A Cleaner Broiler Pan

To keep from having to scrub...and scrub...and scrub the bottom of your broiler pan, just wrap the bottom half of the pan in foil. Then place the top half on top just as normal. You get to toss out the foil along with all the burned drippings from your food. Oh, and this was my husband's clever idea, he told me I'd better cite my sources!

Valentine's Week

My husband and I were each other's first long-term boyfriend/girlfriend. For "many" years I felt left out of the whole Valentine's Day/love fest and would plan a special night out with other singles on Valentine's Day. Looking back, I really didn't spend too many Valentine's alone, considering I started dating my man at 21. But when you're a teenager it feels like forever.

As you can imagine our first Valentine's was a big deal for me. I finally got to buy a romantic card and all the fun pink & red things you find in the stores. I was overwhelmed with too many options and the freedom to finally buy for someone special. So I came up with "Valentine's Week". Every day, for the week before Valentine's, I was going to give my man a little Valentine's treat. I made heart shaped sugar cookies and wrote handmade love notes. I even left him suprises at work. I thought he would think it was cheesey, but he seemed to enjoy it, so it became a tradition.

Then came the tradegy. Last year I decided not to do it. I'm not sure why, I guess I thought he was probably over it after 8 years together. I was very mistaken. He had bragged about it to a couple of the guys at his new office and was really disappointed when I didn't leave him treats throughout the week. I felt soooo bad! Why hadn't I at least asked him if he still wanted it? So now I need to make up for it and Valentine's Week will be back in action this year!

It can be tough to think of little things to give guys. Girls are so much easier to buy little things like lip gloss and note cards.

Here are some of the things I've used over the years:

• Homemade heart shaped sugar cookies
• Candy/chocolate
• Gum
• Trail mix/nuts
• Hostess cupcakes
• Hot sauce/salsa
• Speciality bottled water/soda
• A red rose
• Paperback book/comic book
• CD
• DVD from the $5 section at Target
• $5 gift cards

The Dollar Section at Target usually has some great finds for inexpensive gift bags, boxes & pails. I even found a red tin mail box this year!

Tasha Tudor's Cornbread

A few weeks ago I was making my homemade chili and I thought it really deserves homemade cornbread. So I tried a Joy of Cooking recipe and it was awful! So I turned to my dad's cornbread recipe. He always made the best cornbread. It is from a beautifully illustrated cookbook by Tasha Tudor. It didn't disappoint. Cornbread just doesn't get better than this. I recommend using an iron skillet or my personal pick, this Scone Pan to get a nice crust on the outside of the cornbread.

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 farm-fresh eggs, at room temperature, separated
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk, lukewarm
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an iron cornbread pan that makes 12 sticks, or a muffin tin, with peanut oil.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar and add the egg yolks, slightly beaten. Stir well. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt, then add it alternately with the milk to the creamed butter. Stir in the cornmeal, then fold in the beaten egg whites.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until beautifully browned.

It's that time of year...

...when all the email blasts come pouring into my inbox from my favorite retailers and I start drooling over the Christmas decorations. As if I don't have enough already. Here are a few of my favorites this year:

1. Pirate Ship, Anthropologie $18 (I will be looking for this one to go on sale, it's so fairytale-esque!)
2. Skating Sweater Kids, Crate & Barrel $23.80/set (I bet you can buy individually in-store as usual)
3. Red Sock Monkey, Paper Source $6.95 (I've been wanting one of these monkey sock toys, I have no idea why)
   

Ornament collecting ideas:

1. Host an ornament exchange Christmas party - My husband and I used to exchange tools [guys] & ornaments [ladies] at our annual Christmas party. Things get crazy when you let everyone pick from whichever category they like!
2. Give a new ornament to your family members on Thanksgiving - My friend came up with this idea. She gives her parents and siblings a new ornament each Thanksgiving, isn't that fun?!
3. Give each child a new ornament every Christmas for their collection - My mom did this just about every year and we all had our own Christmas popcorn tin that we kept them in. By the time I moved out, I almost had a tree full!

Quote of the Day

"When you're through changing, you're through." --Martha Stewart

Stuffed Peppers

Is it strange to love stuffed peppers? They are so simple and homely looking, but oh how I love them. They are hearty and flavorful. They are great leftovers, easy to transport to the office for the next day's lunch. A complete dish: protein, carbohydrate and vegetable. Here is how I like my peppers stuffed...


Stuffed Peppers
Serves 4-6

• 4 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow)
• 1 pound ground turkey or beef
• 1-1/2 cups chunky, seasoned marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup white rice
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup white or crimini mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup of water to a boil. Add rice and a pinch of salt. Cover pan and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil on high heat. Add ground meat and brown until no longer pink. Add mushrooms and onions, saute for 5 minutes longer until vegetables are cooked. Add marinara sauce and rice. Simmer for 10 minutes longer. Salt to taste.

Meanwhile, cut peppers lengthwise. Trim off stems, scrape out seeds and membranes. Place peppers in a large baking dish. Season the inside of peppers with salt.

Fill peppers with meat mixture. Top generously with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown and peppers are soft.


Tip: Green bell peppers produce a more bitter flavor, so I prefer the reds and yellows.

The Best of Summer

[T-Street Beach, San Clemente, CA]

The best of summer is coming to an end. Be sure to soak it up while it lasts!