Stuffed Peppers

A sweet & spicy surprise. I don't usually care for bell peppers, but this one left me giddy. And it filled me up plenty. So I had another one the next day.

1) Cut 1/2 inch off the top of four bell peppers & remove the seeds. Then steam the peppers for 5-8 minutes.

2) Saute 1/3 cup chopped onion & two minced cloves of garlic.

3) Then add 2 medium chopped tomatoes, one minced jalapeno pepper, parsley, oregano, cumin, salt & one bay leaf. Cook for five minutes.

4) Add two cups corn & two cups black beans, then simmer for ten minutes.

5) Stand peppers up in dish then stuff with mixture, removing the bay leaf.

6) Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella or Parmesan. Bake at 350 for twenty minutes.

It was a cooler sort of evening so we strolled over to a nearby park & went for an explore. The world seemed bright, but the vision of these bright red veggies kept floating into my head.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Chris Garneau- Fireflies

Stoplight Salad

A festive dish. It added some zing & colour to a dreary evening. Definitely a keeper. I love corn & black beans. Especially with just a bit of citrus & crunchy peppers.

Mix together two cups each: corn, tomatoes, black beans.

Add: one medium green bell pepper & one medium red bell pepper, chopped. Also some chopped fresh cilantro.

Whisk together: three tbsp olive oil, a dash of lemon juice (or lime juice/ vinegar), salt, & one minced clove of garlic.

Pour olive oil mixture over the rest. Mix together with slotted spoon.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Love and some Verses- Iron and Wine

Heirloom Beans with Leeks

These beans take some time, but the end result is well worth it. I love how the subtle flavor of the leeks shines through. & bacon! The beans in our case were a bit overcooked, but smacking of nutty bean flavor.

1) Soak overnight two cups of dried Great Northern Beans (or other medium dried beans). Drain.

2) Add fresh water to cover, 1 bay leaf, & 1 tsp salt & bring to a boil. Simmer covered just until tender 20-45 minutes.

3) Fry up 2-4 slices of thick cut bacon. Drain on a paper towel.

4) Saute 6 cups of thinly sliced leeks in the pan for ten minutes. (or for healthier & more flavorful version remove the bacon grease & use olive oil.)

5) Crumble in the bacon & add the beans. Add 2 tbsp rice vinegar & mix well.

(I forgot the vinegar at first & then added it. It really does make a huge difference in the overall flavor of the dish. It highlights the other flavors & sits nicely in the background.)

The recipe recommended serving with cornbread, so we did! Good thing, too.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Ed Sheeran- The A Team

Italian-Style Lamb Stew

I combined a recipe from Simply in Season with a few crock pot versions I read online. This was a decadent & savory stew.

Though it was listed under Spring recipes, I feel it was best suited for the coldish early Spring days we have been experiencing of late.

I put one lamb shank, about one pound of meat, in the crock pot. Then I poured in one and one half cup of red wine ($3 Three Wishes Merlot from Whole Foods) and one and one half cup of broth.

I added one medium onion sliced into rings, one can diced tomatoes, & three peeled garlic cloves.

Seasoned with a pinch of salt, a bit of pepper, some bay leaves, & a few sprigs of fresh Thyme.

Then left it to cook for seven hours on low heat.

I added a can of Cannellini beans about five minutes before serving.

As it cooked, it slowly saturated the apartment with its seductive aroma.

This made cleaning the living room, doing the laundry, & re-organizing the closet more pleasant.

It is such a good feeling to let go of piles of stuff. Not that we are minimalists by any means, but every six months or so we do bring bags of stuff off to Goodwill.

Out with the clutter & then the other things can be revealed glamour.

And that is much of what Spring, & the cleaning that comes with it, mean to me. Raking away the dead leaves & branches, & watching the flowers that emerge.

Favorite Song (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Seabear- Owl Waltz

Veggie Stone Soup

After discovering yesterday evening that I did not have all of the ingredients required to make what I was going to make, I was forced to improvise.

I literally went on a scavenger hunt through my kitchen, discovering small amounts of leftovers along the way and putting them into the pot with our leftover veggie juice.

I found four parsnips, a can of green beans, a can of black beans, two stalks of celery, one small onion, & two small potatoes. I simmered these with Italian seasonings, garlic, cayenne & pepper. For a little over an hour.

The veggies were firm but soft, not mushy which is what we try to avoid around here. The flavors were delightful. The parsnips really came out, and paired well with the acidity of the tomato based veggie juice.

All in all, a surprise success. After we ate our fill, we felt warm & merry. With 4-6 bowls still in leftovers. We set out into the cold night to hunt down some new ice cube trays. (We had only two and one of them broke.) We came back, as well, with flowers & the ingredients for tonight's dinner (the ones I was missing yesterday).

Favorite Song (featured on my favorite radio station website):

A Hack and a Hacksaw- Cerventine

My Husband's Type of Chili

One of the great things about chili, in my opinion, is that every person has their own ideal & every batch is different. Even if you use the same exact recipe every time, the vegetables tend to vary season to season. But as for me & our household, we do not bide by recipes when it comes to chili.

My chili tends to have many vegetables, feature tomato, & be rather spicy. My husband's chili is all about the meats, the beans, & tangy-barbecue-brown-sugar decadence. This time I made up a batch of chili in my husband's style, while at my brother's apartment this past weekend.

For an approximation:

1. Brown one pound ground beef & one finely chopped large onion.

2. Add five or so garlic cloves (peeled & smashed), three finely sliced Serrano peppers, two cans of country style baked beans, two cans stewed tomatoes, & 3-4 cups of vegetable juice. I also added about one cup of kidney beans, and one cup of corn.

3. Season with (approximately & to taste) three tablespoons chili powder, one tablespoon cumin, one teaspoon pepper, one tablespoon red pepper, & two tablespoons Dijon mustard.

4. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1-2 hours to allow chili to reduce & flavors to incorporate.

His style of chili is thick & sweet & spoon-lickin' good. Eat up me hearties!

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

woodpigeon-7th Fret Over Andres

Taco Soup... A Basic Chili

As you may know, my husband & I love a good chili. Chili being defined by us as a tomato soup with beans & beef, which this is.

As an added bonus, I used some dried kidney beans. I bought them several weeks back, but they always get left behind for canned beans. The canned alternative being easier & only marginally pricier. However, with how much we also love beans, for us dried beans are actually the most cost-effective & I would claim tastier choice.

However, I messed up & did not remember to soak them the night before. So instead I quick-soaked them (boiling them for two minutes then soaking them for two hours) & then I cooked them on low heat in the chili for two hours. Usually the cook time would be about ten minutes. So you can see my bean-dilemma now.

This soup would typically take less than half an hour to make, & easily feed six people.

1. Brown one pound of beef with one small chopped onion.

2. Add six cups of tomato juice, two cups corn, two cups kidney beans.

3. Season with chili powder. I would also recommend cumin & /or cinnamon for the adventuresome. And, of course, garlic.

4. Simmer ten minutes.

We served it with the crumbled tortilla chips, shredded cheese, & a dollop of plain yogurt.

All in all a vibrant & vivacious bowl of soup.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

(& the video is pretty sweet, too!)

Johnny Flynn- The Write And the Writ