Drying Peppers

The curse of the cayenne is lifted! And just look at how pretty these fruits are.




My last batch of dried cayenne was ruined by mold during the drying process, so i'll be drying about half in this fashion, and half in my dehydrator. You want the fruit not in direct sun, with plenty of ventilation, and away from humidity. I just tie a string with a needle at the end to something, in this case a window shade cloth thing and string up the peppers as i pick them. Cayennes will complete their turning red off the vine, so feel free to pick them when they show some sign of red - the more you pick the more the plant will set fruit. Once these are all dry i'll take them down and store them in a sealed jar - cracking some for chilly flakes in a separate jar. If you live in a dryer climate you can leave them strung around and take them down as needed - but i think that's how my last batch ended up molding. It is not dry here (despite what people from Houston or Hawaii may think).

Most of the peppers i grow are fleshy and don't dry well, so to store them for later seasons i have to use freezer space or pickle/can them for the cupboard. I had a HUGE thai pepper plant that should have given me lots of dryable peppers - out of that whole plant i got TWO tiny little peppers suitable only for a miniature dollhouse. I'm also growing a tabasco plant that supposedly ripens to red then dries, but i'll be picking most of them in their earlier, yellow stage. I put spice in everything i cook and have been very sadly without my own grown dried peppers. I'm ready to be back in action!




This post seen in Simple Lives Thursday.

Recipe: Miranda-Fried Rice

Normally i would make this with brown rice to make it have actual health content - but i figure heck: it's FRIED rice after all. And i still have this white rice in the house leftover from when our doggy, Tela was sick.

Pretty simple and with lots of room for variations - this is my basic fried rice. It's not overly oily, but there is some sesame oil in it to make it feel at least a little fried. Saute the veg, add the cooked rice, add the eggs and frozen peace - stir stir stir. Voila.

• Rice, cooked. I like to muddle some kaffir lime leaves in with my rice and water
• Onions
• Garlic
• Carrot
• Hot peppers
• Green onions for garnish
• Sesame oil
• Fresh eggs
• Frozen peas
• Soy sauce

This was a whole lotta rice: hard to stir about! But it turned out pretty durn tasty, and i think my friends enjoyed it.

Oh, Oregano.

So, lately i've been doing a lot of things that are soon followed by expletives and 'why did i just do that's.
The other day this was caused by pulling out this massive oregano plant. My long raised bed used to be only herbs - in the summer it was used as a massive basil colony. I made pesto about 20 times last year and still have a few cubes of it in the freezer, so i figured i'd change the strategy of the bed a bit and plant some peppers in it while also starting a medicinal herb garden that will eventually take over the bed. Basil is destined for the containers in which the onions are presently inhabiting. And not bulbing. And in the way. Sigh. It's the end of April and i haven't planted basil yet!?!?!?
I'm fine with it.
i hope.

Oregano replaced with Stevia herb and a jalapeno plant.

 

Anyway. Last year i pulled out 3 other huge oreganos from this bed: oregano takes over. It spreads, it mounds, i hack it back to a nubbins and it's back to being huge in a week. I left this one plant in the bed because it makes beautiful flowers in the late summer - flowers i used in my wedding and have dried around my house. That is what i forgot. Dangit. First thing in the morning and in dream state, after pulling up the plant the previous day, i sighed a long "nooooooooo, i shouldn't have pulled it up." Luckily, i put it in a bucket of water intended to pass it on to someone else. Sorry to all those i offered it to, i changed my mind. Trouble is, i have nowhere to put it. Seriously - can't put it in the back: not enough sun and the chickens like to destroy everything i put back there (except the onions hopefully). All the other nooks and crannies in the front are spoken for. EXCEPT - the wildflower area. Which is meant for wildflowers.

Hanging out in a bucket of water.

 

I planted a little compact sage plant there last fall, it is currently overshadowed by gallardia, coriander, toadflax and poppies.... but i think it wouldn't mind an oregano friend, as long as i'm diligent and keep it well trimmed.

Here's my spicy oregano happy in the xeric bed (happy because it's been raining gangbusters and flowered and spread a ton last fall - it's usually kind of pitiful looking). It responds decently to being trimmed and focused in the directions i want it to be. For now.

So here is where i put the transplanted oregano. We'll see if it makes it. The soil out here is none too great, usually not a problem for herbs. But this guy was ripped out to bare roots and kept in a bucket of water for 2 days: not ideal. So wish it luck! Or else we'll be drying a lot of oregano. I feel pizzas in my future.

That's that. We'll see if it takes. I clearly need to do some trimming of it: it is used to sprawling out and over the edge of the planter and will now need to transform into ground cover instead of bed hanger outer. I'll give it a chance to recuperate first before i hack at it any more.

Have you had success in transplanting plants from one place to another in your garden? Ever pull something out only to realize you actually really liked and wish life had an 'undo' button?

Black Bean Soup over Rice

Yummmmmm.
This recipe isn't completely specific as it was a soup i threw together throughout the course of the day. I'm trying my hand at sprouting some black beans to increase their nutrient absorption factor, and filled my sprouting jar a bit too full. The beans had soaked over night so i took out about half and plopped them in a pot with a little water and turkey stock. I started around 3 pm bringing the beans and liquid to a boil then reducing to simmer for the rest of the evening. Around 5 i added these ingredients:

• 1 chopped onion
• salt and pepper
• cumin
• chilli powder
• T or so chopped sorrel
• 1 diced habanero
• big spoonful diced garlic
• splash of vinegar (releases more nutrients in soups)

I simmered the soup covered for most of the day, but uncovered it to allow the liquid to reduce some around 6. The result was a nicely balanced soup that wasn't too thin or thick. Spicy for sure, and great served over some rice that i cooked with liquid from a can of Rotel and some veggie stock.

I served the soup topped with freshly diced cilantro, avocado, cheese, and the tomatoes from the Rotel. The entire dish, save the can of Rotel (spicy diced tomatoes) and shredded cheese was from scratch: dried beans, veg from the garden, and homemade stock.

What a great ending to a chilly day!

Now That's Some Spicy Kim Chee!

On Sunday I posted my process and recipe for delicious Kim Chee. It has been happily bubbling away on my counter for about 3 1/2 days now and it's ready. It was mostly ready last night, but i wanted to give it overnight just to be sure.

How can you tell it's done, you may ask? While it's fermenting, it smells nasty. If you open the lid that is. I was also having some problems with my seals - i'd replaced the old, rotten french seals on these 'made in France' jars, and the seal i replaced it with wasn't as wide as the original. Plus my recipe made a bit more than usual with that added half a purple cabbage so there wasn't enough room at the top - you really do have to leave that 1 inch of room! I kept waking up to liquid oozing out of the top. Not so pretty.
Anyhoo: solution= i removed some of the veg and put it in a separate little jelly jar. I also added another rubber seal to really seal that lid! Worked great.

Back to the when is it done issue: While it's fermenting it's quite okay to open the lid daily and press the veg down into the liquid (with clean hand or spoon!)(Some texts disagree with this and encourage you to keep it well sealed through the entire process to keep any oxygen out, i'll try that next time and report back if i notice a difference). You'll smell it - it will smell bad. You will wonder what the heck you're about to feed your family and why does it smell rotten. Never fear. In two - 5 or so days you'll open it and release a ton of pressure. Inside will be a zesty, softened mixture of veg that smells and tastes tangy, pickly, and spicy if you added hot peppers. Mine was still quite fizzy last night which is why i let it sit until morning. This morning the liquid was beginning to sink a bit and the veg definitely tasted like Kim Chee.

My recipe made 4 pints, in this case 3 pints for me and 2 jelly jars for friends. I added 2 jalapenos, habaneros and some dried cayenne and let me tell you

 it is spicy!

Serve kim chee with soup, as a condiment, in spring rolls, as a side dish, as a mid afternoon snack. 

Fermented foods, like kimchee,  aid in digestion and should be on your menu daily.
Fermenting foods is an ancient art - one of the first methods of preserving food that is often forgotten today. In the modern world so many things need to be mass produced and safe across a large range of variables and fermenting is best done in smaller batches. It is easy to do at home and perfectly safe if the correct precautions are taken: use fresh produce, clean jars and hands, and fresh (preferably raw if you can get it) whey.

Lacto-fermentation (in this case adding whey) preserves the food by inhibiting the bad bacterias with the lactic acid, and provides helpful enzymes and anticarcinogenic substances, promoting healthy flora in your digestive system. You may have seen the commercials for live yogurts being so great for your intestine and 'regularity'? The modern methods of pasteurization and high heat preparations have killed the lactobicilli in our foods - replace it by eating more fermented foods and get that body workin'!
This also goes for whole grains: there was a time when no one ate whole grains without first soaking, sprouting, or fermenting them - this was done to preserve the grains and to increase digestibility. The phytic acid on the bran of the grains inhibits the absorption of nutrients, minerals and vitamins that you're trying to get out of the whole grain. By soaking the grains first, you are essentially pre-digesting it and thus increasing the amount of goodness your body is capable of absorbing. So get rid of that 'puffed wheat' and 'bran flake' and soak yourself some steel cut oats for breakfast!

Have you fermented at home? what's your favorite recipe?
(i for one can't wait to make some pickles this summer!)

"Bison Balls"

Yes, this post title was aptly named by my husband. But hey, that's what they are!
I happened  to find some relatively inexpensive bison meat at the market the other day and planned to use the second to last baggy of stored homegrown tomatoes to make some spicy bison meatballs. We've been having a bit too much pasta lately, so i'm not sure what i'll serve them over, but i'm sure it will be delicious and hopefully have some leftover for sandwiches during the week.

• 1 pound bison meat
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs with some ground up oatmeal mixed in
  
• 1/2 cup (or more) finely diced onion 
• 3 cloves finely diced garlic
• one egg scrambled
• hot chillies to taste (add lots!)
  
• salt and pepper
• mixed dried herbs: rosemary, basil, oregano, allspice
  
• drizzle truffle oil
• 2 splashes Worcestershire sauce
  

Mix up all ingredients but the meat and egg, add the meat and mix well with your hands. Make a little reservoir and scramble up the egg (this saves dirtying another bowl) then mix the egg into the meat mixture. Form into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a pan with space between each.

Heat oven to 400 and bake about 15 minutes, turning once until browned. I found the balls to be quite soft, so take care while turning.

Meanwhile cook down yummy tomato sauce with plenty of hot peppers and garlic added. My frozen tomatoes already had onions and basil added, I added about 1/4 cup of mixed tomato paste from last night's pita pizzas, a good splash of red wine, some garlic, and lots more salt and pepper. If i do this again, I will be adding a lot more spice to both the balls and the sauce.  The tomato was cooked down with the skins still on, so after bringing to a simmer i blended the sauce up with the immersion blender to create a nice, thick, rich sauce - watch out for splatters!.
I still don't understand why people feel the need to add olive oil to tomato sauce.

When finished, add the meatballs to the sauce and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes or until your pasta or whatever else is ready. You could serve this on bread, on pasta, or as i ate it on potato. I would have preferred to serve it over a bed of sauteed kale, but my kale is lame this year. I served topped with some homemade mozzarella.

Notes:
This was delicious, don't get me wrong. I can't eat red meat, yet this was great and i did not get sick: god bless lean, antibiotic free bison! The sauce was delicious, it would have been better over pasta, but i'm trying to avoid pasta when i can (for dinner at least). The bison balls themselves were delicious, moist, firm, flavorful - i didn't notice the truffle flavor much, and they weren't nearly as spicy as i thought they'd be. Next time i will load up with a lot more spice. I also majorly missed having a green ingredient in my dinner. Not used to eating mostly meat and sauce. Tonight I will be eating nothing but green to make up for it, good thing i have lots of lettuce and spinach in the garden for the taking.

Broccoli and Chicken with Pesto Sauce

HOLY cow, this was good. I had a feeling it would be, but man it sure panned out to exceed expectations.
A broccoli floret was ready to harvest and we still have plenty of pesto in the freezer, so i planned to put those two together. On a trip into the market for frozen peas i noticed whole chickens were on sale. I bought one and chopped it apart and skinned it (ew). The breasts were chopped and placed in the fridge, legs, wings, and body de-fatted and skinned and placed separately in the fridge to become chicken soup / craftable bones later. Apologies for the not so artful photo of the final product, i was already sitting down and asked the husband to photo his bowl.

Makes a perfect two portions with a little leftover for lunch, if you can stand not having seconds.

• 2 not huge chicken breasts cut into 1 inchish cubes
• about 1 1/2 cup of spicy pesto/turkey broth plus 1 T whey
• 2 hot chillies, i used habaneros from the garden
• 1 onion, diced
• pinch chopped fresh rosemary
• 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1 broccoli floret with 3 leaves, chopped to even sizes including the stem
• Mirin (rice wine) or sherry or white wine

Saute the onions, peppers and garlic with a splash of water, salt and pepper, over med/high heat and covered until getting soft.

Add the chopped chicken, season with salt and about 2 T of the pesto sauce, (my pesto and turkey stock were stored frozen in the freezer in ice cube shapes in ziplock bags. I simply tossed them into a cup and thawed them in the microwave for about 2 minutes) and a good splash of Mirin. Cover for a few minutes, stir, re-cover, turn heat to medium and simmer until cooked through. Contents of pan should be steamy and simmering.
Heat pasta water to boiling.

When chicken is cooked through, add the broccoli and stir in with chicken and onions, cover and cook over medium heat. Let the broccoli steam. Meanwhile cook your pasta - i used whole wheat with wheat germ spaghetti that cooked in 5 minutes.

Broccoli if fresh will cook in about 5 minutes, older tougher broccoli may take a bit longer.
When all is just about done, pour the pesto sauce evenly over the chicken and broccoli to warm, covered.

Ta Da! Drain the pasta, serve into bowls or plates ( i like bowls so that all the juices are contained, kept warm, and it's easy to stir without getting green splatter all over yourself ) and top with the pesto brocc/chx.

This was spicy and delicious! Didn't need cheese at ALL, but cheese is always good so feel free to top with some shredded mozz or parm. I really love the flavor habaneros lend to things, and my pesto had jalapenos in it which adds a different heat in itself.

This was easy to do, room for error or wandering about - just be sure that the pan stays covered and the interior is steamy and simmery - don't let the onions/garlic burn.  This method of cooking chicken keeps it SUPER moist. All that steamy goodness shoves itself into the chicken, imbibing it with flavor and retaining a succulent texture. And who doesn't love steamed broccoli or pesto! My pesto is very low in oil, FYI, so the sauce was very healthy and mixing it with the turkey stock made it go further but added a layer of richness. Stir it all up with your noodles to soak the sauce into them too. So Good!
( I got a high five for this one )

What are some of your favorite pesto recipes?

Spicy Curry/Turmeric Hummus and a satisfying lunch

I love hummus. It is so easy to make, versatiles, and can be made with an infinite variety of ingredients. Today i picked some things from the garden, grabbed some garbanzos from the cupboard and whipped up a delicious lunch with hummus left for a week or more in about 10 minutes.

• 2 cans garbanzos, one drained
• 3 onion greens (or two green onions)
• about a dozen shakes of curry powder
• pinch of turmeric
• salt and pepper
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 thai chilly peper
• pinch cumin
• small sprig of fresh parsley
  
• drizzle safflower oil

Dump it all in a blender and blend until well mixed. Easy as that! Have with salads, on toast, on veggies, whatever you like.

My lunch:

Celery sticks with labneh (strained yogurt that is cheese like), srirachi sauce, hummus and toast.

Spicy and Good Turkey/Hominy Stew

This is either a soup or a stew, depending on if you're drawing the broth off the top of digging deeper to the meaty goodies. I'm mostly writing this down to remember for myself in the future, quantities are not exact, but this is a pretty yummy approach to post-thanksgiving turkey soup.

• 1 turkey carcass with some meat still on the bones
• 3 bay leaves
• salt 
• 1 onion

Boil the carcass for a long time. Like, all day.
The not so fun part: separating all the bones from the goodies. I usually just fish my hands in my big*ss stew pot and put them in a colander in a bowl. when i think i've got them all out i try and strain what's remaining if i have another big bowl, but i don't really so i just hope i got all the gross out. I heat my tap really hot and pour some water over the bones in the colander to wash off the good gelatin into the bowl and add that back into the stew pot.  On this occasion i stored 4 big tupperwares of stock in the freezer (wish i had a presser canner) for later use and an alternative to having to buy ready made stock.

• pot full of delicious turkey stock and meat
• 4  big scallions
• 1 poblano
• 2 carrots
• 1 parsnip
• 2 cans hominy, white and golden
• 2 jalapenos
• 1 habanero
• cumin, chilly powder, and pepper
• lots of salt
• turmeric root
• 5 cloves garlic
• one regular onion
• celery stick
• splash of white wine or mirin
  

Many other things would be delicious in this. Chop all the veg about the same size. The peppers minus the poblano were from my garden, the rest was leftover from the root veg i used for Christmas dinner. I skimmed the fat off the top of the stock while still cold from chilling overnight in the fridge then heated to a rolling boil, turned down to simmer and added half the carrots, the hot peppers, garlic, onions, celery, wine and turmeric.  Simmer for half an hour and add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer until the carrots are soft to your liking and the poblano chunks are cooked but not totally destroyed.

Soup is not rocket science. I used to be intimidated by soup. So many ingredients! it must be hard, right? Nope. Just add stuff that you like together and it should turn out pretty well. The main rules are to start with good stock, add the things that take longer to cook, like carrots and potatoes and celery first. Corn and peas go in at the very last second. Peppers somewhere in the middle depending if you just want their heat or if you want them to maintain form. Peruse some soup recipes. Cook them, then fiddle with them and add new things. You'll get the hang of it. Nothing better than home made soup, there is.

Cheese Making at Home: super duper easy recipe

I got this recipe from Wild Fermentation, another amazing christmas gift. Very similar to the other farmer cheese I made last time, with the lemon juice from my tree. The main difference: i heated the milk until it boiled instead of watching the temperature. So easy. Make this. You'll thank yourself.

• about a half gallon of raw milk (I had removed a lot of the cream so it was no longer whole milk)
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• optional and SO worth it: fresh chopped herbs. I used oregano, rosemary and sage. I also put in some dried pequin peppers (super hot) i recommend that highly.
  
• sea salt

Heat over med/high heat until milk begins to boil slowly, stirring a LOT the whole time to prevent burning at the bottom. As soon as it reaches the slow boil remove from heat and pour in the vinegar a bit at a time. The milk should curdle instantly. Using a slotted spoon lift the curds into a cheesecloth lined colander (over a bowl or sink). Spoon out only a little curd at a time and add the chopped herbs and generous salt as you go to mix well. Stir the curds a bit (more like shifting them around) then pull up the ends of the cheesecloth, spin and press to drain. Because my milk wasn't whole, and i pressed a lot of the whey out, my cheese was a bit dry. I think i will not press as much whey out to keep a moister more spreadable cheese.
Be sure to save your whey. It is very useful in lacto fermenting, subbing for water or juice in recipes, etc. I saved some in specific tablespoon quantities in my ice cube trays to use later. I'll be making my whey biscuits again tonight, as well, to accompany our turkey/hominy stew.

I will be making this cheese about every time we buy a gallon of raw milk. SO good. Spicey and very herby. The herbs and salt also help to draw out more moisture as well as flavor. Make sure you add enough salt, or salt a bit more when serving, this is also a friable cheese.

The Last Turkey Soup - Make it Better!

So it's a week or so after Thanksgiving. We've feasted. We've had turkey sandwiches. We've had turkey soup or pot pie. We're tired of turkey soup, but there's still some left in that big ole pot in the fridge. What to do with it?

I puzzled over this quandary last night and scrimcoached something highly delectable (and certainly another factor in my increasing winter chub - really? pasta and sausage for dinner? Too many carbs, but too delicious not to have seconds)

My base turkey soup consisted mainly of turkey carcass cooked for about 6 hours with onions, bay leaves, salt, pepper, jalapenos, whatever else you add to stock. Turkey Soup II night added some squash, hominy, leftover spinach noodles, some cabbage. You get the idea, it's turkey soup with veggies to my liking. By day 4 or so all that was left was mostly just turkey stock and way cooked down veggies. How to transform this boring soup into a deliciously addictive cold night glop of yum?? Here's how:

Add 2 chicken sausage links, halfed long ways then chopped into small chunks. Add another fresh chopped jalapeno or two. Once the soup has boiled a bit, turn down and simmer for a few minutes. Near ready to eat time add some orzo - i think i used about a cup or so. Also add a large spoonful of tomato paste, about 1/3 a small can and stir in. Cook until the orzo is cooked to soft but not total mush and turn off heat. The orzo swells and is cooked with turkey stock instead of plain water and is thus intensely flavorful and rich. Serve in large bowls and top with some shredded mozz and cheddar. OH Man this is good. Salt to taste.... and your seconds will be even yummier because the orzo will continue to swell and fill with flavorful goodness.

no pics, we consumed it promptly and the recipe was too nebulous to really count as a 'recipe' per say - but i just had to share this with you, and write it down for my future rememberings. It's all about the orzo and the tomato paste - the sausage isn't bad either ;)

Stuffed Shroomies

Stuffed mushrooms, how I love thee. The prefect appetizer for any occasion. You take a little bit of effort, but your componants can be prepared in advance to be popped into the oven as my guests arrive, greeting them with tantalizing shroomy smells and piping hot deliciousness (don't burn your mouth!)

With the holidays coming up, I thought I would write down this old favorite of mine in case any of you were pondering new ideas for the stuffing of mushrooms.

Don't get me wrong, I love cheesey, creamy, indulgent stuffed mushrooms - but i think this recipe is a nice alternative: still completely decadent, but without the mass amounts of cheese and olive oil some recipes call for. I have made these many times, and each time fiddle with the ingredients and the amounts, more of this, less of that, new herbs or veggies - so don't be limited by this recipe, but rather think of it as a good sounding off board and make it your own (or do it as is, it'll be great).

Stuffed Button Mushrooooooms
(note, the amounts of shroom and breadcrumbs here come from an old recipe i originally used as reference - i haven't made these in a while, sadly, so you may find you need more breadcrumbs - simply add some more as needed, but it should be about half wet/hot ingredients to half dry)

• 24 medium to large sized buttom shrooms (about one big package)
• 3 slices turkey (or real) bacon, optional
• 1 onion, diced very fine
• 1 jalapeno, diced very fine, seeds removed, optional
• 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
  
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs (you can use the dried ones, but crush them up to more like dust)
  
• 3 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• few pinches other fresh herbs, rosemary, oregano, thyme etc
• reduced fat feta crumbles, or shredded Parmesan (or both) you can also substitute ricotta for the feta
  
• splash white wine
• little oil
• salt and pepper
  

Filling can be made ahead and stored in a ziplock bag, extra can be frozen for next time.

Clean mushrooms with a brush or cloth, not under water, and remove the stems. Save about half or 3/4 of the stems and chop finely.

Finely chop the veggies and herbs and bacon if using. Saute the veggies and bacon in a little olive oil with the mushroom stems until the onions are clear (cover pan while sauteing to keep the moisture in and speed cooking while alleviating the need for more oil). Once veggies are cooked to your liking, add the finely chopped fresh herbs and splash of white wine.

In a separate bowl while veggies are cooking, mix the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper and cheeses. I would say there should be either equal amounts cheese to breadcrumbs or slightly less cheese - more or less depending on how decadent you want it.

Mix the wet/hot ingredients into the dry, mixing thoroughly. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or herbs and light dash of olive oil as needed. The texture should be moist and spoonable, but not "wet" or too crumbly dry. The cheese should act as a binder and the onion mixture as a flavor-soaker-inner (nice technical verbage, ay?)

If you are stuffing now, simply use a regular spoon and scoop up spoonfuls of the filling, turn spoon upside down and press into the mushroom cavity to be flush or slightly heaping above the rim of the mushroom. Lay out the mushrooms on a cookie sheet side by side as you stuff them. When all are stuffed and nestled together (not quite touching) sprinkle a little salt all 'round as well as a little more parm. These can wait on the counter for you, or be cooked right away. If set aside, cooking time might be slightly longer since the fillings will have cooled.

When your guests are about to arrive preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Stick these babies in as you see your guests approaching up the walk  (or about 20 minutes before you're ready to snack) and bake until the mushrooms are getting soft, the tops are slightly browning and bubbling, and there's a general feeling of sizzle and aromatic goodness in your oven.  I have written here about 15 minutes, but i'm pretty darn sure the last few times it has taken 5 or 10 minutes longer - you can also blast the broiler at the very end if you want more browning to occur. The key is that the mushrooms get soft all the way through, but NOT mushy - need to be picked up easily with two fingers. All ovens are different - so just keep an eye on them please.

CAREfully remove the shrooms with a spatula and your hands, or with some tongs and spread on a nice serving platter. Serve with some robust red wine and cocktail napkins at hand - but do let the shrooms cool just a touch before serving - don't want any ER visits for your guests' mouths!

I apologize for no pictures, but hopefully this recipe will be a good guide for you. I like my shroomies spicy, so don't add the jalapeno if you want a milder version. You could also put in finely diced celery, bell peppers, or maybe blue cheese or really anything you'd like!
Have Fun!

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Well the whole baked pumpkin may have been a bit of a bust (though i still plan on making yellow curry with it tonight) but at least I got some yummy pumpkin seeds out of it. It's cool because the seeds are already cooked inside the shell - will be interesting to see if they come out tasting different or having a significantly different texture.

 

Normally my pumpkin seeds are quite crisp and flavorful, best eaten warm.   In the past I've burnt batches by heating them too hot or too long. The last time i made them i referred to this recipe for guidance. The seeds turned out PERFECTLY.  I season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne powder, and my homemade seasoning salt.

Today I'll do the same, but with the roasted seeds. Coat seeds in light oil, seasonings of choice, and heat oven to 300. Place seeds in the baking pan in the oven, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes.

***Whilst toasting these already roasted seeds i discovered two things: either the temp should be cooler or cooking time shorter. I fiddled with both, but think i would suggest 300 for only 15 minutes, stirring often. Mine got ALMOST too burnt - but just saved them.

Dinner last night.

I bought some ground turkey last week and it was time to use it. I decided to try something similar to what i call my 'tortilla soup' but less soupy. I'd planned on using hominy but found no hominy in the cupboard and used orzo instead. I think that was an excellent choice. All told this took about 30-40 minutes to prepare.

Zesty Turkey/Poblano Stew (names are a work in progress)

Ingredients:
1 package extra lean ground turkey
2 BIG green poblanos (if i was using garden poblanos i'd have to use about 5 or 6)
1 big onion
3+ cloves garlic
hot peppers to taste, i used 3 dried thai peppers
3 tablespoons cilantro
1 can regular rotel (or generic brand tomatoes and green chillies)
Veg stock
1/2 cup frozen corn
Chile powder
cumin
salt & pepper
orzo
kaffir lime leaf
dash lime juice
seasoning salt
white wine

Chop the veg, place onions, lime leaf, and garlic directly in a lubricated pan - a big pan.
Heat the onions and garlic on med/high until they're sizzling and softening. Add the package of turkey, seasoning with chile powder, cumin, salt etc to taste. It is important to monitor the turkey at this stage, breaking it up and turning it often to create a nice sized crumble. Once the turkey is almost cooked, add the Rotel, dash of lime, and hot peppers. Keep turning and breaking turkey until it is cooked through.
Layer poblanos on top of juicy turkey mixture, followed by the orzo - enough to lightly cover, about 2 handfuls, followed by veg stock to cover peppers and pasta with liquid, about 1-2 cups.
Cover and simmer on medium until orzo is about cooked to a firm aldente. Stir and add in frozen corn and about 1/2 to 3/4 cup white wine. Cover and simmer until corn is warmed and orzo is cooked to your preference - not mushy but not crunchy.

Serve in bowls topped with shredded cheddar. Deliciouso! And again I ate too much. but at least i saved a LITTLE for lunch today :)

Ground turkey is such a versatile ingredient, I find it is always good to have around.

This picture is when i layered in the poblanos topped with the orzo.
You can see it isn't a ton of pasta, just enough to give the stew
a little body and interest. The pasta absorbs the yummy flavors
so nicely. The lime leaf added such a nice, fresh, light zest, and
the peppers a good amount of kick, but not overpowering.