A Jeanne in the Kitchen

It’s been to hot to really cook and time has had a mind of it’s own lately, so I am glad I had something in the fridge that I could easily use to re-create into something else.  Thankfully, “The Queen of Leftovers” is a frequent visitor at my house.  She never disappoints on the days she pays me a visit.  We had some of my lemony garbanzo bean salad Lemony Garbanzo Bean and Spinach Salad and some steak that both needed to be used, so I added more spinach and tomatoes, then sliced the steak and heated it up and …. VOILA!!!!! A Mediterranean steak salad was born.  I cooked up some orzo and mixed that in with the rest of the salad, then added the steak strips and topped the salad with some left over tortilla strips as well, for a little extra pizzazz.  Southwestern Brisket Salad.  Within minutes, a new tasty salad was created, with very little time in the kitchen, and I got to use up all my leftovers.  I served it with warmed ciabiatta with an olive oil/balsamic vinegar dip, along with a cool, crisp chardonnay, that we enjoyed out on the deck in the cool of the evening.  I just love it when a plan comes together like this.  😋

From this ……

to this.

Cooking scallops is relatively easy and does not require a lot of time.  Both of these qualities are something I have been striving for in my meal preparations lately.  Time has been going against me these last few weeks.  I just get way to busy and to spread out, with to many things to do and places to be.  We had some scallops down and I was looking for something a little different when I came across the idea to make them in a tarrgon-lime butter sauce.  It is a very interesting combination that I would not have thought about until I saw it in a recipe for something else.  But it really worked well, and with only a few simple ingredients too.  And I got to use up some of my leftovers, which is always a fun thing for me to do.  It was a win/win for me.  WHOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!

Scallops and Vegetables in Tarragon-Lime Butter Sauce

1 1/2 lbs scallops, rinsed

4 oz (1/2 stick) butter

2 TBSP lime juice

2 tsp dried tarragon or 1 TBSP fresh tarragon

1/4 onion, sliced thin

salt & pepper to taste

2 TBSP herb vinaigrette, optional

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 cup broccoli, cut into small florets

 

Steam the carrots and broccoli together for about 7 minutes, or until cooked.  You want both the the carrots and the broccoli to be cooked, tender, but firm.  Do not overcook them.

Cook your rice or pasta or lentils.

Season the scallops with salt & pepper.  In a hot skillet, melt the butter, then add the scallops and cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until they are lightly browned on all sides.   Add the lime juice, the onion slices and the tarragon (I also added my leftover herb vinaigrette), then continue to cook for about 5 more minutes.  Adjust the seasonings as needed.  Add the vegetables and mix everything together well then serve over rice, lentils, or pasta.  I served it over a combination of rice and red lentils.

This is a very quick and easy meal that tastes great and is a healthy choice for a light meal too.   Delicious!

Semifreddo is Italian for half frozen.  A semifreddo is a delicious frozen dessert similar to ice cream and gelato.  It is a combination of a custard and a mousse that is frozen in a pan.  This dessert is a very popular dessert in both Italy and Spain.  The Spanish call it semifrio.  Some people like to refer to this decadent dessert as an ice cream “cake” because it is frozen in a pan and sliced like a cake would be sliced, but there is no cake in this dessert at all.  It is similar to ice cream, but it is not churned like ice cream is, and is not frozen hard like ice cream would be.  The main ingredients are eggs, sugar and cream, just like what you would use to make ice cream, but then it is also mixed with something not frozen, most often whipped cream, to make it a soft or half freeze, which gives it that creamy mousse-like consistency.  Also just like ice cream, the possibilities are endless, and you can use any flavor combinations you like, once you get the techniques for making it down pat.

The other day, we went to our friends Janet and Bob’s house for a simple summer dinner.  It was yet another scorcher, so for dessert, I thought this cool and refreshing chocolate hazelnut semifreddo would be a welcomed reprieve from the heat.  It was a delicious, decandent treat loved by all.  Because the semifreddo just wasn’t decadent enough on its own though, we decided to make it even more decadent by adding even more whipped cream, and of course … ice cream.  It definitely cooled us down though, that’s for sure.  The semifreddo definitely needed something added to it because it is very, very rich on its own.  A little bit goes a long way.

Chocolate Hazelnut Semifreddo

1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 large egg yolks, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

3 TBSP milk

1 1/4 cups cocoa powder, preferably dark

1/2 cup Nutella or hazelnut spread

2 large egg whites at room temperature

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

dash of salt

 

Line a 9×5 baking pan with plastic wrap, with enough plastic wrap hanging over the sides so you can fold it over the semifreddo later and place in the freezer to make it very cold.

In a chilled bowl, with chilled beaters, beat the whipping cream until firm peaks form, then place it in the refrigerator while you make the rest of the dessert.

Make the custard or zabaglione part of the dessert by mixing the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of sugar and the milk together in a metal, non-reactive bowl placed over a pot of simmering water and whisk constantly for about 5 or so minutes until the custard starts to thicken and doubles in size.  You need to whisk the custard constantly so the eggs don’t scramble and cook.

Once the custard is ready, thoroughly mix in the hazelnut spread and the chocolate, making sure all the lumps are gone and the mixture is smooth.   You can also mix the hazelnut spread and chocolate into the whipped cream, again, making sure it is thoroughly mixed in and smooth.  Mix the custard and the whipped cream together thoroughly and place back in the refrigerator while you make the meringue.

Clean and dry the beaters again to make the meringue.  Mix the egg whites, cream of tartar and a dash of salt in the metal non-reactive bowl, and again place it over the simmering water and beat for about 3 minutes or until the egg whites are stiff, light and shiny.  Remove the mixture from the simmer water and continue to beat for about another 2 minutes until the meringue is thick and billowy.  Once the meringue is made, gently fold it into the chocolate custard mixture then evenly spoon it into the chilled pan.  I topped it with chocolate chips then wrapped the plastic over the top and froze it.  Let the semifreddo freeze for at least 6 hours before serving.

When the semifreddo is ready to enjoy, slice it in thin slices and serve immediately.  It can stay in the freezer for up to a month too.

Larry made his semifreddo particularly decadent by adding two kinds of additional ice cream and a heavy topping of extra whipped cream.  It was definitely delicious though and worth all the calories.

 

 

 

 

Garbanzo beans, also commonly known as chick peas, are a member of the Fabaceae family of legumes.   Some of the other common names they are known by are Bengal gram, Egyptian pea, chani and chole, to name a few.   The name chick pea, or chickpea, comes from the French word chiche and the Latin word cicer, dating back to the 13th century.  The name garbanzo is the modern Spanish version of their name, which grew from a combination of arvanca and garvance, from the old Spanish names for these beans.  They are the oldest cultivated legumes in history, dating back 7500 years.  They were originally grown and cultivated in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions of the world.  So far, there have been 90 different varieties named.  There are many uses for this very popular, very healthy legume.  Most often, there are eaten whole, and can be found either dried or in cans, or ground up to make chick pea flour and falafels, or mashed to make hummus.  Chickpeas are the main ingredient for hummus, and are also used for stews, soups, curries, and salads.  In 1793, The Germans would grind up chick peas to use as a substitute for coffee.  This was done during the first world war as well, and even now, you can still sometimes find ground chick peas as a coffee substitute in some parts of Germany.  Chick peas are very healthy and are a very good source of protein and fiber, not to mention many, many other health benefits as well.

I love chick peas or garbanzo beans.  I eat them quite often.  I love them fixed and prepared in many different ways.  This lemony garbanzo bean and spinach salad was a new and very tasty way for me to make and enjoy them.

Lemony Garbanzo Beans and Spinach Salad

3 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup cheery tomatoes, cut into wedges

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1/3 cup green onions, sliced thin

1/3 cup mixed olives, cut in half

1-2 TBSP parsley, chopped rough

1-2 TBSP lemon verbena, chopped rough, optional

salt & pepper to taste

1-2 tsp red pepper flakes, optional

1 heaping TBSP garlic

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp tahini sauce

1/3 cup Parmigiano cheese

 

Toss all the vegetables together and mix well.

Combine the seasonings, herbs, lemon juice, tahini sauce and olive oil together and whisk together well.

Add the dressing to the vegetables right before serving and toss together well.  Top with the Parmigiano cheese and serve.  If you would like to make this a main meal, add chicken or shrimp, or your protein of choice, before adding the cheese.  This salad is very light and very refreshing, and is just perfect for a hot summer day.

 

 

Brisket is a cut of beef or veal that comes from the breast or lower chest areas of the cow.  Because cows have no collarbones, these muscles support around 60% of the cow’s body weight, and are therefore very strong muscles, which can make the meat very tough.  Because this cut of beef is a very tough cut of meat, it needs to be cooked properly.  The best way to cook a brisket is in a long, slow cooking process, usually requiring liquids of some sort to keep the meat moist and tender throughout the cooking process.  There are many different ways to cook a brisket, and every culture has it’s own specific way of preparing this very popular cut of beef.  Here in the United States, and particularly in areas where BBQ is a way of life, a smoked, slow cooked cooking method has the best results, and therefore the best flavor.  Brisket is a staple in the diet of Texans, and has been a part of the Texas culture since the times of the Indigenous Indians who lived in the Southern parts of Texas.  Brisket is a part of every Texan’s BBQ repertoire, as well as all the other BBQ hotspots in the United States.

When we had our friends Priscilla and Jonathon over, Our Colorado Gaucho Grill, brisket was part of our festive menu as well.  We are still finishing up that large piece of meat, using it up in many different ways.  We froze what we could not eat at the time, and slowly have been taking out more as needed.  I think we have finally finished this brisket off.

We eat a lot of salads in the summer and a lot of different varieties of salads are on our summer  menu.  We love Southwestern foods, and I made a Southwestern Brisket salad with tomato-jalapeno vinaigrette to go with it.  It was quick and easy to make as well as being cool and refreshing to eat.  It was a win/win, particularly while eaten and enjoyed out on our beloved deck, with a glass or two of a smooth red blend to complete the meal.

I always make each of our salads slightly different, because we both have different tastes.  Larry is a big cheese eater, and I am not.  I love avocados, Larry doesn’t.  I like variety and texture, whereas Larry, not so much.  As with all of my recipes, make things the way YOU like them, since after all, you are the one who is going to be eating and enjoying the meal.  I only offer suggestions and my own preferences.

Southwestern Brisket Salad with a Tomato-Jalapeno Vinaigrette

2 cups shredded lettuce

1/4-1/2 red onion, sliced very thin

1/2 cup shredded jalapeno cheddar cheese, or favorite cheese, or as much or as little as you like

1 tomato, diced small

1 cup cooked black beans

1/2 cup cooked corn

1/2 avocado

1/2 red pepper, sliced thin

1 lb cooked brisket, shredded

fried tortilla strips

chopped cilantro

hard boiled eggs, sliced thin – optional

Tomato-Jalapeno Dressing

 

Layer all the ingredients on your salad as you like, and top with the fried tortilla strips and chopped cilantro.  Then add the dressing.  You can make this salad in layers, or toss everything together.  Either way, it all tastes great.

To cook the tortilla strips, cut a tortilla, corn or flour, into very thin strips and cook in hot oil.  This will only take about a minute.  Don;t over cook the tortilla strips or they will burn.  Once they are done, immediately remove them from the hot oil and toss with salt.

I use my food processor almost as much as I use my chef’s knife.  Both are vital tools in my kitchen, and as you can see, my food processor is WELL USED.  I have another one, but I refuse to give this one up until I absolutely have too.  My food processor has to be close to 30 years old.  It was a gift from my late mother, so it has a lot of sentimentality to me.  I will only stop using it when it is on its last legs and can process no more.  But I digress …..

 

Tomato-Jalapeno Dressing

2 tomatoes

1 heaping TBSP garlic

1/3 cup lime juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1 large jalapeno

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 tsp chocolate chili spice – optional

1 tsp oregano

2 TBSP cilantro

 

Place everything in the food processor and blend until everything becomes a liquid.  Chill before using.

When it’s time to eat, top your salad with the dressing, then sit back, relax, and enjoy your Southwestern brisket salad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am working on a concept and an idea that will hopefully materialize shortly.   Ideally, if possible, I would like to have these ready for the holidays, but I may be just a bit to ambitious to make that happen for this holiday season.  I am working on creating “A Jeanne in the Kitchen” apron as one of the latest and newest creations from the “the kitchen”.  Is this something you would be interested in?  Do you think this idea is something that would sell? Please let me know your thoughts.  I am just starting the design phase, but before I do, I want to know what your interest levels are.

I am also still looking for my next guest chef to be featured on “A Jeanne in the Kitchen” as well.  Everyone is welcome and all recipes and ideas are always encouraged.  Who Wants to be My Next Guest Chef?

 

 

 

 

As I have mentioned many times, I have been teaching water aerobics for many years.  Through all these years of teaching and all my classes, I have also made many wonderful friends.  Friends come in many different varieties and each one offers their own special relationship.  My friends Lois and JoAnna are two such people, both of whom I met quite a few years ago while teaching for the Town of Erie.  My friend Lois recently had a nasty fall and is currently in a rehab facility until she can get back to doing all the things she loves to do.  So JoAnna and I decided to bring her favorite lunch from our favorite restaurant, where the three of us have had many wonderful lunches and shared many good times, to help brighten her day and brighten her spirits.

Lois’ son Richard also joined us for lunch and we all feasted on The Wishbone’s famous fried chicken, along with cole slaw, baked potatoes and Texas toast.  YUMMY!  Lois said that was her best day and best lunch in quite some time.

Lois, JoAnna and I loved to meet for lunch at The Wishbone,  located in Westminster, CO. The Wishbone is a family owned and operated restaurant that has been around since 1963 and is still going strong today.  It was founded by Joe and Francis Lochi, and is now owned and operated by second and third generation Lochi Family members.  The Wishbone has a very loyal following and owe the success of their restaurant to the people who have frequented their restaurants throughout the decades; the very same people whom they call friends.  “Our five-plus decades of success is due to our incredibly supportive customers and dedicated staff. We have had the honor to serve many generations and look forward to serving many more”.  The Wishbone offers a large menu with a wide variety of good, wholesome food, but what it is really known for is its fabulous fried chicken.  Fried chicken from the Wishbone is some of the best fried chicken I have ever eaten.

Elvis is in the building … along with a lot of other fun and memorable facts and artifacts that were popular back in the early years of The Wishbone.  All of these help add to the fun, family atmosphere that has kept customers coming back for decades.

Though The Wishbone is famous for its fried chicken, there is so much more good food too.  Whether you dine in or dine out, your taste buds will most definitely be in for a treat when dining at The Wishbone.  The Wishbone is located on the corner of 97th & Federal, in Westminster, CO.  Go check them out at http://www.wishbonerestaurant.com.

 

 

 

First of all, I want to really apologize for my delay in getting to this.  These past few weeks have just been so crazy and hectic and I am struggling to stay afloat, which means that unfortunately, there is a bit of a delay on getting back to people and responding to things.  I thrive on busy and chaotic though, even if it means I get a little behind.  I was nominated for the Real Neat Blog Award by fellow blogger dnhess at Life On The Patio.  Thank you so much.  I am flattered and honored that you thought of me and my blog, “A Jeanne in the Kitchen”.  All of these award nominations are truly an honor.  They make me feel like what I am doing has meaning and that it makes a difference to people out there.  Thank you, thank you.

The rules of Real Neat Blog Award are:

• Put the award logo on your blog.

• Answer the 7 questions asked by the person who nominated you.

• Thank the person who nominated you and add a link to their blog.

• Nominate any number of people, linking to their blogs and let them know you nominated them by commenting on their blogs.

• Come up with 7 questions for the people you nominated.

 

The questions:

1.  What is the coolest thing you’ve ever done?

Tough question.  I am always looking for fun and cool adventures.  Life in general is a pretty fun and cool adventure.  I live life to the fullest and never take anything for granted.

2. What is the nicest thing you’ve ever done?

I have no idea.  I guess that would depend on who you were asking and how it applied to them.

3. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

I’ve done many things that people think are crazy, but they don’t seem all that crazy to me.  I will do and try just about anything.  I am always up for an adventure.

4. What is your best feature as a person?

My honesty.  It can be a double-edged sword at times, because I can be brutally honest, but no matter what, you always know I am telling you the truth.

5. What is the best thing your blog can offer to readers?

That it is OK to make mistakes.  It’s OK to change things around a bit and to customize foods and recipes to your liking.  I want to help people feel more comfortable in the kitchen and with cooking in general.  Cooking is supposed to be fun, not rocket science.  

6. What does summer means to you?

Summer means a lot of things to me:  1) being able to swim outside; 2) vacations; 3) being 4) able to take a break; 5) being busy; 6) being outside are just some of the things summer means to me.

7. What does coastal means to you?

Coastal means being by my beloved ocean.  It means being able to do my favorite thing, which is scuba dive.  It means being able to live my live in and on the water.  It means home.

 

My nominees are:

1. Renee/Heart Tokens
   @hearttokens1
2. joypassiondesire
   @joypassiondesire
3. lillyevechristie

   @lillyevechristie
4. crushedcaramel
   @crushedcaramel
5. badfinger20
   @badfinger20
6. hawkfeatherstories
   @hawkfeatherstories
7. Gail’s Snapshotsincursive
   @gaildorna
8. bottomlesscoffee007
   @bottomlesscoffee007
9. floatinggold
   @floatinggold

 

Silly me.  I am always getting things backwards and mixed up.  Oh well.  It just makes things more interesting that way.  I answered the wrong questions, but I liked those questions and I like my answers.  I also like the questions that I was supposed to answer, so I will use those as my questions to you.

My questions to you:

1. What brings you happiness?
2. Where is your favorite place to travel to?
3. What is your favorite food?
4. When you blog, who is your audience?
5. What is your biggest accomplishment in life?
6. What is your favorite type of blog to follow?
7. What motivates you each day?

Good luck to all of you, and please, definitely keep up the good work.  I enjoy all your blogs.  Everyday, you either make me think about things in a new way or you just brighten my day with encouraging words of wisdom.

 

Country style ribs.  What are they and what makes them so tasty?  Country style ribs taste like rib meat, but they have hardly any bones in them and the meat doesn’t really come from the rib area either.  So why are they called ribs?  They are pieces of meat that come from two main areas of the pig; blade-end loin chops, from the blade near the shoulder or from the shoulder itself.  The blade-ends often have a bone or two in them, but more so than not, the bones are removed and they are sold as boneless.  This cut of pork loin is specifically called country style ribs.  Meat cut from the shoulder can also be cut into thick, boneless strips, and these are often called pork shoulder country-style ribs.  Both cuts are full of flavor and marbling.  They are also very versatile and lend themselves to many different ways of cooking, whether the cooking process is a slow method, like braising, or a fast method, as in cooking on a high heat grill.   I like short ribs much more than I do actual ribs, so we eat them fairly often.  Maybe the reason why I prefer these “kinds of ribs” is because they are so much meatier than regular ribs.  I grilled them the other day, and created a new marinade for them too.  It was one of those scorcher days, and being inside near the hot stove for a long period of time was just not going to happen.  I made a citrus- lemon, onion marinade for the “ribs” and let them marinate for about 4 hours before grilling them up.

Grilled Citrus-Lemon Country Style Ribs

3-3 1/2 lbs country style ribs

salt and pepper to taste

1 sweet, Vidalia onion, sliced very thin

3/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup chopped parsley and/or lemon verbena – I used lemon verbena fresh from my garden

1 tsp lemon zest

 

Season the ribs with salt and pepper, then place in a baking dish with some of the onions and parsley under the ribs and more covering the ribs.  Make the marinade with the juices and lemon zest and pour over the ribs.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before grilling.

Once the pork has been marinating, it is time to put it on a hot grill and let the grill take over from there.  Since this is pork, you want the internal temperature to be at least 165*F and the juices to come out clear, so grill it for at least 30 minutes, turning it over at least once.  We also grilled up some corn on the cob to go along with the country style ribs and served them both along side some of my leftover grilled potato salad Grilled Potato Salad and warmed ciabbiatta bread.  Of course there was wine as well.  I served a smooth red blend with the pork that just made everything melt in my mouth.

When the ribs were done, I sliced the meat at a diagonal and topped it with the remaining sauce that I heated up and cooked down.  I added more lemon zest and more lemon verbena right before serving.

This recipe is also perfect for a new lemony-twist to beef short ribs too. I’ll take it either way, with beef or pork.  YUMMY!

 

 

 

 

 

Yet another Liebster nomination comes my way.  This time I have been nominated by WendyMegget.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I am very honored and flattered.  I know some people think all this awards and nominations are silly, but I am definitely NOT one of those people.  To me, no matter how many times, it is always an honor.  I don’t count or keep track of nominations like this.  I just do my best and try to keep it fun and interesting.  It makes me feel good just knowing that others like what I do too.  It is an honor to be recognized by my peers and it is very flattering to learn than what I blog about and write about is pleasurable and encouraging to others.  Whether we want to admit it or not, we all blog about the things that matter to us and we want them to matter to others too.

The Rules are:

1. Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you.
2. Share 11 facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions the blogger(s) asked you.
4. Nominate 11 bloggers and make them happy!!
5. Make up to 11 questions and ask them to your nominees!
6. Notify your 11 nominees.

The 11 Questions Are:

1. Where is the most beautiful or majestic place you’ve seen?

Gosh, this is a hard one.  We travel all the time, and there are so many beautiful places.  I think if you look close enough, every place has its own kind of beauty.  But Colorado, where I live, is pretty hard to beat.  It has so much beauty everywhere you look.

2. What sort of weather is your favourite?

Fall is my favorite season.  I love the cooler weather and all the changing of the colors.

3.  Have you ever saved a life? How?

Yes.  Because of my job I am first responder, though NOT a professional first responder.  I am trained the same way life guards are trained, since I work in pools and I am a swim coach and a swimmer.  Because of my training I was able to help someone who was pinned underneath a motorcycle after an accident.  The motorcycle was about to blow up, and I was the first one there and got him away from the bike, just minutes before the bike went up in flames.

4.  What is your favourite quote?

“Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never what you’re gonna get” – the movie Forrest Gump

5.  If you had a spirit animal, what would it be?

I have a couple actually.  One is the dolphin.  The water is my home, and I would swim and play all day if I could.  The other is the wolf.  I am very protective and love to be part of a pack, but I also love to be on my own too.  I can be very loving, but if you cross me or threaten my loved ones, I can also be very deadly.

This is my husband and I swimming with Maya in Roatan, Honduras in 2017.

6.  What is the most valuable quality you look for in people?

Honesty and sincerity.

7.  Is there something in this world that you haven’t seen, but that you want to see before you die?

Plenty of things.  The more I do, the more I want to do.  Rather than checking things off my bucket list, mine just keeps growing and growing.

8.  What’s your favourite song?

That depends on my mood and what is going on at the time.  I love music of all kinds.

9.  What scares you the most?

Snakes, yet surprisingly, eels do not.  

Me holding a garden eel in Grand Cayman.

10.  What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done?

Be myself.

11.  What is your next big adventure?

I am off to Spain in just a couple of weeks.  We’ve never been and this is one of those bucket list places.  I am really looking forward to it.

 

I like these questions, so I am going to ask my nominees the same questions.

My Nominees Are:

I am interested in many different things, and I have a lot of different hobbies.  These are only a handful of some my favorite bloggers.  I think we all have our specialties and interests, and that’s what keeps things fun.  Good luck to all of you.  You all deserve to be recognized.

1. ourlittleredhouseblog
   @ourlittlevalleyhouse
2. aguycalledbloke
   @aguycalledbloke
3. sonofabeach96
   @sonofabeach96
4. joypassiondesire
   @joypassiondesire
5. Well Balanced Millennial
   @wellbalancedmillennial
6. blackwings666
   @blackwings666
7. MAP195
   @map195
8. orkidedatter
   @orkidedatter
9. Fisherofmen
   @keyshaunsblog
10. badfinger20
    @badfinger20
11. abetterman21
    @abetterman21