A Jeanne in the Kitchen

Wow!!!!!!   …… So far, October is turning out to be a great month for me and “A Jeanne in the Kitchen”.  I am so honored.  Thank you all so much.  I was nominated for the Blogger Recognition Award by Stay At Home Mom.  I am honored to be in the company of so many other wonderful bloggers.  May the best blogger win.

How my blog started

My blog “A Jeanne in the Kitchen” actually started by a dear friend of mine who was so impressed by the way I cook from the heart telling me that I needed to get my name out there and create something that would help other people cook with ease and to feel more comfortable in the kitchen.  I grew up in the “waste not want not” years, and everything was re-purposed as best as it could be.  That’s how I cook.  I am a trained, certified chef, and yes I can cook very fancy foods and meals when I want to, or when I need to, however I much prefer cooking from my heart, and cooking rustic, everyday foods.  Those are the foods I enjoy eating, and those are the foods I enjoy cooking.  So after my dear friend’s encouragement, here I am, and “A Jeanne in the Kitchen” was created.  You can find me at ajeanneinthekitchen.com.  Please stop by and say hi.  If you like what you see, come and stay awhile, and invite your friends too.

 

Advice for new bloggers

Blog about something you know about.

Blog about something your are passionate about.

Your readers will know if something is fake or phony.  They will know when you are sincere and your blog is coming from the heart or of it is contrived and you really don’t know much about the subject matter you are writing about.

Be real.

 

My nominees

Gosh, there are so many great blogs out there.  How do I choose just a few who I think are worthy?  I am still new to the world of blogging, and so far, I have discovered so many wonderful blogs that I never knew about.  A whole new world was opened up to me that I never knew existed before.  If I have not nominated you, it is only because I was limited to the number from which I could choose.

1.  trkingmomoe
2.   floatinggold
3.   PlantsandBeyond
4.   A Voice from Iran
5.   MiddleMe
6.   SoundEagle 🦅ೋღஜஇ
7.   BallesWorld
8.   Pacific Paratrooper
9.   sasegirls.wordpress.com
10.   Bitchin’ in the Kitchen
11.   koolkosherkitchen
12.   Ella @ thewackyspoon.com
13.   oladewalaura
14.   Rad Gamer
15.   indianeskitchen

You are all so deserving as are so many more.  In my eyes, we are all winners, regardless of awards.  Keep doing what you are doing, and enjoy what you do.  I know I sure enjoy what you all do.

Rules

• Thank the blogger that nominated you and give a link to their site.
• Do a post to show your award.
• Give a summary of how your blog started.
• Give two pieces of advice for any new bloggers.
• Select at least 15 other bloggers for this award.
• Let each nominee know you’ve nominated them and give a link to your post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As most of you know, my fur babies are my children.  I have two cats, Otis and Nicodemus, and two Saint Bernards, Lucie and Vinnie.  I don’t dare cook for my cats since that is more a of pain in the neck and a giant nuisance than it is worth.  But I do cook for my dogs all the time.  They are not picky eaters, and can eat most everything we can, so it is much easier to cook for them, and they actually appreciate what I make for them too.  I actually make their wet food about once a week.  But every now and then, I also make them treats as well.  After all, I want them to eat healthy treats too.  I have had both dogs and cats all my life, and they have all have lived long, healthy lives.  One of  the best things to help give them a long, healthy life is to feed them human quality foods, and when making their food, I make it out of the exact same ingredients I would use for my husband and myself.  Dogs in general need a lot of lean proteins and very little fats.  Lucie is on a diet, and needs even less fat.  She weighs about 150 lbs.  She is a very curvy girl with big hips.  Vinnie is all lean muscle, but he still weighs about 140 lbs.  Because big dogs are prone to hip dysplasia, we have to really watch their weight.  We want them healthy, and to have some meat on their bones, but we do not want them fat or over weight.  Sometimes, it is a fine line, but we try our best.  It was a very good day for baking today, since the weather was very cool and overcast.  I do not need any more sweets or treats in the house at the moment, so I baked doggie treats instead.  Mommy and her special assistant Fritzie, made the kids some yummy, healthy peanut butter and banana treats today.   They gobbled them up, so I am going to take that as a good sign that they were delicious; although sometimes that is not the best way of determining if something is good or not, since they have been known to eat poo too.  We made enough treats for Lucie and Vinnie to share with some of their doggie friends too.

 

Fritzie guarding her treats.

Peanut Butter and Banana Dog Treats

2 bananas, peeled and mashed

2 cups oat flour

1 1/3 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup dried parsley

1/4 cup dried mint (optional.  You can use only parsley if you wish, just make it 1 full cup)

6 heaping TBSP peanut butter, either creamy or chunky

2 eggs

 

Preheat the oven to 300* F

Line your baking pans with parchment paper.

 

Mix all the ingredients together.  Then let rest for about 5 minutes.  Once everything is mixed well and has sat, make 2×2″ balls then press them down to about 1/4″ in thickness, and cut into your desired shapes.  I used a dog bone cookie cutter dipped in flour.   Place the cookies on the baking sheets and bake for about 55 minutes or until dried and hard.  You want them crunchy.

If your dogs can handle crunchy foods, it is better for their teeth.  It also helps to clean their teeth too.  Before giving them to your dogs, make sure they cool completely.  My dog Lucie cannot handle things when they are still warm.  It upsets her tummy something terrible.  Both the parsley and the mint are breath fresheners, both for humans and for dogs, but all of us who are dog lovers know that our dogs don’t always have the freshest breath, so every little bit helps.  Depending on the size of the treats, on average, each treat is about 45 calories.

 

This is all it takes to make these healthy doggie treats.  Your dogs will absolutely love them.  Lucie and Vinnie sure did.

Mash the bananas with a potato masher until they almost become a liquid.

After the bananas are mashed, add the rest of the ingredients and mix together well.  The dough will be a stiff dough.

The dough is easy to handle and to work with.  Grab a chunk and press it down to about 1/4″ in thickness then cut into your desired shape.  I used a dog bone cookie cutter dipped in flour before each cut.  My dough made enough for about 50 cookies that were about 2-2 1/2″ long.

Bake the cookies at 300*F for about 55 minutes, or until they are crunchy.

Lucie and Vinnie eagerly awaiting to sample the goods.

They ate their treats so fast that I could not get a picture of them eating them.  So instead, i got pictures of them with dinner, made with lean ground beef, carrots, potatoes, peas and yogurt.  We mix it in with their dry food every night.

I think they liked it.  Lucie is saying “more please”.

 

 

 

Thanks to all of you, ” A Jeanne in the Kitchen” is growing.  I now have joined the 200+ club and that is all because of you and your support.  So I thank each and every one of you.  This would not have been possible without you.  I am looking forward to the next part of this fun journey.  I hope you all come along, and bring your friends too.

 

Thank you so much to “Bitchin in the Kitchen” for the fabulous recognition and kind words. I am truly honored. WOW!!!!  Scroll down to the food blog part ……

Ever since I first saw the recipes for the lavender truffles and the lemon-thyme truffles, I was eager to make them both.  I made the lavender truffles a couple of weeks ago Time for Truffles but only just got around to making the lemon-thyme truffles.  The original recipe called for dark chocolate, but that combination just did not seem to appealing to me.  So instead of using dark chocolate, I chose to make them with white chocolate.  I think white chocolate is a better choice for the lemon-thyme flavor combination.

When white chocolate was actually invented is still a mystery, however it is readily accepted that it was created in Switzerland, by the Nestle Chocolate Company in the 1930’s, probably around the same time milk chocolate was invented.  Their ingredients are almost identical, with the exception of cocoa beans and the chocolate liquor (the chocolate tabs used to make chocolate).  Because there is no chocolate liquor or cocoa solids used when making white chocolate, there is very little caffeine or theobromine found in white chocolate.  But don’t be fooled into thinking white chocolate is healthier for you.  It contains a lot of sugar and fat.  In 2004, The U.S. government regulations required that white chocolate contain at least 20% cocoa butter, 14% total milk solids, 3.5% milk fat, and no more than 55% sugar or sweeteners.  The European standards are very similar, although they do not have the regulations on the sugars or sweeteners.  It is believed that both milk chocolate and white chocolate were created as a way to use the excess coca butter that was extracted when making cocoa powder.  Europeans do not consider white chocolate as a real chocolate, although here in the United States, we do.  The difference between dark chocolate and white chocolate is in the process of how it is made.  Dark and milk chocolates are made from cocoa beans, whereas white chocolate is not.   Cocoa beans are composed of 54% cocoa butter, and that is a naturally occurring fat that is produced as a by-product when making cocoa powder.

White Chocolate Lemon-Thyme Truffles

1 cup heavy whipping cream + more as needed to make the white chocolate ganache coating

4-5 fresh thyme sprigs

12 oz white chocolate

3 TBSP lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

The procedure for making these is the same as it was for making the lavender truffles.  Time for Truffles Combine the heavy whipping cream and the thyme and bring to a simmer, then let steep for 15 minutes.  Then strain the whipping cream and discard the thyme sprigs.

Add the lemon juice and lemon zest to the cream, and bring back up to a simmer once again, and add 1/2 the chocolate.  Cook until all the chocolate is melted and everything is well incorporated together.  Then pour the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and evenly spread it out.  Chill for at least 3 hours.

Once the chocolate has set, use a spoon and spoon up roughly 1/2 tsp of the chocolate and roll into a ball with your hands.  Wear gloves when rolling the chocolate so the heat of your hands does not melt the chocolate.

Once all the chocolate has been rolled into balls about 1/2 ” in diameter, place them back in the refrigerator to chill and set again.  You can also place them in the freezer too.  I found the white chocolate was much softer than the dark chocolate, so I had a harder time getting it to set.  I placed them in the freezer for about 1 hour and it was much easier to work with.

Melt the remainder of the chocolate, adding cream as needed to make a smoother consistency.  The cream also will make for a shinier coating, which makes for a much nicer presentation.  Right before dipping them into the white chocolate ganache, I rolled them again to make them more round and evenly shaped.  With a toothpick, pick up the truffle centers and roll into the melted chocolate until completely covered and set onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet once again.  I added colored sprinkles again, and this is the time to add them.  Put the truffles back into the refrigerator to set once more.

Once the truffles have set again, they are ready to gently remove from the parchment paper and place in mini paper holders.  I love the combination of the white chocolate and lemon-thyme.  It is so refreshing.  Keep these chilled until ready to serve or eat.  They are very soft and melt very quickly.  Then savor the flavors.

 

 

 

 

 

Our Colorado weather is the weirdest weather around.  We have a saying that “if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it will change”.  And believe me, this is so true, especially at this time of the year.  We had cold weather in August, which is supposed to be the dog days of Summer. And we are having warm days now in October, but with cooler evenings and crisp mornings.  Monday it is supposed to snow.  Who knows what’s going on.  It’s hard to stay on top of things and it can be challenging when it comes to cooking.  Pizza and pot pies on some days, Pizza with Pesto, Sausages and Vegetables , Chicken Pot Pie , and salad on other days.  All I can say is that it is good to be flexible.  Creativity helps a lot too.

Yesterday was one of those salad days.  I made a delicious apple, bell pepper and chicken salad.  I had gone to lunch with some friends and bought some pumpkin spice muffins, that I served along side my salad.  Because they were pumpkin spice, it made it seem a bit more like fall than summer, even if only in my mind.  I completed the meal with a cool crisp viognier.

 

I used the apple vinaigrette as both the marinade for the chicken as well as the dressing for the apples, bell peppers and onions.

I assembled the salad ahead of time,  and chilled it in the refrigerator until  I was ready to eat it.   I grilled the chicken and added that later, along with more of the apple, pepper mixture and some candied pecans on top.

These candied pecans were so easy to make.  All I used was a little bit of honey and a dash of salt mixed with the pecans and cooked them up in the skillet for about 5-7 minutes.  After they were cooked, I separated them and let them set until I was ready to use them on top of my salad.  They came out so good.  I could have easily eaten them all in one sitting, but I had to refrain, since I made them for the salad after all.

When I got home from work, all I had to do was to finish assembling the salad, and dinner was served.

Apple, Red Pepper Salad

3/4 cup toasted pecans or walnuts

4 TBSP honey

1/4 tsp salt + a pinch

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1 TBSP Dijon mustard

1 TBSP garlic

1 tsp each fresh basil, thyme and oregano, chopped fine

2 heaping tsp black pepper

red, yellow and orange bell peppers, cut into matchsticks

2 apples, peeled and cored, and cut into matchsticks

1/2 cup of green beans, par cooked for about 5 minutes, cut into 1-1 1/2 inches

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

lettuce, your choice or Belgian endive if you prefer something a little more bitter with the sweeter dressing and vegetable mixture

 

Mix the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, mustard, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper together.  Toss the apples, green beans, bell peppers and onion into the dressing and chill until ready to serve.

If using the dressing as a marinade for either chicken or pork, make enough dressing to use as both the marinade for the meat and the dressing for the salad.

Mix the honey, salt and nuts together and just heat in a hot skillet for about 5-7 minutes.  Immediately remove from the skillet and spread them out on parchment paper until they set.  Once they have cooled, chop them and top your salad with them.

 

**** I did not have green beans in this salad only because I ran out.  This is a very colorful, tasty salad that can easily be served on its own, or with chicken or pork.  It would also probably be good with shrimp too.

*** * I do not like walnuts, but I love pecans.  I always change pecans out for walnuts, but if you prefer walnuts, then feel free to use them instead.  In my mind, they are pretty interchangeable.

 

I think I could eat pizza everyday.  I love pizza, as does most of the rest of the world.  There are so many different varieties and versions of pizza, topped with anything and everything, and so many types of sauces that can be used as well.  Some people like their pizza with a thin crust; others prefer it with a thick crust (I am a thick, doughy bread crust person).  The possibilities are endless.

Pizza originated in Naples, Italy. Naples was originally founded in 600 B.C. as a Greek settlement for the wealthy, upper class people of the times.  But the workers who lived there could not afford to eat the foods of the wealthy, nor could they spare the time to prepare a lot of different, labor intensive foods, so pizza was created as a quick and easy food for the working class people.  It was an inexpensive food that could be consumed quickly.  Pizza is a flatbread that is served with sauce and various toppings.  At the time, it was made with foods that were easily and readily available to the workers, but today, anything goes.

With the large number of immigrants coming to the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries, the various foods and cultures also came to the United States as well.  Pizza being an “immigrant” too, was introduced to Americans officially in 1905, when the first American pizzaria was created.  That first American pizzaria was G. (Gennaro) Lombardi’s, in Manhattan, New York, and is still in business today, with the original pizza oven.  Once pizza was introduced to the States, it took it by storm and was a huge hit here in the States long before it was really popular in it’s native country of Italy.  At that time in Italy, pizza was known as food for the working class.   Today, it is popular all over the world and is probably one of the most loved foods anywhere you go.  Everyone loves pizza.

I made pizza with pesto sauce, Italian sausage and sauteed vegetables.  Usually I make my own pesto, and I bought enough basil to make it again today, but I discovered I already some store bought pesto that I already had and needed to used.    My husband added some cheddar cheese to half of the pizza, whereas I only had mozzarella.

I like a thick, bread-like dough, so I used some yeast to make it rise.

Thick Pizza Dough

2 packages of dry active yeast or 4 1/2 tsp

3 tsp sugar

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

2 TBSP olive oil

3 1/2 cups flour+ plus extra to knead the dough

2 tsp salt

 

Mix the yeast  with 1/2 tsp of sugar and 1/4 cup of warm water.   Let it proof or set for about 10 minutes or until it becomes thick and frothy.

Whisk the egg, milk and olive oil together before adding it to the dry mixture and yeast.

Combine the flour with rest of the sugar and salt and mix well.

Once the yeast mixture is thick and frothy, and has sat for about 10 minutes, add it to the flour mixture and along with the egg and milk mixture.  Add the rest of the water as needed and combine everything together.  You want to the dough to be soft.  Then sprinkle a little flour on your working surface and start kneading the dough on the floured surface with the heel of your hand until it all forms into a soft ball.

Use the rest of the olive oil to coat a large bowl and the dough, then cover and let it proof and rise for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

As the dough is rising, prepare your toppings.  I love all kinds of pizza, and have different toppings and sauces all the time, so make what you like.  This time, I used Italian sausage that I cooked and cut into chunks and sauteed vegetables.  I added a lot of different vegetables too.  I used red, yellow and orange bell peppers, mushrooms, red onions, artichoke hearts and tomatoes.  I sauteed the onions, mushrooms and bell peppers, and added the artichoke hearts and tomatoes at the end.

Once the dough is ready, press or roll it out onto your pizza stone.  Again, I prefer to gently press it with my hands, but you can roll it too, and that is just fine.  Once the dough has filled the pizza stone, it is ready for your sauce and the toppings.  I added my pesto sauce first and covered the dough, leaving about an inch at the end as a border, which I rolled and twisted.  Then I added my cheese and covered the sauce.  Next were my sausage and vegetables, followed by just a little bit of sauce and more cheese.

It’s now ready to bake.  Preheat he oven to 375* F and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the crust is done and is lightly golden.  The more loaded your pizza, and as you can see, I like mine loaded, the longer it will take to bake, making sure the center is done.  If the outer crust is done and the center still needs more time, you can always cover the pizza with aluminum foil and cook longer as needed.

Time for pizza and wine.  Just like with your sauce and your toppings, drink what you like.   My wine of choice tonight was a light, citrusy viognier (one of our local wineries close to my house, Turquoise Mesa Winery) to go with the pesto.  I try to match the wines with the sauce.  Mangia!

This week is starting out as a very busy, very hectic week.  Believe it or not, I actually love being busy and I love a little creative and constructive chaos.  Sometimes though, my plate gets too full and I just can’t do everything I want to do when I want to get things done (pardon the pun).  Today is one of those days.  So, I apologize, but the chef is to busy with other things at the moment to be creative, so the kitchen is temporarily closed.  It will be open and back in business again tomorrow, and it will be business as usual.  I already have something yummy in the works.   Until then, you’ll just have to have a little patience.  I promise, you won’t be disappointed.  Sometimes, life just happens, and all you can do is to to go with the flow.

Estes Park is about 1 1/2 hours north west of us.  It is such a beautiful area, and people flock there from all over, both tourists and locals alike.   Estes Park is in the heart of the  Rocky Mountains, here in Colorado and The Stanley Hotel is nestled right at the bottom of the foothills in Estes Park.   It is beautiful any time you go, but it is especially beautiful in the fall, as all the colors are changing and the elk are out in force.  Fall is also elk season up in Estes Park, and the elk are all over town, doing whatever they please.  Seeing the elk is always a big highlight.  I never get tired of seeing them.  They are big animals, and the big bull males can be very dangerous if you get too close, so I definitely advise seeing them at a safe distance.  Estes Park is a destination we take all our visitors when they come out, so we have been there quite often, but we had never stayed the night before until now.  Estes Park is also home to the world famous Stanley Hotel.  Larry had booked a night for us to stay at the Stanley as our main anniversary celebration months ago.

Pictures of the Rocky Mountains changing into their fall colors.

Elk making themselves at home right as you enter Estes Park, right at the start of the Downtown area.

Elk on the golf course.

Elk making themselves right at home at someone else’s home, in their front yard.  We could hear them bugeling all night.  They were out in force.

The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado.

Enjoying a glass of wine out on the veranda before dinner.

The Stanley Hotel has been a landmark in Estes Park and Colorado forever.  It was built in 1909 by Freelan Stanley, the same Stanley who made his fame and fortune from the Stanley Steamer automobiles.  It was the first grand, luxury hotel west of the Mississippi, and has been apart of Colorado’s history ever since.  It is indeed very grand and very luxurious, with no detail left untouched.  In its beginning, it was where all the rich and famous people of the day stayed and played.  Usually they would come and stay for the whole summer, since it was only a seasonal hotel up until 1984.  But the Stanley Hotel is also famous because a lot of movies have been inspired by the hotel, and some have featured the hotel as well.  The most famous movie inspired by this beautiful hotel was The Shining, by Stephen King.  It is also famous because many have said it is one of the most haunted places in America, as well as in the world.  So many people, myself included, want to to stay for the ghosts.  We did do the ghost tour, but we did not have any encounters.  Maybe next time.

Aside from the ghost tour, we toured the beautiful grounds and dined in their restaurant, Cascades.  Our dinner was very, very good.  Larry had the wild game meatloaf, and I had elk medallions in a raspberry demi-glaze.  Everything was served ala carte, so we also ordered roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus.  I ordered a very smooth, fruity pinot noir that paired prefectly with my elk medallions.  Those were cooked to perfection.  They were so tender and moist, and not gamely at all.  The meal also came with a rosemary-parmagian cheese bread and butter.   We finished the meal with a creme brulee, topped with berries.  Then we waited until dark and took our ghost tour.

We only stayed one night.  We had to come home to all our fur children and back to work and reality.  It’s nice to escape every now and then though, even if only for a short while.  Before leaving Estes Park, we stopped at a cute little breakfast cafe, called Claire’s.  We ended our stay with one more tasty meal before heading home.  Even though we were up in the mountains, at an elevation of about 8,600 feet, it was actually warmer up in the mountains than it is at home.  We breakfasted out on their deck, and had breakfast al fresco, with a gorgeous view of the mountains.  Larry ordered a chorizo omelette and I had a Cuban Benedict, with pulled pork, ham and poached eggs over an English muffin.  Both were served with seasoned home potatoes.  It was just a short little get-away, but it was very refreshing and beautiful.  Even though we were only gone for one night, all our fur-babies thought we had been gone a lifetime, and are following closely by my side today, making sure I am not going to leave them again and go anywhere without them anytime soon.  They get well cared for when we travel.  We have a friend who stays with them and spoils them rotten (even more than they already are), so you would think they would actually like it when Mommy and Daddy go away.  But they prefer it when both Mommy and daddy are home with them.

 

 

We are still celebrating our anniversary, but we were also celebrating my friend Janet’s birthday as well.  But then, we really don’t need too many reasons to celebrate.  Life, after all is a celebration, and I will always find a way to celebrate all the good things life has to offer.  We started off by going to our favorite winery, InVINtions, A Creative Winery, InVINtionsWine.com, where we were tasting and sampling some of our favorite wines.

After we had finished with our wine tasting, we ventured across the parking lot to a really good Middle Eastern/Moroccan restaurant, Sahara, Sahararestaurant.net, where we had a complete Moroccan experience with great food and belly dancing.  Janet and I got up to try our belly dancing skills as well, but I will leave that to the real dancer who was there.  She was very good.   My belly dancing skills still leave much to be desired, and there is WAY to much belly on me, so I will leave the belly dancing to the professionals at the moment.  I really enjoyed her veil dance.

We started our dinner off with some delicious hummus and warmed pita bread.

Then the main courses came.  When we go to exotic or different places, we tend to order a variety of plates then share, so we can all get a sampling of the different flavors.  We ordered a beef, chicken and a lamb dish.  All came with saffron rice and vegetables.  We all had our favorites, but all three of the dishes were delicious.

As always, when we get together with our friends Janet and Bob, we had a great time and a very entertaining evening.  As I have said many times, good friends and good food; life doesn’t get much better than that.