A Jeanne in the Kitchen

It was such a beautiful Spring day and I wanted to reflect the coming of Spring in my meal as well.  Cooking with fresh herbs is always a good way to bring in the Spring.  I made an herbed chicken cooked in a wine sauce that was a perfect way to ring in the Spring season.  I used fresh tarragon, oregano and thyme in my sauce.  I had a recipe that I was using as a guide, but of course, I changed it up to make it my own.  The recipe I was following called for tarragon only.  I did not have enough fresh tarragon, so I added the other herbs as well, and I am really glad I did too.  I think the recipe would have been way to over powering with all that tarragon.  Tarragon has a very strong licorice and anise flavor, so if you are not a fan of either of these, which I am not, tarragon may not be your herb of choice, or if using, use it sparingly.

Tarragon is thought to originate from Siberia and Mongolia, but it is used a lot in French cooking.  In France, tarragon as known as the herbe au dragon or the little dragon herb.  Part of the reason the tarragon plant was called the little dragon is because of the serpentine like root system it has.  It was also thought to be a cure for dog bites and bites from other rabid animals.  Tarragon has only been cultivated for around 600 years. It is thought to have been brought to Italy around the tenth century by invading Mongols who used it as a sleep aid, breath freshener and seasoning.  It is believed St. Catherine, on a visit to Pope Clement VI, brought tarragon to France in the 14th century.

Herbed Chicken in Wine Sauce

As per usual, I get an idea in my head, and then make as many changes as I need to along the way, until I get the results I am looking for and hoping to taste.  So you are only seeing a “rough draft” what the final recipe will look like.

2 lbs chicken – either pieces of breasts.  I used breasts.

salt & pepper to taste

4 TBSP butter, divided

3 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP each, fresh tarragon, oregano and thyme, chopped

1 TBSP garlic

1/2 onion, medium dice

1 cup dry white wine

1 can chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

 

Completely coat the chicken with the salt, pepper and some olive oil.  In a hot skillet, combine the 2 TBSP of butter with the remaining olive oil.  Add the chicken and brown on both sides, cooking for about 5-7 minutes per side.

When the chicken is browned, remove it and keep it warm.  Drain the oil and butter then add the wine, chicken broth and herbs to the pan.  Stir everything together, making sure to get all the scrapings from the bottom.  Add the garlic and onions and mix together.  Add the chicken back to the skillet, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover.  Continue to cook at a simmer for about 30 minutes.  Once again, remove the chicken and keep warm.  Add the cream and the fresh herbs and mix everything together well.  Add the remaining butter and twirl it around in the skillet.

Add the chicken back to the sauce to heat it up and to coat it in the sauce.  Then serve.  Plate it up and top the chicken with the sauce.

To make my meal truly Mediterranean, I served it over couscous mixed with tomatoes, green onions and parsley and carrots sauteed in butter, honey and mint and roasted garlic bread.  I served it all alongside a light white blend from Spain to make it truly Mediterranean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I absolutely love where I live.  I live on the top of 6 “lakes” or ponds and we are nestled at the bottom of the Flatirons to the West.  Today was an absolutely gorgeous day and I just had to take a walk to enjoy the day and the sunshine.  I love to take my camera with me on days like this too, because you just never know what you are going to see.  Here is what I saw today.

These are right at my house.

These pictures are from around the lakes.

I just love the changing of the seasons.  Each season has its beauty.

The side dishes are just as much a part of the meal as the main entree.  I have as much fun matching my side dishes to the entree as I do cooking the entree and the whole meal.  They all fit together like pieces of a pieces of a puzzle.

When I made my  Parmagiano crusted pork chops Parmagiano Crusted Pork Chops I paired them with some roasted red potatoes, cooked with onions, and artichoke hearts.  I love potatoes of all kinds and I also love artichoke hearts, so what I delicious combination.   This dish is right up my alley.  It is delicious, easy to make and only needs  a few basic ingredients.  Perfect.

The red potato was first cultivated in the mountains of Peru. Spanish explorers then brought the potato with them on returning voyages and introduced it to Europe in the 1560s. When potatoes became popular and spread across Europe, they were also carried to the United States.  Red potatoes are also known as red Pontiac or Dakota Chief potatoes.  These red potatoes originated in the state of Florida, in the United States, but are now available in many other parts of the world too.  They were called red Pontiacs because of the red coloring that was from a color mutation from the original Pontiac potatoes.

 

Roasted Red Potatoes with Artichokes

2 lbs small red potatoes, cut into quarters

2 TBSP olive oil’

2 TBSP fresh thyme

salt & black pepper to taste

1 TBSP garlic

1 onion, medium dice

2 cans artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half

1 TBSP paprika

1/2 feta cheese, optional

 

Preheat the oven to 425* F.

Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and then spray the foil with cooking spray.

 

Mix the potatoes, thyme, paprika, salt, pepper and olive oil together thoroughly, then spread out onto the foil and place in the oven to roast for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After roasting the potatoes for the “first” roast, add the artichoke hearts, onions, and garlic and mix thoroughly.  If you like feta cheese, you can add that too at this time as well.  I do not like feta cheese (or any cheese much for that matter), so I did not add any.

Put them back into the oven to continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are crusty on the outside and tender on the inside.  DELICIOUS!  I think I could easily eat the whole pan all at once.  🙂

 

 

 

 

I am always trying new ideas and new methods for cooking, whether it be new ideas, new recipes, new cooking methods, new flavorings or seasonings, etc.  I am always up for something new.  We love our meats and eat them prepared in a wide variety of methods and ways.  Sometimes I marinate them, sometimes I use a dry rub, sometimes I use a paste.  How to Flavor Your Meats  I am game to try just about anything.  It keeps things fun and exciting.  Everyday is different.  Larry just never knows what to expect for dinner.  He just knows whatever it is, it will be good.

I made some Parmagiano crusted pork chops last night, that I served with some potatoes roasted with onions and artichoke hearts and some roasted garlic bread.  So I guess my prep method for my meat was more like the paste method this time.  I should have added some more vegetables, but Larry said we didn’t need any more.  I disagree, but hey live and learn, right?!  I guess I did add some more vegetables by topping it with some of my red pepper coulis though.  Chicken Stuffed with Artichoke Hearts and Olives.  I chose to go with a lighter white blend this time, since I served pork, however, a red or a pinot noir would have paired very nicely with the meal as well.

Parmagiano Crusted Pork Chops

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

1 cup Parmagiano (or Romano) cheese

1 TBSP fresh sage, chopped fine

1 tsp lemon zest

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

butter – I used some of my leftover chipotle butter

olive oil

4 thick cut pork chops

 

Mix the flour and salt & pepper together on a shallow plate.

Beat the eggs lightly in a separate bowl.

Mix the bread crumbs, sage and Parmagiano cheese together in a shallow bowl.

 

Completely coat the pork chops in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess flour, then dip it into the egg and completely coat again.  Lastly, dip it into the Parmagiano mixture and completely coat again.

Preheat the oven to 425* F.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray (you can also use some aluminum foil as well if you like.  It definitely helps with the clean up)

Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet and carefully place the pork chops in the mixture.  Completely brown the meat on both sides.  You want a nice crust formed on the meat.

When the pork is browned, place it in the prepared baking dish and pop it into the oven.  Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160* F on the meat thermometer.   I topped mine with some leftover red pepper coulis, which made it really come to life.  Serve with your favorite side dishes, and dinner is done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We carnivores love our meat.  We love it fixed and prepared in so many different ways too.  The possibilities are endless.  We love our meats to be full of flavor, moist and tender and juicy.  What is the best way to bring out all these qualities in our meats?  Well, a lot of it depends on how you cook your meats, but so much of also is dependent upon how you season your meat as well.

1.  We have rubs.  Rubs are usually a mixture of dried herbs and/or seasonings that are rubbed all over the meat.  They add great flavors to the meats.

2.  We have marinades that are either an oil based or liquid based, which are great for leaner meats.  They add moisture to the meats and give a nice crispiness to the edges as well as provide lots of flavors.  These include most of the sauces we use, whether they are homemade or store bought and from a jar.

3.  There are vinegar and acidic based marinates that are used for flavor and for tenderizing meats.  The acids break down the proteins in the meats which tenderizes them.

 

4.  And we have pastes that we can rub all over our meats.  Pastes are a little bit of all of the above methods for flavoring meats combined.  They are thicker and are not as liquidy as other types of rubs or marinades, and they are usually less acidic, so they do not tenderize the meats as much as something with more acidity.

There is no right or wrong method on how to season and flavor your meats.  It is as individual as you are.  Some meats or cuts of meats lend themselves better to certain methods over others, but it really comes down to what your preferences are.  I have said it before, and I’ll say it again; it’s OK to play with your food.  Try different methods, flavorings, spices, and see what you like.  Make the most of your meats.

 

 

Thank you all for Larry’s well wishes.  He is almost completely healed from his little bug.  In fact, he is feeling so much better, and he decided to smoke some ribs on the smoker.  He did a small batch of both beef short ribs and pork spare ribs.  I have to admit, ribs are NOT my favorite, but I do enjoy them every now and then.  When I do eat them, I prefer the beef short ribs to the pork spare ribs.

I sauteed some Brussels sprouts with apples, bacon, shallots and red pepper to go along with the ribs, as well as some of the leftover arroz verde and mushroom strudel.  Mushroom Strudel.  Other than the ribs, that needed to be smoked for a few hours, everything else was just quickly thrown together in no time at all to make a fairly impromptu meal.

 

Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Bacon

As you can see, this delicious dish only takes a handful of simple ingredients.  This is obviously just small amount.  Make adjustments accordingly.

1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, with the bottoms removed and cut in half

1/2 red bell pepper, diced fine

1 apple, peeled and diced – I like galas, but you can use whatever type you like

4-5 slices of bacon, cut into pieces

1/2 shallot, sliced thin

1 TBSP garlic

2-3 TBSP olive oil

salt & pepper to taste – more pepper than salt though, because the bacon will add a salty taste too.

 

Cook the bacon first, making it on the crispy side.  Once the bacon is cooked, remove it from the heat and set it aside, reserving the bacon grease.

Add the olive oil to the bacon grease and then add the vegetables and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until the Brussels sprouts are tender.

Once the vegetables are all cooked, add the bacon back in to the mixture and mix thoroughly.  It’s now ready to serve and enjoy.  I love the combination of apples, bacon and Brussels sprouts together.  The flavors just come together perfectly.  You’ve got the bitter from the sprouts, the salty from the bacon and sweet from the apples.  In a word, YUM!

 

 

 

Apparently my mushroom strudel is a HIT!!!!! Mushroom Strudel  I have already been exchanging so many e-mails from so many of you and have ALREADY, in just this short time, learned so many new things.  Dolly, from koolkosherkitchen has given me so many very helpful pointers and tips for working with phyllo dough, along with so many other good, helpful hints and tips about general stuff from others.  I LOVE IT!!!!!!  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  We are all hear to help and to learn from one another, and today has definitely been proof of that.  What an AWESOME group we have!!!!!!! Thumbs up to ALL of you!

 

A strudel is a type of sweet or savory layered pastry with a filling inside. The history of strudel dates back for hundreds of years, it was made as an easy yet satisfying meal by the poor. The name Strudel comes from the German word for “whirlpool” or “eddy”. The rolled version of the pastry looks like the inside of a whirlpool.

Strudel is most often associated with Austrian cuisine, but is also a traditional pastry in the area formerly belonging to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Strudel gained popularity in the 18th century through the Habsburg Empire (1278-1780). In these countries, apple strudel is the most widely known. Apple strudel is considered to be the national dish of Austria, and is the official state pastry of Texas. The Viennese are the ones who made this dish famous with their delicate, thin layers of dough and sweet, tart apple filling.

It was the Turkish Baklava pastry, introduced into Austria in 1453 that laid the foundation for strudel. Gradually strudels with different fillings were created. The oldest strudel recipe is for a milk-cream strudel. It was handwritten in 1696 and the original can be found at the Viennese City Library.

From 1800 onwards many types of strudels were created. These include apple strudel, almond strudel, semolina strudel, rice strudel, quark strudel, milk-cream-strudel, grape strudel, poppy strudel, nut strudel, cabbage strudel, meat strudel, damson strudel, cherry strudel, pear strudel, apricot strudel, ham strudel, coffee strudel, Parmesan strudel, roll strudel, mushroom strudel, herb strudel, and cinnamon strudel.

I love strudels of all kinds, but working with phyllo or fillo dough is still something I need to work on and practice with.  I am admitting a flaw …. I am not as skilled as I would like to be with phyllo dough.  🙂  But, I share both the good and the bad, and sometimes the ugly, with all of you, so here is my attempt at a mushroom strudel.  I think my oven may need to be recalibrated, because I had my strudel in for almost double the time it was supposed to bake, and it still looked a little pale.  But fortunately, looks aren’t everything.  It still tasted very good.

 

Mushroom Strudel

I lb mushrooms, sliced thin – I used baby portabellas, but you can mix them and match them with other types of mushrooms however you like.

1 shallot, minced fine

1 TBSP garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

2 TBSP butter + more that is melted to brush on top of the dough

salt & pepper to taste

6-8 TBSP fresh chopped herbs of your choice – I used thyme, oregano, and rosemary

1/2-3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or cheese of your choice

3-4 sheets of phyllo dough, defrosted according to package directions

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

 

Saute the mushrooms, garlic, and shallots in the butter and olive oil combination and salt & pepper for about 3-5 minutes, or until they are done.   Add the chopped herbs towards the end of the cooking process and mix everything together thoroughly.

With a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms from the pan, draining it as best as you can,  then place them in a separate bowl or container until you are ready to use them.  I saved my oil and butter combination and used that for some other things later.  Once the mushrooms have cooled, mix in the egg and the egg yolk.

Preheat the oven to 400* F or 200* C,

On a smooth surface, CAREFULLY unfold the phyllo sheets.  Lay one sheet down, then brush with either the remains of the mushrooms or melted butter.  Then carefully place another layer of phyllo dough on top and brush with more butter again.

Evenly spread the mushrooms over the phyllo dough, then sprinkle with the cheese.

Carefully add another layer of phyllo dough on top of the mushrooms and repeat as necessary.  Then carefully start to roll from the smaller side.  Once the dough is rolled into a log, again, brush with either the melted butter or the butter and oil combination leftover from cooking the mushrooms.  I chose to use my remains because it was full of flavor from the mushrooms and the herbs, and since it was just cooked in butter and olive oil, I did not see the need to melt more butter.

This is where I started to have A LOT of problems.  I drained my mushrooms, but they must have still had a lot of liquid in them, and my dough started to really fall apart.  Also, I think my phyllo dough may have been slightly past its prime, and it was very fragile and delicate, even more so than normal.  But I carefully rolled my log as best as I could and patched up the places that had holes with some of the bits and pieces that broke off.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes (my recipe called for 15-20, so just watch it carefully).  Once it has browned, remove your strudel from the oven and let it cool for about 5 or so minutes before slicing it an an angle with a very sharp serrated bread slicer.

This can be served alone as an appetizer or as a side dish and part of the meal.  I served mine as a side dish, alongside some rib-eye steak topped with chipotle garlic butter, pan fried potatoes (I used the remainder of my oil and butter for my potatoes) and green beans almondine, and of course wine.  The wine was a grenache/shiraz blend that we made a while ago.  Bottling the Wine

This is how a proper strudel should look.  Mine was close (yeah, right), but as you can see, I still have some work to do to get it to be perfect. Working with phyllo dough is a challenge for me, and I LOVE a challenge.  I love phyllo dough, but it is very delicate, which can make it very difficult to work with as well.  You want the strudel to be flaky and crispy, with a nice golden brown color all around.  It should just melt in your mouth.  Mine definitely melted in our mouths, and it shared all the other qualities, it just didn’t look as pretty as this one does.  Oh well, I still have some work to do.  Maybe next time.  🙂

 

 

 

Lately, it seems as though I have been going through a lot more leftovers than normal, which is strange, because I don’t remember cooking all that many things that would leave a lot of leftovers.  But, apparently, I did.  I have also been making more things that I have already presented you with, and I don’t want to “bore” you the same old, same old.  🙂  Also, Larry is fighting some kind of bug, so he does not have much of an appetite at the moment either, which means i am not coking as much.  NO, it is NOT the coronavirus or COVID19.   So, I will leave you with some breakfast related quotes today instead.

 

Popcorn for breakfast!  Why not?  It’s a grain, like grits, but with high esteem.

~ James Patterson, best selling author ~

 

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.

~ Adelle Davis, American author and nutrionist~

 

Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.

~ Doug Larson, American journalist ~

 

Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.

~ Oscar Wilde, Author ~

 

A recipe has no soul.  You, as the cook, must bring the soul to the recipe.

~ Thomas Keller, chef and proprietor of The French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon, Bar Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery, and Ad Hoc. ~

 

WOW!!!!! Two weeks in a row I am following Sheree’s request for the “Friendly Friday Photo Challenge”.   As many of you know, Sheree is are very own, from

View from the Back

Friday Photo Challenge – art unexpected by Sheree

This time Sheree is asking for pictures of art.  Art is most definitely in the eye of the beholder, and is very subjective.  Once again, I accept.  These are pictures of some of my “art” done by me.  Now whether or not the qualify as art is another story.  The older I get, the more I am discovering some of my very latent and hidden artistic talents.  Regardless of the quality of my “art” I have fun with it, and that is really all that matters.  🙂

There are no deadlines for any Friendly Friday Photo challenges.

 

Paintings by Jeanne

 

Glassworks by Jeanne

 

Needlework by Jeanne

As you can see, I am willing to try just about anything.  I enjoy working with my hands and always have.  It doesn’t matter if I am cooking, painting, working with glass or doing needlework, or any other medium.  I just love working with my hands and being creative.