I consulted the internet and decided to start with a recipe from Alton Brown.  Since I didn’t have the Italian seasoning it called for, I improvised.  I also adjusted the process a bit based on recommendations from other bloggers.

Now I don’t usually have bread crusts laying around, but I do get bread ends that go unloved (and even turn fuzzy green) a lot.  Many bloggers suggested freezing bread that is “on the edge” until you have enough.  Sounds like a plan!

Homemade Italian Bread Crumbs

Homemade Italian Breadcrumbs

Ingredients

• 4 ounces stale bread, cut or torn into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 t basil
• 1 t oregano
• 1 t parsley
• 1/2 t onion powder
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1.  Dry the bread that you will be using overnight if you can.  (Alton Brown did not mentions this, but I think it may break up better if drier)

Bread crusts leftover from tea sandwiches

2.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

3.  Place about a third of the bread pieces into a blender or food processor, cover and pulse until coarse crumbs form, about 2 minutes. Repeat with another third of the bread, then with the final third plus the herbs.

Pulse bread and herbs

4.  Spread the crumbs evenly on a sheet pans and bake until the crumbs just begin to brown  (watching carefully)–this took about 4 minutes for me. Cool the crumbs on the pans for 15 to 20 minutes, and then transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature.

Bake bread crumbs

Of course it isn’t eggplant season right now, so my new bread crumbs will need to inspire something else.  If life gave you breadcrumbs, what would you make?

Champagne with pomeggranate seeds

Do you like to go out?  Cook something special?  Look back on the successes of the past year?

New Years is a classic time for reflection.  A day to sit back and take stock.  To celebrate victories and create “best of” lists.

Peninsula Pulse “Year in Review”

Or not.

I like to think of my blog as a place to find recipes and tips that are tried and true.  I test all ideas and those that are not up to par are never heard from again.

Until today.  Here is a different type of Top Ten… My Top Ten Failures of 2012

The Worst of 2012

Strata (three tries).  Do you like quiche?  And French Toast?  Doesn’t a casserole full of eggs, veggies, cheese and bread cubes sounded delicious? First recipe: bland.  Pumped up recipe: bland.  Completely new recipe: bland.  What’s the definition of insanity?

Quiche, good; Strata, not so much

Grandma’s Gingerbread.  Reprising Grandma’s homemade egg noodles worked like a charm.  How hard could gingerbread be?  Don’t ask.  Next Christmas I may try again using mild molasses, which my mother told me is the key. After I made it of course.

Individual Whole Peach Pies.  Since a peach is one of the world’s most amazing foods–and these little pies were stunningly beautiful, I was drooling to give this a try.  They forgot to mention that large peaches won’t fit into muffin cups (oops).  Four somewhat shapeless pies later, I learned that with no added spices & little sugar, they were also somewhat tasteless.

Great ingredients cannot save the wrong recipe…

Winter White Vegetable Soup.  The picture was beautiful.  I ripped it out of a magazine in 2003 and put it in my hope chest, even though the ingredients looked a little bland.  Alas, I learned… if it looks bland, it probably is.  Alternative lesson: toss old recipe file?

Moving the “Squirrel Proof” Bird Feeder to a “Safe” Spot.  This was actually a post that got published, I guess prematurely.  Before I knew the squirrel would win.  For the third time.  ‘Nuf said?

Squirrel in “squirrel proof” feeder

Decorated Cookies.    You know those beautiful cookies you see for all the holidays?  Colorful Santas, scary spiders, lacey snowflakes…  How hard can they be?  Well… at least we ate them.

Cranberry Toffee.  Again, it looked wonderful in the photo.  Imagine a holiday candy with phytochemicals!  During cooking, it had a sweet, fresh-fruity taste.  But by the time the molten liquid hit the appointed temperature, it tasted burnt.  Okay, did I really expect a candy to double as a serving of fruit?

Mint Extract.  I use mint extract in a few recipes and thought it would be fun to make my own.  Soaked my homegrown peppermint leaves in vodka for weeks.  The blog post showed a product that was green and fragrant.  And mine?  Looked brown. Smelled brown.  Actually tasted brown.

Even Photoshop Couldn’t Save this Mint Extract

And this isn’t even the whole list…

But still I go into the new year generally happy with my 2012 and thankful for my readers who inspire me to always do better.  And I resolve to learn from my mistakes.

Except for the squirrel who I expect will continue to win…

Best wishes for a great 2013!  Cheers!

Glistening Bell Peppers

When I last made stuffed peppers in July, I happened to have some leftover quinoa in the refrigerator.   I love clearing out leftovers,  so I swapped out my usual rice for a combination of rice and quinoa.  As I mixed the ingredients (but before adding the meat) I started nibbling.  Hmmm, did I really need the meat?

And so I decided that the next time I made the dish, I would do it meatless.

Quinoa is a trendy food that has actually been around for over 3000 years.  Although it can be used similarly to rice, it isn’t a grain–it is actually a seed!  According to Wikipedia, quinoa is a good gluten-free source of  dietary fiber, phosphorous, magnesium and iron, and contains some calcium.  One of its most interesting traits is the fact that it is actually a complete protein.

Quinoa Stuffed Pepper Up Close

Now one of the challenges in vegetarian cooking can be getting enough protein because most grains and vegetables do not contain the full complement of amino acids needed to make a complete protein.  That is why you see beans served with rice, or peanut butter with bread.  Quinoa is a delightful exception to this!

Even though completing the protein wasn’t an issue, I decided to add some pine nuts as a flavor boost–feel free to omit or substitute a less expensive nut if you’d like.  With no eggs or cheese, this dish even qualifies as vegan!

When I mentioned what I was making, the kids looked at me like I was nuts.  In the end, however, the smell got to them, they dug in and the dish scored a four thumbs up!

Quinoa Stuffed Pepper Served

Quinoa Stuffed Pepper & Pasta Sauce

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 c water
• 1 med onion, chopped
• 1/4 c chopped celery (including leaves)
• 1 T oil
• 2 garlic cloves chopped coarsely
• 2T  dried dill
• 2 T chopped parsley
• 1/4 c pine nuts
• 1 jar tomato paste

• Approx 5 peppers (depending on size), stem and cores removed

• Large jar of Pasta sauce

Directions

1..  Place the quinoa and water in a large saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender.

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions and celery until onions are translucent.

3.  Combine onion & celery mixture, cooked quinoa, chopped garlic, herbs and tomato paste.  Stuff peppers and place in baking dish, then cover with pasta sauce.

4. Cover and bake until peppers are tender, about an hour.  (These were done in 30 minutes in the Nesco Roaster below–probably because the peppers were so near the heat source, but my oven time has always been at least an hour)

I made these on a blistering hot day, so I cooked them outdoors in an electric roaster with a bit of water and added the pasta sauce later.  Cool and healthy–can’t beat that!

Can’t do without your meat?  Try this!

Roaster Cooking on Patio–My “Summer Kitchen”

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Cooking

You see I am seriously in love with leftovers.  Not where you eat the same thing three days in a row, but instead foods that are re-purposed into something new and (hopefully) wonderful!  This comes from my days of working (more than) full time, raising three busy kids and still cooking organic at home. Leftovers, done right, can take one (or two or three) steps off your dinner plan for the next couple of days.  Hmmm, if I were a cranberry, what could I go into …

Loaded with leftovers?  Lucky you!  You don’t need to go with the standard warmed over turkey plate or sandwich with mayo.  Here are some things that I would do with a Thanksgiving doggy bag (and perhaps will—our hosts are very generous!)

Ten Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas

1.  Shirred Eggs.  Until a month or so ago, I didn’t even know what a shirred egg was.  You bake veggies, cheese, bacon/sausage (optional) and egg in a baking dish for about 20 minutes.  Amazingly good and easy–and it works for breakfast or lunch.

2.  Cranberry oatmeal.  Mix up a few spoonfuls of cranberry sauce with your oatmeal–almost like a cookie!  (You know I’d never lie to you.)

Oatmeal with Cranberry Sauce

3.  Fried potatoes will make short work of any leftover boiled potatoes.  If you want to feel really decadent top with some grated cheese and a fried egg.  (And you really can fry without Teflon).

4.  Omelet, frittata or quiche.  All three egg dishes are a great destination for leftover veggies or meat.

5.  I haven’t had Shepherd’s Pie since my college semester abroad in Ireland, but have thought about it many times.  Leftover mashed potatoes might be just the incentive I need …

6. Broth (or soup).  No poultry bone or scrap of skin leaves my kitchen without being boiled down into broth.  Use for soup today or freeze for later.  Even leftover gravy can go in.

Cook Down Turkey Scraps into Broth

7.  Stuffed chicken breast or pork chop.  You know those expensive items you see in the butcher shop?  You can do this with your leftover dressing.   Really.

8.  Swedish Pancakes with Cranberry Sauce.  Cranberries are actually cousins of lingonberries, so this is almost authentically Swedish.

9.  Cranberry Fruit Smoothie.  Toss yogurt, cranberry sauce and frozen fruit into the blender–get your daily servings of fruit in one dose.

10.  Curried Turkey Salad Sandwich.  Now my real motivation (and the announcement) comes out…  I just won the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s After Thanksgiving Recipe Contest.  For the recipe (which used both turkey and cranberry sauce) take a look at the article.  (My first cooking contest!)

Curried Turkey Salad Sandwich

I had one last idea that didn’t make the cut, peanut butter & cranberry sauce sandwiches, inspired by the perpetual shortage of jelly in our house.  I’ll be suggesting this to the kids–but I’m not holding out a lot of hope!

Do you have a favorite leftover meal?