppies

The Dough

1 cup or 2 sticks softened butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 TBSP lemon zest

1 tsp lemon extract

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp cardamom

dash of salt

2 cups flour

1/3 cup poppy seeds

Mix the butter and sugar together until creamy, then add the egg yolk. Add the lemon zest, vanilla and lemon extract.

Combine the dry ingredients together then mix in 1/2 at a time into the butter and sugar mixture, blend, then repeat. Blend just until everything is mixed together. Do not over mix or you will have tough cookies.

On a lightly floured surface, mold the dough into a rectangle, then wrap with plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour before using.

Candied Lemon Peel

As the dough is chilling, make the candied lemon peel. Peel the lemon rind off a lemon with a zester or a peeler and cut into very small, thin strips.

1 lemon rind

1 cup sugar, divided

1/3 cup water

Boil the sugar and water together then add the lemon zest and boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. This will set very quickly, so time is of the essence.

Remove the lemon zest with a slotted spoon and add to the reserved sugar. Roll it all around to thoroughly coat. Let it set for at least 30 minutes. After the sugar has rested, pour it through a strainer to remove the excess sugar.

When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 350* F or 180* C. Gently roll 1/2 the dough out onto a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into your desired shapes with a cookie cutter. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Place them on a cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until the center is set.

Let the cookies cool completely before adding the lemon glaze, then top with a few pieces of the candied lemon zest.

Lemon Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1-2 TBSP lemon juice

1 TBSP lemon extract

Mix everything together until it is smooth and creamy, then gently ice your cookies. Top with the candied lemon peel immediately. I did one cookie at a time.

These cookies are deliciously delicate as well as decadent. They are just sweet enough with a bit of a tarty zest as well. Enjoy! I know I sure did. 🙂

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

I love seeing our magpies. They are so beautifully colored with their distinctive markings in blue, black and white. Usually we see a ton of them, but they have been pretty sparse this year. I was so excited when I came across them this time. I saw a few of them, but I only was able to photograph one. He gave me some good poses though before flying off to join his friends.

And one last one, up in the tree before he decided to fly away.

Have a great day and a great weekend. Everyone.

Next week we will be off to the Caribbean once again for more diving. We are going back to Bonaire. Bonaire is one of the Dutch ABC islands – Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao. We have dived them all. They all have their own unique personalities. These islands are very close to Venezuela and are known for their great diving. You know what I am going to be doing!!!!!!!

We are almost all ready to go. I mean it’s bathing suits, cameras and scuba gear. What more do we need right?! I am also getting us ready by cooking up some good Caribbean food too. I just prepared a delicious Caribbean stew with chicken, shrimp and black beans. I served it over rice with some warmed bread on the side and a glass or two of a cool crisp chardonnay. This is a dish we would find in one of the nicer restaurants on the island, but as you can see, I can easily prepare it here at home too. Bonaire, here we come. 🙂

As usual, I saw a recipe that caught my eye, but by the time I was finished, it was nothing at all like the original recipe, and was “Jeannified” 100%, as a my friend Gabe would say. It’s a gift. What can I say? I am an “artist” and food is my medium.

Caribbean Stew with Chicken, Shrimp and Black Beans

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb chicken, cubed

2 cups cooked black beans

1 red bell pepper, diced medium

1-1 1/2 cups corn

1 onion, diced medium

1-2 jalapenos, diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

2 bay leaves

1-2 tsp cumin

1 TBSP orange zest

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp cayenne pepper

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1 TBSP cornstarch

1 TBSP fresh oregano, chopped fine

cilantro, chopped fine

olive oil and orange olive oil (optional) for cooking

Get a large skillet very hot and add the oil(s). Then carefully add the shrimp and cook it until it is done. Once the shrimp is cooked, remove it from the heat and set aside.

I used cooked chicken, but if you are using raw chicken, cook it until it is completely cooked , then remove it from the heat as well.

Add the peppers, jalapenos, onions, garlic, corn, bay leaves and spices and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

Re-add the chicken and shrimp, as well as the orange juice, chicken broth and beans. Mix together well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and continue to cook for about 40-45 minutes, stirring frequently.

At the last five minutes or so, mix the cornstarch with some of the liquid and add to the stew, along with the cilantro and oregano. Combine everything together well. Once again, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Serve this delicious Caribbean delight over rice with some warmed bread on the side, top it all off with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cilantro if you like, and you are off to the Caribbean, even if only for a quick little trip in the comfort of your own home.

Stay cool, stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

Rogan josh is a staple of Kashmiri cuisine and is one of the main dishes of the Kashmiri multicourse meal or the wazwan.  It is an authentic Indian lamb recipe cooked in a curry (curry just means sauce in India) or sauce. The dish was originally brought to Kashmir by the Mughals, whose cuisine was, in turn, influenced by Persian cuisine. “Rogan” means clarified butter or oil in Persian, or “red” in Hindi, and “josh” refers to passion – fiery or hot – so this dish is all about cooking in an oil-based sauce with an intense heat. Generally, rogan josh consists of lamb or goat that has been slow-cooked in oil, yogurt and a mix of many different spices. Despite its intense red hue, it is usually not a particularly spicy curry. Rogan josh remains a common dish in Northern India and is a popular menu item at Indian restaurants in North America and Europe.

I made my own version of rogan josh the other night and it was very good. I used the last of the lamb I had cooked earlier. Lamb Gyros. This lamb went a long way. I think I prepared it 5 different ways, all of which were very, very good too. I served this over a combination of lentils and rice, with some naan bread and a citrusy chardonnay. A sweeter wine, like a Riesling, would be good with this too. Sweeter wines tend to pair very well with spicy dishes.

As with any recipe, there are many, many different versions. Here is my version. I added green beans, green bell peppers and fresh tomatoes to my version, making it even better, in my humble opinion of course. 🙂

My green bell peppers and tomatoes were a delicious gift from Janet and Bob’s own garden. Bob picked them straight out of the garden and then I went home and put them to good use.

Rogan Josh

2 lbs cubed lamb

6 tsp ground coriander

1-2 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

salt & black pepper to taste

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 cup plain yogurt

Mix all the ingredients together and marinate the lamb for at least one hour before cooking. I started with lamb that was already cooked, but I still combined all of these ingredients to use as my sauce.

1 onion, sliced very thin

olive oil or vegetable oil for cooking

1 TBSP garlic

1 TBSP ginger

1 TBSp ground poppy seeds

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup water

dash lemon juice

2 cups tomatoes, diced medium

1 green bell pepper, diced medium

2 cups fresh green beans, cut into pieces about 1-1/2 inches in size

Get the oil very hot, then add the spices and cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until they become fragrant.

Once the spices have opened up, add the onions, peppers, green beans, garlic and ginger and continue to cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.

Next add the lamb, tomatoes and yogurt and cook until the lamb is completely cooked or about 2-3 minutes. Add the water and the ground poppy seeds and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 40-45 minutes, stirring frequently. The poppy seeds will act as a thickener for the sauce. You can also use cornstarch mixed with either water or a little bit of the sauce.

Right before serving, add the lemon juice and top with fresh cilantro.

If you like lamb and Indian food, you are going to love this dish. I really liked it with the added vegetables too. It makes it more of a complete meal in my books. 🙂

Stay cool, stay safe and stay well Everyone. Have a great weekend. ‘Til next time.

It’s International Dog Day. WHOOOO HOOOOOO!!!! Or as both of my malamutes would say WOOOOOOOO WOOOOOOO!!!!

I have always been an animal lover – cats, dogs, rabbits, horses, birds, dolphins, sharks, turtles, manatees, etc. The list goes on and on and on. In honor of the day and of the dogs I have loved, I am sharing my doggies, past and present, with you. I love them all, always and forever.

My first dog, Daisy. We had her for about 15 years. I got her when I was three and had her until I was 18. She was such a sweet girl. We were posing with my bunny Nosy too.

This is Chopstyx. She was my first of two Chow Chows. I bought her from friends of mine who had both her parents. I got to pick her out when she was just a couple of hours old, and they let me come and visit her anytime I wanted while I was waiting to bring her home with me.

Taipei was my next Chow Chow. I am with my dad and our big black lab, Holly. Both Taipei and Holly were sweethearts with hearts of gold. Sadly, we have lost everyone here, except me of course.

Our handsome gentle giant Kodiak. Larry and I have always had two dogs in the 21 years we’ve been together. When we lost our beloved Holly (Larry’s dog when we met), Taipei (Taipei was my girl) was so lost without her best friend, so that’s when we got Kodiak, aka Kodi.

Next came Lucie. Lucie was Kodi’s best friend after Taipei passed away at 15 1/2. When Kodi passed away at 10 1/2 (geriatric for the giant breeds), Vinnie came home with us. We had all three, Kodi, Lucie and Vinnie for about a month. Lucie and Vinnie were inseparable.

The two-dog tradition continues. And now we have Juneau and Vinnie. Vinnie is such a good big brother to Juneau, even though she is a PILL! Vinnie is most definitely Juneau’s favorite play toy.

We love all our doggies, and out kitties too. Our kitties deserve special mention as well. Our panther (Nicky) and our puma (Otis). They are brother and sister, from the same litter. They came to us via Larry’s sister Jean, who lives out on a farm in Kansas. They lost their mommy and all their siblings as tiny babies and were hand fed until they came home to us when they were about 6 months old. Now they are 6 years old.

And the gang of four – Juneau, Vinnie, Otis and Nicky.

We love all our fur babies, no matter what. As you can see, they are pretty destructive and mischievous at times, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. We love them with all our hearts, always and forever, or should I say furever.

Summer is winding down, evolving into fall. Most of the colorful flowers of the season are beginning to fade away, to lie dormant for awhile, until their return again next year. However, there are still a few colorful blooms left.

I just love this color contrast. Down below is my neighbor’s tomato plant that is in full bloom, with lots of fresh ripe tomatoes. Behind the tomato plant is a colorful tree displaying its beautiful fall colors.

There is beauty in every season. Color your world beautiful in as many ways as you can.