stuffed bell peppers

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6 bell peppers

1 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil

2 teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or chuck

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

Cut tops off peppers; remove seeds and membranes. Chop edible part of tops and set aside. Rinse peppers under cold water. Place peppers in a large pot; cover with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain peppers and set aside. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Sauté chopped green pepper (from tops), chopped onion, and chopped celery for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, crushed garlic, oregano, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine egg with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Gently stir to blend; add ground beef, cooked rice, and 1 cup of the tomato mixture. Mix well. Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place in a 3-quart baking dish. Pour remaining tomato mixture over the stuffed peppers. Bake at 350° for 55 to 65 minutes. If desired, top stuffed peppers with a little shredded Cheddar cheese just before peppers are done; bake until cheese is melted.

 

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enjoy!

best ever waffles

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Best Waffles (ever) from King Arthur Flour

2 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
2 tablespoons butter, melted, or oil
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar

 

In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks, buttermilk and butter or oil till well combined. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Gently stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

Beat egg whites till stiff. Gently fold them into batter.

Bake waffles in a preheated, oiled waffle iron till done. Yield: twelve 4 x 4-inch waffles.

* Note: adding an additional tablespoon of buttermilk to the batter will make extra-crisp waffles.

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enjoy!

French Lemon Poppy seed Pound Cake

adapted from Flour

(Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe)

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makes one standard 9" loaf

240g (2 cups) cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
156g (1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to slightly warm
60g (1/4 cup) heavy cream
3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (roughly two large lemons)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
4 eggs
250g (1 1/4 cups) granulated sugar

Lemon Glaze
70g (1/2 cup) powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9" x 5" loaf pan or line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice and poppy seeds. The mixture should have the consistency of a thick liquid. If the butter hardens into little lumps, heat the mixture gently until the butter melts again. Set aside.


Using a stand mixture fitted with the whip attachment (or a hand held mixer), beat the eggs and granulated sugar on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy and lemon colored. (If you use a hand held mixer, this same step will take 8 to 10 minutes.)

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture just until combined. Fold about one-fourth of the egg-flour into the butter-cream mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining egg-flour mixture just until thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, OR until the top of the cake is golden brown and springs back when you press it in the middle.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes and prepare the lemon glaze. 

Glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar and enough lemon juice (more or less to your preference) to make a smooth glaze.

When the cake has cooled to a warm temperature, pop it out of the pan and spread the lemon glaze over the still warm cake, letting the glaze dribble down the sides.

The cake can be stored, tightly wrapped, for up to three days. 

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enjoy!

sour cream coffee cake

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3 cups AP flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 eggs

8 ounces sour cream

2 sticks butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat your oven to 350*. Melt butter. Cool slightly. Combine all ingredients (except nuts and chocolate chips) in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix well and beat until fluffy. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Pour in the batter and spread with a spatula (I also rap the pan on the counter 3 or 4 times). Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Usually when you smell it, it's done.

enjoy!