A Jeanne in the Kitchen

I am cleaning out my fridge at the moment.  I have too many leftovers.  So I cannot cook anything new until I make room for more.

 

But have no fear, this won’t take too long.  More recipes and videos will be coming your way again very soon.  Stay tuned.  Don’t touch that dial.

 

 

For whatever reason foods get the “cowboy” name when mixed with beans and peppers.  I don’t know why this is, but I have seen many “cowboy” recipes that have beans and peppers as some of their primary ingredients.  I guess beans and peppers were in abundance where the cowboys roam and rustle their cattle or when they are out on the range.  But whatever the reason, I just know I love the combination of beans and peppers and use them quite frequently.  Maybe I am a just “cowgirl” at heart.

Larry had taken down a pork loin to use in this week’s meat rotation.  It’s been way too hot to have the oven on for the amount of time it would take to roast a pork loin, so I came up with another idea instead.  After marinating it in a delicious chili lime marinade, I sliced it into thinner strips and grilled it to use with my cowboy salad.

Cowboy Pork and Bean Salad

I started off by marinating the pork loin in a chili lime sauce for about 4-5 hours.  It came out so tender and it was so full of flavor.

The Marinade

3 lb pork loin

1/3 cup lime juice

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp aji amarillo or gold garlic chili powder, optional

1 tsp crushed Aleppo chili peppers, option

 

Mix everything together and pour over the pork loin, then marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

The Salad

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup corn

2 roasted Anaheim peppers, peeled and seeded, diced

1 jalapeno, seeded, diced fine

1/2 red bell pepper and 1/2 green bell pepper, diced fine

1/2 red onion, diced fine

1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 TBSP chopped parsley

1 TBSP chopped cilantro

lettuce

spicy tomato vinaigrette

cheddar cheese, optional

fried tortilla strips, optional

avocado slices, optional

 

Spicy Tomato Vinaigrette

4 tomatoes

1 TBSP garlic

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 TBSP honey

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp crushed Aleppo chilies

1 tsp aji amarillo chilies

 

Mix everything together in a food processor until it is well blended.

 

Toss all the beans, peppers and vegetables together, adding a little of the spicy tomato vinaigrette as well.

We had our friend Gabe over for dinner.  Both he and Larry wanted cheese on their salads.  So I made it nice and cheesey for them.  Start with a bed of shredded lettuce, then add a layer of cheese and top with the bean mixture.  At this point you can put it into into the refrigerator until you are ready to finish it.

When you are ready to eat, grill the pork loin until it is done, then slice it into thin strips.

While the pork is cooking, if you want to add a bit more texture to your salad, slice a tortilla into thin strips then pan fry in hot oil for about a minute, or until they crisp up and turn golden brown.  Drain the excess grease off and immediately add a little salt and toss.

When ready to eat, add the pork strips on top of the bean mixture.  If you want more cheese, add more on top of the pork.  Top with more of the spicy tomato vinaigrette, and add the avocado slices and tortillas strips if you like, to finish off the salad.  I had some leftover pesto tomato foccaccia that I used as our bread and completed the meal with a crisp citrusy chardonnay.

We had three slightly different versions of the same salad.  Gabe went for the “full Monty” and his salad was fully loaded.  Larry does not like avocados, and I am not a big cheese eater.  So as I say all the time, make it how you like it.  After all, you are the one who is going to be eating it.  🙂

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

 

 

 

 

 

I am coming up with a new idea for ” A Jeanne in the Kitchen” and it involves ALL of you.  As you have noticed, I am now on YouTube and am putting out videos about once a week.  And you have also seen and noticed I wear aprons when I cook.  As creative as I am in the kitchen, I am not really all that creative when it comes to drawing.  This is where ALL of you come in.  I need your help.  I am going to have a contest and I want all of you to share your artistic skills to come up with a picture for me to use as a logo for my aprons.  Somewhere in the drawing, “A Jeanne in the Kitchen” needs to seen.  Please feel free to send in as many ideas and concepts as you like.  Send them to my email address at ljbjej@q.com  The winner will get a free apron from me.  Once we get an idea and get these aprons into production, I plan on making them available to sell.   Good luck and thank you.

 

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

 

I took so many pictures from our beautiful stroll along the Clear Creek that I had to break it into different parts.  Nature Walks – Part 1 – Tubing Down the Creek.  The first part was the creek itself, and all the tubers who were having so much fun.  This part is going to take us back in time; back to simpler times and the days of yore.  I really do miss those days.

Cowboys and Indians and Colorado’s spirit of the West.

Living the simple life.  The typical homes of the day.

The homes were complete with root cellars and chicken coops.

And the one-roomed schoolhouse too.

People gathered together to celebrate.

And they also took time to enjoy nature and to smell the flowers.

 

Life was simple and life was hard, but through it all, they were always strong.  Strong like lions.  Hear them roar.

After lunch, Suzanne and leisurely strolled along the Clear Creek that runs right through downtown Golden.  The whole area is so pretty and quaint.  You would think you were strolling somewhere out in the woods or in a small town rather than through a North Denver Metro suburb.  It is so peaceful and surreal.

It was a perfect day for the tubers to be out, enjoying the cool, refreshing water.  I was so jealous of them all.  They all looked like they were having such a blast.

Enjoy the ride Everyone.  Stay safe and stay well.  ‘Til next time.

My friend Suzanne and I had a quick, impromptu lunch out in Golden, Colorado.  We had no agenda and no plans.  We just went where we went.  We found an adorable little restaurant called Sassafras American Eatery, which was located right on the creek.  We dined on the patio with a beautiful view of the creek and the mountains.  There are three Sassafras restaurants in the Denver Metro area.   They specialize in breakfast and brunches that have a real Southern flair, such as a host of different kinds of beignets and a variety of Po’ Boy sandwiches.  You feel like you are dining in someone’s Southern home down in the middle of the French Quarter of New Orleans.  It is true Southern hospitality right here in Downtown Golden, Colorado.

As beautiful and cozy as Sassafras was, what really captured my eye were the beautiful stained glass windows.  I have worked with stained glass a bit.  I love it too, but it is definitely a labor of love.  These took a lot of time and effort to make and are beautifully done too.

And finally the food.  Because it was such a beautiful, gorgeous day, everyone decided to dine out on the patio overlooking the creek to one side and Coors Brewery to the other side.

Menus are a thing of the past, as least for now.  You have to take a picture of the app with your phone to order.  I am NOT a fan of this idea for a lot of reasons.  I am not a big techno person for one, and two, I rarely carry my cell phone with me, which means if I had come on my own, I would have been SOL.

While waiting for our lunch, we enjoyed some delicious sassafras tea.  It is a cool refreshing tea that tastes a lot like root beer.

Nicole was our very friendly server who took good care of us.  You know she loves her job.  You can tell by her smile that is shining through her beautiful eyes.

Suzanne and I both ordered Po’ Boys.  Suzanne ordered a breakfast bacon and egg Po’ Boy.

And I ordered the pulled pork Po’Boy.  Both sandwiches were delicious and very tasty.  However my one suggestion would be to include a side dish with them rather than just serving the sandwiches on their own.  As good as they were, I thought they were a bit on the pricey side, especially since nothing else was served with them.  But other than that, we have a fantastic impromptu lunch with a beautiful view.

There are three Sassafras American Eatery restaurants in the Denver Metro area, one in the North, one in Denver on Capitol Hill and one in the Southern Metro area.  We went to the one in Golden, Colorado, located at 1027 Washington, Avenue.  You can reach them by phone at (303) 593-0003 or online at http://www.sassafrasamericaneatery.com.  Sassafras is opened from 8:00 AM-2:00 PM.

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

 

I love doing themed meals, dinners and parties.  I always have.  I think it is fun to just have a theme and to run with it, seeing where it will take me down the path of creativity.  That is why I developed my dinner and a puzzle theme.  As you know, the last puzzle we did was an elk puzzle, so dinner was elk sausage and pasta with vegetables.  Walking On the Wild Side  I also love breads; breads of all kinds.  Breads can either be a great accompaniment to any dish, or they can also be a meal in and of themselves as well.  When I made my elk pasta dish, I also made some huckleberry bread that allowed me to use the rest of our wild huckleberries we gathered from our backyard.

Granted the huckleberry bread is a sweeter quick bread that I normally would serve more with salads or as a breakfast bread, but it actually went pretty well with the elk pasta too.  At least I think so anyway.  I am always thinking outside the box and am always looking at things in different, often unexpected angles.  Never be afraid to try something new.  That’s what makes life fun and interesting.  🙂

Huckleberry Bread

Preheat the oven to 350* F or 180* C

Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray

2-3 cups huckleberries

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup milk

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

 

Mix the flour, salt, baking soda and huckleberries together and set aside.

Then whisk together the eggs, milk, cooking oil and sugar.  Once everything is thoroughly mixed, add it to the flour mixture and gently fold everything together.  You do not want to crush the huckleberries.  Once everything is combined, pour it into the prepared loaf pan and make sure it is evenly spread out.

Bake for 1 hour, or until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean, and the bread is nice and golden brown.  If the bread is browning too much before it is completely cooked, top it with some aluminum foil and continue to bake until it is done.

Let it cool completely before removing it from the pan and slicing.  If you like, slather it with creamy, soft butter, and it will just melt in your mouth.  This bread is so moist and flavorful.

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

 

 

 

 

Video #3, Making a Vegetable Galette has been filled with many technical difficulties.  The filming and editing was easy-peasy, but downloading has been quite the challenge, and has literally been an all day event.   Vegetable Galette  The only reason I can think of is because it is longer.  This is my most complicated and longest video yet.   But, at long last, here it is.  I made this one for our friend Bryan, who calls this a “vegetable pie”.  He asks for this every time he comes over.  When I do not make them as the vegetable “pie”, and just serve them as the vegetable side dish, he calls them “vegetables a la Jeanne”.  I hope you enjoy this one as much as Bryan does.  This is a fun one.   Please, please, if you like it, and I really hope you do, feel free to share it and to let everyone know they can find it on YouTube as well.

If there is ever any specific recipe you would like to see me demonstrate, please do not hesitate to let me know, and I will get it done for you. I am still a work in progress, but I we are making great headway.

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

 

Here is the latest installment of my puzzle and a dinner series.  This one is a bit of a deviation from the others, since it was not of a location, but was something completely different instead.  Our latest puzzle was an elk puzzle, hence my quest for elk meat from Wally’s Quality Meats.  Wally’s Quality Meats  I had to wait a couple of weeks after finishing this one because Wally’s was closed for a couple of weeks right after we had finished our puzzle.

I purchased both elk sausage and elk filets.  I used some of the elk sausage this time.  I made a simple creamy pasta with vegetables and the elk sausage.  Sticking with the wild theme, I also made some huckleberry bread using the rest of the huckleberries we collected from our bush.  I’ll Be Your Huckleberry  Since elk was on the menu, and wild game tends to go better with heavier, bolder wines, I went with an Argentine malbec.  It was the perfect choice.

Pasta with Elk and Vegetable Cream Sauce

Cooked fettuccine

1 lb elk sausage, cubed

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin

1/2 green bell pepper, sliced thin

1/4 red onion, sliced thin

1 1/2 TBSP garlic

1 jalapeno, diced fine

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

2 cups chicken broth or 1 can

1 cup heavy whipping cream

salt & pepper to taste

1-2 tsp red pepper flakes, optional

olive oil for cooking

 

This is a heavy sauce, with rich flavors, so you need a heavier pasta that can withstand these heavier, richer flavors.  Fettuccine is perfect.

Cube the elk sausage and saute for about 2-3 minutes in the olive oil.

Add the vegetables and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until the vegetables are mostly tender, but still have a little crispness to them.

Add the chicken broth and bring everything a boil.  Then reduce the heat to a simmer and add the whipping cream.  Mix everything together thoroughly and readjust the seasonings as needed.  Cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you like your sauce a little thicker, incorporate some flour into the sauce and let it cook down for about 5 minutes.  I added about 1-2 TBSP of flour.  Serve it over fettuccine, and dinner is served.  Even while dining in the burbs, you can still walk on the wildside, even if only for just a bit.

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

It was another salad day.  We had some leftover roasted chicken from Costco, and this was just a perfect way to use some of it.  I still have enough chicken left for yet another meal too.  We get so many meals from the Costco chickens.  They are simply the best.  🙂 This time I decided to to use my chicken for another salad.   I made an Asian salad with a mango chutney vinaigrette.  It was bold, exotic and very cool and refreshing all at once.  It really hit the spot on a hot summer’s day.  I served it with some potstickers and a crisp, cool, citrusy Spanish Chardonnay to make for a perfect summer meal.

Curried Rice Salad with Chicken and a Mango Chutney Vinaigrette

2 cups cooked rice

1/4 red onion sliced thin

1/4 red bell pepper and 1/4 green bell pepper, sliced thin

1 cup peas, thawed if frozen

1 apple, peeled and cored and diced

1/4 cup green onions, sliced thin

2 cups shredded chicken, cooked

either spinach or lettuce of your choice – optional

 

Mango Chutney Vinaigrette

3/4 cup mango chutney

1 TBSP curry

1 TBSP garlic

2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp dried mint or 1 TBSP fresh mint, chopped fine

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp honey

1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste – optional

 

 

Mix all the ingredients for the chutney vinaigrette together and set aside.  Then start assembling the salad.  It is a combination of a salade compose and a tossed salad.  The Chef’s Salad  Toss all the salad ingredients together with the exception of the lettuce or spinach and the chicken.  Then add the dressing and combine thoroughly.  Only add as much dressing as you need.  You do not want it to be swimming in dressing, but you want just enough to coat everything and to give it a lot of flavor.

Start with a layer of greens.  Then add the tossed ingredients.  Finish with the shredded chicken and add more dressing on top of the chicken.  I added some potstickers on the side as well to make the meal complete.

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