A Jeanne in the Kitchen

Some people call it stuffing. Some people call it dressing. It just depends on what part of the country you live in. Northerners call it stuffing. Southerners call it dressing. I just call it delicious.

Believe it or not, some version of “stuffing” has been around since about 200 BC, created by a chef knowns as Apicius. Back then it was a combination of herbs, vegetables, nuts, brains and liver (yuck to the last two) that were combined and stuffed into the cavity of an animal carcass that was all cooked together. Prior to the the times when stove tops were a household staple, turkey, as well as most other meats, were roasted on a spit over an open fire. There were not a lot of ways to cook other foods, so the “stuffing was inserted inside the carcass and was cooked at the same time. Today, most people cook the stuffing separately from the turkey, due to health reasons. The stuffing and the turkey cook at different temperatures and there is always a concern of cross contamination when cooking different foods together, especially if they do not cook completely. I always prepare my stuffing separately from my turkey, just to be on the safe side.

Today, there are many different versions of stuffing or dressing. Some use bread and some use rice. Some have meats added and others donot. Once again, there is no right or wrong way to make either a stuffing or a dressing. The only limitations are that of your own imagination. Southerners use cornbread in their “dressings”. This came from a dish brought over by the slaves from Africa, known as kush. A lot of Northerners use oysters. The Northern versions also use a lot of rice, and were based on Native American dishes. Stuffing/dressing has been an American tradition served on Thanksgiving tables since at least 1836.

As you may have noticed, when I get busy, especially if I am busy hosting a party, I forget to take a lot of pictures of what I am cooking. I am more focused on getting everything out and ready for my guests than I am on taking pictures. Such was the case this time too, and I forgot to take pictures of my stuffing. So, unfortunately, I will be using a stock photo, and you will will just have to use your imagination, and Julia’s testimony, ”  I would love your dressing recipe. You made some of the best dressing I’ve had” on what I actually made. http://retirementrvdream.wordpress.com/ Julia is an excellent cook, so I am greatly honored she has given it such high praise.

My stuffing was very similar to this version. I filled it with ground Andouille sausage and apples.

Andouille Sausage and Apple Stuffing

1 lb day old bread, cubed – you want it kind of crusty and hard

2 apples, peeled and diced

1 1/2 lbs ground Andouille sausage

1 1/2 TBSP garlic

1 onion, diced fine

3 celery stalks, diced

salt & pepper to taste

2 TBSP chopped herbs – a combination of rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley and sage

2 cups chicken or turkey broth

Preheat the oven to 375* F or 190* C

Spray cooking spray in a 9×13 baking sheet.

Cube the bread and add the seasonings, then set aside.

Cook the sausage, celery, onion and garlic together in olive oil until the sausage is completely cooked and the vegetables are tender. Then add them to the bread cubes and combine well. Add everything into the prepared baking pan. Pour the stock over the mixture and press it firmly into the mixture to make sure everything is completely saturated. This to make sure the stuffing stays moist and does not dry out. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the stuffing is completely cooked.

When it is ready, serve it with your turkey and the rest of your meal and enjoy.

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

I saw this today on FB and I absolutely LOVE this! People laugh at me all the time when I say I most definitely believe in Santa Claus, and here is why. I have been saying this my whole life.

ATTENTION TO ALL PARENTS WHO NEED TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT SANTA 
Son: “Dad, I think I’m old enough now. Is there a Santa Claus?.”
Dad: “Ok, I agree that your old enough. But before I tell you, I have a question for you. You see, the “truth” is a dangerous gift. Once you know something, you can’t unknow it. Once you know the truth about Santa Claus, you will never again understand and relate to him as you do now. So my question is: Are you sure you want to know?”
Brief pause…
Son: “Yes, I want to know”
Dad: “Ok, I’ll tell you: Yes there is a Santa Claus”
Son: “Really?”
Dad: Yes, really, but he’s not an old man with a beard in a red suit. That’s just what we tell kids. You see, kids are too young to understand the true nature of Santa Claus, so we explain it to them in a way that they can understand. The truth about Santa Claus is that he’s not a person at all; he’s an idea. Think of all those presents Santa gave you over the years. I actually bought those myself. I watched you open them. And did it bother me that you didn’t thank me? Of course not! In fact it gave me great pleasure. You see, Santa Claus is THE IDEA OF GIVING FOR THE SAKE OF GIVING, without thought of thanks or acknowledgement.
When I saw that woman collapse on the subway last week and called for help, I knew that she’d never know that it was me that summoned the ambulance. I was being Santa Claus when I did that.”
Son: “Oh.”
Dad: “So now that you know, you’re part of it. You have to be Santa Claus too now. That means you can never tell a young kid the secret, and you have to help us select Santa presents for them, and most important, you have to look for opportunities to help people. Got it?”
Help each other this Christmas and…be kind 

When gathering for Thanksgiving, of course the Turkey is going to take center stage, but we can not feast on turkey alone. There are plenty of other sides that go with the turkey too, just like there are very few one-man shows, but instead the star is surrounded by co-stars and various other cast members. One of my “cast members” that shared the table with our big bird was my apple-cranberry salad with a champagne vinaigrette. Everyone commented on how pretty and festive it was, but it was also very tasty too.

This salad is so colorful and so festive, but you don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to enjoy it. It is one of those salads that can be enjoyed year-round. This would also be good with pears too, either as a substitute for the apples or combined with them.

Apple-Cranberry Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

The Salad

4 cups mixed baby greens

1 apple, peeled and sliced thin

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

3 oz crumbled feta or goat cheese

champange vinaigrette

Toss the ingredients together carefully, saving some of the apple slices and the goat cheese to arrange on top. Add the champagne vinaigrette right before serving. I used mixed baby greens but you can use, spinach, kale or romaine lettuce too is you prefer.

Champagne Vinaigrette

1 shallot, mined

1-2 TBSP fresh peppercorns, crushed – I used Brazilian pink this time

1 TBSP honey

2 TBSP champagne vinaigrette

1/3 cup olive oil

1 TBSP garlic olive oil

salt to taste

Whisk everything together and set aside. Only poor as much as you need over the salad then gently toss. If you can not find champagne vinegar, you can substitute either white balsamic vinegar, Proseco vinegar or white wine vinegar too. The tastes will only be subtly different and all are very good.

Bring a little holiday cheer into the world everyday. Keep things fun and festive all year round. Stay safe and stay well Everyone. Happy Holidays!

As you all know, I love my plants and flowers. I love all kinds of succulents too. I have three Christmas cacti, but only one that is really blooming beautifully at the moment. Tis the season.

The Holiday season has officially begun. Unofficially it started with Halloween, but the official start was Thanksgiving. The count-down has started. This is my first of a new series of posts leading up to Christmas Day – “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas”.

Here in the United States, we have the traditions of Black Friday, which is day after Thanksgiving. It is a HUGE event with most businesses and retailers offering huge sales that draw massive amounts of people to their businesses in hopes of getting all kinds of great deals on their holiday purchases. Normally I am NOT a fan of Black Friday and do NOT partake in these activities. I hate crowds and I detest all the mobs associated with Black Friday. However, when wine is involved, that is a different story. 🙂

You have seen my posts about InVINtions for years now. We have been members there for 10 years. And every Black Friday, they have their own fun traditions. Of course we participate and have fun with them. Video #17 – INVINtions, A Creative Winery This year was no different. Usually, they have everyone come in their pajamas for games and great deals. Last year, we played Monopoly or Wineopoly. This year, they went back to the pajama party, but I guess I missed that part of the memo, so we did not come in our pajamas. But we went with Janet and Bob, and we all had a great time and got some great deals as well, even though we were dressed in our street clothes. Janet and I always bring a feast and this time was no different. No one will EVER go hungry when Janet and I are in charge of the food. That is for sure. 🙂

Black Friday at InVINtions. Let the wining begin. Larry literally stands heads above the rest and is one of the first people in line. He is in the striped shirt.

There were so many other goodies besides wine too. I did not need anything, but I got another one of their big mugs with a steaming cup of mulled wine. I did this last year too.

Janet and Larry holding down the table, making sure no one helps themselves to our bounty.

As I have said many many times, there is nothing better than celebrating good times with good friends and good food, and of course, good wines too. Let’s all start ringing in the holiday season with lots of good cheer.

On a side note, we had some issues with our network and I was out of commission for a short bit. But things are seemingly back on track, and so am I.

Stay well and stay safe Everyone. May we all enjoy this beautiful and joyous time of year and let’s start ringing in the Holidays!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It all about being thankful for what you have and getting together with loved ones. We had a small gathering of friends over, but we all had so much fun. Everyone brought something delicious, and we ate, and we ate, and we ate. After dinner we played some games and we laughed, and we laughed, and we laughed. It was a very fun and festive evening, just exactly how it is supposed to be too.

Yes, I was in the kitchen cooking most of the day, and I prepared all the traditional Thanksgiving dishes like stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted vegetables, a colorful salad, and of course, the main attraction – the TURKEY. Julia brought her famous rolls and Lauren made a fantastic antipasto tray.

The star of the day.

And the co-stars.

Julia and her beautifully delicious rolls.

We had already started nibbling on Lauren’s antipasto tray before I thought of taking a picture of it, but trust me, it was beautiful, delicious and very creative.

Celebrating a bit before sitting down to eat.

When it was time to eat, Larry starting carving the turkey. We were all hungry, and were ready to get this party started.

For desserts rather than making big pies this year, I made small little nibblies instead, including some of my caramels. Video #18 – Making Caramels with Priscilla.

We had a very Happy Thanksgiving indeed. I hope all of you did too.

No matter what is going on in the world, there is still so much to be thankful for. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the States. It has always been my favorite holiday.

I am cooking and we are hosting a small group. Of course there will be a big turkey as the center of attention, plus everything else that goes with turkey.

I wish you all a very Happy and safe Thanksgiving. Count your blessings. We have many.

Here in the United States, and I am sure in many other parts of the world as well, we live in a throw-away society and sadly, this applies to a lot of foods too. This breaks my heart, especially when so many people around the world would love to have the foods we throw away. We are so programmed that if something doesn’t look “perfect” or is different than what we are used to, then it won’t taste “perfect” either. But this is not true at all. In fact, it is just the opposite. Here are some examples: 1) When bananas start to brown, people throw them away, but those are just what you need for making banana breads or mashing them up to use for baking. 2) When bread dries out it is often thrown away, when instead it could be turned into either croutons or as a stuffing or bread pudding. And 3) When salsa starts getting a bit vinegary, use it for a sauce. After all, when making tomato sauces, you often add either wine or vinegar or both anyway, so why not add a vinegary salsa as well. By no means am I suggesting to eat foods that are not edible and have gone bad. I am just saying that just because they no longer look “pretty” doesn’t mean that are not still usable in different ways. Necessity is so often the mother of invention, and waste not want not.

We eat a lot of salsa in our house, but there are times when we just can’t get through it quick enough and sometimes, even though it is still well within the “use-by dates”, it just has a bit more of a vinegary taste than what we like for either eggs or chips and salsa. This was the case the other day. So I used it my sauce and made a delicious spicy Mexican chicken stew with it. I would much rather use it in another way if at all possible than throw it away.

Spicy Mexican Chicken Stew

2 lbs chicken pieces, skin on

1 red bell pepper, sliced thin

1 green bell pepper, sliced thin

1/2 red onion, sliced thin

1-2 jalapenos, diced fine

2-3 cups salsa

3-4 tomatoes, diced medium

1 TBSP ancho chili pepper

1-2 TBSP garlic

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp sage

1/2 cup dry red wine

2- TBSP lime olive oil, optional

olive oil and butter for cooking

salt & cayenne pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Get a Dutch oven very hot and add the butter, olive oil and lime olive oil (if using) then add the chicken and brown completely, about 6-7 minutes per side.

Once the chicken is browned, remove it from the heat and set aside. Add the peppers, onions and garlic to the oil and saute for about 5 minutes, or until softened.

Add the chicken and place on top of the vegetables. Then add the salsa, tomatoes, wine and the spices.

Mix everything together well, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cilantro right at the very end and incorporate it into the sauce. Then serve over cooked rice. I also added some rolls and of course, more wine. I served it with a smooth and fruity Malbec.

The chicken was so tender and tasty. It literally just melted in our mouths.

Be bold. Walk on the wild side a bit and stray from the norms. Think outside of the box a bit. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. 🙂

Stay safe and stay well Everyone, and to all a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Cashews are some of my favorite nuts, though they are really not nuts at all. They are the seeds of the cashew apples. Whatever you wish to call them, I love them and I often eat them by the handful. They are healthy and full of nutrients and a great source of protein and healthy fats. But like everything else, sometimes, I like to switch things up a bit and do something different with them too. This time I “candied” them in a chipotle lime sauce.

The cashew is native to northeastern Brazil. Portuguese missionaries took it to East Africa and India during the late 16th century, where it became abundant at low altitudes near the seacoast. At first, Europeans did not know how to eat these fabulous nuts or seeds. They learned by monkey see, monkey do. That’s right. They learned by watching the capuchin monkeys eat them about 700 years ago, though the natives of Brazil have been eating cashews for at least 7000 years. Today, India is now the world’s largest producer of cashews.

The cashew seed is surrounded by a shell containing toxic oils, such as anacardic acid. This is the same acid found in poison ivy. After the toxins are removed, the cashews must be graded and sorted. The entire process is labor-intensive as well as hazardous, which helps explain part of why cashews are so expensive.

Chipotle-Lime Cashews

These cashews are super easy to make and are great for parties and entertaining. They also only require a few simple, basic ingredients and really only take a few minutes to cook up.

3 cups roasted cashew nuts

2 tsp dry chili chipolte powder r 1 dry chipotle chili ground into a powder

3 TBSP maple syrup

2 TBSP olive oil

I TBSP lime juice

1-2 tsp lime zest

Place all the ingredients into a large, hot skillet and cook over a medium high heat until the nuts are all coated and the syrup starts to thicken, about 5-7 minutes. Stir constantly so the nuts don’t burn.

Once the nuts are ready, pour them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread them out into a single layer.

Allow them to cool completely then break them apart and serve. They will be a big hit at your next party or get together and will be perfect for the upcoming holidays. I served them at our caramel class as a snack while we were working. The Caramel Class There was no way we could stop at just one. We ate them one after another. Fortunately, I made a lot, so I still have plenty left over.

Don’t be afraid to go a little nutty, just make sure you stay safe and stay well ‘Til next time.

Priscilla and I have been making our famous caramels for years now Video #18 – Making Caramels with Priscilla and we thought is was time to actually start teaching others how to make them as well. They are easy to make, yet can be challenging at the same time. Here in Colorado, we have our own specific challenges due to the dryness and the altitude. I made a batch a few days before everyone got here and even though I have been making them for years, it took me four tries because it never set properly. Fortunately the 4th time was the charm. We are still learning new things and new techniques, even after all these years.

Laura is prepping her pan.

Lauren is chopping her pecans. She got really creative and added some praline liqueur as well.

And the process begins. Laura and Lauren are at the stove, stirring their pots.

We made 5 batches of caramels this time. We had to make them in shifts, with two of us at the stove at a time. Laura is watching and learning from the pro.

After the caramels were done, we had to toast with a margarita. And we all enjoyed some tamales and green chili in celebration. Video #22 – Green Chili. YUM We all had a good time and a lot of laughs. AND A LOT of caramels too.

Life is short. Make the most of all the time you have. Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.