Roasting A Red Bell Pepper

On our Krogering adventure today we found marked down peppers. When I find these deals I grab up what I can. I love the orange and red bell peppers. They are a treat for Ty and I, mostly because they are expensive and refuse to grow in my garden!

In my house we have all electric so that means no open flame to roast my pepper on. Now, I could go outside and crank up the gas grill but this involves going outside when it's 100. I'll pass. So this is how I roast my bell peppers on my electric stove top...it can be done!

Start by cutting off the top and slice off a bit of the bottom of the pepper. Take out seeds and white stuff inside! Roll out and lay flat.

Heat up your pan and place the skin side down on the hot pan. Now let the heat do it's magic. Your house will start to smell awesome and you will hear the skin start to pop. It will blister and become black. This is exactly what you want!

When you have blacken skin on the pepper, throw it in a plastic zip lock bag or container. Leave it in there for about 15 minutes and let the heat do its magic. Then take out the pepper and remove the skin.

You can now chopped this up and add it to a sandwich, hummus, or salad. This is a cheap way to roast a pepper!

Extreme couponer....NAH

So Justin and I watch the Extreme coupon show and I must say it is a stressful show to watch. I do coupon, just not that extreme. Here is the batch of BBQ sauces of got about 3 weeks ago ALL FOR FREE. Now that I have all this...I need recipes to use it with and the rest I will donate. I also got all the Crystal Lights for .25 cents each. I was very happy that day!


So I ended up taking a package of boneless/skinless chicken thighs I had gotten for .99 cents a pound. I thawed them out and and browned all sides in a pot on the stove. I then placed all of the thighs in my crock pot and poured half a bottle of BBQ sauce all over the thighs. Put the crock pot on low for 7 hours. After your 7 hours is up pull the chicken apart. You can serve this over a potato, on a bun, in a wrap, or alone. Here is what I got...


It was really good served along side my very own squash from the garden!!

Basil and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I just made this dip last weekend for my parents Memorial Day party. I thought it was excellent. I got to use my massive food processor and basil from my garden!

Basil and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus


You will need:
15 oz can of garbanzo beans drained
1 roasted red bell pepper (I did this myself for the first time. I explain below!)
3 tablespoons fresh basil
3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt


Combine all of the above into a food processor. Pulse away until you get it at the consistency you like it. I served this with crackers and veg sticks.

Now - how to roasted a red pepper. Cut off bottom and top. Slice down the side and roll open. Remove seeds and interior lining(the white stuff!). Lay skin down on grill top open flame. Once skin is charred, removed and put in a plastic bag and let the steam help the skin to soften so you can remove the skin.

Happy Sunday!

Summer time ADULT drink

My family absolutely loves this drink. It is great for having people over or to sip on by the pool.
You will need:
Ice, diet ginger ale(or Sprite zero), limeade concentrate, maraschino cherries, and your favorite "on sale" champagne.

To do:
Add ice, soda, limeade, and champagne to punch bowl. Add a drizzle of the maraschino cherry juice and the rest of the cherries. ENJOY!

This is what you get!

Peach Cobbler

Peach cobbler is a southern staple...and is oh so good. This year I hope we a great crop of Texas peaches like last year! This recipe is awesome, especially served with some vanilla bean ice cream!

Peach Cobbler


1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 cups sugar (divided), 1 tablespoon baking powder, pinch of salt, 1 cup milk, 5 cups fresh peach slices, 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Melt butter in your favorite 13x9 baking dish
Combine flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add milk until everything comes together and is moist.
Pour into your baking dish. DON'T MIX TOGETHER!
In a pot on the stove top combine the remaining cup of sugar, peach slices, and lemon juice to a boil while stirring constantly. Do this until everything comes together and the peaches kinda pop open.
Pour over the batter in your baking dish. AGAIN DO NOT STIR!
Bake at 375 for 35 min.
Now...invite Paula Deen over and enjoy!!!

Creamy Pasta...Pantry Thing

With my garden actually growing this year...this recipe is perfect for using up my zucchini, squash, and basil. It's also a good "getting rid of things in the pantry" recipe. AND it makes a lot so there is always left overs for J to take to work the next day. My kind of recipe!



You will need:
1 jar of Alfredo sauce
1/2 jar of pesto (or you can make your own)
1 box of penne pasta
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
some chopped roasted tomatoes (use as much or little as you like...I love them so I use the whole jar)
1 can of artichokes chopped
2 chopped zucchini or squash (whatever is on sale or you have!)
1 can of mushrooms
1 bag of mozzarella or Italian cheese blend
1 tablespoon garlic
Some bread crumbs
1-2 teaspoons Olive oil
a few basil leaves..or some rosemary would work too

What to do:
Preheat over to 375. Spray your favorite casserole dish (the larger one would work better here)

Cook pasta in salted water. Once pasta is cooked, drain and return to pot. Add alfredo sauce, pesto, your cooked chicken, chopped roasted tomatoes, chopped squash/zucchini, garlic, drained artichokes, drained mushrooms, and 1 cup of your cheese.

Stir all of this together in the big pot then transfer to your casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese, sprinking breadcrumbs over the pasta, and drizzle olive oil over it.

Cook this uncovered for 30 min. When done chop up some basil and sprinkle over your dish...DON'T PUT THE BASIL ON BEFORE COOKING. Fresh herbs are horrible nasty when they get burnt.

Enjoy with some vino!


On a side note...my garden!

Moms Tortilla Soup

Here in Texas it can be 95 one day and 50 the next. I spent the BEAUTIFUL weekend working on my garden (with a ton of Justin's help) in the 85 degree weather...now it's 50 and misting outside. With that said, I figured I should get my last bowl of soup in before summer hits. I made one of my favorites that I grew up with. My mom made this often. We always serve this over chips and top with cheese.


Moms Tortilla Soup

8 oz. cream cheese, 1 can Ro-tel, 1 can chicken broth, 1 1/2 cups milk, 2 tsp. lemon juice, 2 tsp. garlic salt, 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, 2 tsp. cumin (I always use more!), 1 can drained corn, 1 can drained kidney beans, 2 lbs cooked/shredded chicken breasts, chips, shredded cheese.

Cook chicken however you like. Cube or shred once cooked. Meanwhile, in another large pot combined cream cheese, ro-tel, and chicken broth. Cook until smooth (HINT: I use a whisk at this point. It helps with breaking down the cream cheese). Add milk, lemon juice, garlic salt, cayenne pepper, and cumin; heat through. Add corn, beans, and cut up chicken and continue to heat. Serve in bowls over chips, topped with cheese! ENJOY!


A few weeks back Ty and I got together with my sister and mom over Spring Break. We took tons of pics before going out for lunch. We had good food, good fun, and good company. I love this pic of Ty. This is usually the look we get before he is going to do something he probably should not do!