Sweet Chili Poppers

Did you get some of these yummy sweet chilies in your Bountiful Basket on Saturday? I got mine plus a friend gave me hers as well (two weeks in a row) so by this last Saturday I had a whole bag full in my refrigerator. I chose to turn mine into some delicious appetizers for our Father's day feast.


Sweet Chili Poppers
2 cups soft bread crumbs (I used rye bread for extra flavor. Puree it in your blender, or Vita-mix for fine crumbs.)
1 cup finely chopped sweet apple
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp finely diced fresh cilantro
3 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 oz. Monterey or PepperJack cheese, sliced
about 20 sweet chili peppers

Combine bread crumbs, apple, onion, cilantro and bacon. Add egg and milk. Mix until all is incorporated and moist. 

 

Wash peppers and arrange them so they lay flat. On the opposite side of each pepper, cut a 'T' into the side of the pepper for the filling.

Stuff each pepper with stuffing (baby spoons work great for this!) and arrange in a single layer into a lightly greased casserole dish with a lid. Top each pepper with a piece of cheese (cut to fit). 

 Bake covered at 350 degrees F.  for 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold. They're delicious either way!

Eggs in a Basket

This is a fun thing that my dad used to make a lot when I was a kid. He would cut a hole out of a piece of bread with a biscuit cutter and crack an egg into the center while the bread was toasting on a griddle. My brother-in-law uses this method:

Eggs in a Basket

Pancakes:
   2 cups All-Purpose Baking Mix
   1 egg
   1 1/4 cup milk or water

12 eggs
Pam Cooking Spray

Heat griddle to medium-hot (about 350). Combine all ingredients for pancakes; stirring just enough to moisten dry ingredients. Spray griddle with non-stick cooking spray and crack egg onto griddle. Ladel pancake mix all around outside of egg. Turn when bubbles appear on the surface of the cakes, taking care when flipping not to break the egg. Cook until well-browned. Makes 12-16 "baskets". Serve with warm maple syrup. (The real stuff, not the maple flavored sugar...)

Egg Sandwiches

This is the only way my family will accept "Breakfast for Dinner" around my house. It is a super-simple idea and cooks up in a hurry when we've had a busy day. These are the BEST on home-made bread!

Toasted Egg Sandwiches

2 thick slices bread
1 egg
1 slice cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup fresh spinach (optional)
1 tsp hot sauce

Butter the backsides of each slice of bread as you would for a grilled cheese sandwich. Place cheese between slices (make sure buttered side of bread is out) and cook on a medium-hot, pre-heated griddle for about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Meanwhile, fry egg. Open cheese sandwich and add cooked egg and spinach. Drizzle egg with hot sauce, replace bread and eat!

Spinach and Feta Omelet

A few weeks ago eggs went on sale for $.50 per dozen around here. I bought 10 dozen eggs. We don't normally go through that many eggs, but I figured I could cook some things for the freezer. It is that time of year, afterall, when I hardly have any time to spare during the week.

Here is a quick and simple omelet recipe. The key to this way of cooking an omelet is the small cast-iron griddle. If you don't have one, you are missing out! It's a necessary "ingredient" for all the best tortillas, grilled sandwiches, pancakes and omelets. By the way, omelets freeze great! Just re-heat on high in the microwave for about 60 seconds and you've got a tasty and filling breakfast when you need something quick.

Spinach and Feta Omelet

3 eggs

1 Tbsp water

1 small tomato, diced

1 cup chopped fresh spinach

2 Tbsp feta cheese

1/2 small zucchini, chopped

Non-stick cooking spray

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup whip eggs, water, and a dash of salt and pepper. (The water helps the eggs to be fluffy.) Pour onto a pre-heated cast-iron griddle (about 350 F) sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Allow eggs to cook about 30 seconds or until slightly set. Sprinkle vegetables and feta all over eggs. Set oven to broil on High. Move griddle to oven about two inches from heat and cook 1-2 minutes more or until eggs are firm. Loosen from griddle, roll omelet and serve with fresh salsa if desired.

Crepes, Breakfast

I actually made these last month but never got around to adding the post.. so here it is!

I grew up with crepes. Every birthday, mine or my siblings, was almost always kicked off with a humongous crepe breakfast cooked up by my dad. Also whenever we had friends sleep over he'd make crepes as a special treat... which between 8 kids was just about every Saturday! So of course I had to master the crepe art myself. These little babies are so versatile. You can make them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, etc.. and they are always delicious. If made right anyway. Which I've come to find out that a LOT of people are skeptical about how easy they are to make. You can even buy pre-made crepes which I giggle at but I'm not surprised. I mean, there's even pre-made Peanut Butter & Jelly these days, right? The most difficult thing about crepes is the pour and the timing so I've included a video to demonstrate the proper way to make a crepe. Enjoy!

Breakfast Crepes

2 cups flour

6 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla or almond extract (I always use almond)

1/3 cup melted butter or oil (I usually use olive)

1. Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add sugar, flour and salt and mix until smooth. Mixture will be fairly thick at this point. Add milk and extract. Whisk vigorously until smooth. Add oil. Mix again. Drop by 1/4 cup into pre-heated hot pans. Cook each crepe about 10 seconds. Flip and cook an additional 5-10 seconds. Repeat. Serve warm with fresh fruit or syrup rolled into the center of each crepe. My favorite toppings include: fresh berries with vanilla yogurt, applesauce, mandarin oranges. Feel free to use whatever is your favorite!

Dutch Oven Cooking: Eggs, Potatoes, Cobbler

Dutch Oven Potatoes
(Sorry, no picture- I was too busy eating to snap a picture!)

1 onion
1/2 lb uncooked sausage
10-15 medium potatoes
1/4 cup butter
8 oz whole mushrooms
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
Peel and roughly chop the onion. Open the package of sausage and cut into small-medium chunks. Carefully wash and chop the potatoes (do not peel). Step 2 Preheat your oven. Proper heating is the key to good Dutch oven cooking. Get some good coals ready from your campfire. We used a block of hickory for our coals, most people just use charcoal briquettes. Once they are ready, spread them out evenly and place your Dutch oven centered over the top. At this point, all the briquettes should be on the bottom. Heat approximately for 15 to 20 minutes before adding the food. Step 3 Begin to cook. Place the chopped onion and sausage into the heated Dutch oven (they should sizzle as they touch the bottom). Cook the sausage thoroughly before adding the potatoes. To avoid burning, you might want to remove some of the briquettes from the bottom. After the sausage is cooked, stir in the potatoes, mushrooms, pepper and butter and transfer the majority of the heat to the top of the oven. There should be six to seven briquettes on the bottom and nine to 10 on top. Step 4 Cook slowly. The saying "patience is a virtue" could not be more true when cooking in a Dutch oven. Slow cooking is what gives the potatoes their rich taste and soft texture so while you may need to stir them occasionally, it is best to leave the lid on as long as possible to avoid losing heat in your oven. Good Dutch oven potatoes will cook for at least an hour before they are ready to serve, so start cooking early if they are on your menu. Step 5 Add cheese. When the potatoes are at the desired consistency (potatoes should be completely soft), you can add cheese if you like. We didn't. Remove the oven from the heat and sprinkle cheese over the top, then return the lid and let the cheese melt before serving.

Easy Peach Cobbler
 
1 lg. can sliced peaches

1 pkg. white or yellow cake mix
1/4 lb. butter (1 stick)
ground cinnamon, for dusting

Utensils: Dutch Oven: Prepare charcoal (35 pieces) for Dutch Oven baking.
Preparation: Line Dutch Oven with heavy duty aluminum foil. Rub the foil down with cooking oil. Place 8 pieces of charcoal under the oven and 20 pieces on top. When the oven is hot, pour peaches and juice into the oven. Add the dry cake mix on top of the peaches. Cut the butter into pats (small chunks) and place on top of the cake mix. Dust everything with cinnamon (lightly). Put the lid back on the oven and bake for 40 minutes.Check cake with a clean straw or knife. Do this by sticking the straw into the cake mix. If the straw comes out clean, the cake is done. If not, add charcoal to the oven and bake 10 more minutes. Check again.
*A double batch can be baked in a 14 inch Dutch oven. 2 cans of peaches makes a juicier cobbler.

If you don't have a cake mix? Use the crumb topping mix that I used for my blueberry pie. Still very simple and easy.

On the last morning of our campout we made an egg & potatoe skillet from the leftover stew(pictured on top), steak & dutch oven potatoes. Use the same briquette placement as you did with the beginning of the Dutch Oven Potato recipe and cook like you would on a frying pan on your stove. Add all your leftover goodies first, heat thoroughly then push the meat and vegetables to the side while you cook the eggs. Add about a Tbsp butter to the center of the oven before cracking your eggs one at a time into it. Make sure you don't have any briquettes under the center of your oven. This would cause a hot spot and the eggs would cook too fast. When eggs are slightly firm, stir- keeping them in the center away from the other ingredients until they are no longer runny. Once the eggs are finished, stir the entire dish to combine all the food. Grate some cheese over the top and remove from heat. Allow cheese to melt and serve.