feelin' hot hot hot.

So, way back when, in 2004, my sister and I went to China to visit some family. It's funny how the title of this post took me straight to my brother's living room with my niece and nephews dancing in their pj's to the Eddie Bauer Summer Edition CD that we picked up at the store in oh, say, 2000. Yeah, that's about right. So, we're all dancin' and acting silly and the kids LOVED that CD fro some reason. So much so that when Maren and I left, we left the CD for the kids. How could we not? They're so precious dancing and singing without a care in the world. Anyway, one of the songs on the CD is "feelin' hot hot hot". I'm not sure if that's the title, but I know it's about 80% of the lyrics, so we'll go with it. Boston, our oldest nephew, was 4 1/2 at the time and he kept singing (SUPER LOUDLY) "feewin' hot hot hoot...ree hot ree hot!" One of THE cutest and most precious memories EVER. And yes, when he gets married, I'll be sharing that story about him dancing in pj's singing at the top of his lungs to that crazy song. You'll have to forgive me. Sometimes I forget this is a cooking blog! Right...cooking! So, the other night, oh man, I think it was last Monday, Matt and I went to the grocery store together and were having the discussion of what to have for dinner that night. It's so funny how much in sync you are when we both looked at each other and said "how about stuffed peppers?!" It wouldn't be so much of a surprise if that's something we whipped up often in the Hargrove Casa, but, I can honestly say, we've never done that. We both looked at each other and it went something like this "WHAT?! NO WAY...I JUST SAID THAT TOO. WHOA!" Crazy. So, stuffed peppers it would be that night! Here's what we had...

Meg's Stuffed Poblano Pepper with Black Beans and Rice

*NOTE TO SELF: Start taking pictures of the dinners before they're eaten!
We typically eat dinner RIGHT after we workout, so, we're crazy hungry and it's like we can't get it from the stove to the plate to the table fast enough!

What you'll need:

~2 Large poblano peppers, top and seeds removed
~1 Lb. 93/7 lean ground turkey
~Cooking spray
~2 Tsp. Olive oil
~1/2 C. Mexican mixed shredded cheese, divided
~1 Can black beans
~1 Bag brown rice, cooked according to directions
~1/4 C. bread crumbs (we used roasted garlic...HOLLA!)
~1 Fresh jalapeno, chopped
~Cilantro for topping
~1 Avocado, sliced, for topping
~1 Tsp. black pepper
~1/4 Red onion, chopped

What to do:

~Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
~Place seeded poblanos onto greased baking sheet and brush all sides of peppers 1/2 Tsp. olive oil
~Bake for 30 mins, then turn and reduce heat to 375 degrees for 25 mins, and remove from oven
~Place oven on high broil (500 degrees)
~Place remaining oil, jalapeno and red onion into heated skillet and saute until onion and jalapeno become soft
~Add ground turkey and seasonings and cook turkey all the way through
~Add ingredients from skillet to bread crumbs and 1/4 C. cheese in medium size mixing bowl and toss until mixture comes together. Add more cheese if you need
~Take a spoon and slide it down the middle of each pepper but make sure not to go through the bottom side
~Spoon turkey mixture into peppers (you'll probably have some mix leftover)
~Place the remaining cheese on top of the peppers and broil until cheese is bubbly
~Top with cilantro and avocado
~Heath the black beans in the microwave for 30 seconds and spoon on top of each serving of brown rice and top with cilantro

There ya have it! That's it!
Direct quote from Matt "I want to eat this every day for the rest of my life."

I think that sums it up! ENJOY!

thank you, cooking light.

Does anyone ever watch the Jimmy Fallon Show? You know that segment called "Thank You Notes"? Never mind. It's funny. Consider this my thank you note to Cooking Light magazine. It goes something like this "Thank you, Cooking Light, for making me look like super-wife for cooking this stew, when really I was stressed out and looking nothing like super-wife running frantic through Kroger in 35 degree weather wearing running shorts." No, seriously...you should have seen me.
OK, no more time for expressing my dreams of having my own TV show... I promised the recipe, right? Well, here it is!

Pork & Hominy Stew

What you'll need:

~2 Tbs. chile powder
~2 Tsp. dried oregano
~1 1/2 Tsp. paprika
~1/2 Tsp. cumin
~1/2 Tsp. salt
~1 - 1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2" pieces (I used pork loin boneless chops. Just as good and about 1/3 the cost!)
~1 Tbs. olive oil
~2 C. chopped onion
~1 1/2 C. chopped green bell pepper
~3 Cloves minced garlic
~2 1/2 C. fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
~2 14 Oz. cans hominy, drained
~1 14.5 Oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (I used 'salsa ready', which is almost a puree'...on accident. Delicious.)

What to do:

~Combine the first 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl and remove 1 1/2 Tsp. and set aside
~Place pork into the bowl and turn to fully coat pork in the spice mix
~Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat and add the pork to pot and cook for 5 mins., or until fully browned. Stir occasionally, to ensure all sides are browned.
~Remove the pork and add the remaining oil to pot.
~Add the onion, pepper and garlic and saute' for about 5 mins.
~Place pork back in pot, along with the reserved spice mix, chicken broth, hominy and tomatoes and bring to a boil
~Reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 mins

I was telling Matt what was in it. I got the part about the tomatoes and said I bought the wrong kind and he abruptly interrupted me and said "Don't change anything. Nothing. This is incredible. We need to write this in our recipe journal...and have it again. SOON."

Oh Matt, you are precious. And thanks for thinking I'm Super-Wife, even if I sport an over sized sweatshirt and running shorts in 35 degree weather.

ingredients in sweet "hominy".

Cheesy. I know. But hear me out. It started like this. A few days ago, during the "cold blast" here in H-Town (which really means it was yucky and about 35 degrees for a few days. Big deal...not), I was figuring out dinner plans for the evening when I felt the urge to dig through our cook book and cooking magazine cabinet. While thumbing through a super old issue of Cooking Light, I stumbled across THE recipe for the night! Pork and Hominy Stew. Thus the pun "sweet hominy". Get it? Get it? OK. Good. Anyway. I hopped in the car and hit the grocery store which was jam-packed with people dressed in what seemed to be every winter-ish related clothing item they owned. I'm in a sweatshirt that may or may not have had stains on it, running shorts (yep, SHORTS) and tennis shoes. I swear some people in there were sweating they were so overly wintered out. Oh well. To each his own and, trust me, I had my share of the classic "up and down" when I trotted in there in shorts. It happens. I'm not bitter. Really, I'm not. Moving along... this post is simply a teaser to the actually post containing the recipe that I'm absolutely positive you'll love, unless, of course, you're allergic to, or happen to despise any of the ingredients, in which case I'm sorry. Very sorry. I will say that accompanying the stew was Fresh Jalapeno Cornbread. OK, OK, I'll give you that recipe by now. Only because I know it by heart. It's so easy that every time I make it I feel like I should have a show called Semi-Homemade...wait, that already exists! I'll come up with something clever one of these days...you just wait! OK. Enough. Below is the recipe for the cornbread. Hope you enjoy! Just FYI, my mom, who was taught by her mom (NaNa), taught me some tricks to make pre-packaged cornbread mix something fabulous, as mom always said. I couldn't help but smile when I made it the other night. It's so true that mom, even though she's not here physically, is still everywhere and a HUGE part of so many things we do day in and day out. Miss her so much!

Fresh Jalapeno Cornbread

What you'll need:

~1 Pkg. Texas Style cornbread mix
~1 Egg
~Fat free sour cream (I believe it's 2/3 C. but make sure you substitute the same amount as milk called for)
~1/2 Can cream style corn
~1 Fresh jalapeno, chopped, seeds left in.
~1/2 Can Mexican style corn (sometimes called Fiesta Corn or Corn & Peppers)

What to do:

~Preheat oven, according to pkg. directions
~Place all ingredients into large mixing bowl. Mix well.
~Pour batter into greased* 8x8 glass or metal pan and bake according to pkg. directions.
*If you want crispy, buttery edges, place 1-2 Tbs. butter or SmartBalance into pan and place in oven until melted. Then pour batter in and the excess butter will go up the sides of the pan and, when baked, will become super yummy, crispy edges.

That's it. Feel like it was too simple? I know. Me, too. But it's so, so good.
So good, in fact, literally every time Matt eats the cornbread he says "I think this is the best I've had."

Be looking for the stew recipe!