From the Farm: Frying Peppers etc...

     Well dear friends, let me start out with an apology for the prolonged dead air. Life has been hectic- which I'm sure is the same for you. And while there may not have been much typing on my end, there WAS cooking! Regardless, I am happy to be seated in a warm home with a full belly and writing to you.
      I am happy to bring you two different options for frying peppers (don't forget mine are KY bred!). One of the options was done with bell peppers due to a mismanagement of peppers. :P Oops! However- you can do BOTH with frying peppers.
      The first option is your quick and easy, go-to recipe. Imagine this: fry..... your frying peppers. WHOA! Watch out! I know- you didn't expect it. However, it is delicious, and it's what they're great for. It takes very little time and management. Here we go!

You will need:

*About 15 small frying peppers (mine are Hungarian frying peppers from KY--> well traveled)
*1/3 of a cup of diced onion
*1-2 tablespoons olive oil
*1 teaspoon chili powder
*1 teaspoon garlic powder

Here are your marching orders:

1. Start your oil, seasonings, and onions heating on low heat in a pan.
2. Clean, seed and cut your peppers in half.
3. When the onions are beginning to be translucent, drop in your frying peppers.
4. Toss the peppers and onions a bit, and let them cook at medium heat.
5. Timing is kind of a personal touch with this. I'll explain, I like my frying peppers to have a bit of a crunch to them. If you are more into a softer cooked pepper you'll want to go longer. For my peppers, I cooked them for about 10-15 minutes. You can see in the pictures that follow, they still
have the majority of their color due to the quicker toss on the stove.

*The great thing about this is that you can individualize the spices. I was looking for a bit of kick with the peppers- hence the chili powder. You can also go basic with onion and garlic. Or go Hungarian (sorry- it's the majority of my blood- can't get away) and add in some paprika with it!



   ARE YOU READY FOR RECIPE #2 ????? This second option is a bit more involved- but WAY worth it! A bit ago, the Hubby had been throwing out the words "stuffed peppers" every so often. It was a good hint to throw out.
   Now, I will preface this recipe. (cough cough, to my family members reading this) My main heritage and culinary experience centers around Hungarian food. I was blessed to have the opportunity to learn to cook with my grandmother. For a summer, we spent afternoons cooking all of the Hungarian regulars that I grew up with.  HOWEVER, this recipe is NOT the stuffed peppers I grew up with (nor my other family members - yes you guys). The recipe I grew up with and have made previously involves more of a sauce using tomato paste etc. Due to a lack of certain items in the pantry, I improvised. In the future- if you all are curious- I can post the true Hungarian version!

You Will Need:
*4 Bell peppers -you can use frying peppers if you'd like- you will need more than 4 as they are smaller
*1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey  (this can be substituted with ground beef if you'd like)
*1/3 cup chopped onion
*1/4 cup ketchup
*2 teaspoons garlic powder
*1/3 cup oats (your binding agent)
*1 tablespoon (or so) olive oil

Marching Orders Are:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wash and seed your peppers and cut off just the top - so they look like little bowls.
3. Combine your ground turkey, onion, ketchup, garlic powder, oats, and olive oil in a bowl.
4. Put your peppers in a baking dish that will be able to hold them all standing up right.
5. Fill the peppers with the well mixed meat and seasonings. You can fill them pretty tight as it will reduce a bit.
6. I added a bit of extra ketchup to the top of each pepper for extra flavor and moisture. About half way through the baking, my two peppers got some shredded mozzarella on top as well.
7. Bake your peppers for about 30-45 minutes. I say this because I originally was going for 30 minutes in the oven, but upon opening up one of them, I found that they needed a bit more time.

\

Mid cook before cheese!

*Enjoy! I personally like to keep the ketchup on the table in case of a need for more. Overall- these were a huge hit with the Hubby and one was filling enough for each of us! I'm sure that now that this post is up, I will be reminded of HOW LONG ago it was that I made them. :)


   It is wonderful to be back on and typing to you. Whoever you are. Pleeeaase look forward to THANKSGIVING- A delicious pie is on deck with a fun new crust idea! And more importantly- be thankful. I know I am. I am thankful for the roof over my head, the husband who loves me, and the family and friends that support me. I am a blessed woman. Thank you to YOU for reading this and supporting me too! Again- I am just so blessed!

            <3

For When You'd Rather Eat Wings

Hey Friends,
        We're at T minus 15 hours to the first day of school! I am working on making sure that everything is ready (or as close as it's gonna be!).

         This recipe has been ready to shoot out to you for a bit now, and I'm excited to share it with you. Every so often I get the craving for wings and that kick of hot sauce. Of course, I very rarely have wings in the house, and they're not always the healthiest option for my hot sauce desires. Lucky for me, I found this method of dressing up veggies with the taste of wings!

You Will Need:
*one head of cauliflower
*2 tsp. olive oil
*1 tsp. garlic powder
*1 tsp. paprika
*1 tsp. chili powder
*1/2 tsp. kosher salt
*2 tbsp. hot sauce (or as much as you want!!)

     Let's get kickin'! Preheat your oven to 425, and get to washing that cauliflower. Once it is washed, break it up into little florets in a medium sized bowl. In a separate, smaller, bowl combine all of your spices. Apologies ahead of time; my mind went to La La Land and didn't get pictures of these first two steps.
   
     Believe it or not, you don't have many steps left. Drizzle your olive oil over the cauliflower florets and toss them a bit to make sure they are coated evenly. Next you're going to coat these florets with your spice mixture. It should look like this:

Voila!

          Pull out a cookie sheet that will be able to hold all of your kickin' florets! I like to cover my cookie sheets in tin foil so that the clean up is THAT MUCH EASIER! :) Spread your florets out on the sheet so that they are all in one even layer. 

    Pop these babies in the oven for about 25-30 minutes. They'll start to have some crispy, burnt edges to them when they're ready. When they come out of the oven, I like to dump them back into that original large bowl. That way, when you coat them with hot sauce, you pick up some of the extra spices that were left behind. You can't stop me from making sure there's LOTS of flavor.

    Pour in your hot sauce and mix to coat. Let's face it, I don't usually stick to my 2 tablespoons. I drown these suckers! It's all about how much spice YOU want.
     Ta Da!!! You're done! These things are so tasty and are a big hit for me and the mister. I think it might be the only way he's eaten cauliflower!

     Let's be honest, are these a complete trade for wings? Heck no. BUT, when you're looking for that spicy hot fix- they're great. Give it a try and let me know how you like 'em!

     To all you fellow teachers out there, get it started with a bang! I'm looking forward to meeting my new group of kiddos, and showing you my fabulous classroom. Much love to you all.

               <3