Cherry Pepper Poppers

Going on a whim I recently made Cherry Pepper Poppers - stuffed with hot ham and cheese, some were stuffed with Feta and the others with Mozzarella.

Then I sprinkled them with olive oil and dried basil and freshly cracked pepper.

They were tasty. 

And spicy.

And next time I think I would put them in the oven for a bit - before stuffing them - to soften the peppers up a bit. 

Dinner Party Chef (?)

So I've been thinking (I know, I know, look out world ...) and I think it might be fun and interesting (and ok, of course it has a potentially lucrative component to it as well) that it could be cool to market myself as a dinner party chef.

I don't want to do big things, I don't want to become a real caterer.  But I do think it could be cool to cook a good meal for someone who wants to throw a dinner party and doesn't want to do the cooking themselves.

What do you think?

First on the list of "how does one achieve such a goal" ... well, I think that would be to design a menu and a price guide.

So, stay tuned for just that ...

Beef Jerky, and then some ...

How many types of jerky are out there???  A lot!  How many types of jerky have you tried?

I know that I've had:

Squid Jerky
Emu Jerky
Salmon Jerky
and of course, Beef Jerky

Guacamole

For about a year or so I've owned a traditional Mexican Molcajete for making Guacamole.  Here is a photo of what it looks like when made - without cilantro cause mi madre is not a fan of the cilantro...and it's damn tasty!  (photo to come)

Cakes ... Cupcakes ... FROSTING!

I do love to bake!

So...I recently bought some of those fun frosting (pastry) tips for baking and used them when making my sisters Bridal Shower Cakes/Cupcakes.  I'd never used them before, and I've gotta say, for the first time and "under the gun" frosting the morning of the shower I think the cupcakes came out looking pretty darn good!  :)

Anyhoo, here are two photos that show them though I need to get the ones my mom took that really showcase the cakes...

Are you daring enough to cook something new when you're having guests?

Well, are you?

I'vd heard that you should "never" cook a new dish when you are having guests.  What if it doesn't come out well?  What if it takes more time and you're guests are waiting around, or less time and you're guests haven't even arrived?

I can not tell you how many times I have broken that "rule"!!!  And it's never been a problem.  With all my rule breaking, I've never made anything that those who were eating it didn't like.  (That's a bit of an awkward sentence, makes sense to me though, so there!)  In other words, I've always gotten two thumbs up on the things I've cooked - be it first time dishes or something I've made a ton of times.

Come to think of it, there is only one dish that I can recall cooking that I wouldn't eat, and I wasn't having any dinner guests, phew!  I was concocting my own pasta dish and as I got to the seasoning portion - cooked pasta with butter and some seasonings - well I opened a jar of parsley and went to sprinkle a bit on the pasta ... oops ... the sprinkle top was off and I wound up dumping basically an entire jar of parsley into the pan.  Um, it tasted like I was eating hay ... YUCK.  I totally dumped that pan of pasta out!

But I digress...I am not a perfect cook (last night I killed the rice, letting it boil over so that the right amount of water wasn't absorbed)...but I am a pretty darn good cook (I also made some delicious baked Salmon last night).  I guess what I'm saying is that I don't feel the need to follow the "don't cook something new rule".  I love trying new things and I love sharing the new things I'm trying with others.

Don't get me wrong, I also love to cook things I know I'm REALLY GOOD AT ... showing off my talents.  And though I've only thrown one dish out in my life, some of the things I've made were not perfect - even if they still tasted good!

So ... try something new ya'll!  And enjoy.  And Happy 4th of July!!!

And that is all...for now.

Edamame Salad from Gregor

My friend Greg told me about an Edamame Salad that he made, and said was delicsh, so I will have to give it a go - in the very near future.

Edamame
Shallots - chopped
Feta Cheese
Olive Oil
Fresh Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper

Or at least that's what I think he said re: ingredients.  At any rate that, and or a variation of that sounds super tasty!!!  :)