The only thing cooking tonight is the For King and Country concert.  I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this band.  They are so high energy and put on a fantastic show.  This is our  second time seeing them live.  This time was even better than the first time.  The best word to describe the concert is … AWESOME!!!!!!  We saw them at the Broomfield 1st Bank Event Center, literally about 5 minutes from my house.  How convenient is that?  The house was packed.  They put on a fantastic performance, and the show itself was incredible; the lights, the special effects, and of course, the music.  If you haven’t seen them, make a point of doing so.  I guarantee, you are in for a real treat.

For King & Country is simply one of the best new acts in Christian music to come around in years. Joel and Luke Smallbone, brothers of Christian music superstar Rebecca St. James, absolutely enthrall with their superb vocals, particularly when they hit their ethereal falsettos.  They are currently touring on their “Burn the Ships” tour.  I LOVE this cd.

If you like percussion, this is the band for you.  They feature so many drums and percussion instruments of all kinds in their music.  They are the most percussion focused band I’ve ever heard.  I discovered them a couple of years ago with their Christmas song, Little Drummer Boy, and have been a big fan ever since.

The other day someone had brought in a bunch of heirloom tomatoes and left them up for grabs.  At first, I only took one, leaving the others for someone else to take.  But the next day, the tomatoes were still looking for a home, so I just had to take them too.  I love tomatoes of all kinds, and I love tomatoes in just about everything, fixed in all different  ways.  But there is something even more appealing to me about the heirloom tomatoes.  I love how they come in all colors and are often in funky shapes and sizes.  They are all natural tomatoes, and are naturally pollenated.  They may not always look like the prettiest tomatoes, but they sure are the best tasting tomatoes.

This big green heirloom tomato was the first tomato I brought home.  Look at the size of it.  It is almost as big as my pumpkins.

I brought home and purchased a few more Heirloom tomatoes, knowing I wanted to make this delicious Heirloom tomato salad.  After letting the green tomato sit for a couple of days, it has changed colors from a bright, vivid green, to a beautiful sunshine yellow.

Tomatoes are considered “new world” foods.  They originated in both Mexico and Central America, and have been raised by both the Incas and the Aztecs since around 700 A.D.  When the Spanish came to the new world, they took tomatoes back to the old world, where they soon became very popular there as well.  For the most part, they did not become a staple in American gardens or American tables until the 1800’s, though they were popular where there Native Americans or people from “New America” resided.

Because tomatoes are so well loved around the world, they need to be transported. But tomatoes were originally very fragile and did not transport particularly well.  After WWII, the roads, highways and railways were much better and allowed food and goods to be transported much more easily than before.  It was also around this time that people decided to create hybridization programs which would allow tomatoes to be more easily transported.  Many great things came from these hybridization programs, but people were also saying that tomatoes were losing their characteristics and flavors.  So people started saving seeds and created seed banks.  Heirloom tomatoes were born form these seed banks, as well as from immigrants coming in from all over the world, bringing their tomato varietals with them.  Today, there are about 80% less tomato varieties than there were in 1910, but because of these seed banks and new varieties coming from many various parts of the world, once again, we are seeing a lot more variations and types of tomatoes.  I say, “bring in the tomatoes”.

So since my kitchen was now growing Heirloom tomatoes, I needed to create recipes that would showcase all the flavors and characteristics.  I made this fantastic salad that did just that.  The tomatoes were orange, red, green and gold.  They were definitely the stars of the meal.  They were super juicy and full of flavor.  You can eat this salad as a side dish, all on its own, or you can make it a main meal by adding either chicken or ahi tuna.  I added grilled chicken.  I served my salad over a bed of spinach, along with some warmed bread and a light white blend.  It was a quick and easy, deliciously healthy meal.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Grilled Chicken

1- 2 lbs of chicken or ahi tuna

1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup sherry vinegar

3/4 cup olive oil

2 TBSP lemon juice

2 TBSP honey

1 1/2 TBSP garlic

1 tsp salt

1-2 tsp black pepper

a few sprigs of fresh thyme, stems removed

2 lbs of assorted Heirloom tomatoes, cut in large wedges

1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced

shaved Parmigiano for topping, optional

Combine the vinegars, olive oil, garlic and seasonings together, and whisk well.

Make enough of the sherry vinaigrette to marinate your chicken or tuna in as well as for the salad.  Combine the tomatoes and onions and mix well.  Pour in enough vinaigrette to give a lot of flavor without over powering or drowning out the flavors of the tomatoes or making them soggy.

Pour some of the dressing over the chicken or the tuna and let marinate for at least 1 hour before cooking.

Once the chicken or tuna is cooked, assemble your salad.  I put mine all on top of a bed of spinach, then topped the chicken with a bit more dressing and some shaved Parmigiano cheese.  The tomato flavors just popped out.  DELICIOUS!!!!

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.