Ding Dong Bell Peppers

 

“Ding Dong Bell,

Pussy's in the well.

Who put her in?

Little Johnny Flynn.

Who pulled her out?

Little Tommy Stout.

What a naughty boy was that,

To soak a Pussy cat,

Who never did him any harm,

But scared all the mice in the farmer's barn.”

While the original version of this rhyme is from John Lant, the organist of Winchester Cathedral, in 1580, the version we mainly know and have heard is from New Nursery Rhymes for Old by Geoffrey Hall, published in 1949.  Other versions of the rhyme have a darker nature where the poor kitty is left to perish, however, the main concept was to teach children about animal cruelty and how wrong it was.

In fact, several Mormon leaders have explicitly spoken out against animal cruelty, such as:

David O. McKay (9th President): He frequently spoke in general conferences about kindness to animals, stating, “a true Latter-day Saint is kind to animals, is kind to every created thing, for God created all.”

Joseph F. Smith (6th President): He taught that harming animals is spiritually corrupting, noting that “doing wrong to animals is but a stepping stone to the doing of wrong to our fellow men.”\

 Joseph Fielding Smith (10th President): He similarly taught that cruelty toward animals disqualifies a person from the companionship of the Holy Spirit and emphasized that animals are living souls destined for resurrection.

George Q. Cannon (First Counselor in the First Presidency): While not church president, he was historically the most vocal general leader on animal welfare, preaching heavily in the 19th century against cruelty, neglect, and hunting for sport rather than sustenance.

Even though I am non-Mormon, I travel along the same road of thought, as these men did, about animal cruelty, and do respect their outspokenness on the subject.

Originally, I wanted to start with, “Why are bell peppers called bell peppers?”, then I remembered the rhyme, and there I went on one of my tangents.  Now, back to the original concept.

Simple answer is, “Bell peppers are called that because their plump, squat, lobed shape resembles a traditional hand bell, and they belong to the pepper family.” 

The more detailed, historical, answers are:

Bell - English settlers, of North America, noticed the hollow, wide-bottomed shape looked like a hanging church or hand bell. Records show the term "bell-pepper" used as early as the late 1600s, and were ideal for pickling.

Pepper - Christopher Columbus and early European explorers mistakenly called plants in the Capsicum genus "peppers" because their spicy or pungent varieties added heat to food, reminding the black peppercorns (Piper nigrum). Even though bell peppers are mild and lack the chemical compound capsaicin that makes other peppers hot, they kept the family name.

Do the colors of bell peppers have distinct characteristics?  First off, all bell peppers start off with a deep green color, but as they mature, or are allowed extra time to ripen, they change color and flavor.

Green: Crisp, firm, with a bright, grassy, and slightly bitter taste.

Yellow: Mild, sweet, and slightly fruity or citrusy.

Red: Sweet, juicy, and much less bitter as natural sugars increase.

Purple, White or Brown (rare colors): White and purple taste crisp and grassy like green peppers; chocolate tastes sweet like red peppers.

Bell peppers contain vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, folate and antioxidants; one cup of raw is only nine grams of carbohydrates, ½ gram of fat. 3 grams of fiber, 1.5 grams of protein, and they simply just taste good.

Recipe wise, probably everyone has one for stuffed peppers handed down through the generations.

Instead of a standard recipe, I am giving you two to add to your collection; Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers (made with roasted beef), and Cajun Seasoned Turkey and Rice Stuffed Peppers (using ground turkey for those who do not, or cannot, eat beef).

Hope you enjoy making these.  Also, let’s remember to be as kind to animals, as we are to humans, considering Homo sapiens is scientifically classified as an animal species too.

 

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

2 large green bell peppers

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

½. tsp salt

1 and 1/2 cups chopped roasted beef

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

 

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375F; spray a one-quart baking dish with nonstick spray.

 

 

 

Cut tops off peppers, remove seeds, stem and white pith; set aside tops and bodies of peppers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a small skillet, medium-high heat, sauté onions until they soften (about 5 minutes); season with salt and black pepper.

On a medium bowl, mix together onions, beef and cheese.  Stuff each pepper with the mixture and put tops on.  Bake for 30 - 40 minutes; until tops just begin to brown.

 

After Baking.

Makes two servings.

Now, if you really need that bread, make some crusty dinner rolls, fill them with some of the green bell pepper and cheesesteak filling.  There you go, Philly Cheesesteak Sliders!

 

Cajun Seasoned Turkey and Rice Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

1 and ½ lbs. ground turkey

2 Tbsp. no-salt seasoning mix

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 (8 oz.) package Zatarain’s Red Beans and Rice

6 tsps. Olive oil

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

Salt (if deemed necessary for taste)

6 large red, green or mixture of both bell peppers; seeds and white pith removed, set aside tops and bodies.

Preparation:

In a large skillet, medium-high heat, brown together the ground turkey, no-salt seasoning and mushrooms until turkey is no longer pink.  Prepare the Zatarain’s according to package directions.

 

 

Preheat oven to 375F; line the cups of a large muffin tin with aluminum foil; pour a teaspoon of olive oil into each foil lined cup.

 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the skillet mixture, Zatarain’s and diced tomatoes; taste to see if salt needs to be added.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stuff each of the bell peppers; place tops back on and put half teaspoon of filling into holes; place each stuffed pepper into a foil lined cup.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Before Baking.

After Baking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Makes six servings.

Mary Cokenour 

The Pizza Trilogy Goes Quad.

How in the world did I miss writing this?  There I was, at home, making pizza dough to create a Sicilian pie for dinner.  Ah yes, that is correct, pizza is called “pie” whether it is baked round or rectangular.  Anyway, too lazy to dig out the huge binder that acts as my personal cookbook, I looked up the recipe on the food blog.  The pizza trilogy posts came up, and also one that made me do a double-take…same title as above, and it was about focaccia bread.

I had done the post way back in 2012, expressing my frustration over not being able to get a pizza that was done correctly.   Every pizzeria we tried, not just in Utah, but in the other 4 Corners states was thick and bready; very little sauce, heavy on the cheese, light on the toppings. Being a New Yorker, this was a mystery to me and I constantly asked, "Why?".  The answers varied from "it's the water", "it's the altitude" to "we can't get the same flour here as they use out East". That last one really made my eyes cross. I make my own pizza at home, use the local water, granted the altitude is 7100 feet above sea level, but white flour is white flour.

It’s 2026 now, and we have found two local restaurants that serve up pizza and calzones with very good quality; Bangers Bar and Pizza in Dove Creek, Colorado, and Smoke Pizza Company in Blanding, Utah.  Obviously, they have discovered how to get around the mysteries of water, altitude and flour; if you haven’t tried them yet, what in the world are you waiting for?  Oh, and Bangers does some great sandwiches too, my favorite being the Chicken Parm sub.  Smoke Pizza has an in-house made bakery section too, and we love their ranch bread, croissants and cream pies.  If, however, you have your own favorite places you are loyal to, that’s great; I’m only suggesting you try these two restaurants if you haven’t already.

Alright, back to my venting on incorrectly made, in my personal opinion, pizza.  One day it dawned on me so brightly; the pizzerias in Utah are making their crust out of focaccia bread dough. This dough is kneaded only once, punched down, topped and left to rise again; hence the thicker and bread-like texture. How do I know this for a fact?  I asked of course, and the owners gladly gave me a lecture on how Utah pizza is done; a couple of owners stated their learning came from Florida or California shops, so…   All I know is how I learned to make the pizzas written about in the trilogy.  Basically, pizza dough is kneaded twice, once before and once after a single rising. For a New York style, it is stretched out to a 1/4inch thickness after the second kneading, then topped and baked.  That is how its unique crispy crust is browned to perfection, yet each slice (a 16-inch is cut into only 8 slices) is foldable and doesn’t fall apart.

The Pizza Trilogy as it appeared in the San Juan Record:

September 25, 2019

The Pizza Trilogy – New York Style

October 9, 2019

The Pizza Trilogy - Sicilian Pizza 

October 23, 2019

The Pizza Trilogy – Chicago Style.

Now I am introducing you to the quad, the fourth style - Utah's Focaccia Style Pizza. I guess if this is what you've grown up on, have never experienced pizza from different regions, then this is the best that you'll ever find. Personally, bread is bread, pizza is pizza, and Utah style pizza leans more towards being a fancy bread than an actual pizza.

What is focaccia bread exactly?  Focaccia is a soft, fluffy, oven-baked Italian flatbread. It features a crisp crust infused with olive oil and a signature dimpled surface created by pressing fingertips into the dough before baking.  Its origin dates back to ancient Rome, and was mainly eaten sprinkled with sea salt, and dipped in olive oil.  Focaccia is usually shaped into one of three forms – round, rectangular or oval.

Cheese Focaccia

Vegetable Focaccia

 

  

Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 (.25 oz) packet active dry yeast

1 and 1/3 cups warm water (110 F)

3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided by 2 Tbsp. and 1 Tbsp.

Optional Ingredients: chopped fresh herbs, shredded or grated cheeses, thinly sliced or diced vegetables, thinly sliced Italian cold cuts such as prosciutto, capicola or genoa salami.

Preparation:

Into a large bowl, sift together the flour and salt; make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Sprinkle in the sugar and dry yeast; carefully pour in the water; let stand for 5 minutes while yeast begins to react. Add 2 Tbsp. of oil and carefully begin stirring the flour into the wet center gradually incorporating all the flour.

Place dough on floured board and knead until smooth. Brush ½ tsp. of remaining olive oil into a clean bowl; place dough in bowl and turn once to coat both sides with oil. Cover with a clean linen towel and let dough rise for one hour.

Brush a teaspoon of oil onto a jelly roll or round pizza pan. Punch the dough down and place onto the pan; press the dough out to a ½ inch thickness. Brush with remaining olive oil; with tip of index finger, or handle tip of a wooden spoon, dimple the dough in 2-inch spaces. Sprinkle or place optional ingredients on top of dough; let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375F; bake bread for 25-30 minutes; until browned on top. Remove to wire rack to cool slightly; best served warm.

Makes one bread.

For high altitude, adjust the amount of flour, as you would, when making basic bread.

 

There you go, bread that’s pizza, or pizza that’s bread; so long as you enjoy it, that is the only point that matters.

Mary Cokenour

A Breakfast Teaser.

For the past few months, Roy and I have been traveling in, and around, San Juan County to find, and dine on, breakfast.  Just as I think we are done, someone will mention another restaurant that, “You just have to try!”  So, that article is still in its developmental stage, but hopefully will appear in a June issue of the San Juan Record.

Until then, I think a little teaser about breakfast would be a good introduction.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines breakfast as: “1. the first meal of the day especially when taken in the morning. 2. the food prepared for a breakfast. eat your breakfast.”  The 1st definition seems to be worldwide; the 2^nd?  Why do dictionaries define a word, using the same word? Before I digress further, while the intent of a breakfast is to feed the body upon waking, it goes further than that nowadays.  Having “breakfast” food for brunch, lunch or dinner is not unusual any longer.  Workers of 2^nd and 3^rd shifts come home in the early morning hours, and what is there to eat?  Breakfast! 

Why is breakfast so important?  According to medical studies, it breaks the body’s fasting during overnight sleep.  It jump starts metabolism, helps the body burn more calories during the day, and basically is the fuel to get you moving.  According to an article, written by Christy C. Tangney, PhD, a professor of clinical nutrition at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL,

“Various studies have found different benefits of starting your day with breakfast, including:

    Having a lower BMI

    Consuming less fat through the day

    Meeting recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption

    Having higher daily calcium intake

    Having higher daily fiber intake

    Having better performance (memory and attention) (for school-aged children)”

Worldwide, what the residents of one country, or culture, refer to as breakfast, may seem very unusual to the country/culture of another.  In America, the usual staples are: eggs, a protein (sausage, bacon, ham), cheese, pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, toast and potatoes (hash browns or home fries).  Now take, for example, Japan where the morning meal consists of: grilled fish, steamed rice, miso soup and pickled vegetables.  For us, here in the USA, sounds more like a lunch or dinner; but it is simply what makes the world go round…cultural diversity.

…and guess what, depending on where you live, or were born and raised, the breakfast you enjoy having might be seen as “foreign” in other states.  In the south, and many of the southwestern states, a typical breakfast would be biscuits and gravy, country fried steak, chicken and waffles, and a side of grits instead of potatoes.  The southwestern states also have a huge influence from Mexico, so do not be surprised to see some type of breakfast burrito, huevos rancheros, and green chili on the menu.

 

In the tri-states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the full-on breakfast was usually eggs, potatoes, meat, toast and pancakes; the “heart attack” special.   

 

Heart Attack Special

Full Breakfast with Hash Browns

However, the breakfast that all high school and college students, and workers of every class were drawn to the most was, the breakfast sandwich.  A kaiser roll (poppy seed covered), buttered and browned on the grill, along side two frying eggs, bacon; then topped with melting cheese, ketchup, salt and pepper.  Oh yes, coffee was a must, and those who asked for tea got a very strange look from the guys behind the counter.

 

Buttered Roll Toasting Next to Frying Eggs.

All the Ingredients Ready to be Put Together.

The Breakfast Sandiwich.

So, consider this a breakfast teaser, something to get your mind focused on my upcoming article, “Breakfast In, and Around, San Juan County”.  Oh, while you are thinking, do not be surprised if your mouth starts watering, since your taste buds just woke up and are hungry for breakfast.

Mary Cokenour

Christening the New Gas Range.

What exactly is comfort food?  I am not going to look up an official definition; I do not believe there should be one.  Comfort food should be exactly what it is called; a food that brings comfort.  That means something different to everyone for the most part; memories from childhood, or learning to cook by a loved one's side; or even cooking a meal for someone you love for the very first time.  It is food that not only feeds the body, but the mind and soul.  Comfort food can be as simple as a tuna fish sandwich, or as complicated as Beef Wellington; it has a special meaning for the person eating it, as well as the person who made it.

Being woken up around 3am, I noticed a brilliant light coming in through an opening in the curtains. There, sitting upon the roof of my shed was a full moon.   As usual, the full moon out here is huge; one could imagine just reaching up and plucking it out of the sky; it looks that close.  However, it now had an aura surrounding it that traveled outward till it was finally swallowed up by the dark; an amazing sight.  This is one of the things, that I cherish, living out here; the lack of artificial lighting, so I can see the true essence of the moon and stars.

What has all this to do with comfort food? The ideal of comfort of course; that the sight of the moon’s glow could be such a peaceful experience.  Ah-ha, but now for some excitement, well, for me at least.  My new gas range which I named “Darth Vader” was being delivered on the weekend, and my mind was racing, “How do I christen it?”  What kind of dish, stove top or oven, to make that would do a welcoming justice to this new appliance.  Yes, I am weird, you all should be over that fact by now.

 

New Gas Range aka Darth Vader.

I suggested, to Roy, that I make my “heart attack” macaroni and cheese; a stove top dish using three to five cheeses, dependent on what types the store had in stock.  To which he replied, “Mac n’ cheese?  That’s so mundane.  Can’t you make something more exciting?”  Mundane?  Mac n’ cheese mundane?  I DO NOT DO MUNDANE!!!

Asking him to make a suggestion, he stated that I had not made Chicken Monterey in a very long time, and he would like that to be my first dish.  Now, I could have been petty, made a snide remark, or not make the dish at all, but why cut off my nose to spite my own face?

The ingredients were purchased to make Chicken Monterey, and while out, also the to make Chinese Roast Pork Buns, and…wait for it…macaroni and cheese!

 

What is Chicken Monterey anyway?  My recipe is just one version out of hundreds.  Historically, its origin has been claimed by restaurant chefs in Canada, chain restaurants like Bonanza Steakhouse and Chili’s, and private restaurants throughout the United States.  The origin of the cheese used, Monterey Jack, can be traced back to 18th-century Franciscan friars of Monterey, Alta California.

 

Chicken Monterey

 

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup barbeque sauce (KC Masterpiece, Bullseye or Sweet Baby Ray’s)

4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided in half

½ cup each green and red bell peppers, diced

½ cup onion, diced

½ cup mushrooms, diced

½ cup tomatoes, diced

4 slices Monterey Jack cheese

Finely chopped parsley, for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil, on medium-high heat, in a large skillet.  Brown both sides of the chicken breasts (about 2 minutes each side), but do not cook all the way through (cooking will finish in the oven). Remove chicken from skillet; pat dry. Brush both sides of chicken with barbeque sauce and set into an 8” x 8” baking dish (pre-sprayed with cooking spray). Pour remaining barbeque sauce on top of chicken in the dish.

While the chicken was browning; heat other 2 Tbsp. oil in a smaller skillet; set onto medium-high heat; put in the peppers and onion. When they just begin to soften, add the mushrooms, and let cook for another 2-3 minutes; do not let the vegetables brown. Remove from heat and add the tomatoes. Spoon the vegetable mixture on top of the chicken; top with cheese. Place into oven and let cook for 15-20 minutes; cheese will be bubbly, and chicken cooked through.

Remove to serving platter and sprinkle parsley on top.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: If the chicken breasts are very large and thick, cut in half lengthwise, adjust all ingredients accordingly, and there will be more servings available than the original four.

 

 

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

(aka Heart Attack Mac n’ Cheese)

 

Ingredients:

4 cups uncooked large elbow macaroni

8 Tbsp. butter

8 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. salt plus 2 Tbsp. 

½ tsp. ground black pepper 

1 cup milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup hot macaroni water

1/2 cup each goat cheese, shredded sharp cheddar, shredded Monterey Jack, shredded mild cheddar

Preparation:

In 3-quart pot, on high heat, bring water to boil for macaroni; add uncooked elbows to pot with 2 Tbsp. salt.  Cook until al dente (slightly firm).

In a 4-quart pot, melt butter over medium-high heat; stir flour into the butter until smooth and bubbly; stir in 1 tsp. salt and pepper. Switch to a whisk; gradually add milk and heavy cream, whisking constantly.   

Add ½ cup of cheese and whisk until well incorporated; repeat process until all four cheeses have been incorporated.  Take 1 cup of macaroni water from pot; whisk into cheese mixture; remove from heat.  Drain cooked macaroni, add to cheese mixture and mix well; cover and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Note: While this recipe is a stove top method, after combining the ingredients, it can all be transferred to a buttered casserole dish, topped with buttered, crushed bread crumbs, and baked (350F) till bubbly and golden brown.

 

So, the new gas range is christened with two dishes, Chicken Monterey for Roy, and Mac n’ cheese for me.  Definitely a delicious win-win christening.

Mary Cokenour