Mashed Potato Stuffed Bell Peppers © Jaymi HeimbuchPhotos by Jaymi Heimbuch Growing up, stuffed bell peppers were a staple. But I admit, I am not a big fan of rice (the way my mother makes them). So I am always looking for different ways to stuff a bell pepper, such as with Israeli Couscous. 2 bell peppers3 large baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds), cubed1/2 cup of buttermilk3 garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon thyme1/2 cup shredded Gouda cheese1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheeseSalt and pepper to taste 1. 2. © Jaymi Heimbuch 3. Since we are baking the mashed potatoes in bell peppers, you might want to use a dash more salt then you normally do. 4. 5. 6. © Jaymi Heimbuch 7. Don't leave them in the oven too long like I did. Visit the Green Wine Guide for more vegetarian recipes and wine pairings.
The Ultimate Strawberry Lemonade One of the first times I ever realized that – HEY! I can cook for myself! – was when I first learned to make lemonade. I magically found the refrigerated lemon juice at our house and followed the directions to make my own lemonade. I stirred and stirred and stirred again until that sugar was finally dissolved. Sorry for the detour. Anyway, there was a summer there where I made my own lemonade every single day, making sure to rub it in my sister’s face that I knew how to and she didn’t. The key to this being the ultimate lemonade is that you blend it up with the lemon rind in there. And any time of day for that matter. (makes 2 pint-glass servings with ice) 3/4 cup sugar2 large lemons, microwaved for 30 seconds2 cups water1 cup of frozen strawberries, microwaved for 1 minute (you could use fresh, but I think the frozen works better here) In a blender squeeze the lemons and add the rest of the lemon, rind and all. Now if that doesn’t say summer, I don’t know what does.
Chocolate Nutella Cookies Chocolate Nutella Cookies Tomorrow is a big day! It is my 29th birthday and World Nutella Day. I feel very special that they chose my birthday to honor one of my favorite treats…ha! I believe in celebrating birthdays all weekend long, so let’s get this party started! These chocolate cookies might look plain and simple, but I promise they are very special. Celebrate World Nutella Day and bake a batch of Chocolate Nutella Cookies. A few Nutella favorites: Chocolate Nutella Cookies Yield: 3 dozen cookiesCook Time: 10-11 minutes Ingredients:1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup dutch-process cocoa 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 teaspoon hazelnut extract 1/3 cup Nutella 1/3 cup milkDirections:1.
Bacon-wrapped Jalapeno Chicken Bites 610K+Add bacon to anything and it will fly off the table. That’s what a caterer once told me and I believe it. Certainly applies here. Whether you’re planning a cookout this weekend or cooking indoors (rain predicted here in Texas), grill up a few of these sizzling treats for a quick appetizer or serve as an entree. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than with a big plate of these spicy and cheesy, smoky and crispy chicken nuggets. If you don’t like hot, leave out the jalapenos or skimp a bit. Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Chicken Bites Author: Recipe adapted from Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood 8 chicken tenders, flattened and cut in two3-ounce package softened cream cheese1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped8 slices bacon, cut in half Dab ½ teaspoon (more or less) of cream cheese on top of each chicken tender. Be sure to wear plastic gloves when handling fresh jalapenos.
How To Make Perfect Brownies I’ve tried lots of brownie recipes: Boxes, scratch, frosted, plain, nuts, chips, fudge … Each of them has something to like, but depending on my mood I might want a change of pace. Not any more. My wife found this recipe, and it’s perfect. I’m done looking. This is the brownie recipe that I’ll use from now on. Ingredients 1½ cups sugar ¾ cup flour ¾ cup cocoa powder (see note below) 3 eggs ¾ cup butter, melted ½ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter) ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (see note below) Directions A NOTE ON CHOCOLATE: You’ll notice the list of ingredients is very short. The assembly is about as easy as you can get. Do this by hand, until the dry ingredients are just incorporated into the wet, and stop. Stir in the chocolate chips. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment. Pour the batter and spread it out. Bake at 325° for 20-30 minutes. Very carefully lift the parchment out of the baking dish. Peel the edges and let cool for a few minutes before slicing. Like this recipe?
Hot Caprese Dip You only need three ingredients to make this fabulous snack! And I say snack, because it is totally acceptable to make it for yourself this afternoon when your stomach starts to rumble. You know why? Because I said so. It also obviously makes a great appetizer for parties. And it is super simple to make. Then throw the dish in the oven and let the cheese work it’s magic. It will look like this. It took all of my restraint to not go at the dip with just a spoon. I might have taken a little spoonful of a taste. There really is nothing better than a spoonful of bubbly, golden cheese. Hot Caprese Dip serves 2-4 10 ounces fresh mozzarella, chopped into cubes 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and juiced 3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil (or about 1 tablespoon dried) + more for garnish Preheat oven to 375. Make sure tomatoes have as much juiced squeezed out of them as possible – this will prevent the dip from becoming soupy. Just try to stay away.
Willow Bird Baking Portabella Lasagna I love lasagna despite all the work and I’m not talking about taking a frozen one out of a box and baking it in the oven for 45 minutes! And for the record, this is not just another lasagna recipe with mushrooms inside. I’ve actually taken the classic lasagna dish and evolved it into two vegetable versions where I completely omitted the lasagna noodles and used spaghetti squash in one version and more recently, zucchini. Both were outstanding and were a big hit with the family! But recently, I wanted to go a different direction and use lasagna as an inspiration and create something lighter and less time consuming! Danny’s Portabella Lasagna While I love lasagna, it’s really a heavy meal. And now that I’m back to working out on a regular basis, I wanted to create something that was lighter but still full of that lasagna goodness! And no sauce is complete without fresh herbs, so if you have them, use them – it makes the flavor that much more amazing! I hope you give this a try. Ingredients
LaSaGnA TiMpAnO I went to see tUnE-yArDs on Monday night with some friends, and as always we wanted to cook a meal that somehow related to the show we were heading to. Sometimes this is hard to do, but other times it seems to come naturally. Finding culinary inspiration in Merrill's lyrics seemed like it would be tough, but my sister knew what she wanted to make without hesitation. "How about something layered, because of all the vocal and instrument layering in the music?" Start by making a lasagna crust. Finally got it together. Now it's easy, just start building the layers! Alfredo sauce with some salami goes first. After 3 alfredo layers, I switched to pesto. A cheese only layer, just for fun. Tomato sauce is last. It's important to press things down as you go. In my opinion, it can't be lasagna without at least a little ricotta! I painted on some alfredo at the end as a glue. All sealed up. After baking. The flip is always a scary moment. Unveiling. A thing of beauty. Cutting is another tense event. Glorious!
Summer Tomatoes, Corn, Crab and Avocado Salad A wonderful summer salad made with lump crab meat, summer tomatoes, sweet charred roasted corn, cilantro, hot peppers and zesty lime juice. Serve this over mixed greens or tostadas as a main dish or you can put this in martini glasses as a fancy appetizer. This is perfect to bring to a potluck, or you can halve the recipe for less servings. Fresh crab is always best but if that's not available near you, canned lump crab would do. 12 oz lump crab meat1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half1 hass avocado, diced2 hot peppers such as serrano or jalapeños, diced fine (seeds removed for mild)1 1/2 cups roasted corn kernels 1/3 cup chopped red onion 2 limes, juice of (or more to taste)1 tsp olive oil2 tbsp chopped cilantrosalt and fresh pepper to tasteDirections: In a small bowl combine red onion, lime juice, olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper. In a large bowl combine chopped crab meat, avocado, tomatoes, hot pepper and corn.
Spaghetti and Meatball Pot Pie Remember those meatballs I made for a “special idea” on Friday? Here is that idea, Spaghetti and Meatball Pot Pie. I took the concept and figured if pizza was a good pot pie, then spaghetti and meat balls would be too. This isn't as much a recipe as it is a process. I started by greasing the inside of ramekins (1 cup sized, 3 1/2” in diameter). Next I add in two of the meatballs and sauce. Top that with some vermicelli that had been tossed in the sauce too. Another piece of cheese. For the crust, we made one order of our standard pizza dough and then cut out 3 1/2” circles. I rolled those out a little bigger and then pressed them over the top of the ramekins. Since I wanted the crust to be reminiscent of garlic bread, I made a glaze of butter, roasted garlic, parsley and thyme. I fired up Alexis' Big Green Egg to 450f and set it up in “convection oven” mode with the plate setter legs down. I baked the pot pies on a pizza stone on the plate setter. About 15 minutes in, they started to brown.