A Jeanne in the Kitchen

Mushrooms have been a popular food around the world for centuries.  They have also been used for medicinal purposes for centuries as well.  It is estimated there are between 300-2000 different types of mushrooms, but in the United States, there are only about 10 types that are grown commercially.  Mushrooms for culinary purposes were first  introduced to the United States in the 19th century, from France, where they had been cultivated since the 1600’s.  Today, the United States is second only to China in mushroom production.

There are many health benefits associated with eating mushrooms.  Not only are they used medicinally, but they also contain a lot of protein and fiber, and are loaded with minerals such as copper, potassium and selenium, which helps prevent cell and tissue damage as well as helps to support the immune system.  Mushrooms also contain  vitamins such as vitamins B and D and are high in anti-oxidants.

I have always been a big fan of mushrooms, long before I found out how healthy they are for us.  I can and will eat them no matter how they are cooked.  I could easily put mushrooms in everything, or just eat them all on their own.  I cook with a lot of mushrooms.

The last time I made empanadas  Pork and Pumpkin Empanadas,  I froze some.  I took those out of the freezer for dinner last night.  I was looking for some quick and easy side dishes that would go well with the empanadas, and decided on some chipotle mushrooms and red rice or arroz rojo.  I also had some leftover roasted pepper sauce that I used to top the empanadas, which was a very nice accompaniment.

Chipotle Mushrooms

2 chipotle peppers with sauce, chopped fine

1/4 cup butter

1/2 yellow onion, chopped fine.

1 TBSP garlic

1 lb mushrooms, stems removed, but kept whole

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, quartered

1-2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped fine

Saute the onions, peppers and garlic together in the butter for about 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.  Then add the mushrooms, bottoms down and stir into the mixture.

Cook for about 5 minutes, then turn the mushrooms face down and continue to cook for about another 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook for just a couple minutes more.  Add the oregano and mix into the sauce right before serving.

The mushrooms went very nicely with the red rice or the arroz rojo.  It was a perfect early fall meal.  Delicioso!

Greetings All!  Once again, I have been nominated for The Sunshine Blogger Award, by gifted50 at Pene’ Pasta for the Soul! for Loving her spunk and her food. Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all of you, your support, and your recognition.  It is truly an honor.  None of this would be possible without all of you, my loyal followers.  The Sunshine Blogger is about recognizing the community of fellow bloggers for their creativity, positivity, and inspiration.  So let the sunshine in.

Sunshine Blogger Award Rules:

1. Thank the Blogger who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog so others can find them.
2. List the rules and display an award logo on your blog post.
3. Answer the 11 Questions the blogger asked you.
4. Nominate up to 11 new blogs to receive the award and notify them by commenting on any of their posts.
5. Ask the Nominees 11 new questions.

11 Questions for My Nominees:

1.  What time of day you consider your most creative?

I am creative whenever my muse comes to visit me, whenever, wherever that may be.

2.  Who/what encouraged your love for writing?

I have always loved writing, but my favorite teacher was Mrs. Helgeson,in my advanced AP English classes in high school, always encouraged us to write.  We wrote everyday.  She was such an amazing lady and such a big influence, not only on me, but many others as well.

3.  Have you ever regretted posting something on your blog, and if so why?

No regrets.  I say what I think and I speak my mind.  If others don’t like it, that’s their problem, not mine.  More people need to learn to speak up while we still can.  If not, we may lose that right and privilege.

4.  What is the best advise you have received and from whom?

Never be afraid of who you are.  Again, Mrs. Helgeson, along with my parents.

5.  Name your most defining quality.

???????  I guess that I am always ME, no matter what, good or bad.

6.  What is your favorite meal and why?

Dinner.  It is at the end of the day, and I can unwind with a glass or two of wine over a good meal and just relax.

7.  What advise would you give yourself 20 years from now?

Never give up.  Never give in.  Keep on moving on.

8.  Who/what is the most influential force in your life?

My parents.  They always taught me to believe in myself, to fight for what is right, to protect those who can’t protect themselves, honesty is ALWAYS the best policy and to ALWAYS live by the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have done unto you”.

9.  If you could travel the universe, where would you go?

I would go everywhere.  I want to see it all.

20.  What do you think of our world today?

It’s one big giant mess.  We seem lost with NO direction.  We are spiraling deeper and deeper into a black hole.  It’s very scary.

11.  Have you ever had a divine encounter, if so tell us a little more about it.

I have had many, but the one that really stands out is as soon as my mother passed away, within seconds, there was a lullaby being played on the speakers of the hospital, and the nurses told me a new baby had just been born.  I have no way of ever knowing, but I had this intuition that it was a little girl, who had just been named Theresa, which was my mother’s middle name.  I felt my mother had just come back and her spirit lives on.

I am adopting something I have learned from other bloggers whom I admire, and rather than naming 11 other people for this awesome award, I choose to only nominate a few bloggers.  There are so many fabulous people and blogs out there and it is very difficult for me to choose.  We all fill our own nieches out there, and we are all so different.  Everyone is a super star in their own way.

1. Flavia Vinci
   @sudpertuttalavita – because of all the exotic places I get to visit through her blog.
2. rozinaspersiankitchen
   @rozinaspersiankitchen – because of all the wonderful and unique foods she has introduced me to.
3. Cyranny
   @cyranny – because of all the intriguing and thought provoking questions.  She makes me really think about things I may not have thought of before.

The questions that were asked of me are great questions, and I will ask the same questions of you.

11 Questions for My Nominees:

1. What time of day you consider your most creative?
2. Who/what encouraged your love for writing?
3. Have you ever regretted posting something on your blog, and if so why?
4. What is the best advise you have received and from whom?
5. Name your most defining quality.
6. What is your favorite meal and why?
7. What advise would you give yourself 20 years from now?
8. Who/what is the most influential force in your life?
9. If you could travel the universe, where would you go?
10. What do you think of our world today?
11. Have you ever had a divine encounter, if so tell us a little more about it.

Best of luck and Congratulations to all.  You are all super stars in my book.

We all know the health benefits of eating a wide variety of vegetables in our daily diets.  But getting kids to eat vegetables can be one of the toughest jobs a parent has, or so I’ve been told.  Not having children of my own, except the four-legged kind, I have to rely on what actual parents tell me.  My four-legged children eat their vegetables all the time, and they never complain about it either, but I digress.  So, how can parents get their kids to eat more vegetables?  Hide them.  Hide them in something they readily eat, and they will never even know the difference.  So what is a fool proof way to hide the vegetables you want your kids to eat?  Hmmmmm.  BROWNIES!  Yeah, that’s the ticket!  Kids love brownies.  They gobble them up as fast as they can.  Hide the vegetables in the brownies.  It will make the brownies a bit more healthy and your kids will eat their vegetables too.  It is a win/win situation.  That is exactly what I did too, not so much for kids, but for Larry.

As you know, my kitchen seems to be secretly growing zucchini.  I started off with the one HUGE MONSTER zucchini that Larry brought home from work one day, and they just kept appearing in my kitchen, seemingly out of nowhere.  This was the first of the zucchini invaders.

Then another one showed up while I was still trying to figure out how to use up the first one.

And they just kept coming and multiplying.

I think I am finally getting the zucchini invasion under control, and I am down to only about 1 1/2 at this point.  AND I love zucchini too.  I have been throwing it into everything lately.  My latest effort to control the zucchini invasion in my kitchen was to put some into brownies.  All I can say to that is ….. YUM, YUM!

I came across this brownie recipe that also added 2 cups of shredded zucchini to the mix.  WOW!!!  They are so moist and flavorful.  They are decadently delicious without the decadence.  I  shared them with a friend yesterday and she said they were some of the best brownies she had ever had.

Zucchini Brownies

1 1/2 sticks melted butter

2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp instant coffee or espresso

2 cups shredded zucchini

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350* F or 180* C

Line a 9×9 baking dish with aluminum foil, then spray the foil with cooking spray.  This is a new trick I just learned myself.  The brownies just pop right out and clean-up is a breeze.

Mix the sugar, salt, and vanilla together.  Melt the butter and then mix in the coffee.  Add the butter and coffee mixture to the sugar mixture and blend everything together well.

Whisk the eggs together then add to the butter-sugar mixture.  Mix together until just blended in.  The more air you mix into the batter, the crispier the brownies will be, and who wants crispy brownies.  Brownies, after all, are supposed to be soft and ooey and gooey.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour and cocoa powder together, then fold into butter, egg and sugar mixture.

Mix everything together, again, only until just blended.  Once your batter is done, add the zucchini and continue to mix until everything is thoroughly mixed together.  Then pour the mixture into your prepared baking pan and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until the brownies are set and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Once the brownies are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely to continue to set, before cutting.  Then cut them into squares and dust with powdered sugar.

I guarantee, if you add zucchini to the brownie mixture, the kids will love them and they won’t even be able to tell they are there and you can sit back with a smug grin on your face knowing you actually got your kids to eat their vegetables.  It’s a win/win.  Everyone is happy.

By now you all know I LOVE wine; wines of all kinds, although my favorite is hands-down a rich, buttery, oakey chardonnay.  I also vary my wines depending on the weather and what’s on the menu, as well as where I am at the time.  I love trying all kinds of local wines, wherever I am.  Neither of my parents were drinkers at all, and I really am not a drinker either, except when it comes to my wines.  I LOVE wine.  I love everything about wine.  Maybe, it is because I grew up in Southern California and the state is heavily dotted with wineries everywhere you go.  Maybe it is because I am 1/2 Aussie, and wineries are very big and popular down under too.  Maybe it because of my love of good food and good wine is always a good match for good food.  Or maybe, I am just a wino.  It could even be a combination of all of the above.  Who knows?  All I know is if it is wine, chances are I am going to drink it, although unless it is port, I am not a fan of sweet wines.  I much prefer them dry to sweet.  I am always looking for new wineries to try out, and I visit them often, wherever I go.  I have also taken many wine courses.  By no means am I a sommelier, but I do know quite a lot about wine.  If I could do it all over again, I would be a viticulturist, or a winemaker by trade.

We have about 200-300 bottles of wine in our wine cellar, downstairs.  We have a wide variety of wines from many different wineries around the world.  Each region and each country offers their own unique qualities, so it’s hard to compare wines from different areas and different parts of the world because they are all unique unto themselves.

Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly any other purely sensory thing”.  ~ Ernest Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon~

“One not only drinks wine, one smells it, observes it, tastes it, sips it, and – one talks about it”.  ~ King Edward VII of England – 1841-1910~

“Wine goes with everything, no matter the dish, no matter the occasion, no matter the time”.  ~ Jeanne 

I have even been known to paint and create my own things wine related, such as some paintings, trivets and wine glasses.  We even make our own wines on occasion.  The wine pictured here is one of ours that we made.  I also made these lavender truffles as well.

Life is short.  Drink up and enjoy!  Cheers!

“I made the Steak and Mushroom it was amazingly delicious, the tomato base sauce, set it off. My daughter made the Pork and Potato the scrumptious flavors burst with flavor. We normally don’t eat steak or pork, however my girls were burnt out from Chicken and Ground Turkey, Soup and Fish. We were all pleased both dishes.” ~inhiscare753~

“A Jeanne in the Kitchen” has been around now for about 1 1/2 years, and it is becoming well known and well liked.  This is a HUGE shout out and thank you to all of you.  I just received this phenomenal compliment from one of my loyal followers inhiscare753 and her family.   It was just way to good not to share.  I am so happy you are all enjoying my recipes, especially when you try them out on your own to make them YOUR recipes.  This is the whole reason why “A Jeanne in the Kitchen” is around.  You are ALL super and fantastic.  None of this would be possible without all of you.

Tomorrow, we start yet another new month, and that means I am looking for my next guest chef.  It is open to anyone, and all recipes are welcomed.  Who’s going to be my next Guest Chef?  Is it going to be you?

For anyone who is interested, send me pictures of your recipe with at least one, or more, of you plus your full name and contact information to my e-mail address at ljbjej@q.com.  Write or tell me whatever you would like me to know about your recipe and why it is so special to you.

So come on.  Show me what’s cooking in your kitchen.

We have had a few days here and there that are good soup days, but they are still few and far between at the moment.  Soon, though, it will be soup weather every day.  For instance, yesterday and today, the weather was and is still in the 80’s.  A perfect day in my mind.  But tomorrow, the weather is supposed to dip into the 60’s.  Still a perfect day, but cooler.  I love the cooler weather.  On those few cooler days we have had, I have made a couple of big pots of soup.  We eat some and freeze the rest for later.  For my last batch of soup, I made a lighter soup rather than a thick hearty chowder.  It was a good light soup for a warmer day, especially since I served it with a light salad and some warmed bread, and a light, citrusy chardonnay.  It was a perfect light meal for a warm fall day, out on our beloved deck.  And the best part was that both the soup and the salad were from …. you guessed it, leftovers.  I tossed my leftover green beans with garlic, onions and tomatoes into my lettuce Loaded Pork and Potato Casserole, added some more tomatoes and some dressing, and voila.  The soup was made from my leftover rotisserie chicken.  The Queen and I are very close, intimate friends.  She is always popping over to inspire me on how to re-create with my leftovers.

Almost every culture around the world has its own version of chicken soup.  We all are familiar with the healing and comforting qualities of chicken soup.  There are as many variations of chicken soup as their are countries in the world, so there is no specific or right way to make it.  As with anything, there is always room for your own interpretations of the soup.  This particular version of chicken soup is a Greek version, known as Avgolemono.  This soup is very iconic to the Greek culture.  It is served in every Greek restaurant, bistro or diner, and is always served as the first course at any Greek celebration, holiday or event.  Eggs are mixed into the broth to thicken it and lemon juice and/or zest is used to brighten the color and to make the soup a refreshing light meal that is perfect any time of year.  I finally used up the LAST of my first HUGE zucchini too. A Wacky Wednesday

Greek Lemony Chicken Soup

1 1/2-2 lbs of cooked chicken, skinned and bones removed, shredded

1 yellow onion, peeled and diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

5 cups chicken broth

3-4 cups water

1 cup uncooked rice

2 eggs

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 zucchini, diced fine

1 yellow or crookneck squash, diced fine

olive oil

1-2 tsp each fresh oregano and thyme, plus more for garnish

salt and white pepper to taste

Saute the onions, garlic and squash together in the olive oil until the onions are translucent.

Once the vegetables are done, add the broth and water and bring to a boil, then add the rice.  Bring to a boil again, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the rice is fully cooked, about 20 or so minutes.

When the rice is cooked, remove about 1 cup of the broth and slowly add to the eggs, while mixing them with a mixer.  If you add the hot broth directly to the eggs, without constantly mixing them, you are going to scramble the eggs and that is not what you want at all.

When the egg mixture is frothy, add it back into the soup and mix well.  Then add the chicken, lemon juice, seasonings and the fresh herbs.  I just mixed my fresh herbs in with the chicken and added them together.

Mix everything together, and it is now time to serve up the soup.

Lately, I have been living life outside of my kitchen more than I have been in my kitchen.  But can you really blame me?  Our weather has been absolutely perfect and all the leaves are beginning to change their colors, making everything so beautiful and vibrant.  Colorado does not have as many of the deep reds and oranges in its fall colors like New England does, although we do have some.  Our colors are more golden.  Every fall, our golden Aspens paint our mountains in various shades of golds and yellows, and they blend in together with all the greens from our pine trees to paint a beautifully colored landscape. We have Aspen trees all over the state, and they all start changing their colors at different times depending on the weather and the altitude.  Our prime time for color is from the middle of September through the middle of November.  The Aspens in the altitudes from 8,000-10,000 feet start changing their colors in mid September, while they start changing their colors later in the lower altitudes.  This extends their beauty and their golden season, leaving us more time to enjoy their awesome colors.  We took a drive up to one of our favorite quick get-away spots, Estes Park, and then made a big loop around the area to see the golden leaves.  This is such a popular thing to do that we Coloradoans even have a name for this seasonal event.  We call it leafing.

This is also elk season.  Last year, we saw a ton of elks, but this year we only saw one.  We attempted to take her picture as she was swimming in the lake, but she was to far away, and it did not come out.  We also saw a mama deer with her two fawns, but we were not able to get a picture of them either.  That’s OK though.  The Aspens and their colors put on a great, spectacular show for us all the same.

Aspens grow in groups called pandos.  Pando is a Latin word meaning “I spread”.  Aspen groups are called pandos because they are all one big mass of connective tissue.  Aspens are the most massive single organism on earth because the pandos are all connected to one root system.  If you plant one tree, soon you will have many trees, which is fine if you have the room for them, but they can take over an area real soon.  We have Aspens in our back yard, and they are beautiful but now they are now beginning to sprout up everywhere.  Don’t get me wrong, we love them, but they are beginning to grow in areas where we don’t want them to grow.  There is no easy way to stop them from taking over either, which can create a whole host of problems.   The main trunk of a single Aspen tree can live anywhere between 40-150 years, and once started in an area, they are very hard to kill.  You can’t kill just one tree either.  You have to get them at their roots.

What makes these leave so golden in color?  In the summer, the Aspen leaves are dominated by chlorophyll, which makes them a bright vivid green.  But as the seasons start to change, and the leaves start entering their dormant phase, the chlorophyll is replaced with carotenoids.  The carotenoids are what makes the leaves change from green to orange, to gold to yellow.

Aspen trees have long been revered by many people.  The Onondagas people called the Aspens the “quaking tree with the noisy leaves” because in the slightest breeze, the leaves start to shake and tremble, which causes them to rustle.  This also makes them shine and glitter as they capture the sun’s lights.  The Ancient Celtics thought Aspen trees were sacred.  They called them the whispering trees and they associated them with language and communication, along with the wind, endurance and resurrection or rebirth.  This could be because they are always growing, even in the winter, as well as the facts that they are all connected as one massive living organism and they are very hardy and hard to kill.

As we were making our loop back home, we came across this beautiful little Chapel nestled deep in the heart of the mountains.  It was very rustic and charming.  Because I was raised Episcopalian I much prefer these simple, little rustic Chapels to the big, ornate and ostentatious Cathedrals we saw all over Spain, though those were certainly very beautiful.

And more Aspens.

I hope you all enjoyed leafing with me, on this journey into the backyard of my state.  Don’t worry.  “A Jeanne in the Kitchen” is still just that, but I like to share my life outside of the kitchen as well.

Today is our 16th wedding anniversary.   To celebrate we both took off work a little early and went on a tour of the beautiful Red Rocks area with “Dr. Rox” and Trail Gems Adventure Tours.   Dr. Rox , also known as Roxana Safipour, is the owner and operator of Trail Gems.  We weren’t quite sure what to expect when we first booked the tour, but Dr. Rox’ passion came out and made the tour very informative, interesting and fun.  These red rocks are so beautiful and we have been to the Red Rocks Natural Amplitheater many, many times for some of the most amazing concerts, but today, the rock stars were the rocks themselves.  We went back in time over 1.7 billion years and learned the history of the rocks and the area.  Our tour lasted about 1 1/2 hours, but we traveled through time to over 1.7 Billion years ago up through 55 million years ago, and saw how the rocks and the landscape changed over time.  The Red Rocks area is one of the very few places that shows such a vast span of time through the ages all in one place.  We picked a perfect day for the tour as well.  It was a beautiful, warm and sunny fall day.  The colors are so vivid and just beginning to really change for the season.

Can you believe these rocks are over 1.7 billion years old?  These rocks are part of the same red rocks found at The Garden of the Gods and throughout various other places in Colorado.

Dr. Rox explaining the geology of the area at the start of our hike and tour.

We had a visitor who wanted to join us for the tour as well.  A beautiful young mule deer was closely watching us while nibbling on some snacks as we were learning the history of the area.

Just below these rocks is the amplitheater.  It is THE BEST PLACE ever to hear a concert.  You are surrounded by all this natural beauty with phenomenal natural acoustics.  Everyone in the music industry longs to play here at Red Rocks.  Red Rocks is located in Morrison, which is only about 45 minutes from us.

John Denver, our beloved “son”, made Red Rocks his home when here in Colorado. There is a big John Denver tribute here at Red Rocks.  He is the one who really put this gorgeous natural amplitheater on the map and made it the Rock Star that it is.

John Denver’s guitar.

Just across the way, these are the younger rocks of the area.  There are two different layers here, The Morrison formation, which is the lower section, and the Dakota formation, which is the upper section.  These rocks only date back to between 145-155 million years old.

The hogback ridge.

Some of the local flora and colors.

Columbines are our state flower.  I just love Columbines.

Dr. Rox enjoying her office view.

Dr. Rox or Roxana Safipour, is the owner and operator of Trail Gems Adventure tours.  She is very passionate about what she does and loves to share her passion with others.  You can contact Dr. Rox or Trail Gems Adventure Tours at info@trailgems.com, or http://www.trailgems.com or by calling her at (970) 480-7047.

Loaded potato skins have always been a favorite of mine.  There is just something about them that makes me crave them.  I don’t eat them nearly as much as I would like to, which is definitely a good thing, otherwise I would weigh at least 600 pounds.  But because they are so full of flavor and are so fattening is exactly why I love them so much.   We all know FAT tastes good.  I make them at home sometimes, but again, we don’t eat them nearly as much as I would like.  For the most part, I try to keep our meals relatively healthy.  But every now and then, I just have to give in to the urge and splurge.

We had some pulled pork that we froze the last time Larry had the smoker out.  I am always on the look out for good recipes and I was looking for something different to do with the pulled pork, since that is what we took down for dinner.  In my quest, I came across a recipe that combined the pulled pork with the potato skin, minus the skins.  How could I resist?  I just had to try it.  I am very glad I did too.

Loaded Pork and Potato Casserole

4-6 potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges or large cubes

4-5 pieces of bacon, cooked and diced

1- 1 1/2 lbs cooked shredded pork

1 1/2-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup green onions, sliced thin

1/3 each red and yellow bell peppers, diced small

sour cream, optional for topping

bleu cheese dressing, optional

Tobasco sauce, optional

Ranch dressing optional

Preheat the oven to 375* F or 200* C

Spray a deep baking dish with cooking spray

Peel the potatoes and cut into either wedges or large cubes and par boil for about 10 minutes, or until they are tender.  Once the potatoes are done, place them in the baking dish.

Sprinkle as much cheese over the potatoes as you like.

Add a layer of pork over the potatoes, then add another layer of cheese.  Finish by scattering the bacon, green onions and diced peppers over the top.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cheese is all melted and the potatoes are fully cooked.

When the casserole is done, you can top it with all your favorite toppings just like you would top loaded potato skins.  I served it with the last of zucchini cheese bread and some green beans topped with tomatoes, garlic and onions.  I went with a white blend as my wine choice, but any wine would do very well with this dish.  This dish would be very good with chicken too.  For all you vegetarians and vegans out there, you can simply leave off the pork and the bacon or substitute your favorite vegetarian protein choices instead.  It is going o be a winner no matter how you choose to serve it.