A Jeanne in the Kitchen

We are having another year of the Great Bloggers Bake-Off and recipe contest. This year’s theme is “The Festival of Love”.

If you have never participated in this event before, maybe you should think about it for this year. YOU, get to submit your favorite recipes to either myself at my email address at ljbjej@q.com, Mel at crushedcaramel@gmail.com or Gary from bereaveddad@yahoo.com. Please make sure we get your entries on or before 8/21. This will be our 3rd year of hosting this fun family blogging event. Mel and Gary sponsor it and I am the judge. You are the guest chefs and you are the stars. Please submit your recipes and photos, with as much background as you like you, I will choose the winners. Here are the links to last year’s winners and entries, as well as to our first year.. And the Winners Are …….. The Results Are In Great Bloggers Bake-off

You can submit as many different entries as you like. The most important thing is to have fun. We even like and have a special category for Great Efforts, so don’t be shy. It is all for love and all for fun. And the winners get the honor and bragging rights of best Great-Blogger’s Bake-Off Winner for a year.

We have had some pretty amazing entries in the past. I am already looking forward to seeing what you all come up with again this year. Best of luck to everyone!

Unless you are eating pizza or a salad as a main, you almost always need side dishes to go with your meal. But even for a salad, I still will have bread or something else to go with it too. This time was no different. I made some delicious asparagus with lemon butter and pine nuts to go with my spicy and zesty steak. A Spicy and Zesty Steak.

Just like my steak, these too were supposed to be put on the grill, but we got a little rained out. So once again, it was time to turn to Plan B. Plan B for the asparagus was to boil the asparagus first then to coat it in the lemon garlic butter.

Asparagus with Lemon Butter and Pine Nuts

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

1 lb asparagus

1/2 cup olive oil

2 TBSP lemon juice

1 tsp white pepper

1/2 cup butter

1 TBSP lemon zest

Parsley

dash of Tabasco

1 TBSP garlic

You can either grill or boil the asparagus. This time I boiled mine, then drained them before tossing them in the lemon butter.

While my asparagus was cooking, I mixed all the ingredients together, except for the parsley, lemon zest and pine nuts. Brown the butter slightly to give it a bit of a nutty flavor. When the butter is melted, add the Tabasco sauce and the lemon juice. Any variety of Tabasco will do.

Add the asparagus spears and thoroughly coat in the lemon butter mixture. Right before serving, add the lemon zest, parsley and pine nuts. Serve immediately. I tend to like the smaller, thinner asparagus, but you can use any size you like. however, if you are going to grill the asparagus, the thicker ones are better.

This dish is perfect for both Spring and Summer because of the fresh asparagus and the lemony flavors. It goes well with anything. Enjoy.

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

We LOVE steaks at our house. Larry grew up in Kansas, which is cattle country, so we eat a lot of steak. Because we eat a lot of steaks, I am always looking for new and exciting ways to fix them too. I mean after all, life would get VERY boring indeed if we ate it the same way all the time, every time. This time, I gave our steaks a South of the Border personality and marinated it in spicy, zesty adobo sauce.

An adobo sauce is a rich, reddish brown, earthy flavored sauce synonymous with chipotle peppers. A traditional Mexican sauce made with ground ancho and guajillo chilies that has the consistency of a thick BBQ sauce. It is made from chili powder, vinegar, sugar, garlic and herbs. This was originally used to flavor and preserve meats and is fantastic in so many Mexican and Tex Mex dishes. As with anything, there are many different variations all around. There is never just one recipe.

Steak with Adobo Sauce

1 1/2 – 2 lbs steak

1 TBSP ground ancho chili powder

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

salt to taste

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 TBSP garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

2 TBSP lime juice

Mix all the ingredients together and marinade the meat for at least 2 hours before cooking. Reserve some of the sauce to top the meat with after it is cooked as well.

I was going to grill the steaks, but Mother Nature had other plans, and not long before I was going to put the steaks on the grill, we had a thunder and lightening show, complete with a heavy downpour, that suddenly changed my plans. Grilling outside was no longer an option. I needed to come up with a good plan B and fast. Searing the steak was a perfectly good plan B. I seared the steaks for 3 minutes per side, then again for another 1-1 1/2 minutes. I used a timer to make sure I did not over cook the steaks. I have cooked many a steak in my day, and this method for searing is hands down my favorite. It allows for the steak to brown and crust perfectly with keeping the inside still nice and tender and rare. In a word – PERFECTION!

Because I marinated the steaks in an acidic marinade, the acidity came from the lime juice, they came out so tender and full of flavor. Grilled or seared, they came out just perfect. A knife really wasn’t even necessary, but certainly preferred. After all, why would I want to mess up this perfect steak in any way?! 🙂

I served my steak with some asparagus topped with a lemony-pine nut sauce, my spicy potatoes and a tomato focaccia. Spicy Potatoes with Tomato Jalapeno Sauce . I bought the focaccia. It just looked to good to pass up, and I was not proven wrong. I made the meal complete with a fruity Grenache on the side. !Delicioso! !Muy bueno!

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

I hear it all the time. So many people think being a chef is living the glamorous life. They think being a chef is so easy. Little do they know they could not be further from the truth. The life of a chef is filled with many long hours, complete with nights, weekends and holidays. The chef and kitchen staff work while everyone else plays. I tell everyone who dreams of this “glamorous” chef’s life to rethink their plans. It has be something you have a true passion for because it is NOT what most people think. You either have it or you don’t, but once that burning passion is inside you, it will always be there too.

Here are some real-life behind the doors looks at life in a professional kitchen. It is NOT for the weak or faint-hearted.

Most of my days in the kitchen were a minimum of 12 hour days. I would go home exhausted, and then would get up early and do it all over again the next day. Personal time is non-existent.

To be a good chef, you need to be humble.

This is if you are lucky enough to sit down. Most of the time, you get a bite or two while on the run.

There will be burns and cuts, and plenty of them too. I cannot tell you how many of each I have had, and a few of them landed me in the ER too. But as soon as I was released, I went right back into the kitchen for more.

Do you still think a chef’s life is filled with glamour? Think again. It is done out of love. It is filled with passion. It is a calling.

We finished up the last of the quiche, and as I mentioned last time, quiche and potatoes go together very well. Spicy Potatoes with Tomato Jalapeno Sauce. I made another spicy potato dish, that was similar, but different at the same time. This round of potatoes was more like a traditional patatas bravas than my last potato dish though. Patatas Bravas. I guess I was still in a Middle Eastern frame of mind, and was perusing through the same Middle Eastern cookbook when I decided upon this dish. When you think about it though, there are a lot of similarities between Middle Eastern foods and Spanish foods, since there are so many Middle Eastern influences all throughout Spain in general, particularly Southern Spain.

Spicy Middle Eastern Style Potatoes

1 lb potatoes, peeled

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced fine

1/4 onion, diced fine

1/4 red bell pepper, diced fine

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine

1 TBSP garlic

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

salt & pepper to taste

oil and butter for cooking

1 TBSP lemon juice

Par boil the potatoes for about 7 minutes, then drain and pat dry. Brown the potatoes in a hot skillet with a combination of butter and olive oil. Cook the potatoes for about 15-20 minutes, or until they are crispy and golden, making sure to turn them so they brown evenly.

When the potatoes are browned, add the rest of the ingredients, except for the cilantro and the lemon juice, and continue to cook until the peppers and onions are softened and translucent.

Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, then add the lemon juice and continue to cook for about another 2 minutes, again, until the liquid as evaporated.

When everything is cooked add the cilantro and mix together thoroughly, then serve immediately. These are best when eaten hot.

These spicy potatoes are good anytime you want to eat them. They are perfect for both breakfast or dinner or whenever it tickles your fancy. They have just enough spice to wake up your taste buds but not to much to be over powering. You’re going to love them, this I promise.

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

Most Middle Eastern foods have their roots dating back for 1000’s of years. Yes, foods have evolved and changed, but many of the foods of today are very similar to what they were back in the early days of civilization.

Since the trade routes and spice routes traversed all throughout the Middle Eastern countries, the Middle Eastern cooks are known for using many different and exotic spices in their cooking. They also use a wide variety of grains and legumes as well. It is said that no Middle Eastern kitchen is complete without several types of grains in their panty. They use all kinds of grains dating from the ancient to the more recent versions. Wheat is one of the oldest grains, and is the root of many classic Middle Eastern dishes. Rice is a more “recent introduction”, yet has still been around since the Medieval times. Rice became widespread in the Middle East after the reign of the Ottoman Empire. Bulgar, lentils, beans and chickpeas are staples in Middle Cooking as well, particularly in the areas of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, as well as all over the Mediterranean areas of Europe.

My latest Middle Eastern culinary experience was a barley and chicken salad. The recipe called for couscous, but I substituted barley instead, even though I had both on hand. I use couscous quite frequently, but barley is something I don’t use as much of, even though I love it, so I used barley instead. Both barley and couscous are very healthy and are great sources of protein. And of course, I stylized it in my own way, to give it my own unique signature, as I always do.

Barley is another ancient grain that dates back at least 8000 years, and originally hails from the Fertile Crescent areas of Egypt and Mesopotamia. It then made its way to Northwestern Europe and then to China. Today, barley is found in most areas around the world. Barley and wheat are two of the oldest crops known to man, and are even listed in the Bible as food staples. “Two grain crops are prominent in the Scriptures–barley and wheat. … It was always valued less than wheat (II Kings 7:1; Revelation 6:6). Although barley was sometimes used as fodder in Bible days (I Kings 4:28), its main use was as a staple food. It was ground and baked into round cakes (eg Judges 7:13).”

Even though barley was originally grown in the Fertile Crescent area, today, Russia is the one world’s largest producers and users of barley, growing about 20.63 metric tons annually. Other countries that produce a lot of barley are Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Turkey, which account for 58.01% of the world’s barley production.

My idea to go Middle Eastern was inspired by some leftover Costco rotisserie chicken that needed to be used. Larry wanted enchiladas, but it is way too hot to turn on the oven. I chose a simple Middle Eastern salad instead. My pantry is always well stocked with just about everything, so I already had what I needed and I just let the creativity flow. Cooking barley is similar to cooking rice, only it takes longer to cook. I also cooked mine in chicken broth to add more flavor.

Chicken and Barley Salad

2 1/2 cups cooked barley

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups cooked green beans, cut into pieces about 1 inch in size

1 TBSP garlic

1/3 cup green onions, sliced thin

1 jalapeno, diced fine

1 1/2 lbs diced or shredded cooked chicken

salt & pepper to taste

2 tsp orange spice

3 TBSP olive oil – I used garlic infused olive oil

2 TBSP pomegranate seeds, optional

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped fine

Combine all the ingredients, except the chicken, with the cooked barley and toss together well. Reserve some of the cilantro for topping.

Plate the salad up and top with the chicken and add the cilantro to finish. Cool, refreshing and delicious!

I served it with some pita bread and hummus, and a rich, buttery chardonnay on the side, to make a perfect summer meal. As usual, this delicious salad only requires a few simple and basic ingredients too. It is simple and easy to make and delicious and healthy to eat. It doesn’t get much better than that.

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

If you have ever eaten at a Mimi’s Cafe, you would know they have, or least used to have, a menu item knows as Pasta Jambalaya. Many moons ago, I used to work for Mimi’s Cafe, when it was still a family owned and operated business. But now, they are a large franchised restaurant and everything has changed. I have not eaten at a Mimi’s in quite awhile. However, I did recreate their Pasta Jambalaya in “Jeanne’s Kitchen” last night. Now maybe I am just a little biased, but I think my version is much better. 🙂 It was loaded with ham, Andouille sausage and shrimp, as well as a lot of downhome vegetables and goodness. And of course, to be true to the Cajun and Creole roots, I had to have The Holy Trinity of vegetables included. Time For Gumbo

Again, I used up some of my leftovers, which is exactly how Cajun and Creole foods are supposed to be cooked. I also had some tomatoes that were a little mushy, which was great, since I just threw them into the mix for the sauce.

For my veggies, I threw in some red and yellow bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, onions and garlic. Of course there is garlic. ALWAYS garlic! Then I used some Creole seasoning, cayenne pepper, basil, oregano and salt & pepper to spice it all up and add some kick to it. I sauteed the vegetables first and then removed them from the skillet.

Maybe it is just me, but I like to cook my shrimp separately from my vegetables. First, they cook at different times, but secondly, I do not want my vegetables to taste like shrimp. Once the shrimp was cooked, I added everything, including my ham (already cooked) and my Andouille sausage back into the skillet. I also added the tomatoes and their juice as well as about 1` cup of red wine. Bring it all to a boil, then reduce the heat down to a simmer and continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is done.

When it is all done, spoon it over some cooked pasta and laissez le bontemps roulez! I GAR-UN-TEE you’re going to love it!

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

We have some new neighbors that just moved in a couple of doors down from us, so I thought that would be a perfect opportunity to bake some ooey -gooey drunken cherry and almond brownies. As you know, I am really trying to be good and not make sweets, or even have them in the house, unless I have a special reason to do so. New neighbors is an excellent reason to make something sweet and “naughty”.

Sometimes, things that come in a mix are the best. Brownies are one such thing. Everything is already pre-measured, and they almost always come out perfect. I started off with the Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate brownies, then added the cherries and almonds. When I was in culinary school, my pastry chef was the creator of the Pillsbury cakes, and he was a Master Pastry chef, so I know, the quality that goes into these top brand mixes. Ghirardelli is one you can’t go wrong with. It is definitely one of the best.

I cut the cherries in half and removed the pits, then I chopped them and soaked them in some almond tequila for a few minutes. I replaced some of the water that was called for with the almond tequila.

Other than adding the “drunken” cherries and almonds, believe it or not, I actually followed the recipe. This does not happen very often in my kitchen. It is a pretty rare event. 🙂

Once I evenly spread the brownie mixture into the baking pan, I sprinkled almond slivers on top and baked it at 325* F for about 1 hour. Then I let them cool completely before cutting.

They are still very ooey and gooey though. But they taste oh so good.

Each bite of brownie is a little bit of decadent bliss. 🙂 A little bit goes a long way. These are very rich and very decadent.

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

I still have not had a chance to really relax yet after our swim season ending, but then again, this is nothing new. RELAX is a word that is not really in my vocabulary. In fact, I don’t think I really even know what the definition of that word is. Friday, as you know, our swim season officially ended. Our Final Meet of the Season – Day 2. Yesterday, with NO rest for the weary, and believe me, very weary I was too, was another early day, though not nearly as early as every other day this summer has been. I am used to this kind of schedule though, as I have been doing this for MANY, MANY years.

Our church had a big car show that Larry and I volunteered to help with, so we were there for most of the day, then got together with Jonathan and Priscilla after.

The car show was a big success. There were over 50 cars that were proudly displayed by their owners. There was a wide variety of beautiful cars around for our viewing pleasure too. There were old classics, new classics and everything in between. Of course I had my favorites.

I am always better when I have a job to do, and since no one gave me an official job, I created my own job as the unofficial church photographer. I got to see and enjoy everything that was going on. I took pictures of all the cars (as well as other means of transportation), but I will only share some of my favorites with you today.

There were all forms of transportation, not just the four-wheeled kind. I am a Mustang lover, and these beauties are actual wild mustangs that are being successfully introduced to society and domesticity. They seem to be enjoying their new life. This is Esther.

Misty wanted to make herself known too, but Midnight was not quite so sure.

From no wheels to four wheels.

From four wheels to three.

And from three to two.

Now for some of the real “stars” of the day. These cars were all in mint condition and all had just been cleaned and dressed up just for the occasion.

This 1955 truck came complete with an exact mini replica of itself too. Peek under the hood for a closer look.

Our Pastor, Matthew, bringing out the awards.

We had a jumpy castle and games for the kids, we had prayer tents, and we had live music too.

And we also had lots of hamburgers, hot dogs and all the fixin’s as well. There was a little something for everyone.

It was a fun family event for everyone. Thanks to everyone who helped out.

We had everything from four wheels to four legs.

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

These last few days have been very long and very busy with the end of my swim season. Our Final Meet of the Season – Day One, Our Final Meet of the Season – Day 2, but I have still been in the kitchen cooking a bit too. I made a ham, mushroom and red pepper quiche, but I needed something to go with my quiche. Potatoes and quiche are always a good combination in my book, but I wanted something a little different than just regular old potatoes. I decided on making some spicy potatoes with a tomato-jalapeno sauce. They are similar to patatas bravas Patatas Bravas, but just different enough to be considered something new. These potatoes were a very good choice to accompany my quiche.

Like so many other recipes I make, these only required a few simple, basic ingredients, and were not difficult to make either, which is great when pressed for time. Lately, I have been pressed for time a lot too.

Spicy Potato Wedges with Tomato-Jalapeno Sauce

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 shallot, diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

2-3 TBSP olive oil (I used basil olive oil this time)

1 tsp allspice

1 TBSP paprika

salt & pepper to taste

1 jalapeno, diced fine

1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade

Cut the potatoes into wedges and place in cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about ten minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the tomato jalapeno sauce. Saute the shallots, jalapenos and garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes. Since I was using basil, and I had basil olive oil, I used that to saute my vegetables in.

Add in the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and you have a thick sauce.

Add the basil at the very end. You can also change it up a bit and use cilantro instead of basil if you prefer. This would also be a good spread for bruschetta or to top over some roasted chicken too.

Preheat the oven to 400* F or 200* C

When the potatoes are ready, drain them and pat them dry with a paper towel. Mix all the spices and salt and pepper together. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes then sprinkle the spice mixture over the potatoes. Roast in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, or until they are golden and crispy. Turn the potatoes after about 10 or 15 minutes to ensure even cooking and browning.

When the potatoes are cooked, serve them immediately with the tomato jalapeno sauce. These are best when served hot. Nothing like hot potatoes. 🙂

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