I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
I promise I will not bore you too many pictures or videos of our newest family member, Baby Juneau, but right now she is growing by leaps and bounds and is changing everyday. When she’s not throwing temper tantrums or peeing and pooping all over the house, she really is quite a joy. She has found her voice, believe me, she is LOUD and she is VOCAL. When we first got her, we were told she was shy. SHY??????? HUH????? NO WAY! She is a pill, but just like all our other fur babies, she is a loveable pill. At least she is sleeping through the night now. We appreciate this so much, because now, we are also sleeping through the night as well.
Here is a little quick video of Juni Bug in action. Larry and I already have noticed she has grown just in the week that we have had her. We have a big house with lots of stairs. Yesterday was the first day Juneau went up the stairs all by herself. She is not quite the stair master yet, though, since she hasn’t quite figured out how to go down the stairs, but going up was a big step for her, or should I say quite a few big steps for her. 🙂
We are still ridding the refrigerator of the many leftovers that have been accumulating these last few days, so I thought it would be fun to do something a little different today. By now, I think you have all figured out that I LOVE my fur babies. I have had animals my whole life. There have been many dogs, cats, rabbits and even a blue parakeet and a toad. I have never not had pets, or fur babies, and I don’t imagine I will ever be pet less either. I do not have children, so my fur babies are my children. My 4-legged babies are just as loved and just as spoiled as any 2-legged babies would be. If I had my way, I would have a large farm with all kinds and many, many animals. This is one reason why Larry says I am NEVER allowed to work in an animal shelter. He knows I would bring them all home.
Here are some of the best, most wonderful dogs (and cats) in the world. Sadly, most of them have crossed the rainbow bridge and are now up in Heaven, but I know one day, we will all be reunited once again.
I was about 10 here, with my first dog Daisy and my first rabbit Nosy. We had Daisy for about 15 years. She died when she was about 18 or so.
This is Chopstyx, my first Chow. I bought Chopstyx from friends of mine who owned both the mom and the dad.
Taipei was my second Chow. This picture is a favorite. My dad and Holly, our lab, had a real special bond with each other.
After Holly passed, at 14 or so, we got Kodiak, our first malamute.
When Taipei passed at 15 1/2, Lucie came into the house and into our lives.
Kodiak crossed the rainbow bridge at 10 1/2, which was very old for a big boy. For the next 6 years, it was the twins, Lucie and Vinnie.
We have lots and lots of pictures of the twins. They were always together. When Lucie passed away, Vinnie seemed lost and lonely, even though at times, he really seemed to enjoy being the only dog.
Lucie was almost 9 when she crossed the rainbow bridge, which again for a giant breed dog, is considered to be geriatric.
And of course, we can’t forget the kitties, my puma and my panther, Otis and Nicodemus.
And now, a new chapter begins with Baby Juneau, our beautiful little Juni Bug.
As you can see, our house is always covered in fur, but there is always a ton of love. If you don’t like animals, or fur, and LOTS of it, then coming to my house just might not be an option for you. In order to really fit in at my house, you must love dogs, and cats, and whatever else just may in thrown into the mix at the time as well. 🙂
Today, I am going to once again let the wise Julia Child do the talking for me. She always has so much to say, and is always so full of both wisdom and wit.
Food, like the people who eat it, can be stimulated by wine or spirits. And, as with people, it can also be spoiled.
No matter what happens in the kitchen, NEVER apologize.
Lasagna is a very popular Italian dish made with layers of pasta, ricotta cheese and sauce (or in traditional Italian or Greek style, with a white bechamel sauce). Sometimes the sauce has sausage and/or other meats and sometimes not. But believe it or not, lasagna actually originated in Ancient Greece, not Italy. The word lasagna is derived from the word “laganon”, which was the first form of pasta. Laganon was a reference to flat sheets of pasta dough cut into thin strips.
When transforming this lasagna-style dish into a South of the border dish, instead of keeping it with it’s Greek or Italian roots, tortillas are used instead of pasta. Substitute some kind of a salsa for the tomato bolognese type sauce or the bechamel sauce used in traditional Italian or Greek lasagna, and substitute a different kind of cheese, or cheeses, for the ricotta, and … voila, you now have a South of the Border or Southwestern type of “lasagna”. Bothstyless are very good, but are totally different, with totally different and unique personalities. Me personally, I much prefer the Southwestern version. I have never really been a big fan of traditional lasagna though. I made a Southwestern, San Antonio style lasagna for dinner, that I served with simple salad and a Spanish rioja. It is a good thing we liked it, a lot, because we have a lot leftover too.
San Antonio Lasagna
1-1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 onion, diced fine
1 TBSP garlic
1-2 jalapenos, diced fine
2-3 tomatoes, diced fine
2 1/2 cups of either enchilada sauce, salsa, or sauce of your choice – I used some leftover Southwestern cream sauce
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn
3-4 roasted green chilies, diced fine or 1 4.5 oz can
2 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp garlic chili powder, optional
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
salt & pepper to taste
about 15 or small flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese – I used a combination of jalapeno jack and cheddar
1/4 cup green onions
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine
Olive oil for cooking
Cook the ground beef, corn, onions, garlic and jalapenos together in olive oil until the onions are translucent and the meat is completely cooked.
Add the beans, tomatoes and salsa of your choice. Mix everything together thoroughly and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Preheat the oven to 350* F or about 180* C.
Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
Layer the bottom of the pan with the tortillas, then add a layer of cheese on top. I used the small, 6″ street taco tortillas, but you can use any kind you like.
Add the meat sauce on top and continue layering the tortillas, cheese and sauce until the pan is full, ending with a layer of tortillas and cheese on top.
Spread the chopped cilantro and green onions on top of the cheese and bake uncovered for about 30-40 minutes, or until all the cheese is melted and a slight crust forms on top.
Let the dish rest for about 5 minutes or so before cutting it, then spoon it up and enjoy. !Esta mui delicioso! !Desfruitas!
Stay healthy and stay safe Everyone. ‘Til next time.
Baby Juneau is not venturing very far at the moment, since after all, she is still just a little baby. But she is having fun running around, trying to catch up with her big brother, Vinnie. It won’t be too long before they will be running and playing together. Vinnie is a GREAT big brother to Juni Bug. He is very gentle with her. But, he is also 140 ish lbs and can be a big goofball sometimes too, so we still don’t trust him alone with Juni Bug just yet. But they are so cute together, and they are almost always together. Juni Bug has already established SHE is the boss! Poor Vinnie, he just can’t win.
After running all around the big, scary back yard, it was nap time. Juni Bug takes a lot of naps, but then she is still just a tiny baby, and that’s what babies do. Now if we could only get her to sleep through the night. 🙂
The other night, before the birthday celebrations took place, Another Birthday Celebration, Another Blue Cake we enjoyed a delicious dinner that was once again a combination of everyone bringing something to the table. Gabe had made some vegan mac and cheese for the girls, Priscilla made a delicious brushetta and I made some guacamole for starters and the main meal was the scallops in a spicy orange cream sauce. Everything, as usual, was a big hit. Once again, another successful get together in the books.
I served the scallops over white rice.
Priscilla’s Bruschetta
Scallops in a Spicy Orange Cream Sauce
2 lbs sea scallops, rinsed
2-3 TBSP flour
4 TBSP butter
olive oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 shallots, sliced very thin
2-3 TBSP lemon juice
1 1/2 TBSP garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth
2/3 cup orange juice
1 1/2 tsp spicy chocolate
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TBSP fresh basil, chiffonade into thin strips
2 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped
Marinate the scallops in the spicy chocolate, lemon juice, flour and orange juice for about 30 minutes.
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet and add the bell peppers, shallots and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the peppers and onions are soft.
Add the scallops and the marinate, mix everything together thoroughly and continue to cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until the scallops are cooked.
Add the wine and orange juice and continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated by about 1/2. Then add the cream, the basil and cilantro and continue to cook at a low heat for about 7 minutes.
When everything is done, serve the scallops over white rice and enjoy.
We celebrated the birthday of yet another niece. She too wanted a blue rainbow cake, like I made for her sisters, Nahila and Tehvia,so, another blue rainbow cake it was . They’re Growing Up So Fast I made it differently though, so Cora had a her own memories of her birthday and birthday cake.
I started off with a box cake mix and made it vegan, since Cora is vegan too. Then I added strawberries and some fancy, funky candles.
I made this a layered cake and filled it with diced strawberries.
The rest was just decorating and making it fun and festive.
It’s time to light up those candles and celebrate.
It was video time again, and our biggest news so far for the new year is that our baby girl Juneau, or Juni Bug, came home yesterday. So this video is different from my normal ones. It’s all about bringing Juni Bug home and how her first day went. So far, she is already a “silly billy”, which means she will fit in to our family just perfectly.
Juni Bug’s first encounter was with one of our cats, Nicodemus. Nicky wasn’t quite sure what to make of this little bundle of fur. Within minutes though, Juni Bug discovered the kitty box and thought that would be a perfect place to take a nap. She won’t be able to fit in here for too long.
After napping in the kitty box, it was time to meet her big brother, Vinnie. We weren’t sure how this would go, since Vinnie is normally the alpha male. Surprisingly though, it went very well. At first, Juni Bug saw this HUGE dog and was scared, so she went running as fast as her little legs would go. Then, as more time went by, Juni Bug was the one who approached Vinnie. Vinnie almost seems afraid of Juni Bug. I think I am already beginning to see who is going to rule the roust, and it’s not going to be Vinnie. 🙂
Juni Bug also had her first encounter with kitty claws. As we were eating dinner, Juni Bug went exploring a bit around the table, and all the kids were there. Otis swiped her across the nose. Juneau yelped and screamed, but all is OK. There was no damage or harm done, just surprise. Juneau sure has a healthy set of lungs though; no doubt about that.
It’s been a very long time since I last did puppy, and Larry has never done puppy before. We’ve already had our first sleepless night, with each of us taking our turns on floor duty, sleeping beside Juneau’s crate and getting up numerous times in the middle of the night for potty runs, but it is so worth every minute of it. Juneau is so full of love.
Juneau knows we are now her “pack” and that she has a very good, loving furever home. Everything is going to work out just fine. 🙂
Puppies always make the world a much better place. The world needs lots more puppies. 🙂
Don’t throw away your bread if it gets a bit too hard and crusty. No, no, no. Turn it in to croutons instead. When the bread is a bit to crusty on its own, just add some olive oil and seasonings and turn it into croutons. Crusty bread is just perfect for that.
The ends of my maple, bacon and shallot bread started to get a bit too hard to really enjoy on their own Maple, Bacon and Shallot Bread so rather than throwing them away, I just cut them off and coated them with olive oil, pepper, roasted garlic and parsley, then roasted them until they were nice, golden brown croutons. When they were done, I added them to the salad. Delicious! The lunch, the salad and the croutons got rave reviews.
Preheat the oven to 400-425* F or 200-210* C.
I cut the ends off the bread and cubed them. You can make your croutons any size you like, just try to make them fairly even in size so they all cook properly and evenly.
Once the bread is cubed, coat it in olive oil and add the seasonings of your choice. Mix them up a bit. Croutons never have to be the same. This time I used dried roasted garlic, black pepper and parsley. Thoroughly coat the bread with the oil and the seasonings, then place it in a single layer on a baking sheet or in a baking pan.
Roast them for about 30-40 minutes, making sure to turn them and stir them at about the half way point. When they are golden brown and crunchy, they are ready to toss into your favorite salad; or, you can just munch on them one by one by themselves too. I think I munched on as many by themselves as I put into the salad. 🙂
A Jeanne in the Kitchen 