Roasting and Canning Peppers!!!

So. There is this thing called a broiler. It's like an upside down grill. GRILLING INSIDE!!! Yes, Kabobs. Burgers, Openface sandwiches with cheese. WHATEVER YOU WANT! GRILLED. IN JANUARY! Without having to go buy a grill.
Greatest.
Realization.
Evar.

Thanks:http://www.thekitchn.com/kitchen-basics-how-to-use-your-112585

So, I roasted red peppers. I canned and froze them afterwards. It went pretty well. I think I may have under-roasted the first batch and over cooked the second batch. We'll find out when I go to eat them.
http://noteatingoutinny.com/2009/09/12/home-jarred-roasted-red-peppers/

Covering them in olive oil and putting them in the fridge works. Freezing them work. Canning them works. We'll see how good each one tastes in the coming weeks.

Wassail

I don't know about you, but this time of year is awfully cold where I live.
Here is a GREAT recipe I got in my Food and Nutrition Communications Class that will make winter a little more bearable.

1/2 gallon apple cider
4 cups pineapple juice
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup cinnamon candies
1 Tablespoon whole cloves
2 whole cinnamon sticks
1 fresh orange (optional)
In a large sauce pan, combine cider, pineapple, and OJ. Set aside 6 whole cloves. Place remaining cloves in tea ball. Place teaball and cinnamon into juices and put over medium heat. Bring to simmer and add cinnamon candies. Stir until candies are dissolved. Keep on low heat to warm or place in crock pot on desired heat setting. If desired place remaining cloves into an orange slice and float on top. (It looks pretty).

8oz is 140 calories, which isn't bad for a juice based drink.
To cut calories when we did this we used Trop 50 juices and cut the cinnamon candies.
If you are 21+ you can use the rest of the pineapple juice for blue Hawaiians!
1.5oz blue carraco
1.5 oz malibu coconut rum
Pineapple Juice
Cherries
Ice Cubes
=HEAVEN!

Please drink responsibly!

New-and-improved Spanish Rice and Stuffed Peppers

A while back, we posted about some Spanish rice we had made, but we didn't give specifics and we weren't super impressed with the result.  But last night, we found an awesome version of the two.

Well, *I* thought that they were awesome.  Carmen's nose was on strike, so she wasn't sure.

Spanish Rice

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs Vegetable Oil
• 1 onion (yellow or red), chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Jalapeno, chopped (Larger = spicier)
• 1 cup rice
• 2 cups water (or chicken broth)
• 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles (Drained and rinsed)
• 2 Tsp Chili Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Cumin

Directions: In a deep pan, heat Vegetable Oil to low heat and add Onion, Garlic, and Jalapeno and saute for a few minutes (The mixture should become very fragrant).  Increase heat to medium and add rice.  Continue to saute until rice is brown. Add water/broth, tomatoes, Chili Powder, and cumin.  Mix thoroughly.  Bring to a gentle simmer, and let simmer on lowest setting until water is entirely absorbed and rice is cooked (took about 15 minutes for me).


By itself, this was pretty good.  Very flavorful, and just the right amount of kick.  But then we raised the stakes.


Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

• Spanish Rice (See Above)
• Bell Pepper(s)
• Shredded Cheese (cheddar or colby-jack)
• Black Beans
• Ground Beef, cooked, seasoned (optional)

Directions:  Carefully cut out the stem of the bell pepper (after washing!) and remove the core and seeds.  Mix the rest of the stuff together (ratios are all on you!), and ram them all into the pepper (don't be shy about really stuffing the pepper).  Cover the top of the pepper with cheese.  Bake at 350*F for 30 minutes.  Enjoy.

This was just heavenly.  We had some sour cream on the side that we added at our leisure, but feel free to make that part of the mix (at the risk of making your rice soggy).  I wouldn't change much about this recipe, but we'll have to wait until Carmen's nose is working so she can pass judgment.  For she is the queen of Mexican Food.