Tuna Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers

Ingredients:

Tuna
Mayo
Salt & Pepper
Jalapeños Peppers (canned or jarred)

Directions:

Mix tuna and mayo as you would for a sandwich.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  (I like to add capers to mine, too). 

Cut ends off jalapeños and cut each pepper in half, lengthwise.  Stuff with tuna mixture.  Serve cold.

Mini Baked Potato Bites

I heard about this recipe from Dawn who found it on the Noble Pig website.  (My picture doesn't do it justice, but this is a cooking blog and not a photography blog!  If you want to see a good picture (that actually looks as good as it tastes!), click the link for the Noble Pig website.)  I just happened to have some tiny red potatoes, bacon and sour cream on hand, so I decided to try it out.  Very simple and very filling.  Here's how you make them:

Ingredients:

Red potatoes, small
Butter
Sour Cream
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Bacon, crumbled
Chives
(or whatever toppings you prefer or have on hand)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Scrub potato skins and pierce each potato with a fork several times. Place potatoes on a baking tray 1/2" apart. Bake until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.

While still hot, make an opening with a knife and place a slab of butter on the potato followed by a dollop of sour cream. Top with cheese, bacon, chives or whatever toppings you have on hand!

Mediterranean Green Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh green beans, strings removed, ends snapped off, cut in half into about 1 1/2 inch length pieces
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup fresh baby dill, chopped
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 medium tomato, chopped

Directions:

1.  Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and simmer until just crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the beans and run cold water over them to cool them quickly. Drain completely.

2.  Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss lightly.
Serves 4.

Scallop Caprese Crostini

Ingredients:

6 scallops
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
6 (1/4 inch thick) baguette slices
6 thin slices of Roma tomato
6 thin slices of mozzarella
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

2. Place bread slices on pan. Top each slice with mozzarella, tomato and sprinkle with basil.  If desired, drizzle with vinegar.  Bake until cheese begins to melt, around 5 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper and sear in nonstick skillet coated with oil for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until just opaque in the center.

4.  Remove pan from oven and top each crostini with a scallop.  Serve immediately. 

Serves 6

Bacon Brats w/ Kraut

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Bratwurst
22 oz. beer
1 can (14 oz.) Sauerkraut
Bacon (1 strip for each Brat)
Pepper
Maple Syrup
Club Rolls
Horseradish and/or Thousand Island Dressing

Toothpicks

Directions:

Poke holes in Brats and boil in beer for 10 minutes. Remove from beer and slice each Brat lengthwise without cutting all the way through. Fill each slice with sauerkraut.

Next, wrap each Brat with a slice of bacon, securing at each end with toothpicks. Sprinkle with pepper and drizzle with maple syrup.

Grill on medium-low heat, turning occasionally, until bacon is crispy on all sides (about 10 minutes).

Remove Brats from grill, remove toothpicks and serve on a roll with horseradish and/or Thousand Island Dressing.

No More Stinky Scrubbers!

In my neverending quest to be as green as I can be (and to keep stinky sponges and dishcloths far away from my galley), I stumbled across these Goodbye Detergent! Original Spaghetti Scrubs.  The yellow ones are made from corn cobs and the red ones from peach pits, plus they claim to last for months and require little or no soap to do their job: all factors contributing to their reduced impact on the environment.  But the part that I like best is the fact that they dry quickly and completely, which translates into NO MORE STINKY SCRUBBERS! 

I bought two packs the other day (yellow ones are coarse, red ones are gentle) and so far, I dig 'em.  The no-stink status will be determined at a later date...  I'll keep you posted.

Second Place

While most people make New Year's Resolutions beginning January 1st, we decided to make the shortest month of the year "Soberuary".  Actually, our friend Mike turned us on to Soberuary years ago but this is the first time we decided to give it a go.  Even though our drink of choice for the next 22 days (and counting!) will be water on the rocks, possibly with a twist, I wanted to mention a new rum we tried the last week of January...

Zaya.

It's 80 proof so it's got a little bite to it.  (Kilo Kai was only 70 proof.)  It's really delicious, but I'm going to give it Second Place behind Kilo Kai because of the extra zing.  If I'm sipping rum, I can't really afford the extra 10 proof.  It might be a winner among men, but I'm not looking for any hair on my chest.  (Although that bite might serve as helpful reminder that I am indeed drinking liquor and not candy.)