A Jeanne in the Kitchen

I received a surprise in the mail today from my friend Sue.  She is always so thoughtful.  It was a combination Christmas and birthday gift that really put a huge smile on my face.  I needed that too.  This week has been an emotional roller coaster, so a smile was definitely a welcomed visitor.

My surprise package contained a great little cookbook called Salsa & Tacos from the Santa Fe Cooking School.  To anyone from California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Texas, these are staples in our diets.  We never get tired of good tacos or good salsas.  There were also a couple pair of great socks that made me laugh.  One pair says “the ocean just gets me”, which is so true.  Even though I now live in land-locked Colorado, the ocean is still my happiest place ever.  Growing up in Southern California, I was the quintessential beach bum.  I still am at heart, and every chance I get on vacations.  The other pair of socks say “I’m a delicate f***ing flower”, which again, anyone who knows me knows that I do not take anyone’s s$!@.  But the card was the funniest thing.  The card says ” You’re such a bad ass that when you cook … you make the onions cry”.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them all.  I have absolutely no idea where Sue got all these fun gifts, but she knows me oh so well.  Thank you so much.  As always, you brightened my day.  Love you lots!

 

Once again, it has been a crazy week, with not a lot of time in the kitchen.  Things will slow down a bit from here on out, at least for awhile.  But in the meantime,  while I am busy out of the kitchen, I will let you hear what’s being said by the pros.

 

The only time to eat diet food is while you are waiting for the steak to cook.

Once again, my favorite, my idol …. the one and only Julia Child.

 

The chief pleasure in eating does not consist in costly seasonings, or exquisite flavor, but in yourself.

~ Horace , Ancient Greek Philosopher and Poet ~

 

Cooking is like love.  It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.

~ Harriet van Horne,  American film and television critic~

 

Vegetables are a must on a diet.  I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie.

~ Jim Davis, Cartoonist and Creator of Garfield the Cat ~

Hope you enjoy all the food and fun.

 

 

 

For Christmas, Janet and Bob gave us a gift certificate to our favorite local spice shop, Savory Spice Shop, in Denver.   Savory Spices of Denver  Janet and I knew the boys would not be interested in venturing out to the spice shop, so we went and had a girls’ day out.  We went and did our spice shopping first, then out to lunch afterwards.

My purchases for the day.  Needless to say, I spent my whole gift certificate and then some, but all the delicious spices are most definitely worth every penny.  They are unique, exotic and plentiful.  There are so many different spices, many of which I have never heard of, and I know quite a bit about food and spices.

After our spice shopping adventure, we went to Janet & Bob’s favorite Mexican restaurant in Denver, Benny’s Restaurant.  Benny’s is a family owned and operated restaurant that has been in business for many, many years, and is still thriving.  Locals and non-locals alike flock to them to enjoy the food, the service and the ambiance.  Janet said she and Bob have been going there for over 30 years and it is still one of their favorite places to go.  That says a lot about the place.  🙂

The owners posing for the camera.

The joint was hoppin’ and was full of very happy, satisfied customers.

Nothing better than a quick trip to the beautiful white sand beaches while you enjoy lunch and a margarita, even while still in the heart of Denver.

Janet ordered the chili relleno plate.

I ordered the smothered steak burrito.  I have always said, you can tell if the restaurant is good by the quality of the salsa.  This salsa was delicioso, and so was the rest of the food.  Of course, we both had to have a margarita as well.  🙂

Benny’s Restaurant is located at 301 East 7th Avenue, Denver, CO 80203.  You can reach them by phone at (303) 894-0788 or on their website at http://www.BennysRestaurant.com. 

We love Indian food, and there are so many good Indian restaurants that are very close to us.  We were out and about, enjoying our Sunday afternoon and decided to try a new Indian restaurant after.  We went to Kattapas Kitchen, in Broomfield, CO.

It was very clean and the owners were very gracious hosts.  Not only were they the hosts, but they were also the servers and the chefs as well.  At first, we were the only people in the restaurant, but we got there right when they opened too.  Afterwards, other people started strolling in.

The menu had something for everyone, ranging from vegetarian meals to a variety of dosas and curries, with both appetizers and main entrees.  With most of the dishes, you can control the level of spiciness.  We like things spicy, but not to the point where our mouths are on fire.  We went with a 6 on a scale of 1-10 for levels of spiciness.  I made the mistake many years ago, with going for an 8 or 9 in a Thai restaurant, and I thought I was going to die.  So for a new restaurant, a 6 was a good safe spot for us to start out.  As it turns out, that was a good level period; spicy but not to the point were the only thing we could taste was the fire and we could actually enjoy our menu selections.

After perusing the menu, we decided on a Chicken Tika Dosa and a goat curry, with some garlic naan bread on the side.  When we go to new places, we like to try as many things and new items as our tummies will hold, so we always get something different and share it all.  Everything was very, very good.

The chicken tika dosa was served with 3 different kinds of sauces – a tomato chutney, some kind of eggplant dip and a warm, mild curry sauce.  It was loaded with chicken and vegetables.  Both dishes were very good, and we enjoyed them both, but we both thought this one was our favorite.  A dosa is like a very large, very thin crepe stuffed with meat and/or vegetables.

The goat curry was very tasty and very tender.  I think the last time we had goat was a few years ago when we were scuba diving in St. Lucia.  It is not something we eat a lot of, but it was very tasty indeed.  It has a similar taste to beef, and mixed with the curry and the saffron rice, it was delicious.

The garlic naan bread.  Rarely do we go to an Indian restaurant and not have the naan bread.  This was full of flavor and cooked to perfection.  I could easily make a meal just on the naan bread alone.

This was our first time to Kattapas Kitchen, but we will definitely be back.  If you are in the Broomfield, CO area, and you like Indian food, go give Kattapas Kitchen a try.  I am sure you will enjoy it.  Kattapas Kitchen is located at 6590 West 120th Avenue, Suites B1 & B2, Broomfield, CO.  Or you can contact them at (303) 469-4148 or on their website http://www.kattapaskitchen.com

 

I am always on the look out for new recipes to try.  As you all know, I am an adventurous cook and an adventurous eater, so anything goes, although I certainly have my favorites too.  The other day I saw this delicious looking recipe for chicken with a spinach & artichoke cream sauce that was just calling out to me.  I am always a sucker for anything in a good cream sauce, and I love both artichokes and spinach, so this was just perfect for me.  Of course my version of the recipe was different than the version I first saw.  As always, I had to make it my own recipe, and add my own signature to it.  🙂

Chicken with Spinach & Artichoke Cream Sauce

2 lbs chicken

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

1 shallot, chopped fine

1-2 TBSP garlic

3 cups fresh spinach, stemmed and chopped

2 TBSP  Peruvian peppers

salt & pepper to taste

olive oil

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese

 

Saute the shallots and garlic in the olive oil until the shallots are translucent.  I also had a few leftover zucchini slices that I added as well.

When the vegetables are cooked, add the wine and deglaze the skillet, making sure to scrape the bottom well.

When the liquid has reduced to about half, add the cream, cheese and the salt & pepper.  Mix everything in together well.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Make sure everything is well incorporated and the cheese is completely melted.

Add the spinach, artichoke hearts, and peppers to the mixture, and cook for about 3-4 minutes more.

The sauce is now ready to serve.  While the sauce is cooking, cook your chicken.  I just added salt & pepper and olive oil to the chicken and grilled it, but you can also pan-fry it, either with or without a little flour as a coating if you prefer.  With this rich and creamy sauce, the best way to serve it is over fettuccine, with warmed bread and a good chardonnay.  It just doesn’t get much better than this.  DELICIOUS!

Morocco has been known for its spices and unique spice blends for centuries.  It was a major hub for spice traders, and has been influenced by many cultures from around the world, for many centuries.  Morocco is uniquely situated between Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  All of these various cultures have influenced the Moroccan way of life and its cooking through the ages.  There are even a few South American influences that can be found in the Moroccan cuisines and dishes as well.  Moroccan foods are known for being a combination of both sweet and spicy.  Though there are hundreds, if not thousands, of different spices that can be found in Morocco, the essential spices are 1) cumin; 2) turmeric; 3) ground ginger; 4) cardamom; 5) paprika; 6) hot red peppers; 7) white and black pepper; 8) cinnamon; and 9) saffron.  All of these, with the exception of saffron, are staples in my kitchen as well.  I like saffron a lot, but I just can’t seem to pull the trigger to purchase it too often because of how expensive it is.

Though lamb is universal, I tend to think of it as more of a Greek, Middle Eastern, or African dish (and of course Australian and New Zealand as well), so when I made my lamb sliders I naturally focused on something Middle Eastern as a side dish.  Lamb Sliders  When I came across an interesting and exotic recipe for the Moroccan pumpkin and lentil stew, I thought it would match perfectly with my lamb sliders.  I was right.  They went together very well.  My rendition did not come out exactly like the recipe’s rendition, but then again, what else is new?!  I loved the flavors, and even though I followed the recipe pretty much to a tee, it still came out different.  (See what happens when I follow recipes exactly?)  All these means is that I still have some tweaking to do for next time.  I think my dish turned out a little different because instead of using dry, uncooked lentils, I used my leftover lentils and rice that were already cooked.  Gambas a la Zurrukatunia 🙂

Moroccan Pumpkin and Lentil Stew

2-3 TBSP olive oil

1 shallot or 1 small onion, diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

3-4 tomatoes, medium dice

1 jalapeno, diced fine

1 cup dry lentils

1 TBSP paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 small pumpkin, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine

salt & pepper to taste

Saute the shallot, garlic and jalapeno in the olive oil for about 5-7 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent, but not yet caramelized.

When the shallots are cooked, add the pumpkin, lentils, tomatoes, tomato paste, all the spices and 2 1/2-3 cups water.  Reduce the heat to a medium-low heat and continue to cook for another 40 minutes or until the pumpkin and lentils are cooked.  Add more water if necessary.  Stir frequently to make sure nothing sticks.

When everything is cooked, add the cilantro at the very end and combine well.  Also use some of the cilantro as a garnish for the dish.  This recipe is spicy and full of flavor.  If you like to walk on the wild side, and enjoy trying new and exotic recipes, then you will enjoy this one too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all know Americans LOVE their burgers.  We love them any which we we can get them.  We like them big, we like them small, we like them with beef, or chicken, or even vegetarian.  We love to dress them up or dress them down, depending on the occasion.  We can’t get enough of them.   Hamburgers are about as American as it comes.

Sliders are small, mini-burgers that are becoming just as popular and can be enjoyed just as creatively as their bigger siblings, the hamburgers.  Sliders were created by the American fast food restaurant, White Castle, back in the 1940’s.  At first, they were small burgers with cheese and grilled onions served on a small bun. Today, anything goes.  Today, any kind of burger or sandwich that is served on a small bun or a slider roll is considered a slider. The term “slider” was fist used as a nickname to describe these little mini-burgers by the U.S. Navy because they were so greasy and tended to slide all around.  The name stuck, and they have been known as sliders ever since.

When we went to the Denver restaurant Root Down to help celebrate our friends Janet & Bob’s 50th wedding anniversary A Golden Celebration a couple of weeks ago, one of my favorite menu items that were tried were the lamb sliders.  They have been on my mind ever since.  Well, I finally decided enough was enough, and it was time to make them.

Because I made lamb sliders, I chose to make the meal a bit more exotic, and made a Moroccan pumpkin and lentil stew as a side dish, then added a few olives and garlic French fries to the plate as well.  I served it with a smooth and fruity pinot noir to finish off the meal in style.  I topped my sliders with some of my pesto to make them perfect.  Gnocchi with Chicken, Vegetables and Pesto    pesto and lamb compliment each other very well.  These were very easy to make and very tasty to eat.

Lamb Sliders

1 lb ground lamb

4-6 slider buns

1 TBSP garlic

1 TBSP dried onion

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cumin

1-2 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped fine

 

Mix everything together and incorporate all the ingredients together well.  Form the meat into small patties that will fit the buns.  Let them set in the refrigerator for at least an hour before cooking to allow the flavors to really come to life.

Once the patties are set and cooked, put them inside the buns and fix them to your likings, just like you would any other burger.  The only difference between these burgers and regular burgers is the size.  But don’t be fooled by their size.  These little sliders pack a very tasty and delicious punch with the same gusto as their bigger siblings.

 

 

Whether you know them by gambas, camerones, prawns or shrimp, no matter which way you make them, they are going to be good.  I think I could eat shrimp everyday.  They are definitely some of my favorite foods.  I knew shrimp was going to be on the menu, and I was craving something different.  I made the trek upstairs to my library and started perusing my books.  I am very glad I did too.  I came up with a perfect Spanish gambas or shrimp recipe.  The recipe I chose was to make called for scallops, but I had shrimp defrosted, so the scallops will just have to be another time.  I made Gambas a la Zurrukatania or shrimp with corn, tomatoes and a pepper sauce.

 

Shrimp with Tomato, Corn and Pepper Sauce (Gambas a la Zurrukatania)

The Sauce

1 green pepper, roasted and peeled

salt & pepper to taste

1 small bunch or Italian parsley

2 TBSP + 1/2 cup olive oil

1 shallot, peeled and sliced

1 TBSP garlic

1 cup dry white wine

 

Roast the green pepper until completely blackened, then place it a plastic bag to let it sweat for at least 30 minutes.  Peel the skin completely and rinse off all the black and charred bits.  Roasting Peppers

Remove the stems from the parsley and place it in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds.

After 30 seconds, remove the parsley and immediately place it in a cold ice bath, to stop the cooking process.

While the pepper is sweating and the parsley is chilling, saute the shallot and garlic in olive oil and the salt & pepper for about 5-7 minutes, or until the onion is cooked, but not caramelized.

When the onions and garlic are done, add the wine and scrape the bottom of the skillet to get all the extra bits on the bottom.

Be careful when you add the wine.  You could get an unexpected flambe.  Fortunately, I have been trained for these, and the flame died down almost as quickly as it started, but it was still a bit of a shock since I was not expecting that.

Once the flame died down, I added the roasted pepper, the parsley, and the shallot and garlic mixture, along with the rest of the olive oil to the food processor to blend it all together to make the sauce.

The Shrimp and Vegetables

1 1/2-2 lbs large prawns or shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup frozen corn

2-3 TBSP olive oil

12 cherry tomatoes, cut in 1/2

1/2 cup pitted olives cut in 1/2

1/3 cup Spanish sweet peppers

1-2 TBSP Peruvian peppers

salt & pepper to taste

2 TBSP fresh basil, chiffonade into thin strips

1 TBSP lemon juice

 

Saute the corn and shrimp in the olive oil, until the shrimp is completely cooked.

Once the shrimp is cooked, add the rest of the ingredients, except for the lemon juice, and combine together well.  Then add the lemon juice. This recipe is the same you would use if making it with scallops.

Mix the lemon juice in with the shrimp and vegetable mixture, and the dish is now ready to serve.  I served it over a combination of red lentils and rice, with warmed ciabiatta and the same dry white wine I used to make the sauce.  You can serve it over plain rice, pasta, or just as is too.

If serving it with rice or pasta, layer the plate with the starch, place the shrimp around, then add the vegetables on top. Spoon the sauce around the mixture.  You have a colorful and flavorful fiesta on your plate.  !Delicioso!

 

 

You all know how much I love to recreate from leftovers.  It has become a fun game.  I call it “What can I do with it next?”  You also know about my “friend” and alter ego, The Queen of Leftovers.  She and I are tight, tight, tight.  We get together and rummage through the fridge quite often.  She paid me a visit again yesterday.  Our results were colorful, spicy and full of flavor.  Yet another successful collaboration between The Queen and I.

I seasoned some sirloin steaks in spicy Southwestern style and let them marinate for about 4 hours before grilling them up.  Then I made spicy, chili-lime roasted sweet potatoes.  I recreated my leftover red beans & rice and shrimp Creole Honey Mustard Shrimp with Red Beans & Rice into stuffed mushrooms, topped with mozzarella cheese.  After the prep time, it only took about 20 minutes to cook, and soon we were enjoying a Southwestern meal just as good as one we might find anywhere from along the Rio Grande down to New Mexico or Arizona; perhaps even better.  Since I served steak, and the flavors were bold and spicy, the only wine choice was a bold red.  I went with a Spanish Temperanillo.  I believe it was one of the bottles we brought back from Spain when we were there in August 2019.

The mushrooms were super easy to make.  I just cleaned them and popped the stems off, then filled them with the red beans & rice, topped them with cheese and a shrimp portion.  Then I roasted them at 350* F for about 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese was all melted and the mushrooms were cooked.  These were easy-peasy and super delicious.

We love spicy foods and bold flavors.  Sweet potatoes are fun to play with, because they are so versatile and go so well with many different flavors and many different styles of cooking.  Since I had a spicy theme going, I decided to continue that theme with the sweet potatoes as well, and I love the chili-lime combination, particularly on sweet potatoes, so this was a “no-brainer”.  You can make these as simple or as complex as you like.  It’s all good no matter what you do or how you make them.

Chili-Lime Sweet Potatoes

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges

1 shallot, sliced very thin

1 jalapeno, diced fine

1/4 red bell pepper diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

2-3 tsp chopped cilantro

2-3 TBSP brown sugar

1-2 tsp chili-lime seasoning or chili powder

1 TBSP lime juice

1/2 stick of butter, 1/2 melted and 1/2 cut into pieces for the top

 

Preheat oven to 350* F or 180* C.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

 

Toss all the ingredients together well, except the butter pieces.  Place everything in a single layer in your baking pan.  Then randomly place the butter pieces on top of the sweet potatoes.  Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Put it all together, pour the wine, and sit back and enjoy.

 

 

I have been so good and have not been baking or making any desserts at all for quite some time.  Then … my sweet tooth woke up and started craving sweets again.  I knew I couldn’t tame the beast for too long, but I put forth a valiant effort none-the-less.  Every now and then, though, I suppose it is OK, just as long as I do not let it over rule.  🙂  Besides, I made a fruit tart, with both pears and apples, so how bad could it really be, right?!  OK, the fact that I made it as a custard tart and added ice cream may not make it so healthy, but it does make it taste really good.

 

I mix apples and pears together all the time.  They have similar tastes and similar qualities, and when I don’t have enough of either for the recipe, I just mix them together.  Two fruits are better than one anyways.  🙂

Pear-Apple Custard Tart

The Crust or Pate Sucre

1 1/2 cups flour

6 TBSP cold butter, cubed

2 TBSP powdered sugar

dash of salt

1 egg

5-6 TBSP heavy whipping cream

 

In a food processor, pulse the flour, salt, sugar and butter together until it makes a crumbly texture and everything is well blended.  Then add the egg and cream and continue to pulse until you have a dough ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap and let set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.

 

The Tart

Either 4 apples or pears, or 2 of each, peeled and sliced thinly

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

2 tsp vanilla

1 TBSP ginger

2 tsp cinnamon

 

Preheat the oven to 350* F or 180* C.

 

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough and place in a fluted tart pan.  Once the dough is in place, press it firmly to the pan.  Then arrange the pear and apple slices.

To make the custard, whisk the rest of the ingredients together well, and carefully pour over the fruit.

Place the tart in the hot oven and bake between 45-60 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and the custard filling is set.  Allow it to completely cool before cutting.

I like pears and apples warmed, so warm it up right before serving, and add a dollop of either ice cream or whipped cream for the perfect fruity tart.  Delicious!