Grilled Sweet Peppers

One day in the grocery store, I couldn't resist buying this big bright bag of mini sweet peppers.  I had no idea what I was going to do with them-I doubted any kids but my oldest (who eats anything and everything) would eat them plain.

I decided to throw them on the grill with some chicken that evening.  

I took off the green caps, threaded them on wood skewers, brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled them with some course kosher salt.  I left them on till they were just slightly soft and had some pretty grill marks on their sides.

They were delicious and gone in seconds.

Hush Puppies

Ever since we've had Hush Puppies down south on vacation, my kids have asked me to give them a try.  This recipe was a keeper.  Good 'ol fried food.  There's nothing like it. You need a deep fryer for this one.

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup white sugar

1 large onion, diced

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup self-rising cornmeal

1 quart oil for frying

In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, sugar and onion.

Blend in flour and cornmeal.

Heat oil in deep fryer.

Drop batter by rounded teaspoon (if you make them too large they won't cook through), in hot oil, and fry until golden brown.  This doesn't take very long, so watch them carefully.

Cook in small batches to maintain oil temperature.

Drain briefly on paper towels.

Serve hot.

Bread Maker Breadsticks

Soft, chewy, buttery breadsticks are a hit at this house, and something easy, cheap and filling to make for the evenings we have friends over and a snack is necessary.

Put these ingredients in a breadmaker (I have a Zojirushi Breadmaker):

1 cup warm water
1/4 cup oil
3 cups of bread flour
1 tsp. salt
3 TBS brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Once the dough cycle is finished, I roll the dough onto a 10 x 12 lightly buttered cookie sheet.
Using a pizza cutter, I cut the bread sticks into 24 pieces.
Let rise for about an hour.

Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes.

When breadsticks come out of oven, drizzle this mixture on top:
4 TBS melted butter
1/2 tsp garlic salt

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Red Potatoes With Garlic and Butter

A super easy, super fast side dish everyone loves.

Red potatoes, diced, to cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
2/3 stick of butter, cut into pieces
3 TBS diced minced garlic (use the kind from the jar and save yourself time!)

Preheat oven to 400.
Dice potatoes.
Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray, and throw in all 3 ingredients.
Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender inside and a little crispy on top.
(About half way through, take the dish out and stir so potatoes are evenly coated.)
Serve plain or with ketchup.