A Jeanne in the Kitchen

It was time for some pork, but it was too hot to make it a heavy meal. I hadn’t made kebabs in a while, and I wanted something a little different, so I made some pork kebabs with a coconut chili sauce, with vegetable kebabs on the side. I served them over rice to make a perfect summer meal.

Coconut & Chili Pork Kebabs

You can use this same sauce for anything you like – chicken, fish, shrimp, vegetables, tofu. It’s a versatile sauce that will liven up anything you want to serve it with. This sauce had a little bit of a Caribbean vibe to it. Yes, there are a lot of different curries in the Caribbean too. 🙂

1 1/2-2 lbs pork cubed

2 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP white balsamic or honey ginger balsamic vinegar – if using white balsamic, add about 2 TBSP of honey and about 1-2 more tsp of ginger.

1-2 tsp ginger

1 jalapeno, minced

2 tsp garlic

4 tsp curry

1 tsp tumeric

2-3 oz coconut milk

1-2 TBSP lime juice

1-2 TBSP fresh basil, chiffonade

1-2 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped

Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together well and add to the cubed pork. Let set in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours before cooking.

When ready to cook, skewer the pork pieces on skewers and place on the grill to cook. Cook for about 3-5 minutes per side over a hot flame on the grill, or until the pork is completely cooked.

Heat the sauce in a small pan and top over the cooked pork before serving. Delicious and fresh and perfect for a hot summer’s day, especially with a glass or two of a cool, crisp white wine of your choice on the side. Serve over rice or couscous.

For the vegetable kebabs, I marinated the cut, hearty vegetables (peppers, onions, zucchini, crookneck squash, mushrooms) in a basic vinaigrette before skewering them. Place the vegetables on the grill before the pork, since the vegetables take longer to cook.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay cool, stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

You all know how much I love my birds. I am always taking pictures of my beloved birds and animals. But lately, I have seen a few “other” birds too. They deserve recognition as well. 🙂

Balloons will always have a special place in my heart. Larry proposed to me in a balloon. He said I gave him the right answer too. And when I worked in Erie, every morning in the summer, around 7:00 AM, I would see the balloons flying above us, and landing in our parking lot a couple of times too.

A tribute to the fighter planes from WWII in a nearby park in Westminster.

And some more modern day “birds” of another feather. We are not too far from the Jefferson County airport, for smaller jets and private planes.

We get a lot of helicopters flying above us as well.

I just thought I would share some of my other birds that fly above us too.

House finches and Cassin’s Finches look very similar, and sometimes I really have to look hard to be able to tell the difference between them. My best understanding of the differences between these two birds is that House Finches (males) have more bright colorings all over their bodies than Cassin’s Finches. Cassin’s Finch: Bright red peaked crown, less streaking on the underparts. House Finch: Red (or orangish-red) on the head, breast, and rump, with more streaking on the underparts. The females too are differently colored, with less striking features and more subdued colorings. House Finches are also a little smaller than their cousins, the Cassin’s Finch, and they have slightly different beak shapes too. Cassin’s Finches are more likely to be found in coniferous forests, while House Finches are more adaptable and found in a wider range of habitats, including urban areas. But since we have a lot of trees around, we have both varieties of finches. While both species share similar overall body shapes and size, the color patterns, especially on the head and underparts, are the most reliable way to distinguish between male and female Cassin’s and House Finches.

House Finches and Cassin’s Finches both seem to love our trees (albeit dead trees) in our back yard. Maybe we are reluctant to cut them down because we get so many birds and, House Finches and Cassin’s Finches in particular, that like to hang out in our trees. We love watching them as we sit out on the the deck. And who knows, I probably get them mixed up half the time too. 🙂 All I really know for sure is that they are beautiful little song birds that I love to see.

OOOOOH! She is definitely giving him an earful! I’m guessing he will be out of tree house for awhile.

A little distance to help cool things down a bit.

He needs some time alone to think. Why is she so mad at me?

Maybe she won’t see me here?

Let’s kiss and make up. Please?!

We all have our little spats at times, even in the bird world. But in the end, we try our best to always kiss and make up too.

Potato salad is a beloved potato dish found all over the world. It started as a European sensation, back in the 16th century, when potatoes were introduced to Europe from South America. At first potato salads, were mostly influenced by the Germans, with a warm vinegar and herb base, that often included bacon and/or bacon grease. But when it was introduced to the United States, with the German and European immigrants coming over in the 19th century, a mayonnaise base was soon introduced, giving even more delicious options for this beloved potato dish.

Today, there are so many different versions of potato salad available for everyone to try, that it is hard to keep up. Every region of every country seems to have their own particular version. In the south, where my mother was from, people used both mayonnaise or Miracle Whip and mustard in their potato salads, giving them a creamy, tangy taste. Most people in he south would use mayonnaise and yellow mustard. From there, I make my own delicious version, using Miracle Whip (most of the time) as well as Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard AND a dash of yellow mustard, and I almost always used hard boiled eggs too. Again, another Southern thing. I like the sweet, tanginess all these ingredients offer to the mix. My mother always used Miracle Whip, and I love and grew up with the tangy flavor of it. Not everyone agrees though, and that’s OK. I use both mayonnaise and Miracle Whip for all kinds of recipes, though I actually prefer Miracle Whip most of the time. But as you know, I like to mix things up all the time, and never settle. I am always trying something new or giving a new spin to things. This time, I made it a little different yet again. This time, I used mayonnaise, lime juice and cilantro, to give it a little South of the Border feel and taste.

I use different kinds of potatoes all the time too. This time I used the baby red or new potatoes.

Cilantro Lime Potato Salad

2 lbs new or red potatoes, quartered

3-4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced

1 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP lime olive oil, optional

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 shallot, minced

2-3 TBSP green onions, sliced thin

2 tsp garlic

3-4 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped fine

2 TBSP lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes in water for about 12-15 minutes, or until semi-softened yet still kind of firm. Drain and let cool.

Boil the eggs for 12 minutes in water with just a dash of vinegar. Let cool, then peel and dice.

Combine the shallots, garlic, cilantro, mayonnaise, green onions, salt, pepper, lime juice and olive oil(s) and mix well.

When the potatoes and eggs have cooled, mix them together in a separate bowl. Add just enough of the mayonnaise mixture to the potatoes and eggs to cover and flavor without drowning them in sauce. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

This is a very tasty, slightly different, zesty version of potato salad. The lime and cilantro give it a bit of a Southwestern flair. We had it with fried chicken and corn on the cob. You can enjoy with your favorites too.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay cool, stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Cashews are some of my favorite nuts. I love them. I could easily eat handfuls at a time, but I have to limit myself. One, they are expensive nuts, and two, they are high in fat. So like anything, eat and enjoy them in moderation.

Cashews originated in northeastern Brazil. The indigenous Tupi people were the first to utilize the cashew, calling them acajou, meaning “nut that produces itself”. This name refers to the cashew’s unique fruit structure, where the nut hangs below the fleshy cashew apple. Instead of growing like conventional nuts, they grow out of the base of cashew apples like little tails. However, for this reason, they are the only ‘nut’ that sells solely without a shell. The part of the “nut” we actually eat is really the seed rather than a nut.

All cashews have to be “cooked” or roasted to some degree before eating them. To eat them completely raw, would be dangerous, since the raw nuts are toxic. Cashew kernels are cooked in processing to remove this toxic liquid, and the resulting product is sold as “raw.” The seed has a double shell containing an allergenic phenolic resin containing an anacardic acid. This composition is a potent skin irritant. Chemically, this resin is related to the more well-known allergenic oil urushiol, a toxin in poison ivy. Some people are allergic to cashew nuts, but it is much more common for them to be allergic to the outer coating on the fruit’s skin, rather than the nut itself. The outer shell causes skin irritation.

The cashew was first discovered by Europeans in Brazil around 1558. Because of the irritating shells, they were thought to be inedible at first. Over time, there was a realization that it was the fruit skin, not the irritating seeds, that was inedible. It was the local native tribe, the Tupi-Indians, that showed the Europeans otherwise. Consequently, the Portuguese were shown how to roast the cashews to get the irritant off. Once the Portuguese explorers learned how to properly roast the fruits/nuts, they became very popular, and they took them back to Goa, India and then to West Africa.

From Brazil, the Portuguese explorers brought the cashew pants to Goa, India and to West Africa. Once the cashews were introduced to Goa and to India as a whole, they soon began to thrive in their new environment. The Indians used the cashews for many different things, including grinding them to a paste as a base for their curries and making them into a powder for their desserts. They also discovered healing properties in the nut, and cashews became very popular. Cashews offer a variety of health benefits due to their rich nutrient profile. They are a good source of healthy fats, protein, and various vitamins and minerals, which can contribute to heart health, blood sugar regulation, and improved digestion. Additionally, cashews contain antioxidants that may help protect against cell damage and reduce the risk of certain diseases.

Harvesting processing the cashews in India and West Africa.

Like with so many things, we don’t realize all the processing steps that are necessary before we get to see and enjoy the end results of these delicious seeds.

Europe was introduced to cashews in the 16th century. Not only did the Europeans enjoy the nuts themselves, but they soon learned how to produce cashew wine from the cashew apples too.

We actually have some of this sweet cashew wine in our liquor cabinet, from one of our Belize trips.

Cashews were introduced to America in 1905 and became a very popular American snack around the 1920’s. There are cashews grown in the United States, but only in those states or territories that have warm, tropical climates that are frost free, like Florida, Hawai’i or Puerto Rico. Though cashews are very popular in the United States, most of the kernels are imported, with the bulk coming from India.

As with many foods, cashews symbolize much more than just a delicious, healthy snack to eat. In many cultures, they represent good luck, prosperity, and abundance.  In the Vietnamese culture, cashews are a traditional gift for Tet, the Lunar New Year, symbolizing wishes for success and happiness. The shape of the cashew nut, resembling an old coin, also contributes to its association with wealth and prosperity. In some traditions, dreaming about cashews can be interpreted as a sign of blessings, luck, and potential for success, particularly in business or long-term projects. The color “cashew” is sometimes associated with a warm, grounding, and balanced energy, similar to the earth tones of brown, with an added touch of vibrancy.

As always, when I do these deep dives into the foods we eat and their history, I and I hope learn and enjoy them like I do too.

Eat your cashews, stay healthy, and be prosperous. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

Whenever we go to the Wild Animal Sanctuary (WAS) not only do we see the big, wild carnivores, but we also see a whole bunch of birds all around too. We expect to see the birds. We did not expect to see so many nests with tiny babies and hatchlings. We saw so many nests with the little, tiny heads popping up, all looking for their mommies to feed and love them. I see birds all the time, and I love all my birds, but I don’t get to see many birds’ eggs or their tiny hatchlings very often. This was a special treat.

We even saw a mom protecting her babies too. She is a good mom. She looks so proud of her babies.

To see the animals at WAS, you walk along the raised bridge, above the animals. All the birds think it is a good idea to make their nests up high, along the walkway. And for the most part, it is a safer idea. However, it is still wild country out there, and that means there are still a lot of snakes out there too. So even though the birds are protecting their babies to a certain extent, the snakes still can get up onto the walkway and still can get to the eggs and the tiny babies. We did see one bull snake, but it was down on the ground in one of the lion’s pens. So the birds and the babies were safe while we were there. 🙂

I have lived in Colorado for over 25 years now, and the Wild Animal Sanctuary (WAS) has been around since 1980. I only just discovered the WAS a little over a month ago though. And now, I have already been 4 times. In case you hadn’t noticed, I LOVE it there and what they do. All the animals are so well cared for and they all look very healthy and happy. It is another one of my happy places, along with being in the water and diving in the ocean. 🙂

This time, Larry and I went at the end of the day, trying to avoid the heat. We packed up a picnic lunch/dinner, and ate at the Sanctuary, with lions and tigers nearby. It was still very hot, especially when we first got there. We even had to sign a waiver because of the heat; definitely a first for us. Initially, a lot of the animals were just doing their best to cool off too. But they got a lot more active later. Of course I took another bazillion photos, but this time I am only going to focus on one specific animal.

Every time we go, we see different animals and animals doing different things. But this time, it was our first time to see the mountain lion, aka puma or cougar. One of the volunteers said we were very lucky to see her too, since most people do not get a chance to see her out and about. She is still kind of shy and likes to keep to herself. But last night, she was out and about and was definitely posing for the camera, looking right at me a lot of the time too. She was NOT shy last night. She is so beautiful. AND, we have a lot of mountain lions in our mountains as well. We’ve never seen them in the wild, but I know they are all around, and I am certain they are watching us.

When we first spotted her, she didn’t venture out too far from the fence. But soon, she was out and about.

See. She is looking right up at me.

I think I made a new friend. I think she wanted to cuddle like our panther and puma like to do. 🙂

Every day is a gift. Appreciate all your day sand all your gifts. Make them all great.

As most of you know, I often do product reviews for various companies. I have been reviewing and creating recipes with Cole’s Seafood lately. Chicken Topped With Red Pepper Coulis and Trout Cakes, Smoked Salmon Salad With Lemon Basil Vinaigrette I do NOT get paid for these reviews, or at least not yet. I just enjoy the opportunity to try new things and to give my reviews of them, while creating delicious recipes as well. As I said, I do NOT get paid for these reviews, but sometimes I do get rewarded with special gifts of product as a way of saying thank you. I LOVE receiving these special thank you gifts. 🙂

A couple of days ago, a box came in the mail that was loaded with all kinds of tinned fish from Cole’s Seafood. All I can say is WOW!!!!! Thank you so much.

There is salmon, mussels, crab, clams, mackerel and trout. YUMMY! I already have a few new ideas in mind of how to use these delicious goodies. Stay tuned. I will be sending them your way soon. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay cool, stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

We have prairie dogs by the millions all around us. Some people consider them pesty, but I think they are super cute and full of personality, especially when they pose for the camera.

There is always something interesting to see, you just have to be open to seeing what’s all around you. Have a great day and make everyday great.

We tend not to go out to eat too much when at home. We save that treat mostly for when we travel, though we do go out to eat some. Last night was one of those rare occasions. We tried a new Mexican (new to us) restaurant in nearby Louisville, called Azul Fuego (Blue Fire).

There are both inside and outside dining options. We ate inside this time.

The outside patio is very nice and inviting, and very large too. Eating inside was nice, but I would have preferred to dine al fresco, on the patio. Next time. 🙂

We went with Janet and Bob and their friends Joe and Louise. The six of us had a fun time over delicious meals. We started off with some specialty drinks from the bar and some chips, salsa and guacamole while we waited for our food to arrive.

Most of us all ordered something different, and everything was delicious. But then you would expect that when all the food is made from scratch daily, using only high quality foods and ingredients and attention to detail.

I ordered shrimp with garlic and vegetables or camerones al mojo de ajo.

Larry ordered the Chile Verde Burrito.

And the other dishes that were ordered included chicken mole,

enchilada suiza x2

and a Mexican BBQed pork dish or Cochinita Pibil.

The servings are very generous, and most of us didn’t finish our meals. It’s a good thing restaurants have to-go boxes. The food was too good to just leave there and it will be enjoyed again for another meal later. 🙂

Though most of us did not finish our meals, we all sampled the flan after. We ordered two that we split between the six of us. So we all had just a couple of bites to give us something sweet to eat after our meal. The flan was very creamy; it was like golden velvet, with just the right amount of sweetness.

We all had a deliciously fun evening.

Azul Fuego is located right on the corner of Pine Street, in Louisville at 1006 Pine Street, Louisville, Colorado 80027. We just walked right in, but we were early. The restaurant fills up quickly on the weekends, so reservations are recommended for weekends. You can call them at (303) 665 28 33 or email them at MAIL@azul-fuego.com to make your reservations. They are open daily from 11:00 AM-10:30 PM. !Disfruitar!

Life is always better when shared with friends and good food. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay cool, stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.