In My Kitchen

In My Kitchen – June 2025
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In My Kitchen – June 2025

I know it has been months since my last post. As an excuse, I’ve been away…a lot. And, I was thrown an emotional curveball since the election. My usual cheerfulness deserted me. Traveling helped, as did taking a break from the endless chaos of the news.

Where have I been? Since the beginning of this year, I have been to France twice, Scotland, and Florida. It’s been over six weeks of travel since January. I’m not going to chronicle any details in this post. But the trips have influenced my kitchen and cooking. As well, we were nursing a very sick dog back to health. She had what they call ‘old dog disease’ or vestibular disease. It’s been a long four months nursing her back to health. She still exhibits the characteristic head tilt and is unsteady on her feet. At fourteen, we feel lucky to still have her with us.

Quinn

Quinn

During both visits to Paris, I ate at the restaurant Des Pres.

They serve water in what they call ‘Grandmother Jugs’. We were told that they can be found at flea markets, however searching was unproductive. On researching them we found they are vintage Portuguese Majolica animal pitchers. Luckily we were able to find new ones in an online search.

vintage Portuguese Majolica

Vintage Portuguese Majolica Owl Pitcher

It now sits proudly on my open shelf in the kitchen.

Sitting next to it is an antique porcelain soup tureen, found in a flea market on my second trip to France.

During that same visit I found this lovely vintage tablecloth.

I was inspired to do more French cooking and purchased a couple of books once I was back home.

There have been a few memorable home cooked meals, but many more memorable restaurant meals during my travels.

Moroccan Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables

Moroccan Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables

Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad

Just to share one dish I had a Tabak in Paris.

Hummus with caramelized onions and leeks

Hummus with caramelized onions and leeks

The most delicious, richest, creamiest hummus I have ever tasted.

In My Kitchen – January 2025
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In My Kitchen – January 2025

Happy New Year to you all. In My Kitchen is hosted by Sherry, from  Sherry’s Pickings. You can visit her site to see all the wonderful new things bloggers are sharing this month. Consider adding your own post to become part of this virtual party. It’s a chance to share all the new gadgets you may have received as gifts during the holidays, and your month in food.

It seems like the time between Halloween and the New Year passes in a blurr. I know I did some cooking, but forgot to take pictures. My new year’s resolution is to do better.

It’s been very rainy up here on the Northern California coast. I wish we could send some of it down to Southern California to put out the fires ravishing communities. I feel for those who have lost so much.

So, what has been going on? In my garden there are items that will end up in my kitchen.

Asparagus

Asparagus

Do you see those spears just emerging? This is the third year for the asparagus bed, we will be able to harvest and eat some this year.

Garlic

Garlic

This is the first year that I have planted garlic and shallots. These are the first shoots, I was inspired to plant them because of some recipes for garlic scapes (not something you will find in the grocery store). Do you know garlic scapes? Garlic scapes are the long green shoots that grow from the garlic bulb, and they are an amazing way to add garlicky flavor to your favorite dishes. They’re a bit milder than garlic cloves, which makes them the perfect base for pestos, an addition to quiches, or even eaten straight up sauteed with a little salt.

It’s also the first year that I planted leeks in the garden.

Leeks

Leeks

I will let them get a bit bigger before I harvest the first of them.

In My Kitchen I have new ccokbooks, a favorite gift item.

It’s going to take some time to go through them. Cookbooks and seed catalogs are my favorites for rainy day browsing with a cup of tea.

Salad with air fryer ravioli

Salad with air fryer ravioli

For dinner, roasted cauliflower, sliced sausage, arugula and air fryer ravioli.

The ravioli are wonderful, crisp with a creamy filling. And they couldn’t be easier with an air fryer. Use fresh ravioli from the refrigerated section, simply spray with a tiny bit of oil and cook at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes or until browned to you liking.

Every winter we have a few downed trees with the resulting loss of power. For the past couple of years we have been the bad guys since the trees were on our property. This year it was another neighbor. The tree fell across the road, cutting off about five houses. What a wonderful excuse to pull our the chainsaws after the power company had delt with the downed wires.

Chainsaws armed and ready!

In My Kitchen – December 2024
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In My Kitchen – December 2024

I have been absent these last couple of months. Why, you might ask? The election threw me a punch. There is no other way to put it. I have yet to be able to read most newspaper headlines, and somehow, posting has also been affected.

I’ve been cooking and buying cookbooks—they are both refuges. I have also taken up embroidery. It keeps my hands busy when I have difficulty settling. Are any of you feeling the same way?

Friends have a cabin on Donner Lake, and we visited them in early October. Wendy is a wonderful crafter; she makes quilts (of which I have several) and other needlework. She introduced me to cozyblue, and I was hooked. It should be in my DNA because my parents, Grandmother, Great Aunt, and Uncle were artists. I do it for the relaxation and meditative aspects and am a beginner.

We ended up with lots of tomatoes from the garden, but they never ripened.

Green Tomatoes

Green Tomatoes

So when life presents you with green tomatoes, you pickle and make chutney.

We have not tasted the pickled tomatoes, but the chutney is terrific.  I tried three different recipes, and they are all excellent. Next year, I may not even bother trying to get ripe tomatoes.

There have been some stellar meals over the past couple of months…

Chicken ricotta meatballs with ravioli and salad

Chicken ricotta meatballs with ravioli and salad

 

Pasta Puttanesca

Pasta Puttanesca

Pasta Puttanesca for my husband’s birthday meal.

Kale Salad with Delicata Squash and Pomegranate Seeds

Kale Salad with Delicata Squash and Pomegranate Seeds

The kale was harvested from the garden.

Roast Cauliflower Salad with Pinenuts and Dates

Roast Cauliflower Salad with Pinenuts and Dates

 

Mexican Pizza with Black Beans and Mango Salsa

Mexican Pizza with Black Beans and Mango Salsa

 

Crispy Oven Roasted Gnocchi Salad with Butternut Squash and Feta

Crispy Oven Roasted Gnocchi Salad with Butternut Squash, kale, and Feta

In My Kitchen, I have some new cookbooks. I read them like novels and love trying new flavors. My birthday is in October, and cookbooks are fabulous presents. Sometimes they are to me, from me, love me.

We have also had some doggie adventures. Ollie visited with his owner, and we took a walk in the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens when the dahlias were in full bloom. It’s a very dog-friendly place.

Shanna and friend Ollie at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

Shanna and friend Ollie at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

At Donner Lake, we hiked a lot with the dogs. Quinn was completely tuckered out. Here she is trying to fit into Ollie’s bed.

Quinn, after a long day of hiking in the Tahoe Area.

Quinn, after a long day of hiking in the Lake Tahoe area

 

Shanna at Donner Lake, showing off

Shanna at Donner Lake, showing off

Shanna just wanted to stretch out.

Next, we visited Utah for more visits with friends and their dog.

Inyo and Shanna in Utah

Inyo and Shanna in Utah

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Thank you for visiting. And your comments make me happy.

In My Kitchen – May 2024
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In My Kitchen – May 2024

We were gone a good part of last month so there hasn’t been as much cooking as usual. There are, however, some new things in my kitchen. This post is part of a monthly wrap-up of kitchen stories hosted by Sherry of Sherry’s Pickings. Click on the link to read what has been happening in kitchens around the world.

What have I been cooking in my kitchen? I tried a new air fryer tofu recipe from the blog Pinch of Yum, it was actually quite delicious although I haven’t tried it on my reluctant tofu eating husband yet.

Air fryer tofu

Air fryer tofu

He was out of town for a few days and this was a dinner I made for myself.

Air fryer tofu, roast butternut squash, brown rice and arugula

Air fryer tofu, roast butternut squash, brown rice, avocado, and arugula

I recently found a way to cook artichokes which cuts the time. It involves cutting them in half first, steaming them, removing the choke, then browning them (cut side down) in a bit of oil before serving. You could also pop them on the grill. I credit this one to the blog Smitten Kitchen.

Another new kitchen discovery was a way of cooking sweet potatoes. I know the pictures look like hockey pucks, but the outside is wonderfully crisp and the inside meltingly tender.

Slow-roasted, crispy sweet potatoes

Slow-roasted, crispy sweet potatoes

There are some new ingredients in my kitchen. Travel really expands eating horizons. While in Amsterdam we ate at some wonderful restaurants. At Trees we had a dish that was garnished with tiny pine cones. Who knew you could eat pine cones??? They are a Siberian specialty and I was able to order some on Amazon.

I haven’t had a chance to use them yet but will keep you posted. At the restaurant they used them to garnish a slice of smoked pork tenderloin.

The Chef Mimi Blog wrote about black garlic and a delicious pasta recipe using it with morels. I have been meaning to try black garlic for some time and her post pushed me over the edge. Although I doubt I can get fresh morels, I will try her recipe with other mushrooms.

Also new is this harissa preserved lemon.

Harissa preserved lemon

Harissa preserved lemon

I am looking forward to using it.

The ginger marmalade was new at our local grocery store. I think it will be wonderful as a glaze for chicken.

Ginger Marmalade

Ginger Marmalade

Lastly, I have to tell you about this knife sharpener. I apologize as I cannot remember where I saw it mentioned. It was probably on another In My Kitchen post. I need to tell you that this actually works. My knives have never been so sharp. Over the years I have tried many sharpeners, even electric ones. This one beats them all.

Knife Sharpener

Knife Sharpener

You can buy it on Amazon.

For my curveball (it’s a little off color) I want to show you something we saw on our trip in Prague. This is the statue created by David Cerny.

Peeing Guys

Peeing Guys

I hope it gives you a giggle.

In My Kitchen – April 2024

I am rushing to get this post out under the cut off time. Sherry from Sherry’s Pickings hosts a friendly community of bloggers who post monthly (or less) about their kitchens and/or kitchen gardens. It is a collection from around the world detailing what is new related to food, or kitchen gadgets, or simply life in general, over the past month (and sometimes longer). Click on the link to Sherry’s Pickings to read them all. Following is my own summary from the past couple of months.

Spring is finally here, but with a very slow start. It’s been cold and very wet, my vegetable garden does not look like spring. I was reminiscing over some photos of it from a few years ago, it’s a sad comparison. I was hoping to be able to cut salad greens before we leave for vacation in the middle of this month…it’s not going to happen. A dry warming trend is on schedule for the end of this week so I may be in luck when we return at the end of the month.

I have been cooking more vegetarian meals over the past couple of months as a result of being told my cholesterol is too high. Our daughter has also been spending more time with us and doing a share of the cooking, which is wonderful but probably not good for my cholesterol level. Her latest recipe has pasta cooked in the sauce rather than separately, something I have been meaning to try but not gotten around to.

Chicken sausage and cheese bake with chickpea rotelli.

Chicken sausage and cheese bake with chickpea rotelli

It was delicious, quite rich.

My husband has also been taking a turn in the kitchen. It’s tough to beat his bruschetta with cheese, sliced tomato and avocado. If we have leftover chicken or some prosciutto, those go on as well.

We have been, up to now, able to get some lovely organic tomatoes at the market. But they are looking rather pathetic at the moment.

In My Kitchen my own efforts have tended more to salads and vegetarian meals.

 

Kale Salad with Butternut Squash and cheddar

Kale Salad with Butternut Squash and cheddar

 

 

 

Linguini with Carmelized Onions

Linguini with Carmelized Onions and Pine Nuts

I was recently reminded of a cookbook written by the late Judy Rodgers from the Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. One of her most famous dishes at the restaurant is brined and roasted chicken served atop an arugula and crisp bread salad. I was surprised to realize that I had never tried it at home. It was a big hit.

Zuni Cafe's Roasted Chicken with Arugula and Bread Salad

Zuni Cafe’s Roasted Chicken with Arugula and Bread Salad

It’s fun to go back and explore history through a personal collection of cookbooks. There was a recent post on the blog Menu Mistress that inspired me to take a look at my own collection. I started with Julia Child, Michael Field, James Beard, and Roy Andres de Groot. Looking over those books again I was struck by how meat centric they were and how much cooking (and eating) has changed in the last few decades. The author de Groot even added MSG to most dishes, not something you would see today.

I have arranged my cookbook collection in the bookcase by topic, I wonder how it would look like if I arranged them on a timeline of influence and acquisition. Something to consider. We need to repaint the bookcase and they will all need to be removed for that project at some point this summer.

There are also the books that are as much memoirs and essays as cookbooks. My favorites are by the authors…M.F.K. Fisher, Betty Fussell, Laurie Colwin, Ruth Reichl, and Alice Waters. Ella Risbridger belongs in that group as well although she is much newer.

My latest cookbooks are more are vegetable, vegetarian, and salad centric.

And then there are the gardening books.

It’s a good thing that my husband has a bookcase in his office because books on cooking, gardening, and travel have pushed most other things out of the bookcase in the living room. It might be time for a purge.

Bookcase

Bookcase

It’s difficult to part with any of them.

And finally…

Did you know that this sweet and innocent looking puppy is a heart surgeon?

Shanna Feb 2024

Shanna Feb 2024

Heart Surgery…

Heart Surgery - Squeaker Beware

Heart Surgery – Squeaker Beware

It is her passion to remove each and every squeaker from her toys, usually with great precision and skill.

 

Although sometimes it takes some work to get it perfect.

This toy was labeled ‘indestructible’.