Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Posted on by August 7, 2021

8/6/2021 – The Tiburon Poblano Peppers from our garden were stuffed with this cheesy spicy ground beef and were great. This recipe was inspired by one at the Certified Angus Beef website.

  • 1 pound 80/20 ground chuck
  • 1/3 cup jasmine rice
  • Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chipotle pepper in adobo
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 cup mild HEB salsa
  • 2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese, divided
  • 5 poblano peppers from the garden this morning, cut in half vertically and one large white scalloped squash hollowed out and stuffed.
  • Grated white and yellow cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Cook rice according to package directions to yield approximately 1-cup cooked rice. Set aside.
  2. Brown ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Add onion and garlic, sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, chipotle and oregano; cook 1-2 minutes. Stir in rice, salsa and adjust salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in 1-cup of shredded cheese.
  3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange pepper halves in parchment paper lined large baking sheet so they have about an inch of space between them. Fill each evenly with the beef blend, packing tightly. Cover with foil and bake 30-40 minutes until the peppers are beginning to softed but not too long for the meat.
  4. Uncover peppers, top each with remaining cheese and return to oven 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Refrigerator Jalapeno Peppers

Posted on by September 15, 2021

8/1/2021 – Another good harvest of Jalasco Jalapenos and a few others were pickled in the same brine used with Peppercinos last week and that was very similar to the jalapenos the week before. The taste test of the peppercinos, just before these pickling, found they have a good flavor and some crispness, although since they are thinner, they were not as crisp as the Jalapenos of 7/11/2021. As of 9/15/2021, this prep has been enjoyed at least three times. The peppers have a good flavor without being too hot and, most importantly, they are crunchy.

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Shrimp with Tomato and Feta Cheese, Greek Style

Posted on by July 29, 2021

7/25/2021 – Mary made this great dish and gave it our highest ratings; i.e. To-Die-For (TDF) and Favorites. The flavors of the tomatoes, feta cheese, and olives made the sauce fantastic. Red pepper flakes from the garden gave it a bite that came on slowly but not too much. One of the advantages of this preparation was using ripe fresh homegrown tomatoes from our garden. It also uses fresh mint from the iron pot by the grain bin. This great dish was inspired by the recipe here.

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Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Posted on by July 16, 2021

7/15/2021 – This recipe was inspired by Ina Garten’s recipe here. We liked it as it was rich and the garlic was not too bold. Served it with her Salmon & Melting Cherry Tomatoes which was also very good.

Ingredients:

5 large garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
~½ cup extra-virgin olive oil; enough so the garlic chunks are almost floating in it.
4 medium red potatoes, partially peeled
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
~¼ cup half-and-half

Directions:

In a No. 3 cast iron skillet, bring the garlic and oil to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cook uncovered for 5 minutes, or until the garlic is lightly browned. Turn off the heat and set it aside. The garlic will continue to cook in the oil.

Boil the potatoes in salted water and cook until the potatoes are very tender. Remove the potatoes from the water and save the water. Remove the garlic from the oil, reserving the oil.

Mash the potatoes and garlic with a potato masher.

Add the reserved olive oil from the garlic; salt; pepper; and half and half.

When ready to serve add more hot cooking water until the potatoes are creamy but still firm. Adjust the salt and serve hot.

Refrigerator Pickled Jalapenos

Posted on by July 29, 2021

7/11/2021 – Washed and stemmed our Jalasco Jalapenos from the garden and sliced through the top and bottom to let out the air…and let in the brine. Packed them whole into a 1-quart jar and had a lot left. Sliced them 1/4″ thick and packed them into a pint jar. Still had some left and sliced them in half length-wise and packed them into another pint jar. They turned out very good. Lotsa flavor without much bite.

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Spicy Pimento Cheese

Posted on by June 25, 2022

Kelley made this cheese dip/spread for the July 4, 2021 party and it was great. It is based on Ina Garten’s recipe.

Yield: 1 quart

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 cup pickled jalapenos, chopped small
  • 6 ounces piquillo peppers, chopped (regular pimento peppers can be substituted)
  • 5 cups shredded Cheddar (approximately 1 1/4 pounds)
  • “long squirt” of Sriracha

Directions

  1. Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, and celery seed.
  2. Mix in the pickled jalapenos, piquillo peppers, and grated Cheddar.
  3. Add the Sriracha and combine. Taste and add more mayonnaise and Sriracha, if necessary.
  4. Chill before serving.

Bruschetta in a Jar – Canned

Posted on by August 3, 2022

6/24/2021 – Below was adapted from Ball Canning’s recipe here. Made 7 half-pint jars and a one-pint jar. They did not turn out such that we liked them. Will not make it like this if we ever try it again.

Ingredients

  • 9 cups chopped cored tomatoes from our garden (¾-1″ inch pieces)
  • 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 cup semi-dry Chardonnay wine
  • 1 cup white wine vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 Tbsp dried basil
  • 2 Tbsp dried oregano
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Directions

  1. In our large Calphlon SS pot, combine garlic, wine, wine vinegar, water, sugar, basil, oregano, and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  2. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Dipped lids in hot water to sanitize.
  3. Pack tomatoes into hot jars leaving a ½-¾ inch headspace with a few air pockets. Ladle hot vinegar mixture over tomatoes, leaving a ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles with a table knife. Place lid and rim. Place jars in boiling water canner, making sure water covers jars by at least 1 inch.
  4. Bring canner to a gentle boil and process jars 20 minutes. Turn off heat, remove the canner’s lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal.

Comments

  • We had a lot more tomatoes and brine than needed for seven ½-pints.
  • Ball’s directions said to pack the tomatoes to within 1/2″ and then add the seasoning brine to within 1/2″. That would be impossible so we left a few air pockets in the packed tomatoes by not packing them down completely.
  • We ladled the brine into the ½-pints so they did not get much of the solids parts of the seasoning. In the pint, made last, we left the tomatoes down about ¾-inch and then spooned the brine with a lot of garlic and the other solids on top along with the seasoned liquid.
  • Be sure to note when trying this the difference, if any, in the level of seasoning in the ½-pints vs. the pint.
  • A good approach could be putting about ¼-inch of seasoned brine and solids in the bottom of the jars, then the tomatoes, and topping it with ¼-inch of seasoning brine so there is ½-inch of headspace.

Greek Pepperoncini Peppers Pickled

Posted on by August 18, 2022

6/23/2021 – Had enough smaller Greek Pepperoncini peppers to pickle and so did them like we did the slices of the Italian pepperoncini last year. Removed the stems and cut a single slice into each one from end to end so the brine solution would get inside and they would not float. They filled 3 pint jars. They turned out almost mushy so the texture was not good. The flavor was fine.

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