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Wednesday, February 29, 2012



Stuffed Red Peppers with Brown Rice, Italian Sausage, and Parmesan






































1 C long-grain brown rice (I used Uncle Ben's Brown Rice, but any long-grain rice will work.)
4 large red bell peppers, bottom trimmed, cap end cut off and diced, and seeds removed
1 large onion, diced
2 tsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
2 links (about 8 oz.) turkey Sweet Italian Sausage
1/2 tsp. ground fennel
1/2 tsp. dried Greek or Turkish oregano
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Cook rice according to package directions, or using a rice cooker. (Rice can be cooked ahead and used in this recipe later.)

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Trim bottom of bell peppers so they have a flat surface to stand on. Cut off a fairly generous amount of the stem end of peppers, then remove seeds. Place hollowed-out peppers in a baking dish that you've sprayed with non-stick spray or olive oil.

Remove stem part from the pepper caps and trim off any white membrane, then dice pepper caps and the onion into fairly small dice. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a large skillet, then saute diced pepper and onion for 3-4 minutes, until they are starting to soften but aren't browned. Remove pepper-onion mixture to a bowl, add 1 tsp. more olive oil, then squeeze sausage out of the casing and cook until it's lightly browned, breaking apart with the back of the turner.

Put the onion-pepper mixture back into the pan with the sausage, add the dried spices, and saute 2-3 minutes to blend the flavors. Then add cooked rice and Parmesan cheese, season the mixture with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, and cook just long enough to warm, about 1-2 minutes.

Stuff the filling mixture into the hollowed-out peppers, using a spoon to press the mixture down so it's tightly packed into the pepper shell. If you have any extra filling, you can put it in a small ramekin and bake along with the peppers. Bake peppers for 30 minutes, then remove from oven and put a generous pinch of grated mozzarella on top of each pepper. Put peppers back into the oven and bake about 10-15 minutes more, until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Wine Cork Coasters

I love collecting wine corks almost as much as I love drinking wine. I was looking around on Pinterest and I found coasters made out of wine corks. Kind of seems like a no brainer. For the most part it is, but they have to be cut in half. That was kind of hard. Plus I am a perfectionist and some of them aren't even. Its making me a little bonkers. All an all-it was a fun and easy project. Hopefully when I make a few more they will look perfect : )


Cut one in half and then use it as a guide to cut the others.



Hot glue them together. I also took a ribbon and wrapped it between each cork on the outside layer. This can be secured with hot glue as well.

Nails

I love freshly painted nails. There's so many different colors to experiment with. With that being said, I don't always do the best job. I usually end up getting polish everywhere. Problem solved! Have you ever heard of nail polish strips? My friend Racheal gave me this for my birthday. I am very happy with the result and it was quick and super easy! They are available in a lot of colors and designs. Added bonus....ZERO dry time ; )



Thursday, February 16, 2012

Banana Cookie Recipe

As promised here is the banana cookie recipe : )

2 cups flour- you can add an extra 1/4 cup if you think batter is too wet
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
6 T room temperature butter
1/2 sugar
1/2 brown sugar
1 egg room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup old fashioned oats
2 ripe bananas
chocolate chips (as many as you want :)

Preheat oven to 350
Cream butter and sugars. Add the egg (don't overmix) Add the vanilla. Mash the bananas with a fork and add to mixture. Sift all dry ingredients together. With mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated. At the very end you can stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I use a cookie dough scoop. Very helpful to ensure even baking and uniform cookies. Bake for around 15-18 mins. Allow cookies to sit on baking sheet for 10 mintutes after you pull from oven and before moving to cooling rack.

ENJOY!!!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Cooking With Quinoa

Most commercially available quinoa has already been cleaned, but you should still give it a thorough rinsing before cooking to be sure to remove any remaining saponins, a soapy resin that protects the seeds while they are growing, but can impart a bitter taste if not removed. Combine one cup rinsed quinoa to two cups water or broth, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the seeds become translucent and the germ of the seed uncoils to form a little "tail." Quinoa has a light, slightly nutty taste and a fluffy texture. It makes a tasty porridge or casserole and can be added to soups and stews.
I purchased the tricolor Quinoa from Trader Joes. I cooked it in chicken broth instead of water to add more flavor. I also added apples and onions. I served it with Trader Joes fully cooked apple chicken sausages. It was delicious and filling. Even Zac was a fan!


Monday, February 13, 2012

Snow!?

I think we've all been spoiled by the winter, or lack there of here in STL. Today we got our first snow of the season worth mentioning. It's actually kind of pretty....I will admit! Here's a pic of our backyard.

Jilly's Cupcake Bar



I'm always on the hunt for the perfect cupcake. I have very high standards for cupcakes. There are many shops out there and some are just so so. If you're going to charge upwards of $5 for a cupcake, it better be good! Well Jilly's Cupcake Bar in St. Louis does not disappoint. Winners of Season 3 Cupcake Wars on Food Network, these guys know how to do it right! They serve lunch everyday and brunch on Sunday's. I took my family there on Saturday and we were all very happy with our choices!


I had the chocolate covered strawberry cupcake. Isn't it pretty?





How Cute is This!?

Attention fellow bakers!  Look at this adorable necklace I found on Etsy today! Not very practical with everyday wear, but someday it will look perfect with my apron! I dream of the day when I can wear an apron to work instead of dress pants and heels.

This lovely charm can be found at:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/62678889/the-original-cupcake-lover-charm


Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Taking my Love of Bananas to a Whole New Level

Those of you who know me well, know that I'm bananas for bananas! I've tried a variety of recipes with this amazing little fruit, but it ocurred to me that I've never attemtped to make cookies using bananas. So I came home from work today to find two over ripe bananas sitting on my counter. Perfect!

I added oatmeal and chocolate chips to give them a little extra somethin somethin. Let me tell you, they taste delicious. The consistency of the cookie is something that I will work to perfect. They came out a little cakey and I prefer my cookies less cakey. Once I perfect the recipe I will be posting! Here's some cute little snap shots of my cookies.