Call Me Pepper Ann

7/18/14

      One of the recipes on my to-try list was stuffed green peppers. The other night I was craving mexican food (surprise, surprise), but I wanted to stay on the healthy side. I decided to make a southwestern stuffed green pepper for dinner. I love these little guys because you get two meals out of just one pepper and they are the perfect portion size. Another great thing about stuffed peppers is that you can pretty much fill them with whatever you want! For my filling, I used a box of mexican rice I had sitting in the cabinet for what seems like ages. Browse around your kitchen and see what ingredients you can throw into your peppers =). If you follow this recipe, they are a bit on the spicy side so adjust it to your taste buds. Impress your friends with these pretty peppers and have a fabulous weekend!

Stuffed Green Peppers

Ingredients:
2 Large, Sturdy Green Peppers
1 lb. Lean, Ground Turkey
1 Box Flavored Rice
1 Small Onion
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Yellow Corn
1/2 Tbsp Crushed Red Peppers
1/4 Packet Taco Seasoning
1 Cup Salsa

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Spray a large saute pan with nonstick cooking spray and add ground turkey. Add a few dashes of taco seasoning for flavor. Cook until almost browned.

3. While the meat is cooking, chop up onion. Add it it to the pan and let cook with the turkey.

4. When the meat is fully browned, add the rice to the pan and cook according to the directions.

5. Once the rice has cooked and the water has been absorbed into the mixture, add in the black beans and corn. Add in the rest of the taco seasoning and mix everything until evenly distributed.

6. Cut green peppers in half long way (hot dog style). Hollow out the green peppers and stuff with rice mixture. Finish by topping the peppers with a heap of salsa.

7. Grab a baking dish and add a little bit of water to the bottom. Place peppers in the pan and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until the peppers are tender. They turn out nice and soft and you don't even need a knife to cut them! Enjoy!

(Since it's Friday please enjoy these with a nice and strong margarita ;))

xo Jill

Cowgirl Cookies

7/14/14

     Happy Monday! Since it was a pretty gloomy day today and I didn't have too much homework, of course I decided to spend my afternoon baking. My Mom recently went to a golf outing where they gave out "Cowgirl Cookie" jars as gifts. I've definitely seen these on Pinterest and think they are adorable. Since I'm the cooking junkie, she let me steal this away!
     These cookies include oatmeal, pink m&ms, and chocolate chips. Although I normally dislike Mondays, this one was spent making cookies and watching Breaking Bad...not too shabby =). I hope everyone has a great start to the week!

I would love to share the recipe, however, I don't have it! I'm sure you can find a similar one on Pinterest.

Cookie tip: Use parchment paper rather than using oil directly on a pan. The bottoms of the cookies look much better and the clean-up is easier.

Happy eating! xox

Sweet & Salty Summer

7/9/14

     It's almost a fact that everyone loves the combination of salty & sweet. As Justin and I were hanging out at his apartment last week, we were snacking on some trail mix and an idea popped into my head... trail mix ice cream! I've never actually seen a version in stores, but there's no doubt that peanuts, almonds, m&ms, sunflower seeds, and raisins would be delicious nestled in some creamy vanilla ice cream. So, I decided to break out my ice cream maker and give it a try! I was so happy with the results. This trail mix ice cream tastes like a Dairy Queen Blizzard with all of the delicious ingredients mixed throughout. If you have some leftover trail mix, change things up and swirl it into some ice cream!



Trail Mix Ice Cream

Ingredients:
2 Cups Regular Sweet & Salty Trail Mix
1 Cup Whole Milk
2 Cups Heavy Cream
3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
4 Tbsp Caramel Sauce
1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar, and salt until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla extract.

4. Crush up your trail mix in a bag using a rolling pin, or in our case, a pan.

5. Add your mixture to your ice cream maker and let it mix for about 15 minutes. Place it in the freezer.

6. Once your ice cream has been freezing for about 2 hours (to the point where it is chunky but not frozen), add in your trail mix and stir it around evenly.

7. After about 2 more hours once the mixture is even thicker, grab the container that you want to keep your ice cream in.

6. Pour 1/3 of the mixture into your dish and top with caramel drizzle. Repeat this process two more times until all of the ice cream has been used. Place ice cream back into the freezer.

7. Leave ice cream in the freezer until it is fully frozen. When serving, scoop the ice cream into a bowl, top with crumbled trail mix topping and drizzle with a bit of caramel. Enjoy on a hot, sunny day!

If you are familiar with Jeni's ice cream, you need to try this salty caramel sauce... it's amazing!

Keeping up with the Kale Fad

 7/2/14

     If you're looking for a healthy, bright, and fruity salad, you need to try this one! I was never originally a fan of kale because of it's bitter taste, however, when you pair it with fruit and a sweet dressing it works perfectly. I also love kale because it has a crunchy texture and can hold dressing without wilting quickly. If you're wanting to add kale to your diet for health benefits, kale is packed with Vitamin K, antioxidants, iron, and inflammatory properties to boost your immune system and keep you healthy! Whip this salad up for your next BBQ party with friends and everyone will love that you brought a delicious AND healthy dish =).

Chopped Kale and Fruit Salad

Ingredients:
1 Bunch Kale
1 Bag Broccoli Slaw
1 Red Onion
1 1/2 Cups Shelled Edamame
2 1/2 Cups Red Grapes
1 Large Fuji Apple
1 1/2 Cups Pasta (Your Choice)
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Sliced Sugar Coated Almonds
2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
6 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 Cup Goat Cheese (Optional)







Directions:

1. Begin by cooking your pasta to the directions on the package. I happened to use orzo pasta in my salad because that is the only kind I had at home. However, I would have preferred to use a noodle like cavatappi, rotini, or a type of spiral shape. Once your pasta is cooked, rinse with cold water and set aside.

2. Chop up kale, onion, grapes (halved), and apple.

3. Add chopped ingredients into a bowl with the remaining broccoli slaw, edamame, pasta, cranberries, lemon juice, and sugar coated almonds.

4. To make the dressing, add the red wine vinegar, olive oil, honey, and sugar to a bowl. Whisk everything together and slowly pour over the salad to incorporate all of the ingredients. Make sure to taste your dressing and adjust it accordingly! If you like it sweeter, add more honey. For a more acidic taste, add more red wine vinegar.

5. If you feel like getting even fancier, you can a topping of crumbled goat cheese. Voila!

Feeling Nutty (A How-To)

7/1/14

     As I was shopping for the ingredients in my salad (mentioned in my next post), I strolled down the aisle with the chopped nuts because I always love them tossed on salads. Every time I see the cost of almonds, cashews, walnuts, or pretty much any type of nut, I'm always shocked at the price. It was almost $5 for a small little bag! I remembered that I still had some almonds from a trail mix back at home, so I decided to make my own chopped nuts. Although it is more time consuming, I was able to successfully make my own sliced and roasted almonds. If you ever want to learn or try, follow these tips!

Ingredients:
1-2 Cups Almonds
1-2 Tbsp Sugar

Direactions:

1. Heat about a cup of water in a small stove top pan until boiling. Add in your almonds and let them boil for about 4-5 min.

2. While your almonds are cooking, prepare a bowl with ice water. Once the almonds are out of the hot water, "blanch" them by adding them to the ice water.

3. After the almonds have cooled in the ice water, you can easily slip the outer shell/coating off. Now that the almonds are soft, you can easily slice them up with a chef's knife.

4. Next, heat a small saute pan to medium heat with cooking spray or olive oil. Add your almonds and sprinkle sugar on top of almonds.

5. Cook the almonds for about 5 minutes, turning them throughout the process so they do not burn. The almonds should have a golden color. If some of them get a bit burnt, it's okay... they will still taste good! It will make your house smell like roasted sugar and will also be delightful on your salad =)

(Sorry about these blurry pictures...apparently I was too afraid of the stove!)