ROAST/SKIN GREEN CHILI PEPPERS

How to Skin Green Chili Peppers

By Tom Ross, eHow Contributor

 
 
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Green chili peppers can burn you; handle them with gloves.

You must remove the outer skin of green chili peppers to enjoy them. Each autumn throughout Texas, New Mexico and Colorado, chili roaster cages turn over a hot fire and fill the chilly air with the distinctive aroma of roasting peppers. The peppers are sold by the pound or in 10-lb. and 20-lb. burlap bags. Grocers and street vendors offer the service of roasting the peppers to loosen the outer skin. Buyers then take the peppers home and finish the process of removing the loosened skin. Chili season is a much awaited event, and people purchase enough chili for most of the year.

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Things You'll Need

• Broiler
• Cookie sheet
• Large container

Show (4) More

Instructions

1. • 1
     Wash and dry the green chili peppers thoroughly.
   • 2
     Turn the broiler in the oven on high.
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   • 3
     Place the green chili peppers side by side in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
   • 4
     Roast the green chili peppers approximately three to four minutes on each side.
   • 5
     Place the green chili peppers in a large container, cover it with plastic wrap and allow the green peppers to steam until cool.
   • 6
     Peel the skins off of the peppers. It may be necessary to do so under running water for skins that are stubborn to remove. Wear rubber gloves and even safety glasses. Handling the peppers without gloves will irritate the skin, and gas from the green chili peppers can do the same to the eyes. Unconsciously touching the face or eyes will result in a serious burning sensation.
   • 7
     Place the peppers in a plastic bag and freeze until ready for use.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_7720108_skin-green-chili-peppers.html#ixzz2wX3Kfbtl

WHOLE GRAIN COOKIE DUNKERS

Whole Grain Cookie Dunkers - Half Batch!

We really liked.  Perfect FHE treat.

http://yestoyum.com/2014/01/20/whole-grain-chocolate-chip-cookie-dunkers/

Yield: 20 cookies - we got 8, but next time could definitely make smaller.  They spread out more than I thought they would.

Whole grain chocolate chip oatmeal cookies that are made for milk! A fun twist on a classic treat.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the first four ingredients into a small bowl.
3. In a separate bowl cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. It's very important to use butter that is softened and not melted. Melted butter will give you flat cookies. Add egg whites and vanilla, mix until combined.
4. Gradually add dry ingredients, stirring after each addition. The dough will be relatively thick. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips. Let chill in the fridge for twenty minutes.
5. Scoop out golf ball size balls of dough and form into flat bars. I did this by making a log shape and pressing the middle down. Bake for 8 minutes, or until edges of cookies are a light golden brown. I used a silicon baking sheet so your baking time may be a little shorter if you use a metal pan.
6. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

Note that these cookies are modeled after a classic Chips Ahoy type texture. They definitely call for a glass of milk!

*I added 1/2 cup crushed bran flakes in one batch after seeing it in a Better Homes and Garden recipe. I liked the texture, but everyone else erred on the negative side. Feel free to add it as a mix in.

PIZZA FACTORY BREADSTICKS

PIZZA FACTORY BREADSTICKS

We all loved these breadsticks.  Liked that they didn't take very long to make.  The kids thought it was so cool how big they were.  I rolled them out on the big cutting board (backside).  Then I folded it towards the top. I used costco seasoning (didn't have garlic salt).  Think it would be even better with garlic salt.  

http://barefootandbaking.blogspot.ca/2012/05/pizza-factory-breadsticks.html

When my husband and I lived in Provo, UT we LOVED going to the Pizza Factory, we went for the breadsticks mainly, but their food was good too!  They make their breadsticks all twisted on tall dowels and serve them in a big vase.  So fun!  So, when I spotted this recipe over at Six Sisters Stuff, I just couldn't resist!  I have made them a couple of times now and my husband has declared them his new favorite!  They are super yummy and also super fast, bonus! Here is my take on them...

Pizza Factory Breadsticks

(15-20, depending on how fat you make them)

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 T sugar

1 T yeast

Let that sit for 5 minutes. Then add:

3 1/2 cups flour

1 t salt

To brush on top:

1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup), melted

garlic salt

Mix until smooth and then let rise for 10 minutes.  Roll the dough into a large square on a floured surface. Mix together the melted butter and garlic salt and brush half of it onto the dough.  Fold the dough in half and cut into 15-20 strips (about 1 inch each).  Twist each strip and place on an UNGREASED cookie sheet.  Let the twists sit for 15 -20 minutes to rise (I just let them rise while the oven is preheating).  Bake the breadsticks at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  As soon as they come out, brush the tops with the remaining garlic butter. 

PIZZA CRUST AND SAUCE

This was really good.  I didn't do her method of cooking, but liked how the crust tasted and LOVED the pizza sauce.  I made the pizza sauce in the braun.  Was able to get one round pizza and one cookie sheet pizza out of the sauce.  I 1.5 the pizza crust recipe to make one round and one cookie sheet.  Judi had given us two fresh mozzarella packages.  They made the pizza a little bit wetter but it was good. We also did pepperoni, cheese, pepperoni and cheese, breakfast sausage with green peppers.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

This recipe is very adaptable so feel free to play around with the different seasonings and amounts. I usually forego all measuring utensils and just sprinkle in until it feels right.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• Pinch of crushed red pepper (didn't add)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until desired consistency. I leave mine slightly chunky. You can adjust the seasonings to taste. This recipe is open to interpretation. Use what you like, taste it along the way and it is sure to be delicious!

Homemade Pizza – New and Improved

YIELD: MAKES 2 12-INCH PIZZAS OR 1 LARGE 16 TO 18-INCH PIZZA

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the dough the night before or early the morning on the day you want to make the pizza. In a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), mix the water, yeast, sugar, honey and oil. (If using active dry yeast, increase the amount of yeast to 2 3/4 teaspoons and proof the yeast in the water until foamy before mixing in the sugar, honey and oil.) Then mix in 1 cup flour and the salt. Continue mixing in all the remaining flour until you get a nice, soft dough. Knead until dough is soft and smooth, about 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes with a stand mixer.
2. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl and cover tightly (with a lid or plastic wrap). Place the dough in the refrigerator to slowly rise until three hours before baking. Three hours before baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, keeping it lightly covered.
3. 45-60 minutes before baking, move the rack to the lowest position in the oven (if the lowest rack in your oven is nearly touching the oven floor, move it up one notch - you don't want it that close or the bottom of the pizza will burn), place the pizza stone on it and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Don't be nervous about a hot oven! I used to be scared to death to cook anything above 400 degrees but I promise 500 degrees is the only way to go when cooking pizza. If your oven is a bit sketchy at that temperature, bake at 475 degrees. Also,I think a pizza stone makes all the difference in good versus great pizza. I have this pizza stone and I love the rectangular shape. I have baked many a pizza on this stone and it is awesome.
4. Here's a few different methods for making great pizza:
5. Pizza Paddle/Peel: I have a wooden pizza paddle, like this, which I sprinkle with cornmeal and place the pizza dough on. I layer my toppings on the dough and slide the dough quickly onto the hot pizza stone. After about 8 or 9 minutes, the pizza is baked to perfection and I slide it onto a cutting board to slice and eat.
6. Alternative Pizza Paddle/Peel: If you don't have a pizza paddle, you can use the underside of a baking sheet (I use an 11X17 size) or a large cutting board as a makeshift pizza paddle. Cover it lightly with cornmeal, flour or parchment paper, make your pizza on the floured baking sheet or cutting board and gently slide the pizza off of the makeshift paddle onto the baking stone when ready to bake (if using parchment paper, you can let the parchment paper slide onto the baking stone with the pizza). Bake for 8-9 minutes until the crust is nicely browned. Retrieve the pizza with a pair of tongs or a spatula and slide the baked pizza quickly onto a waiting cooling rack.
7. Rimmed Baking Sheet: If you currently bake pizzas using cornmeal on a pizza paddle, you'll know how messy it can be - cornmeal everywhere. In fact, right now, my oven is in serious need of a good vacuuming. So, ofttimes, I'll still preheat my baking stone like normal and instead of using my wooden pizza paddle, I stretch the dough into an irregular shape on a lightly greased rimmed baking sheet (I don't worry about pressing it into the corners to give it a rustic look), add the toppings, and slide the entire baking sheet on the pizza stone to bake. Bake the pizza for 9-10 minutes until the crust is nicely browned. This method still browns the crust nicely - and while you don't get the extremely authentic pizza crust, it is still mighty delicious and I can make more pizza at once rather than sliding them one at a time onto the baking stone.

DARK CHOCOLATE CINNAMON PECAN COFFEE CAKE

DARK CHOCOLATE-CINNAMON PECAN COFFEE CAKE by NancyCreative, adapted from Bon Appetit

http://nancycreative.com/2014/02/19/dark-chocolate-cinnamon-pecan-coffee-cake/

We all really liked this.  Went great with eggs, fruit and sausage.  The only thing I would like to try is coconut in it.

Makes 9-12 servings in an 8 x 8″ pan

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing pan
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 cup (6 ounces) dark chocolate chips (would be good to try rough cut up chocolate too)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided (I used sugar that had been sitting in discarded vanilla beans)
• 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup plain whole Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter 8” square baking pan; set aside. (cooked in round stoneware - coated in butter)

Toss pecans, chocolate chips, cinnamon, and ¼ cup of the sugar in a small bowl; set aside.

In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and remaining ¾ cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, add dry flour mixture ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with yogurt in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. You’ll end up with a nice thick batter. 

Spoon half of the batter into prepared pan and smooth top; top with half of the chocolate/pecan mixture. Spoon remaining batter over this and smooth top; top with remaining chocolate/pecan mixture. Bake cake until top of cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes (be careful not to overbake, or it will be dry! I recommend checking it after it has baked about 35 to 37 minutes). Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool in pan before cutting into squares, and serve (if you want to eat it warm, let it cool about 10 minutes before cutting). I think this coffee cake tastes best warm myself!

VANILLA BEAN WHILE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CHEESECAKE

Made this for my bday (40th) 2014.  It was so yummy!  We liked how light & cool it tasted.  Jackson mentioned a couple of times how he liked the top layer.  I ordered my vanilla beans from: http://www.olivenation.com/Bourbon-Madagascar-Vanilla-Beans-P84.aspx  They were a good price and arrived quickly.  Didn't think I would like the graham cracker crust, but I LOVED it!  Next time I wouldn't cook as long (this oven cooks really fast). Maybe do 5 minutes.  I did put discarded pods in sugar.  Can't wait to try the vanilla sugar in a recipe.

Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

YIELD: SERVE 8-12

Don't throw away those scraped out vanilla bean pods (you need two vanilla beans for this recipe)! Learned from the almighty Mr. Alton Brown, I throw the empty pods into a cup of granulated sugar, cover, and let sit for a few days. It makes the most delicious vanilla sugar and I use it almost always for creme brulee. I mean, who doesn't need an excuse to make that, right? Also, here is an easy tutorial on scraping out the seeds if you haven't done it before.

INGREDIENTS

Crust:
• 1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Cheesecake:
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream (greek yogurt would probably work too)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• vanilla bean seeds, scraped from one pod
White Chocolate Mousse:
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 ounces white chocolate baking squares, melted
Sweetened Whipped Cream:
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• vanilla bean seeds, scraped from one pod

DIRECTIONS

1. For the crust, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix; then stir in the melted butter. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom and just barely up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan (could also use a 10-inch pan although all the layers will be slightly thinner). Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
2. For the cheesecake layer, in a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese with an electric handheld mixer (or stand mixer) until soft and creamy. Add the sour cream, cornstarch, sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. Mix in the vanilla bean seeds until evenly mixed. Don't overmix or the cheesecake will have a tendency to crack while baking.
3. Spread the cheesecake over the cooled crust and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
4. For the white chocolate mousse, in a medium bowl, beat the cream and vanilla with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer) until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined and the peaks are slightly stiffer. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the white chocolate and mix until smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped cream, taking care not to deflate the whipped cream, and mix gently with a rubber spatula, lifting and turning the cream, until the mousse is combined and creamy.
5. Spread the white chocolate mousse over the cooled cheesecake.
6. For the sweetened whipped cream, beat the whipping cream and powdered sugar together until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla bean seeds and mix until slightly stiffer peaks form and the vanilla bean seeds are mixed in.
7. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the white chocolate mousse. Refrigerate at least 1-2 hours before serving (or up to overnight).

FIESTA CHILI MAC

FIESTA CHILI MAC by NancyCreative, adapted from Ragù's Family Favorite Chili Mac
http://nancycreative.com/2014/02/17/fiesta-chili-mac/

Everyone really liked this - especially Scott.  I served it with a veggie side (did palatable sweet potatoes) and Fritos.  used mozzarella for half the cheese and plain greek yogurt in place of some of the sour cream.  Used a leek I had from bountiful baskets in place of the onion and green onion.

Makes 6 to 8 servings in a 9" deep dish microwave-safe pie plate (or you can use an 8x8" or 9x9" square microwave-safe baking dish)

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 jar (1 lb. 8 oz.) Ragù® Old World Style® Traditional Pasta Sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder
8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (had mozzarella on hand so used 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup cheddar)
1/3 cup sour cream, plus a dollop for the top (didn't have enough sour cream used plain greek yogurt)
2 green onion stems, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped tomato
Optional: 2 to 3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, 2 Tablespoons chopped or sliced black olives (didn't do either of these but would have been good)

Grease or spray a 9" deep dish microwave-safe pie plate (or similar-sized microwave-safe baking dish, like a square 8x8" or 9x9" dish); set aside. Note: It helps if you have all your veggies chopped before you begin cooking! You can cook your macaroni beforehand too, or  cook it while your ground beef is cooking.

Cook ground beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until almost done. Add chopped onion and green bell pepper and cook a few minutes longer until they are slightly tender and ground beef is done.

Stir in pasta sauce and chili powder. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover skillet, and simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in cooked macaroni , blending ingredients well, then add in 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, blending cheese evenly into the mixture.

Spoon this mixture into your greased 9" deep dish pie plate (or similar-size baking dish), mounding up mixture toward the center (if you use an 8x8" or 9x9" baking dish, the mixture will be more level). Sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese evenly over the mixture (leave the other 1/2 cup cheese for the garnish). It will look like this in a pie plate–quite a hefty mound!

Microwave on HIGH for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the cheese on top is thoroughly melted.

Remove from microwave and top center area of pie with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup sour cream, chopped green onion, chopped cilantro (optional), chopped tomato, and chopped or sliced olives (optional). Add an extra dollop of sour cream in the center, then serve. Note: You'll want to add your toppings quickly so you can serve this dish while it's nice and hot!