A Jeanne in the Kitchen

I still had some chicken leftover from when I made my Lebanese chicken Lebanese Chicken. I could have made another salad with it, and I kind of did. But instead, I turned it into a Lebanese chicken gyro.

I sliced some red onions very thin, diced some tomatoes and cucumber and shredded some lettuce. Then I made a Tzatziki sauce and placed everything on a warmed pita. Larry added cheese to his. I didn’t have any feta, but he used some bleu cheese crumbles.

Tzatziki Sauce

1/2 cup yogurt

1-2 tsp garlic

2 TBSP lemon juice

1/2-1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp oregano

salt & pepper to taste

Mix everything together and chill until ready to use.

This meal was simple, easy-peasy, nice and cool and refreshing on a warm spring day, and I got to use up my leftovers. It was a win/win/win. WHOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!! Making great meals doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming. Just start with good, fresh ingredients, and everything will turn out just fine. 🙂

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

Larry and I had a fun date night by going to see a Queen Tribute band. It was at the Paramount Theatre, in Downtown Denver. I love the Paramount. It is an old, beautifully decorated Art Deco Theatre. I wish more modern architects would return to paying attention to all the details once again. All the older buildings have so much more charm and character than the newer designs. The newer, modern buildings all seem so cold and blah to me.

At first we were told we could not take any pictures of the band. So I focused on all the details of the theatre instead. I just love all this attention to detail. I LOVE older buildings.

Once the band got on stage, they told us to take pictures. They welcomed pictures. We did take quite a few pictures after they told us it was OK, but ours, from the cell phone, are NOTHING compared to the professional ones.

The band is called Gary Mullin & The Works. They did a good job. Queen is a tough band to pay tribute to because they are so good, and few people can pull off a good Freddie Mercury tribute, but Gary Mullen & The Works did a very good job. Gary Mullen made a good “Freddy Mercury” too. He was full of Freddie’s energy and spirit, and copied his moves well. He had a good voice too, though there can only ever be ONE Freddie Mercury.

If you are a Queen fan, and Gary Mullen & The Works is in your neck of the woods, I recommend going. It will definitely be a fun, entertaining evening.

Rock on Queen and Freddie. Rock on! Have a great day and make everyday great. Let the music always be in your heart and just keep on rockin’! Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Spring is in the air, and apparently in the water as well. All my ducks and geese are pairing up, swimming side by side. Soon, we should have lots of baby ducks and geese. They too will be swimming side by side with their moms until it will be time for them to move on.

We have Mr. & Mrs. Merganser.

Mr. & Mrs. Widgeon

Mr. & Mrs. Mallard

The Common Goldeneyes

And the Canadians

Woody is still single and looking for Mrs. Right. He seems to think he has a chance with Mrs. Mallard. I think Mr. Mallard may have a few quacks about that though.

Have fun no matter what you do. Enjoy the simple things in life and make everyday a great day. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Food is such a fascinating subject, at least for me. The more I learn the more I want to learn. And believe me, there is always something new to learn. Here are some fun food facts. Maybe you know them, but chances are, most of us, myself included, don’t. Hopefully we all learn something new and have some fun while we’re at it. 🙂

1. MacDonald’s is so popular that a burger is sold every second of every day. That’s a whole lot of burgers!

2. An average ear of corn has an even number of rows, usually 16. Each cob (or ear) tends to have between 750 and 1000 potential kernels, but only 400 to 600 usually come to fruition. Kernel rows begin as ridges of cells that eventually differentiate into pairs of rows, hence why there’s always an even number of rows per corn cob. The amount of rows, though, stays consistent because it is determined strongly by plant genetics.

3. You can tell the difference between cheap pasta and expensive pasta by looking at them. Texture and wheat quality are the primary differences between pastas. If you closely examine low-cost pasta, you’ll notice that they are almost shiny and incredibly smooth ― that’s the work of the Teflon die.

To save even more time and produce large quantities of pasta, mass manufacturers then quickly dry the pasta, sometimes for only a few hours, before boxing it and shipping it. This ruins the texture entirely. The smooth pasta never fully marries to the sauce, and the quick dry time requires a faster cook time.

The best pastas are made with grano duro, or durum wheat semolina. This type of pasta yields to a firmer texture overall and looks heartier just by looking at it before it is cooked. The cheaper pastas only the semolina flour variety found in the other brands. This one has an almost yellow or orange appearance. The raw pasta is almost see-through and very fragile. The ones with grano duro, or durum wheat semolina held their shape, remained al dente, and didn’t fall apart in the sauce, or get mushy. The other kind, well, not so much. They fall apart and are mushy.

4. Humans and bananas share 40% of the same DNA.

5. The probability of you drinking a glass of water that contains a molecule of water that also passed through a dinosaur is almost 100%. While most water molecules in an eight-ounce glass were never been consumed by another person, almost every single molecule has been drunk by a dinosaur. Like humans, dinosaurs also released all water that they drunk, then they drink anew.

So did you learn anything new? I did. There is always something new to learn. Never stop learning. Learning is fun and it helps keep us young. 🙂

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

Belted Kingfishers aren’t birds I see everyday, though I do see them every so often. They like to be by the water, since they like to fish for their food. They spear them with their long beaks, hence the name kingfisher.

There was one up in the trees looking down on me. He was teasing me. He knew I saw him. He would let me just about capture him with my camera before he would fly away. He did this a few times before allowing me to get a couple of shots. But that was it. No more. Then he was off again, gone for the day.

I am happy to see all my birds and wildlife. Even if they only allow me a couple of shots, it is better than nothing. I’ll take my couple of shots whenever I can get them. 🙂

Fattoush is a popular Levantine bread salad, that originated in rural Lebanon as a way to repurpose stale bread and seasonal vegetables, evolving into a beloved dish enjoyed throughout the Middle East. The name “Fattoush” comes from the Arabic word “fatt,” meaning “to crumble” or “to crush,” referring to the use of crumbled, stale flatbread in salad. As with so many other recipes, it developed out of necessity as a way of using up leftover food before it went bad. It was a creative way of reusing and repurposing everything in the times before food preservation methods were developed and regularly used.

I was looking for a way to reuse my leftover Lebanese chicken Lebanese Chicken as well as a way to reuse the last of some garlic sourdough bread. It was a warm day and a salad just sounded perfect. So I made a chicken fattoush salad, with croutons made from the last of my garlic sourdough bread. I also added some of my leftover couscous. This whole delicious and healthy salad was from leftovers. WHOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!! I LOVE it!!!! Of course I made it in my own special way. Recipes are just guidelines for me. They inspire me to create my own version of whatever it is I am cooking.

Lebanese Chicken Fattoush Salad – The Dressing

I made my dressing first and let it set for awhile to get the flavors to blend together.

3/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

2-3 TBSP lemon balsamic vinegar, optional

2 TBSP sumac

1/2 TBSP garlic

2 tsp dried mint

salt & pepper to taste

1 TBSP honey

Mix everything together well and let rest for a bit before using.

The Salad

This will make enough for 2 large dinner salads or 4 smaller side salads. You can also add cucumber. I just didn’t have any cucumber on hand this time.

1 cooked chicken breast, sliced thin or cubed

Romaine lettuce, shredded

2 Campari tomatoes, diced large

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1 carrot, shredded

1/3 cup croutons, preferably freshly made

1/4 cup olives, cut in half

1/4 cup cooked couscous, warmed

feta cheese crumbles, optional

You can assemble your salad ahead of time and put in the refrigerator until ready to eat, but add the dressing right before serving.

I served our fattoush with warmed pita bread and hummus (lemon hummus this time) with a chilled, cool, crisp chardonnay on the side. It was a perfect spring or summer time meal. If you don’t want chicken, it is perfectly fine just the way it is, or with some tofu as a protein option.

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

Yesterday was a beautiful day, so we decided to take the girls out for a long walk. They thoroughly enjoyed it, especially since we took them somewhere new. We took them to Metzger Farm, not new to me, but it was new to both Larry and the girls. We walked about 4 miles. We had some very pooped pups at the end of the walk, but look how happy both Dorrie and Juneau are. Larry got his upper body workout while I took pictures. For the most part, we each had one dog. Larry only took hem when I found something I had to capture with my camera.

The walk was great, but we didn’t see too much for most of the walk. But at the very end, we saw the Herons. At first, I only saw the one, and he let me get very close to him. I was very happy seeing him too. He allowed me to get some great shots of him before flying off.

Then he flew away, but he invited me to join him. See, he is looking over his shoulder, making sure I am following him.

When he landed, he introduced me to his wife, for a more intimate look.

Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Heron. I feel very special and privileged to be allowed into your private world. 🙂

Anyone who bakes knows about both baking soda and baking powder. We use them all the time when baking. But what’s the difference between the two? Both are leavening agents that make things rise. Are they the same? Are they interchangeable? No, they are not the same and no they are not interchangeable.

Baking soda is simply sodium bicarbonate and requires an acidic ingredient to activate. The carbon dioxide gas creates bubbles, which help doughs and batters rise. Baking soda is commonly used in recipes containing acidic ingredients like buttermilk, brown sugar, yogurt, lemon juice, vinegar, cream of tartar, applesauce, natural cocoa powder, honey or molasses. Baking soda helps the finished product to rise and have a crisper texture.

Can you tell which one is which just by looking at them? The first one on the left is baking powder. How do I know? Look at the texture. You can see it is more of a “velvety” texture than the baking soda on the right. This “velvety” texture comes from the addition of cornstarch. The baking soda looks more like salt, because it is a salt or sodium base.

Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda and cream of tartar, a dry acid. An inactive ingredient, often cornstarch, keeps the two from reacting until liquid is added.  The addition of cream of tartar adds acidity to recipes that don’t call for acidic ingredients. Also worth noting: Since baking powder is a mixture of ingredients, it’s slightly less potent, teaspoon by teaspoon, than baking soda. Most baking powders sold today are double-acting, meaning that they work once as they are added to wet ingredients and then leaven (make dough rise) again when popped in the oven and exposed to heat. Single-acting baking powders are also available but aren’t used as frequently. They activate when exposed to moisture and that’s it. You can substitute double-acting for single-acting baking powder.

Baking soda’s reaction is done all at once in your baked goods, while baking powder has a slower reaction and releases gas bubbles into your baked goods over a longer period of time, allowing for a more gradual rise and resulting in a lighter, more airy texture. You can really see the difference between the two leavening agents when baking cookies. Making cookies is about individual preferences. I personally like my cookies bigger and crispier, so I use both baking powder and baking soda. Some people prefer them, fluffier and softer.

Cooking is not an exact science, but baking, however is, because baking causes the chemical reactions in food more so than cooking, especially when exposed to the higher heat of the oven. When cooking, it’s not going to matter too much if the amounts are altered. In baking, the amounts DO matter. For instance, if you use too much baking powder in a recipe, it will cause your baked goods to rise too quickly and taste bitter. They will also be dried out and crumbly. The excess gas created by too much baking powder can cause baked goods to expand and then deflate after baking. If you use too much baking soda it will cause your baked goods to rise uncontrollably and taste terrible, giving them a salty, metallic taste. If you don’t use enough of either baking soda or baking powder your cookies will fall flat and your cake layers will be too dense.

Is there a shelf life for baking soda and baking powder. Yes, there is. It’s not going to hurt you if you if use either baking powder or baking soda that has expired, but they may not have the same leavening powers they had when in their effective time frames. You can test your baking powder by adding a small amount to hot water to see if it bubbles, indicating it’s still active; if unsure, it’s recommended to replace it with fresh baking powder. You can also substitute vinegar for baking powder when in a pinch. The acidic pH of vinegar is perfect for use as a substitute for baking powder. Vinegar has a leavening effect when paired with baking soda in cakes and cookies. If you accidentally add baking soda when you want baking powder, add about one tablespoon of white or apple cider vinegar for every half teaspoon of baking soda to the liquids before mixing with the dry ingredients and everything should bake up just fine.

So, now you know. Your baked goods should turn out perfect from now on. But practice makes perfect, and even if they don’t turn out perfect, just keep on trying until they do, and then just keep baking on. 🙂

Thank you to The Reluctant poet at https://thereluctantpoetweb.wordpress.com/ for the inspiration for this post. I have to admit, I bake quite often, as you all know, but I learned some new things today too.

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

I am seeing all these references to National Women’s Day, asking who we attribute our success to. I thank my mom. My mom was always my number supporter and cheerleader. She always gave me 100% support for everything I did, no matter how wacky or crazy my ideas may have been. My mother was always there for me with a big heart, a big smile and a lots of big hugs. I am who I am in large part because of you and all you did for me.

Thank you Mom. I miss you and I love you. I hope I make you proud.

I was inspired by the recipe for Lebanese chicken by one of our own, https://tasteoflesotho.com/. Thank you so much. I actually followed your recipe, for the most part; something I rarely do. 🙂 I did cheat however, since I had a whole Costco rotisserie chicken in the fridge. I used that instead of completely cooking it. I also tweaked some of the spices. But then, would you expect anything different from me?!

Lebanese Chicken

1 whole chicken

1 TBSP garlic

1/4 cup yogurt

2-3 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp corriander

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp Za’atar

salt & pepper to taste

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

Spray a deep baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine everything together and generously rub all over the chicken.

Since my chicken was already cooked, I didn’t have to cook it as long. I was mainly just cooking it to completely heat the chicken up and get it hot and to have the skin crisp up. So by cheating, I only cooked it for about 20-30 minutes. If you are cooking a raw chicken, cook it for about 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165* F or 74*C.

I also roasted some potatoes, beets, onions, carrots and Brussels sprouts. The original recipe has everything cooking together, but again, since I cheated, I had to cook the potatoes and vegetables longer. I mixed everything together with olive oil, salt & pepper, garlic, thyme and Za’atar. I had the vegetables in the oven roasting before I placed the chicken in the oven.

When everything was done, I served it with couscous and topped the chicken with a little extra sauce that I heated up before serving it over the chicken. I also served it with some warmed bread and an olive oil-balsamic vinegar dipping sauce, and of course white wine. Everything was DELICIOUS! I can’t take all the credit though. Costco rotisserie chickens are ALWAYS good, and of course my thanks once again to http://tasteoflesotho.com/ for the great inspiration for this dish.

All great chefs and cooks borrow from others, but we also add our own personal touches to make them our own too. As I always say, it’s OK to play with your food. 🙂

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