A Jeanne in the Kitchen

I am never disappointed when I walk at Metzger Farm. there is always something interesting to see. This time, I was lucky enough to see baby Herons in the nests with the parents. I had never seen baby Herons before. They are so cute.

The parents were busy guarding their nests. From this angle, I could only see the parents, although there is one baby poking his head up at the far right.

Here is one of the babies looking up at mama.

Another couple of babies poking their heads up.

Seeing these little babies, way up high in their nests, protected by both mom and dad, just made my day. 🙂

I think all girls like to get dressed up and feel pretty sometimes, even the toughest tomboys. I know I sure do, and I have always been a tomboy. But it looks like even the goosey girls like to get dressed up and feel pretty too.

Doesn’t she look pretty in pink? She was just posing, waiting for me to come along and take her picture. She looked so pretty, how could I refuse?

The other day, while searching for something new to make, I came across a recipe for oregano pesto. That sounded great. But as luck would have it, I couldn’t find oregano at that time. So instead, I bought a whole bunch of thyme. At first, I thought I would make a thyme pesto, but it needed more ummph. So I kept playing with it and tweaking it until I came up with a very good and tasty version of a Mexican pesto.

I added a little regular pesto as a base to start with, then started mixing and matching from there. I just put everything into the food processor and started blending.

Mexican Pesto

2-3 TBSP pesto

1-2 jalapenos, seeded

2 TBSP cotija cheese

1 TBSP garlic

1/3 cup roasted, salted pepita seeds

1/2-3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup cilantro

3/4 cup fresh thyme, with as much of the stems removed as you can

2 TBSP lemon balsamic vinegar or lemon juice

salt & pepper to taste

dash of cayenne pepper

After my new pesto was created, I cooked up some shrimp and some kielbasa sausage, tossed in my leftover pico de gallo sauce and a few tiny tomatoes.

I heated up the pesto just long enough to take the chill off. I added it all to some rice, and voila! A new dish with a newly created Mexican pesto was born. It was delicious too. I love pesto any which way I can get it, but I really liked it with just a little kick added to it as well.

I am always playing with my food, and playing around in my kitchen, creating new ideas and variations to old classics. 🙂 As I always say, it’s OK to play with your food. Have a great day, and make everyday great. And by all means, play with your food. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Nothing says spring like lemons. I love lemon anything. Lemon bars are a favorite of mine too. And raspberry lemon bars, well, that just makes them even better. 🙂

I was looking for a dessert to make that was different, so when I came across a recipe for lemon raspberry bars, I was hooked. I knew what I was going to make.

Raspberry Lemon Bars

These delicious treats were ooey, gooey, sweet and tart all at the same time, not to mention, oh so yummy. You can use strawberry preserves instead of raspberry too.

Preheat the oven to 350* F or 180*C.

Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.

2 sticks softened butter

2 1/2 cups sugar, divided

2 1/2 cups flour, divided

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup lemon juice

1 tsp lemon extract

1 cup raspberry spread or preserves

dusting of powdered sugar

fresh raspberries and/or blackberries or strawberries

Mix the butter and 1/2 cup of sugar together until it is light and fluffy, for about 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cups of the flour, salt and vanilla, and mix again until it is coarse and crumbly. Then press firmly into the prepared pan, making sure to evenly spread out the dough.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges. After removing it from the oven, poke holes into the dough with a fork and let cool slightly. Spread the raspberry preserves evenly over the dough.

Whisk the eggs, remaining sugar, lemon juice, lemon extract and remaining 1/2 cup of flour together until everything is mixed together well. Pour over the crust and place in the oven again, to bake for another 30-40 minutes, or until the lemon filling is set.

Let cool completely before slicing and removing from the pan. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar, and if you like, you can add a dollop of whipped cream and raspberries and/or blackberries on top. If you are using strawberry preserves, add strawberry slices on top.

These were a big hit and everyone loved them. You will too. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Ti next time.

Southwestern foods are up there amongst some of my favorite foods. I didn’t really plan on making our dinner/game night party into a Southwestern event, but it just kind of turned out that way. Maybe I went in that direction because of the rubs Larry put on his meats to smoke them. However I arrived at that decision though, suffice it to say, it was delicious decision to make. 🙂

The cuisine of the Southwestern United States is food styled after the rustic cooking of the Southwestern United States. Southwestern food is distinguished by the use of chili peppers as the primary seasoning, first brought to Santa Fe with the arrival of the Spanish from Mexico. I love peppers, and I cook with them quite often. Southwestern cuisines also include the “three sisters”- corn, squash and beans play a prominent role in Southwestern cooking. I was planning on making a squash dish, but decided against at the very last minute, because I already had a lot, and there were only 8 of us.

Larry smoked a couple of racks of ribs, a turkey breast and some pork.

Yesterday I shared my Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad. Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad I made a Southwestern salad as yet another side dish to accompany the smoked meats. Wendy brought a fruit salad, Elizabeth brought some baked beans and Lauren brought the makings for some vegetarian lettuce wraps and a corn sauce. We had a lot of good food for only 8 people, but we made a pretty good dent in all of it. 🙂

Southwestern Salad

This is just one of an infinite amount of recipes from which to choose. There is always way more than just one way to make anything. 🙂

1 head of Romaine lettuce, shredded

2 cups baby spinach, stems removed and chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/3 red onion sliced very thin

1/4-1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup nopales

2-3 small oranges

1-2 avocados, sliced

pepita seeds

cotija cheese, optional

orange vinaigrette

Most people do not know about nopales. Growing up in Southern California, I grew up with very good Mexican food, and nopales were often eaten. I love them, but don’t eat them that often. I had some in my fridge and threw them into my salad. Nopales are the flat, fleshy pads of the prickly pear cactus, a common and versatile ingredient used in Mexican cuisine. They are often cooked and used in dishes like tacos, salads, and as a vegetable side. Nopales have a slightly tangy flavor and a texture similar to green beans.

I decided not to use the tomatoes for this salad. I thought they would take away from the other ingredients I used, and I wanted a Southwestern flair.

I mixed both Romaine lettuce and spinach together, then I layered all the ingredients to make a colorful, pretty salad. I added the avocado slices and dressing right before serving. I served it with a spicy orange vinaigrette, which really brought everything together well.

Spicy Orange Vinaigrette

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup orange olive oil, optional

3/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey ginger balsamic vinaigrette

2 TBSP hot honey

dash cayenne pepper

cilantro

Throw everything into the food processor and blend until it is all blended and emulsified together.

This was a pretty, easy-peasy salad that didn’t take much time to make at all. It was a perfect match for the rest of the menu, and thoroughly enjoyed. Things don’t have to be difficult to be delicious. As I often say, sometimes simple is best.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Keep it simple (remember the K.I.S.S rule- the second S usually stands for stupid) and make the most out of everyday. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

We are hosting yet another little get-together with dinner and games. I like to make whatever I can ahead of time so I am not so rushed on the day of our gatherings. One of the dishes I made early was a Southwestern sweet potato salad.

Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad

This brightly colored salad is delicious and packed with all kinds of goodness.

Preheat the oven to 400*F or 200*C.

4 medium sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cubed

1 red onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1-2 tsp garlic

1 jalapeno, diced fine

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup olive oil + more for roasting

2 TBSP lime juice

2 TBSP honey ginger balsamic vinegar, optional

1/2-3/4 cup chopped cilantro

dash of cayenne pepper

dash of chili powder

Combine the peppers, onion, garlic and sweet potatoes with salt, pepper and some of the olive oil, mixing thoroughly. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft and tender. Turn after about 20 minutes of cooking.

Place the remaining olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, cayenne pepper and chili powder in a food processor and blend until everything is well mixed. Set aside.

When the sweet potatoes and vegetables are ready, put them into a large bowl, and add the black beans and cilantro. Add the dressing and toss together well.

You can serve this colorful salad warm or at room temperature and store in the refrigerator until later if need be. Either way, I promise you are going to love it. 🙂

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

I love all the funny quotes about food. Some of them just really crack me up, and we all need a good laugh every now and then.

This one is so true.

I hope these bring a smile or two to you. Have a great weekend. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

I don’t see too many Cinnamon Teals around our lakes, but they do stop by every now and then, usually around March and April, just long enough to say “hi”. I have a pair of Cinnamon Teals swimming around my lakes right now. The male is a gorgeous deep cinnamon red, whereas Mrs. Teal looks a lot like a much smaller version of a female Mallard.

Life is full of surprises. You just never know what to expect. Always be prepared for the unexpected, and you just may be very pleasantly surprised. 🙂

Pork has been a staple in Chinese cooking for at least about 8,000 years. Pork is one of the most consumed meats in China and in other parts of Asia as well. When the Chinese refer to meats, unless it is specified as something else, it almost always means pork. They use pork for everything.

The Chinese path from pig to pork began in the Stone Age. Pigs were the first domesticated animals in China. Genetic and archaeological evidence shows that the Chinese people domesticated pigs from wild boar about 8,000 to 9,000 years ago, although human management of boar populations probably began even earlier. Pork’s prevalence in Chinese cuisine and culture stems from a combination of historical, economic, and practical factors: pigs are efficient meat producers, easily raised and requiring minimal land, and have been a cultural symbol of prosperity and fertility, making them a staple in Chinese diets and rituals ever since. Not only are pigs (pork) a staple in Chinese food, but the pig also represents wealth and prosperity, as well as family and virility, in the Chinese and Asian cultures.

Today, China consumes roughly 50% of all pork that is produced. Pork is also the most widely eaten meat around the world too, not just in China. It is estimated that global pork consumption is around 36% of all meats. Chicken comes in second, at 33% and beef is third, at around 24%.

We eat just about everything in our house. We buy our meats in bulk and store as much as we can in the freezer, to use later. Larry has a routine, and he tries to pull out a little of each meat or fish from the freezer to use once a week. He calls it his meat rotation plan. This time, he pulled out some pork chops. I turned them into a Chinese dish with vegetables.

Chinese Pork & Vegetables

I add a ton of different vegetables to almost everything I cook. We eat a wide variety of vegetables in and with almost every meal. This meal included both red and green bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, onions and garlic.

I sliced the pork into thin strips and coated it with cornstarch. You can make this same exact dish with chicken or beef too.

No real recipe here, since I was just using up some of my little bits of this and that.

My sauce was kind of a sweet, sour and spicy blend.

1/2 cup honey ginger balsamic vinegar

1/3-1/2 cup Hoisin sauce

1-2 TBSP rice vinegar

2-3 TBSP hot honey

1-2 tsp crunch garlic

Mix everything together and set aside until ready to uase.

The vegetables take the longest to cook, so I cooked them first in a very hot skillet with some olive oil and hot chili oil. You can use a wok too. I have both, but I actually prefer a skillet to a wok. It’s just a personal preference. Both serve the same purpose. Cook the vegetables for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove the vegetables and set aside, keeping them warm. Cook the meat until it is almost browned and cooked thoroughly.

When the meat is cooked, re-add the vegetables and mix together thoroughly.

Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Then add the sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

I served it over some rice cooked with a dash of black garlic and ginger olive oil, then added a little fresh cilantro on top. I added some spring rolls on the side to complete the meal. I served it with one of our own wines, a Pinot Grigio that we recently made and bottled. Delicious!

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

All the flowers and trees are in bloom and are beginning to show their “true” colors. They are so pretty and colorful. I just love spring. 🙂

Have a beautiful day. 🙂