I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
I hear today is International Dog Day. In our house, everyday is a dog day, and of course cat day too. We love our fur babies. Let’s hear it for the dogs, and the cats.
Dorrie and Juneau napping on the couch.
They’re on guard.
And honorable mention for Otis and Nicodemus (Nicky) too.
Today is my last cooking class with Noah. He and his family are moving. It will be a bittersweet day. We will certainly have fun, like we always do, but it will be a little sad too.
I asked Noah what he wanted to make today, and he said sushi. I know how to make sushi, but why make it when I can buy it for less and it will be better. So I told Noah I would buy us some sushi and we would prepare some other things to go with it. Deal. He said he likes salmon sushi. I will eat anything, but one of my favorites is ahi tuna. I got something both of us will enjoy.
The first thing to realise is that “sushi” doesn’t mean “raw fish”. It actually refers to a dish of vinegared rice served with various fillings and toppings, which may include raw fish. Sushi was originally invented as a means of preservation, when fermented rice was used to store fish for anything up to a year. This was known as narezushi, and in fact the rice was thrown away and only the fish consumed. A later variant called namanarezushi, invented in the 16th century, introduced the idea of using vinegared rice, which was consumed instead of being thrown away, and this is still enjoyed today, particularly in Japan’s ancient capital, Kyoto. Find out more from sushi veteran Masayoshi Kazato.
Sushi is said to have originated in China between the 5th and the 3rd centuries BC, as a means of preserving fish in salt. Narezushi, the original form of sushi, has been made in South East Asia for centuries, and nowadays, there are still traces of it in some parts. Narezushi appeared in Japan in the 8th century, and still survives today in the form of foods such as carp sushi.
Sushi was introduced to the west during the early 1900’s, and was reintroduced after WWII. Today, sushi is popular all over the world. It comes in many different varieties and is always evolving and changing, like so so many different foods do. The type of sushi most popular, at least in the western world, is nigiri-zushi, a type of sushi most known today, in which seafood is placed on hand-pressed vinegared rice, invented in 1824. It was the fast food of the Edo period. Originally, sushi was fermented fish with rice preserved in salt, and this was a staple dish in Japan for a thousand years until the Edo Period (1603 to 1868) when contemporary sushi was developed. The word “sushi” means “it’s sour,” which reflects back to sushi’s origins of being preserved in salt.
Sushi is made with just about any type of fish, as well as vegetables, eel, and sometimes chicken. It is very versatile. The sushi chefs use ONLY A grade fish, and traditionally it takes years to master the art of sushi making.
Sushi, no matter how it is made is always beautifully presented. It always looks like edible art. All of these look amazing! They almost look too pretty to eat. ALMOST! I would enjoy any and all of these at anytime.
So even though we are not making our sushi, we will be making some other delicious things to accompany our sushi.
Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
This year has been a banner year for all kinds of dragonflies and other winged creatures. I can’t recall another time where I have seen so many. Most of the time they are flying so fast, it is hard to catch them. But every now and then they slow down long enough for me to get a few good shots. I was zoomed to the max for these shots, as they were pretty far away. But they still came out fairly well.
Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
We took a little trip down to Castle Rock yesterday to celebrate my friend Neil’s birthday. Castle Rock is only about an hour south of us. Neil had his party at a cute little place called The Hideaway Bar & Grill, located at 600 Jerry Street, Castle Rock, CO.
The Hideaway is a cute little place featuring burgers, sandwiches and fish & chips. I had a burger and Larry ordered fish & chips. Both were very good.
They have a nice outside patio, but the party was inside, in the music room.
I LOVE all things guitar, so of course I took pictures of the 2 guitars hanging on the wall.
There were also a lot of old, retro video games all around too and some billiard tables in another room. The Hideaway is all about having fun and enjoying yourself with friends, and that we did too.
AND it is Bronco territory as well.
But we weren’t there for any of that. We were there to celebrate Neil. Neil and I go way back to our high school years. Both of us are from Pasadena, California, now living in the opposite ends of the Denver Metro area, here in Colorado.
Neil and his wife Tamura.
The birthday boy was thoroughly enjoying himself.
Here he is holding up the present I gave him, a Jeanne original. I asked him what kind of birds he liked and he said his favorite birds were the Herons. So I captured one for him.
But I think this is the gift he really wanted. We all did. Maybe next year. 🙂
I was the one behind the camera, where I much prefer to be, so unfortunately no pictures of the two of us together this time.
Happy Birthday Neil. Hope you have a fabulous birthday. Welcome to the club. We are officially old now, though still very young at heart. 🙂
Cornbread is as American as apple pie, but its origins date back far beyond the inception of this country. With roots in Mesoamerican, Native American, and African cultures; history and people have shaped this iconic American bread into what it is today.
The Native Americans and Cornbread
Corn, also called maize, is the most widely planted staple crop on Earth. It is thought to have been bred from wild grasses in what is now Mexico over 7,000 years ago. As civilizations grew and flourished in the Americas so did maize. Many different varieties were developed that were able to survive in starkly different locations and climates, from present-day Illinois to Peru. It became one of the most important resources in the Americas, and Native Americans had many creative uses for all parts of the crop. The husks could be used to weave baskets or a mattress, and the kernels could be made into hominy or ground with a mortar and pestle to make cornmeal for cooking.
Corn was so prevalent in the Americas at this time that cornmeal became a major staple in the diets of Native Americans. Early cornbread consisted of cornmeal, water, and salt and was baked over a fire or in a hearth. Without milk, eggs, or sugar, early versions of the bread were quite different than what we eat today, but they offered a vital source of energy. Iroquois messengers who traveled between villages would carry cornmeal as their only source of nourishment for the journey. Mixed with water to make cornbread, it made for a quick and energizing meal.
The Early Americans
The Native Americans introduced the Pilgrims to corn. In both Plymouth Rock and Jamestown, the settlers were introduced to corn by Native Americans in the region who taught them how to grow and cook it. After finding success in growing corn, European settlers quickly adopted the new crop which became a vital food source in their diets. Recipes such as cornbread became a mainstay in the new settlements and the broader American colonies that followed them. Cornbread remained a popular alternative to wheat bread because most of the wheat grown in the colonies was exported to Great Britain. The wheat that was not shipped overseas was difficult to transport along America’s coast making it somewhat of a rare commodity in colonies outside of the Mid-Atlantic region. Due to its scarcity, wheat bread became something that was reserved for special occasions, while cornbread was typically used in everyday cooking and meals.
Even though early colonists considered cornmeal more of a rudimentary, everyday staple ingredient, cornbread recipes continued to evolve and even became a symbol of pride in the Southern colonies. By the eighteenth century cornbread started to resemble something closer to a modern recipe. Colonists would add ingredients like molasses, butter, and milk to improve the taste. The batter was either baked into what was called a common loaf, or formed into patties and fried also known as hoecakes or johnny cakes. During the Revolutionary War, cornbread also played a significant role in feeding troops as it was cheap, easy to transport, and a good source of calories. Much like the Iroquois messengers, patriot soldiers would sometimes subsist solely on cornmeal and water that was fried or baked over a campfire to make cornbread.
The African Influence
For Black Americans, cornbread is more than just a comfort food. It is a symbol of their ancestors ingenuity, resilience, and strength in the face of adversity. Throughout the American colonies and into the nineteenth century, enslaved Americans were given very meager rations to cook with, most often whatever was considered “undesirable” by slaveowners. These rations would include leftover greens, animal parts, molasses, and grains like rice or cornmeal. Cornmeal became essential to the survival of these individuals, and to make it last they developed ways of stretching the ingredients to feed more people.
Cornbread Today
Today, most Americans, no matter their background have a recipe for cornbread that’s passed down through generations. These recipes tell the stories of our past and speak to American culture in many ways. If you’re from the north, your cornbread most likely has sugar or honey in it. If you’re from the south, you may not use sweetener in your bread at all. Those in Appalachia may still prepare cornbread the old-fashioned way simply using ground corn, hot water, and lard. Our recipes tell the story of where we’ve been and will continue to evolve through time. However, no matter where you’re from or what your background is, all can agree that there are not many dishes out there that have stood the test of time and feel quite as American as cornbread.
My mother was from southeast Texas, and cornbread is a daily staple, found on almost every table. There are so many different recipes for cornbread in Texas. I can’t say I have tried them all, but I have tried a lot. But I am always up for more research and experimentation. 🙂
When I made my low country boil Low Country Boil, of course, I had to serve it with cornbread and honey butter.
Simple Old Fashioned Cornbread
This particular recipe is as simple as you can get, but it’s still delicious. I try all different kinds of recipes, all the time, for everything. I really enjoy adding jalapenos, corn and red peppers to my cornbread as well, but sometimes, I just want simple.
Preheat the oven to 425* F or 218*C.
Spray a 9×9 square pan with cooking spray.
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/tsp baking powder
1 TBSP sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups milk
Combine all the dry ingredients together and mix well.
Mix the egg, milk and vegetable oil together, then incorporate into the dry mixture with a spatula. Just mix until everything is blended together, then pour into the prepared pan and spread out evenly.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until it is set and golden, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for a bit, then slice and top with honey butter. DELICIOUS!!!!
Cornbread goes with everything. There’s nothing that isn’t made better with a little cornbread and honey butter.
Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
First of all, thank you to all of you for your well wishes on my finger. Your thoughts and prayers are always welcomed and greatly appreciated.
Today, Friday, marks one week since I almost sliced off the top of my finger. I did everything I was supposed to do and followed the first doctor’s orders to a tee. But it still somehow managed to get infected. When I changed the banadaging, it was WORSE, not better. I had a horrible burning sensation that went from my finger all the way up my arm. I had to go back to the doctor, but this time it was a different doctor, in a clinic and not the ER.
She really didn’t do much, but she said that it had become infected and prescribed an antibiotic, that I have to take twice a day for 10 days. I told her I will do whatever it takes because I am going DIVING again next week, and I AM DIVING! She laughed and completely understood where I was coming from, being a former diver and swimmer herself. She told me to take my antibiotics and to cover it with liquid bandage before I go diving.
I don’t have to have the huge, cumbersome bandage or splint anymore, but I do still have to keep it wrapped and dry when I shower. There is a silver lining though …. it gets me out of doing the dishes for awhile. 🙂
I won’t show you the actual pictures of my finger, unwrapped, because, well, it is UGLY and pretty scary looking. As you can see, I also have a blister on my baby finger, but that could be because of the splint I had to wear at first. So, I am still on the mend, but hopefully it won’t be too much longer.
Thank you all again for your thoughts, prayers and well wishes.
I love anything custard, creme brulee or flan. If that is my dessert choice, count me in. I have made and enjoyed all of the above many, many times. But if I can make it with only 3 ingredients, that are standard in everyone’s kitchen, even better. SWEET!!!!!
When we had our taco bar, The Taco Bar I made flan for dessert.
As expected, it was a big success and was gobbled up quickly. But what I liked most about this flan recipe vs. others, is that it literally only needed 3 ingredients to make – milk, eggs and sugar. That’s it!
3 Ingredient Flan
2 cups milk
4 large eggs + 2 yolks
1 cup sugar, divided
Preheat the oven to 350* F or 180* C.
Melt 1/2 of the sugar in a saucepan with just about 1-2 tsp water. Let it cook, without stirring, until it turns completely liquid and turns into a nice golden color. Then immediately divide it equally into 6-8 ramekins. You have to work fast so it doesn’t crystalize and harden.
Heat the milk to get it warm/hot, but do not bring to a boil.
Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and 1/2 the sugar. Add the milk slowly while whisking at the same time. You are tempering the milk, or lowering its temperature. This is a MUST. If you don’t temper the milk, you will scramble your eggs and the custard will be ruined.
Place the ramekins in a 9×13 baking dish, side by side. Equally distribute the custard into each ramekin, pouring it over the caramel sauce. Then fill the baking dish with warm water to about the halfway point.
Carefully place in the oven to bake for about 20 minutes, or until the custard is set. Let it cool completely, then place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour before serving.
When ready to serve, take a butter knife and gently go around the inside of the dish to loosen up the custard. Place a plate on top of the custard, then gently flip over. The custard will be on the bottom and all the delicious caramel sauce will flow on top.
!Esta mui delicioso! !Fantastico! This is a classic dessert in any Spanish speaking country and it’s so easy to make too. I promise, you’re going to love it. It will literally melt in your mouth.
Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
I am still out of commission, and am really unable to do much in the kitchen right now because of my finger. I am going back to the doctor again today and I will give more of an update on it later. So, I thought I would share some more fun food facts with you while we wait. I always like learning new things. I hope you do too. 🙂
2. If you eat sushi, then you are familiar with wasabi. But most wasabi sauce is just colored horseradish. Real wasabi is difficult to make and is very expensive.
3. Nutmeg is a favorite spice used for many things and many recipes. But use it sparingly. Did you know that nutmeg is actually a hallucinogen. It contains a natural compound called myristicin that has mind-altering effects if taken in large doses.
4. Salmon is a popular type of fish. Wild salmon comes in different shades of pink, that comes from the color of the shrimp they eat, similar to flamingoes. But farm salmon is fed a different diet, and their pink coloring comes from dyes, since they are normally white. They are fed specific plant pigments to get the same hue as wild salmon.
5. Up until 2013, in Russia beer and all other alcohols under 10% ABV were considered soft drinks.
6. Nutella is a worldwide favorite sweet treat to eat. It is so popular in fact, that 25% of all hazelnuts, or 1 out of every 4 hazelnuts ends up in a jar of Nutella. I LOVE Nutella!
So …. Now you know all these fun little food facts that you never knew before. Aren’t you glad you tuned in???? You just never know what you’ll learn.
Have a great day and make every day great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
If you are like me, you use the terms stock and broth interchangeably. I also use both liquids interchangeably too. But believe it or not, there really is a difference between the two.
Our friend Randy, from Cook Fork Plate at https://cookplatefork.com/ actually inspired me for this idea and post. Thank you Randy.
Both stocks and broth are liquids usually made from animal carcasses, meat and vegetables that have been reduced. The main differences between the two are the type of animal part used, the length of the simmering time, and the seasoning. Stock is generally made from bones, and broth is generally made from the flesh. In both cases, they are often supported with aromatic vegetables, but in the case of stock, left unseasoned for maximum flexibility in recipes, whereas broth will usually contain at least salt and pepper. Typically made from bones and connective tissue, stock is simmered for a long time, often 4–6 hours, to break down the collagen and create a thick, gelatinous liquid. The long cooking time also allows the flavors to meld, resulting in a rich, full-bodied flavor. Stock is often left unseasoned so it can be used as a base in a variety of recipes, such as braises, sauces, and stews.
This is a typical broth. It is made with the carcass, onions, carrots, celery and a bouquet garni, or an herb bunch and water. This one is a chicken broth. As with anything, there are always different variations. Broth usually is cooked in less than 2 hours.
Stocks are made in a similar fashion, with the same basic ingredients, however, they contain the meat as well, and are slow cooked for a much longer period of time. Usually a good stock takes between 2-6 hours to prepare.
Another option is a consommé. A consommé is a clear liquid. Consommé is often confused with broth, but it’s actually a product derived from clarified broth or stock. Consommé is a clarified and concentrated stock or broth that is either usually served on its own as a soup or when cooled, used as gelatin. There are a number of methods for making a beautifully clarified consommé. All involve using egg whites, which help form a raft of solids at the surface of the stock or broth. Those solids are then skimmed off, and the broth or stock strained.
As with most things cooking related, you the cook, can always determine what is best for you to use in your own recipes. Cooking in general is using time honored ideas to prepare delicious foods. But those are just ideas and guidelines really. In order to personalize your foods, be creative and think outside the box; break from the traditions and the norms, and do what works best from you.
I hope you all learned something new today. I know I did. 🙂 Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
We have butterflies that fly around freely here, but not nearly as many as you would find in a warm, tropical location. That being said though, we do have a place close by where butterflies fly freely by the 1000’s. We have The Butterfly Pavilion that’s only about a mile away from our house.
The Butterfly Pavilion was opened as a zoo for invertebrates, but specifically, for butterflies in 1995. It is home to hundreds, if not thousands of different butterflies and insects of all kinds. I’ve been quite a few times, but I went again, on a whim just the other day. Larry was out playing golf, so I decided to spend some time with the butterflies. In a way, I was also spending time with my mother, who absolutely loved butterflies.
The Butterfly Pavilion is situated on 11 acres, and the outside gardens are beautifully maintained. Before entering the Pavilion itself, I roamed around through the outside gardens. It is located at 6252 W 104th Ave, Westminster, CO 80020. No reservations needed. Just walk on in. It’s open until 5:00 PM everyday. You can even host parties, weddings and events there too, but for those you definitely need to make reservations.
This gazebo is where our friends Erik and Shannon got married last year.
There were a few friendly bunnies hopping around to welcome me too.
Before entering into the main butterfly gardens, you first enter through the insect room. One of their main attractions is Rosy, the friendly tarantula. Although there are really about 12 or so Rosies, who they rotate throughout the day. I’ve held her before. She tickles as she crawls around on your hand or arm.
Some of the other interesting residents to see before entering into the butterfly gardens. All of these insects are vital to keeping our plants around the world healthy and productive.
Next, you wonder through the “seas” and see some of the underwater invertebrates, many of whom I see all the time while diving. We see plenty of sea stars.
And every now and then we see a few horseshoe crabs too.
But the real stars and the main attractions are of course, all the butterflies and the tropical plants and flowers.
There were so many different butterfly species flitting all around. I had to be very careful where I walked too, because they were everywhere.
This one is camouflaged very well. To its predators, it looks like either a poisonous snake on the back of its wings, or something with very large eyes. But the front of its wings are a very bright, beautiful blue. I tried and tried to get pictures of its blue wings, but was unsuccessful.
Taking a snack break, munching on rotten fruit. They like the rotten fruit because it produces a sweet nectar.
I was there in time to see the release of new butterflies too. It was their first day flying in the big garden.
There was even this big spider who was very pregnant and about to lay her eggs. She was resting on the wall.
Make the most of everyday. There is always something new to see or to learn. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
A Jeanne in the Kitchen 