Banana Oat Pancakes: Easy and Kid Friendly!

I have been making pancakes for as long as I can remember. I mean honestly, I don't even know how long I have been making pancakes, but I have a feeling the number of years would probably make me feel old so we will just say "a long time". I have been making pancakes for a very very long time....

When I was younger, pancakes always came "from a box"... Jiffy to be precise. Then as I got older my Nana introduced me to her favorite "Krusteaz" which technically came in a bag... Then I moved away and had a child and decided that he would only eat homemade-from-scratch pancakes like my incredibly mouth watering Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate chip pancakes. But after a few years of making different versions of that recipe, I realized: there are FIFTEEN ingredients in that recipe. 15!!! Wow. Not only is that a lot of work and a lot of measuring (and we all know I loathe measuring), but that is a lot of junk in a breakfast food that really doesn't provide any kind of nutrition in the first place... 

So then I started adding more oats and whole wheat flour and less white flour and little to no sugar. I would add applesauce or a banana and use almond milk, sometimes I would add pumpkin... I reworked every version of a pancake recipe in every way you could think: but they always had flour.

Then a friend of mine said "Have you made banana pancakes yet?". And I kind of chuckled and to myself said "Well yeah I have made banana pancakes... ", referring to slicing up bananas and folding them into my batter, but instead I said "what do you mean?". And thank goodness I did because she said "all you do is mash a banana with an egg and cook it."

GAME CHANGER!

Apparently this recipe had been floating around Pinterest for a while and I have seen it but never really put much thought to it... I did try the banana and oatmeal cookies recipe that I saw on Pinterest and fell in love with them. So I decided to take my friend's pancake suggestion and merge it with the oatmeal cookie recipe and created a pancake that both my kids absolutely love... and so do I!

Banana Oat Pancakes

1-2 bananas

2 eggs

1/2 ish or so cup oats (I used quick because it is what I had. Old fashioned would certainly be a good choice but I would pulse them in a magic bullet or blender first to help the texture)

Healthy splash of vanilla (or a glug... more like a glug)

1 tsp cinnamon (it may look like a lot but these fragrant pancakes will be worth it)

Add Ins

Crazins

Chocolate Chips

Chopped nuts

Blueberries

Diced strawberries

Whatever you can think of!

I got too excited and mashed the banana and egg with some oats before I remembered to take a picture... oops!

This is a perfect job for kids. Here Landon is mashing the banana up. It was so much fun talking to him about the way the masher made little squares, how it sounded, how it looked, what did he think it would feel like if he touched it, etc etc. Getting kids in the kitchen is a wonderful way to boost their vocabulary and create some great dialogue, learning opportunities, and new experiences. It is also a great way to get kids to try stuff they wouldn't normally try - something about helping to make it takes away the fear of trying new things!

Adding the egg and whisking it all up. Landon is an awesome egg cracker! I never would have thought a 4 year old could crack an egg but I decided to teach him one day and now he likes to crack all of the eggs by himself.

After Landon got all done stirring up the eggs, banana, and oats, we added the cinnamon and the splash of vanilla. I love vanilla and cinnamon and I wanted these pancakes to have a heavy scent that filled the kitchen... oh boy did they! I was also pleased with how the addition of the vanilla and cinnamon took the spotlight off the banana and made them more reminiscent of a pancake you would expect to find at IHOP or somewhere like it.

Drop them onto a hot griddle greased with coconut oil, butter, or whatever you like to use, and sprinkle with your add ins. We added chocolate chips for the two of us, and left them plain for the baby. I did not let Landon help with this part (anything involving the oven or stove is off limits for him), so he went to set the table while I finished up. I think I had them at medium heat and they probably cooked for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Flip them carefully. These little guys are tricky to flip because they tend to slip all over the place. It is more akin to flipping a fried egg than a pancake, since this is egg based, so be careful and patient when flipping or you will end up with a folded up pancake... but don't worry, it will still taste great! (I know from experience).

So there you have it. A delicious, easy breakfast you can make with your kids, by yourself, or beg your boyfriend to make for you. Whatever suits you ;).

 

I will also say: these freeze beautifully. Make them in bulk and freeze them to have on hand for an easy breakfast. They freeze so much better than regular pancakes which get soggy when thawed and reheated... These cook right back to deliciousness in the microwave or skillet.

Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup and Baked Tortilla Strips

So I made a regular old Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup a couple of weeks ago, and it was good, but it doesn't hold a candle to this version. I first made this Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup last summer when I was taking care of my family after their car accident and I wanted something that was quick and easy and I could put in the crock pot and not have to worry about while I was chasing toddlers and helping my grandparents... It was a huge success! Everyone loved it and even though I made a big pot full, it was all gone with zero leftovers, which never happens!

I have since made it probably 7 or 8 times and I have made it with a bunch of different variations... No matter what I have done to it, it has been delicious each and every time. I usually serve this up with a side of store bought tortilla chips if I am in a hurry. I am not, I make homemade tortilla chips or baked tortilla strips. Yesterday I made my own version of cool ranch doritos to eat with my leftovers and it was amazing together. The flavors really melded.






Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 chicken breast
1 can black beans - rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn or 1 can corn rinsed and drained
1 can tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel works great too, but is usually in a smaller can), don't drain
1/2 packet Ranch dressing mix (or a few tablespoons homemade ranch dressing mix)
1 8oz block cream cheese
1-2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Add all of the ingredients except the yogurt to your crock pot. Give a quick stir, but the block of cream cheese will make it difficult to stir too much - don't worry about that. Turn it on low, cover, and forget about it until about 30 minutes before you want to eat.

Shred the chicken (which shouldn't be hard because it will be super juicy. I just stuck my spoon in there and barely stirred it around and it fell apart into perfect shreds!) and add the Greek yogurt. Give it a good stir and let it continue cooking for 30 minutes or until you are ready to eat.

Meanwhile, prepare some Cool Ranch Tortilla Chips or these homemade baked tortilla strips to serve on top. I also like to serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, and sliced avocado when I have the time and ingredients, but it is so good, it doesn't need the fixings to taste amazing.

Baked Tortilla Strips

5 small white corn tortillas
Olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cut your tortillas in to 1 inch strips. I stacked my tortillas up, then cut the sides off to square them up a bit. I sliced once down the middle (so the rounded edges were on the top and bottom, uncut), then in one inch increments perpendicular to my middle cut. My result was a nice pile of little tortilla strips.

I arranged them on the baking sheet, sprayed with olive oil cooking spray (you can just brush the olive oil on if you don't want to cheat like me), and sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Bake for about 5-6 minutes on each side, then serve with soup, dip, salsa, whatever you can dream up!

Bacon Parmesan Penne

I know what you are thinking:

I somehow managed to combine three of my all time favorite things in to one dish...

Now all it needs is some leeks and then it would be perfect...

Oh boy... That would be awesome. I am definitely doing that next time.

Okay anyway, Bacon Parmesan Penne. This is a delicious recipe that I borrowed from The Pioneer Woman's website. Except I tweaked it a bit... you know, for the sake of the art, man.

Well anyway, I am pretty sure I stumbled on to something amazing. And I am pretty sure you will agree.

Here goes:

Bacon Parmesan Penne

1 lb bacon, fry it up, chop it up, set it aside
crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb penne
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 block cream cheese, (4 oz)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan (the kind in a can)
4 eggs
freshly ground white pepper (or black if you just don't have it)
1 small carton grape tomatoes (maybe it's a lb? I don't know!)
olive oil

Ok so you have your fried and chopped bacon draining on a paper towel. Sprinkle the bacon with some red pepper flakes... NOT TOO MUCH! Literally a pinch or less.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the directions on the package.

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Drizzle it with olive oil and spread it around (or spray the sheet with cooking spray) and dump your tomatoes onto it. Pop in the oven to broil for about 5-10 minutes, or until they get nice and roasted and pop open. Yum! If you are in a hurry or using the oven for something else, you can dump them into a microwave safe baking dish (greased, of course) and pop them in the microwave on high for about 3-4 minutes. When they pop open, they are done. Set these aside... Maybe next to your bacon? They can hang out together.

Meanwhile, put your garlic into another large pot with a tad bit of olive oil and cook over medium heat until fragrant. Then add the cream cheese and the cream and cook, stirring frequently, until the cream cheese is melted. Then add the Parmesan and white pepper. Stir until it makes a creamy sauce. Remove from heat.

Beat your eggs in a small bowl (I used a 2 cup measuring cup). Add a large spoonful of the hot sauce mixture and mix well. The point of this is to raise the temperature of the eggs without cooking them, that way when they hit the hot sauce mixture they won't turn in to egg drop soup. Because in this recipe, that would be yucky.

Okay so keep adding spoonfuls of the sauce until you can feel the side of the cup or bowl and it isn't super cold. I probably added a total of 3/4 cup. Now carefully whisk this in to your sauce.

Now dump in your cooked drained pasta, your bacon, and your roasted tomatoes and toss... Gently!! You don't want to end up with pasta all over your cook top!

Sprinkle with plenty of Parmesan cheese. We used fresh grated (not the can.. the real stuff!) But the can stuff works great too.



Wasn't that an easy and impressive dinner?

Oh and did I mention that it makes enough to serve an army? Yeah... it's definitely not just a two person recipe. In fact, if you are just cooking for two, I recommend dividing the entire recipe in half.

It does make terrific leftovers though. I even mixed in a squirt of Tuscan Italian salad dressing to mine today to "change" the flavor a bit. I bet a spoonful of pesto would make a nice change as well. Or you can just enjoy it for the honest deliciousness of the original... It's just that good!

:) Happy eating!

Morning Glory Muffins

When I was a little girl I used to LOVE making muffins with my Mom on Saturday morning. Now I will be honest, this wasn't an every Saturday type of thing, but when she did decide to make muffins, I was right there stirring the buttermilk and helping measure the flour and oil and crack the eggs... well, you get the picture.

But now that I am older and wiser I realize that sometimes an ordinary muffin can really be a... vessel of sorts... to deliver important nutrients to my son and husband to get them through the day. Am I saying my Mom's muffins, loaded with oil and sugar and all purpose flour, were unhealthy? Well, not in so many words... but basically, if breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day, why not pack some important vitamins into it, and heck, let's even hide a serving or two of fruits and veggies in there.

Oh and to go for the Trifecta: let's make them moist, savory, and irresistibly addictive...

How does that sound?

Yeah, I know!

Thus I began my search for the perfect "Morning Glory" muffin recipe. You know, those yummy muffins you can find at coffee shops and bakeries? Well I found a recipe that seemed... well... Okay. Just okay. It was packed with all the things that I didn't want in the first place: oil, white flour, tons of sugar, added fat, and just a fraction of the amount of fruits and veggies I wanted to see in my muffins.

So I fixed it.

It was pretty simple actually. I used one of my favorite recipes of all time, my mom's Carrot Bread/Zucchini Bread recipe, as inspiration. I traded the oil for all natural unsweetened applesauce. I swapped the white flour for whole wheat flour. I sprinkled in some wheat germ and flax seed. I added a ton of shredded carrots and apples. I added a handful of raisins and craisins. Oh and that pesky sugar problem? I swapped the almost 1.5 cups of white sugar for 1/2 cup brown sugar. And even at that I think it could use less (how does 1/3 cup sound compared to 1.5? I know, right?!). I made a few other changes to, and all in all, it was a brilliant success.

So after about 10 requests for this recipe via my Facebook, I decided to comply. Here you go! I hope you enjoy these as much as my husband, my picky 2 year old, and of course, ME!

Virginia's Morning Glory Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 c packed brown sugar (1/3 if you want less sugar)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
pinch or so of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-3 cups shredded carrots (about 4-5 medium carrots, maybe more)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup craisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 large granny smith apple - peeled, cored and shredded
3 eggs
1 c natural, unsweetened applesauce
2 Tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Sift together the dry ingredients, then fold in the carrots, apple, raisins, craisins, and nuts. This is when I sprinkle in some wheat germ and flax seed. I don't really measure, I just kind of shake it in until I think it looks like enough. If you really want a measurement, start with just 2 T the first time and then you can decide if you want to increase it or not.

Beat the eggs with the applesauce, molasses and vanilla... Then combine with the dry mixture. Spoon by 1/3 cup fulls into muffin cups (definitely use liners) and bake for about 22 minutes at 350.

There is a lot of shredding and grating involved, but if you have a food processor it makes easy work of it!

Also, it wouldn't be a "Like Mom Made" recipe if it wasn't customizable. And, OF COURSE it is!

You can feel free to swap out any combination of the mix ins.

In place of the applesauce you can use pureed pumpkin, a mashed banana, or if you REALLY have to, you can use the same amount of oil.

Don't like raisins? Toss in some dried cherries and replace the pecans with macadamia nuts.

Use zucchini in place of the carrots for a different texture and taste (more like Zucchini bread... yum!).

Change any kind of nut, dried fruit, or oil replacer that you can think of.

The possibilities are endless!

Enjoy! :)

Oh and to all my Mom readers: remember, this is a GREAT way to sneak extra veggies and fruit in to your child's diet... but they don't HAVE to know that! ;)

Shortbread: Quick and Tasty!!!

So most of you know that I have a full time job on top of my "full time job" as a wife and mother... Which is why new recipes are few and far between...

Well every now and then my poor baby boy is sick and I am forced to stay home with him and spoil him rotten.

Today was one of those days. I will spare you the gruesome details, but long story short, he was hacking and coughing all night and day long! It was nice to be able to give him love and nurse him back to health - one of the most wonderful things about motherhood is that Mama always makes you feel better!!! :)

Well anyway, with all of my extra time at home I became extremely motivated to do, well, everything!! I cleaned out my cabinets, hung up a mountain of clothes that had been mocking me, washed about 38,000 loads of laundry (exaggeration? Guess we will never know...) I also broke out my apron and floured my hands and got down to work in the kitchen. I whipped up something I have been craving a lot lately! Shortbread cookies!!!

My favorite thing about Shortbread in general is that it is SO versatile and can be made to suit anyone's tastes! If you read my blog much, you know that I LOVE any opportunity to alter recipes and make them unique... personalization is key to any good cook!

So how easy is this recipe you ask? Well let me ask you this: does 3 ingredients sound easy enough for you?

Yes?

I thought so...

So the basic recipe is this:

1/4 c packed brown sugar
1 1/4 c sifted all purpose flour

sift together then cut in
1/2 c REAL butter (I use salted because a little extra salt is always welcome here....)

Work into a nice dough and roll into a circle on parchment paper. Cut into 8 wedges but do not separate on the sheet. Place parchment on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until cookie is firm in the middle.

Now for mine I simple sprinkled 1 teaspoon cinnamon into the flour and sprinkled 1 teaspoon pure vanilla onto the dough as I was working in the butter. Then I rolled into the circle, cut my wedges, then I sprinkled finely chopped pecans on top and lightly pressed them into the dough.

After the wedges bake you will want to recut them while still warm with a pizza cutter or knife... You can also sprinkle a little bit of white sugar on top for a nice texture and finish... That is how the shortbread I grew up with always was! But it was cut into bars and not wedges, and they made it a lot thicker than I make mine... but other than that, the basic recipe was the same!

Some suggestions:

Fold nuts into the dough

Fold chocolate or flavored chips into the dough

Cut into different sized rounds and brush with melted butter after baking and sprinkle with colored sugar

Add lemon extract and poppy seeds to the dough

Add chopped dried cranberries to the dough (ooh and some white chocolate chips!!!)


*If you cut the cookies into shapes you will want to bake them for 10-15 minutes instead of 15-20.

Start to finish these cookies take less than 40 minutes!

Steak and Bean Quesadillas with Tomatillos!!!

So tonight's post doesn't have any pictures, but I think I am doing good to post anything at all with the rate I've been at lately...

We had these last night and a friend asked for the recipe, so I figured I might as well share it... These were delicious and, like most of my recipes, are VERY easily customized or adapted... Have at it! And like always, if you make them yourself, I would love to know any adjustments you make, or ideas you have!


You need:

1/2 lb tomatillos, husked and washed (the husks are the little green wrapper looking thing... gently peel it off and then scrub the sticky residue off of the tomatillo)
generous spoonful of minced garlic
1/2 c shredded carrot
2 tsp cumin
olive oil

2-3 london broil steaks (I don't know the exact term for them... but they are the big flat thin cuts of meat... great for salads and whatnot... if you have trouble finding them, just ask the meat guy at your grocery store for help!)

1 15 oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup frozen corn (rinsed and drained)

cilantro

a pack of tortillas... I used the 8 inch kind.. but the huge burrito kind would have been good for folding over... i did mine sandwich style with two tortillas.

1 - 2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded

salsa (homemade if you can help it ;) of course )


shred the carrot and chop the tomatillos... saute garlic in a good glug of oil over medium high heat until fragrant... add the veggies and the cumin and stir well. cook until the veggies are tender, taking care to not burn the garlic.

add the beans and corn and heat until heated through, then transfer to a bowl, cover with foil, and set aside.

while the veggies are cooking, salt and pepper the steaks and set on a broiler pan... broil on high for about 2 minutes on each side or until brown but not over cooked.. i like mine to be the tiniest bit of pink in the middle, but that is hard to achieve with a cut this thin, so cook it to your preference. let set for a few minutes, then slice at an angle into very thin strips and set aside.

wipe out the pan you cooked the filling in and heat over medium high heat. spray a tortilla with cooking spray and lay spray side down on the hot pan... heat until browned and then spray the up side with cooking spray and flip over. top with a handful of cheese, some steak strips, a big scoop of the bean mixture, some cilantro if you have it, and some salsa. top with another tortilla (or fold over if you are using the huge ones), and spray the upside with cooking spray. once the bottom tortilla is browned, carefully flip the quesadilla and brown the other side...

remove to a cookie sheet and place in the oven to keep warm... i ended up wrapping ours up in foil first and then passed the foil wrapped quesadillas out to each individual.. it worked out well... serve cut into triangles and with salsa and lime (if you want to be fancy)...

these were delicious! I hope you enjoy them!

Easy Peasy Meatball Subs

This is the easiest and yummiest crock pot meal EVER! In fact, it is too easy... But it is so delicious that I am posting it anyway.

Okay, here is what you do...

Grab a bag of frozen meatballs (or you can make them from scratch.. whatever), and a big can of sauce (or you can make it from scratch.... :P) and throw it in your crock pot. Mix it around a bit, and add some seasonings (oregano, basil, whatever makes you smile). Turn it on LOW for 4-5 hours, NO LONGER, because otherwise you will have meat sauce and not meat balls!!!!

A few minutes prior to dinner time, get some big hoagie buns and open them, spray them with cooking spray (I like to cheat this way), or spread them with butter, then toast in a broiler for a minute or two or until nice and toasted.

Top with some of the meatball mixture, then top with lots of yummy mozzarella, then pop back under the broiler to melt the cheese. Top with some fresh basil and enjoy!! These are SO yummy and guys will go back from seconds and even thirds!

Gingerbread Muffins with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Let me just sigh a contented sigh of yumminess...

*Sigh*

These things are pure heaven: seriously.

I had found a recipe vaguely resembling gingerbread muffins... I played with it until I found something that took me back to Christmastime in my childhood and knew I had done it right...

Then I wanted to dress the little guys up in something delicious and I had a bunch of oranges laying around, so I decided to give them some life and came up with a delicious cream cheese frosting with a hint of orange flavor.

It was a beautiful marriage...

So anyways, let me explain something really quick... The fact that I am about to share this particular recipe is a VERY BIG DEAL... This is one of those recipes that whenever I make these muffins (which I often pass off as cupcakes) and take somewhere, everyone wants to know my secret... to which I just smile and say "If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, now would it?"

Well, guess the secret is out. Here you go! Enjoy!

Most Amazing Incredible Super Delicious Gingerbread Muffins:

1/2 c water
1/4 c butter (go on and use the good stuff, you know you want to)
1 egg
1/4 c molasses
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c all purpose flour, sifted (duh)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger (gasp! surprise!)
1 tsp (or a little more) pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 350... also, enlist help of little person or unsuspecting husband (boyfriend, friend, or whoever) to line muffin tins with the little baking cup things.. Just a note, I prefer to do mini muffins... they turn out better and are such a satisfying little treat.

Put the butter and water into a microwave safe bowl and microwave until melted. I usually do about 30 seconds at a time until it is bubbling.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg in a bowl until well beaten. Add sugar and molasses and whisk well. Add the water and butter mixture and vanilla and stir well again. Then sift the remaining ingredients on top of the liquid mixture. Slowly stir to combine the wet into the dry without over stirring.

Pour into prepared muffin cups and bake for about 10 minutes. (20 for regular sized muffins).




Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package cream cheese, softened
1/4 c butter, softened
1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed orange juice
1 cup powdered sugar (or more depending on consistency, I think I ended up with about 2 cups or a little less)
1 tsp vanilla
lots of orange zest (as much or as little as you want, but the more the merrier I always say)


Okay, let me just point out that when I say "softened" I MEAN softened!!! Make sure you have these suckers out for enough time to be workable, but not like, melted or anything... If you forget to set them out, unwrap the cream cheese, set it on the plate, and microwave for like, 8 seconds. That should do it. Same thing with the butter but only for 5 seconds.

Cream the butter and cream cheese until creamy and whippy (is that a word?). Add the vanilla and orange juice and beat until blended. Sift in the powdered sugar and beat the crud out of it.. Then add in your zest and mix well.

I usually spoon the frosting into a sandwich baggy and use it like a piping bag... Just a tip, stick your baggy in a tall glass and fold the edges over it like a garbage bag in the can, then dump your frosting in it... much easier and less messy!!!

Enjoy!

Stuffed Anaheim Peppers

Okay so to be quite honest, I actually made these stuffed Anaheim peppers back in May and June, but never put up the post... I have been slacking, yes I know, and for that I apologize. But let me make it up to you: just trust me... make these peppers and then you will sit back and say "okay Virginia, I forgive you... This was worth the wait."

So what, you may ask, IS an Anaheim pepper? This link will fill you in, as well as give you some tips about buying and what to look for, as well as a picture.

Okay, now that you are up to speed, let me explain the thought process on this recipe... I was making enchiladas with homemade tomatillo sauce (verde sauce) and I wanted something to accompany it. So my Mommy, who is AMAZING, is ALWAYS talking about these delicious peppers she likes to make. She stuffs them with pretty much just cream cheese and then broils them. I decided to take it a step further and add some grated cheddar cheese, cilantro, garlic (because, well let's just face it, garlic rocks), a few bread crumbs (totally optional), and then to top the whole thing off, I wrapped those suckers up in delicious thickly sliced bacon.... Then I broiled them until both sides were nicely browned and the bacon cooked... Then we dug in... and THEN my husband said "hey honey, can you run to Wal-Mart?" I said "Why? What do you need?"

his reply???


"More Anaheim peppers! These things rock!!"

So there you have it: easy enough to do, a total man pleaser, and a great compliment to any southwest, tex mex, or mexican meal... (or really anything honestly).

Here is how you do it:

4 Anaheim peppers, washed
1 block cream cheese
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 bunch fresh cilantro washed and chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 c bread crumbs (I used the seasoned kind... didn't really go with the "mexican" theme, but tasted awesome!)

bacon. lots and lots of bacon...
oh and tooth picks. you need some of those too. And if you have a broiler pan, I suggest you dig it out, it will come in handy.

Okay so first you set out your cream cheese and let it soften up a bit, just so it makes things easier.

Then you need to seed and prep your peppers. Remember, you are going to be stuffing these and then roasting them, so you don't want to go lopping the tops off. Instead, make a slit all the way down the pepper, then cut halfway through the top part of the pepper, without severing it completely. This will allow you enough room to cut out the seeds and give it a good washing (which helps the stubborn seeds break loose), and stuff it up with your filling.

Once all your peppers are prepped, set them aside and start making your filling... Basically add everything except the peppers and the bacon to a bowl, then mix it up really well and stuff 1/4 of the mixture into each pepper.

Now comes the fun part! Take a tooth pick and stick a slice of bacon to the top of the pepper in a way that covers the seam from the cut. Then wind the piece around the pepper, make sure that all the seams are covered (to prevent the filling from leaking out). You will need a couple of slices per pepper at least... and lots of toothpicks. Don't worry about going overboard with the toothpicks, you will just pull them out once the peppers are done anyway! Better safe then sorry!

Preheat your broiler and line the peppers up on a broiler pan. I like to line my pan with foil so that clean up is a snap... Oh and if you don't have a broiler pan you could just use a foil lined cookie sheet or a foil lined cookie sheet with a cooling rack sat in it...

Broil for about 5 minutes on each side, checking frequently so that they don't burn.

Enjoy your deliciousness!


***Correction: Added March 3, 2011***

My mother contacted me to correct my description of her peppers. She also wrapped them in bacon and put other goodness into the filling. So I guess great minds think alike. I wasn't as different as I thought! Sorry Mommy!!!!