Saturday, February 18, 2012

Food and Memory

Last night I made stuffed bell peppers for dinner. While this may seem like just another recipe post, there is a story behind this recipe:

As a kid, my mom frequently made a Cuban meal called pico dillo. I'm not actually sure if that's how it is spelled, but either way, it was delicious. It's a mixture of ground beef, garlic, onion, tomato sauce, olives and raisins. It's usually served over rice.

It was my Abuelo's favorite meal, according to my dad. Abuelo has always been my favorite family member. He was always patient and smart. He was so funny. It's from him that I inherited my unending stream of bad puns. When he passed away it was devastating, but I believe he sees me every day.

So last night when I was making stuffed peppers, I realized that the filling was extremely similar to pico dillo. It smelled amazing and the whole time I was cooking, I felt like my Abuelo was with me. This has been an incredibly difficult past year and I am struggling daily to do what I need to do to succeed at school and at work. But last night, feeling close to my Abuelo, everything was a little bit easier.

Here is what you'll need:
2 large bell peppers
½ pound of ground beef
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup cooked white rice
1 8-oz. Can of tomato sauce
1 large clove garlic, smashed and minced
¼ cup chopped onion
salt


1. Get the rice going. (I cook 1 cup dry rice with 2 cups water in the microwave. I cook it uncovered on High power for 5 minutes, then covered on 50% power for 15 minutes.)

2. While the rice starts, cut off the tops of the bell peppers and take out the seeds. Chop up the good parts of the tops to include in the filling and set aside. Place the peppers in a pot with water that just covers them, and bring the water to a boil. Boil the peppers for 3 minutes. When they're done, set them in ice water for a few seconds, then drain on a paper towel while you make the filling.


3. In a pan, cook the onion, garlic, leftover peppers and ground beef with a tablespoon of olive oil until the meat is cooked through. Season with salt. Pour the tomato sauce in the pan and remove from heat. Once the rice is cooked, you'll put this in the pan, too, and stir everything up until it's mixed well. 


4. Preheat the oven to 350, and place the drained peppers in a shallow baking dish. Fill them up with the filling. Any leftover filling can be set aside for another meal-- it's delicious on its own.

5. Bake the peppers for 20 minutes. When they're done, use tongs to place them on plates, and enjoy!


Sunday, February 5, 2012

Pajamas and Pinterest

I am in love with an airline pilot.

That being said, I spend a lot of time hanging out alone, which is fine with me because I tend to be a huge homebody. Don't get me wrong, I still get dressed and bathe regularly and I have my friends, but I'm perfectly content to hang out at home for 3 days straight. My point is this: once all the reading, the writing and the research is done (the 3 "r"s of higher education!) I have a bit of time on my hands.

Enter: timesuck Pinterest

This website has changed my life. Not in a Celine Dion kind of way-- who! by the way, you can look up and pin on Pinterest! But it has provided me with yet another creative outlet. I have my old lady magazines, my old lady hobbies, and my new interest in cooking, and these things keep me going most of the time. But there's something about having a living, breathing community to share ideas with that is new and exciting. On Pinterest, I can follow my friends and get to know their creative sides. A lot of these friends are people that I wouldn't normally discuss crafts/hobbies/recipes, etc. with because I don't really know what they're into. But now I have an idea and a ready conversation topic. It's pretty cool.

It's also incredibly fun to search for new recipes to try here at home, and to pin ideas and crafts for events like birthdays, baby showers, and weddings, things which usually rise in frequency in one's mid-20s. There are ideas for gardening, ideas for home decoration, and ideas for clothing and apparel that are not only cute, but are sometimes invented and displayed by other normal, everyday people, rather than magazine models. That element of reality is so much more inspiring because I feel that all the cool ideas I see are not manufactured, but real, which means I can try them, too!

Anyway, this is a completely pointless post, and super dorky. But if you haven't already, check out Pinterest. It's very fun and it's a way to brainstorm for yourself, and brainstorm with others. AND. You can do it in your pajamas, as I do 85% of the time. Holler.