Mama Dear's Stuffed Peppers

Last week was my (hopefully) last spring break ever, and unfortunately it turned out to be a little tumultuous. This meant that when I got home, I was in major need of comfort food, stat. One recipe immediately came to mind: the stuffed bell peppers my dad made when I was little.

Pick peppers that are similar in shape
and have flat bottoms.

As a kid, I used to love sitting in the kitchen watching my dad cook and stuff peppers was by far my favorite dish in my dad's repertoire. Back then I wasn't too fond of the actual pepper--I was more of a stuffing only gal. Of course, tastes change as you get older and now I think the roasted pepper is the best part of the dish! Even though it's been boiled and roasted, the pepper adds a firm texture that provides a nice contrast to the stuffing.

I did some digging around at my mom's house and found my dad's cookbook where he had handwritten the recipe for stuffed peppers. I was surprised to learn that the recipe is actually credited to my great-grandmother, whom my dad's generation lovingly referred to as Mama Dear.

The stuffing needs to be
a thick, paste like consistency.

I had no idea my family had been eating these peppers for over four generations! I stuck pretty true to her recipe but made some minor changes, mostly to satisfy my love for heat.

*For a more traditional take, simply omit the hot peppers and Sriracha sauce.

Of note, after stuffing the peppers, I had about a half cup of the stuffing leftover. Scrambled with some eggs, it made a fantastic breakfast for dinner the next day! I love when a recipe can do double duty.

Stuffed Peppers

Serves 4

• 4 large green bell peppers
• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 pan cornbread, crumbled
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 yellow caribe peppers (or jalapenos), diced
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp. oregano
• Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce
• 5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350. Remove the tops of the bell peppers and seed, reserving and dicing the tops. Boil peppers until they turn color but are still firm, about 3-5 minutes. Drain upside down.

3. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, bell peppers and hot peppers and saute until softened, about 10 minutes. Add ground beef and continue to cook until browned.

4. To the skillet, add crumbled cornbread, tomato sauce, 1/2 cup water, oregano and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine thoroughly. Add salt, pepper and sriracha* to taste. Mix well and stuff into peppers.

5. Place peppers in baking pan and add remaining 1/2 cup water. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the tops of the peppers form a golden crust.

*I used approximately 1 tsp. of sriracha

Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've mentioned before that I have a 2011 Kitchen Resolution List. This year, I want to make real effort to cook with new-to-me ingredients, explore different techniques and...bake (duhn duhn duhn!). To be honest, baking scares the pants off of me. I really love the creative aspect of cooking and to me, baking seems like more of a science--a subject I was never very good at or particularly cared for.

The syrup and sugar will give the bacon a burned
appearance, but shouldn't affect the taste.

I think the reason I've to this point been intimidated by baking is you make one misstep and the whole experiment goes awry. Not enough yeast? The bread doesn't rise. Beat the eggs for too short of a time? Your soufflé falls. Forget the baking powder? Those biscuits will be flat, hard discs. And do you know how many different opinions there are on whether or not to salt cookies?!

However, it's March and baking is the only Kitchen Resolution I have yet to tackle successfully tackle (There was one, unfortunate biscuit incident. See above comment about baking powder), so I put aside my baking doubt and decided on cookies. The creativity is what draws me to cooking, so I didn't want to make just any plain old Jane recipe. I searched for hours, but couldn't find anything I liked. Finally, I consulted my mom (a cookie baking extraordinaire) to help me come up with a basic cookie recipe. Then, I spiced it up a bit.

Ideally, let the cookies cool for
at least 5 minutes.

Now, I was pretty nervous that not only was I making cookies from scratch, by myself for the first time, but it was also my *own* recipe. And thankfully, I couldn't be happier with how they turned out! Hope you enjoy.

Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes Approximately 36 cookies

• 1/2 lb. bacon
• 3/4 cup butter (1.5 sticks), room temperature
• 1/4 cup bacon grease*, room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar + 1 tablespoon
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 2 large eggs, room temperature 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup + 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Coat bacon slices in maple syrup and lightly dust with brown sugar. Fry over medium high heat until crispy. Drain on paper towels and then chop once cooled.

2. Preheat the oven to 350. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a one bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, beat sugar, butter and bacon grease on high until fluffy. Reduce to medium speed and add eggs, vanilla and maple syrup. Mix until combined.

4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients in thirds until combined. Stir in the bacon and chocolate chunks and chips with a wooden spoon.

5. Using a spoon, shape dough into 1 inch balls and place half an inch apart. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes. Let cool slightly and then remove to cookie rack.

*I keep a jar of bacon grease in my refrigerator. If you don't have any, substitute with butter. Do not use the bacon fat rendered above as the maple and brown sugar used to coat the bacon will effect the color and taste of the bacon grease.

Pork Chili Verde

It's officially March, and while I'm very much looking forward to the gorgeous days Spring brings, I'm somewhat lamenting the fact that those frigid nights perfect for curling up by a fire with a bowl of hearty stew are ending.

Unfortunately, I fear that this current "cold" front that just blew into Houston might bring one of the last nights where the temperature falls below 50, and I plan to take full advantage.

You can either dice the poblano
or cut it into strips.

I made this stew a few weeks ago and froze the leftovers. I'm definitely pulling them out tonight to enjoy on one of the few cold nights we have left in Houston.

Pork Chili Verde

Serves 4 - 5

• 1.5 lbs. pork stew meat,
  seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 poblano peppers, sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 can white hominey
• 2 cups tomatillo salsa
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
• 12 ounces Mexican lager beer,
  at room temperature
• 1 cup chicken stock
• olive oil

1. Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium heat. Add pork and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.

Give everything a good stir to make
sure the spices mix evenly.

2. Add spices, onions and poblano peppers. Stir to mix the vegetables, spices and pork together. Cook for another 5 -7 minutes to allow vegetables to soften. Add the hominey.

3. Pour in the beer to deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits if necessary. Add the salsa and chicken stock, stirring to combine.

4.Let the liquid come to a simmer. Cover the pot and stirring occasionally, cook over low heat for an hour and a half or until the pork is tender.