Browsing Tag

pepper

Recipes

Pepper Jelly-Stuffed Pimento Cheese Cookies

January 17, 2014

This photos and baking finesse of this post come from my mother. The commentary is mine.

Yes, I know the title sounds strange, and you’re probably thinking “there’s no way those taste good,” but believe me, oh, ye of little faith, they’re actually pretty yummy. I adapted a Southern Living recipe to make these based on what I already had lying around the house. There’s only 5 ingredients (6 if you count the parchment paper), and they’re pretty easy to easy to make.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup refrigerated Palmetto cheese, original flavor (or your favorite pimento cheese)
  • 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 4 tablespoons One Screw Loose raspberry merlot cracked pepper jelly (or whatever your favorite it)

 Instructions

1. Gather all of your ingredients. I also grabbed a nice craft beer to drink while I was baking. This isn’t integral to the baking process, but it sure makes time go by faster.

Ok, so the beer isn't "technically" an ingredient.

Ok, so the beer isn’t “technically” an ingredient.

2. Beat together flour & pimiento cheese at medium speed for about 1 minute.

I use the food processor for pretty much everything.

I use the food processor for pretty much everything. But a mixer would work, too.

3. Use a food processor (or a knife if you don’t have one) to chop up your pecans super fine. If you like nuts in cookies, then you can probably leave them a little coarser, but I like it better like this.

I like that beer even better.

I like that beer even better.

4. Add pecans and butter to the flour & pimento cheese mixture and beat until blended.

This is pre-blend.

Is this blended enough? Idk. Drink!

5. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours. If after 2 hours it still isn’t very doughy, you might want to add a little more flour or stick it in the freezer for a hot minute.

tick tock tick tock

tick tock tick tock

6. While the dough is chilling, this is a good time to do the dishes and finish your beer (and maybe pour yourself another while you wait)

The beer is the important part. I can't stress that enough.

The beer is the important part. I can’t stress that enough.

7. Preheat oven to 400°. Place dough on a well-floured surface, and roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough into equal-sized rounds with a 2-inch round cutter (or a wine glass if you don’t have one of those).

cutting the dough

Yes, that is 2 open cans of beer in the background. Don’t judge.

8. Arrange half of rounds 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

arranging the dough

Am I strategically placing the beers in every shot? Yes. Yes I am.

9. Spoon 1/2 tsp. of whatever jelly you’re using onto center of each round, and top with remaining rounds.

Pimento Cheese cookies

LIKE A LITTLE PIMENTO CHEESE JELLY SANDWICH, YOU GUYS.

10. Press the edges together to seal.

I used a fork. Cuz I'm cool (read: lazy) like that.

I used a fork. Cuz I’m cool (read: lazy) like that.

11. Bake at 400° for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets 10 minutes; transfer to wire racks, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).

They kind of look like those meat pies from Sweeney Todd...

They kind of look like those meat pies from Sweeney Todd…

My only complaint about these is that they end up tasting a lot like Cheese Straws, so they’re a little dry, even with the jelly-filled inside. Maybe I added too much flour? …I was drinking, so I don’t remember clearly. I’ll continue playing with it in the future. I might even try the jalapeno Palmetto cheese next time! 

The faucet was integral in my baking process, as it was way easier to wash my hands when I had dough all over them. If you haven’t entered to win a free Delta Touch2O Faucet yet, head on over the the giveaway page to get started. This thing is awesome! You have 2 more days left to enter, so go for it.

Recipes

Tina Chili

February 8, 2013

My mom makes the best chili. Well, she makes the best pretty much any food you can name, but her chili is especially good. I know lots of people love really spicy chili, but I’m not a person who believes that chili making should actually be a process of developing new and interesting ways to set people’s mouths on fire and ensure they don’t taste things right for at least a week. I like a little bit of kick, but let’s keep it to a reasonable level people. If I have to sign a waiver before I eat your food, IT’S TOO SPICY.

Turning into a fire breathing dragon is not my idea of fun.

Turning into a fire breathing dragon is not my idea of fun.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
  • 4 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1 Large Onion, chopped
  • 4 teaspoons Garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
  • 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
  • Dash Cayenne Pepper
  • 2-3 Pounds Ground Beef
  • 2 Tablespoons Oil
  • 4 (16 ounce) Cans Black Beans
  • 2 (16 ounce) Cans Mexican-Style Stewed Tomatoes
  • 1 (8 ounce) Can Tomato Sauce
  • 1 (6 ounce) Can Tomato Paste
  • 1 Cup Water

There are two ways of making this chili. The first is the classic Tina method, which takes a lot more work, but is totally worth it. The second is the lazy Sydney method, which involves a crock pot and very little work on your part, but takes a lot more time (since it’s in the slow cooker).

The Tina Method:

Prep:

  1. Chop Peppers & Onions and mince Garlic (set aside)
  2. Open both cans of Mexican-Style Stewed Tomatoes. Put into Food Processor and Puree. (set aside)
  3. Open Can of Tomato Paste. Put into Food Processor. Add with one cup of water and Puree. (set aside)
  4. Brown Ground Beef in 2 Tablespoons Oil. Partially Drain. I add a little of the oil from the browned ground beef to my chili for flavor. (set aside)

Instructions:

  1. Melt 4 Tablespoons Butter in a large dutch oven (Pot).
  2. Add chopped Bell Peppers and Onions and sauté until tender – about 10 minutes.
  3. Add minced Garlic, Salt, Oregano, Chili Powder, Cumin, Crushed Red Pepper, and a Dash of Cayenne Pepper. Stir all together.
  4. Stir in Ground Beef.
  5. Add Black Beans, Stewed Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce and Tomato Paste.
  6. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 30-45 minutes. Stirring Occasionally.
  7. Serve with a good crusty bread ( like a bread bowl if you can find one), some cheddar cheese, or spaghetti noodles.

Notes from Tina:

  • The first time you make it, don’t substitute any thing. You can substitute and adjust the recipe after you’ve tried it this way at least once. Like substituting Cooked, Cubed Chicken for the Ground Beef or Salsa instead of the Stewed Tomatoes. You may even want to cut back on the Crushed Red Pepper or Cayenne
  • You may find that when it’s about done you may need to adjust your seasonings as per your taste like add more cumin and chili powder. You’ll have to play with it til you get it the way that suits you. Sometimes it’s just perfectly fine. Figure out what works for you.
  • If it isn’t thick enough for you mix a little water with flour and pour into the chili, stirring constantly til thick. (Rule: Never pour flour into a hot liquid as it will clump instead of mixing) FYI: Mesa Flour is generally used to thicken chili but white all purpose flour is fine also. And again, you may not need to thicken it. Depends on personal taste.
Bread, chili, cheese... what more could you possibly ask for??

Bread, chili, cheese… what more could you possibly ask for??

The Sydney Method:

Prep:

  1. Chop Peppers & Onions and mince Garlic (or buy the stuff that’s already done for you)
  2. Brown ground beef and partially drain.
  3. Open Can of Tomato Paste. Put into Food Processor. Add with one cup of water and puree

Instructions:

 

  1. Put all ingredients in crockpot. Stir together.
  2. Put crockpot on low and cook for ~8 hours.
  3. Enjoy with sour cream, good crusty bread, and/or shredded cheddar cheese (or on its own if you’re looking for a low carb dinner option)

Notes:

  • I usually do 2 cans of black beans and 2 cans of either kidney or pinto beans for a little variety. 
  • Once, I didn’t have tomato paste and used a can of refried beans instead. It worked great.
  • That same time, I also didn’t have a plain can of tomato sauce, so I used marinara sauce instead, and it was fine.
Basically I'm obsessed with chili.

Basically I’m obsessed with chili.

Recipes

Mexican Chocolate Cookies

December 24, 2011

So, for Santa this year, I decided to branch out from my usual Place-and-Bake-Sugar-Cookies-With-Holiday-Shapes for Santa and make something different. I figured Santa would probably appreciate a little variation.

Not this year, Dough Boy.

Not this year, Dough Boy.

After some searching online, I found a nifty looking recipe for a spicy chocolate cookie, which I used as a starting place to creating my own recipe. Since my mother has a self-diagnosed gluten allergy, I tried to keep the cookies gluten-free, but also still delicious. I think I succeeded, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see how much Santa enjoyed them before I make a final judgement.

Santa’s feeling a little spicy this year

Ingredients:

  • 1 heaping 2/3 cup chocolate, coarsely chopped (I recommend dark chocolate, but if you only have milk chocolate on hand, that will work, too, just cut the sugar down by 1/4).
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • non-stick aluminum foil

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
  3. Combine almond and coconut flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, black pepper and red pepper in a small bowl and whisk together.
  4. Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes).
  5. Add egg to the sugar mixture and beat well.
  6. Add cooled chocolate and vanilla; beat just until blended.
  7. Add flour mixture; beat just until blended.
  8. Drop dough by level tablespoons 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with non-stick foil (if you don’t like non-stick foil, you can just spray the bottom of the pan with a non-stick spray).
  9. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until almost set. Remove from oven. Cool on pans 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooking.
  10. Sprinkle the cookies with cinnamon sugar. I dusted them with a bit of red pepper, just to accentuate the spiciness.
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice (And by "everything nice" I obviously mean "CHOCOLATE")

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice (And by “everything nice” I obviously mean “CHOCOLATE”)

Hoping everyone has a safe and satisfactory Christmas tomorrow! And to my non-Christmas-celebrating-friends, enjoy your regular, non-special Sunday!