A Jeanne in the Kitchen

It had been awhile since we were last at the Wild Animal Sanctuary(WAS). This time we took Neil with us, since he had never been. Neil was coming in from a business trip, and after picking him up from the airport, we all went to lunch. After lunch we were off to the WAS.

It was SUPER HOT, so as expected, most of the animals were lounging around in the shade, doing their best to keep cool. But there were two tigers who were playing around and cooling off by splashing around in their pond.

These two tigers have always been together. They are brother and sister. They were abandoned together in the parking lot but have been well loved and well cared for ever since.

Tigers love to swim and are excellent swimmers too.

It was time for a nap after their swim.

They had a good plan. Play around a little. Cool off with a dip in the pool. Then nap time.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay cool. ‘Til next time.

It was game night, and our turn to host. We had steak down so I cooked that up with a delicious red wine mushrooms sauce. I served it with my grilled potato salad Grilled Potato Salad. Lauren brought over a salad and some bacon wrapped scallops. And we had some strawberry shortcake for dessert. For a casual impromptu dinner, we ended up with quite the feast. 🙂

Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

My marinade tuned into my sauce with just a few extra additions and cooking it up.

1 1/2 – 2 lbs thick cut steaks

1 cup dry red wine

1-2 TBSP balsamic vinegar

1-2 tsp Dijon mustard

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp dried thyme and/or dried marjoram

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup chicken or beef broth

olive oil

butter or specialty butter

Combine the red wine, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and seasonings together to use as your marinade for your steak. I marinated my steaks for about 5 hours we grilled them.

When ready to cook the steak, get a large skillet very hot, add the olive oil, mushrooms and shallot. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the liquid from the marinade along with the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for an additional 5 or so minutes, stirring frequently, or until it thickens.

Turn off the heat and add the butter. Gently blend the butter into the sauce. I used one of my Bella La Crema specialty butters, Bella La Crema to really enhance and bring out the flavors.

When the steaks and the sauce were done, I topped the steaks with the sauce and some fresh basil and we ate like kings and queens. 🙂

Lauren’s bacon wrapped scallops and salad.

It was yet another deliciously fun evening. Games followed our feast.

Life is short. Make the most out of everyday and live life to the fullest. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

Western Kingbirds are our summer birds. We see them mostly between May – early September, when the weather is warm and the sun shines brightly. They prefer to be out in open spaces and are not seen as much in the more urban areas. They can be aggressive, especially when guarding their nests, though with that being said, this particular mama must have known I wasn’t going to hurt her or her babies in her nest, and let me get real close to take some nice shots.

There was another one just hanging out on the fence, waiting to be noticed.

They must know I love my birds and would never hurt them, because they always seem to be smiling for my camera and love the attention. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

Lately I have been using my indoor grill a lot lately, for all kinds of things. The big outside grill is Larry’s preferred method of cooking, but I like my inside grill that I can just place on top of my stove burners. It is both a grill and a griddle, and sometimes smaller things are just easier to cook and to control with my inside grill. There is also less loss because nothing can fall between the lines.

When I grill potatoes, they are much easier to grill on my inside grill. I have done a couple of batches of grilled potatoes just this week alone.

Grilled Potato Salad

Grilled potato salad merges the rich history of traditional European potato salads with the modern, outdoor cooking culture of American barbecues. The rise of grilled potato salad is a relatively recent innovation driven by backyard chefs looking to elevate the classic summer side dish. For generations, the traditional method for making potato salad involved boiling or steaming the potatoes. However, in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, as grilling transformed from a simple necessity into a celebrated culinary art, cooks began experimenting with cooking potatoes directly over open flames. The grilling technique provided several benefits over boiling:

Enhanced Flavor: Cooking potatoes directly over wood or charcoal imparts a distinct smoky, charred flavor that complements the earthiness of the tubers.

Better Texture: Grilling crisps the edges of the potatoes while keeping the interior tender, preventing them from turning to mush when mixed with dressings.

Warm Serving Style: Grilled potato salad is typically served warm or at room temperature, a direct nod to original European-style warm potato salads. Ingredients often include crispy bacon, fresh herbs, scallions, mustard, or a splash of citrus to balance the smokiness.

Potato salad itself traces its roots back to 19th-century European immigrants, primarily from Germany. Early European versions—which were often served warm—were dressed simply with oil, vinegar, and herbs. When brought to the United States in the mid-1800s, the dish evolved dramatically. As commercial mayonnaise (like Hellmann’s and Miracle Whip) became mass-produced in the 1920s and 1930s, the creamy, mayo-heavy version of potato salad became a staple at American picnics and cookouts.

Once my potatoes were cooked, I added everything else and tossed them together to make my potato salad. The possibilities are endless, but for this particular version, I used my left over peachy mustard sauce that I used for my last round of pork loin chops. Pork with Peachy Mustard Sauce

1 1/2 – 2 lbs grilled new potatoes, quartered

3 -4 strips of bacon,cooked and crumbled

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

2-3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1/4 cup green onions, sliced

fresh ground black pepper to taste

salt to taste – I used my smoky bacon infused salt

1/2 cup peachy mustard sauce, or more as needed without drowning the potatoes

Mix everything together well and serve warm or at room temperature.

Life is short. Live life to the fullest and enjoy the ride. Stay cool on these dog days of summer and enjoy the ride. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

I have finally used up the last of my pork loin. I made it three different ways, all of which were very tasty. This time, I made it with a peachy mustard sauce. It was similar to what is known as a South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce. This meal was pure Southern comfort,with grilled potatoes and grilled corn on the cob.

Peachy Mustard Sauce

I marinated my pork in the sauce for about 4 hours before grilling it. You can use the same sauce for chicken or seafood too, as well as a base for a potato salad (more on that later).

1/2-3/4 cup orange juice, especially if using as a marinade

2/3 cup Dijon mustard

1/3 cup whole grain mustard

1/2 cup peach vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP hot sauce

salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

Mix everything together well.

Grill the pork and serve it with your favorite side dishes. Enjoy.

Life is short. Make the most out of every minute and live life to the fullest. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

It’s funny how I go for long stretches without seeing any Killdeer at all, and then all of a sudden, I see a whole bunch. I am in that phase where I am seeing a whole bunch. I am NOT complaining one bit though. I love seeing them.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay cool. ‘Til next time.

My jewelry classes were suspended for about 6 weeks due to renovations to the school. The school has now reopened for workshops, with the actual classes resuming once again in September. I went back the first day I could and I have been busy making more jewelry once again. With the exception of a few minor tweaks left to do, I just finished another pair of earrings yesterday. The stones I used this time are Sodalite.

A work in progress.

And the finished pair. I learned and used some new techniques for these. I am always learning and working on new ideas and new techniques. My instructors have all commented on how well I am doing and progressing. Not to brag or anything, but these have already received a lot of praise, and a lot of that praise has come from people in the know. 🙂

As soon as I finished, I immediately started on another project. I have so many ideas just waiting to be made. To many projects, to little time. 🙂

Life is short. Live life to the fullest and enjoy the ride. Stay cool along the way too. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

Magpies are very prevalent here. I see them all the time, just about everywhere I go. Even though I see them all the time, and I know they are scavengers, I still think they are beautiful birds. I just love their colors. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

I love crab and I love it cooked and served in all ways. When we went to The Three Sixty Grille 360 with Bruce and Julia in Muscle Shoals, AL, Julia ordered a crab cake sandwich that just looked so good Eating Our Way Through The South – Part 4 – Three Sixty Grille 360. I guess I was still thinking about that when I made my crab burgers. Seeing her delicious sandwich was my inspiration. 🙂

I made Maryland crab cakes Maryland Crab Cakes and served them on toasted buns with a lemon aioli sauce. I served a corn, tomato and green bean salad on the side, along with some waffle cut sweeet potato chips. YUMMY! This is a great way to stay cool on these hot summer days.

Lemon Aioli Sauce

1 cup Miracle Whip or mayonnaise

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 TBSP hot sauce

1-2 TBSP lemon vinegar or lemon juice

Mix everything together well and chill until ready to use.

I grilled the crab cakes and toasted my buns on my inside grill. First I buttered the buns, then put them on the hot grill. You can also use a regular grill or a hot skillet too.

When everything was cooked, I layered it all up with fresh spinach and tomato slices, then enjoyed every bite. 🙂 You will too.

Life is short. Live life to the fullest and enjoy the ride and stay cool. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

In case you haven’t noticed, I just love flowers. I love all kinds and all colors. Flowers always brighten my day, and I hope they brighten your day too. Today, I am going to focus on some flowers kissed by the colors of the sun, with splashes of orange, red and yellow.

Have a bright, colorful day. ‘Til next time.