Meal #2 has just be prepared and enjoyed from our delicious Moroccan spiced ham.  Moroccan Spiced Ham.  The “Queen” stopped by to pay me a visit, and as usual, we always come up with something delicious when she shows up.  This time I used about 2/3 of my remaining ham steak to make a delicious and exotic spicy ham and pumpkin stew.  As expected, it was just as good as the Moroccan spiced ham steak was originally.  I still have a bit of ham left that I will most likely turn into a quiche.  It it just about the right amount for another good Mile High quiche.

Like my zucchini before, my pumpkins and my heirloom tomatoes keep popping up all over my kitchen too.  But have no fear, NOTHING ever goes to waste in my kitchen.  They will all soon be creatively used up as well.

Spicy Ham, Pumpkin and Pepper Stew

1-1 1/2 lbs cooked ham, cubed

1 small pumpkin, peeled and diced medium

2 chipotle chilies, with sauce, minced, or to taste

1 onion, diced fine

1 1/2 TBSP garlic

1 green pepper, diced medium

1 jalapeno, diced fine, optional

2 TBSP honey

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder, I used a garlic chili powder

3 cups Roma tomatoes, diced large or 1 28 oz can of stewed tomatoes

1 TBSP each fresh oregano and thyme

salt & pepper to taste

2 cup chicken broth

olive oil for cooking

Mix the honey, chipotle pepper, chili, and cumin together and set aside.

In a large soup pot, saute the onions, peppers, jalapeno and pumpkin together for about 7-10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the pumpkin is semi soft.

I used a white pumpkin for a change.  There is not much difference in the flavor, but even I was surprised to see the pumpkin flesh white.  I have cooked many different kinds of pumpkin, and they have always been golden yellow or orange.  It’s cool so see something new for a change.

Once the vegetables are ready, add the ham and mix together thoroughly.

Then add the tomatoes and the honey chipotle mixture and incorporate everything together well.  Once everything is well incorporated, add the chicken broth and seasonings.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you don’t like things this spicy, you can ALWAYS cut down on the heat.  Make it HOW YOU LIKE IT, bottom line.  Once the stew is ready, serve it over rice.  I served it with some warmed sourdough bread and of course, wine. With ham, you can go red or white.  I chose a white blend to help cut the spice and the heat of the stew.  Enjoy.

Well I was tagged for a quote by Dorothy at https://vintagekitchen.org/author/dorothygroverread/.  WOW!!!  I think this is pretty cool.

321 Quote Me was created by Rory at  A Guy Called Bloke

Once a week, Rory will pick a random topic, post two quotes on that topic and tag 3 bloggers, who in turn will post 2 quotes on the topic and tag 3 bloggers of their own.

Julia Child and I have a lot in common.   We are both from Pasadena, CA.  We both love animals, often more than we love people.  We love to travel and see the world, and try new things, both in and out of the kitchen, and … We both share a LOVE and PASSION for cooking.  Ms. Child is one of my favorite people out there.  I know Ms. Child is still cooking up great dishes, even though she is now one of the God’s chefs up in heaven.

Ms Child says ” People who love to eat are always the best people”.  I could not agree more.

Another good food quote is from Cesar Chavez.  He said, “The people who give you their food give you their heart”.  Again, good words of wisdom; good words to live by.

I am tagging:

1.  Rozina from

Our Northern cousins in Canada just finished celebrating their Thanksgiving.  French Canadians are celebrating Action de Grace, or action of grace.  The Canadian Thansgiving was yesterday.  Canada’s southern cousins, the North Americans, celebrate Thanksgiving in November.  In both countries, Thanksgiving is celebrated as a way of giving thanks for the harvests and the blessings of the past year.  The Canadians have been celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday since 1538, but it became an official Canadian holiday in 1879.  The date and time of year it is  celebrated, the 2nd Monday of October, was officially set by Governor General of Canada, Vincent Massey, on 1/31/1957, when he declared  it to be a “day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed”.   It is believed that the Canadians celebrate the day earlier than the Americans because Canada is further north, and the harvest season is earlier in Canada than it is in its Southern counterpart.   For most of Canada, this day is a statutory holiday, although The Atlantic provinces of Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have it as an optional holiday.  The traditional foods of the Canadian Thanksgiving are very similar to those served at and American celebration, along with various regional dishes and desserts.

So to all my Canadian friends, Happy Thanksgiving, Eh!

One of Larry’s sisters is a farmer in Kansas.  She and her husband raise both cattle and pigs.  Awhile ago we went in with some of Larry’s other siblings and bought a quarter pig.  Part of what we received was a couple of very large hams.  We decided to take one out of the freezer and cook it up.  Because this particular ham is so big, I am coming up with a lot of different recipes for it, so we can enjoy it many different ways.  This ham was about 15 lbs, and since it is just for the two of us, we will be eating it for quite awhile, although certainly not all at once. While researching recipes through my library of cookbooks, I came across a whole bunch of new ideas that I am excited to try out.  I am always looking for something new and creative.  One of the recipes I found was for a Moroccan flavored ham steak.  I know this seems a bit strange, since Moroccans do not eat pork.  However, they are known for a wide variety of spices.  It was all the spices that made the ham a Moroccan style ham.  I cut off a large ham steak, about 2 lbs, for this meal, which will still end up being a couple of different meals as well. The rest of the ham I roasted then refroze it again after it was cooked, for more delicious meals to come.  I served the Moroccan spiced ham with scalloped potatoes and my vegetable salad along with s cool, crisp chardonnay.  What a Difference a Day Makes

You can use this recipe for a whole ham or for a ham steak.  For the whole ham, roast it in the oven until the whole ham is cooked through.  Since I was just using a portion of it, I grilled it instead.  For those of you who do not eat pork, you could use these same spices for chicken, either a whole roasted chicken or chicken pieces, and it will taste great too.

Moroccan Spiced Ham

1 ham steak, about 2 lbs in size

2 tsp coriander

2 tsp ginger

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dry roasted garlic

1/4 tsp allspice

1 TBSP orange extract

Mix all ingredients together to make a paste then rub it over the ham.  Let it set for at least 30 minutes before cooking.  You can cook it however you like, but it came out very tasty and very moist when grilled.

Once the ham is ready, throw it on the grill for about 20-25 minutes per side, or until it is completely cooked through.

When the ham is done, serve it up with your favorite side dishes and enjoy.  We certainly did.  It was delicious!

These past couple of weeks have been SOOOOOO hectic.  I just inherited 6 new classes, on top of everything else, and time has not been on my side.  So in these hectic times, I will let others do the “work” for me, and give you their thoughts on food instead.

“To eat is human, to digest, divine”.

~ Mark Twain ~

“At the table with good friends and family you do not become old.”

~ Italian Proverb ~

“If you can’t feed 100 people, than just feed one.”

~ Mother Theresa ~

There is no sincerer love than love of food.”

~ Bernard Shaw ~

“A piece of bread in one’s pocket is better than a feather in one’s hat.”

~ Swedish Proverb ~

Yesterday the sky was dropping snow all around and covered us in a thick white blanket.  The high for yesterday was no more than between 22-25* F.  We never made it above freezing.  Today, the sun is shining, and most of the snow has already melted.  The temperature at the moment is already almost doubled what it was yesterday.  Don’t you just love Colorado weather?  A lot of of weather forecasters are calling our weather “moody”.  This is such a true statement.  We all know how unpredictable it is, but moody is another very good word to describe our weather.

Yesterday.

Today.

Yesterday.

Today.

A hot meal for a cold evening.

A lighter vegetable salad for warmer weather.  See how life changes so quickly here in Colorado?  Everything here changes in the blink of an eye, and one day can make a huge difference.

As you all know, I love vegetables and we eat them a lot.  There really are not to many vegetables that I don’t like.  In fact, I really can’t think of any I don’t like.  I almost always add more vegetables to my vegetables too, making them pop with both color and flavor.  This green bean salad is a combination of fresh green beans, frozen corn and frozen lima beans.  It is very easy to make and very tasty.  It is a perfect side dish for just about anything you want to serve it with.

Green Bean, Lima Bean and Corn Salad

1 lb green beans

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen lima beans

1 TBSP garlic

1 shallot, diced fine

1/4 red pepper, diced fine

3 TBSP champagne vinegar

3/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp coriander

salt and pepper to taste

Bring a saucepan of water to boil, then add the green beans, lima beans and corn.  Cook them all together until they are done, but still have a little crisp and crunch left to them.  Drain them and place them in a in a bowl with ice water so they do not continue to cook.  Then drain again and put them in your mixing bowl.

Mix all the rest of the ingredients together to make your dressing.

Toss in just as much dressing as needed to coat all the vegetables without drowning them.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.  The flavors will intensify the longer the salad is allowed to marinate.  Add more dressing if needed right before serving.

In no time at all, you have this colorful, zesty and healthy vegetable salad that goes with anything and everything.

In the past 24 hours, Colorado’s weather has been all over the place.  Yesterday, the temperature was about 80* F and I was quite comfortable in shorts.  Last night, when I left swim practice, the wind was howling and the temperature had dropped about 25*.  This morning, it was cold, but not terrible and no snow.  Thursdays are my busy class days, and I had a break in between classes this morning, so my boss sent me on a coffee run to Starbucks.  From the time I first got into work until the time I left for coffee, the sky had dropped about 4″ of fresh snow, and it is still snowing.  This is our first snow of the season too.  It’s a little early, but not unheard of. But for this being our first snow, we are getting hit pretty hard.  It’s like Fall was only here for a short time and then all of a sudden – B-O-O-M!!!! Winter hit, out of nowhere.  I cancelled my other two classes for today, and believe me, I am very glad I did too.  The roads were a mess, and there were quite a few accidents.  Some roads have already been closed.  My car thermometer read 19* F when I got home.  It is very cold outside, but at least I made it home safe and sound.  I am enjoying another “cuppa” as I write, to help “warm the cockles of my heart”.

This is what it looks like right now at my house.

I knew the snow was coming, but I did not expect so much. Last night was a cold night too, but nothing like today.  I was prepared though and made a hearty Shepherd’s pie.  When I first mentioned it to Larry, he was not so keen on the idea because he thought it was to warm to make it, but when we were eating it last night, he was glad I made that choice.  It really helped warm us up.  It was just a simple meal of my Shepherd’s pie with some warmed sourdough bread and red wine.  This is one of our wines that we made.  (I know, I had a smudge on my lens, but I have since cleaned it off).

Jeanne’s Shepherd’s Pie

2-3 lbs ground hamburger

1/2 onion, diced fine

1 carrot, diced fine

1 cup of frozen peas

3 potatoes, one cut into a small dice for the filling and the other two for mashed potatoes

1 TBSP garlic

1 cup of green beans, cut small – I used fresh, frozen are fine too.

1/2 cup flour

1 cup heavy whipping cream – about 1/2 cup for the filling and the rest for the mashed potatoes

salt & pepper to taste

fresh thyme

butter/olive oil for cooking and more butter for the mashed potatoes

Cook one potato, the garlic, onions and vegetables in the butter/olive oil until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes, then add the ground beef, mix in thoroughly and continue to cook until the beef is completely cooked.  Add the seasonings and the thyme and mix together thoroughly.

Once the meat is completely cooked, add the flour and the cream and mix in well to make your sauce and to bind everything together.

When the sauce is made, continue to cook for about 5 minutes, at a reduced heat.  Then spoon the mixture either into a baking pan or individual ramekins sprayed with cooking spray.

While the filling is cooking, boil the other potatoes to make the mashed potatoes.  Normally, I like my mashed potatoes a little heavier, but for this dish, I made them nice and creamy so I could pipe them onto the filling.  I make my mashed potatoes with heavy whipping cream, but you can make them however you like.  When the potatoes are cooked, mash them up, making sure to get all the lumps out.  You can either spoon them onto the filling or pipe them with a piping bag.  I like to pipe mine.  Once the filling has been topped with the potatoes, bake at 350* F or 180* C for about 30-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are lightly golden on top and have a little bit of a crust to them.  Then, eat away and enjoy the simple goodness of Shepherd’s Pie.

Part of how Janet wanted to celebrate her birthday was by strolling along in the RiNo District to see all the street art.  We did that before dinner at Barcelona.  Birthday Celebrations – Part 2 – Barcelona.  Some of the art is just amazing.  There are some very talented artists who have painted their work on anything that stands.  Some of the streets have art work, most of the building do, and even some of the gates and electrical boxes do as well.  It’s really pretty fascinating to see what a lot of imagination and some paint will do to add personality to a place.

The RiNo District, or River North District of Denver, is an interesting blend of urban charm and unique industrial revival that has become quite the tourist destination for things to do in Denver.  It is on the Top 10 list of U.S. neighborhoods to visit.  Old historic warehouses and factories have been converted to restaurants, bars, jazz and night clubs, and homes where people live. The people that live and work in the RiNo are a diverse mix of creative people and business owners ranging from visual artists, designers and furniture makers, to craft distillers and brewers, winemakers, creators of unique outdoor gear and small-batch coffee roasters.   The “RiNo District is playing center stage for the resurgent arts and cultural scenes that have transformed D-Town into the cultural dynamo of the American West.”  – Greg Benchwick.  Once you get there, park the car and walk the area to really experience all it has to offer and to see all its charm and beauty.

The Rhino, or RiNo, as it is known in these parts, has become the symbol for the District.

Here is just a sampling of some of the art on display in the RiNo.  There are some truly amazing artists in this community.  There are NO rules, and the artists have created whatever their muses spoke to them with.

If you look at this picture one way, you see a boy.

If you look at it from the other direction, you see a girl.

Even our state flag made the murals.

Some of the artists in action.

These are but a few fantastic samples.  You have to go to the RiNo and see all the art for yourself, up close and in person, to fully appreciate it.  I hope you all enjoyed this little artistic diversion.