A Jeanne in the Kitchen

The warmer weather is here, which means less time cooking and more time outside, doing other things.  We went on a long 6-mile walk and when we got home, I just didn’t really feel like cooking a lot.  No worries though.  I still made a simple, yet delicious dinner.  Often times, simple things are the best things.  I made some spicy garlic and chili shrimp and Andouille sausage skewers that just seemed to really hit the spot.

Spicy Shrimp and Andouille Skewers

2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2-3/4 lb Andouille sausage links

1 red bell pepper, cut in large chunks

1 green bell pepper cut in large chunks

1/4 red onion, cut in large chunks

1-2 TBSP garlic

2 tsp salt

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp aji amarillo chili powder (yellow garlic), optional

1/4 cup olive oil

 

Brown the sausage on all sides, cooking for about 3 minutes per side.  Let the sausages cool for just a bit, then cut them in large chunks.  You are only par cooking the sausages, since they will cook more on the grill.

Mix everything together and let marinate for at least 1/2 hour before putting it on the skewers.  Once skewered, you can put them in the refrigerator until you are ready to put them on the grill to cook.  Reserve the extra marinade for later.

Once you are ready, put the skewers on a hot grill and grill them up.

When everything is done, heat up the sauce and pour over the skewers, then serve over rice.  I used my leftover arroz verde, which was a perfect match.  I also had some of my lemon pepper cornbread I served to complete the meal Lemon and Pepper Cornbread  My wine choice was a cool, crisp, citrusy chardonnay.  A perfect meal for a perfect day.   Of course, we enjoyed it outside on the deck.

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

 

 

Out latest “Nature Walk” was full of life.  We saw all kinds of life going on today.  We did a long walk too, through one open space and into the next open space.  We literally walked from one city to the next.  It sounds like it was very long walk, but in reality, we live in North Westminster, which is only about 1 1/2 miles from Broomfield.  When we walked under the bridge we left Westminster and entered Broomfield.  But it was a new route for us.

We saw “everyone”, but the prairie dogs were the most fun today.  We saw so many.  They were running around everywhere.

This lady is VERY pregnant.  She looks really uncomfortable too.  The soon-to-be dad had a look of total bewilderment.  He is definitely NOT ready for what the future holds in store for him.

Curiosity is calling.

The young pups were out in force today.

On the lookout.

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

 

We had a roast that we took out of the freezer, but it was a little to warm to roast it in the oven.   So I cooked it in the slow cooker instead.  It came out very tender and full of flavor.  Slow cooked roast is a great way to enjoy a roast when the temperatures start to soar.  The dish was similar to a stroganoff, but because of the addition of Dijon mustard, it had its own unique personality as well.  I served it over some of my leftover pasta, alongside my leftover Southern green beans and potatoes, Southern Green Beans with Red Potatoes and Bacon with a light pinot noir to complete the meal.  Definitely a do-over.  You all know how excited I get when I can creatively use up my leftovers too.  🙂

Slow Cooked Dijon Beef with Mushrooms

2-3 lb roast

salt & pepper to taste

cooking oil – not olive oil

1 1/2-2 cups mushrooms, sliced thick

2 TBSP garlic

1/2 yellow or white onion, slice thin

1 cup beef broth

1 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 TBSP soy sauce

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

1 roasted red bell pepper, diced medium

1 TBSP Dijon mustard

1/3 cup flour, optional

 

Coat the beef in salt and pepper and sear for about 4-5 minutes on all sides to brown it.

Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray and place the beef in the dish.

In the same pan, with the oil and drippings of the meat, saute the mushrooms and onions just until they start to brown. Then add them on top of the beef.

Combine the beef broth, soy sauce, red wine vinegar and garlic and add to the beef and mushrooms.  Cook at a medium low temperature for about 6 hours.

Roast a red bell pepper, then peel it and add it to the beef and mushroom mixture.  Roasting Peppers

Combine the yogurt or sour cream and the Dijon mustard then add to the stew, combining it all well.  I use both sour cream and yogurt, depending n what I have at hand.  The sour cream will give a little bit more tart and tangy flavor, whereas the yogurt will have a bit milder flavor, but the consistency of the sauce will be about the same either way.  If you like your sauce a little thicker, like I do, add about 1/3 cup of flour and combine well. The more flour you add, the thicker the sauce will be.  Coat the meat completely in the sauce before slicing it to your desired thickness.

You can serve this over your choice of mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.  This time I served it over pasta, but I serve stroganoff dishes over mashed potatoes quite often too.  Top the beef with sauce and enjoy.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a pretty quiet walk around the lakes this time, although I still saw so many nice things.  Even on the quiet days, I am never disappointed with my view and all the beautiful sights to see.  Today, it is all about the flowers and the blooms on the trees.

Beautiful yellow and white daffodils.

Irises of a different color.

These are the first of my irises for the season too.

Pretty potted geraniums.

Tulips and more.

The blooming trees.

 

Some lilacs are in full bloom while others are not.  Mine are just starting to bloom, but no flowers or fragrance yet.

So much beauty.  It makes you just want to sit back and take it all in; to smell the roses, or the lilacs, or the honeysuckle, etc., etc., etc.,

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

 

 

One of the side dishes I made for our virtual trip to Greece was pesto tomato focaccia.  A Trip To Greece  Bread has always been one of my downfalls.  They say “man cannot live on bread alone”, but as long as I had butter or olive oil to go with it, or if the bread was topped with other yummy toppings, I really think I could.  I could easily live on this pesto tomato focaccia, that’s for sure.  It even has vegetables, which makes it even better, right?!

 

Pesto Tomato Focaccia

Focaccia Starter or Sponge

1 tsp dry active yeast

1/2 cup warm water

3/4 cup flour

 

Mix the yeast and the water together and let stand for about 10 minutes or until it becomes frothy.  Add the flour, cover tightly, and let rise for about 45 minutes.  You can also refrigerate this for a day too.

 

The Dough

1 tsp dry active yeast

1 cup warm water

3 TBSP olive oil+ more for coating the bowl and topping the dough

The sponge from above

3 1/4 cups flour + more for kneading

2 tsp salt

 

Add the water to the yeast and let stand just as you did for the sponge.  Slowly mix in the olive oil and the sponge.

Mix the flour and salt together.  Once the sponge and olive oil are combined, start adding the flour, about 1 cup at a time and mix it all together.  You can do this either by hand  or with a mixer.  Once all the flour is incorporated start kneading it all together on a lightly floured surface until it forms into a soft dough ball.  Coat a large bowl with olive oil, and then coat the dough ball with olive oil as well.  Cover and set in a warm place for the first rise.  Let it rise for about 1 1/4 hours.

Line a baking sheet with corn meal.  Start gently pressing and working the dough with your finger tips so it fits into the baking sheet.  If the dough does not want to spread right away, let it rest for about 10 minutes, then continue.

 

Cover and let rise again for about 1 more hour.

Preheat the oven to 400* F or about 200* C.

After the second rise, dimple the dough with your finger tips.  Then spread pesto evenly over the dough.  I made my own pesto, but store bought pesto is just fine too. After the pesto is spread evenly over the dough, add sliced tomatoes.  I used a variety of tomatoes, including Romas, grape tomatoes, sun tomatoes and komatoes.  Any kind of tomatoes will work.  I like making it with a variety of different tomatoes.  It really enhances the flavors and makes it very colorful, almost like a piece of art.

Top the focaccia with shredded Parmagiano cheese.

Place the focaccia in the center of the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the dough is done.  Let cool for about 5-10 minutes before cutting.  This focaccia can be enjoyed with just about any meal, or just by itself, at any time of day.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

The goslings are already growing up.  They are becoming a lot more independent and are venturing further and further away from Mom and Dad.  But they are still absolutely adorable.  The goslings have Mom and Dad on the run, going in all different directions at once.

The goslings are curious about their surroundings.  They are checking everything out.

We’re bored now.  We’re off to explore.

One last look before heading out.

Since I have been doing my Nature Walks series, I have been thinking it might be fun to publish a little book about “Life Around The Lakes“, but I have no idea how to do this.  But I am curious – 1) Is there any interest in this?  2) How much is this going to cost?  3)  Are my shots worthy to be published?  Larry says “they are good shots, but not great shots”.  I don’t know.  I am just having fun with it and capturing things the way I see them.  I am DEFINITELY NOT a pro, by any means of the imagination.  A couple of you have offered some suggestions.  Thank you.  IF I decide to do this, which is a big IF, I would donate the proceeds, assuming there were any, to a charity, preferably a charity that supports nature and the animals.  I have a lot of questions, and am in the very beginning stages of even thinking about this.  What are your thoughts an/or advice?

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

 

Greece has always been on my bucket list, but so far, I have yet to go.  And, with the way things are currently, I am not going anytime soon either, especially with all the lockdowns.  But, I can go to Greece by using my creativity and my imagination, even if only for a day.

We have been doing a lot of puzzles during out confinement, and the last puzzle we did was a picture of Greece.  I am still holding out hope that one day, I will actually be here in person – diving it of course.  But for now, all I can do is a virtual trip.

We bought a box of puzzles that have 10 cityscapes, and this was one of them.  So I thought it would be kind of fun to plan a Greek meal to coincide with our virtual trip to Greece.  I am going to try to plan a meal that matches each city once we finish the corresponding puzzle.

For my Greek dinner, I started off by using the rest of my leftover lemon-basil vinaigrette to make some chicken kebabs.  Building a Salad  I added some mayonnaise to make a marinade for the chicken.  Then I cubed the chicken and let it marinate for about 3-4 hours before putting them on a skewer to grill.

I couldn’t just have chicken though, so I found an interesting recipe for a cool, Spring Greek/Mediterranean sidedish to go with the chicken.  It is a very traditional dish found all throughout the Mediterranean, with slight variations depending on where you are eating it.  The recipe called for fava beans, although I did not have fava beans so I substituted canned butter beans instead, artichoke hearts, onions and garlic.  The combination of fava beans and artichoke hearts is found in almost every Mediterranean country.  In Sicily, they add green peas as well.  I made mine Sicilian style.

Mediterranean Salad with Artichoke Hearts, Butter Beans and Peas

1/2 onion, diced fine

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

1 can butter beans, drained

1-1 1/2 cups frozen peas

1 TBSP garlic

2 tsp dried mint – or 2 TBSP fresh mint

2 tsp dried dill – or 2 TBSP fresh dill

salt & pepper to taste

2 tsp sugar

2 TBSP lemon juice

olive oil

4 TBSP water

 

Saute the peas, onion and garlic in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

Add the remaining ingredients and combine well.  Bring to a boil, then cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook for 10 minutes.

It’s now ready to serve.  It is best when served either hot or at room temperature.

The whole meal was grilled chicken kebabs topped with the remaining sauce/marinade, Mediterranean vegetable medley and pesto-tomato focaccia, (coming soon) served with a chilled citrusy white blend.  So even though I was at home, in my heart and certainly my dinner menu, were in the Greek Isles.

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

 

 

 

 

 

Every day, I am just in awe with all the beautiful wildlife that is literally in my backyard.  I never get tired of it.  Every day is different and you never know what you are going to see, or if you are going to see anything at all.  But I always have my camera with me, ready to capture whatever comes into view, just in case.  It would be a shame to miss it.

Don’t worry, there is still more cuteness with the ducklings and the goslings yet to come, but I thought I would share the elegance and beauty of the Snowy Egrets today instead.  They are just pure beauty and grace.

The egrets love hanging out in the reeds.

 

It is so hard for me to get good shots of the egrets in flight.  I am still working on it though.

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

 

 

 

Once again it is salad weather.  In warmer weather, I put away all the heavier, heartier meals, and opt for the lighter meals instead.  We eat a lot of salads in the spring and summer.  And my salads are always loaded with plenty of fresh vegetables and plenty of fresh flavors.

It is also that time of year where my backyard is getting invaded by all the fresh lemon verbena that grows abundantly.  Every year, I find more and more all throughout my yard.  This year, I am even noticing some in the front yard too.  There is absolutely NO way I can ever get through it all, but every year, I try my best to use as much of it as I can.  I just love using it.  I made a lemon-basil vinaigrette to go with our salads, using my lemon verbena for the first time this season.

This is just the beginning of the lemon verbena invasion.  I never complain though.  I love the fresh lemony fragrance and the fresh lemony taste it adds to everything.

When I make salads, I make SALADS!  I always think I am going to make them smaller than I do, and by the time I finish adding little bits of this and little bits of that, my salads end up huge.  One time, one of Larry’s brothers came over for lunch, and we had salads out on the deck.  He made the mistake of thinking it was going to be a small salad and that we were going to be eating light.  Silly Randy.  He quickly learned that was not to be the case.  But, he ate it all anyway.

There is no right or wrong way to make a salad.  Often times I make them with leftover meats.  Sometimes it’s steak, sometimes chicken or shrimp or pork.  But I always use a ton of fresh vegetables.  This time I used some of our leftover steak.  I also added the rest of my shredded carrot slaw, No Fiesta for Cinco de Mayo This year fresh green beans, mushrooms, red and green onions, a large yellow heirloom tomato, cheese (for Larry), avocado and toasted pepitas (for me).  I topped it all with my lemon-basil vinaigrette.

Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

about 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, stems removed

about 1/3 cup fresh lemon verbena, stems removed, optional

1 TBSP garlic

1-2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 TBSP honey

 

Mix everything together, either by hand or in a food processor, until it is all blended together.  If mixing by hand, chop the basil and lemon verbena fine first.

You can use this as either a dressing for salads, or as a marinade for meats.  This time I used it as my dressing for my salads.  I have some left over that I am going to use as a marinade for something different.  Stay tuned.  …….

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