A Jeanne in the Kitchen

We have so many little lakes and ponds literally right in our backyard. We are so lucky too. We are always discovering new things. The other day, when we went on a longer walk, out in the open space, we found a lone cormorant and his turtle buddy out on a little island in the middle of one of these lakes. I think these two have the right idea. It’s my island, and only those whom I invite can join me. They looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves on their own little private island – Cormorant Island.

Cormorant Island is in the center of the lake.

After awhile, the turtle left and it was just the cormorant on his own private island. He was loving every minute of it.

We had never noticed this before, but the little island actually was rotating too.

Sometimes we all need our own little private islands, either to share with friends or just to keep for ourselves. It helps keep the crazies out.

I start making all my goodies for the church coffee cart at the end of the week. I am always trying to come up with new and different ideas to add a lot of variety each week. This gives my a full week to plan ahead, or if need be, to purchase what I cannot or do not have time to make. Earlier this week, I came across a recipe for a margarita cake, non-alcoholic, and thought that sounds just perfect. Of course I made it. It looks just like you would expect – a delicious margarita you can eat with a fork. It is even more festive on my colorful fiesta plate too 🙂

This cake starts with a lemon cake mix and some instant lemon pudding, and then is built up from there.

Lemon-Lime Margarita Cake

This cake couldn’t be any easier to make and it is so moist and delicious.

Preheat the oven to 350* F.

Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray and dust a little flour around the sides.

1 lemon cake mix

1 package of instant lemon pudding mix

10 oz margarita mix, non-alcoholic, thawed if frozen

4 eggs at room temperature

1/2 cup softened butter

2 TBSP lime juice

3 tsp lemon zest

Mix everything together at a low speed for about 30 seconds and then at a medium-high speed for about 2 minutes. Evenly spoon it into the prepared bundt pan and bake for about 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan and adding the lime glaze.

Lime Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 TBSP lime juice

colored sprinkles

Mix the powdered sugar and lime juice together then drizzle over the cake. Add the colored sprinkles on top. Slice and enjoy.

Now, if you want to pack a punch, by all means, add some tequila to the cake and really make it like a margarita. The recipe I found said to use the non-alcoholic stuff, and since I was making it for the church, I thought that was probably best, however, what I should have done, was make 2 versions – one for the adults and one for the kids. Next time, bring on the tequila. 🙂

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

Larry and I decided to take a sunset stroll after dinner. It was so much cooler than walking in the middle of the day and the middle of the heat. Apparently, a lot of our friendly, feathered friends decided it was a better time to be out and about as well. Once again, my camera was a busy camera and I took quite a few pictures.

We see egrets all the time, and I have oodles and oodles of great pictures of them to prove it too. I just love the egrets. As many pictures as I have of them though, up until now, I had never taken any of them actually fishing for their dinner.

Here he is scouting out the waters.

The water is moving. Dinner might just be closer than he thinks.

He’s has found what he is looking for and he’s going after it.

And he gets it! Nailed it on the first try.

Persistence prevails!

I love all kinds of tomatoes, and I use all different varieties in so many different ways all the time. But I have to say, my favorite tomatoes are the heirlooms. I often hear people say they don’t want to try them because they look funny. They may not be perfectly shaped or colored like so many of the other types of tomatoes, but their taste is to die for. And that, makes them absolutely gorgeous. Believe me, these were every bit as delicious as they look too.

I bought a few of these beauties, of all colors, but I chose to use these rich plum colored ones to make vinaigrette with garlic and fresh herbs.

Heirloom Tomato, Garlic and Herb Vinaigrette

3 large heirloom tomatoes

1-1 1/2 TBSP garlic

2/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

about 1-2 TBSP mixed fresh herbs – this time I used rosemary, basil, oregano and thyme – the basics for so many Italian recipes

Place everything in a food processor and blend until it is all blended together and is liquid.

Use on your favorite salads or as part of a sauce for something else. I used it top a deliciously cool summer steak salad with homemade croutons.

Both the salad and the dressing were cool and refreshing and a great, healthy way to beat the heat. I topped Larry’s salad with feta cheese, and mine was sans cheese. We like a lot of stuff in our salads – I know, you are absolutely stunned at this. So I started with a Romaine lettuce base, then added some shredded carrots, grape tomatoes, red onion slices, cucumber slices, cooked green beans, and hard boiled eggs. I grilled the steak and sliced that up and then added the tomato-cheese parsley croutons I cooked up in some butter and olive oil. With a glass or two of some cooled chardonnay, it was a perfect dinner for summer.

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

We have been seeing so many different finches around lately. Most of them are all so colorful. I have to admit, the House Finch and the Cassin’s Finch look pretty similar, so I have to really check my books to see their differences. I am never completely sure which one is which; it is only an estimated guess on my part. But I am pretty sure, according to my Colorado bird book, this is a male House Finch. Either way, I think he is gorgeous and I love his colors.

People are always asking me how I know whether the birds are male or female. The answer is simply in their colors. Here is a picture of a female. The females don’t have nearly as much color as the males do.

Have a great day Everyone. Color your world beautiful.

I went out to lunch with my friend Su Yeun the other day. It’s always so much fun when we get together, and she is always introducing me to something new and exotic. This time we went to a Vietnamese restaurant called Saigon Basil, in Northglenn.

I arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before Su Yeun got there, so I looked over the menu and had decided on the chicken curry lunch special. I love curry, so great. But my mind was quickly changed.

When it comes to Asian restaurants, Su Yeun is the resident expert, so I let her decide what to eat. I am never disappointed, and in fact, our lunches always become quite the adventure. This time was no different. She ordered a HUGE appetizer plate that was filled with all kinds of Vietnamese delicacies. All I know was it was #92 on the menu. Other than that, I have no idea what the actual name of it was. I knew it was going to be good though, and it definitely was.

It was a build your own kind of appetizer. It came with rice noodles, pork, chicken, soft shell crab, fish paste cakes, pork rolls, vegetables, rice paper and dipping sauce. Su Yeun also ordered an additional side of more vegetables that included carrots, daikon, cucumber, fresh basil, cilantro, and some kind of Asian lettuce. All of this was completely new to me.

Su Yeun made my first roll for me and showed me how to do it. When I made my own, well, let’s just say, I need more practice. I am definitely still a novice. First you dip the rice paper into the bowl of hot water, then add whatever you like to it and roll it up. Then dip it into the sauce and enjoy. The tricky part, however, is the rice paper becomes very sticky and hard to work with when trying to roll it. It is paper thin and hard to handle when wet.

It was all so good. I told Su Yeun that I was originally thinking of the chicken curry, and she laughed and said if we were still hungry we could order that too. OMG! There was so much food. We came nowhere close to even finishing what we had, so there was NO WAY we needed or wanted anything else. Silly me! What was I thinking???

Once again, I enjoyed a new culinary experience, but better yet, I enjoyed spending time with my friend. Su Yeun says she likes going out with me because I am a very adventurous eater and I enjoy everything. She likes introducing me to new things. We always have fun together.

Saigon Basil is located at 10665 Melody Drive, Northglenn, CO. They offer a wide variety of traditional Vietnamese foods. The #92 and chicken curry, were just two of many, many options from which to choose. If you are looking for something deliciously different Saigon Basil is definitely an excellent choice.

I love our herons. They are just so majestic and proud. We haven’t seen them as often this year as we have in the past, but every time I see them, they just make my day. At first he was on one side of the lake, then he flew over to the other side. I guess he was thinking I wouldn’t see him on the other side.

I was in the mood for something Asian. I had pork and of course a wide array of vegetables, so I thought a pork stir-fry would be the answer. Usually when I do a stir-fry, I serve it over rice, but this time, I served it over lo mein noodles, for something a little different. I added some wontons on the side too.

Pork and Vegetable Lo Mein

As usual, I was kind of making things up as I went along. Most of the time I make my own sauces too, but every now and then, I will come across a sauce that catches my eye, and I give it a try. And then I add to it. That’s just what I do. 🙂

1 1/2- 2 pounds pork, cut into thin srips

1 cup broccoli florets

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin matchsticks

1 can baby corn, drained and cut into pieces

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1 TBSP garlic

1 TBSP ginger

2 TBSP olive oil

1-2 TBSP honey ginger balsamic vinegar, optional

1 package broccoli beef sauce

green onions, sliced at an angle, or Asian style

1/2 cup cashews

2 TBSP butter

1 TBSP honey balsamic vinegar

cooked lo mein noodles

Get a skillet or wok very hot and then add the oil and honey ginger balsamic vinegar. Add the pork, garlic and ginger and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the pork is browned.

Add the vegetables and continue to cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the sauce and combine thoroughly. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

In a separate, smaller skillet, melt about 2 TBSP of butter with about 1 TBSP honey ginger balsamic vinegar and add about 1/2 cup of cashews. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir constantly.

Once everything is cooked, plate it up. Add the lo mein noodles first, then the pork and vegetables. Sprinkle a few green onions on top and add a bit of the candied cashews. And voila! Dinner is served. Delicious!

Who says things have to be complicated to taste good? Most often, simple is best.

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

I have so many good pictures, of so many things. I never want to inundate you with to many things, so I space them out a bit.

The other day, when we went on a longer walk, while it was still cool out, the prairies dogs were out in full force. Prairie dogs are everywhere around here. We have millions just out in the open space back behind us. They are very cute and are very visible and curious too. They were enjoying their day out and they were posing like you wouldn’t believe. I’d say they really liked being the center of attention. They were having a lot of fun.

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

Our last stop for the day while we were out picnicing through the mountains Packing A Picnic, Packing A Picnic – Part 2 – The Poudre Canyon, Packing A Picnic – Nature Walks – Part 3 – On The Trails and touring around was the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins. We were amazed at how big the brewery was, but then again, it is a major distributor for Fat Tire Ale and all it’s other beer and ale siblings.

Fat Tire and New Belgium Beer is a local, Colorado company. It was started in 1988 after a trip to Belgium by the owners and co-founders Kim Jordan and Jeff Lebesch. They fell in love with the beers of Belgium and wanted to bring them back home to Colorado. New Belgium Brewery had humble beginnings in Kim and Jeff’s basement. Since its humble beginnings, New Belgium Brewery has grown into being one of the most successful craft breweries in the country. Today, New Belgium Brewery is no longer family owned or even 100% employee owned. It was bought out by Lion Little World Beverage in 2020, however they are doing their best to maintain its humble roots and beginnings, which still give the company the feel of a samll, family owned and operated business.

The New Belgium Brewery offers a wide range of beers and IPAs from which to choose. And for us non-beer drinkers, they also have some delicious sodas and sparkling drinks as well. Mike, and Lauren tried some of their beers, while Larry had a sparkling drink and I enjoyed an all natural black cherry soda.

The New Belgium Brewery also offers tours of the facility, which would have been very interesting, however, we arrived in between tour times, so we were unable to tour the facility this trip. Maybe next time.

Since New Belgium Brewery all started with a bike trip through Belgium, the logo is a red bike, similar to what Jeff and Kim used to tour around Belgium on.

Another fun aspect of the New Belgium Brewery is that it is designed for entertainment. There was a large park area and a stage where we enjoyed the music of not one, but two brass bands, while sipping on our cool liquid refreshments. There were also a few food trucks scattered about the property as well, for our culinary enjoyment too.

These were the liquid refreshments we enjoyed.

There was a couple sitting next to us outside in the pavilion, who was nice enough to let me photograph their sampler flights as well. As you can see, their is a wide variety of liquid refreshments.

And we certainly didn’t NEED anything else to eat, but when has that ever stopped us?! 🙂 Larry ordered some pulled pork nachos to enjoy and Mike and Lauren ordered some street tacos. Believe it or not, I was good, and really did not eat anything. I was still to full from our picnic.

Stopping at New Belgium Brewery was a perfect way to end an already perfect day. New Belgium Brewery is located at 500 Linden Street, Fort Collins, CO. They are open most days from 12-8 and from 12-9 from Thursday -Saturday. Next time you are in Fort Collins, it is definitely worth a trip to stop in and whet your whistle. I am pretty sure, no matter what, you are going to have a real good time.