Stuffed Breakfast Poblano Peppers

ripieno/stuffed

I am really getting excited about the coming months. While others groan with irritation, I am excited about the crispness of the air and the beauty of the snow. I may not feel the same way in a few months, but it has been so long since I have lived in a real winter climate. Granted, I have all the wrong clothes and have been freezing my booty off, but that's what shopping is for! :)

looking outside my bedroom balcony

My favorite time of day has been early morning, before sunrise. I love looking at the stars. In fact, we were late to Boot Camp one morning last week because the morning sky was so bright with stars. I was surprised, as I stared upward with my mouth wide open, that I remembered and identified so many of the constellations. As if not that is not beautiful enough, after the sun rises, the mountains remind me of the day's beauty. They just don't look real! Stunning.

But, back to food. I am still enjoying breakfast duty. Recently, I decided to go with a more substantial breakfast. It was delicious, the clients enjoyed the dish, and it will return on the menu rotation. I made 20 plates, but scaled down the recipe here.

Stuffed Breakfast Poblano Peppers



4 Poblano peppers, whole
½ lb. sausage, sliced *
1 lg. onion, diced
5 eggs
5 egg whites
4 slices pepper jack cheese
Salsa

Preheat Broiler. Roast peppers until all charred and soft. Remove from oven and let cool until they can be touched. Remove the charred skin and carefully cut along the longest side to remove the inside seeds.

In the meantime, sauté onions until translucent. Add sausage, then eggs and egg whites. Cook scrambled until your preferred doneness. Generously fill each Poblano with the sausage/egg mixture and place on a baking pan. Top with pepper jack slice. Broil until the cheese begins to melt.

Serve hot with a side of salsa.

Farewell to my Lovely Daring Bakers

It has been a while, I know! I am still here, though. Still working and getting acclimated to my new surroundings/job.

Today is “reveal” day for the Daring Bakers’ challenge, brought to us by Ami S., and I am ashamed to say I haven’t even logged on to the site to see what's been going on. It’s been that busy. And to miss Macarons!!! Blasphemy, I tell ya. Especially, since Helen was so lovely in teaching me how to make them when I visited.

But, I think it needs to happen, and I haven’t emailed Lis or Ivonne yet…..I don’t think I can continue with being a Daring Baker. Sad!!!! Because I can’t bake where I live/work, it has become quite the challenge and I sense, once my blogging gets back to normal, my content with shift more towards "healthy"food.

Maybe one day, I will be allowed to return! It has been so much fun to be part of this group for such a long time and I am bummed I cannot continue. Baking is such a passion of mine, and it kind of bites that I have to shelve it for a while. But, what are you going to do...life happens! Thanks to all the DBers for their continued support and fun challenges! I promise to keep checking in every month to see what's bakin'.

I post again this week with Stuffed Poblano Peppers.

Warm Italian Deli Rolls

arrotolarsi/roll up

Oh my goodness! It has been forever. Sorry about that! Work is busy, busy...but good. And, I went home to Atlanta for a few days to check on things and see my best girlfriends. With that, I have terribly neglected blogging, here and for work. (Everytime I see the messed up HTML on the work blog, I cringe. I will get to it though....this week!)

Although I have been a bad blogger, even missing BlogHer Food (ugh!!), I have really been enjoying Utah...getting adjusted, figuring out things...work, people, living arrangements, etc. While there is stress (where isn't there stress?), its a good kind because I love what I am doing. Its sad I don't miss education, but I was just at that point. My boss here is polar opposite from my boss and is extremely supportive, helpful, and focused on building relationships in addition to the numbers. I have been listening to 7 Habits for Managers: Managing Yourself, Leading Others, Unleashing Potential and I completely see several of the traits in Adam. He is a "leader who can connect the efforts of [his] team to the critical objectives, who can tap the full potential of each individual, clarify purposes, and who can inspire trust." And, since trust is the reason I left the school district, or broken trust that is, I couldn't be happier with my decisions. Plus, I get my school fix when I speak my girlfriends and speak/see G, who is doing wonderfully his Freshman year!

Okay....lil' boast on my guy for a minute...Before I left, G told me he'd been thinking about some of the conversations we had had, along with those with my friend Connie. In turn, he set 5 goals for himself, wrote them down, and signed the paper. He keeps them in the wallet I got him: (I think they were) try harder (as he admitted he didn't work to his potential during 8th grade), get a tutor...early, make at least 1 B and not fail any classes, ask for help, and I can't remember the last one. Well, he has tried really hard, has a tutors for 2 subjects (a big thank you to his math tutor who stayed late to help him understand a concept they learned...7:30!), had all Cs at his med-term progress, even changed some friends after recognizing they may not be true in their intentions. He has been attending conditioning practices to get ready for b-ball tryouts, and has a wonderful girlfriend who is lovely. I know the young lady from last year and she's a good girl. He told me she's his first love...Cute! Especially with his explanation of why he thinks that...butterflies, stuttering, loss for words, etc.

Okay....I am done. ;) Other than this quick peek into my views, which bring on excitemement that I witness season changes.

(yes...our first snow...9/30/09)

Onto food. I have been cooking...a lot. Breakfast during the week and lunch/dinner on the weekends. Not baking, though, which I will discuss in a later post. Sometimes I don't have the time I would like to put into my meals for the group. But, just because there is limited time doesn't mean it can't look and taste good! These rolls can be served warmed or not, depending on preference, time, etc., are great for lunch, brunch, or hor deurves. It's also easy to make mass quantities. I doubled it, since I cook for 12. And, if heated, they make the house smell scumptious! Not into the flavors I used? Make your own? Ham and cheese? Turkey Cranberry (since Thanksgiving is coming up), Southwest Spicy....the possibilities are endless.

Warm Italian Deli Rolls

6 whole wheat tortillas
“I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” Spray
2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon dried oregano
24 slices Genoa Salami
6 thin slices Provolone Cheese
1 ½ pounds sliced deli turkey breast
Marinara sauce, warmed

Preheat oven to 400°.

To assemble each roll:
Spray with butter (you can use real butter, or olive oil. I cannot here).

Sprinkle with seasoning.

Layer the Salami, cheese, then lengthwise over half of the tortilla wrap, within about ½ in. of edges. Roll wrap firmly and set aside, seam down.

When all 6 have been rolled, cut into 1-in. slices. (I use a serrated knife for this.) Bake on the lined/sprayed sheet pan, cut side up, for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has begun to melt and the bread begins to brown. (Because they fit pretty snug in the pan, I make sure the seam is facing the piece next to it, so it doesn’t unravel.) Serve immediately with sauce . Makes 6 servings.

Vols-au-vent: Fruited Vogurt

It’s that time again….and as has been the trend the last year or so…I am fashionably late. What am I talking about? Daring Bakers' Challenge, of course!

The brain child of Lisa of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice, the fun and talented creators of The Daring Kitchen, is being hosted by the ever so wonderful Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. Be sure to stop by at her stunningly fabulous blog to see the recipe, and filling ideas.

Now, for the magic words… The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Thank you for the challenge Steph.

Okay…so completing these DB challenges have been just that…a challenge. Was last last month...so much I never got it completed. Ug! My challenges? Not really with the baking itself.... First, I take my life in my own hands trying to bake in a house of dieters who aren’t allowed to have any of their favorite sweets, limited carbs, and zero carbonated beverages. So, as with anything off the planned menu, I make my attempts after the residents are asleep. It’s also the time I want to be asleep. But…I must bake! Oh, the internal struggle....

Second? Time. I haven’t gotten into a comfy routine yet, been living out of a suitcase(s) for 2 months, and haven't really had a day off since I have started. Therefore, well….you can imagine the story.

But, I am having fun playing with my new camera!

Vols-au-vent is based on the puff pastry and it proved to be challenging, the layers, the rolling out, etc….but, I managed get something something together. I didn’t create what I had in my head while reading the recipe the first time, and I wasn’t completely in love with how mine turned out. But, check puff pastry off my list! Thank you for the challenge Steph.

What did I make? I tried a fig turnover, filling the pastry only with the fruit. No sugar or anything.

Thought it reminded me of Sid,

And ate it anyway.

Then, I split the lil' squares I made and filled them with plain non-fat yogurt that I flavored with agave and strawberries.

I only baked a small, itsy portion of the pastry. With all the work that went into it? I wasn't going to rush through throwing something together and wasting the buttery goodness. Maybe, if I can swing a day off, I can get more creative in my endeavors. :) Until next month…but in the meantime, be sure to check out the Daring Bakers’ Blogroll for more adventures in puffy, flaky goodness!

Roasted Edamame

The hardest thing for our clients (one of them, anyway) is not eating after 7. So, when I had extra edamame pods from a stew, I decided to roast the little beans of joy. The aroma in the house was unbelievable. One of the clients, a cute lil' girl, came out of her room walking on her tippy toes toward the kitchen. She said the smell pulled her out of her room. It was funny, really. She reminded me of one of a cartoon where the character floats through the air while following the aroma cloud.

So, I put out a sign...

The residents of the house were happy campers because the Roasted Edamame was so, so tasty! The sesame seed oil added an incredible nutty taste.

Sensational snack....that is simple to make! Have kids? Have them help you shell the beans (if you can only fine them in their pods). Family fun to make healthy snacks the whole family will love! ;)

Roasted Edamame

2 teaspoons sesame seed oil
Pinch (1/8) tsp. salt (optional)
1 (10 ounce) package ready-to-eat soybeans, thawed if using the frozen variety (fresh or frozen, edamame), podded

Preheat oven to 375°F. In small bowl, stir oil and salt (if using) together. Drizzle mixture over soybeans and toss to coat well. Spread beans in a single layer on a baking dish. Roast, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes, stirring/shaking a couple of times, until soybeans brown.