Undaunted, I went outside to walk around taking pictures of the every last blooming thing of the year. Smitty was so excited, he could barely contain himself.
He went flying around as we walked, me taking pictures, him taking a stab at climbing to the top of every tree we passed and then jumping to the ground for more running. Soon, Sadie joined in the chase.
They were having so much fun, I vowed to take a walk around the house every dry morning just to get them up and running. (They can get lazy as the cold weather sets in...not that I would ever follow suit.)
So about every last blooming thing...the annuals have been very gratifying this year. When they were planted this spring, I hit on a good combination of colors. They were also fairly fuss-free and drought tolerant. The red verbena combined with those yellow doo-dads have been a pretty combination. There was also red verbena in our hanging petunia baskets this year.
The marigolds have done well too. I've been more diligent about deadheading them and that has kept them blooming for a long time.
The catnip is in bloom. This year, I want to clip some for drying. Purchasing dried catnip for the kitties is rather expensive. In a "Duh" moment this year, I realized I could easily dry my own and save some money.
The Sun Gold tomato has been surprisingly prolific. It continues to produce, and I expect it will continue until the first freeze.
Check out the color on these echinacea blossoms. They look as if they would glow in the dark.
The zucchini is still blooming and producing, although I'm well past wanting or needing any more zucchini. We're still using it, and I love it grilled for sandwiches, but it's pretty easy to get overwhelmed by zucchini. I planted it to make relish this year. Between our own plants and our CSA, we could easily build a house with it...or maybe save some of the larger ones for cord wood to keep warm this winter...if we had a wood-burning fireplace, that is.
Okay, so the one thing I did that was fun yesterday was to try out a new recipe for stuffed bell peppers. Now, I don't know about you, but I've never eaten an actual stuffed bell pepper. I make stuffed poblano peppers, and I like those. My mother never, ever, ever made stuffed bell peppers. There are a lot of things my mother...a talented and smart woman...never did. Canning and quilting, for instance, although her mother (my grandmother) did those things with great gusto. I wish my mother had lived a little longer...she's been gone more than 20 years now, and there are so many questions I wish I could ask her. Like, why didn't you ever quilt? She was an excellent seamstress. And, why did you never can anything? I suspect she got all of that she could ever have wanted when she was a kid, being the only girl in their farm family. She was probably, like many of us, resistant to doing the things her own mother did. But I can't ask her. I'll never know. She was a kind-hearted person, and I miss her.
So anyway... last week, I happened to notice a Kindle Daily Deal of America's Test Kitchens' Slow Cooker Revolution Vol. 2 book for $3.99. I wish I could tell you that deal still exists, but it doesn't. On the other hand, I noticed their Bread Illustrated book is on the Kindle Daily Deal today only for $3.99. I already have that book, and it's a good one. Grab it up if you're interested.
But to get back to the slow cooker book, I have Vol. 1, which I love, and so count me in! I snapped that baby up and bought one for Mae too. And I downloaded it so I could peruse it while we were camping, and I came up with this recipe. Pay no attention to the picture that follows...I swiped it off the internet, and I neglected to take a picture of the ones I made last night. This is a different recipe, but it kind of looks the same...and there must be pictures, right? How do you know if you want to eat something if you can't see it, right? Sheesh. Silly you...or silly me...I can't be sure which one of us is being silly right now.
So anyway, this turned out great! I made it after I got home from all my running around and had it in the slow cooker before I headed out to pick up our CSA share. I had just two peppers left from our last pick-up, but I was pretty sure I'd get more with our newest share. And I did. So I made the whole recipe for the filling and stuffed just two peppers for Mike and me. I'll stuff the two from yesterday's share for dinner on Friday. Cool.
We're often eating something Mike's family referred to as "gunk over rice," and so I often have leftover rice. This was a good way to use that. I didn't have any Monterey Jack cheese, and so I substituted Cheddar Jack. It was good just like that, and so I'd do it that way again. Also, since I only had two bell peppers, I added in one of the Italian wax peppers from our CSA share where I was supposed to chop up the tops of the four bell peppers. Otherwise, I made it just as the recipe said. Here's the recipe as I made it. One pepper each was plenty.
Stuffed Bell Peppers with Spicy Corn and Black Beans
Prep 20 minutes Cook 4-5 hours on low; 3-4 hours on high
Serves 4
Adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution Volume 2
Ingredients
4 (6 oz.) red, orange, or yellow bell peppers
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar Jack cheese, divided
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup jarred tomato salsa
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
1. Trim 1/2 inch off top of each pepper, then remove core and seeds. Finely chop pepper tops, discarding stems. Microwave pepper tops, onion, oil, and garlic in large bowl, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup Cheddar Jack, beans, rice, corn, salsa, 1 tablespoon cilantro, salt, and pepper. Pack filling evenly into cored peppers.
2. Pour 1/3 cup water into slow cooker. Place stuffed peppers upright in slow cooker. Cover and cook until peppers are tender, 4-5 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
3. Sprinkle peppers evenly with remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar Jack, cover and cook until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Using tongs and slotted spoon, transfer peppers to serving dish; discard cooking liquid. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro and serve.
* * * * *
There was no time for sewing yesterday, but I'm continuing to make progress on the latest Sundress block. When I finished with it this morning, it looked like this:
Enough of that tiny red chain stitch is done now that it's starting to feel less onerous. I might actually finish it one of these days.
Today I have grocery shopping to do, and then I'll get going on the quilting for the Starry Night wall hanging. It's a beautiful day here. I hope your weather (and your day) is lovely too.
9 comments:
I'm quite impressed with how much color you have in your yard, especially so late in the year. Looks gorgeous. Thank you for the recipe for Stuffed Bell Peppers and recommendation to try Poblano Peppers. It has been decades since I had stuffed bell peppers and I've never had it with Poblano Peppers. We love spice, so I'll definitely give it a try. Thanks.
Sorry, I just can't concentrate on stuffed peppers right now. I'm still shaking my head over the news that you aren't crazy about "Dock on the Bay." Lord, if it weren't for Wasting Time, what would my life be built around?
You still have beautiful flowers! We ate stuffed bell peppers when I was a kid. Mom just added rice to her meatloaf mix and used that! I guess I have not made these in a long long time!
My cats used to run around the house like mad once we opened the windows and let in the cool, crisp fall air. I wonder if it's a change of season thing for them too? Relief from all the heat with their fur? Your flowers are so beautiful -- that echinacea! Wowza! My grandmother was a seamstress, making clothing for others. I have a few quilts she made, but my mother always told me that my grandmother really disliked quilting. Together they were quite the team during canning season. I'm pretty sure that's why I never picked it up. By the time I was home from school, they were well into it and had the rhythm down and I didn't jump in to help. I did pick up their love of fabric though! Stuffed peppers - I've never had them. Peppers don't agree with my family members. I'm the only one who likes them. They look good though!
You can also stuff large tomatoes like that. I don't eat them or stuffed peppers myself, but boy, it sure smells good cooking! And they freeze well, too!
Yum, stuffed bells...reminded me that somewhere I have a recipe for them made in a crockpot too. It's been quite a few years since I've made them, but they were so, so good. I always used red peppers, much more pleasing to my taste buds than the green, as well as easier on my stomach. Now, where IS that recipe?
When you pick the catnip, where do you put it so they cannot eat it up while it is drying?
Stuffed Bell Peppers? No no no no nO NO!! Bell Peppers pretty much ruin everything they touch as far as I'm concerned. Now stuffed Poblanos, THaT is a whole 'nother story! My Mom used to make stuffed BPs, but would always just give me the stuffing without the pepper.
Beautiful flowers in your garden/barrels/pots!
I do like the colors in this latest sundress. Sorry the tiny chain stitch is so tedious, but it looks fabulous!
You have some gorgeous blooming things in your yard. Thanks for sharing. Most of what seems to be blooming around here is either orange or yellow. Love those reds and bright pinks.
Post a Comment