A Jeanne in the Kitchen

I, like many others, over extend myself sometimes, and I buy things, with ideas in mind of how I want to make them, and then life happens, and plans change. When working with food, sometimes this means you need to come up with a plan “B” real quick or you will need to throw food away. I hate throwing away food unless I absolutely have too. So, I get creative instead.

I had planned on making something that used my pesto and some French bread, but that never happened. So, I have been using my pesto for other things. My French bread got really crusty, which was making it to hard to eat as is. So ……. When the bread gets crusty, turn it into croutons.

You can make croutons with as little or as much bread as you need to. There are no right or wrongs and no absolutes with this recipe, except that they are going to taste absolutely scrumptious. Croutons are a very easy way to use up your end pieces or dried bread. You can add whatever flavors you like and mix and match with whatever you have. This is an old trick from my restaurant days. It used up our breads that were not good enough to eat or serve on their own, and it was a great way to save on costs too, because we did not have to purchase croutons when we could easily make them up in house. This time, I made them with Parmigiano cheese, roasted garlic flakes, salt, pepper, olive oil, melted butter and dried parley.

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

With a serrated knife, cube the bread into bite size pieces.

Mix together the butter, oil and all your other ingredients, then toss the bread into the mixture to coat well and spread out on a baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the croutons become golden brown and crisp. Toss them about half way in between to help them cook evenly. You can add them to soups or salads or just munch on them one at a time as is. They will be full of flavor.

Stay safe, stay well and enjoy the day. ‘Til next time.

Here in the United States, it is Memorial Day Weekend. It is a 3-day weekend, and usually marks the start of the summer season. But Memorial Day itself is a day of remembrance for all those who paid the ultimate price and made the ultimate sacrifice in order for the rest of us to live freely. For that, we are forever in your debt. Thank you so much for those who gave their all for us. You will never be forgotten.

I think chicken may just be one of the most universal foods ever. You can dress it up or down any which way you choose, and it is always delicious, plus you find chickens in every country around the world. We eat a lot of chicken in our house too, maybe, because it is so universal and so versatile.

I had made some pesto to use for something else, which ironically, I have not made what I originally made my pesto for yet. That’s OK though, I know how to make pesto and it only takes a couple of minutes to make, so I think I can easily make more at any time. 🙂 Instead, I used my pesto to make some Italian chicken, with Prosciutto, pesto and cheese.

Pesto is one of the easiest sauces to make. The traditional recipe is simply olive oil, toasted pine nuts, Parmigiano cheese, garlic (lots of garlic) and salt & pepper. That’s it. However, today, the possibilities of making pesto are endless, as are the ways to use it. Pesto is also very versatile and can be used for just about anything you can imagine.

Preheat the oven to 350* F or 180*C and spray a baking pan with cooking spray.

For my pollo Italiano, I seared and browned my chicken breasts in the skillet with a combination of olive oil and butter. First, I coated the chicken pieces with flour mixed with salt & pepper and them placed them in the hot oil and butter combination and cooked until they were golden brown all both sides. Get the skillet nice and hot before adding the chicken.

When the chicken is browned, place it in the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 15 minutes, then remove it from the oven and add a little pesto, the cheese and top it off with the prosciutto. Place it back in the oven to finish cooking, for about another 10-15 minutes, or until the juices from the chicken run clear.

When the chicken is completely cooked, serve it up with your favorite side dishes and top it with just a dash more pesto. This time, I served it over rice and with a sauteed summer vegetable medley on the side.

Add some warmed bread and a glass or two of white wine, and voila, dinner is served, Italian style. It is quick, easy-peasy, and very delicious to boot, which in my book, that makes it a definite winner. !Deliciozo! !Mangia! 🙂

Stay safe and stay well on this Memorial Day weekend. ‘Til next time.

I love a good creamy sauce over pasta. Anything creamy, along with butter, and often the two go hand in hand, will always capture my attention, and my taste buds. Again, I had just a little ham left over, and only a few shrimp, not enough of either for a full meal for the two of us, but by combining the two, we had more than enough for a couple of meals each.

A carbonara sauce Pasta Carbonara with Ham and Vegetables is a lighter version of an Alfredo sauce. Shrimp and Vegetable Alfredo. Both are delicious, and I do variations of both of them all the time. Almost always, my creations include pasta and vegetables. One of the most popular modern twists to a traditional carbonara sauce is made with either bacon or ham and peas. Fine by me. I love all those ingredients, and eat them all quite often. I also added mushrooms, which are another favorite of mine.

My ham was already cooked, so I cooked the shrimp in hot olive oil and a dash of butter, then added the rest of my ingredients for this quick and tasty meal. Look closely. You’ll see my little helper, who isn’t so little any more. 🙂

After all my ingredients were cooked, I added the the carbonara sauce. I like to combine my cream and egg yolks together, which also kinds of acts as a tempering agent so my eggs don’t scramble. I also added my Parmigiano cheese and salt & pepper and combined everything, then let it all cook down at a low simmer for about 10 or so minutes.

Once the sauce is ready and the pasta is cooked, it is time to spoon the sauce over the pasta and enjoy. !Mangia!

Live life. Enjoy and stay safe and well. ‘Til next time.

My turtles are back. So far, I have mostly seen the big snapping turtles, with my old guys front and center. My big snapping turtles are rumored to be over 100 years old, and they still look great. They have been busy sunning themselves on the rocks and logs, or just hanging out on the water’s surface. They are definitely making their presence known and I am glad for it too. I love seeing all my turtles out and about.

Mr. Turtle is just chilling on the water’s surface, catching a few rays while he can.

And finally, my red-eared sliders are coming out too.

He needed a little help from Mr. Turtle though, and they were hanging out on the log together. This is the first time I have seen both turtle types together like this. I guess they really are friends, though they are practicing their social distancing at the moment.

This friendly turtle is always dressed perfectly for the seasons. Today, he is sporting his summer wear and greeting all those who pass by.

The weather is warming up and summer is here. This is the start of Memorial Day Weekend here in America, which is also the unofficial start of the summer season. Warmer weather means more salads, and I love being creative with my salads, and I love making them nice and colorful too. The more colors, the healthier it is. Don’t be fooled in thinking that when I make my salads they will not be filling though. When I make salads, I make SALADS, especially when I am making them as the main meal.

I made my dressing first so it could sit and marinate, to allow all the flavors to blend and fuse together. I made a roasted red pepper vinaigrette to dress my steak salad.

Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette

2 larger red bell peppers

1 cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 tsp sugar

1/8-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or to taste

Roast the bell peppers until they are completely charred on the outside, then place them in a plastic bag and let them sweat for at least 30 minutes. Once they have cooled, remove the charred skins with your fingers and rinse thoroughly. Then place everything in the food processor and blend until you have your dressing.

Now for the salad. Obviously, you can use this dressing for anything you like, but it went very well with my Colorado steak salad. It is a big, bold salad that needs a big, bold dressing to go with it, and this dressing was a perfect choice.

Colorado Steak Salad

1 1/2 lbs steak, marinated and cooked how you like it, then cut into thin strips

1/4 onion, sliced very thin

lettuce of your choice – I used red leaf

4 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in 1/2 – I like using mixed tomatoes

1 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, cut in 1/2

1/2 bell pepper, in thin strips

1 cup sliced mushrooms

fried tortilla strips

cheese of your choice, optional

avocado slices, optional

This is a composed salad, which means it is artfully decorated and not tossed together. Once all the ingredients are prepared, and your mis en place is set, just start layering your salad. Finish with the cheese, if using, avocado slices and fried tortilla strips. Larry likes cheddar cheese in his salads, but bleu cheese crumbles or feta or an herbed goat cheese would be good with this too, if you prefer.

This recipe is easy-peasy and does not take a lot of time in the kitchen. It is quick to make, beautiful and healthy all at once. It is culinary art.

Pour yourself a nice glass or two of your favorite wine and let the summer salad season begin. Have a great, safe Memorial Day weekend to all my American friends, and to all, stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

You have heard me say many times how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful state. We have so many wonderful things and such an abundance of wildlife all around. We also have many different types of beautiful birds flying all around our Rocky Mountain State, many of which often stop by our lakes and in my own backyard too. This is just a small sampling of some of our beautiful, colorful birds. We have big birds and little birds. We have shore birds and mountain birds and everything in between. And they all call Colorado home.

We have quite a few species of swallows. This is a Barn Swallow.

These are Cliff Swallows.

We see Red-Winged Black birds all over the place. They are so pretty and have such an interesting song.

We also have Belted Kingfishers,

Northern Flickers,

Magpies,

Common Grackles.

House Finches,

Cassin’s Finches,

Says’ Phoebes,

American Kestrels,

Blue Jays,

Red-Bellied Woodpeckers,

Clark’s Nutcrackers,

Robins,

and American Goldfinches.

We also have a large variety of Hawks and Owls and oh so much more.

I have always been a bird lover, as well as an animal lover in general. My dad and I used to love watching all the birds together. At first, I just admired them. Then once I started really getting into photography, I started capturing them with my lens. And from there, I was seeing so many beautiful birds, that I had to invest in bird books so I could start identifying them all too. I am having so much fun not only seeing and photographing all my birds, but also learning more about them all the time. I will keep sharing my birds, as well as all my other wild Colorado friends, as long as you like seeing them. I hope you love them as much as I do. 🙂

Our travels through North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia have come to an end. We covered a lot of distance and saw a lot of beautiful and historic things and places. But now we are headed home. We missed all our fur babies and I know they missed us too.

We still had a four hour drive from Jacksonville to Charlotte and back to the airport. So there was still some sight seeing from the passenger seat, but because we had a plane to catch, there was not much time for anything else (a lot of this trip was rushed like this too). We knew we needed to eat so, as we drove through Downtown Charlotte, we had our eyes peeled for something that was fairly quick and unique to the area. Our choice was JackBeagle’s. Of course we had to stop there, it is a place that loves dogs just like we do. It’s in their name. 🙂

You could dine inside or outside, but of course, it was a beautiful day and we chose to dine al fresco on the patio, like most everyone else. The place was hoppin’ too.

“JackBeagle’s is a cozy neighborhood hangout with a little attitude AND a lot of FLAVOR! [Their] goal is to WOW you with [their] service as well as made from scratch menu items and recipes.” There are currently three JackBeagle’s restaurants located in the Charlotte, North Carolina area, with more planned for the future. “JackBeagle’s takes pride in the preparation of our award-winning food.  We want to be included in your “Best I Ever Had” conversations by using fresh ingredients, preparing home-made sauces, and using the best ingredients possible!” They specialize in a wide variety of homemade “American pub-like” foods with a definite and delicious twist, such as a wide variety of waffle fries, mac n’ cheese specialties, unique burgers and sandwiches, salads and oh so much more.

Larry ordered a cheesesteak sandwich, and I think he ordered the LOCO LOBO – Fresh Chopped Ribeye grilled with Caramelized Onion, Pepper-Jack topped with Fresh Shredded Lettuce, Pickled Cherry Peppers and Chipotle Aioli. I had one of their specialty burgers and chose the MIYAGI’S TERIYAKI RIBEYE – Fresh Chopped Ribeye grilled with Caramelized Peppers, Onions, Provolone and our House BourbonYaki Sauce on Toasted Brioche. Both sandwiches were delicious and truly unique, which also made them fun. I just love trying new foods, and especially foods with “a little attitude”. 🙂 We were in a hurry, and I guess a bit distracted, so unfortunately, I did not get pictures of the food. You’ll just have to trust me when I say they were very tasty and very filling indeed. If I lived in the area, I would probably be a fairly frequent visitor to JackBeagle’s.

I think we really liked JackBeagle’s not only for their scrumptious and unique foods, but also because they are dog lovers too. They had fun dog pictures all over the walls. If a place loves dogs it has to be good, right?! 🙂

I do not know which location we stopped at, but I am assuming all three locations offer the same fun atmosphere and foods with attitude. You can go to their webpage and learn more. http://jackbeagles.com/ Definitely stop in and say hi next time you are in the Charlotte area. I promise you will be in for quite a tasty treat.

Walking around my beautiful and beloved lakes is always such a pleasure. I just never know what or “who” I am going to see, or even where for that matter. Usually, when I see things, everything is spread out over all the lakes, but this time, most of the action was taking place at the first lake. Everyone was there. There must have been some kind of party going on.

The pelicans were out for a swim.

They were even picking on a lone egret too. As you can see, they got his feathers all ruffled.

He gave them a piece of his mind and then soon calmed down and all was fine once again.

He only stayed a short while though, then decided to fly the coop.

There was a cormorant who kept trying to crash the party, but the pelicans weren’t including him in their pelican games, so he swam off on his own.

A goose family was out enjoying their day too,

as were a couple of wood ducks and mallards.

Even Mr. Turtle was out sunning himself on the logs. We have a few geriatric snapping turtles that are rumored to be over 100 years old. This just may one of them. He still looks really good, especially considering his age.

Even the squirrels had to get in on some of the fun.

As you can see, it was a fun party. I am glad I was on the invite list.

Following directions or recipes is not one of my strong suits, and for good reason too. Usually when I follow the directions of a recipe, the recipe doesn’t turn out. I don’t know why that is, but it happens more so than not. Hence, I usually make up my own rules and do my own thing, and most of the time, things turn out just as I was hoping and expecting. This was most certainly the case when I tried to make Keto friendly chocolate lava cakes. I am not all that well versed in cooking the Keto style, so I was really trying to follow the recipe, and hopefully learn something new. Well, I followed the recipe to a “T” and it did NOT work. My lava cakes did not turn out as lava cakes, but came out as chocolate soup instead.

We went out to dinner with our friends Eric and Shannon and they came over here for dessert after. They are following a Keto diet, which I have to admit I do not know that much about. So I did my research to find a good dessert that was Keto friendly. I found a recipe for a Keto friendly chocolate lava cakes that sounded just perfect. Better yet, I already had all the ingredients necessary. I thought to myself, “Great! This will be great for dessert”. Everything was going according to plan until …….

Here is the recipe I found. Obviously, I still need to tweak it and work with it, but if you can make it work for you, I give you a round of applause.

Keto Friendly Individual Chocolate Lava Cakes

This recipe was made as an individual recipe, so instead of making just 1, I multiplied everything by 4 so the 4 of us could “enjoy” it. That should not have made a difference though. Believe it or not, I am very good at math, and I definitely know how to multiply things by a factor of 4. I will give you the individual recipe for 1, as I found it.

1 TBSP butter

3 TBSP almond flour

1 TBSP cocoa powder

2 TBSP sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla

4 squares of baking chocolate

Melt the butter in the ramekin in a microwave for about 10-20 seconds and swirl it all around to coat the ramekin completely.

Combine all the dry ingredients and blend together thoroughly.

Mix the eggs and the vanilla together and beat slightly. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix everything together until it is incorporated and you have a thick batter.

Fill the ramekin about 1/2 way and add the baking chocolate, then fill the ramekin with more batter. Fill the ramekin to about 3/4 full.

This recipe can either be microwaved or baked in the oven. If you are using the microwave, cook it at high for about 1 minute. If you are placing it in the oven, bake it at 350* F or 180* C for 10 minutes, or until the outer edges are set. You do not want to over cook it because the “lava” will set and will not flow. Up to this point, everything was perfect. No problems at all. The top of my cake was like a cake should be, and was set. The edges were as they were supposed to be too. They look just like they are supposed to right?

Once I removed the ramekins from the oven, I quickly turned them over on to a plate, like I was supposed to do. But instead of having a beautiful lava cake, the result I got was chocolate soup. It was a big ooey-gooey mess. The cake did NOT set at all. But being the ever creative and inventive one that I am, all was not a complete loss. Since the tops came out the way they were supposed to, I salvaged them and topped them with a dab of ice cream and served the orange slices and strawberries on the side, like I was planning on anyway. It actually worked out pretty well, all things considered, since we were all pretty full from dinner.

I am sharing my mishaps with you to let you know you are NOT alone. I have gremlins in my kitchen too. Even I, Jeanne, from “A Jeanne in the Kitchen” have those days when things just don’t turn out as expected or hoped. The moral of the story …. Don’t follow the recipes. Tweak them however you need to. 🙂

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