A Jeanne in the Kitchen

I love Cajun and Creole cooking. Sometimes the main reason why it is so much fun is because if you are cooking in true Cajun/Creole style, anything goes. You cook with what you have on hand, which means every time you cook a particular dish, it will always be slightly different. The rebel in me LOVES this way of cooking. Everything is always going to be a little unexpected and unpredictable, just like me.

As I have mentioned many times, I have Cajun and Creole in my blood, so I go back to this way of rebellious, anything goes way of cooking quite often. My latest Cajun/Creole delicacy was some Creole pork loin with a Creole sauce that was made from little bits of this and little bits of that.

I started off by searing a pork loin that I covered in a dry Creole/Cajun rub. The trick to a perfect sear is to get the skillet VERY, VERY hot, then add the oil and butter. This method works for just about any kind of meat. The time of the sear depends on the thickness of the meat, but a good rule of thumb is to sear the meat for about 3 minutes per side in order to get a nice crust. Don’t be afraid to use the timer. Once the meat is seared to perfection, then finish cooking it either on the grill at a lower heat or in the oven until it reaches the desired internal temperature. For pork, you want the internal temperature to be about 165* F.

Once I put the pork loin on the grill, it was time to make the sauce. I just used the same skillet, with the remaining butter and oil already in the skillet, and then added everything else.

As I mentioned above, recipes like this are going to be different every time, and I LOVE IT!!!!!!

I had a little heavy whipping cream, a little Dijon mustard, just a smidge of my heirloom tomato vinaigrette left Heirloom Tomato, Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette with Steak Salad and a little tiny bit of some mystery sauce. I combined everything together, added a dash of cayenne pepper, and voila, my sauce was done.

When the pork loin was ready, I added it to a bed of cooked wild rice and then topped it with my special sauce. I added some corn on the cob on the side, and a delicious buttery chardonnay and we had a scrumptious Creole dinner in no time. This meal was created in true Cajun/Creole form; nothing fancy and little bits of this and that, and that is what makes it so fun and delicious.

Life is short. Make the most of it while you can. Laissez le bontemps roulez!

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

With the Car Show yesterday, The 2022 Car Show it was a very full day, and we came home absolutely spent, but I still needed something else for the coffee cart this morning. I always like to offer some variety of goodies, but a lot of times, what I make depends on how much time I have too. So I made something easy-peasy and delicious to go along with my cherry almond scones. Cherry Almond Scones

There is nothing wrong with making things from a box, especially if the brand you use is reputable. I made brownies, from Ghirardelli, and just added some fun stuff on top. And everybody loves brownies right, so it is a win/win for everyone.

I started off with a the brownie mix and followed the directions for those, but also added a little mint extract to the mix, 2 tsp, and then some crumbled mint Oreo-styled cookies on top. That was it. Nothing fancy today, but definitely still very tasty.

I placed a whole bunch of mint cookies in a plastic bag and hit them with my meat tenderizer to crumble them up.

Once they were all crumbled up, I just spread them on top of the brownies and baked them for about 1 hour, then let them cool completely before cutting them into slices.

They were cool, refreshing, easy-peasy, and definitely delicious.

No one says you have to be a slave to the kitchen in order to make things tasty or fun. We all lead very busy lives, especially in the summer, so go easy on yourselves and have some fun too. Live life.

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

We had a full day at the 2022 Car Show at our church. This is an annual event. It was super hot and there were other car shows going on at the same time, but it was still a successful day. Everyone had a good time and I took a ton of photos to prove it. I was the official photographer today. Usually I am just the assistant photographer, though I still take a ton of pictures all the time. I know, you’re all shocked. I will NOT share all the photos I took, since I took about 350. But I will show you some of the highlights.

My favorite car, the old classic Jaguar won first place.

I thought the 2nd place winner and the 3rd place winners were amazing too. The best part is that they work together and are both firefighters. It was a family affair.

2nd Place

3rd Place

All the cars that were there were amazing and the owners took such great pride in their beautiful cars. They were busy polishing them and proudly displaying all the past awards their cars have earned.

This was a family affair complete with hot dogs and all kinds of fun and games for the kids. There were muscle cars, fun cars, classics, bikes, tractors, kids cars and jet skis. There was even 1 horse too.

There were tons of hot dogs and chips and plenty of cold sodas and cold water. Believe me, we really needed those.

It was a ton of fun, but it was also a ton of work. We are all glad we did it, and that it was a success, but we are also very glad it is over for this year too. There is still plenty more fun to come though. This is just one of many fun events we do every year.

I wasn’t cooking in the kitchen today, but we were definitely cooking outside. Stay cool, stay safe and stay well Everyone. Til next time.

It is the end of the week once again, which means it is time to start prepping all my goodies for the church coffee cart. So far, all I have made is some cherry almond scones with a lemon glaze. But I have something else I am going to start working on in just a bit too. 🙂

I had cherries and almonds and lemon glaze, so I thought combining them all together would be a great idea, and yep, it sure was too. Of course, I had to sample one. I doubled the recipe and made them much smaller, so they will go a longer way.

Cherry Almond Scones

2 cups flour

2 TBSP + 2 tsp sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup or 1 stick of cold butter, cubed

2/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 cup cherries, pitted and diced

1/4 cup almond slivers

1/2 cup lemon glaze, optional

2 TBSP turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 375* F or 190* C.

Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and cold butter together and mix until it resembles coarse sand. Add the cherries and gently fold in.

Beat the egg slightly and add to the flour mixture, along with the milk.

Gently fold everything together, trying not to damage the cherries. You can use any kind of sturdier fruit you like, such as berries too.

I lightly toasted the almonds, but not to much, since they will brown in the oven while baking as well. The almond slivers are only on top of the scones, so if you do not want to add them, you do not need to.

Combine everything together and mix just until everything is blended together. DO NOT over mix. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and form into a large round ball. Cut the dough with pastry cutters or cut into triangles with a knife.

Place the triangles on a cookie sheet but do not over crowd.

Sprinkle a few slivered almonds on top of each scone and then add a little turbinado sugar to help with the browning. Bake for about 25 minutes or until just lightly browned around the edges. Remove and let cool completely before adding the glaze if you are going to.

When the scones are completely cooled, drizzle the lemon glaze on top and enjoy.

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

Most of my squirrels are busy in the trees, but every now and then they like to run around and play on the ground. And sometimes, they even like to have their picture taken too.

It’s OK to be squirrely every now and then. 🙂

Yet again I was inspired by our very own My Meals Are on Wheels at https://beatcancer2010.wordpress.com/ for this delicious, exotic take on the classic meatballs. I say inspired, because try though I may, I can never follow a recipe exactly the way it is written. I am always going to make it my own way, no matter what. But I do like to give credit where credit is due. 🙂

These meatballs are seasoned with delicious and exotic flavorings from Morocco. At first I was going to serve them over pasta, but instead decided to serve them over creamy mashed potatoes. I am very glad I made that switch too. The sauce was so rich, and it really needed something more substantive like potatoes, to not let any of the flavors go to waste. I served it with some warmed rosemary olive oil bread and a rich, full bodied, spicy red wine too, to complete the meal.

Moroccan Meatballs

2 lbs ground beef

1 small onion, diced fine

1 1/2 TBSP garlic

1 egg

1/3 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for topping

1 TBSP cumin

1 TBSP coridander

1 TBSP paprika

2 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

salt to taste

3/4 cup bread crumbs

2-3 TBSP olive oil

1-2 TBSP orange olive oil, optional

2-3 TBSP tomato paste

2 tomatoes, diced

1 1/2 cups tomato passata

1/2 cup beef stock

1/2-3/4 cups sliced olives

Combine the ground beef, onions, garlic, ginger, cilantro, the spices, bread crumbs and the egg and mix together well. I find the best way to really mix them together is by hand. The original recipe did not call for bread crumbs, but it needed something to help bind the meatballs together.

Once everything is mixed together, form the mixture into meatballs and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Get a large pot very hot and add the oils. Carefully place the meatballs in the hot oil, spacing them apart so they are not over crowded. You may have to cook the meatballs in batches. Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until the meatballs are completely browned. The house and kitchen will be so aromatic. The whole house will smell like a Moroccan spice bizarre.

When all the meatballs are cooked, add them all back into the pot and add the tomatoes, tomato passata, tomato paste, olives and beef stock and combine together well. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Of course I added diced tomatoes and olives as well, to make the sauce even richer. I liked the addition of the olives too. They made the dish more authentic since olives are so abundant in that whole region.

You might be asking yourself “What is a tomato passata?” Trust me, I didn’t know either, but once I looked it up, I realized it is just a fancy name for the pure tomato purees I make all the time any way. This time, I used some of my leftover heirloom tomato vinaigrette. Heirloom Tomato, Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette with Steak Salad

Once everything is added to the pot, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks. The sauce will be very rich and full of flavor. and the whole house will smell absolutely wonderful. the original recipe called to slow cook it in a crockpot for about 5 hours. Who has that kind of time these days? 🙂

I served this rich sauce over creamy mashed potatoes, which was a perfect choice. The flavors of the sauce just melted in with the potatoes. I added more chopped cilantro on top which made this a very cool and refreshing addition to the spicy and aromatic sauce. Delicious!

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

We have lots of these little Say’s Phoebes around here, especially from March- October. They are the most popular of three types of Phoebes we have. They are small birds but they are very distinguishable little birds too. They like to sing a pretty little tune that sounds a lot like sdweeeee. I hear them singing all the time.

Have a great day Everyone. Be free and fly like the birds.

A quiche is an egg and dairy pie of sorts. It is an unsweetened savory custard that can be filled with any combination of meats and/or vegetables, eggs, cream or milk and cheese. It can have a crust or no crust. A quiche without a crust is usually called a fritatta.

Most people think of France when they think of quiche, but believe it or not, quiche actually originated in Germany, around the middle ages in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, which the French later occupied and renamed Lorraine. The word ‘quiche’ is from the German ‘Kuchen’, meaning cake. A quiche Lorraine is specifically made with eggs, cream, bacon and Swiss cheese. Any other type of quiche is just a quiche with a different name.

We eat quiche fairly often, and even though you can fill it with just about anything, more so than not, ham is a major ingredient in the quiches at our house. I think this is more a Larry thing than me though. Whenever I make a ham, we always have a ton of leftovers, and Larry just seems to associate ham with quiche. I like adding chicken or shrimp or crab too, but ham is used quite often at Chez Jeanne.

I like big, fluffy quiches, so I use a lot of eggs. I use 8 eggs and heavy whipping cream, and some kind of a light, white cheese, like Swiss or Mozzarella or Jack. I also bake them in my springform cake pans. Even though the ingredients I use may vary, the basic procedure of how to make them is the same.

I start off my making my crust. I use my basic, go-to crust recipe. It’s light and flaky. and just melts in your mouth.

Basic Crust

1 1/2-2 cups flour

6 TBSP cold butter, cubed

1 tsp salt

pepper or lemon pepper or cayenne pepper and/or dried herbs, optional

1 egg

5-6 TBSP heavy whipping cream.

Pulse the flour, butter and salt (and/or pepper or herbs) in a food processor until it all resembles a fine sand. Then add the egg and the cream and pulse again until it all forms into a ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before using.

While the dough is chilling, I make my filling. You can use anything you like in your fillings. This time, I used spinach, 1 shallot, diced fine, mushrooms, garlic and ham. I cut the ham into think strips. My ham was already cooked. I sauteed the spinach, shallot, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil and salt & pepper.

When I was ready to make the quiche, I rolled my dough to fit into the cake pan and pressed it up against the sides.

Preheat the oven to about 375* F or 180* C.

Add a layer of cheese on the bottom of the dough. This time I used mozzarella, but any lighter, white cheese or shredded cheddar is fine.

Spoon the spinach or vegetable mixture on top of the cheese, making sure to drain off the excess liquid.

Add the ham or meat on top of the vegetables.

Make your egg custard. Like I said, I like a lot of eggs in mine, but you don’t have to use as many eggs if you do not want it as fluffy and light. I use 8 eggs, about 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, salt & pepper to taste, a dash of nutmeg, and sometimes, a dash of cayenne pepper. You can use either white or black pepper. A lot of people choose to use white pepper with eggs, and that is perfectly acceptable. I actually like the more pungent black pepper or cayenne pepper. Sometimes I use white pepper too though. Whisk everything together until it is well blended and creamy. Then carefully pour it over your quiche. Carefully place it in the oven, and bake for about 45-60 minutes, or until the center is set and it does not wiggle or jiggle.

Once the quiche is done, let is set for a few minutes before cutting, then serve it with your favorite side dishes. Quiche is frequently served with either potatoes or a small salad or fruit. This time, we had a light dinner with quiche and the leftover of my patatas bravas. C’est ce bonne!

You can easily make a quiche with the same ingredients time after time, but there is no reason why you can’t mix it up too. Make it how you like it since you are the one eating it. And remember, real men DO eat quiche. 🙂

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

The summer flowers are out in full bloom and full color. I love the progression of colors. When the flowers first started blooming, the yellows and purples were the dominant colors. Then the pinks started coming out. Now there are all colors, with lots of vibrant oranges and reds. I just love the colors of summer.

And even though this is yellow, not orange or red, it is my first sunflower of the season in my backyard. I know there will soon be many more, but this first one is just picture perfect.

Color your world beautiful.

I was telling Larry just last night that I must have been Spanish in another life. I am just completely enamored with Spain and everything Spanish, especially the food and the music. Their lust for life and passion comes out in everything they do.

I was trying to come up with something for dinner, and looking through my culinary library, when I came upon an interesting recipe that just jumped out at me. I wasn’t planning on making something Spanish. This recipe is just the one that spoke to me and I had to make it. And I am glad I did too. I made roasted Spanish chicken that I served with spicy patatas bravas and sauteed vegetables, with brad and dipping sauce on the side.

Roasted Spanish Chicken

4-5 lbs chicken

1 1 2/tsp cumin

salt & pepper to taste

1 1 /2 TBSP garlic

2-3 TBSP olive oil

1/2 cup brandy or sherry

3/4 cup orange juice

3/4 cup orange marmalade

2 tsp Tabasco or hot sauce, optional

Combine the salt, pepper, 1/2 of the orange juice, cumin, garlic and 1/4 cup of the brandy or sherry and 1 tsp of Tabasco sauce together and pour over the chicken to marinate for at least an hour before cooking. The longer you let it marinate, the more flavorful and tender the chicken will become.

Once you are ready to cook it, preheat the oven to 400* F or 200*C. Place the chicken in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes, basting about every 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 325* F or about 150* C and continue to cook for an additional 20-30 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Still baste the chicken with its juices about every 10 minutes. It was actually a cool and very pleasant day , so I didn’t mind having the oven on. We had a nice break from the soaring temperatures and rising mercury.

While the chicken is cooking at the lower temperature, combine the orange marmalade, the rest of the brandy, the rest of the orange juice and 1 tsp of Tabasco sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Brush the glaze over the chicken during the last 10-15 minutes of cooking. When everything is done, serve it up over rice or potatoes or pasta and enjoy. You will have a delicious roasted Spanish chicken in about an hour. !Desfruitas! It was so tender and flavorful. It literally just melted in out mouths. It went very well with the spicy patatas bravas too. Dinner was a little sweet and a little spicy, just the way I like it.

Spice up your life and add lots of flavors. The spice and flavors are what make it interesting.

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