A Jeanne in the Kitchen

Since I do not have a new recipe for you all today, I thought I would share a food funny instead.

This would indeed be HELL for me.  Everything is fat-free, gluten free and made from tofu.  Where’s the fun in that?  I will take the fat, the gluten AND the meat please.   🙂

We were busy enjoying the day with friends, and even though I did cook us a delicious dinner, it was all things you have seen before.  I can’t always be preparing new dishes, as much as I would like to.  Every now and then, we go back to the tried and true.  We feasted on some chicken kebabs (I made an herb vinaigrette to marinate the chicken in, and then we made them as gyros) and pasta primavera, with the mixed berry tart for dessert.  Mixing the Berries   Everything was enjoyed by all and we all had a great time and a good visit.

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

I had a bunch of raspberries in my yard that needed to be used and I thought the best way to use them was to put them in a tart.  My raspberries are the tiny ones, but don’t let their size fool you.  They may be small, but they are mighty.  They are packed with flavor and are very sweet.

I thought the best way to use up these fresh, sweet raspberries was to use them to make a tart.  I LOVE raspberries, but Larry does not.   He is not much a fruit person, whereas I love all kinds of fruit.  He does like strawberries though.  So I mixed the berries and made my tart 1/2 with raspberries and 1/2 with strawberries.

First I made my pate sucre, or sweet dough, for the tart.  Cherry Custard Tart.  Then I made my custard.  Every time I make custard, I think of my dad.  He LOVED his custards.  Jeanne Dear, Can You Make Me Some Custard   From there, it was just assembly.  My custard recipe is way back from my days in culinary school, from one of my favorite chef instructors, my pasty instructor, Rudy Rosier.  It is THE BEST custard, and only takes a few simple ingredients.  It is so silky and creamy.  YUM!  Fortunately, I always make enough for a few recipes to come out of it, or to just eat and enjoy on its own.

The Custard

This recipe makes enough to fill a 9×13 baking pan.

2 sticks of butter

3 cups sugar

1 tsp salt

6 cups milk

1 TBSP vanilla

4 eggs

4 oz or 8 TBSP corn starch

 

Spray the cooking pan with cooking spray.

 

Combine the butter, milk and sugar in a large pot.

Cook until the butter and sugar are completely melted and bring to a boil.

While the milk mixture is cooking, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and cornstarch until smooth and creamy.

When the milk mixture starts to boil, immediately turn off the heat.  Take some of the hot milk mixture and slowly pour into the egg mixture, whisking continuously to make sure the eggs don’t scramble and cook.  This is called tempering.

Once you have tempered the eggs, you can whisk them into the rest of the milk mixture.  Whisk until the mixture thickens up.  It should only take a couple of minutes.  Then pour the custard into the prepared cooking pan and cover immediately with plastic wrap to avoid getting a “skin” on the custard.  Let cool completely before spreading into your tart shell.

Once you spread you custard over the tart, you can top it with any kind of fruit you like.  Mix it up however you wish.  The tart and the custard are the basics and the fruit is just the finishing touch.

Then melt some fruit jam to cover the fruit, by lightly brushing it over the fruit.  Using the jam on top of the fruit will sweeten things up a bit, act as a preserver and will make the fruit just pop by making it bright and shiny.

Life is short.  Start with dessert first.

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

 

 

I love to try all kinds of foods.  I am open to trying everything.  There are so many fabulous dishes out there just waiting to be savored and experienced.  One look at my ever expanding waistline will tell you I definitely try and enjoy just about everything too.

We went to pick up our monthly wines from InVINtions  A Toast to InVINtions!  with Janet and Bob, and we almost always bring food with us, so we can enjoy our wines with nibblies or meals together.  Bob was looking online for new restaurants to try that were nearby, and he recommended we try Tocabe.

Tocabe specializes in contemporary American Indian cuisine, combining traditional Osage family recipes with elements of modern Native American fare. Tocabe’s fast casual style offers diners eat-in and take-out, along with catering options to meet your needs.  Tocabe was started in 2008.  They have two locations in the Denver Metro area.  They have been deeply involved in the local community for years and take pride in their commitment to both the local and Native American communities. The restaurant’s setting is a clean, warm, open space with connections to American Indian cultural elements infused with a contemporary atmosphere.

Every dish is made from scratch, in house everyday, using authentic Native American recipes and traditional Native American ingredients.

The artwork on the walls is a blending of traditional Native American artwork and some of the actual Native American ingredients that are used in their family recipes.

I think is such a cool idea.  The actual ingredients used in the recipes are framed and displayed for everyone to see what they are eating.

There is tri-colored popcorn, wild black rice, red quinoa and and another grain that I can’t recall the name of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The menu is a combination of Posu bowls, Indian tacos, salads, medicine wheel nachos, and grilled bannock, which is a basic bread that was originally rolled in sand and cooked in a pit, or wrapped around a stick and toasted over an open flame, though today it is more commonly grilled, deep-fried, pan-fried or oven baked.  You can order your meals as vegetarian or with your choice of protein.  The protein options are ground beef, grilled chicken, ground bison or braised and shredded bison.  As usual, we ordered a variety of foods to try, since they were all new to us.

The food was AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!  It is similar to Mexican or Southwestern cuisine, which is understandable, since they are all related and have similar histories, yet it is very unique as well.

Bob enjoying some bison stew.  He let all of us try it too.  Delicious!

A vegetarian taco.

The shredded bison Posu bowl.

The ground bison taco.

We all raved about the food and we are looking forward to our next visit to Tocabe.   I highly recommend a trip to Tocabe.  It will be a dining experience to remember.

The location we enjoyed was at 8181 E Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village, CO 80112.  Their phone number is (720) 485-6738 or you can reach them online at info@tocabe.com.  The other Tocabe location is at 3536 West 44th Avenue, Denver, CO 80211, phone number
 (720) 524-8282.  Tocabe also has a food truck and does catering too.  So there are many ways to enjoy your Tocabe dining experience.  You can also find Tocabe on Facebook as well.

 

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

 

 

 

Sandy  and Sheree from View from the Back have issued the Friday Photo Challenge.  I love these.  They are so much fun.

Today’s challenge is photos of 3 of your favorite things.  I actually have 4, one of which you are all already VERY familiar with – COOKING!  I am pretty sure you are all aware of my other favorite things too, in no particular order:  1)  Swimming, 2) Scuba Diving and 3) Animals, especially all of my own fur babies.

1.  Swimming  – I was born in the water and have been swimming my whole life.  I will swim in anything that is wet.  Not only do I think swimming is a great sport and a great way to exercise, but I also think it is an essential life skill.  I tell people all the time that if you do not know how to play other sports, no big deal.  More than likely, you will not die.  BUT if someone does NOT KNOW HOW TO SWIM, they could die.  EVERYONE needs to know how to swim, even if it is only the basics.

 

2.  Scuba Diving – We have been diving for about 12 years now.  Larry likes to dive and claims to be “an underwater tourist”.  I am the dive-aholic.  I have taken my diving very seriously and am a certified rescue diver, working my way up to being a Master Diver.  Currently, I have about 350 dives, and counting.  The underwater world is a world like no other.  It is so beautiful and mystifying.  We dive all over the world.

Grand Cayman

Belize

Aruba

Roatan

Cozumel

I have PLENTY more diving pictures, from all over the world.  Have no fear about that.  🙂

 

3.  The Fur Babies – You have met all of my fur babies, Lucie, Vinnie, Otis and Nicodemus.  They are most definitely our children, and we love them just as any parent would love their 2-legged children.  They are all spoiled, well loved and filled with personality.

Lucie and Vinnie

Otis and Nicodemus, the Puma (Otis) and the Panther (Nicodemus or Nicky)

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

 

We have been feasting on all of Larry’s delicious smoked meats all week, but we needed a bit of break from meat, meat, meat.  It was time for something fishy.  We pulled out some cod and I got creative once again.  I pan-fried the cod and topped it with a cool, refreshing tomatillo salsa.  This cool, citrusy salsa is so easy to make and only requires a few ingredients, although typical me, I kept tweaking it until it was just right.

For the cod, I just lightly coated it with some flour, salt and pepper and then pan-fried it in canola oil until it was golden brown.

Tomatillo Salsa

12 tomatillos, husks removed, cored and diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

1/2 cup of tomatoes, diced fine

1/4 cup green onions, sliced

about 20 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade or chopped fine

about 20 lemon verbena leaves, chiffonade or chopped fine, optional

1/3 cup olive oil

2 TBSP soy sauce

2 TBSP lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp red pepper flakes

 

Mix everything together and chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.  This will go very nicely with chicken and pork too.

Lemon verbena, also known as lemon balm, has COMPLETELY taken over my back yard, so I love to incorporate it and use it as much as I can.  I could literally put it in EVERY single dish I make and I would still have a ton left over.  I love it though.  It is so lemony and fresh and just makes everything smell and taste so good.  It goes very well with basil too.  Lemon verbena and basil really compliment each other.

Once the salsa was ready, I cooked the fish.  Easy-peasy.  I just lightly floured it and pan-fried it until it was golden brown and opaque, or cooked completely and the inside flesh is white.

This salsa is of Caribbean origin, so to give them meal even more of an Island flavor, I served it over red beans and rice.  It was a cool, refreshing Caribbean delight.  I enjoyed it with a cool, crisp, citrusy Chardonnay.

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

 

Flowers and plants have become part of my blog.  They just have to be there.  When the world was first shut down, and there were shortages of EVERYTHING, I was having a difficult time finding fresh flowers all the time and I wanted something for Easter.  So I found this adorable little succulent plant in a painted rabbit planter.   

He was a such a lovable little rabbit and I loved my little rabbit too.  But sadly, he had an accident and did not survive it.

My shark ate my rabbit.  And he’s smiling about it too.  Can he believe how cheeky he is?

Oh well, I guess better the rabbit than me.  I dive with sharks all the time.  “Sharks are friends”.

You got to have fun right?!  Stay safe and stay well everyone.  Don’t let the sharks bite.

Life is an evolution.  In order to grow, we need to branch out, take some risks and get out of our comfort zones.  I have always said I am forever a work in progress.  I am constantly in motion.  My life before COVID-19 was pretty busy, but all that changed when the world was shut down.  My life as a swim coach and water aerobics instructor is on hold, indefinitely.  None of the pools are opening up, so not only can I not swim for myself, but I can’t teach or coach either.  No one is swimming at the moment, and a lot of schools and colleges are cancelling their sports programs, which means it is time to re-evaluate things and come up with anther plan of action, at least temporarily.

The other day, our friend Jonathon came over for a short visit and we were talking about this and that, and one of the questions he raised was “what do I want to do”.  HMMMMMM!  I gave it some thought, and came up with a couple of long-term ideas that I am going to present to all of you.   I am always open for suggestions.  I value your input and suggestions, so please let me know your thoughts, and if you have any insight on the “hows” I would be forever grateful for those as well.  I know a lot of you have experience with these things, whereas I am just a novice.

• I love to teach and share information.  I love to do this with people of all ages.  So one of the things I thought about was to take “A Jeanne in the Kitchen” on the road, so to speak, and to start teaching cooking classes to cooks both new and old.  I was thinking of doing this both in the Boys and Girls’ Clubs and for the older, more seasoned communities as well.
• As an extension of teaching cooking classes, I also thought about doing some instructional videos, maybe on YouTube, or something like that.
• Then there is always the idea of  “A Jeanne in the Kitchen” cookbook.  That idea has been in the back of my mind since day one.  I certainly have plenty of recipes to fill a cookbook or two or three, or more.

All of these would require a lot more research and learning on my part, which I am certainly willing to do.  At the moment, I have plenty of time on my hands.  In fact, that is the problem; I have TOO MUCH TIME on my hands.  I am NOT one who likes to rest on my laurels or to sit around idly.  I need to be in constant motion.  I need to be constantly challenged.  Not only do I like to share information and to teach, but I also LOVE to learn.

So, please give me your feedback.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

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

 

 

 

 

The Great Bloggers’ bake-Off and Summer Picnic is coming your way soon. Are you ready to show off your summer baking and picnic fare? Let us all see what’s been baking and cooking in your kitchens. Send your recipes, pictures and stories to crushedcaramel@gmail.com and enter our fun contest.

I love sunflowers.  They are so beautiful.  They are like little bits of the sun shining brightly here on earth.  I love this quote from the movie Calendar Girls, by Helen Mirren too.  It just kind of says it all.

Here in Colorado, sunflowers are in full bloom, both in our gardens and in the wild.  I am seeing sunflowers everywhere.

In the wild.

Sunflowers that have been “tamed” in the gardens, although I don’t think you can ever fully “tame” a sunflower.  Maybe that’s why I love them so much.  I too am a wildflower that flourishes best when left alone.

The sunflowers in my garden are just beginning to bloom.  They are are little more shy than some of the others though, so it is taking them longer to open up.

As beautiful as all these sunflowers are, they are nothing in comparison to what I saw today.  I was supposed to meet a friend for breakfast, but our wires got crossed and she had to cancel.  I did not get the message until I was already where I was supposed to meet her.  But it all worked out, as things usually do.  If I had received her message I would not have discovered this absolutely AMAZING sunflower garden.  Other than the streams and fields of sunflowers in Nebraska, this is the most spectacular array of sunflowers I have ever seen, and they were in someone’s front yard, for everyone to see.

Their whole yard was nothing but sunflowers, with the exception of one little tiny patch of purple.

Stay safe and stay well Everyone.  Let the sunshine in.  ‘Til next time.

 

 

We have a ton of meat to go through from when Larry last had the smoker out, so I am creatively coming up with some new and tasty ways to use it all.  Our 4th of July Feast  This time, I was getting creative with his smoked turkey breast.  I came up with a delicious crepe cake recipe using the turkey, along with spinach and mushrooms.  When I told Larry I was planning on making crepes, he expected them in the normal, rolled up way.  He was more than a little surprised when he came home and found them made as a savory crepe “cake” instead.  But it was pleasant surprise.

Turkey, Mushroom and Spinach Crepe Cake

The Crepes

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/3 cup water

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 TBSP melted butter, plus more for cooking.

2 tsp chives

 

Mix the flour, salt and chives together and set aside.

Mix the eggs, milk, water and melted butter together thoroughly.  Then mix in with the flour.  Cover and let the batter sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before using.  When ready to make the crepes, heat a small skillet and add a dollop of butter before adding the crepe batter.  Then quickly swirly the batter in the pan to fill the pan and cook for about 1 minute.  Carefully flip the crepe over and continue to cook for another minute, or until the crepe is golden brown.  Repeat until all the batter is cooked and the crepes are all made.  Sundried Tomato Crepes with Chicken, Corn and Red Peppers

When the crepes are made, set them aside and make the filling.

Spray an 8″ cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

 

The Filling

1 1/2 lbs of diced turkey or chicken, cooked

1 shallot, diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

3 cups fresh spinach, stems removed and chiffonade or chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp cayenne pepper

salt & pepper to taste

2 TBSP butter

4 TBSP flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1  cup chicken broth

4 oz pepper jack cheese, or light cheese of your choice

 

Saute the mushrooms, spinach, shallots and garlic together, along with the herbs and seasonings.  Cook for about 3 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.  Once they are cooked, removed them from the pan and set them aside.

Add the butter and the flour and cook to make a roux.

Whisk in the milk and the chicken broth until smooth and creamy.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 3-4 minutes.  Add the cheese and mix in thoroughly and let the cheese completely melt into the mixture. If the sauce is too thick add more milk as needed.

Add the vegetables and the diced turkey and mix everything together well.

Let the mixture cool for a bit.

Preheat the oven to 375* F or about 200* C.

Add one crepe to the cake pan, then add a layer of the filling.  Repeat until all the crepes have been used.  Top it all with a layer of the filling.  Bake for about 30 minutes.

Let the crepe cake cook for a few minutes before slicing.  Then serve with your favorite side dishes.  I served it with red beans and rice and cool, crisp chardonnay.  C’est tres manifique!  Bon Appetit!

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