Stuffed Peppers

It is GORGEOUS outside here in Texas and makes me think that pesky groundhog was wrong about six more weeks of winter. With excitement for spring but the threat of more snowy and cold days ahead I wanted to post a recipe that kind of covers both.

These stuffed peppers are a recipe that I have adapted from Kayln's Kitchen. It's really wintery comfort food that is still on the lighter side. They have proved to be a very popular and easy weeknight meal over at my house. My dad has requested them multiple times. If you know my dad that truly speaks to their quality. He will eat everything but never seems to really "like" anything!

So one of the best things about this recipe is it's flexibility. You can really customize it to meet your family's tastes. You could substitute italian sausage for turkey sausage, ground beef with taco seasoning, or even just chicken you pull off a rotissiere chicken. Don't like corn? No problem just switch out the vegetables however you like! Experimenting with the flavors is half of the fun.

I've also been testing out different flavored olive oils. And it's amazing how it can impact the flavor of your dish. So far my favorites have come from O Olive Oil in California. They have been on my favorite "bargain" shopping website Ruelala a bunch, so I have been able to try quite a few of the flavors for a heavily reduced price. My personal favorites are the Jalapeno Lime and the Fresh Basil (I use this when making my Pasta Sauce recipe!. But there are several to choose from.

Another way to mess with this recipe is the type of rice you use. I use pearled cous cous, Kalyn's Kitchen uses brown rice, but you could really use any. I bet Zattarain's boxed Spanish Rice would taste pretty good as well.

If you mix up the recipe let me know some of the variations you try! I'd love to have a running list of great variations so that I can mix it up. If certain flavors work well for you feel free to post them in the comment section so everyone can benefit!

Stuffed Peppers

                   Ingredients

                  1 Box of Pearled Cous Cous

            4 Large Bell Peppers, any color

            1 Large Onion, Diced

            Olive Oil

            1 Lb. Spicy Italian Sausage

            Oregano

            1/2 Bag of Frozen Corn

            3 Green Onions, diced

            Parmesan Cheese

            Salt and pepper to taste 

            Panko Bread Crumbs

            2 tbsp. Butter

            Cabbage

Step 1: Chop the tops off of the peppers and pull out the seed balls. You can use a knife to carefully shave the bottom of the peppers so they will stand up. Cut is much as you can off of the discarded pepper tops and chop it up to use in your stuffing mixture.

Step 2: Cook to CousCous according to the packages instructions.

Step 3: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. While your Cous Cous is cooking. Dice the onion. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan with high sides. (don't have one? a sauce pan works ok too!). Add the onion, green onion, diced peppers, corn, and oregano  to taste until soft and fragrant. 

Step 4: Remove the vegetable mixture and pour into a bowl and set aside. Using the same pan heat a tad more olive oil and cook the sausage until browned. Then add the vegetable mixture back into the pan and sautee for about 3-5 minutes to blend the flavors. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Step 5: Mix in about 1/3 C. of parmesan into the mixture until melted.

Step 6: Line your pan with a very thin layer of olive oil. Stuff each pepper with the mixture and set into your pan. Mix 1/2 C. of parmesan and 1/2 C. of Panko bread crumbs together in a small bowl. Pour on top of your peppers. (and by pour i mean use your hands to create a thin layer of it over the peppers). Bake the peppers for about 20 minutes or until the pepper is soft and the tops are turning brown and crispy.

Step 7: If you have extra stuffing you can cook it in it's own dish with panko and parmesan on top. I love eating it for breakfast!

Step 8: While your peppers are cooking. Use the same pan to melt 2 Tbsp. of butter. Saute the cabbage until soft and slightly wilted. Season with Salt and Pepper.

Step 9: When everything is done make a bed of cabbage on your plates and lay the pepper on top and enjoy!

It may seem like there are a lot of steps, but there really isn't and it's fairly easy. If you do the chopping up front it will save you a lot of time as you work through the recipe. I hope you enjoy it, it's one of my new favorite recipes!

Happy Eating!

Tanner

Applesauce: an easy and moderately healthy fall must

I know I took a pretty long break from blogging, but that's what happens when graduation, moot court, bar studying, travels, and life gets in the way. Hopefully now that I have to be a grown up with a real work schedule I'll get to blog a lot more. People always ask for my recipes and i've made a thousand promises to post them but haven't. My apologies.

Taste. Anywho...As a childless adult the last thing I think of when it comes to snack time is applesauce. That's a mistake because as soon as i eat one little spoonful that child inside of me just comes skipping right out. IT IS SO GOOD!!! When and why do we ever stop eating applesauce? Why does it have to be left to the wee ones. Who made that rule because it is bogus. That being said I got this recipe from a mommy blog haha. (recipe is curtesy of mommymakesitbetter.com)

Smell. Homemade applesauce makes your house smell like fall. I didn't even want to turn off my crockpot because I didn't want to make the smell go away. And you still have a week and a half  before we start switching scents to fir trees, fire and snow! Take advantage of it!! But you also don't have to limit this recipe to the fall. It's good all year long :)

Ease. There is literally zero excuse for not trying this. A recipe doesn't get any easier than this. SO TRY IT. If you don't have a crockpot go buy one. Talk about convenience you can do literally anything in that thing. It's worth the whopping $30 you'll spend on one. You could even get one cheaper but I wanted a timer.

Oh and p.s...... it's only 1 a whopping 1 weight watcher point per serving!!

JUST TRY IT!! YOU'LL LOVE IT! :)

Cinnamon Applesauce

8 apples - any type but I like using honey crisp 

1 strip of lemon peel*

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 3in. cinnamon sticks

5 tsp. light brown sugar 

*I skip this because it makes it too lemony and you can't get all the rind out sometimes and I hate the way that tastes.

Step 1: Peel, core and chop the apples. What I do is peel it (I attempt to do it in one string it doesn't happen often. You can use a veggie peeler) then I make a square around the core cutting off the sides and then I chop those large pieces.

Step 2: Toss them in the crock pot and add the rest of the ingredients

Step 3: Set your crock pot to low and cook for 6 hours. 

Step 4: Optional. blend your mixture if you want it super smooth or just use a whisk to stir and eat it chunky! I then put it in old jars like a pasta sauce jar or a salsa jar that's been thoroughly rinsed out.

AND YOU'RE DONE! Congrats on making the bestest, easiest recipe EVER! Don't be afraid to play with the proportions (adding things or taking things away to get the flavor YOU want) Let me know how it goes! 

xoxo Tanner

A Soup Every Man will Appreciate: Cheddar Ale Soup

Unless they are sick there is nothing harder then getting a guy to eat soup for an easy weeknight meal. Unless it's La Madeleine Tomato Basil...I don't know what it is about that soup that EVERYONE loves! Still, sometimes it's just to hard to come home and make a full meal every night. Soup (plus or minus a grilled cheese on the side) is an easy fix for that and a healthier alternative to a frozen dinner. Plus most of them take minimal effort. Unfortunately, for those of you with spouses or significant others eating soup somehow makes them less manly.

This recipe though was found AND COOKED!!!! by one of my guy friends Braden. He suggested this soup with potato nachos (a recipe for another time) one night to watch the playoff games. I have to admit when he told me it was a Cheddar Jalapeno Ale soup I was a little suspicious (rightfully so I think), but I was pleasantly surprised with how good it was! Beware that it definitely has a kick too it. It's a great fall/winter soup because it's a little thicker and heartier than say a chicken noodle.

Don't knock it till you try it because it was truly very good. Now that could change depending on what beer you use. Braden used the Alaskan Amber. If you want one that will for sure taste good I'd go for that. Stay away from anything too light or fruity. I wouldn't be surprised if Shiner went really well with this recipe. Be sure to comment if you try a certain beer you like!

You could also pair it with a beer bread or a sourdough to dip in the soup! Without further ado here is the recipe. Good luck!

<3 Tanner

Cheddar Jalapeno Ale Soup

1/2 Lb. bacon, 1" slices

2 stalks celery, diced

2+ Jalapeño peppers, diced (**we used 3)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tbs. butter

1/4 C. flour

12 oz. Ale

2 C. Chicken Broth

1/2 C. Heavy Cream

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1 Tbs. Worcestershire

2 C. Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Cayenne to taste

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Step 1: After slicing the bacon go ahead and cook it IN the pot you are going to make the soup in. When done scoop it out onto paper towels. Drain the pot, but reserve 2 Tbs. of the grease and keep it in the pot.

Step 2: Add celery and jalapeños and cook until they have softened and are fragrant. Then add the garlic and thyme and stir for a minute or two.

Step 3: Add the butter and stir till it melts. Slowly add the flower stirring constantly so it doesn't stick to the bottom.

Step 4: Add your beer of choice along with the chicken broth. While stirring be sure to wipe down the sides of the pan with your spoon so nothing is sticking. Add the bacon and cook for about 10 minutes. 

Step 5: Add your heavy cream, worcestershire and cheese. Cook until all the cheese is melted, but be sure that the soup doesn't reach it's boiling point!!

Step 6: Flavor as needed with the salt, pepper, and cayenne and serve it up! 

Enjoy!!!

Cranberry Apple Pie

During all the Fall and Thanksgiving festivities I discovered I had a TON of apples left over. Not sure why I bought them in the first place...I think I wanted to make pumpkin fruit roll ups, but because those take 8 hours that didn't happen. Regardless, I needed another dessert for Thanksgiving dinner. So I thumbed through my recipes and found this one. It actually tasted really good...even though hardly anyone touched it :(

(Side note...I always have trouble spelling dessert I tend to spell it desert. I have to remember it has 2 s's because dessert is EXTRA special!)

This would be a great recipe for a Christmas family gathering too. Cranberries are a really popular winter food and decoration, so utilize them the next time you cook! I'll try to get some cranberry crafts and decorating out soon.

Cranberry Apple Pie
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup 100% cranberry juice
1 1/2 cups cranberries (about 8 ounces)
2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
1 3/4 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Butter Pie Crust Dough disks
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon milk
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream (optional but delicious!)

Directions

Step 1: Stir 3/4 cup sugar and juice in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cranberries; bring to simmer. Reduce heat; simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 25 minutes. Cool.

Step 2: Toss all apples, flour, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl to blend.

Step 3: Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 13-inch round. (You could also use a frozen pie crust here instead if you want) Transfer to 9-inch deep-dish glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. 

Step 4: Spread cranberry mixture over crust bottom. Top with apple mixture; dot with butter. 

Step 5: Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 13-inch round; drape over apples. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Press crust edges together to seal; crimp. Cut 1-inch hole in center. (I didn't do it this way I did more of a makeshift lattice pie crust). Feel free to do it however you want!

Step 6: Brush crust with milk. Mix remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and pinch of cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle over crust.

Step 7: Bake pie 15 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake until crust is golden, about 50 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool at least 2 hours.