Stuffed Peppers

I. LOVE. STUFFED. PEPPERS. And these are the best I've ever had! They're almost foolproof to make, and they make great individual portions (which is probably the only thing that kept half of mine from being eaten by other people... they're that good!). 

- 3/4 c brown rice

- 4 bell peppers

- 1 Tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 onion, chopped

- 3 garlic cloves, minced

- ground pepper

- 1 lb. ground chicken or turkey breast (I prefer chicken)

- 30 oz tomato sauce

- 1/3 c cream

- 1/3 c chopped basil

- 3/4 c parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Cook the rice. 

2. Slice the tops off the peppers, leaving enough on the top that you can place it easily back on the rest of the pepper. Remove the seeds and membranes. 

3. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onion. Saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 2 of the 3 garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute. 

4. Sprinkle ground pepper on both sides of the chicken. Add to the skillet and cook until brown all the way through, 10 - 15 minutes. Stir occasionally at first, and often at the end to keep the chicken from sticking. I like it best when the chicken has a few almost-burnt spots that sweeten up the flavor. 

5. As the chicken cooks, combine the tomato sauce, cream, remaining garlic, and basil in a saucepan over low heat. 

6. When the chicken is ready, add the rice and almost all of the parmesan (reserve a bit for garnish) to the chicken mixture. Combine well. Add 1/2 c of the tomato mixture, turn off the heat, and combine well. 

7. Fill the peppers with the chicken mixture. Place the peppers in a tall baking dish that allows them to stand up. Spoon some tomato mixture over the peppers, then pour the rest in the baking dish so that the peppers are sitting in the mixture. Place the tops back on the peppers. 

8. Bake for 20 minutes, then cover with foil and bake for 30 more minutes. Serve hot. 

Logan's White Chicken Chili

This recipe can be modified to use up any veggies you have too many of, and is great for the start of fall! It's guaranteed to warm you up and make the house smell great as it cooks!

- 16 oz navy beans, uncooked

- 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

- 1 pack fajita mix*

- 1/2 c tequila

- 1/3 c olive oil

- Vegetables, chopped, enough to fill half a crockpot**

- 4 cloves garlic

- 1 qt chicken broth

- 2 packs white chicken chili seasoning***

- 1/4 c cilantro, chopped

- 1 box elbow macaroni

- Shredded cheese, as desired

- Sour cream, as desired

*For a homemade fajita mix: combine 2 Tbsp chili powder, 1 Tbsp salt, 1 Tbsp paprika, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp cumin

**Recommended: 1 large onion, 1 flying saucer squash, 4 poblano or bell peppers, 3 small jalapeños, 3 red tomatoes, 2 green tomatoes

***For a homemade seasoning mix (makes 1 packet): 2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp ground red pepper, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp coriander

1. Heat 6 - 8 cups of water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the navy beans. Bring the water dangerously close to a boil, then remove from heat. Let sit for one hour. Drain the water. Add another 6 - 8 cups of water to the beans and bring to a boil. Let simmer until beans are of desired consistency, roughly 1  - 1 1/2 hours. Drain the beans, keeping the water. Set aside. 

2. Preheat the oven to broil. 

3. In a large bowl, mix the fajita mix, tequila, and oil. Add the chicken, coating each side. Let marinate at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Broil for 5 minutes per side, until the center of the chicken is cooked. Set aside. 

4. Oil the bottom of a crockpot. Add the onions and squash, and any other veggies that need a similar amount of time to cook. Cook on high until translucent, roughly 20 minutes. Add the garlic and remaining vegetables, 1 packet of seasoning, and 1 pint of broth. Cook on low for 2 hours.

5. Add the cooked beans and their water. Add remaining broth as necessary. Add the other pack of seasoning and cilantro. Mix well. Cook on low for 2 - 4 hours. 

6. Cook the pasta. Serve the macaroni in individual bowls, topped with chicken, then a layer of cheese. Spoon the chili on top and add another layer of cheese. Garnish with sour cream as desired. Serve hot.

Sunday Morning Coffeecake

This coffee cake is inspired by the Cafe Beaujolais Spicy Buttermilk Coffee cake, but it was adapted by my mom to be the best Sunday Morning Coffee cake out there! 

- 2 1/4c flour

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp ginger powder

- 1 1/2 c brown sugar

- 3/4 c oil (sunflower, walnut or coconut)

- 1 c chopped walnuts or pecans or rolled oats

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1 egg, beaten

- 1 c buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 350. 

2. Grease a 9 x 13 x 2'' pan (or make a 2/3 recipe and put in a 8 x 8'' pan)

3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, 1 tsp of the cinnamon, ginger powder, brown sugars, and the oil. 

4. Remove 3/4 cup of this mixture into another bowl and add the nuts and the other tsp of cinnamon. 

5. With remaining flour mixture, add the baking soda, baking powder, egg, and buttermilk. 

6. Place the buttermilk mixture in the pan. Put the nut mix evenly on top of it. Bake 40-45 minutes. Enjoy with coffee, tea, or milk!

Sriracha Peanut Tofu

This is a nice, simple recipe that uses only ingredients that anyone who cooks Asian food will already have on hand. It's quick to make and relatively foolproof- I like to serve it with the quinoa from the Sweet Chili Lime Tofu! My only criticism with this recipe is that it's a bit salty... I'm sure some more testing will help with that!!

- 16 oz extra firm tofu
- 2 Tbsp peanut oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, sliced
- 1-2'' ginger, sliced
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce (preferably low sodium)
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (can substitute red wine vinegar)
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Sriracha hot sauce (add or subtract as needed!)
- 3 scallions, sliced
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
- Recommended: Quinoa from Sweet Chili Lime Tofu

1. If serving with rice or quinoa, get that started so it can cook while the tofu is being prepared.

2. To prepare the tofu, slice into bite-sized pieces- I like to cut it into 36 pieces. Lay the tofu slices in a single layer onto a triple layer of paper towels. Cover the tofu in another triple layer of paper towels, and then cover the whole thing with a heavy (preferably cast iron) saucepan. Let them drain for at least 5 minutes.

3. Combine all the sauce ingredients: soy sauce, vinegar, peanut butter, honey, water, and Sriracha. Set aside.

4. Place a large pan over high heat. After a minute, add peanut oil. After another minute, add the garlic and ginger. They will cook quickly, so remove them after 30 seconds to a minute, before they brown. You can throw them away or save them for use in another dish. Once the garlic and ginger are off, place the tofu into the saucepan and lower the heat to medium-high.

5. Once the first side of the tofu browns, flip them over. Once both sides are brown, lower the heat to low and add the peanut sauce. Stir the sauce over the tofu for a couple minutes until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and serve the tofu on top of the quinoa. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

French Onion Soup

Photo- Zig Hampel

Now that it's getting a bit colder out, I've been craving French Onion Soup! I don't eat beef stock, so this is not quite as sweet as traditional French Onion Soups. I actually prefer the chicken stock, but I may be biased! The key here is the slow-cooked onions... they're a game changer!

- 6 onions, quartered and sliced
- olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 4 bay leaves, snapped in half
- 6 springs fresh thyme
- salt
- pepper
- 1/2 bottle red wine
- 3 heaving tsp of flour
- 2 quarts chicken stock (or turkey, if available)
- 1 baguette, sliced
- 1/3 lb Gruyere, sliced

1. To caramelize the onions, grease the bottom of a slow cooker with olive oil. Add the onions, and drizzle roughly a 1/4 c of olive oil on top. Mix them around so the onions get nicely coated. Slow cook for 12 - 14 hours. I do this overnight, stirring the onions around every couple hours until I go to bed, and then stirring again first thing in the morning.

2. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the caramelized onions, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the wine and boil the wine off for about 10 minutes, until it has all simmered off. Sprinkle flour around the mixture. Combine well.

3. Preheat the oven to broil.

4. Add the broth, one cup at a time, bringing to a boil after each cup. When it has all been added, let it simmer for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and the thyme.

5. Broil the baguette slices topped with cheese until the cheese melts and the toast browns around the edges.

6. Serve in a bowl or mug topped with cheesy toasts. Pairs well with wine, both red and white.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

Z. Hampel

This delicious summer pie recipe was given to my mom from the produce guy at her grocery store as a teenager when strawberries were in season. It's amazing, and from personal experience I can verify that it is great for breakfast as well! I made this for the 4th of July, so I threw on some pie crust stars on top!

- 1 pie crust
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp water
- 3 pints strawberries
- 1 c sugar
- 1 pint whipped cream cheese

Z. Hampel

1. Bake the pie crust. Set aside and let cool.
2. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, mash up 1.5 pints of strawberries. Add sugar and bring to a boil. The mixture will liquify. When it is at a boil, add the cornstarch mixture. Combine well, remove from heat, and set aside.
4. Cover the bottom of the cooled pie crust with cream cheese, as evenly as possible.

Z. Hampel

5. Cut up the remaining 1.5 pints of strawberries into small pieces. Place the cut strawberries over the cream cheese, as evenly as possible.

Z. Hampel

6. Pour the strawberry sauce on top of the pie filling, as evenly as possible.
7. Chill and serve cold. Enjoy!

Z. Hampel

Horchata

If there is a better drink than horchata out there, I have yet to find it. I never knew how easy it was to make, so I have a feeling this will be an horchata-filled summer...

- 1 cup white rice, uncooked
- 5 cups water
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place the rice and water in a blender. Blend for 30 seconds, then remove half of the water into a bowl. Blend what remains for another 30 seconds, then remove half of the remaining water into the bowl. Blend what remains for 1 minute, then transfer to the bowl. Let it sit for 3 hours at room temperature.

2. Strain the rice water into a blender. Discard the rice. Add the milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Run it through the blender to make sure the cinnamon integrates into the drink. Let the foam die down and serve chilled.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Z. Hampel

Perfect in time for St. Patrick's Day! These are a take on the classic Irish Car Bomb cocktail, combining a Guinness chocolate cupcake with a whiskey ganache center and irish cream frosting. They're delicious, but they're rich enough that I generally can't handle more than one!

Guinness-Chocolate Cupcakes
- 2 c flour
- 2 c sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 c unsalted butter
- 1 c Guinness
- 3/4 c cocoa
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 c sour cream

Whiskey-Chocolate Ganache
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate
- 1/4 c heavy cream
- 3/4 Tbsp butter
- 2 tsp Irish whiskey

Irish Cream Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 4 oz butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 c confectioner's sugar
- 6 Tbsp Bailey's irish cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Divide the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces. Place in a large saucepan over medium heat. When it starts to melt, add the Guinness. Bring the combination to a simmer, making sure they combine well. Add the cocoa powder and mix until combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

4. In a large bowl, combine the eggs and sour cream. Mix until well combined - I had to use an electric mixer. Add the chocolate mixture and combine. Add the flour mixture and combine.

5. Divide evenly among 24 cupcake tins. Bake until a toothpick can be removed cleanly, around 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

6. Make the ganache by chopping the chocolate up into roughly 1/2'' cubes. In a bowl, microwave the cream until it simmers. Add the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute, then mix until combined. Add the butter and whiskey. Mix until combined.

7. Using the end of a frosting decorating tip or a knife, cut a hole in the cupcakes from the top. You should get a hole about 3/4'' across that goes about 2/3 of the way to the bottom of the cupcake. Remove this part of the cupcake, and fill it with the ganache. The ganache should be fairly liquid and easy to work with at this point - it will harden as it cools.

8. To make the frosting, simply combine the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until they are well combined. Add the Bailey's. Mix until well combined. I like to add some festive green food coloring to mine!

9. Since frosting the cupcakes with a knife would spread the ganache into the frosting (and not look as pretty), I recommend using a frosting bag and decorating tip! But really, there's not wrong way to frost a cupcake... Serve with milk and/or the Irish cocktail of your choice! Enjoy!

Z. Hampel

Dad's World Famous Black Bottom Bourbon Pie

This one is a crowd stopper, folks. It's definitely a grown-up dessert! I'm not usually a pie person, but this one should win over the most pie-loathing person you know... as long as they like bourbon. It's my dad's recipe, and it may just be the reason my parents are going into their 28th year of marriage...

- 30 gingersnaps, pulverized

- 6 Tbsp butter, melted

- 2 c milk, scalding hot

- 4 egg yolks

- 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

- 1/3 c sugar

- 1 square unsweetened chocolate, cut into small pieces (I shave them with a knife)

- 1 Tbsp gelatin

- 2 Tbsp hot water
- 4 egg whites
- 1/3 c sugar
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 3 Tbsp bourbon whiskey
- Optional: whipped cream, preferably homemade
- 1 bar of nice, dark chocolate (got to go with Lindor or 60% cocoa Ghirardelli)

1. Preheat the oven to 450. 

2. Combine the gingersnaps and butter in a bowl. Place in a 9'' pie pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with the mixture. 

3. Bake for 10 minutes, removing it when it is "dangerously close to burnt."  Set aside and let cool. 

4. Place the milk in the top of a double boiler. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating them in each time. 

5. Combine the cornstarch and sugar together. Add them to the milk mixture. 

6. Cook mixture in the double boiler for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally for the first 10 minutes, then continuously for the remainder. Cook until it's thick enough to a coat a spoon. 

7. Take out 1 cup of the custard, and add the chocolate. Beat well and set aside until it cools a bit. Cover the baked gingersnap crust with the chocolate custard. Set aside.

8. Dissolve the gelatin in the hot water. Add to the remaining custard. Mix and allow to cool.

9. Beat the egg whites until their peaks hold their shape. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cream of tartar and then add them to the egg whites. Add the bourbon. Mix.

10. Fold into the custard. Combine well and pour on top of the pie.

11. Refrigerate the pie for at least an hour, until it can firm up. Topping with whipped cream is optional. (I prefer without, which my dad considers blasphemous.) Either way, shave/grate some nice chocolate on top before serving. Serve with milk and/or Irish coffee. Enjoy!!

World-famous Black-Bottom Bourbon Pie

Minestrone Soup

This is my grandma's Minestrone Soup recipe and it's got pretty much every vitamin you'll ever need in it. I usually only make it a couple times a year since it freezes well and is a great soup for when you're fighting a cold!

- 1/2 c olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 c chopped onion
- 1 c chopped celery
- 4 Tbsp chopped parsley
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 10 1/2 oz vegetable broth, undiluted
- 9 c water
- 1 c coarsely chopped cabbage
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 c green beans
- 1 c peas
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/8 tsp sage, chopped
- 1 lb kidney beans, cooked
- 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
- 1 c elbow macaroni
- Parmesan cheese slices, to top the soup
- Baguette, if desired

1. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the garlic, onion, celery, and parsley. Cook until soft.

2. Stir in the tomato paste, broth, water, cabbage, carrots, salt, papper, and sage. Mix well. Bring to a boil, and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook slowly for 1 hour.

3. Add the kidney beans, zucchini, and macaroni. Cook 10 - 15 minutes, until the macaroni is tender.

4. Serve hot topped with Parmesan cheese and a side of baguette!

Z. Hampel