A Jeanne in the Kitchen

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.  It is about giving thanks for all that we have and celebrating with family and friends.

It is only the end of November, still technically fall, and not quite winter, yet we have already had about 5 major snow storms so far, and the season is only just starting.  This current storm, is by far the worst yet.  It is an official snow day for most of Northern Colorado.  Most things are shut down, with only emergency personnel out to work and on the roads.  I live in Westminster, Colorado, which is at the very southern tip of the Front Range Mountains, just outside of the Boulder area.   We have about 8-10 inches of snow, Boulder, which is only about 15 minutes away from us,  is reporting 22 inches of snow, and up near the Wyoming border, in Red Feather Lakes, about 1 1/2 hours North of us, is reporting 32 inches of snow.  AND IT IS STILL SNOWING!  It’s beautiful to look at from the comfort of the inside of my house, where it is nice and warm, but I am VERY glad I do not have to be outside driving in it.  I really for sorry for all those that have to be outside in all of this.  Lucie and Vinnie, however, are loving their snow day; Mommy and Daddy are both home, AND they get to romp in the snow.  If you are a snow-loving Saint Bernard, life is very good right now.

This is our back deck, overlooking our first lake.

This is a view of the front.  The roads are completely blanketed in white.  Nothing to do but to stay safe and warm inside.

Instead of stairs, we have a snow slide.

Lucie and Vinnie enjoying their snow day.  See how happy Lucie is?  🙂

Vinnie is one happy boy right now.  🙂

Come on.  Let’s play!!!!!!

With all this snow outside, we need something to keep us warm on the inside.  I have chili cooking in the slow cooker at the moment.  It will be done just around dinner time.  YUM!  All I need to do is make some cornbread and honey butter to go with it, and we will have the perfect winter meal for this cold, snowy day.

Our house is quickly getting into the spirit of the season.  The decorations are coming out, the trees are up and the outside lights are on.  My friend Elizabeth came over last night to help us decorate the trees.  We even had some help from the fur babies as well.  The kitties liked all the boxes.  There were so many new things to explore with all these boxes coming up from the basement.  Lucie was helping Daddy every time he went downstairs and Vinnie was helping out upstairs, swiping his tail on everything to make sure there was just enough dog fur on all the decorations.  I guess this was his way of giving his pawprint of approval.

Larry is working on the little tree for the art niche.  Christmas carols were playing in the background to help us get into the spirit of the season.

It’s not done yet, but it’s getting there.

Working on the main tree in the family room.  It wasn’t finished here, but we got it all decorated after dinner.  After dinner and the trees were up, we all decided to watch one of our favorite Christmas movies, “Love Actually“.

Elizabeth and I working on the tree in the living room.  We love our very eclectic trees.  We travel a lot, and we collect Christmas ornaments from all of our travels.  They are fun mementos of our trips and adventures.

Our big tree outside in the front yard.  Larry also put the lights up around the house and on our back deck too.

Time to rest after all the hard work of decorating.

The Christmas cards are all ready to go out and the house is mostly done.  We still have a bit more decorating to do to get ready for the holidays, but we have certainly made a lot of headway.  We are almost there.  We are supposed to get a ton of snow tomorrow.  We are expecting between 8-14 inches in our neck of the woods, and more in the mountains.  So, yes, it is definitely “beginning to look a lot like Christmas”.

This past week has been an extremely busy, hectic week, and next week is going to be even busier, since we are getting the house decorated for Christmas, cooking Thanksgiving dinner and hosting our annual holiday party all this week.  So since I am going to be very crazed this week, I thought I would share some fun facts about wine with you for a change of pace.  As you know, I am a firm believer that wine will always make things better.

1.  Did you know – Newly planted vines take about 3 years to produce grapes for wine?  The first years of the life of a vine are concentrated on creating a solid trunk and a deep healthy root system.  Then the grapes start to grow, and it will take anywhere from 3-5 years for enough grapes to grow to start producing wine.

2.  Did you know – The cork used to cork wine bottles is harvested from cork oak trees, and can only be harvested once every 9 years?  It also takes between 25-30 years of tree growth before the bark is ready to be harvested for the first time.

3.  Did you know – Spanish Sherry is always labeled with the name of the wine in 3 languages?  Every bottle of Spanish Sherry carries the name Jerez-Xerex-Sherry, which is Spanish, French and English.  Jerez also refers to the region in Southern Spain where the Sherry was produced.

4.  Did you know – A bottle of wine is about 80-85% water and about 13.5% alcohol (depending on the wine)?  The remainder of the bottle is composed of the chemical compounds that account for most of the flavor and color of the wine.

If you did not know these fun facts before, now you do.  Now, go enjoy on glass or two on me.   Cheers!

My cookbook collection is always growing.  I buy new cookbooks often, but my collection has gained recognition, and people are always coming up to me asking if I want some of their cookbooks they no longer use.  The answer is always “Sure, I’ll take them”.  The other day, a friend of mine did just that, and I acquired about 6 new cookbooks (new to me).  I hate to admit it, but I have not had time to even look at them yet, since I have just been so busy lately, let alone really peruse them for ideas.  However, I did get a chance to look at one, and dinner was inspired by the first new book I looked at.  The first book I looked into was the “Sunset Chinese Cookbook”.  It’s an oldie, but a goody.  I have always enjoyed the Sunset cookbooks.   They are simple and delicious.  What more can a cook want?  The chosen recipe from these new acquisitions was another stir-fry.

As I mentioned in my post Stir-Fry Pork and Vegetables stir-fry is a method of cooking rather than a specific recipe.  This style of cooking is very versatile, lending itself to just about anything.  It is a good, quick and easy method for cooking meats, seafood and vegetables.  The only limiting factor when making stir-fries is one’s imagination.   This time I made a beef, broccoli and mushroom stir-fry out of some left-over steak I had.  The Queen paid yet another visit and was speaking Chinese to me this time.  🙂

Beef, Broccoli and Mushroom Stir-fry

1-1 1/2 lbs beef sliced in thin strips

1/4 onion, sliced very thin

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets

1 TBSP garlic

1 TBSP ginger

1/2 red pepper, sliced thin – I had some leftover small Spanish peppers that I used

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 TBSP cornstarch

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

olive oil or other cooking oil

red pepper flakes to taste – optional

Add the oil in a very hot skillet or wok and heat it until it begins to ripple, but not smoke.  Then add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes, if using, and swirl them around in the pan.  This is called “seasoning the wok”.  This only takes a few seconds.  Any longer and the seasoning will begin to burn.  Next add the vegetables and thoroughly mix in with the seasonings and spices.  Cook for about 4-5 minutes.

Then add the beef.  My beef was already cooked, so it only needed to be heated up.  But if you are using raw meat, cook it until the meat is cooked, or for about 5 more minutes.

Mix the chicken broth, sugar, soy sauce and cornstarch together and pour into the beef and vegetable mixture.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.  Serve over rice and top with green onions along with your favorite Asian side dishes.  Because I cooked beef, I chose a medium bodied Pinot Noir to accompany the meal.  It was yet another quick and easy delicious meal.

Thank you Tricia for your generous contributions to my ever-growing cookbook collection.  🙂

The snow is falling and the temperatures are dropping.  It is definitely the time of year for some good comfort food to help warm things up a bit.  It’s the perfect time for a good chicken fricassee or the Italian version, fricassea di pollo.

A fricassee is a French dish that is made from hybrid cooking methods.  Julia Child described a fricassee as a combination of both a stew, or a liquid way to cook chicken, and a saute, which is a dry method of cooking chicken.  It is thought that the word fricassee is also a combination of words, coming from the French words frire, meaning to fry and casser or quasser, which means to break in pieces, but no one is really sure about the word’s origins.  Fricassees are common all over the world.  They started in Southern France around the 13th century, then traveled to Spain and Italy, and from there, they made their way to the Caribbean Islands when the French and Spanish settled them.  In the Caribbean Islands, however, the fricase pollo is cooked in a tomato base, which is the more popular way to cook it in the Spanish world.  A fricassee is a dish with humble beginnings, made with hearty vegetables and chicken, or other types of meats, all cooked together in one pot with a rich, silky white sauce, or a red sauce if it is Spanish.  It is similar to a stew, but the chicken is cooked in the broth for a stew, whereas it is lightly coated with seasoned flour or a roux and pan-fried in oil until it browns for a fricassee.  The browning of the meat is a modern touch.  Originally, the chicken was not browned or caramelized.

I served my fricassea di pollo over cooked fettuccine with a delicious light white blend and warmed bread dipped in olive oil.

Fricassea di Pollo

2-3 TBSP flour

1 tsp each dried sage, thyme, marjoram and oregano

salt & pepper to taste

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cut into pieces

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

4-5 slices bacon, cut into pieces

1-2 TBSP garlic

1/2 cup dry white wine – use the same wine with dinner

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

4 slices prosciutto

1/2 cup white cheese of your choice – I used mozzarella

1 cup frozen peas

2 carrots, sliced

Your choice of cooked pasta.

Mix the flour, herbs and salt and pepper together, combining well, then add the chicken pieces and coat well on all sides.  Keep the rest of the flour mixture for later.

Add the chicken to a hot skillet once the oil is hot.  Brown completely on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Once the chicken is evenly browned, remove it from the pan and set it aside.

In the same skillet, adding more oil as needed, add the mushrooms and bacon pieces and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked.

Then add the remainder of the flour mixture and the garlic.  Turn the heat down to a medium-high, and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the wine and mix in thoroughly, making sure to gather up all the scrapings from the bottom of the pan, and continue to cook for 3 additional minutes.

After most of the liquid has cooked down, add the chicken stock and the cream and cook for about 10 more minutes.  While the sauce is cooking, prepare the chicken.

Slice a pocket in the chicken pieces and add the cheese and the prosciutto.

Add the carrots and peas to the sauce mixture and mix together well, then add the chicken to the mixture and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked.  Once the chicken is cooked, serve over cooked pasta, along with some warmed bread and your favorite dry white wine.  A thicker, heartier pasta, like fettuccine is best because this is a thick, hearty sauce.  Mangia!

When I made my lime- cilantro shrimp A Meal from the Middle East I also made some Middle Eastern side dishes to accompany the shrimp.  Couscous is a dish I make a lot when making Middle Eastern dishes.  It is so easy, and so healthy and delicious too.  I also made some Middle eastern spiced vegetables to serve along side the shrimp as well.  All the dishes went together very well.  The Middle East, along with India, is known for its wide variety of exotic spices, so all the dishes from these regions are very flavorful and aromatic.

I added some chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic and cilantro to my couscous, making it even healthier.  Couscous is actually a pasta that looks similar to rice.  The ratio of water to couscous and water is almost a 1:1, with just slightly more water than couscous.  Bring the water with a little salt and olive oil to a full, rapid boil, then turn off the heat and add the couscous.  Mix everything together and let it sit for a few minutes before serving or adding additional ingredients.  That’s it.  Easy-peasy.

The vegetables I made were almost as easy to make as the couscous, and were certainly very tasty too.  I used up some of my leftover vegetables and roasted them all together in Middle Eastern spices.  The house smelled so good while they were roasting.  It was a perfect, easy-peasy fall dinner.

Middle Eastern Roasted Vegetables

1/2 zucchini, sliced

1/2 yellow or crookneck squash, sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into a medium dice

1/2 red onion, medium dice

1/2 small pumpkin, medium dice

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp each allspice, cardamon, cumin and cinnamon

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

3-4 TBSP olive oil

butter, cut into chunks

Preheat the oven to 375* F

Mix all the vegetables and spices together and toss in the olive oil.  Arrange the vegetables on a baking sheet in a single layer.  Place the butter chunks on top of the vegetables.  Roast the vegetables for about 30-40 minutes or until they golden brown and tender.  Serve along side your main dish and enjoy.

When I think of Middle Eastern food, I have to admit, shrimp is not the first thing that comes to mind.  I think more of lamb, hummus, baba ganoush, falafels or baklava than I do of shrimp and seafood.   But there are a lot of Middle Eastern seafood dishes as well, especially in the countries that border the seas.  I made a delicious Middle Eastern recipe with prawns that originated in the fishing villages of Beirut, Lebanon.  It was made with very simple, basic ingredients that I keep on hand all the time.  If I can, when I make ethnic dishes, I like the whole meal to be as ethnic as possible.  This dish was no exception.  I made sauteed prawns with lime and cilantro that I served over couscous with some roasted vegetables seasoned with typical Middle Eastern spices, warmed pita bread and hummus.  I finished it all with one of my favorite chardonnays that had hints of apples and melon, which paired very nicely with the warm aromatic spices in the vegetables and the fresh lime and cilantro of the prawns.

Sauteed Prawns with Lime and Cilantro

1 1/2 lbs large prawns, peeled and deveined

1 1/2 TBSP garlic

1/4 red pepper, diced fine

3 TBSP olive oil

2-3 TBSP lime juice

2 tsp minced lime peel

1-2 tsp black pepper

salt to taste – easy on the salt though, because the lime juice will add a little  “saltiness” to the dish.

1 bunch cilantro, chopped rough

In a hot skillet, saute the garlic, lime peel and red pepper in olive oil for about 1-2 minutes, then add the shrimp and continue to cook until the shrimp is completely cooked.

When the shrimp is cooked, add the lime juice and the cilantro.  Mix everything together thoroughly and serve over cooked couscous, rice or pasta.

This is one of many, many variations of this simple and delicious recipe.  As with most recipes, there is not just one way to make it, but many.  Make them way you like them.

More sunshine has come my way, in the form of another Sunshine Blogger Award nomination.  This time it comes from my friends over at Brother’s Campfire.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I am honored yet again to be nominated for this award.  It is always a big honor, because it tells me that in my own small way, I am making a difference and bringing a little sunshine to others as well through my blog, “A Jeanne in the Kitchen”.

As for the Sunshine Blogger Award, it’s an award given by bloggers to other bloggers they find creative, talented and entertaining. Generally, it’s a great way of opening yourself to the community as well as to your readers, since you need to answer 11 questions from the blogger that nominated you. Moreover, you then write your own 11 creative questions and nominate up to 11 additional bloggers that need to do the same.

The questions that were asked of me:

1.  How many days would you last in solitary confinement? How would you pass the time?

I don’t think this would really be much of an issue for me.  Even though I am by nature very social and gregarious, I am also an only child, and can easily find ways to entertain myself and pass the time.

2.  What is the strangest thing you believed as a child?

When I was really young, I did not understand how television worked, and I thought that the actors were actually somehow inside the TV.

3.  Are you more inclined to “build your own empire” or unleash the potential of others?

Hmmmmmm.  I think a little of both.

4.  In what area of your life are you immature?

I can be very naive at times.  Some also say because I am blunt, that I lack diplomacy.  Those both might be considered immature to some.

5.  When do you find yourself singing?

I used to sing all the time, but I don’t so much any more.  To many years of teaching in pools has ruined my voice.

6.  What are you willing to die for?

I am willing to lay down my life fighting for things I strongly believe in, like my freedoms or my country, or my family and loved ones.

7.  What job would you be terrible at?

Any job that would keep me stuck doing the same old mundane things day in and day out.  I constantly need to learn and grow in order to thrive and prosper.

8.  What kind of art do you enjoy most?

Art is subjective.  It’s hard to say what will inspire me or speak to me, or when.

9.  What is special to you about where you grew up?

I grew up in a community where we all knew our neighbors, and we would all help each other out.  This is lacking in society today.

10.  What small things make your day better?

You said it.  It is the small things.  Coming home to all of my fur babies, lovingly greeting me at the door; children playing or laughing; seeing people truly in love and happy.

11.  If all jobs had the same pay and hours, what job would you like to have?

These are two completely different and separate things.  If all jobs had the same hours and pay, that would not be right or just, and would be very boring and a lot less productive.  I say follow your heart and do the things you love, and the money will come.

As I have said many times, there are so many wonderful, fun, creative and provocative blogs out there, which makes it very difficult for me to narrow it down to select those who stand out.  Rather than nominating a whole bunch of bloggers, I will stick to just nominating a few.  They are:

Rozina from

My friend Priscilla and I have been making our caramels together for quite a few years now.   It is become our annual tradition.  Making Caramels  Our friends and family from around the world have learned of our tradition, and have sampled the goods, so every year our request list grows by leaps and bounds.  It is getting harder and harder to meat those demands, but we keep on trying.    Awwwww!  The price of fame I guess.  🙂  Yesterday was our designated caramel day.  As usual, we made two double batches each.  One is the plain caramels and the other is chocolate pecan.  It only takes about 45 minutes to actually make one batch of the caramels.  It is the cutting and wrapping them all individually that is so time consuming.  We usually stand side by side stirring our batches on the stove, talking and laughing the whole time.

Our caramels are at different stages at this point.  Priscilla’s has almost reached it’s first boiling point, and I am still melting the butter in mine.

Priscilla is on batch #2, the chocolate pecan batch.

And now, they cool.  They have to cool completely for at least about 4 hours before they are ready to cut.

The cutting and wrapping process has begun.  I just finished cutting and wrapping all the chocolate pecan caramels.  I will start the process all over again tomorrow with the plain caramels.  Every now and then, there are a couple of strays that randomly need to be tested, you know, for quality control, just to make sure we haven’t lost our touch.  This year, so far, they are even more delicious than last year, so we’re still good.