Phenomenal Jalapeno Poppers

I love jalapeno poppers. The most common way I had them was filled with cream cheese and baked in the oven. That was until our friend TJ introduced me to his Texas grilled jalapeno poppers. These are a Stephens family crowd pleaser! If you know my in-laws you know that status doesn't come lightly.

Toothpicks
12 jalapenos
1lb bacon
8oz monterey jack cheese

Soak the toothpicks in water. Cut the jalapenos in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the cheese in small sticks to lay instead the halved jalapeno. Wrap 1 whole piece of bacon around jalapeno and cheese. Poke two toothpicks through the bacon, jalapeno, and cheese. This will help the poppers hold together while grilling. Season to liking. TJ uses an awesome seasoning salt which will remain top secret. Grill over direct flame, turning frequently, until bacon is cooked thoroughly. Serve immediately while hot.

There's an Egg in my Cocktail?!

My husband and I went to the swanky Austin restaurant the East Side Show Room. Our waitress recommended the Pisco Sour and described it as fresh and creamy. The creaminess comes from the froth the egg whites make. Pisco is a brandy distilled from several different grape varieties grown in South America. Wikipedia says the Pisco Sour's origin is debatable between Peru and Chile. 

I enjoyed the balance of flavor and layered textures. If you're in the mood for something different and feeling a little adventurous don't shy away from the Pisco Sour! If you'd like to try one at home here is a recipe I found on myrecipes.com. Cheers!

1/4 cup (2 oz.) pisco* 

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon pasteurized egg whites

In a blender, whirl 3 ice cubes, pisco, sugar, fresh lime juice, and egg whites. Whirl until smooth (you'll no longer hear the ice cracking against the side of the blender) and serve straight up in a martini glass with a dash of aromatic bitters and a wedge of lime.

Bride's No Fail Rolls

This recipe comes from the Tennessee's 95 Magic Mixes cookbook of 1977. My husband was given this cookbook from his grandma and it's a gem! The recipe name is pretty accurate "Bride's No fail Rolls."

2 eggs
1 cup warm water
3 1/2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 package dry yeast (1 tablespoon)
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Add yeast to warm water. Beat eggs, sugar and oil. Add yeast and water mixture. Beat and add 1 cup of flour at a time, mixing well. Let rise until doubled. Punch down and knead on board. Cut out rolls. Place in greased muffin tins. Let rise. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Letting the dough rise in the bowl took about 2 and a half hours and in the muffin tin about 45 minutes. The dough was a different consistency than I anticipated so I ended up spooning the mixture into the muffin tin instead of cutting. Next time I will bake at 375 degrees because they burnt a little on the bottom after 15 minutes.

Recipe submitted to cookbook by: Mrs. Reba Bellar of Macon County, Tennessee.

Tasty Tuna Melts

I love a good tuna melt! They're tasty, quick, and cheap to make. The best part is you can adapt this recipe to whatever sounds good or you have on hand. Choose the bread, and cheese, and your toppings. I prefer an english muffin or sourdough bread, but other variations include hot dog bun or tortilla. If a hot dog bun is used it's called a tuna boat! My favorite cheese to use is cheddar or swiss. Serve as a sandwich or open face.

2 slices of sourdough bread
1 can tuna, drained
2 tablespoons mayo
Pinch of salt and pepper
Thin slices of cheddar cheese
1 small avocado, sliced
1/2 tomato, sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a small bowl mix together tuna, mayo, salt and pepper. Place bread slices on cookie sheet. Spread tuna mixture on bread. Layer slices of cheese on top of tuna mixture. Bake until cheese is melted, about 7 minutes. Remove cookie sheet and add avocado and tomato.

Childhood Classic: Chex Muddy Buddies

We recently moved to Texas and boy howdy it's hot here! Last weekend when temperatures reached 112 degrees the AC was struggling to keep the house cool so using the oven wasn't an option. Craving something sweet I made Chex Muddy Buddies. This is a childhood classic and my favorite no-bake recipe!  

Ingredients:

9	cups Rice Chex, Corn Chex or Chocolate Chex cereal (or combination)
1	cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2	cup peanut butter
1/4	cup butter or margarine
1	teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2	cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1.	Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2.	In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3.	Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Green Beans, the Coffee Kind

We roast our own coffee. Sounds fancy right? It's super easy and delicious! We bought a small coffee roaster a couple years ago and will never go back. Here's a plug for our local green bean store; Grains, Beans & Things in Medford, Oregon. Their website discusses the quality, cost, societal, and environment benefits of home roasting coffee (visit: http://grains-n-beans.com/cart/home-coffee-roasters-c-37.html).

My favorite is the Brazil Cerrado and my husband the Peru. They are both great on their own or blended with others. Kenya AA and Mexican are nice beans to blend with. The roasting process takes about 5 minutes. We roast 2-3 days worth at a time.

Not convinced yet? Leave a comment here and I'll roast you a sample!

Homemade Pizza Pies

We bought a bread machine on Craigslist for $10. Seriously, if you don't have one, get one! We make a loaf of bread about weekly and this basic pizza dough recipe is great. When you start making homemade pizza pies take it easy; less is more. My first mistakes were too much sauce and way too much cheese. I did not know too much cheese was possible, but it certainly is! You want just enough sauce to coat the crust. Same with the cheese, use just enough to cover the toppings, but not completely bury them. As for toppings it's fun to experiment with the classics as well as new creations. What are your favorite combinations?

1 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Red Star active dry yeast

Place all ingredients in bread pan in order. Select dough setting and press start.

When the dough has risen the bread machine will beep (and my dog Copper will whine because he hates the high pitch). Wrap dough in plastic wrap that has been lightly coasted in olive oil. Set aside for 15 minutes. If you aren't baking your pizza right away you can keep it in an oiled plastic bag for up to 3 days.

After 15 minutes lightly oil a 14-16 inch pizza plan to within 1 inch of the edge.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle slightly smaller than the pizza pan. Place the dough on the pizza pan and gently stretch it to fit. Shape dough around the edge to form a small rim.

Cover dough and let rise on the counter top for 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat over to 450 degrees.

Spread your toppings of choice on your dough crust and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Recipe from "More Bread Machine Magic" by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway.

Asparagus: Grilled, Saute'ed, Steamed, or Wrapped in Bacon

For a long time I thought the you should only buy pencil-thin asparagus. Somewhere I heard the bigger the asparagus the woodier they became. This is not true! It's all about the freshness and the snap test. It's Farmer's Market season and our local asparagus guy is really passionate about these squashing rumors!

My favorite way to cook asparagus is on the grill. Here's my recipe and instructions for the snap test.

1 bunch of asparagus stalks
1 gallon size zip lock bag
1/2 olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

Wash asparagus and lay on paper towel. Take the stalk and bend towards the end. Wherever the stalk starts to get tough it will break. Do that with each piece. If you're running short on time you can cut all the pieces to the same length as the one you snapped. Next pat dry the asparagus and place into the gallon size zip lock bag. Pour enough olive oil into the bag to coat each asparagus. For one bunch this is approximately 1/2 cup. Season with salt and black pepper to your liking. Marinade the asparagus for at least 30 minutes or up to a few hours. When ready, BBQ and grill over direct heat. Turnover asparagus after about 5 minutes per side (time varies depending on size). Serve immediately.

My Mom's twist (literally, haha) is to wrap a couple stalks of asparagus in bacon. Place the asparagus pairs wrapped in bacon on the grill over direct heat. As the bacon crisps it will hold the asparagus together. No need for a toothpick or anything!

There are fantastic recipes out there for saute'ed and steamed asparagus as well. No matter the method asparagus is awesome!

Best Popcorn Ever

In honor of Mother's Day I am writing about a snack my Mom and I love. This is a recipe I learned by watching my Mom make it growing up. I'm not talking about microwave popcorn. I'm talking about good old fashion stove top popcorn!

Saucepan with lid
Big bowl
Vegetable oil
Popcorn kernels
Butter
Salt

Place saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour enough vegetable oil in the pot to cover the bottom. Scoop one to two handfuls of popcorn kernels into pot and cover (approximately one handful of kernels per person). Shake the pan to make sure each kernel is coated in oil. Once you hear the first pop shake pan over burner continuously until popping slows or stops. Immediately remove from heat and pour into the big bowl. Butter and salt to your preference.

Don't forget to share a few pieces of popcorn with the dogs. They love playing catch! 

200-Year-Old Cookie Recipe with a Spin

My husband collects old cookbooks from family, flea markets, and rummage sales. These treasures often contain recipes you will not find on foodnetwork.com. One of our favorite cookie recipes is Apees from the American Heritage Cookbook.

My spin on this recipe is to spoon cookie dough into a mini muffin pan. They come out in a cute little shape similar to a cupcake. You could apply this trick to snicker doodles or sugar cookies as well.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup commercial sour cream

Work butter and vanilla until soft, then work in sugar a little at a time, and continue mixing until very smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating hard after each addition. Sift together flour, cream of tartar, and salt. Stir into mixture, alternating with sour cream. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Cookies should be pale. Makes about 5-6 dozen.

I've found these cookies do better if cooled on a rack.

Enjoy!