Good Eats: Stuffed Pepper Soup

This is so good you guys! Oh my gosh! This is just like making stuffed peppers but in soup form!!
I've been hungry for green peppers lately, and then, perfect timing! They go on sale 2 for a dollar! Went out and bought 10! Used 2 in some great steak kabobs on the grill when we had a freaky warm day and couldn't bear the thought of cooking indoors. Used some more peppers in omelets on a breakfast-for-dinner night. Peppers mixed in scalloped potatoes. Peppers mixed in cooked ground beef. And now, Stuffed Pepper Soup!

Picked this up off one of those store magazines you get for free by the door, but can't remember when. I clipped it out to try and with my pepper craving, it seemed the perfect time to make it! I've never made stuffed peppers for the kids, but I could easily imagine their reactions to me plopping a soft, mushy, stuffed pepper on their plates and expecting them to eat it. Can't you just hear the "ewwws" and "what's this?" and see those scrunched up faces???  I figured stuffed peppers deconstructed into a soup would be easier to swallow-- in more ways than one!

It's a slow-cooker recipe, but I didn't get started on it until the afternoon, so I just simmered it a few hours on the stove instead. It smells heavenly and after an hour, every single child came in and asked what I was cooking. After telling them what it was, I scooped a tortilla chip into the mixture and shoveled it in their mouths-- instant "yum!"  Come dinner time, I had no problems getting them to clean their bowls! It's *that* good! 

I also made the mistake of doubling this. No need!  This makes a lot! Only a pound of meat? I thought it wouldn't be enough, so I doubled it, and I'm left with a lot of leftovers. But I'm not complaining-- I'll happily eat this for lunch tomorrow! It was just a little bland for my taste, so I spiced it up by adding more black pepper and some steak seasoning spices-- ah, much better!

Here's the recipe, let me know if you make this!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 lb. ground turkey (I used ground beef instead)
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
6 oz can tomato paste
4 cups low sodium chicken broth (I used beef broth)
3 cups chopped green pepper
2/3 cup uncooked rice (white or brown)
2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
1 tsp dried basil
black pepper to taste

In large skillet, cook turkey (or beef), onion and garlic over medium heat until browned. Drain any fat and transfer mixture to a slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients and stir gently to mix. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Add water to thin if necessary. 

(my version: cook meat in a big pot, drain fat, add remaining ingredients and cook on a low simmer for 3 hours)

Enjoy!!

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

Still have leftover eggnog in the fridge?

Here's a yummy recipe to help use it up:

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

It's a really moist, yummy cake, and what cake doesn't look good when you cook it in a Bundt pan?

You could sprinkle some powdered sugar on this, or make a light glaze if you want, but this tastes good as is.

My kids love this and so do I!

Don't you just love my covered cake stand?

I love pulling this out and using it, it makes the cake extra special!

The recipe uses a spice cake mix.  I've made this twice now and I'm curious how this would taste with a regular cake mix-- if it would taste more eggnoggy and add in a bit of nutmeg as well. I still have plenty of eggnog left and family is coming over in a few days. I may use them as guinea pigs and have them try it out for me!

Here ya go!

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

1- box spice cake mix

1- box instant vanilla pudding mix

1 C vanilla yogurt

1/4 C vegetable oil

1 C eggnog

3 eggs

1 1/3 C toasted, chopped pecans (I omitted the nuts in mine)

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350*. Coat Bundt pan with grease and flour (those baking sprays make this a cinch!).

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and mix until creamy. Stir in pecans.  Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. (the first time I made this, it came out undercooked, the next time, I ended up cooking it for almost an hour and it came out perfect, so keep an eye on this and use that toothpick!)

When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Serve and enjoy!

Yummies for the Holidays

I make and give a lot of home made cookies and candies as gifts to family and friends.  I'm always on the lookout for something new and when I spotted a recipe that included chocolate, peanut butter and pretzels, well, need I say more?

As always, when trying out a new recipe, a sample batch must be made. I like to test out how easy or difficult it is to make, how time-consuming it may be, how much does it produce, and of course, the taste test! My favorite part!

Peanut butter mixture rolled into balls, then pressed between two mini pretzels, and dipped in melted chocolate. How could this combination fail? And it didn't.  It's oh, so good!

What is it about the salty and sweet? Peanut butter and chocolate? Crunchy and creamy?

My melted chocolate wasn't gooey enough for dipping, so I ended up spooning the chocolate onto each pretzel sandwich. I used twice as much chocolate than the recipe called for, but that's OK. It's worth the extra chocolate!

It was easy to make, the most time-consuming task was rolling the peanut butter mixture into small balls.  This could easily be a job for the little ones to do, if you don't mind ending up with half the amount-- because I'm pretty sure it would end up with one ball rolled for the pretzel and one ball rolled for the mouth!

I made this using milk chocolate and when I ran out of that, I used semi-sweet chocolate. Both are equally delicious!

Not quite bite-sized, just one or two would be enough to satisfy that sweet tooth!

These would look lovely packaged up into canning jars or small bags and wrapped with a ribbon as gifts. They'll tempt guests in pretty dishes or platters and make great hostess gifts at the holiday party you're invited to, or for the potluck at the office party.

Ready to make your own?

Chocolate-dipped Peanut Butter Pretzels

1 C creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp softened butter

1 C powdered sugar

3/4 C packed brown sugar

1 pound bag of small pretzel twists (this uses nearly the whole bag)

2 bags of  semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Combine peanut butter, butter, and sugars and with a mixer, mix until crumbly.  Using hands, roll into small balls, teaspoon size.  Flatten balls slightly and sandwich between two pretzels.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 

Melt chips in microwave. Heat for one minute, stir, then heat in 10 second increments until completely melted. Dip chilled pretzel sandwiches in chocolate then place onto wax paper and refrigerate. (I couldn't dip mine very well, so I spooned chocolate onto the sandwiches instead)

Keep in an air-tight container in the fridge and enjoy or give as gifts! 

Fancy Schmancy Sammiches

Around here, we sometimes get tired of the same old-same old.

PB&Js get tired.

Plain ol' ham and cheese get old.

Even my number one fave, grilled cheese, gets boring.

Andrew has been having a hankering for a Rueben sammich lately.

I don't care for rye or sauerkraut but hey, if he likes it, by all means, eat it!

A trip to the deli counter and a lovely lady that let all 6 of us sample different cheeses and meats--

brown sugar ham? delish!

Jarlsberg cheese? yummy!

We came home with a nice selection of deli meats and cheeses to make 2 kinds of gourmet sammiches:

                                                                      The Rueben.

Rye bread with thinly sliced corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing then pressed on the grill with a side of pickle. The husband reports, "It tastes like another!" It looked good, Mom gobbled up her sammich, but just the smell of the sauerkraut after Andrew opened the can was enough to chase me out of the kitchen and keep me from trying a bite.  Glad you like it honey, more for you!

The Turkey Cubano.

A twist on the Cubano which normally pairs ham and pork, this one uses turkey and ham.

Lightly buttered kaiser roll layered with turkey, ham, jarlsberg cheese, dill pickle, and mustard then pressed on the grill. Oh man!!  SO freakin' good!  And I don't even like pickles!! Even the kids gobbled this one up.

It's nice to shake things up a little, to try something different once in awhile.

When I saw the recipe for Turkey Cubanos, I didn't know what Jarlsberg cheese was, though I had heard of it. I learned it's a swiss cheese, slightly stronger tasting than the usual plain swiss cheese. I tried a bite of Andrew's Cubano with a pickle and liked it, then tried a bite of one without pickle and found I liked the tangy taste the pickle added to it, so I made mine with the pickle, too.  It's the first time I've ever purposely eaten a pickle and enjoyed it.

Eaten anything new lately?

From The Inside Out

What is it with the weather and the calendar, man?

These last few months have been strange, to say the least.

Flipping the calendar to September suddenly took away hot summer weather and, in an instant, Autumn was here. Not complaining really, there are lots of great things associated with Fall--

the start of a new school year

apples

and all things apple-related

cooler weather

sweaters

fall festivals

pumpkins

carved and pie

Halloween

changing colors of the leaves

that crispness in the air.

Flipping the calendar to October usually means more of the above.

But ever since October 1st got here, it's been cold, man.

Like, want to start a fire cold.

The temperature never got higher than the mid-40s today.

We seriously considered starting a fire, but we hate to start so soon on the wood pile.

Instead, I'm turning to baking.

If I can't warm from the outside, well, we can start on the inside.

 Apples.. you can see where this is going, can't you?

Bet you didn't think I was going here.



Anything better in the tummy than warm apple crisp?

 How about vanilla ice cream on top of warm apple crisp!?

Oh yes, the cold is much easier to face when one is warm from the inside out.

Apple Crisp

serves 8

Peel and core 8 apples. Cut into largish pieces and place in baking dish. Sprinkle 2 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon on apples and stir to coat.

Combine 1/2 cup  (1 stick) of softened butter, 1/2 c flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup rolled oats, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and dash of salt. Mix until crumbly.

Pour crumb mixture onto apples and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Let sit so you don't burn your mouth and serve warm with ice cream.

Smile.

Say yum!

Dinner Tonight: Five Spice Pork Kabobs

What's the point of looking at all those recipes in magazines if one never tries them?

I have magazines I save just for the recipes I want to try, but then they get lost in the clutter and I never get around to trying them. I am vowing to start trying a new recipe every week and start going through all those magazines, picking out something that, surely, the whole family will love.

This came from a recent issue of Better Homes and Gardens, July 2011.

Five Spice Pork Kabobs

Now who doesn't like eating food off a stick?! yum!

These reminded me of those teriyaki beef-on-a-stick things you can get at chinese restaurants and it looked simple enough to try. The only thing missing was the spice-- Chinese five-spice powder. We planned to make a trip to a town that has an international grocery soon, so that went on the list. As soon as I got all the ingredients I needed, I was so anxious to try this!

Here's the recipe:

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp packed brown sugar

1 tsp chinese five-spice powder

1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin

8 skewers (if using wooden ones- soak in water to prevent burning)

1/4 c peanuts

1/4 c cilantro sprigs

lime wedges (optional)

For sauce, in a small bowl, combine ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar and five-spice powder. Set aside. For kabobs, trim tenderloin, slice thinly, then thread slices onto skewers. Brush skewered meat with some of the sauce.

Grill kabobs directly over medium hot coals for 3 to 4 minutes. Brush with remaining sauce. Turn kabobs and grill 3 to 4 minutes more or until fully cooked. To serve, sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro. Serve lime wedges alongside. Makes 4 servings.

We doubled the recipe and halfway through cooking on the grill, the propane ran out, so we finished this in the oven.  So good and tasty!!  I wished there was more sauce though, so the next time I make this, I'll make extra sauce. I also omitted the lime, peanuts and cilantro-- I didn't have any on hand when I made this, but I don't think we missed out on anything, it was delicious! I made ramen noodles and broccoli to go with this and the kids all seemed to like it,  as there was very little leftover meat, which I later chopped and added to ramen noodle soup a couple of days later.

Just to make things fun, and I wish I remembered to take a picture, we also had fruit kabobs for dessert. Evelyn helped thread cantaloupe, grapes, strawberries and peaches onto skewers. Talk about a major hit! The kids ate about 3 each of those fruit kabobs!

Let me know if you try this!

Happy eating!

How To: Wet Walnuts (Walnut Syrup)

If you're like me, you love wet walnuts on ice cream! Yum!

Just look at that spoonful!

The only thing I don't like about buying wet walnuts at the store, is the cost-- ouch!

So, I searched and searched and finally found a recipe to make and can my own wet walnuts!

I've been making my own for quite a while now, and the recipe has been tweaked and changed to the way I like it. Here's the way I make it:

You'll need:

8 cups of light brown sugar (for no measuring, buy 2 bags of brown sugar 32 oz or 2 pounds each)

2/3 cup corn starch

3 tsp maple extract

16 cups of walnuts

6 cups cold water

You'll also need your canning supplies plus 10 clean pint-size canning jars and lids.

{Makes 10 pints}

Dump your brown sugar in a large pot and add corn starch.


Add the maple extract

Add the 6 cups of cold water and whisk to combine ingredients.

Bring to a boil.

While waiting for the syrup to boil, get your clean jars and fill with walnuts. Divide the 16 cups of walnuts evenly into 10 jars.

I like to tap the jars on the counter to help settle the nuts and then add a few more, pressing firmly to make sure there is at least 1-inch headspace.

When the syrup starts to boil, let it boil at least 10 minutes.

Using the jar funnel, ladle the hot syrup into each jar, until it reaches the top, leaving 1-inch headspace. Wipe rims, cap with lids, then place into canning pot.

10 jars fit nicely here.

Cover and bring to a boil. When boiling starts, can for 10 minutes.

Let sit in canner off the heat for a little bit, then remove and cover with a towel to keep from cooling too fast. When cool, check for sealed lids and store in a cool place.

Once you open a jar, keep in the fridge.

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Incidentally, this is also the recipe for my pancake syrup, just keep out the walnuts.

When I had the wet walnuts in the canner, I made another batch of syrup.

I love yard sales, where else can I pick up a 1/2 gallon Atlas jar for 25 cents??

The syrup recipe will make 3 quarts. I pour 1 quart into the old syrup bottle and 2 quarts in the 1/2 gallon jar.

Store in the fridge and refill the syrup bottle as needed.

Let me know if you make this and how you like it! This also makes nice gifts for people and you can use those smaller 1/2 pint jars instead.
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Recipe for Canned Corn

I've been asked to share my recipe for canned corn. I confess, I am always tweaking recipes and it's rare that I follow a recipe exactly as it is written. I can't help it--I usually think it can be improved if I added cinnamon or pepper or an extra dose of vanilla. The same goes for when I am using a recipe for canning jams. The recipe I use for canned corn comes from a recipe I modified a little bit. A dear friend of mine, who is mennonite, gave me her family cookbook and in it are all sorts of lovely recipes; each one I've tried has been declared delicious by my family. She gave me the cookbook when I asked her about canning and said there were some recipes in there for canning. I thought it very generous to give me the cookbook when it was only our 2nd time meeting each other! Anyway, The recipe in the book is for freezing corn and is as follows:

• 4 qt raw corn, cut off cob
• 1 c sugar
• 4 tsp salt
• 1 qt water

Boil all ingredients for 15 minutes. Set pot in ice cold water. Cool completely. Ladle both corn and liquid into freezer safe containers. Freeze. 100 ears of corn equals 12 quarts.

The very first time I made this, we were eating the corn right out of the pan!! Oh my! The sugar and the salt make a great salty-sweet flavor and it's Gretchen's favorite corn! She can always tell which corn I am using-- the store bought or my frozen corn. When I got the pressure canner, the instruction/recipe book included different canner recipes; the corn one is a basic one:

Boil corn on cob for 3 minutes. Remove from water and slice kernels off cob. Pack jars with corn then pour boiling water over corn, leaving 1 inch headspace. Pressure cook for 55 minutes using 10 pounds of pressure.

I modified the recipe a little bit and put a cup of sugar and 4 tsp of salt in the water to get that salty-sweet taste my family loves. I had some left over that wasn't enough to fill a jar for canning, and we tried it and it's as yummy as I hoped it would be.

I canned another 13 pints of corn for a total of 27 pints so far. The grocery store extended their sale on corn this week, so I plan on getting more corn for sure. I scored another wooden crate when I asked the produce worker at the store for a whole box of corn. They were happy to let me take the whole thing, which holds 48 ears in one crate. I thought they'd want it back to send back to the farmers to reuse them, but I guess they don't do that. I wonder if they throw all those crates away?? I better ask the next time I get more corn.

Anyway, let me know if you try these recipes. The sugar and the salt really add to the corn and make it taste great! Happy freezing or canning! :o)

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Fried Wontons:: Make Your Own!

I've said before that I love chinese food. Since we moved away from our favorite chinese restaurant 5 years ago, and discovering not a single good chinese place around here, I have been teaching myself how to cook chinese. A few weeks ago, I decided to try making my own fried wontons. They're pretty easy to make, but be sure to start a couple of hours before you want to eat these.. they take some time to put together.

I made my own wonton wrappers-- you can buy these in the store, but at the time I wanted to make these, I didn't plan ahead and I wanted them now, so I found a recipe to make my own wrappers. If you buy the wrappers, then you've cut the prep-work in half. Here's how to make your own wrappers::

Begin with 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp of salt and 1 egg.


Don't forget to take your ring(s) off and then get your husband to put it back on for you later.

Using your hands, work the egg into the flour, then add up to about 3-4 tbsp of cold water.
Knead until it is smooth and holds into a ball without crumbling. You'll need to roll this out, so the texture is somewhat similar to a pie crust.

This is what it should look like when it's done.

Cover with a damp cloth then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, get your wonton filling started:

1/2 cup of ground pork (I use a little more--about 3/4 c), 1 clove of minced garlic, a pinch of pepper. You can add a tsp of cilantro, but I didn't have any on hand and it's optional.

Mix well then put in the fridge.

You can buy sweet and sour sauce for dipping, or you can make your own.

I made mine.

You'll need 2 tbsp water, 1 tbsp white vinegar, 3 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp of plum sauce.

Stir to combine then cook to dissolve sugar. About a minute in the microwave, 5 minutes on the stove. I used my plum jam instead of plum sauce and it tastes just like the real thing. I think I'll add cornstarch to thicken it up a little bit, but the flavor is great. It keeps well in the fridge, the last batch I made a month ago is still good.

By now, the wonton dough has been in the fridge long enough.

My recipe says to use a rolling pin and roll until very thin, almost transparent. I have a big, bulky rolling pin, so instead, I used my pasta maker. Did the job just fine! I started at the largest thickness and worked my way to the 6th level. There is one more notch to make it thinner, but 6 was just right.

If you rolled it with a rolling pin, cut 3 inch squares, flour lightly and stack.

If you used a pasta maker, I trimmed the really wavy ends and eyeballed it.

Don't worry if your squares are not perfect, it'll still taste good.

Before there were chinese restaurants with their perfect pictures of food on the wall, chinese food was made at home, after a long day of working, so I'm pretty sure they didn't hack off someones head if their wonton wrapper wasn't perfectly square!
Anyway, keep rolling and cutting until you've used all the dough and you have a nice stack of wonton wrappers. It makes a lot!

Take a small amount of pork mixture-- like 1/2 a tsp or less; you can't use more because if there is too much, then the meat won't cook before the dough burns in the oil. Who wants blackened wontons with raw meat in the middle???

Put the meat smack dab in the middle of the wrapper...

Fold it like so...

Turn it around...

Dunk a finger or a thumb in cold water...

Wet one corner of the dough then bend it towards the other corner til they meet in the middle.

Takes practice.. after you do a couple, you'll get the hang of it.

Press the two corners together to seal it and it should look like:

This!

Repeat, repeat, repeat, until all the meat is gone or you run out of wrappers.

If you run out of meat, you can cut the wrappers into strips and fry them for those nice crispy strips they use for toppings in chinese restaurants. The kids love them!

If you run out of wrappers, you can use the meat for something else, cook it into the meal you're making or freeze it for another time.

This is one batch of wonton dough. It makes a lot, I tell ya! I ran out of meat, so there were 4 wrappers left, which I fried up into strips.

Get your vegetable oil hot, and fry up a few of these at a time.. about 30-45 secs on each side.
Remove and drain on a paper towel or newspaper.

Ready for eatin'!

Serve with your meal and the sweet and sour sauce on the side.

I made chinese chicken and potatoes for dinner and we had the wontons as a side.

Delicious!! The kids gobble this up!

Don't forget to get your husband to put your ring back on!!

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes! Again and again!"

"Mwah! I'm so happy! C'mon, let's go on our honeymoon!"

Excuse me, gotta go folks!

:o)

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