barley, greens, and sausage stuffed peppers

I'm usually a recipe follower.  I have stacks of recipes I want to try out and even more magazines and cookbooks that are packed with recipes I would like to make in the future.  I like picking up new techniques from recipes and understanding the process of how a recipe should work.  I like to mostly cook from recipes so that when I make something up on the fly I know it'll work.

Having four green peppers from our produce box, some mustard greens, onions, carrots, celery, and of course venison sausage on hand I decided to make up a recipe for stuffed peppers.  I had tomatoes and barley in the pantry and at 8:00 one morning whipped these up so that later on in the day we would simply need to reheat them.  

Follow this recipe but then again don't fret if you don't have all the ingredients or decide to add a few more things here and there based on what's in your pantry!

{Ingredients You'll Need}

• 4-6 green peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 lb venison sausage (or beef or other sausage)
• 1 cup barley
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 bunch mustard greens (or kale or chard), ribs removed and chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a saucepan cook 1 cup of barley according to the directions on the bag.  
3. Meanwhile heat some olive oil in a pan and add your celery, onion, and carrot.  Allow to soften seasoning with salt and pepper to taste then add in your sausage and cook until browned.  Next add in your greens, ribs removed and chopped, and let them wilt down a few minutes.
4. Now add in your cooked barley and tomatoes and stir together.  Check for seasoning and then allow everything to cook a few more minutes to heat through.
5. Take your peppers and stuff each one with the filling then place in a deep dutch oven so they won't tip over.  Top the peppers with some parmesan cheese and add about 1/4 cup water into the bottom of the dish so that they steam and don't stick.
6. Cook at 350 for about 20-30 minutes until heated through and so that the peppers are tender but not too soft.

If you have more filling than you need go ahead and freeze it for an easy dinner some other night.  I froze some of ours and we'll be having these again tonight thanks to 2 more peppers on hand!

roasted corn with manchego and lime

I've got a side for you that is sure to send your meal over the top and have your guests, family, boyfriend, sister, or neighbor asking for more.  This dish is excellent on it's own or would really send tacos or a burrito out of this world.

This is a recipe I tore out of Bon Appetit last summer and it's really a shame that it's taken me this long to make it.  Thankfully I came across the recipe the other week and we had it as part of dinner earlier in the week.  This is a perfect dish to make if you have some corn on the cob left over, or go ahead and skip eating it as you normally would all together and try sauteeing it up with the cheese, jalapeno, chives, and lime zest.  Amazing.

{Recipe thanks to Bon Appetit}

{Ingredients You'll Need}

• 6 ears sweet corn, unhusked
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• kosher salt and ground pepper
• 1 jalapeno seeded and finely diced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
• 1 cup finely grated Manchego cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced chives
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest

1. Preheat your oven to 450 and place the corn on a baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes until tender then allow to cool before husking the corn then cut the kernels off the cob.
2. Once the corn is ready heat the oil in a skillet then add corn and allow to turn golden about 3-5 minutes.  Now add in your butter and season with salt and pepper.  At this point turn off the heat and either do everything in the skillet or transfer the corn to your serving dish.  Sprinkle on top the remaining ingredients and stir to combine then serve immediately.

This was so good I'm itching to make it again...this time along with some more fish tacos perhaps.

if I had a backyard. outdoor dining essentials.

This weekend will kick off grilling season, backyard barbecues, and a time to kick back and watch the kids chase fireflies.  It will also kick off the time you're allowed to wear white sandals until Labor Day.  The Midwest girl in me still thinks about this rule when it comes to Memorial Day.  

With summer about to be in full swing it's easy to think of backyard barbecue essentials.  We don't have a backyard and we may not have a barbecue soon, so I'm left to daydream and live vicariously through friends who do have backyards, patios, grills, and the need for some of these essentials.

Here are a few things I've come across that would be just lovely to have for long nights on the patio and under the stars.

1. Blue Melamine Plates from Williams Sonoma.  
2. Bug Melamine Plates from Anthropologie
3. Green Plates from Target

4.  White Melamine Plate with Blue Rim from West Elm

5. Vintage Outdoor Lights from Ballard Design

6. Hurricane Candle Holders from West Elm

7. Beautiful Melamine Plates from Pottery Barn

8. Acrylic Stemless Wine Glasses from Crate and Barrel

9. Acrylic Glassware from West Elm

10. Acrylic Pitcher from Crate and Barrel

11. Green Tumblers from Target

12. Wicker Caddy from West Elm

13. Party Tub from Crate and Barrel

You're set, right?  Lots of options for beautiful durable plates, glasses, pitchers, a caddy and tub for all your beverages, and some lights to give you the ambiance you're after.  As for the food to go on the table?  Well that's why you follow this blog, right?!

To follow more things I find follow my {outdoor living} board on Pinterest!

quinoa, chicken, and green olive stew

This stew is a real winner.  Even though the weather is heating up you shouldn't shy away from making it.  It's got the trendy member quinoa in there, along with chicken, and some chickpeas and olives that add a nice fresh taste.

I made this over a month ago and again this weekend for company.  It comes together fairly quickly and if you need to make it ahead of time you can make everything up until adding the olives and chickpeas before you're heating it up again so they don't get too soft.

Vegetarian?  You can easily make this without the chicken and thanks to the quinoa and chickpeas in there you'll still get all the protein you need.

{Recipe thanks to and loosely adapted from Sunset}

{Ingredients You'll Need}

• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 3 lbs. boned, skinned, chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon each cumin, coriander, and dried basil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon each chile powder and cayenne pepper
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
• 1 (5.75) jar pimiento-stuffed olives, drained

1. Bring broth to a simmer and add in the chicken.  Cook until done, about 15-20 minutes.  Remove the chicken and shred it.  Meanwhile pour the broth into a bowl and then either skim off the fat or pour the liquid into a fat separator.  
2. In the same pot add the oil and onion and cook until softened, seasoning with the salt.  Stir in the cumin, coriander, and basil then add in the garlic.  After about a minute add in the chile powder and cayenne (adding less cayenne if you don't like a bit of heat), tomatoes, reserved broth, orange zest, and quinoa. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 10-15 minutes to cook the quinoa.
3. Now add in the chicken, chickpeas, and olives and heat through then enjoy!

salted caramel brownies

These brownies are what dreams are made of.  I made them yesterday for company last night and they were a hit.  I invited a friend over today for one and it's a good thing she came when she did or else they may not have been around. The fudgy brownie topped with the caramel and chocolate and salt make these melt in your mouth.

Curious about salt on your desserts? It's amazing.  If you have yet to try something that involves the word salted next to caramel you should go ahead and make it your mission to make these.  You won't be sorry.

{Recipe thanks to Cooking Light}

{Ingredients You'll Need for Brownies}

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

{Ingredients for Topping}

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons evaporated fat-free milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/8-1/2 teaspoon coarse salt or fleur de sel if you have it.

1. Preheat oven to 350 then combine flour through baking powder in a bowl.  In another bowl combine the butter through vanilla then combine the wet and dry and place in a 9-inch square pan that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 19 minutes or until the center comes out clean with just a few crumbs. Let the brownies cool completely.
2. Once the brownies have cooled melt the butter in a saucepan then add the brown sugar and just 1 1/2 tablespoons of milk.  Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat.  Remove from the heat then add the vanilla and powdered sugar and stir until smooth then pour on top of cooled brownies and spread evening on top.  Allow to cool for 20 minutes
3. Now in a heatproof bowl place the chocolate and remaining 2 tablespoons milk and heat for 30 seconds then stir.  Stir so that it's melted and smooth and drizzle on top of the caramel layer. Sprinkle with coarse salt or fleur de sel.
4. Cool completely then cut and enjoy!

sparkling raspberry lemonade

It's Saturday.  Get up, breathe in the spring air, and go make this.  Sure there's a little work involved but it's delicious and it can be all you do this weekend.  Make lemonade.

I'm not quite sure where this recipe was last summer when I was pregnant and wishing for something more exciting to drink than water.  Or where it was every other time I've had lady friends over and wanted to make something that I know they'd all appreciate.  The recipe here makes a large pitcher's worth of lemonade and it's quite refreshing on a nice warm day.

Next time I may try to skip the simple syrup and sweeten it with agave.  If that doesn't work, I may just half the recipe for simple syrup altogether.  It's definitely not too sweet and still has a nice pucker to it from the lemons, but hey, I'm actually not all about consuming white sugar that much.  Surprised?  Thought so.

Make this for an every day occasion or for a treat.  Whenever you make it, enjoy a glass for me.

{Recipe thanks to Cooking Light}

{Ingredients You'll Need}

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups water, divided
• 2 cup fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 3/4 cups lemon juice
• 16 ounces sparkling water, chilled

1. Combine the sugar and 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil then stir for about 2 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.  Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
2. Combine the remaining water and the raspberries in a blender and pulse until well blended.  Pour the mixture through a sieve into a pitcher, discarding the solids.  Next add in your orange juice, lemon juice, water, and cooled simple syrup.  Stir to combine and serve immediately.

You can also make the raspberry-water concoction and simple syrup ahead of time and store in the fridge.  Have you lemon juice cold as well as the orange juice and just before serving combine everything.