Stuffed Peppers

Okay, so I'm sorry that I haven't been a very good poster, but I don't make very interesting dishes, and when I do they rarely involve measurments. For example, I made chicken the other day and the only way I could describe it would be to use a shit ton of chili powder and then add ground mustard, salt, and pepper to your liking. Anyways, I made stuffed peppers last night, and have a decent idea of the amounts you will need to here it goes. Heads up it's a very simple recipe but trust me they're good.

Here's what you will need:

4 Large Green Bell Peppers (the bigger the better, and if you can't find big ones get 5 average sized ones)
1 lb ground beef
12 oz Tomato sauce
1 cup white rice
1 packet of Lipton Onion Soup
A lot of shredded cheddar cheese

First things first, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Then, start cooking the rice because it always seems to take forever. I know you can all manage cooking rice without my instruction so I'll spare you the steps.

Next, brown the ground beef. Once it's all cooked, you're going to want to drain the excess fat. Seriously, don't leave it, it will mess up the consistency.

While you're waiting for your rice and meat to cook, you can clean the peppers. You want to cut of the top of the pepper and remove all the seeds and whatnot from the inside. Try not to cut too much of the top, because you're going to need a lot of room for the stuffing part. My family doesn't eat the pepper part, but if you want to, you're going to need to steam the peppers prior to stuffing them. I believe you can steam them in the microwave.

Heat up the tomato sauce and then mix the tomato sauce, the ground beef, the rice, and the lipton onion soup mix all together. They don't need to be heated while mixing, since they're all already hot and you're also going to bake them. For the rest of this post, this mixture will be referred to as the stuffing.

Once all this is prepared you're going to start the layering process. Put a layer of cheese on the bottom of every pepper. The amount of cheese you use is really at your own discretion. Next, fill the pepper halfway with the stuffing. Make sure you pack the stuffing in, so you can get the most for your space. Next, another layer of cheese. I love cheese. Then fill the rest of your pepper with stuffing. Once you've filled the pepper, add a generous layer of cheese on top.

Finally, bake the peppers in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is not only melted but the cheese is starting to brown slightly. Remove, and enjoy!!

If you have left over mix, you can either freeze it, or you can always bake it in an oven safe bowl, but it won't have the pepper flavor then. I didn't have leftover mix because whatever didn't fit in the pepper was eaten by an impatient and hungry boy.

Alright, there is my post. Also, I miss and love you all :)

Duty Sucks

Hi girls,

Sorry I have been M.I.A. I would leave a recipe I made recently, but I have been on duty all weekend (ICK!) and therefore my meals have consisted of PB&Js and Macaroni & Cheese.
Yes, I am in the fourth grade.

And honestly, trying to remember what I ate last week is more difficult than it should be. Taylor was in charge of dinner one night and made penne with vodka sauce and chicken. It was very good. He and Chris are all about their George Foreman and will use any excuse to whip it out. The George Foreman. Get your heads out of the gutter :-)

Their apartment is almost complete. They both have beds. They have cable. Chris is bringing a book case. So they just need rugs and a couch, and then it will begin to look like a home. But not really until everyone is here. Then it will be a home.

Oh okay, here's one. I made some roasted vegetables the other night to serve as a side. They turned out a lot better than I thought they would. On my way home from Sesame Workshop (sidebar Andrea - it's going really well so far. Thanks again for helping me get it. They all loved you! I'm the girl that knows Andrea Cody. You're a celebrity! It's pretty funny), I stopped at a fruit/vegetable street cart and bought some asparagus. I thought I would steam it, but then realized that the boys don't have the right equipment for that. So, I improvised.

- 1 bunch of Asparagus
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper (You can use whatever color peppers you want. I'm all about pepper equality.)
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. basil
- 2 tsp. garlic powder (you can use fresh garlic too, but I was too lazy to chop it)
- 1 tsp. rosemary (or fresh rosemary, if you have it)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350º. Chop up the vegetables (each asparagus stem made about three pieces). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place vegetables on top. Pour melted butter evenly over vegetables. Sprinkle seasonings over vegetables and place on top oven rack for 15-20 minutes.

Anyway, I miss you all. Heather, hope Vegas is fun. Diana, hope your trip to the BX was fun. Andrea, hope your enjoying the hot and steamy weather in Oklahoma. Courtney, have fun in Europe!

Cheers,
Jen

The Cupcake Truck

Once upon a time, in a magical land called Travelers, where there is a giant red umbrella and a sea of perfect white rocking chairs, there exists a special vehicle. It is unlike every other vehicle because this truck, my friends, is not just a truck.

It's a cupcake truck.

Yes, my friends, there exists a truck that produces delicious, delicious, custom cupcakes. And in Travelers land, these cupcakes have clever names. Perhaps you would like a "Travelers Championship Chocolate." Or maybe a "Peanut Butter Birdie." I personally had "Red 'Umbrella' Velvet" with white chocolate cream cheese frosting. It was delicious... but not as good as the cupcakes I had  at Georgetown Cupcake in DC last summer. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

The Cupcake Truck is based out of Hamden, CT, and you can look it up online at www.cupcaketruck.com. And Hamden isn't so far from the Bronx... so maybe it will come somewhere near us.

I can't wait to update you all on the (hopefully) amazing food I find in Europe!

Love and cupcakes,

Courtney

Dangerously Good Peach Sangria…and other summertime indulgences

Hi Girls!

Sorry for not posting earlier. I wish I had a legitimate excuse for not posting other than a typical bout of summer laziness. But, truthfully, isn’t that what summer is all about?

Besides laziness, I do have a somewhat legitimate excuse for not posting more frequently; I have spent quite a bit of my free time getting to know the most recent love of my life.

His name is Liam and he is the blonde haired, blue eyed, 22 month old son of our new neighbors. He looks like a cherub and is too adorable. I want him.

I thought I would pass along a picture cause I know how much we all like babies!

Such a cutie.

In others news, Mike and I are breaking up so I may begin my quest to have blonde children. Seriously, though..this kid is just too cute. More pictures to follow.

Speaking of sweet, I know, I you are all going to love this sangria recipe. It’s the best I’ve ever had. It’s lighter than your typical red wine based sangria recipes and a little sweeter.

What You Need:

1 (750 milliliter) bottle of dry white wine

¾ Cup of Peach Schnapps

6 Tablespoons of frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

¼ Cup White Sugar

One Pound of White Peaches, pitted and sliced (I used frozen peaches that I thawed)

¾ Cup Seedless red grapes, halved

¾ Cup of additional sliced fruit (I used strawberries and frozen raspberries)

1 Bottle of Spritzer(I used Diet 7-Up, but anything carbonated will work)

I know this looks like a lot of ingredients for Sangria, but TRUST ME, it comes together pretty quickly and it is absolutely worth any trouble.

How To Make It:

In a large pitcher, combine white wine, peach schnapps, lemonade concentrate and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add sliced peaches, grapes and additional fruit.

Now, take a deep breath because you are one step closer to summertime happiness.

Refrigerate the sangria until well chilled, at least 2 hours, to blend the flavors.

How To Enjoy:

When you are ready to serve, pour ¾ of a glass with sangria and top it off with your spritzer of choice. Make sure to give it a good stir to mix it all up. Top with some sliced fruit and you’re ready to go.

The best way to drink this sangria is surrounded by half-naked European soccer players, but I’ll try to be understanding if that’s not possible!

I hope you enjoy the sangria recipe. It’s a wonderful party drink and simply perfect for summer!

Much Love,

Diana

Penne Pasta with English Peas

Well, I guess its time someone stop being a slacker, and post some recipes or something. Once again, no pictures from me, mostly because I'm too lazy to stop every two seconds while I'm cooking and take pics and my little sister (who will be my photographer later this summer) is off gallivanting in Italy.

And since she's gone, I can make pretty much whatever I want for dinner and not worry about her silly eating habits (love you J.J.!). So, for dinner the other night, my mom and I teamed up. One the menu was pan-seared lamb chops, a nice salad (made with veggies from the Farmer's Market), and a pasta dish created by moi!

This week was pretty much the only week for English peas at the Farmer's Markets in Oklahoma (its flipping hot here, supposed to be 102 today, so they have a very short season, apparently). My mom bought a huge bag of shelled peas and left me to figure out a way to incorporate them into dinner. I thought, "Pasta dish!" and took it from there.

Ingredients:
About 2 cups shelled English peas
1/2 onion, chopped
About 1/2 cup of whole wheat penne pasta
1+ cups part-skim ricotta cheese
Chopped fresh mint (a few tablespoons)
Chopped fresh parsley (samesies)
Veggie broth
Salt and white pepper to taste

How I did it:
First, I washed the peas. This is a very important step, and must not be overlooked. Since the peas were locally grown and not shipped from South America, the chances that they carried e. coli were slim. I, however, do not like to chance these things. Then, I chopped half an onion. I added some olive oil to a hot pan, and sauteed the onions until they were translucent. Then, I added the peas. I smashed some of the peas as they were cooking, because I felt they needed to know who was boss.

While that was going in the pan, water was boiling for pasta. I cooked the pasta according to the directions on the package. Cooking pasta pretty much speaks for itself. When the pasta was done (al dente, please), I drained it and added it to the pan with the peas and onions. I let that cook for a few minutes more, while I readied the next step.

I took a little more than half a 16 oz container of ricotta and mixed it with all the fresh mint we had in the refrigerator. About two tablespoons? I don't measure, so I don't really know. Then I chopped up some parsley (about the same amount as the mint) and added that to the mix as well.

Next, I removed the pasta and peas from the flame. Then, I added the ricotta mixture, mixing it in to coat the pasta, and adding veggie broth to thin it out a little. I meant to save the pasta water, because I know its perfect for these things, but of course I forgot, so I thought peas are veggies, vegetable broth will do.

After this was all mixed in, I served immediately, as God intended pasta covered in ricotta cheese to be served. None of this "waiting around for it to congeal" nonsense.

The verdict: Yummy! Although, next time, I will either use less of the ricotta mixture, or more pasta, because I think it was a little too much. Still delicious, but it tried to hide the peas, who were supposed to be the star of the show, those poor little delicate guys with their week long growing season.

Maybe you all in more forgiving climates have a longer season for English peas. If so, I recommend buying them and eating them. Fresh peas are so much better than frozen, and lightyears better than canned. Also, eating local is the way to go. Farmer's markets are cheap, freah, and have produce of incredible quality. There is one every day of the week somewhere in Tulsa, so I'm pretty much addicted.

That's all for now, get to cooking, ladies!

With love and local-vores,

Andrea

Apologies

I'm very sorry that I'm being a slacker with this site.

I will make up for it.

Someday.

I made dinner WITHOUT A RECIPE the other night... Andrea, you proud??