Monday, January 23, 2012

A full day of cookin'

Today was a busy day in the kitchen.  I started out making a batch of yogurt, I will know tomorrow if it was a success.  I also made a loaf of honey wheat bread in my breadmaker.  I got the recipe from 100daysofrealfood.com, and she claims it tastes just like the bread from Great Harvest Bread Company.  Not sure if I believe that, but I will let you know tomorrow when we eat it!  I also made two batches of granola today, bars and crumbled. 

So, you're probably thinking, "Heids McGhee, you are a rockstar.  Sit down, take a load off, buy a new handbag online."  Listen readers, I am just getting started

For dinner tonight I had stuffed bell peppers planned.  I was planning on following a recipe from a new cookbook I got and then it dawned on me, Heids McGhee, you are a blogger with readers and followers.  You don't need a recipe, you need to make your own recipes.  So, I did just that.  And not to toot my own horn, but if there are single ladies out there hoping for a proposal....I promise this meal will get you one.  And if it doesn't, you need to move on.

Heids McGhee lamb, spinach, and goat cheese stuffed roasted bell peppers (I know!  I rock!)
  • bell peppers, I used a yellow, red, and orange
  • olive oil
  • ground lamb meat, 1 lb
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • spinach, 2 handfuls
  • salt and pepper
  • goat cheese
1.  Roast your bell peppers.  I started doing this years ago following directions from allrecipes.com.  Here's what you do.

Coat bell peppers generously with olive oil.  Put them on a baking sheet and broil them under flame until they begin to turn black.  Turn peppers until each side has been blackened.  Remove from baking sheet and place in a bowl.  Cover bowl with saran wrap. 




Let the peppers sit for a while, at least 30 minutes.  Take peppers out of jar and pull stem off.  Dig inside of pepper and remove the seeds.   




Carefully peel the outer skin off of the pepper.



After peppers are all peeled, set aside.  Resist all temptation to eat them.  They're worth the wait.



2.  In a pan, heat a small amount of olive oil.  Add garlic and spinach.  Cook in oil until spinach is wilted.  Take spinach/garlic out of pan and set aside.  If you're lazy like me, wipe pan with a paper towel.  If you're ambitious, wash pan with soap and water.

3.  Cook ground lamb in pan.  Once lamb is cooked and crumbled, add spinach/garlic mixture.  Add in goat cheese (depending on your taste, add as much or little as you want) and some salt and pepper.  Add in any other spices you would like.  Get creative.  I think next time I will add some thyme. 

4.  Stuff the meat mixture into the peppers.  Tell yourself you are amazing, because, really, you are.

Delish.  I never said these puppies were pretty.  Delish, yes.  Pretty, notsomuch.


We had ours with zucchini, squash and onion.

1.  First slice veggies.  You'll want to slice the onion too, I just hadn't gotten there yet. 


2.  Heat up some vegetable oil (cringe, I know!) in a pan.  Add veggies and saute to your personal prefered tenderness.  Then drizzle soy sauce over veggies.

Delish.


And for dessert, we had homemade graham crackers.  I told ya, I hit it out of the ballpark today!  I got the recipe from the kitchn.com. 
  • 1/2 cup white flour
  • 2 cups cup graham flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 stick cold butter, cut into small pieces
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1/4 cup water
1.  Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until the texture is dry and crumbly. (Also, you can do this in a food processor; just blend the butter in short bursts.)
2.  In a small bowl, mix the honey, molasses, and water. Toss this with the dry ingredients until well blended. Scrape the sides of the bowl with your fingers and form the dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.
 
 
3.  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll the dough out on a counter or on wax paper, sprinkled with whole wheat flour. Use a pastry scraper or an index card as a guide to cut the dough into small rectangles. Poke each cracker with a fork, then place them on an ungreased baking sheet.
 
**sidenote** My dough was really crumbly so I drizzled a couple more tablespoons of water in it.  And my pastry scraper was a pizza cutter, worked perfectly. 
4.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy. If stored in an airtight container these will keep for a couple weeks.
 
 
**sidenote**  This graham cracker dough is perfect for little ones who love to help.
 


That's it for today!  Happy cooking!