My Stuffed Peppers

So I had some left over Arroz Con Pollo (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=592349 ) and was not sure what to do with it. So I decided to stuff some peppers with it. Rich was not really happy with the rice mixture so I had to add some stuff to it to make it more Mexican.

My Stuffed Peppers

INGREDIENTS

2 Green Bell Peppers

2 Cups leftover Arroz Con Pollo

1 Cup Salsa

1 Cup Jack Cheese

1. Cut bell peppers in half and clean the seeds out.  Make sure that the bell peppers lay flat.  If necessary cut a slice off the bottom to make sure they lie flat. 

2. In a bowl mix the leftover Arroz Con Pollo, salsa and half the cheese.  Then spoon the mixture into the bell peppers.  Cover the bell peppers with the remaining cheese. 

3. Preheat over to 350.  Place bell peppers on a baking dish with foil because the peppers may spill over.  Cook for 25 min or until the cheese is melty and bubbly.  Broil for the last few min to get the cheese crispy.  Sever with some crusty garlic bread.  

One Bowl Brownies

So Rich's birthday was last week and he really loves brownies. I used to have a great brownie recipie growing up but lost it. This recipie was pretty good but I am still on the look out for a great brownie recipie.



One Bowl Brownies ( http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/One-Bowl-Brownies/Detail.aspx )

INGREDIENTS

4 (1 OUNCE) squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (I did not use these becaue Rich does not like nuts)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl a
thigh ofr 2 minutes or until chocolate and butter is melted

3. Stir until chocolate in melted. Stir in sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and nuts.

4. Spread in greased 13X9 inch pan. Bake for 35 minutes

Birthday Dinner!

So last week was my birthday and Rich surprised me and made me dinner. He also bought me roses and cleaned up the house a bit. It was so sweet and such a nice surprise. He put a lot of thought into the dinner. He know I love seafood but he is not a fan so he found a recipe that had shrimp. It was kind of a Cajun shrimp pasta dish. The flavors were amazing but I think Emerils essence was a little too spicty for us. The next time we make this we are going to cut the pepper in half. Enjoy!

Emeril's Shrimp and Pasta with Chilis, Garlic, Lemon and Green Onions
( http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-essence-of-emeril/emerils-shrimp-and-pasta-with-chilis-garlic-lemon-and-green-onions-recipe/index.html )

Ingredients
20 to 25 (1 1/4 pounds) large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked linguini
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped green onion, tops only
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions
Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with the Essence.
Place the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large 14-inch skillet over high heat. Add the shrimp to the pan, spreading them evenly in 1 layer. Cook for 2 minutes then turn them to the other side. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine, lemon juice, lemon zest and remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Season the shrimp with the salt and pepper and add the pasta, crushed red pepper flakes and green onions, tossing to coat well. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the parsley, and toss to combine. Serve hot.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Tonight for dinner we are having pulled pork sandwiches which are perfect for this rainy day we are going to have. I have made a few different versions of a pulled pork recipe I have in my crockpot cookbook, but I was running a little late this morning so I made a really simple recipe. The meat is so tender when you cook it in the crockpot. It is the only way to make it.

Pulled Pork BBQ (made by ME)

4lbs pork roast (I used 4 boneless pork chops with the fat cut off)
16 oz of you favorite BBQ Sauce ( I used Trader Joes BBQ sauce, it is our favorite)
1 C Water
1 T of your favorite got sauce (I used Ardvark Saurce from Portland)

Preparation:
Place roast in slow cooker and top with BBQ Sauce and hot sauce. Cover and cook on low 8 to 12 hours. Remove roast. When pork roast is cool enough to handle, use a fork or your fingers to pull it apart until the entire roast is shredded. Return the pulled pork to the crockpot and mix with the BBQ sauce. Heat on high for 10 to 20 min to make sure the meat is warm and mixed with the sauce . Serve on large, crusty buns with a mustard based Carolina-style BBQ sauce. Garnish with dill pickle spears, thinly sliced raw onion and pickled pepperoncini (Italian banana peppers). Serve with crisp, homemade slaw. Carolinians would put the cole slaw on the pulled pork sandwiches..that's up to you.

Cupcakes, OH MY!

So we had a little girls get together last night. We had a wonderful risotto, salad and humus appetizers. I was in charge of bringing dessert. Rich has instructed me to start using the lemons from our lemon tree since it is taking over out back yard. So I decided to make some lemon cupcakes. They turned out wonderful. Not too tart and not too sweet. Just perfect!

Glazed Lemon Cakes
( http://cravingcomfort.blogspot.com/2009/04/pucker-up-glazed-lemon-cakes.html )

Makes 6 cakes

1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 C low-fat buttermil, or plain yogurt (I used the yogurt because I could not find buttermilk.)
1 t. vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated, plus juice, plus 2 tablespoons more lemon juice for the glaze
1 C granulated sugar
2 Large eggs
1 1/2 C confectioner's sugar.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice of 1 lemon. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and granulated sugar until light. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk mixture.

Divide evenly among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in tin, then cool completely on a rack.

Set rack over wax or parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir confectioners’ sugar with remaining lemon juice until smooth. Pour over cakes, spreading to edges with a small knife. Let set 30 minutes.

I made this recipie into cupcakes so the cooking was a little less. I cooked the cupcakes for 15 min. It made just a little over a dozen cupcakes. The cupcakes did not rise as much as I thought they would but I think it was because of the yogurt.

Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs

So for my first post I am going to start off with a recipe that I have used many times. I love deviled eggs but wanted to try something new. So I went on a search on All Recipes to try and find something new. The recipe I found was Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs. These are amazing and always a crowd pleaser. Any time we have a family function I am instructed by my FIL to bring these. Enjoy!

Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs (All Recipes http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bacon-Cheddar-Deviled-Eggs/Detail.aspx )

INGREDIENTS

12 eggs
1/2 Cups Mayonnaise
4 Slices of bacon
1 T of finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 T mustard

DIRECTIONS

1. Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and cool. To cool more quickly, rinse eggs under cold running water.
2. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Alternatively, wrap bacon in paper towels and cook in the microwave for about 1 minute per slice. Crumble and set aside.
3. Peel the hard-cooked eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a small bowl. Mash egg yolks with mayonnaise, crumbled bacon and cheese. Stir in mustard. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving.