Stuffed peppers have been on the rotation for dinners for years. Mostly, I go along more the “Italian style (with a garlic and basil tomato sauce), but I thought that I would do something a little different this time, with more of a Mexican style, with black beans, corn, and leaning to cumin, coriander and a sharp cheese. It’s a great dish to make in the winter. I’d stick with red, orange or yellow peppers over the green as they can be a little bitter. Also, this recipe is flavorful, but not overly spicy.
Lunch
Today was just a day that I needed Mac & Cheese. And not just any Mac & Cheese, I went for this Mushroom Spinach and Boursin Baked Mac & Cheese. Hearty, garlicky, cheesy, delicious. Now I am going to fall into a food coma on the sofa in front of a hockey game. Because that is about all the effort that I have left. Ahhh, comfort food!
Continuing with the theme of “OMG is it cold in New England”, here is a bowl of homemade hearty winter Minestrone with Tortellini and Turkey Meatballs, sure to warm you up and fill you up. It’s delicious. Also, coincidentally, February 4 is National Homemade Soup Day. Yeah, not joking, but coincidental because I made the soup first and then I heard about the “holiday”.
Blueberry Lemon Soufra
Something a little different today: a Blueberry Lemon Soufra. What is a soufra, you ask? It’s a Greek and Middle Eastern filo souffle pie. You fill the pie dish with buttered filo dough layers, folded or ruffled together, toast in the oven before pouring/ladling on custard. They can be savory (skip the sugar and vanilla in the custard) with spinach and feta or walnuts for example, or sweet as in this one with lemon and blueberries, or dates and walnuts, or any fruit or even chocolate chips. I made it for brunch (and truth be told, added some maple syrup over the top), but also would be a nice breakfast or lunch. Tastes best right out of the oven, and eaten the same day for sure.
So Hasselback Potatoes…. I think that most of you know the story (and the reoccurring results) of my Hasselback Potato Skillet Bake winning the Idaho Potato Recipe of the year about a million years ago (back in 2015). The recipe resurrects itself every now and again and I make it for myself sort of often. Many of you also know that I spend a lot of time randomly pondering “How can I make this recipe better?” for lots of my recipes. Well, I got to thinking about that this afternoon, after finding some perfectly sized russet potatoes (on the small side): How do I make Hasselback potatoes even better? They are already sort of like a baked/jacket potatao meets potato chips/crisps, so why not not go all in: bacon (and the bacon fat)…. cheddar … scallions. Yup, these Bacon + Cheddar Hasselback Potatoes are sort of a love child between baked potatoes, potato skins and chips. Serve with sour cream. Add on some pickled jalapenos and serve with guacamole. Simply to die for.





