A Jeanne in the Kitchen

The “jerk” style of cooking that is found all throughout the Caribbean, especially in Jamaica, gets its roots from the Taino Natives who inhabited the Caribbean Islands before the European settlers came. It is estimated that this style of cooking dates back at least 2500 years. This cooking style was then taught to the African slaves who were brought over to the islands. The word “jerk” branches out from the Spanish word charqui, which means dried strips of meat, which is similar to today’s jerky styled meats. The “jerk” is both a sauce made from spicy peppers, herbs and spices that meats and vegetables are marinated in and it is also a cooking method. Today, we usually just grill the meats, but traditionally, they were slow cooked over coals that were made from fresh green wood, which was most traditionally wood from the pimento tree.

Right now, the only adventurous traveling we are doing is in our imaginations and in my kitchen. As much as I would LOVE to be actually be down diving in the Caribbean right now, it’s just not going to happen at the moment. As you know, we hosted a little get together for New Year’s Eve Ringing in the New Year and black-eyed peas were prominently featured in the meal. I made my whole portion of the meal Caribbean, and served the black-eyed peas with some jerk chicken.

This is supposed to be a spicy dish with a kick. So you can adjust the heat as much as you like. If you like it milder, add less of the peppers and don’t add the red pepper flakes. If you like it hot, add more and really kick it up. I tend to like things on the spicy side, but when I am cooking for others who do not like it so hot, I tone it down a bit.

Jerk Chicken

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup green onions,chopped fine

2 TBSP garlic

2 TBSP ginger

1 TBSP fresh thyme, chopped or 1 tsp dried thyme

2 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped fine

2 jalapenos, diced fine

1/4 lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

red pepper flakes to taste

3-4 lbs chicken – either breasts or pieces

Mix all the ingredients together well and pour over the chicken pieces. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before grilling.

Grill it over a hot grill until the chicken is completely cooked. Reserve the marinate and heat it up in a skillet or pan, then top it over the cooked chicken when ready to serve.

Serve with your favorite Caribbean side dishes and soon you will be transported to the warm tropics of the Caribbean, even if only in mind and spirit, and certainly with your taste buds.

Happy New Year. Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

As you know, I am always looking for something new and different to cook. Because we travel around the world so much, we love trying all different kinds of ethnic foods as well. I am lucky in that Larry is almost as an adventurous eater as I am, so he lets me experiment with all kinds of foods and recipes. Italian foods are so much a part of our culture now, that they rarely seem exotic any more. Don’t be fooled though. There are still tons and tons of new (and old) exciting Italian recipes out there, just waiting to be tried. This recipe for the chicken and sausage stew is one such recipe. But now that we’ve tried it, and love it, it will definitely be added to my ever growing and extensive reservoir of good foods to make. 🙂

I served this delicious chicken and sausage stew over some pan-fried potatoes with cheese bread on the side. I finished it off with a smooth merlot. It was the same merlot I used to make the sauce, which is what you are supposed to do, according to my fabulous mentor, the one and only, Julia Child. If you are vegan or vegetarian, this is most definitely NOT a dish for you. This dish is for the hearty meat-loving carnivores.

Traditionally, this dish is made with guinea fowl, but that is not something I find a lot of here in my neck of the woods, so I substituted chicken instead, which works just fine. In Italian, this dish is known as faraona al vino rosso or fowl in a red wine sauce. The Italian name sounds so much more romantic.

Chicken and Sausage in Red Wine Sauce

2 lbs chicken – I used breasts, but you can use pieces too

flour

salt & pepper to taste

olive oil and butter for cooking

2 oz pancetta or prosciutto, sliced

1 onion, diced fine

4 cups red wine

1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

1/2-3/4 lb ground Italian sausage

3 tomatoes, cored and diced

1 TBSP garlic

dash nutmeg

1 TBSP each fresh basil, thyme, oregano and sage, chopped fine or 1 tsp each of dried herbs

mozzarella cheese for topping

Mix the flour, salt and pepper and coat the chicken with the flout mixture. Sear the chicken in a hot pan with the oil and butter, making sure it is browned on all sides. Once the chicken is browned, removed it from the pan and set aside.

Cook the sausage until it is completely cooked, then add the onions, garlic and mushrooms. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes. Then add the tomatoes, wine and herbs. When the chicken is completely browned, add it to the sauce. Save some of the herbs, especially if using fresh herbs for the topping. Cover the pan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Once the chicken is completely cooked, it is time to serve it up. You can serve it over rice, pasta or potatoes. I liked it over potatoes, because it made it more like a hearty hunters’ stew. Then top the chicken with mozzarella cheese, immediately after removing it from the heat, so it is still hot and can melt the cheese. Next, add the prosciutto and the remaining fresh herbs on top. You can cook up the prosciutto or you can eat it as is. If you cook it, it will be more like bacon. !Buon Appetito y Mangia!

Happy New Year Everyone. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Well 2020 is finally over. It is now behind us FOREVER. Let’s hope 2021 is better for everyone.

We had a small New Year’s gathering at our house to make sure 2020 actually left and 2021 was really happening. Jonathan, Priscilla, Laura and Gabe all came over for dinner.

We are ready to eat and ready to celebrate.

As usual, Priscilla, Laura and I all made parts of the dinner. Being 1/2 Texan, black-eyed peas were definitely a focal point of the dinner. I served them Caribbean style this time, with some lemon rice and jerk chicken.

Laura made these fabulous spinach balls with an aioli sauce as an appetizer.

Priscilla made a delicious gingerbread cake for dessert. Everything was so good!!!!! And of course, we had lots of wine and champagne throughout the evening as well as plenty of good food food, good conversations and a lot of fun. After dinner, we all joined Janet and Bob for a ZOOM Farkle game. Everyone had a good time. There were lots of laughs and stories told, and we all made sure we stayed up to ring in the new year and kick 2020 to the curb.

We are all set up and ready to let the Farkle games begin. May the best person win. (I won this time). 🙂

Black-eyed peas are a Southern tradition for New Years. They are believed to bring good luck to all those who eat them at New Years. New Year’s Good Luck with Black-Eyed Peas and Ham Soup. I made a BIG batch of the black-eyes peas too. I wanted to make sure we all had A LOT of good luck for 2021 to make up for how bad 2020 was. It was fun to make them Caribbean style too.

Caribbean Style Black-Eyed Peas

1 lb dried black-eyed peas

2 TBSP olive oil

1 onion, diced fine

1/2 small pumpkin cut into chunks

2 celery stalks, diced fine

1-2 TBSP garlic

1 red bell pepper, diced fine

3-4 jalapenos, diced fine

salt & pepper to taste

red pepper flakes to taste, optional

4 bay leaves

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp thyme

8 oz of fresh spinach, kale or greens, chopped rough

4-5 cups chicken, vegetable or ham stock

green onions for topping

Soak the black-eyed peas in water, enough to completely cover them for at least 6-12 hours. Then drain and rinse them.

In a large pot, heat the oil, then add the vegetables and spices and cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until the onions become translucent.

Add the beans and mix everything together well.

Add the stock. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 1 hour, stirring frequently.

Add the spinach and thoroughly mix into the mixture, just until it becomes wilted throughout, then remove from the heat and serve.

Serve it with either white, yellow, or lemon rice and top with chopped green onions. I served mine with Caribbean jerk chicken, but ham or pork would go well with this dish too. Champagne, Proseco, or a sparkling white wine or a crispy, citrusy white wine would be a very nice accompaniment for this dish. It is very colorful and very festive, and full of Caribbean flavor and warmth.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2021 brings you all lots of good luck, health and happiness. Cheers!

Well 2021 is not even here yet, and already, I can tell it is going to be a much better year than 2020. As you all know, we lost our beautiful big girl Lucie this year. This was devastating. We looked through all the doggie adoption services, both near and far, but no one was available to us. But my sister-in-law came to the rescue. We used to have a malamute, and absolutely love that breed too. My sister-in-law found a malamute breeder with puppies in Goodland, Kansas. Today, we put a down payment of one of the babies. We will get her in mid to late January. Meet our new baby girl, Juneau or Junie Bug.

I think we can all say goodbye and good riddance to 2020. Let’s hope 2021 is much, much better for everyone.

I am to the point where I just need to have my camera with me at all times. There is so much going on all around me, all the time, and if I don’t have my camera with me, I am going to miss out. These are some fun shots of the squirrels and robins I took from my office window, while working away.

The red robin.

Squirrels at play. From the rooftop.

Squirrels in the tree. There about 4 of them in the trees. Two were playing on the same branch. You can just barely see the second squirrel’s tail on the bottom of the branch, hidden behind the pines.

There is always so much to see. You just have to open your eyes and beauty and nature are all around.

Salsa is a type of sauce, but it is also so much more than just a sauce. It can be made with anything and can either be very simple or very complex, depending on what you are serving it with. Salsas can be blended until they’re almost a liquid or so chunky that they’re closer to a salad. The Incas of South America and the Aztecs and Mayans of Central America and Mexico are the ones who first created salsa. Traditionally, it is a combination of chilies, tomatoes and spices, but today, anything goes. Salsa is a staple in any Hispanic kitchen and it is used to enhance the flavors of just about everything.

Salsas today are made with a wide variety of ingredients. I made a corn salsa that I served with some street tacos I made with our leftover prime rib roast. Marinating the Beef Roast and rice and beans. Corn is also an import from South and Central America and has been used as food and for ceremonial practices through the ages. This salsa, like most salsas is very tasty and is very versatile. It was also a very easy salsa to make. It is bright, zesty and very colorful and will enhance and bring out the flavors of anything and everything you serve it with.

Roasted Corn Salsa

2 cups corn

1/2 onion, diced fine

2 roasted hatch chilies or jalapenos, diced fine

1/2 red bell pepper, diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp sage

1 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped fine

1-2 tsp lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

red pepper flakes to taste

olive oil

Saute everything except the cilantro, together in a hot skillet with olive oil for about 5-7 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent. Remove from the heat and add the cilantro, mixing everything together well and serve it with anything you like.

This salsa can be used to top just about anything. This is just one of many different versions. So play around with it. Try it in different ways. Enjoy! !Desfruitas!

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

As we all know, chocolate is enjoyed in many different forms the world over. I think it is probably the most celebrated and enjoyed food ever, but that is just me. I also believe chocolate is one of the food groups too. As you know, we spent Christmas Eve with Priscilla and her family, My Fun Christmas Loot and as always, making the meal is a combined effort. We all make portions of the meal and desserts, sharing our recipes and sharing the love with everyone. Priscilla had requested my green beans with caramelized shallots Video #19 – Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots and a salad, so I made my Christmas salad with pomegranate seeds, spiced candied pecans and lemon vinaigrette Add a Little Lemon. But I also brought my cashew brittle Video #21 – Cashew Brittle – Part 2 and a fun Christmas bark with both white and dark chocolate, toasted almonds and dried cranberries as well. Priscilla had made a fabulous roast, sweet potato gnochies, and a variety of desserts as well. Our friend Laura brought a variety of delicious pies and desserts. Everything was scrumptious, and only a little decadent. 🙂

Chocolate is often made into a “bark”, which once set is broken apart and enjoyed piece by piece. It is called a bark because the chocolate is layered in a flat sheet pan and usually has nuts, fruit, candies or other toppings embedded into the top “layer” of the chocolate. It is a figurative use of the “tree skin” kind of “bark,” based on the vague resemblance of the confection to very rough tree bark.

Chocolate barks are very easy to make and are also very colorful and festive. The sky is the limit to what you can use as toppings. This time I used toasted almonds and dried cranberries and topped the bark with them.

Toasted Almond and Cranberry Chocolate Bark

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate (or chocolate chips)

1/2 cup white chocolate (or chcolate chips)

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/3- 1/2 cup toasted almonds

Toast the almonds until they are lightly golden and set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Melt the dark chocolate completely. I used chocolate chips and melted them in the microwave, but you can also melt them on the stove in a double boiler too. Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the parchment paper in a thin layer.

Melt the white chocolate in the same way and add dollops of white chocolate onto the dark chocolate.

Take a knife and carefully swirl the white chocolate into the dark chocolate.

Sprinkle the toasted almonds and the dried cranberries over the top of the chocolate while it is still soft.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or enough to let the chocolate set and harden. Once it is set, carefully break it apart with your hands and enjoy.

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

I have been busy with the 25 Days of Christmas Challenge, and haven’t been posting too many things from my almost daily walks. But I’ve still been walking, and there has still been a lot to see. Christmas Day we were very lazy indeed, and the only thing we did was take Vinnie for a long walk through our fields. We walked him about 4-5 miles. It was a much needed walk for all of us.

The prairie dogs were out in droves, running all around the fields. I caught this little guy checking out the scene, making sure it was safe to go out.

There was a bunny laying low, hoping not to be seen.

This red-bellied woodpecker was hard at work trying his best to get all the insects from the tree.

Some geese all lined up, flying in formation.

And these squirrels were just having the time of their life, without a care in the world.

Look at me, I’m upside down in the tree.

When life gets you down, take a walk. Let all your stress just melt away. Don’t worry. Be happy.

Right after Christmas, we went out of town for just a couple of days, so I haven’t had a chance to post anything until now. I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and Hanukkah holidays. Hang in there. We are almost done with 2020. I think ALL of us will be glad to see it GONE, GONE, GONE; the sooner the better too!

We spent Christmas Eve with our friends Jonathon and Priscilla and Laura, and their families. Our Christmas Day was very quiet. It was just Larry and I and all we did was take Vinnie out for a long, much needed walk. Then we left early Saturday morning to drive to Hays, KS, to have a Christmas celebration with Larry’s family.

The presents under the tree are not big or numerous, but the ones we do get are always a lot of fun. There was most definitely a theme for my presents this year. For some reason, I received gifts that were either food or wine related. HMMMMM! How did they know???? 🙂

This fun little book of quotes from Julia Child, was actually a present to myself. You all know how much I love and idolize her. She was most definitely the Hostess with the mostest. I could not agree with this quote any more than if I had said it myself. 🙂

Janet and Bob got us some gourmet olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I already have some real good ideas of how to use these too. You will just have to wait and see what I create with them. 🙂

Priscilla gave me some gourmet chocolate shaped like a wine bottle.

And my friend Andrea shipped me this wine kit from Artiste Wines that came with a dipping sauce from Santa Ynez, part of California wine country.

Is it just me, or is everyone else getting hungry? I think I need a glass or two of wine to hold me over until dinner is ready. Anyone care to join me? 🙂

Thank you all for the fun goodies. You all know I will have a good time with all of them. You know me well. Love you all lots. ❤ ❤ <3.

Stay safe and stay well Everyone. 2020 is ALMOST DONE! ‘Til next time.