A Jeanne in the Kitchen

Fall is in the air, and we won’t be able to enjoy colorful salads for too much longer. So we are enjoying them while we still can. This salad was loaded with sweet summer vegetables and was so colorful. You can eat this salad as is, or you can add either chicken or shrimp, like I did to make it more of a meal.

Once again, just a few simple ingredients were all that was needed to make this delicious, colorful salad. Keep it simple.

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Shrimp, Corn and Tomato Salad with a Tomato Vinaigrette

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I head lettuce or 8 cups of arugula, with the stems removed

2 cups corn

1/2 each red bell pepper and yellow bell pepper, diced fine

1 cup olives, any kind will do

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1-2 cups either sweet 100 or grape tomatoes

Parmigiano cheese, shaved

toasted pepita seeds, optional

tomato vinaigrette

Tomato Vinaigrette

3-4 tomatoes, cut in large dice

1 TBSP garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tsp sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

5-7 fresh basil leaves

1 tsp each fresh thyme and oregano – dried is fine too

Mix everything together in a food processor until everything is blended and liquified, and voila!  Your vinaigrette is made.

Roast the corn, then add all the vegetables and lettuce together, along with the tomato vinaigrette and toss. If you like something with a bit more bite to it, you can substitute arugula for the lettuce too. You can eat the salad as is, or you can make it more of a meal and add either chicken or shrimp. I added shrimp this time.

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I pan-fried my shrimp in the rest of the garlic butter I had leftover from my garlic cheese bread.

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I added the shrimp to the salad and topped them with a bit more of the tomato vinaigrette, to really make the flavors pop and come to life. To make the meal complete, I served it with some garlic cheese bread and a crisp, sparkling rose. Normally, I am not a rose fan, but this one was very good, and went very well with the salad. Bon Appetit!

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

We haven’t been doing our walking nearly as much as we used to because it has been just so darn hot. But now the temperatures are beginning to cool off again, making it more comfortable and enjoyable to do our walks again. I miss them. I also NEED them. And so does Vinnie. I guess all our furried, feathered and amphibian friends decided it was too hot as well, because they have not been out and about as much either. But with the cooler weather, they are coming out more too. On our latest walk, we saw a lot more of our animal friends again.

The prairie dogs are out again,

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as well as some of the ducks and turtles. I knew I saw one turtle on the rocks with the ducks, but once I looked at my pictures, there were actually three.

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Even though the weather is cooler, it was still a bit warm. Vinnie said he needed to take a break and needed a drink of water before going any further.

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

We decided on something easy-peasy for dinner so we picked up a rotisserie chicken from Costco. All I needed were some delicious side dishes to go with it and dinner would be done. The Costco rotisserie chicken is so versatile and tasty and everything goes well with it. We love them, and they make for a great quick and easy meal. I had just a tiny bit of the curried cream sauce left over from when I used it with my crab cakes, so I thought I would use that for the chicken. http://Video #9 – Crab Cakes By deciding to use the rest of my curried cream sauce, it was a clear choice that the rest of the meal would be Indian as well. So for side dishes, I made my lemon rice http://Leftovers Indian Style and some Indian flavored broccoli with some naan bread on the side. Though broccoli is not a typical vegetable found in India, it has become a very popular Indian dish. Broccoli adapts itself very well to the use of Indian spices and seasonings. My wine choice was a cool, crisp chardonnay which made for a very nice pairing.

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Once again, this delicious recipe only requires a few simple, basic everyday ingredients. It doesn’t take much to transform regular broccoli into something exotic.

Indian Style Broccoli

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1 medium head of broccoli or about 5 cups, cut into small florets

1 tsp cumin

1 TBSP garlic

1/4 onion, diced fine

1 jalapeno, diced fine

1/2 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

salt & pepper tot taste

1 cup of either grape or sweet 100 tomatoes.

2 TBSP olive oil and/or butter

Get the oil and/or butter very hot, then add the cumin, coriander seeds and cayenne pepper. Cook for about 1-2 minutes.

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Add the onions, garlic and jalapeno and continue to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

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Once the peppers and onions are cooked, add the broccoli florets, the tomatoes, the salt and pepper and a dash of water. Mix everything together well, and cover to steam for about 5 minutes.

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It is now ready to serve up along side your favorite Indian dishes and time to sit back and enjoy.

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

Most people don’t realize the chef of a restaurant wears many hats, or should I say toques. The higher the toque, the higher the rank. A tall toque is the sign of the boss. To be a successful chef, you have to be a master of all trades.

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The word chef is way overused today. So many people think that anyone that works in a kitchen is a chef. NOT so. I have come into contact with way too many people who call themselves “chef” but really can’t cook at all, and have no clue on how to actually run a kitchen. The Chef is the boss! In a large restaurant, or casino, or cruise ship, or other large facility, the Executive Chef is the main boss and completely controls everything that takes place in his or her kitchen. What the chef says goes. Period! They control the menu, the staff, the tableware, and everything in between. The Sous Chef (sous means under) is the next in line. The sous chef is responsible for all the food preparations and is in charge of all the kitchen staff, making sure they are doing their jobs and preparing the food according to Chef’s desires and expectations.

But a chef is so much more than just the boss. A chef is creative and is a visionary. A chef is a true creative genius who follows his or her own heart and isn’t afraid to break or change a few rules along the way on to their path to success.

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A chef is an artist whose medium is the food. It takes good quality products and utensils to create great quality foods.

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Being a chef also means you like to please and give pleasure to others. Sharing our food is one of the best ways to connect with those we love. Yes, we want to make foods in our own ways, and to be free to create whatever we like and to leave our mark. And you can certainly do that, but in order to gain a following, you also have to know how to make others happy too. It is a win/win situation when the chef is able to do both.

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Being a chef also requires the art of diplomacy. We never stop learning, or experimenting with new ideas. We are always on a quest to learn and to be the best.

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

Yesterday was one of the hardest days I’ve had to endure for quite awhile. We had to say good-bye to our beautiful big girl, Lucie. Old age and broken parts got the best of her. She was in a lot of pain and agony this past weekend, and was unable to walk or move. We had no choice but to call the vet and let her go. The vet came about 11:30 and by noon, our beautiful Lucie had crossed over the rainbow bridge. Lucie was almost 9, which for a big dog, is pretty darn old. She lived a very good life, and she knows she was very well loved. As many times as we have had to do this, it NEVER gets easier. Needless to say, I was not in the kitchen at all yesterday. I was barely able to function. So today, is a tribute to my big beautiful girl, Lucie.

We have so many good pictures of her. She and her brother Vinnie were very close, so many of my favorite pictures are of them together. Vinnie is hurting just like we are. He misses her just as much as we do. We all need to heal.

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We love you so much Lucie Lu. You gave us nothing but love. RIP big girl. Mommy and Daddy love you very much. Luzerne, aka Lucie, 12/10/2011-9/14/2020

We are celebrating Priscilla’s birthday today. Her husband Jonathan and I are making her a special birthday dinner to celebrate her day. Even Priscilla’s mother flew in from California.

Jonathan made some delicious lamb steaks that he marinated in a Dijon mustard sauce that he grilled up, Argentine style. Priscilla and her family are originally from Argentina.

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After the lamb steaks were grilled to perfection we topped them with some toasted pine nuts mixed with parsley and Parmigiano cheese. We served it atop mashed cauliflower and served a Caprese salad, a green salad, some toasted garlic bread and of course, my crab cakes with the creamy curried sauce.

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The birthday girl presenting her special birthday dinner.

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We brought a BIG magnum of Italian Proseco for everyone to celebrate with. We opened that and enjoyed it with our dessert of little bundtinis or mini bundt cakes and my cherry custard tart that I brought along. http://Cherry Custard Tart

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Here is the video of me making the crab cakes for the big celebration as well as the link for the curried sauce. http://Colorado Curry Fusion

Have a wonderful, happy birthday my dear friend. Thank you for allowing us to help you celebrate your special day. !Te amo mucho, mi Amiga!

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

We love Indian foods, and curries are my favorite of all Indian foods. Traditionally curries in Indian cooking just mean foods cooked in a sauce, usually a spicy sauce, and the varieties and possibilities are endless. Because I am such a big curry fan, I am always excited when I come with some new curried twists to try. Chances are, if curry is in the name, I am going to love it, no matter what kind of curried dish it is.

We have been eating a lot of beef lately, and it was time for something a bit different. It was time for some pork. As usual, I am always looking for new ways to cook everything, along with new combinations of serving my foods. Colorado, in general, is always on the edge of new things, new flavors and new adventures. So coming across a new curried dish with a Colorado attitude was just perfect. Maybe this is why I consider Colorado home. 🙂

This meal was a hodge-podge of all kinds of flavors that wouldn’t necessarily be combined with each other, but really worked well together. I made curried pork chops that I topped with a spring/summer vegetable medley and served it alongside my spinach artichoke bread pudding. http://A Cold, Snowy Easter

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Colorado Curried Pork Chops

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2 lbs pork chops

1 tsp coriander seeds or ground coriander

1 tsp cumin

1/2 cup olive oil

1 TBSP garlic

1 tsp salt

2-3 TBSP red curry paste

Combine all the ingredients together and coat the pork chops with the sauce. Let marinate for at least 1 hour before cooking the pork.

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The longer your marinate the pork, the juicier and more flavorful it will be. It will also be nice and tender too. You can grill it or pan fry it. We started it off on the grill, but our grill wasn’t cooperating properly, so I ended up cooking it in the pan instead. Reserve some of the sauce to use as a topping after the pork is cooked.

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Once the pork is cooked to perfection and all the juices are clear, serve it up with your favorite side dishes. Or, be experimental like I usually am and come up with something new and different. It is much more fun to “play” with my food than to fall into a rut or the same old routine. Who knows what I am going to come up with. 🙂 I have some leftover sauce, that I have yet another fun adventurous use for. Stay tuned. Don’t touch that button. This sauce is too good to let it go to waste. I just had to come up with something to use up the rest of it. You will soon find out what I have in store for the remainder this delicious red curry sauce. 🙂

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

When we were in Hays, KS, the German capital of Kansas, we ate nothing but German-style foods the whole time we were there, especially since Larry and his family are all German. http://Nature Walks – A Walking Tour Of hays – Part 1 – the Early Days of Hays Once we got home, I guess we were still in a German frame of mind, because I was still cooking German-style foods. My friend Janet had made some red cabbage with apples or Rotkobl und Apfel, and she ended up making too much, so she gave us some. She had just made a German-style dinner herself, so I just had to continue with that theme. I cooked a German-style cubed steak with mushrooms, onions and bacon, along with some roasted potatoes to go with the red cabbage and served it all with a delicious, light red malbec.

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German-Style Cubed Steak with Mushrooms, Onions and Bacon

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1 1/2-2 lbs cubed stead

2-3 TBSP flour

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 onion, diced medium

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

4-5 pieces bacon

1 TBSP garlic

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken broth

2 TBSP olive oil

3 TBSP butter

Mix the salt, pepper and flour together and coat the cubed steak. In a hot skillet with the olive oil and some of the butter, cook the cubed steak until it is browned and crusted on both sides, about 5-7 minutes per side.

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Cook the bacon in a separate pan until it is cooked. Remove the bacon and add the onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook in the bacon grease for about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook down for about 1-2 minutes, then add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you like a thicker sauce, add some of the remaining flour to the mixture. Adjust the seasonings as needed. Add in the rest of the butter and combine well.

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Mix everything together thoroughly, then re-add the bacon and mix in.

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When the sauce is complete, serve it over your cubed steak, along with your favorite German sidedishes. Potatoes of any kind are always a good pairing with any kind of German foods. Potatoes have been a staple in German cooking since the mid 18th century, when many other grain crops failed in Germany, and potatoes were one of the few crops that would grow. Today, potatoes are used in every kind of German food and meal, and are prepared in countless ways.

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Enjoy, or as they would say in German, gutes Essen, especially with a glass or two of red wine.

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

I’m in the money now!!! WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!! I just received my first paycheck as a blogger! It took me quite a while, but I finally did it! It’s not much, but it’s a start. We’ve all got to start somewhere right?!

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Now! Let’s do that again!!!!!!

Our weather forecasters here in Colorado have definitely been in for a wild ride lately. Last week, and all through Labor Day weekend, the temeperatures were soaring in the high 90’s. Then the day after Labor Day – BOOM! Winter hit and we had snow. We literally had over a 60* temperature drop in less than 48 hours. We went from salad weather to soup weather overnight. Now all the snow is once again melted and it is supposed to get back into the 70’s today.

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With our short, early burst of winter, I made a ham, bean and vegetable soup to help warm us up from the inside out. I used some leftover ham I had, lots of vegetables and butter beans. I served it with hot cheese bread and and a dry white wine and all was good.

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Ham, Vegetable and Butter Bean Soup

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1 1/2-2 lbs cooked ham, cubed

1 onion, medium dice

2 jalapeno peppers, diced fine

1 1/2-2 TBSP garlic

1 1/2 lbs tomatoes, diced

4 cups spinach, stems removed and chopped

1 1/2 cups diced squash, I mixed mine

8 cups chicken broth

2 cans butter beans, or cannellini beans, or other white beans of your choice

salt & pepper to taste

1 TBSP cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cumin

olive oil for cooking

Cook the peppers, squash, onions and garlic in the olive oil for about 5-7 minutes. Add the ham and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

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Add the tomatoes, beans and seasonings. Continue to cook for about 15 minutes. Then add the spinach. Continue to cook for about another 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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The soup is now ready to enjoy. It is a simple, hearty, healthy soup that will help take the chill out of any day.

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