A Jeanne in the Kitchen

Last week I officially started the Church Coffee Cart. The Official Start of the Church Coffee Cart. I buy most of the goodies I serve, since sometimes that is just easier, especially in today’s crazy, complicated world. But today, I decided to make something for the coffee cart as well. I had a whole bunch of cherries that were in their prime, so I used them to make some mini cherry scones. I will add these to the other goodies that I have already purchased to offer a variety of goodies for everyone to enjoy.

These scones came out so light and fluffy. My dad would be proud. Being an Aussie, he loved his scones. My mother, the Texan, preferred biscuits. I like them all.

I cut my scones into small bite size pieces, other wise the recipe would have made between 8-12 scones.

Cherry Scones

2 cups sifted flour

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 TBSP baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

5 TBSP cold butter, cubed

1-1/2 cup cherries, pitted and roughly cut, lightly coated in flour

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 egg

turbinado sugar for the topping

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

Mix all the dry ingredients together well, then add the butter and mash together until it resembles coarse crumbly sand. Add the cherries and fold in.

Combine the egg and whipping cream and whisk together well. Then add to the flour and cherry mixture. Mix together with a spatula just until it starts to stick together and form a dough. Then gently knead with your hands for a bit. DO NOT over mix or the scones will turn out tough and chewy.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it.

Because I was making smaller scones, I cut my dough into pieces, and then cut them into small triangles.

Once the scones are cut to the size you like, place them on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until they are lightly browned.

You can either enjoy them right out of the oven or at room temperature. Either way, I know you will definitely enjoy them though. You can eat them as is, or top them with a little creme fraiche or some Devonshire cream.

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

The more I look, the more flowers I see. All colors and all sizes. The only thing they all have in common is that they are all beautiful, no matter what they look like.

For whatever reason, we tend to have more yellow and purple flowers than red, so these big red flowers, that I believe are hibiscus, just really stood out to me and caught my attention.

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Challenge rules, why not join in?

1.Feel free to post every day or whenever you you feel like it.  You can either post new flower photos or dig back into your archives.

2. Depending on the time of year, you can post any of these types of things for your FOTD.

• Single flowers
• Buds
• Multiple flowers
• Bouquet
• Flower fields
• Wildflowers
• Tree or bush blossoms
• Autumn leaves
• Spring leaves
• Decorative Cabbage
• Berries
• Still life
• Fake or Silk Flowers

Have a great day and may all your flowers bloom and blossom.

As you know, I love to recreate my foods all the time. Sometimes this take a little effort and creative imagination and other times, it doesn’t take much time or effort at all. This latest recreation was one of those that was almost a no-brainer, and a bit to easy. But that’s OK. I always say “keep it simple”. I used my leftover Asian green bean salad as the “star” of the production and the rest was easy. Sweet & Spicy Asian Style Green Bean Salad This time, the only additions were mixed baby salad greens, chicken, bacon and a wee bit more olive oil.

This delicious main meal salad was recreated from

this tasty salad side dish. Both ways were delicious and healthy.

As I mentioned above, I only made a few slight additions that transformed a side salad into a meal. Simple and easy-peasy, just the way I like it. 🙂

I cooked up some bacon and crumbled it, then I started building my salad with the mixed baby greens, and added my Asian green bean salad, followed by the chicken breast. I added some goat cheese crumbles onto Larry’s salad, and topped it all with the left over dressing, to which I added some more olive oil, and topped it all with the bacon crumbles. I added more olive oil to my leftover dressing to both extend it and to make it it a little less pungent, since it was a very spicy marinade to begin with.

To complete the meal, all that was needed was a little warmed ciabiatta and a glass or two of a cool, crisp, buttery chardonnay, and voila! Dinner was served, out on the deck, overlooking our lakes. It was a perfect way to enjoy the summer evening.

Healthy and delicious doesn’t mean it has to be difficult. Sometimes the best things in life are the simple things.

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

There are still lots more flowers, of all kinds, all around. They are still putting on their colorful best and brightening up the days. It seems like everyday I am seeing more and more beautiful and brightly colored flowers. I am enjoying every bit of it too.

http://viewfromtheback.com/2021/08/03/cees-flower-of-the-day-130/

Challenge rules, why not join in?

1.Feel free to post every day or whenever you you feel like it.  You can either post new flower photos or dig back into your archives.

2. Depending on the time of year, you can post any of these types of things for your FOTD.

• Single flowers
• Buds
• Multiple flowers
• Bouquet
• Flower fields
• Wildflowers
• Tree or bush blossoms
• Autumn leaves
• Spring leaves
• Decorative Cabbage
• Berries
• Still life
• Fake or Silk Flowers

Enjoy the flowers while you still can. fall is coming, and soon the flowers will be gone for the season.

The birds are all around, singing their songs of joy. I have a wide variety of birds found in my backyard and around my lakes. Some are very colorful, while others like to blend in to the scenery more. Some are found in the trees and way up high and others like to stick to the shores or to the ground. Either way, I love the birds. I am always on the lookout for as many varieties as I can see. I love identifying my birds (just like I do my fish when we are diving, but I digress). My dad and I used to love bird watching together, so I guess I am thinking of my dad when I see all the different kinds of birds.

Here is just another small sampling of some of local birds.

Both the American Goldfinch and the Canyon Towhee were in my backyard, probably even in the same tree. This American Goldfinch was a lucky shot. He is just a little thing, and I almost missed him, in a couple of ways, but as you can see, I did get him in the end. Just as my camera focused in on him and I snapped the shot, my battery said it needed to be changed, so I really wasn’t even sure if I got the shot. I couldn’t even take another photo of him because he flew away immediately after, but, as you can see, I got lucky.

Canyon Towhee

We have tons of barn swallows all around, but sometimes they can be hard to get some good shots of. Again, I got lucky. In fact, most good photographs, at least mine, are just plain luck.

A Mourning Dove sunbathing down by the lakes.

I don’t see these to often, but every now and then, we even have a few Iceland Gulls around too.

I hope you enjoy my bird show. I will keep sharing them with you as as I can “catch” them. Sometimes, they can be a bit elusive, but persistence usually wins out. If I wait long enough, and am patient enough, I believe I will get them. 🙂

I got some new “toys” yesterday. PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT play with these though. They are NOT really toys. Only use them if you really know what you are doing. When I say “toys”, they are are definitely NOT toys in the playful sense of the word we normally think of. However, they are “toys” to me because as you all know, I love to “play with my food” and every chef needs good knives.

I bought a couple of new CUTCO knives yesterday. CUTCO knives are very good quality, lightweight knives that are guaranteed for a lifetime. Of course I already have a lot of very good Henckle knives, but believe it or not, most of them are over 20 years old. They still work absolutely fine, and I still use them everyday, but that doesn’t mean I can’t spruce things up a bit too. My Henckles are good quality German steel knives and I love them. The German steel though is considerably heavier than the steel used in my new knives. Because I am so used to my heavier steel, it may take a little while to get used to my new lighter blades, but I am sure I can manage. 🙂

I only bought two new knives, and that still set me back a couple of hundred bucks. If I bought the whole set, it would have been over $1200. Larry would have killed me for sure, though he forgets, I definitely know how to use my knives. 🙂

I bought a new, smaller chef’s knife. My old one is an 8″ blade, and this one is only a 7″ blade. I used to use a really big 12″ blade back in my professional days though. it is all a matter of getting used to what you work with and then you develop a comfort level. With knives especially, it is all about respect for the equipment and using them with proper skill.

I also bough a multi-use cheese slicer, but it can be used for oh so much more than just slicing cheese. I tried it on potatoes at the demo before I bought it. It cuts through potatoes like a dream.

These knives are VERY sharp indeed. I highly recommend them to anyone, but just know they can be dangerous if you do not respect them and know how to really use them. So BE CAREFUL, especially at first until you get used to them.

Be careful, stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

As we have seen, flowers come in all shapes, colors and varieties. Some grow from the ground, some grow on trees, and some are even vegetables. In fact, a lot of vegetables actually start off as flowers first before developing into the delicious fruits and vegetables we eat. A couple of my neighbors have some flowering vegetables growing in their yards at this very moment too.

Look closely. This flower even has a moth inside.

From the flower to the fruit.

http://viewfromtheback.com/2021/08/03/cees-flower-of-the-day-130/

Challenge rules, why not join in?

1.Feel free to post every day or whenever you you feel like it.  You can either post new flower photos or dig back into your archives.

2. Depending on the time of year, you can post any of these types of things for your FOTD.

• Single flowers
• Buds
• Multiple flowers
• Bouquet
• Flower fields
• Wildflowers
• Tree or bush blossoms
• Autumn leaves
• Spring leaves
• Decorative Cabbage
• Berries
• Still life
• Fake or Silk Flowers

Flowers are more than just pretty eye candy. Yes, we can actually eat them too.

I took a nice walk around my lakes today before it got too hot. For the most part, the lakes were pretty quiet. I think it because the changing of the seasons are upon us. But and lo and behold, I was very pleasantly surprised by what I saw. I had to do a double take. We still have ducklings! It’s very late in the season to still have tiny baby ducks, but sure enough, Momma was out with her babies. They were having a swim lesson today. There was mom and her 3 babies all out enjoying their day. They are green-winged teals.

Of course they were all going in different directions.

Mom finally got them all lined up though. She looks so proud.

If you have your eyes open, and of course the camera ready, you just never know what you’re going to see.

The little things in life just get me so excited. I just can’t help it. I am like a little kid in a candy store when I find new, fun food products to try. This time I found a new hot & spicy honey. I found this purely by accident when I stopped in the store to pick up some fried chicken. There was someone doing a tasting and demo and they were featuring this hot honey. Ironically, he said it also went very well with fried chicken, which I just happened to have in my hands at the time. It did go well with fried chicken too. Instantly, I started thinking of other great ways to use it as well.

When I made my sweet & spicy Asian green bean salad, I really wasn’t even thinking about this hot honey at the time. I was trying to come up with a cool way to beat the heat, that would use up some of green beans. The recipe I found actually called for honey and siracha sauce, but I used my new hot honey instead. Of course, I also recreated it in my own way as well. That’s just what I do. 🙂

I used my sweet & spicy Asian green bean salad as a side dish for some grilled kielbasa sausage and potato salad. It was a cool, easy-peasy way to dine without creating any more heat, since the day was already hot enough.

Sweet & Spicy Asian Green Bean Salad

I lb green beans, stems removed

1 cup corn

1/4 red onion sliced very thin

1 cup cheery or grape tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, chopped fine

1/4 cup olive oil

1 TBSP soy sauce

2 TBSP rice vinegar

1 TBSP hot honey, or to taste

1 TBSP regular honey

salt to taste

1/4 cup cashews, chopped

Cook the green beans in boiling water for about 6 minutes, then immediately place them in an ice bath. Once they are cooled, cut them into pieces about 1 inch in size. Combine the corn, onions, tomatoes and cilantro with the green beans and toss well.

Mix the olive oil, honey, vinegar, soy sauce and salt together and combine well.

Add as much of the oil and vinegar mixture to the vegetables as needed to coat them and flavor them without drowning them in the sauce. Toss the sauce in just before serving. Top with the chopped cashews and more cilantro. Because of the acidity from the rice vinegar , the green beans will turn brown if you add the sauce to the vegetable mixture to early. You want them to still be vibrant and green when serving. Serve the salad chilled.

The hot honey really packs a punch, so a little goes a long way. If you are not a big fan of the spicy heat, cut down on the amount of the spicy honey and use it to your taste. We love hot and spicy, so for us, we like to kick it up.

This salad is very tasty and colorful, not to mention very healthy too. It is nothing but vegetables and nuts. It will brighten up any dish you decide to serve it with. I just know you’re going to love it. It is a great easy-peasy summer salad. 🙂

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

Not all flowers grow from the ground. There are many beautiful that are found in trees as well. There are flowering trees of all colors, just like there are ground flowers of all colors. So many of these “tree” flowers are very fragrant too. You can’t help but stop and smell the flowers when walking by.

http://viewfromtheback.com/2021/08/03/cees-flower-of-the-day-130/

Challenge rules, why not join in?

1.Feel free to post every day or whenever you you feel like it.  You can either post new flower photos or dig back into your archives.

2. Depending on the time of year, you can post any of these types of things for your FOTD.

• Single flowers
• Buds
• Multiple flowers
• Bouquet
• Flower fields
• Wildflowers
• Tree or bush blossoms
• Autumn leaves
• Spring leaves
• Decorative Cabbage
• Berries
• Still life
• Fake or Silk Flowers

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