A Jeanne in the Kitchen

Although we still have a sheet of ice in the backyard, it won’t be there for much longer, especially since the weather yesterday and today will be in the 60’s.  With all the snow we’ve had this month though, weather in the 60’s is like beach weather, and that means salad weather.  I knew I was going to have shrimp for dinner, but I wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to prepare it, then I saw a recipe for a shrimp and corn salad, and that was just the inspiration I needed.  I now knew what we were going to have for dinner.

Shrimp and Corn Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

We both like hard boiled eggs on our salads, so most of our salads include an egg for each of us.  Larry likes cheese on his salads and I don’t.  I like avocados on my salads and Larry does not.  So again, as always, these are just options and suggestions.  Use them if you like, don’t use them if you don’t like them.

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup lime juice, divided

1-1 1/2 cups corn

1/2 red bell pepper, diced fine

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1 /2 cup tomatoes of your choice – I used a variety of the small tomatoes

1 TBSP garlic

1 TBSP honey

red pepper flakes to taste

lettuce

avocado and cheese, optional

hard boiled eggs, optional

1/2 cup olive oil + 2 TBSP for cooking

 

Roast the corn with a little red pepper flakes in olive oil for about 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Poach the shrimp in the wine and about 2 TBSP of lime juice for about 5 minutes, or until the shrimp is completely cooked.

Mix the corn, tomatoes, onions and bell pepper together thoroughly.  I also added some chopped herbs that I needed to use up.

Whisk the remaining lime juice, olive oil, honey, garlic, and red pepper flakes together for your dressing.

Arrange you salad over a bed of lettuce, add your dressing, and voila!  Dinner is ready.  You can also have this salad as a side dish and combine everything together without the lettuce too, if you prefer.

 

We buy a lot of foods in bulk and then freeze them for later.  I never know just what Larry is going to bring out of the freezer, so unless I am planning something specific, I come up with menu ideas on the fly.  This time around, Larry pulled out some filet mignon.  Filet mignon is SUPERB all on its own, and does not really need anything else to make it delicious, but where’s the fun in that.  As you know, I love to create.  Besides, Larry had said along time ago that I could not possibly go through all my recipes in my cookbooks, and I am doing my absolute best to prove him wrong.  Since then, I have accrued many, many more cookbooks too.  It is definitely a challenge, but I think I am completely up to the task.  While going through my culinary library, trying to come up with something new for dinner, I came across a recipe for a lemony, artichoke tapenade to top the steak.  Well, of course I had to make the recipe my own by adding or deleting things or by making other changes along the way.

A tapenade is a type of spread, traditionally made from chopped olives, capers, and anchovies.  It originated in Marseille, in the Provence region of France, in 1880.  From there, the recipe spread all through the Mediterranean region of Europe and North Africa.  The French name for capers is tapena, hence the name tapenade.  Today, there are many different varieties of tapenades.  Tapenades are most often used as either a spread for breads or as a stuffing for meats.  I used it as a topping for my filet mignon.  I did actually serve my filet with wild rice too, just the the recipe suggested, as well as some mushrooms cooked in a creamy wine sauce, olive bread A Batch of Tuscan Olive Bread and a delicious cabernet sauvignon.  The Celebrations Continue

This tapenade is so easy to make and it taste so good too.  I am already thinking of new possibilities on how to use the leftovers.

 

Lemony Artichoke and Olive Tapenade

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

1 shallot, minced

1/3-1/2 cup mixed olives, pitted

1/4 cup Peruvian peppers.

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

1 TBSP garlic

2-3 TBSP olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

 

Chop the artichoke hearts and olives well, then mix together and combine thoroughly with all the other ingredients.  That’s it.  Easy-peasy.  Not everything I make is hard or complicated.  In fact, a lot of what I make is not, although as you know, I certainly can do those more complicated recipes and meals too.  This tapenade can be served either chilled or at room temperature.

For the filet mignon, all I did was season it with salt, pepper and olive oil and let it sit for about 3 hours before grilling it.  Once the filet was done, I topped it with the tapenade and dinner was served.  DELICIOUS!

 

Sheree from View from the Back has issued a photo challenge for for sea creatures and something fishy.  This is the first time I have accepted one of these photo challenges, but as most of you know my other passion outside of the kitchen is scuba diving.  And when I dive, I always have my camera with me.  You just never know what you’re going to see.  The underwater world is full of life.  It’s beautiful, colorful and often times quite exotic.  The underwater world is a world like no other.

This is KC.  She is a nurse shark that loves to be pet. This is in Grand Cayman.  I am the one with no bling  and plain nails.  She was so sweet.

Belize

Aruba

I have SOOOOOOO many more photos, from all over the world, but I don’t want to overwhelm you with my other passion; at least not all at once.  I took all these photos (with the exceptions of those of me), and many, many more.

 

How to join the Friendly Friday Photo Challenge

Post a comment below and include a ‘Friendly Friday’ ping-back in your post, so others can find your entry.

• Publish a new ‘Friendly Friday,’ post including a URL link to the host’s post, tagging the post, ‘Friendly Friday’ Add the Photo Challenge logo, too, if you wish.
• Copy the published url into the comments of the host’s post, so other readers can visit your blog.
• Visit other Friendly Friday entries by following the links. It’s fun!
• Follow the host blogs to see future prompts.

Please note there are no deadlines for any Friendly Friday Photo challenges.

I have been nominated for another Sunshine Blogger Award.  This time, I was nominated by Dorothy from Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen  With the way last week went, this is a very welcomed surprise indeed.  Thank you Dorothy.  I really needed this boost in spirits, and it was perfect timing too.  Dorothy and I seem to be on the same wavelength quite often.  Dorothy’s blog will make you very hungry indeed.  Stop by and say “hi” and see what’s cooking in Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen .

The Sunshine Blogger Award is given by bloggers to peers who they feel are creative, positive, and inspiring while spreading sunshine to the blogging community. The award also helps other blogger receive recognition and exposure for their blogs.

Rules for the Sunshine Blogger Award, How it Works:

1. Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you and link back to their blog.
2. Answer the 11 (or so) questions the blogger asked you.
3. List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award in your blog post.
4. Nominate 11 (or so) new bloggers & their blogs. Do leave a comment on their blog to let them know they received the award and ask your nominees 11 (or so) new questions.

Dorothy’s questions to me:

 

How would you describe your blog?

The best description of my blog is in the name itself “A Jeanne in the Kitchen”.  It is a food blog, although there is so much more to me than just cooking and food, so I have made it about living and enjoying life both in and out of the kitchen.

Of all the posts you’ve written, which is your favorite?

Obviously there are some posts that are better than others, but I still have yet to write my favorite post.  I let you know when I write it.  🙂

What was the last book you read, and how did you like it?

The Alice Network.  I love spy books and things about WWII, and I really love historical fiction.  This book was a combination of all of these things, and was actually a lot more factual than fictional.  It was a very good book.

Have you ever written a short story or a novel?

No.

Do you speak more than one language?

I try.  I can get by in both broken French and broken Spanish in most places.  I am always trying to improve both.

What are your three all-time favorite films?

Mr. Holland’s Opus; The Great Escape; Chocolat

What is your favorite thing about spring (if you are northern hemisphere) or fall (if you are southern hemisphere)?

I love the changing of the seasons, and both Fall and Spring are my favorites.  I love the colors and all the rich traditions of the Fall and all the new plants and flowers springing up and blooming in the Spring.

What is your favorite hobby or pastime?

SCUBA DIVING, or anything else swimming related, and of course, cooking, food and wine.

What is your favorite holiday, and why?

Thanksgiving.  It is about being with friends, family and loved ones and it is all about being thankful, giving thanks and showing appreciation for what you already have.

What bird makes you smile when you spot it?

I love all birds.  My dad and I loved to watch all the birds fly around us.

Do you prefer the ocean or the mountains?

OCEAN.  I have always been the quintessential beach bum and the water just calls out to me, but ironically I live in the mountains.  The mountains are beautiful too, don’t get me wrong, but they do not speak to me like the ocean does.

 

My questions to you are:

1.  What is your favorite hobby?
2. What really makes your blood boil?
3. If time travel were possible, would you do it?  What time(s) would you visit and why?
4. Who has influenced you the most in your life and how?
5. Pets?  Are they your fur babies or just pets?
6. What would you do if you won the lottery?
7. What is your favorite color and why?
8. Where is your favorite place to go?
9. What are your strengths?
10. What are your weaknesses?
11. How do like relieve your stress?

This is always the hardest part for me.  As I have said many times, there are so many great, interesting blogs out there, with a wide range of topics.  Rather than nominating 11 bloggers, I like to only nominate a few at a time.  This group of nominees include:

1. thetinypotager
   @thetinypotager
2. Alessia di Piattoranocchio
   @alessiaborghi
3. Suzette Benjamin
   @4suzetteb
4. Sarah’s Attic of Treasures
   @sarahsatticoftreasures
5. Julia
   @juliasculthorpe

Good luck to all of you.  You all deserve a little sunshine coming your way.  Keep doing what you do, making the world a little brighter each day.

Anyone else who would like to participate is always welcome to do so as well. I always say, the more the merrier.

 

Yesterday was Fat Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras.  I was invited to a Mardi Gras party by one of our very own, Julia, from retirementrvdream.com.  It turns out she and I only live about 30 minutes away from each other.  We live in a small world after all.  It was so fun to actually met Julia and her husband Bruce in person, rather than solely through the internet.  Julia and Bruce welcomed us into their beautiful home and we connected instantly.  I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  Julia had quite the Mardi Gras spread, complete with shrimp and Andouille sausage gumbo, red beans & rice and of course, and King’s Cake; not one, but 3 different variations of King’s Cake.  Being Jeanne, from “A Jeanne in the Kitchen” I had to bring something from my kitchen too.  The Linzertorte I made was for this party.  Everyone ate too much good food and had a fantastic time.  Thank you so much Julia and Bruce and Laissez le bontemps rouler!

Larry and I dressed for Mardi Gras.

This sign hangs in Julia’s kitchen.  Yep.  This could easily be my motto too.

Julia and Jeanne.  Two bloggers meet.  Don’t you just LOVE this painting behind us too?

This whole blogging business is about connecting with people.  It is so much fun to make those connections real and in person.  So …. Reach out.  Make those connections.  You never know how many new friends just might come your way.

It’s Fat Tuesday, otherwise known as Mardi Gras, Carnival or Shrove Tuesday.  It is a day that is celebrated all around the world as the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent or Lenten season.   It is called Fat Tuesday because it always falls on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and it is the last time Catholics are “supposed” to eat rich, fatty foods before the start of Lent.  Lent lasts for 40 days, and ends on Easter Sunday.

Many Spring and/or fertility celebrations are rooted in pagan history and beliefs.  It’s not really known if Mardi Gras has any pagan ties or if it was just something that resulted from the Catholic Church frowning upon sex and the eating of meat during the Lenten season.

The first Mardi Gras celebration took place in the United States on March 3, 1699, when the French Canadian explorer Pierre le Moyne d’iberville landed about 60 miles down river from New Orleans on the day he knew it was Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) in France.  He named the place Point du Mardi Gras.  The first celebration that was the big grand daddy, like the Mardi Gras celebrations of today, with parades, costumes, dancing in the streets and masks was celebrated in Mobile, Alabama.  Who can lay claim to the oldest Mardi Gras Celebrations in America?  Is it New Orleans or Mobile?  This is an on-going debate.  We just may never know the answer to this question.  🙂  Either way, it is now the world’s largest party.

Along with the parades and costumes, it is customary to eat a King’s Cake on Fat Tuesday.  It is only eaten during Mardi Gras time.  It is a cinnamon braided bread made from brioche dough that is decorated in in the Mardi Gras colors of green, yellow and purple.  A plastic baby is baked somewhere in the center of the cake and whoever finds the baby is responsible for bringing the King’s Cake the next year.

I will be celebrating this Mardi Gras day too by going to Mardi Gras, or a Fat Tuesday party.  So let the good times roll

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

or as they say in French, laissez le bontemps rouler!

A Linzertorte is a traditional Austrian pastry.  Unlike other tortes, a Linzertorte is only a single layered torte, whereas most other tortes can have many layers.  Linzertortes are a type of shortcake with a fruit preserve “filling”, usually raspberry or red currant, but other jams will work just fine too, and sliced nuts with a latticed topping.  The Linzertorte has been around since 1653, when it was first created in an Austrian abbey, in the city of Linz, Austria.  It is a traditional Tirolean treat eaten on holidays and at Christmas time by the Austrians, the Germans, the Hungarians and the Swiss.  The Linzertorte was introduced to the United States in 1856 by the Austrian emigre and baker, Franz Holzlhuber, in Minnesota.  Linzer cookies are a close cousin to the Linzertorte.

I make Linzer cookies all the time, but I think this might have been the first time I actually have made a Linzertorte.  As much as I love raspberries and raspberry jam, I decided to add a new twist to my Linzertorte, and used my Sweet Heat blueberry jam instead. Bread and Jam  The torte itself was easy to make.  The most challenging part for me was getting the latticed layering done properly.

Linzerorte

3/4 (1 1/2 sticks) cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup ground walnuts

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp lemon zest , divided

1/2 cup jam of your choice – I used Blueberry Heat this time.

2 TBSP almond slivers

powdered sugar for dusting

 

Place the walnuts into a food processor and pulse until they are ground finely.

Mix all the dry ingredients together, including the ground walnuts and set aside.

Blend the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy, for about 2 minutes, then add the egg and the 1 tsp of lemon zest and continue to blend together until everything is well incorporated.

Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix slowly, then add the rest and mix slowly again until everything is combined thoroughly.  You want the dough to form a stiff dough.

Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375* F.

Spray a fluted tart pan with cooking spray.

When the dough is ready, on a lightly floured surface, cut the dough in 1/2.  Roll each 1/2 to about 1/4 inch thick.  Roll 1/2 the dough to fit into the tart pan and press it to fit the pan.  Evenly spread the jam over the bottom of the dough.  Sprinkle the rest of the lemon zest over the jam.

Roll out the other 1/2 of the dough into a rectangle, and start cutting the dough into strips, each about 3/4 of an inch wide.  Criss-cross the dough strips over the top of the jam to make a lattice pattern.  Sprinkle the top with the almond slivers when the lattice topping is done.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown.  Let the torte cool completely before removing it from the pan.

When the torte is completely cooled, dust with powdered sugar.

 

 

 

 

You have heard mention Bookcliff Vineyards many times. It is one of our favorites, and it is all 100% local and homegrown.  Bookcliff Vineyards is a small, boutique winery owned and operated by John and Ulla.  It is located on the outskirts of Boulder, as you are headed towards Lyons or Estes Park.  John and Ulla not only produce a variety of award-winning wines, but they also grow their own grapes in Palisade, which is on the Western Front, in Western Colorado.  They own 37 acres of prime grape growing vineyards. Bookcliff is an eco-friendly grape producer and they are committed to using sustainable farming practices. This means they do not use any pesticide and avoid the use of herbicide. They use compost to fertilize the soil instead of chemical fertilizer and they grow grass between the rows which keep the good and bad bugs in balance. “It is important to us to grow our own grapes so we can control the quality from source to finished product. We are also proud that all our wines are made from 100% Colorado grown grapes.  Colorado grapes express the character where they are grown – high altitude desert at 4,600 feet – and we are proud of making wine that captures this uniqueness in the glass.”  John is the sommelier and the primary winemaker for Bookcliff Wines.

The Vineyards of Bookcliff.

Mashing the grapes.

 

The finishing touches.

The Awards just keep coming.  John and Ulla use a combination of both French and American oak and steel barrels to age their wines.

Mary was the hostess with the mostest.  She was very friendly and really knew her stuff.  She is also a scuba diver, and she and I talked a lot about diving as well as wine.

Because I am a member, I was given a free glass of wine for myself and a friend for my birthday.  I took Elizabeth.  This was her first time at Bookcliff.  I have sadly, used the last of my birthday coupons.  They sure do make celebrating a lot more fun.  I really got to extend my birthday for quite awhile.  One last birthday hoorah.  Let it be wine.  🙂

Not only does Bookcliff Vineyards offer great Colorado wines, but they often have special dinners and events at their wineries too.

When in town and looking for a good, 100% Colorado grown wine and produced wine, Bookcliff Vineyards is the place to go.  They are located at 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Number 17
Boulder, CO 80304.  Their phone number is 303.499.7301.  You can also visit them in Palisade when out there too.  You can learn all about Bookcliff Vineyards on line too by visiting their website bookcliffvineyards.com.

 

 

A lot of how and what I cook is based on what I have in the fridge at the time; do I have any leftovers I could use; and/or do I have something that needs to be used quickly.  That’s what I did for this quick and easy pork stir-fry meal.  I had some snap peas that I needed to use, and there were not enough to have them on their own, so they went into the stir-fry, along with some red onion, red bell peppers and carrots.  Usually I make up my own sauces, but every now and then I improvise and “doctor up” some sauces I already have on hand.  That’s what I did this time around.  My friend Elizabeth was over for dinner, and I did not want to spend too much time in the kitchen, so I just made something quick and easy.  My fridge and my pantry are usually pretty well stocked with just about everything, so it is not difficult to come up quick ideas and a quick fix.

Quick and Easy Pork and Vegetable Stir-Fry

1-1 1/2 lbs pork, cut into thin strips

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut Asian style

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1/2 red onion, sliced very thin

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 TBSP garlic

1 TBSP ginger

1-1 /2 cups of your favorite Asian spiced sauce – I used an orange-chipotle sauce this time

1-2 tsp grated orange peel

salt & pepper to taste

olive oil, or oil of your choice

chopped cilantro and green onions for garnish

 

In a hot skillet or wok, saute the hardier vegetables in the oil, for about 3-5 minutes, then add the snap peas and continue to cook for about another 2 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  Remove the vegetables from the heat and set them aside.

Cook the pork until it is thoroughly cooked, for about 5-7 minutes.

When the pork is cooked add the vegetables and combine well and season with the salt & pepper.

You do not have to add anything to your sauce if you already have something you like, but I NEVER use just a plain bottled sauce.  I will ALWAYS “doctor it up” and make it somewhat my own.  I just added the ginger, garlic and orange peel to the sauce and then poured it into my pork and vegetable mixture.

Combine everything well, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.  When it is done, serve it over rice or noodles and enjoy.  I would pair it with a light white wine or something on the sweeter side, like a Riesling or a Gewertztramiener.  Quick, easy, healthy and delicious.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

Escape rooms are very popular here in Colorado.  They are just about everywhere and they all have different themes and different levels of difficulty.  We have done quite a few and our track record is pretty good.  Most of our friends are at the same stage we are in, and don’t want gifts, but would rather share experiences instead.  For Christmas, in lieu of exchanging gifts, we gave Janet, Bob, Nadeen and her friend Alex, Priscilla and Jonathon the “chance to escape” with us.  This theme was to escape from a gold mine and to find the buried treasure.  The level of difficulty for this particular room has a 60% success rate.  We all put our thinking caps on, as well as our hard hats, and with about 4 1/2 minutes to spare, we found the gold and were able to escape.  Too bad it was only fools’ gold though.  It would have been very nice if it was real.  🙂  We have done 8 of these, and our track record is 6:2; six times successfully escaping and 2 times coming very, very close, but we were just a little late.  Escape rooms are a lot of fun and provide a good way to get a group to work together.  We love them.  They are all different and there is something for everyone.

This particular escaped experience was at the HD Escape Reality in Westminster, CO, at 8151 Harlan Avenue.  Their phone number is (303) 362-1286 or you can reach them on their website at westminster@hdescaperooms.com.  Good luck to all those who attempt to escape.